On May 13,.2005 fifteen members of New Life Baptist Church in Greencastle, Indiana, took the trip of a lifetime to the Netherlands. Their goal was to minister to the asylum seekers, otherwise known as refugees, who tried to find sanctuary in the Netherlands. It began on a rainy Friday afternoon; Friday the thirteenth, of all days! The team was nervous, excited, and maybe a little apprehensive. They were even more apprehensive when they missed their connecting flight to Amsterdam because of the weather! But in the middle of high anxiety, the question made it's way around of: "Who controls the weather but God? And who knows our path better than Him?"
God's orchestrating hand was felt during the entire trip, and the missed flight was a blessing in disguise. It served as a constant reminder that there is no one in control but God. The group was able to lead two Muslims to Christ, despite the fact that those two risked their lives because of their conversion. Children who had never heard the name of Jesus before were able to hear it through songs, stories, and coloring books. The Refugee Center went from a place of subdued faces, silence and suspicion to a place of joy, dancing and laughter.
The team held a fun fair at the Center during the day and a music workshop at night. They divided up into pairs that did face painting, nails, pictures, and sports. The children came back time and time again to have their faces painted. Relationships were built during the time the women painted nails. They were able to encourage and share the Gospel with women from Iraq, Eritrea, Somalia, Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and many other countries. Men, women, children, and entire families stood in lines to get their pictures taken and then placed in small frames. The people left with hardly more than the clothes on their backs, and to have something like a picture to hang in their small living space was a treasure. Basketball, football and soccer were a big hit with the men. It was a huge open door to invite them to church services and to share the Gospel with them as well.
The music workshops consisted of about twenty different praise songs sung and accompanied by drums, keyboard, guitars, bass, and tambourines. The team taught the songs to the people that came to listen and had many come sing with them. Some of the people that did not know English now know the words, "Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, yes, yes", "He reigns", and "He's worthy"! These were Muslims that had never heard the Gospel before and had been taught their whole lives that Christians were the enemy. Many of them asked, "Where does your joy come from?" Parents came to the concerts and services because they saw such a difference in their children during the short week that the team was there. They wanted to know why their children were so happy. The answer is simple: "Jesus". And because of Him, the Refugee Center in the Netherlands and the team from Greencastle, Indiana, will never be the same.
Many seeds were planted, and we were blessed to see three Muslims come to know Christ as well as one Dutch young lady.
