I am excited to be writing again. It has been a few months since I last posted in Cassia Offerings. I love being transparent in my writings, it is really who I am and it is dealing with everyday struggles trying to follow the Lord in obedience. This road has taken us to The Netherlands and to the industrious Dutch people.

This actually began as an email to a dear friend. I read through it and realized it was my heart being laid bare, but also the Lord laying His cover over it. I believe you may be able to relate to my struggles and garner something from it. My prayer went something like this on that day sitting by the North Sea, looking out at the dark water, the buoys, and the grey skies.

Holy Spirit as I sit here, I pray for a word. What is your word to me? Your word is a lamp to my feet, directing and guiding us as that buoy does for the ships and tug boats. Let your praise be lifted high! I delight to do your will more than I desire the comfort of home. I love you Jesus. Thank you for establishing us, settling us.

Grace my daughter as you enter this stage of your life. More grace to learn new things, as you try to adapt to the Dutch way of living. You delight my heart as you are so far out of your comfort zone. My mercies are new to you everyday. There are boundaries set up for your protection. They keep you from the rocky edges and the shallow water. Go deep Jan, Launch out into the deep of Holland. You will find an amazing catch. You will bear much fruit in this season of your life. Trust Me, launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.

I delight to do His will more than I desire the comforts of the familiar. Yet, I need Him desperately every day, several times daily. I have been dealing with some negative self talk, or perhaps the enemy talking in my ear. I take these negative statements captive because I know what the truth is, but at times the negative statements make sense to me. It is crazy what Nate and I are thinking of doing here. We are not young, we do not know the language, we fumble in the Dutch culture, are we relevant for this generation?

God affirms daily that we are where He wants us to be. That He will make us relevant to those twenty and thirty years younger than ourselves, and He will give grace to learn the language and the Dutch culture.

So, I continue on, trusting that God himself will do what he is speaking to us. “I will establish you in The Netherlands.”

Isaiah 46:4
Even to your old age I shall be the same and even to your graying years I shall bear you. I have done it, and I shall carry you; And I shall bear you, and I shall deliver you.

Isaiah 46:9-11
Remember the former things long past. For I am God, and there is no one like me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from the ancient times things which have not been done, Saying my purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure; Calling a bird of prey from the east. The man of my purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.

These are two scriptures that I received in my quiet time today. They are encouraging and applicable. He is faithful to speak and each time He does He covers me.

In the above passage, it says; God has spoken, He will bring what He says to pass, He has planned it, surely He will do it! I would say this takes the pressure off of the one being spoken to. Yes? It is God’s plan from the beginning; I pressed in and overheard His heart. At this point I had a choice to be obedient or to talk my way out of it. I believe that God is so gracious that He could have continued to use us in Albuquerque, or in Tyler, Texas. He asked would we consider serving in The Netherlands. To which we responded, Yes Lord. Just because we responded yes to The Netherlands does not change things. It is still God’s plan and He will establish it!

The first few weeks of being in The Netherlands were ones of striving. I knew to not try and make things happen, but it kept rising up in me. You know that feeling of ….I need to do something; I need to set up appointments to meet people, praying Holy Spirit open the door for ministry, asking close friends to pray for open doors. I felt in my gut the anxiety of it all. It was ridiculous! If you know me, you know I rest in the Lord. I pray and I trust Him to do things. I have taught on resting in the Lord and how we should not strive to make things happen. I was sharing this with Martijn and he told me that this is an issue with the Dutch people. They are constantly striving to make the most of every single minute. They have difficulty resting. We call these folks industrious, hard working. This is good in the work place, but in life, in the kingdom of God we must learn to enter the rest of God. Complete trust that He will bring things in our lives and ministry to fruition. We include Him always in our decisions and He directs our paths. He will do it!

It is always interesting to me how God uses our natural surroundings to teach us more about Himself. So, we are resting in Him, and believe He will continue to illuminate our paths. He has the plan for The Netherlands and He is showing us a little bit more of it. I wish it was a clear outline, but then that would not take faith or dependence on Him daily. So, I fall on Him often. I run into Him and I feel safe. I am vulnerable, clumsy and naked, but He covers me with His robe. Trust Him with your lives and in the process of it becoming clearer to you, He is there to encourage and cover you.

Philippians 2:13
For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.