Saturday morning we rushed out early to catch a train to Zwolle, a city on the other side of The Netherlands. We had been told that there was an ice sculpture festival where the theme was the stories of the Bible. I guess they had done one a few years ago based on the paintings of Rembrandt which was fabulous, so we were really excited to see the exhibit. Unfortunately, none of our friends we asked to come along were able, but coincidentally enough Sonja was heading to see her son in Amersfoort and was going to be on the same trains as us (well, the first 2 of 3 anyway). After the 3 hours traveling there involving 1 bus, 3 trains, and a 20 minute walk, we were really excited to arrive just as it began to rain. Inside it was extremely cold, cold enough to give me an ice cream headache without the ice cream! Apparently it was around -8 C! Good thing we had bundled up the kiddos. Anyway, as we walked around Kaylie had a great time telling us about each of the stories, yeah for Sunday school and super great Sunday school teachers! (We miss you all!) In fact she liked it so much she made us walk through it a second time. I love hearing her point out what she knows and ask questions about what she doesn't. She made us tell her the entire story of Sampson and Delilah on the way home in the train because she didn't remember it.
Miss Sonja, Kaylie, and Keiric on the train.
The city of Zwolle
The Ice Sculptures
Noah's Ark
Coming through the Red Sea
Moses and the 10 Commandments
Inside the tower of Babel
Sampson and Delilah
The birth of Jesus
The Crucifixion 
Jesus' Ascension
(The pictures do not nearly do justice to the actual sculptures; ice is very difficult to photograph!)As we left, it really started to rain, so after a quick detour through the center of Zwolle, we headed for the train and the 3 hour trip back home. Kaylie just kept saying, "That was really fun," and when we got home we ate a quick dinner before we all fell asleep around 8:30.
The train back
Today we began the day at church where we had a guest speaker who was AMAZING! He was a former political leader in Iran and came in to tell us of the difference that Jesus made in his life in turning him and his family from devout Muslims preparing for terrorism and suicide bombings to disciples of Christ. He also in very clear terms illustrated the differences in the religion of Islam and the relationship that is Christianity. Differences like our God reveals himself to man, that God did not create sin, and that He can save us now in this life not in "the next life." I was amazed at techniques that he talked about that are being used by Muslims to infiltrate the rest of the world, and that while they say Allah is a god of peace, the Koran promotes only war and destruction and says that even nominal Muslims should be killed. He told us that once a single mosque has been built in a country they consider it a Muslim country, and they will use violence to promote their goals - which are wiping out Christianity and Judaism. He told us they are using oil as a bargaining tool to also further their idealogy. Apparently, 3 months ago England, because they did not want to lose their access to oil, agreed to acknowledge Muslim law, which basically says that you can beat your wife or sell your children (since they are equivalent to animals). These are the times when I feel caught in a catch 22: I love the freedom of America to practice and preach about my faith, and yet that same freedom will let these Islamic believers come and practice their religion which at its very core is violent and destructive. It is scary to think about and so he just kept encouraging us to hold on to Jesus. We were also able to purchase some really great reference materials that have all the research and references marked.
After church we were able to have some friends over for lunch, and then in the evening my friend Kim came by to chat. So now as I sit finishing this post (knowing that I should head for bed) I can't believe at how fast the time is going - this week marked halfway in our adventures in Holland! I just know that the second half will probably go even faster than the first, and it starts tomorrow morning, as we head Kaylie to the bus in the early morning and I head for my Dutch class. So now, I'm going to bed.
3 comments:
It sounds like you guys had an awesome weekend! I love hearing about everything! The pictures are wonderful! I can just hear Kaylie telling the stories, it's beautiful! Praying for you guys and your last months there.
Already half way there? Wow! It's so awesome to hear about your relational ministry and all the friendships that have formed. So glad you all are willing to let God keep using you!
That ice sculpture display must have been AWESOME! That would be so much fun to see! And how cute is it that Kaylie was pointing out all the stories! Too much fun!
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