We met a student named Daan at worship night. He has a charismatic personality, especially by Belgian standards. He’s very connected within the community at these gatherings, probably because he’s a fun, genuine, and kind guy. I love him! And he has been a proud, passionate Christian for a few months. He even shared his story of how he first encountered God at a worship night. Except, his testimony didn’t mention much about Jesus.
Grant caught the clue and connected with Daan and his friend Christian, who invited us to visit their hometown one evening. They showed us Mechelen’s massive tower, their charming downtown, and a historic local beer (which, admittedly, tasted pretty bad, but we were honored to have a taste of their home culture). We talked about many things concerning faith throughout the evening. Daan readily shared his excitement about some spiritual topics like prayer and worship.
At the end of the evening, I mentioned something about Paul (the author of much of the New Testament). To my surprise, Daan replied, “Who’s Paul?” So I asked him how much of the Bible he had read. “I read a story about how Jesus sent evil from a man into some pigs once.” It turns out, he had never deeply considered Jesus’ story. That night, in the last few minutes of our walk, he heard the Gospel for probably the first time face-to-face. I look forward to following up with him about that sometime, if the Lord gives the opportunity!
I suspect Daan isn’t alone in his faith journey. He had attended a small group and worship nights many times, but nobody had encouraged him to consider Jesus. It seems many young Christian gatherings don’t talk much about the Gospel.
Hopefully this story broadens your picture of what our work is like in Belgium. Spiritual energy is at an all-time high, but ministry is patient, and relationships are slow. It’s crazy to think we have less than four weeks before we move to Dublin! For more updates on our recent Irish surf retreat, please check out our website. As always, I thank God for you and your prayers.
Together in Christ,
Esten
