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Today was the best day I have had in Amsterdam so far and I could not wait to get back to the hotel to write about it.

Just a little background for you:

Jen met a couple in Thailand and they are from Holland. We met up with them yesterday and had lunch and during lunch we were talking about the Nazi occupation and the concentration camps around the area. They showed us last night where one was near their house and told us the train tickets to buy to set us off on our adventure.

OK so I woke up at 8:45 this morning because my TV has an alarm on it and when you push the power button on the TV itself it shuts everything off. Well apparently last night someone pushed the magic button and that explains why I woke up at 8:45. But I said all that because we were supposed to leave for church at 9:00. So I was downstairs at 8:58 to grab some toast on the go but we didn’t actually leave until 9:15.

THE PLOT THICKENS

After this we rode the train to the end like the directions said but wrong train. Why would this happen you ask, not sure, but I was pretty frustrated. So after the failed attempt to gather with our Dutch brothers and sisters we went to Centraal Station (that is not a type-o that is how you spell central here). When we got there Jen informed me that we did not have information on how to get to where we were going. We go the ticket round trip to Eindhoven, which is where this couple lived, and we set off on the train. Jen then remembered that we were supposed to get off at some stop that was before Eindhoven but she did not know which one that was. So we asked a lady on the train and she said get off at the station before Eindhoven…so we did. We got off and the whole time Jen was like the place starts with the letter U but the place we were at started with a D. We started looking for them because they were going to pick us up but didn’t see them so we got a little worried. Finally, she found us and told us we were at the right place. We then got in the car and left.

This part was absolutely mind-blowing. We went to the concentration camp and we were able to see the barracks where the Jews were kept as well as the crematorium and the place where they shot the Jewish prisoners. The walk to the place where the Jews were shot was about 10 minutes and through the woods. The whole time I was thinking this must have been terrible but a relief to know you were walking this path to your death. We were all awestruck at this place because the people that built it were told they were building just another German military base. The whole place is more than words can describe. The original guard towers were there and everything was surrounded by barbed wire. The Nazi’s were some of the cruelest people you will ever read about. This was an experience that really helps you realize what helped shape this part of the world.

After we left the camp we went to their house for dinner. They cooked traditional Dutch food. The food was spinach mixed with mashed potatoes, sausages, and bacon bits in green beans. It was an amazing meal and for desert we had cinnamon ice cream and coffee.

That was not the best part…we also had the opportunity to share in about a 3 hours conversation with them. We were able to give them what we believe and what the Bible says and just share different things with them. They asked questions and we asked questions so it was a very good conversation. They are an amazing couple and I am thankful for what God is doing in their lives. I ask that you pray for them that they will continue to seek and ask questions concerning the gospel.

Anyway it’s time for me to wrap it up this has been a fairly lengthy blog post. Anyway as always prayer is greatly appreciated.

GRACE AND PEACE
Jeff

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