Not just Zwolle

Once again, we were able to attend the August Bible conference in Zwolle.
BUT this time we flew, and neither of us missed that drive!

I didn't take very many pictures [1]
just wanted you all to know it was another fantastic conference. 
and we got to spend some time with a few fine folks from the USA too:)

- Zwolle International Bible Conference, August 2016 - 
Main speakers Pastor W. Mitchell and K. Foley.

-------------------------------------------

The Saturday after conference, we drove a couple hours south to Delft [2]
(Tom preached there on Sunday:)
Delft has picturesque historic town centre with canals and streets just made for strolling. 
It is famous around the world for it's 'blue pottery'
 (Dutch: Delfts blauw)

'Dating back to around the 11th century as a rural village aside a canal, the 'Delf', which comes from the word delven, meaning delving or digging, leading to the name Delft.' 

Delicious and relaxing brunch, under the Wisteria.

Main Square Saturday happenings.

Playing tourist:)

Sunday August 14, 2016 - Tom preaching in Delft  - technically Rijswijk 
________________________________

30 minutes north of Delft is Leiden, one of the oldest towns in Holland. 

("oldest reference to this - from circa 860 - the settlement was called Leithon")

The name is said to be from Germanic *leitha, meaning "canal".

 NEW ENGLAND HISTORY LESSON: In 1608, a congregation of English Protestants, seeking religious freedom, left England and moved to Leiden, Holland. 

In 1620, they set sail for New England (on the leaky Speedwell first, then the Mayflower). Exploring Cape Cod and ending up settling in Plymouth MA. 

We call them The Pilgrims...

Who knew...

 It's well worth spending a couple of hours just wandering around. We did this Sunday afternoon between services. I would love to go back some day to go inside some of the many museums, old buildings and to see more of the 2800 monuments. 

I also read it has over 88 bridges crossing the 28+ kilometers of canals.

Afternoon wonderings in Leiden. 

We packed a lot in into our Monday to Monday stay in Holland. The conference was wonderful and we had our fill of great food and fellowship. It was nice to meet up with many 'conference friends' and getting to know a few of them a little better (considering we have only been here 3 years). So good to hang out with old friends, and make some new ones too.  Plus we were able to fit in some historic sight-seeing.  I hope I never get tired of seeing amazing places, all with their long, complicated history and each with something making it unique.

Christine in Croatia

links to annual Zwolle drives: 

AUG15 Netherlands road trip part 1

AUG15 Netherlands road trip part 2

AUG14 Netherlands road trip

 If you want to see more pictures of conference, check out Zwolle church website. The picture of Tom and I smiling is from there [1]. link: The Door Netherlands

My post on our first Zwolle conference: FEB 2014 Zwolle conference

Some more onfo and facts on:

Delft: http://www.delft.nl/delften/Tourists ,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delft

• The Delft Explosion, AKA the Delft Thunderclap, occurred on 12 October 1654 when a gunpowder store exploded, around 40 tonnes (80,000 to 90,000 pounds) of black powder stored in barrels, destroying much of the city. Over a hundred people were killed and thousands were wounded. 
• Blue and white pottery made in and around Delft. The tin-glazed pottery - made in the Netherlands from the 16th century. Delftware ranged from simple household items – plain white earthenware with little or no decoration – to fancy artwork. Pictorial plates were made in abundance, illustrated with religious motifs, native Dutch scenes with windmills and fishing boats, hunting scenes, landscapes and seascapes. Sets of plates were made with the words and music of songs; dessert was served on them and when the plates were clear the company started singing. The Delft potters also made tiles in vast numbers (estimated at eight hundred million) over a period of two hundred years; many Dutch houses still have tiles that were fixed in the 17th and 18th centuries.

 Leiden:  http://www.visitleiden.nl/en 

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/leyden-nl-zh-lei.htm

• Like in Delft - Leiden had it's own gunpowder explosion. In 1807 a ship moored at the docks, in the ‘Stone Barn’ canal, in the heart of the city. A ship heading to the town of Delft, carrying over 37,000 pounds of explosive powder. On the afternoon of January 12th, 1807 - the ship exploded. The explosion left 152 people dead, another 2,000 injured and destroyed over 200 buildings.
• The luggage monument, unveiled in March, 2010, consists of six vintage suitcases, carved from different rock types, which are scattered throughout the city. The monument has been erected in memory of the Jewish fellow citizens who were killed during World War II. Maker is the Dutch / Israeli artist Ram Katzir. 
• There are 101 poems painted on walls and buildings all over the city.… the poems, in a variety of languages, were painted as part of an art project which ran in the city from 1992 to 2005. 

The Pilgrims:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_Fathers, 

https://www./LIFE-IN-LEIDEN-Pilgrims-to-America-A-Pictorial-History

• In August 1620, a group of about 40 Saints/Separatists/Pilgrims… joined a much larger group of (comparatively) secular colonists and set sail from England on two merchant ships: the Mayflower and the Speedwell. The Speedwell began to leak almost immediately, however, and the ships headed back to port. The travelers squeezed themselves and their belongings onto the Mayflower and set sail once again. Finally, on September 6, the Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England, and headed for America, planning to sail to Northern Virginia. 
• As the Mayflower approached land, the crew spotted Cape Cod just as the sun rose on November 9... The Pilgrims decided to head south.  However, the Mayflower encountered some very rough seas, and nearly shipwrecked.  It was decided, rather than risk another attempt to go south, they would just stay and explore Cape Cod.  They turned back north, rounded the tip, and anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor.  The Pilgrims would spend the next month and a half exploring Cape Cod, trying to decide where they would build their plantation.  On December 25, 1620, they had finally decided upon Plymouth, and began construction of their first buildings.

August raod trip con't; Nuremberg, Germany, Heerlen and Zwolle Holland,

Back on the road:
  from Zagreb, through Slovenia, lunch in Austria, over night in Germany, final destination Holland.
We had made reservations to spend the night in Nuremberg Germany.

*Nuremberg (/ˈnjʊərəmbɜrɡ/; German: Nürnberg German pronunciation: [ˈnʏrnbɛrk] is a city on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal in the German state of Bavaria. The city dates back to the year 1050 and for around 500 years, it was the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire. While its history dates to the 11th century, Nuremberg is most often linked to World War II. It first served as the site of many pre-war Nazi rallies, then was nearly leveled by Allied bombing, then was the site of the famous post-war Nuremberg Trials.

 I will not comment on our hotel, except to say, the room was an attic space with no AC, on a very hot night...
We were up early and didn't stay for breakfast.

Parking across from the main train station, right by Handwerkerhof, arriving just as the daily market was opening, we enjoyed a great breakfast buffet, over looking the early morning activities, from a second floor patio.

Parked in front of a Dunkin' Donuts, making the day soooo much better!

Didn't see it until we got out of the car.
Didn't even knew to look for DD in Germany!
Real American Iced coffee to-go,
but I'm getting ahead of myself...

After breakfast, we wondered around old town (Alstadt), which is a pretty big area.  Along with buying fruit from the market, we walked along the river, over some of the bridges, thru squares and down tiny streets; seeing several pretty wood-decorated houses, imposing high walls, towers, medieval buildings, churches, monuments and a few nightmarish statues. As with most old cities here, it is chalk full of history and well worth exploring! 

Early morning in Nuremberg, Germany

Noted: Starbucks (green umbrellas) very cool building and outside seating 

Right in the middle of Nuremberg's city,
surrounded by the towers and walls of the medieval city fortification,
the Crafts Yard (Handwerkerhof).  I bought a pretty pottery mug here.

 A map and a visit inside the Kaiserburg (Nuremberg Castle), are a must, if we go again.

Okay, back on the road, with DD iced coffee in hand! Next stop Holland. Unbeknown to us, we were traveling on "black Saturday" the busiest travel day of the year, therefore the 5 hour trip took 8 hours.  We did not make the tent crusade in Amersfoort, but we had a good night sleep and the next morning, Sunday, Tom preached in Heerlen, In between services the van Donk family had us over for a traditional home cooked meal, a great beginning to conference week.

Sunday August 9, 2015 - Heerlen, Holland

 A short 2 hour drive on Monday brought us to our final destination,
 Zwolle conference, which was fantastic...(again;)

Zwolle conference 10 - 14 august 2015 Pastor W.Mitchell / Jose Torres.  I did not take very many pictures, and the ones I did, are from the back (middle-left), so most all the college' photos are from the Zwolle website www.dedeur.nl there are 100's there!

NEW LOCAL and MISSIONARY ANNOUNCEMENTS: thedoornetherlands.com

1.Into Wanica Surinam // out of  Paramaribo Surinam (kerk Evert vd Bosch) //Kaunda and Hanna Deel

2.Into Lelydorp Surinam // out of Rotterdam // Arjan and Rachel Draaijer

3.Into Paramaribo Surinam // out of Rotterdam // under support The Hague //Krish and Parisha Dwarkasing

4.Into Quito Equador // out of Almeria Spain // Secundo and Digna Andrade

5.Into Malaga Spain // out of El Ejido Spain // Javier and Adriana Valolles 

6.Into Hoofddorp (Holland) // out of Leeuwarden // Jeroen and Cornelia van Leeuwen

7.Into Nieuwegein (Holland)// out of Utrecht // Raymond (Ronnie) and Sharine Maria 

On Saturday we got up at 4am and drove straight home, it took just over 15 hours, tired but blessed and happy we were able to go! and like last year "Worth it bc T did all the driving! Worth it bc conference was timely and the preaching down to earth. Worth it bc it's so nice to meet up with old and make new friends..."   CC

* from: wikipedia info.Nuremberg.here and/or -Nuremberg_top 10 things to do

More random Nuremberg facts:

• In January 1945, 90% of the old city of Nürnberg was destroyed when it was bombed. The famous Nürnberg Castle and the city wall were damaged in the bombing raid, but have been restored. Much of Nürnberg was rebuilt to look like the original, but there are also modern buildings
• On April 20, 1945 (Hitler's 56th birthday), the city was captured by three divisions of the American Seventh Army, after a fierce battle that had lasted for several days.
• It was at the Zeppelin Field, just outside the city of Nürnberg, that the National Socialists staged huge annual party rallies in the 1930’s. The rally would be preceded by a performance of the Wagnerian opera, "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg," the story of Hans Sachs, which was Hitler's favorite.
• After the war, Nuremberg was in the American zone of occupation and American troops were stationed in the city until 1992.     
• Not only is it famous for its medieval walls, ancient castle, and Gothic churches, it has the world-famous gingerbread at Hauptmarkt. toy manufacturing, Nürnberger bratwurst and the Christmas market.

Road Trip to The Netherlands

11.32hrs...right!

From Bestovje, Croatia to
Den Haag, Schiedam and Zwolle, Holland;
by car via
Slovenia, Austria, and Germany
into The Netherlands (Holland).
GPS 1288kilometer (800miles),
under 12 hours, 
in reality just over 16 hrs,
(however we did make it
home only 14.5hrs).

It's like driving from state to state... well... The different languages, money, and toll systems, plus the border check points, do make it a bit more of a challenge. 

The Autocestas (as they are called in Croatia) are easy to drive.  There are plenty of rest stops with WC, most have restaurants, gas and convenience stores. Therefore we never needed to get off. 

We did quite a bit in 8 days.

1st stop: Saturday's Healing Crusade with Pastor Mitchell - Den Haag, Netherlands

Sunday, Tom preaching in Schiedam, Holland.
Great family and a great church, we were blessed!

Final destination... Zwolle Conference!
Also see Feb. blog zwolle-conference

In Holland stop for the ducks and watch out for the bikes -yikes!

Lost count of the all the tunnels... I think the longest we went through was

the Plabutsch Tunnel, approx. 10km  (that is over 6 miles) long, in Austria.
Imagine you are in a video game, (or maybe a James Bond movie ;-)

On the way home.
Does that sunset look like a burning bush to you?
That moment when you see the 1st sign with your city. (insert smiley face)

My observations, as the passenger, and tips for the next time you are on my side of the world. 

There are two things you need to know to travel through Slovenia even if you only travel (see map) a very short distance; 

#2 You must buy a vignette, a sticker which you attach to the windshield. Vignettes can be bought at any gas station and are sold by length of days, the shortest is 7 days. (meaning we needed to buy 2 - an 8 day trip.)

#1 although Slovenia is a Schengen country, Croatia is not, therefore we needed our passports to cross the border. The crossing can be slow and both countries have separate check points. Thankfully the times we crossed traffic was light. However coming back into Croatia, the traffic on the other side... 

I watched in horror, thanking God that their misery was not my misery! (Way Worse than Boston traffic or any of the Cape bridge nightmares! ) Not just the 3 to 5 hour back up, but chaos doesn't even describe the area in between the two borders!

I thought there must have been something going on, but I have since been told it is like that all summer!
Note to self: never,ever,ever cross the border on a weekend night.

Note to you: If you must I would suggest having a full tank of gas, plenty of water and food. 

Austria, I think is the most beautiful to drive, you can almost always see the mountains and they are spectacular and ever changing in depth and color. [Sorry, not something I could capture in a picture, in a moving car, thru glass.] 
Most of Austria’s rest stops only have glorified port-o-potties, yep, still beats getting off an exit, but just saying.   

Yes parts of the German autobahn have no *speed limit. SO you do not travel in the passing lane bc the ‘fast’ auto's go by as a blur, i.e. " hey was that BMW or an Audi?"  However most peeps drive 125-145km (85-95 mph).  There was a lot of construction, so for long stretches of road, we all drove 20km.
Germany has the rest stops with the most variety, some really big with motels. My favorite, we found on the way home, it had both KFC for Tom and Burger King for me! You have no idea (insert happy dance here)!!!

Note: some have a great system for the WC where you pay (euro) 70cents to enter, and the machine spits out a coupon for 50cents to use in the food court or store. Yep, we bought more candy then we would have.

*Fun facts: The unrestricted sections of the German autobahn attract people from all over the world who crave a high-speed adrenaline rush.

 “Top 10 Speeds Clocked on the German Autobahn”: 

#10 in 2008 , 192 miles per hour (309 kilometers per hour): Corvette ZR1; 

'Thanks to some pesky traffic and a few work zones, the team only managed to get the ZR1 up to 192 mph.'

#7 In 2003, 201.3 miles per hour (323.96 kilometers per hour): Ruf CTR Yellowbird

On the A81, a section of autobahn that runs between Würzburg and Heilbronn...

The full list is impressive, I only added these bc, #10 is the only USA car and we also encountered some ‘pesky traffic and a few work zones’! and we drove through Würzburg as did #7. (You can read and link to videos about the rest of the top 10 at 

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/5-fastest-speeds-on-autobahn.htm#page=0  )

 Interesting note: The autobahn has its own dedicated police force called the Autobahnpolizei. Officers undergo intense training and they drive specially outfitted police cars and motorcycles made by BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi. Germany’s yearly number of traffic-related fatalities is around 6 deaths per 100,000 people, comparable with that of neighboring Austria (8.3 deaths per 100,000 people), France (7.5 deaths per 100,000 people) and Switzerland (4.9 deaths per 100,000 people).

And lastly on day 1 {Friday}, but first 8 days later {Saturday}, the motorways in Holland were mostly farm land, loads of sheep and cows. Fields of sunflowers (saw some in every country:-), corn, wheat and other crops, very scenic. Windmills, tall and white, also dot the landscape and are kinda graceful looking.

One more FYI list:
Croatia: Tolls are paid via entry (ticket) and exit stations (pay)
In Austria you do need to purchase a vignette (i.e. Slovenia above), plus we paid extra tolls before a couple long tunnels.
Germany & Holland - all toll free motorways, nice!

Ok so that was our 30+ hours of highway driving,
Worth it bc T did all the driving!
Worth it bc conference was timely and the preaching down to earth.
Worth it bc it's so nice to meet up with old and make new friends... 
Or as Solomon said; Eat, drink (coffee) and be glad!

"So then I recommended enjoyment of life, because it is better on earth for a man to eat, drink, and be happy, since this will stay with him throughout his struggle all the days of his life, which God grants him on earth."   Ecclesiastes 8:15

Zwolle Conference

Zwolle Bible Conference           http://www.thedoornetherlands.com/

We just got back from conference in Zwolle, Holland  

(De Deur, Zwolle, Netherlands). 

This is our new conference center, and the 1st one for us.  It was like coming home!  So nice to be with people that are like minded.  A very refreshing week. 

Met so many new people and got to hang out with old, (old?) friends! 

At conference, all preaching and testimonies are in English with a Dutch translator on stage and many more languages translated with headphones in the back. English being the most common second language. Most here speak at lease two, if not more!!!!

(Bottom L) Pastor Aaltonen, Lithuania testifying. (Bottom C) Pastor Sullivan, Ireland preaching am seminar.

Who would have ever thought that a place like Cape Cod, MA* could have such world
impact for Christ!

Monday afternoon, having coffee and ran into all of these familiar faces!

*The Sullivan's in Ireland, their daughter Carly, married Desmond Burghard, and along with their cute, too good! baby Jason, pastor in Holland,  Of course Us now in Croatia  and the Aaltonen's in  Lithuania. (The pretty smiling face, familiar to some, is Jurate Kunca, she is from LT and alone w/ her hubby they assist the Aaltonen's.)

In and around Zwolle, Netherlands Feb2014

so Thankful for conference 

T&CC

You are not too old...to learn

I had another Birthday a few weeks ago, 51 (over the top) & I was thinking about God's timing (something I have been doing a lot of since April!).

I really don't mind getting old. It is a strange characteristic of American culture, the resistance of 40-60-year olds to admit that we are getting old(er). "You're not old!" I’ve been told. Hello? Compared to 20- and 30-somethings, I AM old. I don't have the energy of 30-somethings or even some 40-somethings. And I'm not going to even think about my physical body! It takes me a long time to learn what I could breeze through and remember years ago. How am I going to fit into a different culture? 

Learn a new language?

SO remind me again, why here, why now?

First I was reminded about Joseph; “Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren” Gen 37:2, then in Gen 41:46 “Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt.” In my notes I wrote, (reworded to fit here) Joseph as a young man was sure of his dreams and his ability to lead. Then God took him through trials and detours. Joseph wasn't ready for the top position until he was ready in God's timing. Then, Joseph's readiness coincided with Egypt's need for a wise administrator.

Then thinking back to a recent bible study on Job; I was reminded that Job, as a much older man, started anew. Besides the wisdom beyond even Jobs imagination, God blessed him with great riches and a new family, Um that’s 10 more kids to raise and living to see 4 more generations!

Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You...“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You” Job 42 (see 1-5) 

Now I have not gone through anything like either one of these men, but God has brought Tom and I through many trial and tribulations of our own, and we have had a detour or two. We have learned a few things we did not know back in 1988.

Besides pleasing God, I want wisdom and I want to continue growing always...ok the 10 more kids part, I’ll pass on, but I’ll take the spiritual kids. Like Joseph I want to put absolute trust in God, regardless of what happens.

God has brought me through much, and thankfully he has made me wiser. It may take me longer to think through what I’m doing now. But that might be a good thing in days ahead.

God only knows. It's his timing, after all!

"For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4 

Of course it would help to have your prayers as I start Croatian language classes on the 20th.  (Language class post, click here)

Photo Facts: Both photos are taken during Tucson Az Bible Conference announcements. In the 1988 photo on the left, both P Campo (raise up under) and P Stephens (saved under) prayed for us, an honor - that was our first pioneer work in Springfield MA...and yes I made the dress I'm wearing.
Top photo is just me caught being me in a park in Zagreb.