This morning I woke up with two kittens under my blanket, you might think: ‘gross’. But kittens a
re fun, sweet and cuddly! Until of course they do find their way under your blanket and play hide and seek with each other. One kitten tries to catch the other but then she misses and her claws end up in your knees, then they are not so sweet anymore. I think our bedroom door will be closed tonight, with the kittens on the other side of it, haha.
These are our kittens Ruthy and Muffin! >
Talking about kittens I remember well the day when I moved out of parent’s house to live on my own for the first time. Growing up we had many pets, we had turtles, chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats and kittens from our own cats. The day I moved out I brought a kitten with me from my parent’s home to keep me company in my new home.
I called her McDreamy (my brothers’ idea) after the guy from Grey’s Anatomy, even though my kitten was girl. Later we changed her name to Maria. (Jets idea;)
I moved in with a friend, even though I had known her only for about two months. I met her shortly after my first meeting with OM (see previous blog). She was a newcomer in church and I instantly liked her and she invited me to visit her in her home. The first time I walked into her little house I was shocked by the conditions, the different layers of wallpaper were falling off the walls and the ceiling around the gas heater was black, the smell of cigarettes was so strong that I got an instant headache. She apologized and explained to me that she had just moved in and hadn’t had the time to clean up the house and paint. This house was owned by the local government and was scheduled to be broken-down, but until then they rented it out very cheap, mainly to prevent vandalism in the neighborhood (in Dutch anti-kraak). The couches and carpet used to belong to the previous owners and you could definitely smell they were not occasional smokers.
We moved outside for some fresh air, we sat in her tiny garden and we talked, we found out that we were both born on the 3rd of August but she was a year older than me. She had just started a new job in the neighborhood, and I told her that I had just lost my job. She said that she would be out of town for a summer job, so I offered to help her clean up her house and paint and maybe get her some clean carpet and clean couches. I could see that she was excited about it and when summer came, she gave me her keys and some money and she said just make yourself at home and see what you can do.
I already had some experience in painting and putting up wallpaper, because growing up me and my family moved houses more than seven times. My mom has always been very creative and always found a way to make our simple home look like it came from the cover of a home magazine. She taught me painting and wallpapering and I also learnt a important lesson from her. “You don’t need a lot of money to create a cozy living room”.
When it was summer, I started to clean up my friend’s house. Every now and then some friends and my mother would help me. We pulled down several layers of wallpaper from the last 40 years. We got rid of the couches and the carpet and we bought paint and wallpaper to make the living room look pretty and clean. It was an old, small house, but there was a certain charm to it, the ceiling was high and it had 4 tall windows in the living room. I was able to buy curtains and a dining table with 4 chairs and two couches, all second hand but still in good conditions. The day my friend came home from her summer job she was shocked and excited it was like an episode out of one of those home makeover tv shows! Immediately she said I should live with her, as she saw that I had put in a little bit of my own money, when I think of it now it feels like a miracle, she barely knew me, she knew I had no job, she also knew that officially two people were not allowed to live in this tiny old house, the local government only allowed one person to rent it as it was already cheap, but she did it anyways.
I loved being able to stand on my own feet, I was closer to my friends and the church I was going to, I quickly found a new job as a baker in a restaurant and I had a lot more free time because of normal working hours. My roommate was often away. Because the house was owned by the government with special renting conditions, they came by twice a month to check-up on it. Once when a government worker came, it was just me, my roommate was not home. I heard him knocking on the door downstairs as we did not have a doorbell, I looked outside my bedroom window and I recognized the car, it was the government worker! I remained quiet and I hoped for the man to leave, but instead he opened our door with his own key, “of course he has in own key” I thought to myself. I heard him walking downstairs, he called out from the bottom of the stairs to check if anybody was home, I quietly got out of bed and hid in my closet, I heard the man walk up the stairs towards the bed room. On the first floor there was only one bedroom and a big hall. He opened the bedroom door and walked in. I was hiding in my closet and couldn’t believe that he walked in. But thankfully he didn’t check the closet and he soon left. When my roommate came home that night, we could not stop laughing about me hiding in the closet.
I lived in this cozy tiny little house for a year and during this time I prayed and waited on the Lord. I was thankful that He gave me a new home where I could discover and develop and I prayed for the next step. If you would have checked my inter browser history back then, Operation Mobilization was a daily visit for a long time, I felt more and more drawn to the ship’s ministry.
After gathering my courage I called OM again and asked for more information, the person on the other side of the telephone invited me for a discipleship training camp. The camp was held at a farm with many young people, we received teaching and we heard testimonies from people that worked within OM. To me it was a powerful time, I came back home encouraged and so much more confident in wanting to join the ship’s ministry, but at that moment I had to go back to my job. Around the same time I got a new colleague, we started chatting and the first thing I found interesting about him was that he was engaged to a Filipina lady, I asked how and where he met her? He told me that they met on a ship, I asked what kind of ship? He asked me if I had heard of Operation Mobilization and their mission ships? I looked at him with wide eyes and with excitement I said YES! I wanted to join the ship as well. He told me I should apply to join, because at that time they were in need of a baker! I was surprised. But before I knew it, this guy quit his job and he disappeared.
I Love God, He always sends you the right people at the right time and He is never late. I knew that this was the time to take another step and call OM once again, and this time I told them that I wanted to join the ship. The person I spoke with invited me to join their mission conference. After the mission conference I received books and papers that I had to read, and I had to fill out my application forms.
It was harder than I thought, to be able to join the ship. I needed a church to stand with me and also financial supporters. I contacted the pastor of my church and he invited me to his home to talk, it was a difficult conversation for me, I felt very shy and insecure and I wasn’t sure how I could explain my walk with God and my desire to join OM. I think he responded in a way he thought was best for me, but it broke me down. He said that staying in Holland would be better for me, he could not see me overseas, he said it would be better to stay, work and study more.
After I left his house a few friends called to ask how it went, I shared the conversation with them and they got upset, they said don’t believe this, this is not true! Their reactions surprised me, but I did not know whom to believe anymore…
I went home, with a big bag of Lays paprika chips, which is my favorite (but sadly you don’t get this here). I was confused. I wanted to be alone, I covered myself with a blanket and my kitten was on my lap. I prayed, it was the only thing I knew I could do in this situation. I prayed “God, whom do I listen to? God, I believe in you, and I believe you have guided me thus far, you have already confirmed the desires of my heart, to go to other nations, but I ask you again God, will you speak to me once again?
The next Sunday I went to a youth meeting at my church, we had a guest speaker and she was going to share a series on the topic ‘Holy Spirit’, this guest speaker spoke powerfully, I often remember the things I learned from her. The first thing I noticed was that some of the youth were a little skeptical and afraid of this topic, I could not understand why, because isn’t the Holy Spirit, God? Isn’t it the holy spirit who reveals God’s secrets and comforts us when we are hurt? Because of some issues I remember her sessions being shortened to only two Sundays. The first Sunday all was fine, she spoke well and she explained how she wanted to pray for us, and prophesy over us, she said that the Holy Spirit can speak to us through bible verses and pictures and she simply wanted to demonstrated this through an exercise. She asked all of us to come back the next Sunday with a picture postcard, she said it didn’t matter what it was, a flower, a boat, a man and house, we just had pick something that stood out to us. And on the back of the postcard we had to write a bible verse, we could write down any bible verse that was on our heart.
When we all came together the next Sunday everybody put their postcard face up on the coffee table. She asked all of us to pick any postcard we liked, we could only go by picture not by the verse on the back, I picked a postcard with a flower on it. Once we all had a card in our hand, she wanted to pray for those who desired prayer. To some of the youth the exercise was strange and they did not want any prayer. I felt very comfortable and secure, I was curious if she would have a word for me from the Holy Spirit, I gave her my card, she looked at the flower and started praying, nothing interesting came up until she turned the card and she read the verse out loud.
Psalmen 139 9-10 Zelfs als ik vleugels had en ging wonen aan de andere kant van de zee, zou ik U daar ontmoeten. U zou mij vasthouden en uw rechterhand zou mij stevig leiden. (If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.)
After reading the verse she started praying for me, Holy Spirit gave her images, she saw ‘Young Sarah’ moving from place to place with her family, she said the Lord was always with you, she saw ‘Current Sarah’, who was in doubt about the next step, then she saw ‘Future Sarah’ taking a big next step which would lead me to many more new places, not just any places but many other nations, on the far side of the sea, she saw a boat…. She said the Lord will lead you and guide you, wherever you will make a home His hand will be there to hold you.
How does she know? This woman knew nothing about me, but everything was spot on, about young Sarah and current Sarah, and did she just see me in a boat? Making a home in other nations? This verse was a powerful confirmation for me, I have always carried it with me. It was and is still a reminder that God is always with me, where I choose to make a home.
To make a long story short, I applied to join OM Ships, even though my church was not fully behind me at first, I knew it was the Lords will, He was with me, and He made everything come together in perfect timing.
My church and my pastor and many friends and family came together in the summer of 2011 to send me off and wave me goodbye. My first flight ever was to Singapore and from there to Malaysia. When the plane was taking off, I thought to myself, ‘wow airplanes can really fly, it is really possible.’ I was amazed! When I think of it now, I laugh at myself, for being so naïve. I joined the Logos Hope in September 2011, where many adventures where waiting for me.
We are still many years and stories away from how on earth did I end up here? Here in India? Don’t worry I will share this with you!
- Sarah Lisa
Ps. Here a picture of me being 18 years old.
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