Number 14

June-July 2002

I am talking to three cleaners in The Shelter City: Marcus, Sophie and Nico. They stay in the dormitories with the regular guests but work and eat together with the staff team. Although they are part of the same team of cleaners, their backgrounds are totally different. Also their ideas about The Shelter are not the same, as the following impression will show.

Marcus is a refugee from Togo whose request for asylum in the Netherlands was turned down. When he asked for help from the Amsterdam based Chaplaincy for Africans, they arranged that he could stay for two nights at The Shelter City. Through another guest Marcus heard about the cleaning team and he was relieved to find out that there would actually be an opening the next day. After a test period of three days, Marcus became a cleaner for a total of three weeks.

Looking back, he admits that he had to work harder than he had expected. But the refugee from Togo didn't mind this as it helped him to forget his difficulties for a while. The kindness of the cleaning supervisor and the other staff members meant a lot to him. " They even took me out to the carnival for my birthday," he says with a smile on his face. The staff of the hostel became like a family to him: " I had to leave my relatives and even my wife behind in Togo. It feels like the people of The Shelter City are now my Dutch family."

As a believer, Marcus joined the guest Bible studies almost every day. The study about the faithfulness of God especially meant a lot to him. " God's promises never fail and He can bring a change in the suffering of people," he summarises the study. As a refugee, Marcus knows about suffering. Every morning he prays that God will enable him to carry the difficulties of this day. He also knows about hope and he is grateful for the things God is doing in his life. Marcus: " Being able to work and live in this hostel for three weeks was an answer to prayer."

Sophie is a young Chinese woman from Hong Kong. One of her biggest passions is travelling she loves to see the world. Currently she is on a three-month journey across Europe. After visits to Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, Sophie arrived in Amsterdam. She chose to stay in the Shelter City because she found it on the Internet.

After she had been in the hostel for a week, one of the staff members asked Sophie if she would be interested in a cleaning job. The hostel was in need of one more cleaner. Although Sophie hadn't been looking for work, she decided to accept the opportunity. It would save her some money and it could be an interesting experience.

" I really have had a good time here," she says now, while having fun with another cleaner during the coffee break, " We have a very nice team of cleaners." The relationships with the other cleaners mean more to her than the devotionals in the morning and evening. " It is all right that they read from the Bible," she says indifferently. " But I do not have a religion. I have read the Christian Bible, the Muslim Bible and the Hindu Bible," she continues, giving the impression that to her the world religions are all very similar and not at all appealing. When I ask her whether she thinks the staff would like her to become a Christian, she answers, " I don't know."

Nico is closest to his home country. He is from Germany. Because Amsterdam had always appealed to him he decided to come here for a 3 week holiday. But things didn't go as he had planned. On his third day in Amsterdam his money belt got stolen. " After this I had two options," he explains, " either go back to Germany, or stay and try to survive in Amsterdam."

He chose not to go back because there was no one to go back to: " Being a loner, I don't really have friends. My parents? I already haven't seen them for two years now." The direct consequence of Nico's decision to stay in Amsterdam was that he had to live on the streets. After three weeks of sleeping outside he got the opportunity to stay in The Shelter City and work as a cleaner.

When I ask him about his experiences in the hostel so far, Nico mentions the good atmosphere and the nice people. But there is also some criticism. Some of the staff members are talking too much about Christ, according to Nico. " They use devout words but their actions stay behind. As Christians they should offer help to anyone, but when someone arrives at the door after curfew he has to spend the night outside." It is not that Nico is against Christianity. He believes in God and actually started reading the Bible again since he arrived in the hostel. He also enjoys talking about the Bible with staff and guests in the hostel. But people should not tell him how to believe. " Respect for one another's opinion is very important," he explains, " people are free to select from the Bible whatever they find relevant and trustworthy. Some of the staff are talking too much like there is only one true way to believe in God."

The supervisor of the team of cleaners today is Aimee Patterson, a 29 year old staff member from America. She agrees with me that Marcus, Sophie and Nico all have very different characters. Nevertheless, she believes that most cleaners have something in common, " Their lives are often in some kind of transition. Stability and security are gone and they are searching for something new to fill their life. They are often restless when they start as a cleaner but after a week or so, I frequently see that they have found some peace in their lives. The Shelter is like an oasis for them."

Aimee recognises Nico's view about Christianity as being typical in this time of post-modern thinking. " People create their own religion, and anything goes," she explains. " In the minds of most people there is no place for absolutes anymore. There is no true religion. I often hear guests say 'I respect your faith and you should respect my faith.'" This makes it hard to tell the cleaners about Christ as being the one and only way to God. Pointing to verses in the Bible doesn't really help either, because most of the cleaners do not recognise the authority of this book.

" How do you deal with this challenge?" , I ask Aimee. According to her there are four important steps: " First, it is important to listen well to the person in order to understand his background and views. Secondly, you have to show that you respect the other as a person and that you take him seriously. The third step is to present your view of the Gospel. For this you need wisdom about how to do it. I get this opportunity during the morning devotionals with the cleaners and sometimes in individual conversations. The fourth step is living out the Gospel in love. This last step is essential for our witness. Our lives and action are very visible for the cleaners. We not only work together but also share meals together. This means that they see how we deal with situations, how we relate to people, and how we act when we are off duty. The impression the cleaners get from our lives can either confirm our message or break it down."

To Aimee the ministry to the cleaners is very close to her heart. It is her personal desire that when a cleaner leaves the hostel, he or she will at least have heard the Gospel and will have seen it in the lives of the staff. " I often don't know how it has affected people, but I trust that they will not forget what they have heard. The Word of God does never return empty"

AA

More than 30,000 travellers are staying in our hostels each year. This means, for us, 30,000 opportunities to bring someone in contact with the gospel. To be able to use these witnessing opportunities we need more than 60 workers each year. Would you like to become a youth hostel missionary or do you know someone who would?

We are looking for Christians between 18 and 30 years of age, willing to commit for a period of 6 to12 months. During this time you will be part of our international staff team and you will be involved in both practical work and evangelism. The Youth Hostel Ministry provides unique opportunities to serve the Lord and to share the gospel in words and deeds. Go into the world, in a place where the world actually comes to you!