The Shelter Youth Hostel Ministry

NEWSLETTER

Nr. 25 – April/May 2004       Editor: Auke Algera  Info: newsletter@shelter.nl

“Taste and see that the Lord is good”

HOW WE MAY SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” This verse from Hebrews 10:24 describes exactly what happened in the hostels a few weeks ago when a team of 16 American students from Northwestern College joined us for just over a week. They gave up their Spring Break vacation to serve alongside our staff with practical work and evangelism. For those of you who have worked in the Shelters during March in the last five years or so you will probably remember a similar team.
 

The Winter months are usually hard in the hostels: we have fewer guests and those who do stay often have more problems and seem to be stuck in impossible situations. The shifts can become boring because there are so few people to cook breakfast for and the telephone only rings once every couple of hours. The cold, grey, wet days make it hard to get out and enjoy time off and it can feel like you are trapped in the hostel.
 

For the first two months of 2004 we had even fewer guests than normal (25-30% less than in 2003) which can make it very frustrating if you come to Amsterdam to serve at the Shelter, excited about evangelism and then find so few people with whom you can share the good news of Jesus Christ. Or you spend time preparing a Bible Discussion and then no one responds to your invitation. Thankfully God is faithful and continues to send people who are hungry for spiritual truth to stay with us. When we ask Him to use us and give us opportunities, He always answers, but not always as we expect.
 

The ministry among the cleaners continues and it has been great to see some really becoming part of the Shelter family for a few weeks. They too have had less work to do which has meant that the morning devotionals have been able to take a little more time, giving more opportunity for their questions and our witness. ->
 

-> Please remember our cleaners in your prayers, often their time in the hostel is a chance for them to “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8a), but pray that God will continue to reveal himself to them when they continue on their travels and leave Amsterdam
 

It was into this atmosphere that the NWC team arrived to bless our staff, cleaners and guests. They breathed fresh energy and enthusiasm into our teams and were a reminder to many of us of the excitement we felt about the work when we first arrived. Not only did they get to have a taster of mission work, to practically serve our guests, work alongside the cleaners and lead the Bible Discussions and outreach events, they got to learn from our staff – our experienced missionaries.
 

Talking with the NWC team on the morning before they left it was obvious that the life of our staff had really made a big impact on them. They had learnt first hand that you can’t afford to have a bad day. If you don’t feel like being nice, or evangelising, then you may miss the one opportunity to speak with a guest about Jesus before they move on. Mission work is not something you can do for a few hours a day, it’s a lifestyle. And the evangelism in the Shelters is going on 24/7 through conversations, practical service, smiles, Bible discussions, listening ears and helping hands.
 

The number of guests is increasing and we expect both hostels to be full for Easter. Please pray for us, that we would be full of God grace, compassion and enthusiasm as we share the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection with guests and cleaners.

Rosemary Barrett

PRAYER SUPPORT

·        We are very thankful for the many applications we received over the last months. As a result we have already enough staff signed up till the middle of the summer.
 

·        Ana (from Nicaragua) who was a cleaner in the Shelter Jordan in 2002 came back with her husband Patrick (from Slovakia) to have her baby in Holland because the hospitals wouldn’t help her in Slovakia. Patrick helped out with some spring cleaning while Ana waited for the baby to arrive. They had a healthy baby boy (also called Patrick) and have now returned to Slovakia. Please pray for them, that they will be able to find suitable housing and work and that they will come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
 

·        The new accommodation for our staff teams is nearly finished. As soon as the fire department gives her approval of the building, the staff will move into their new home. Please pray for this approval and a good transition for our staff.
 

·        Please continue to pray for our staff and their ministry to the guests in the hostels: making contacts, building bridges, and communicating Christ in a relevant way.

Learn it – Live it – Do it

Being a staff member at The Shelter means Learning in the Ministry Training Program, Living in the staff community, and Doing evangelism and practical service in the hostel. If you want to see how all these aspects combine into a great ministry experience, take a look at www.theshelter.nl/ministry.

VACANCY

We are expecting there to be a vacancy in the management team of the Shelter Jordan beginning this summer. If you hold a European passport and are interested in applying, please contact Jacob Kops jacob@jordan.shelter.nl

The Shelter Youth Hostel Ministry is a Christian evangelism ministry in the centre of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our goal is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the 30,000 travellers who are staying each year in our two Christian youth hostels: The Shelter City and The Shelter Jordan. The ministry is part of the association Tot Heil des Volks, a non-denominational mission organisation registered in Amsterdam. Internet: www.theshelter.nl/ministry

Donations. The work of The Shelter Youth Hostel Ministry would not be able to continue without financial support. Help support this ministry! Read more at http://www.theshelter.nl/ministry/donations.html 

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