Dear Mirjam,

I'm glad you shared your experience this holiday season. On Christmas Eve, my fellowship has three services in the evening. There is always special Christmas music. We sing Christmas carols in addition to our songs of praise. I shall pray for those who attended services both in the Netherlands and in the U.S. My prayer is that the seeds planted in the hearts of those who are yet to come to Christ will bear fruit. For those who are infrequent in fellowship, my prayer is that they would grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Some only attend on Christmas related services and pehaps Easter. Christmas services are a kind of outreach. It is one of the few times of year when some feel unabashed as Christians.

You had an interesting choice for Christmas dinner. Typically here, the main course is ham, but some have turkey. We have meals at our fellowship for those who don't have family gatherings. I would not have guessed that you would have Asian cuisine. I know the ships from the Netherlands had reached the Far East in the 16th Century, so it makes sense in retrospect. The Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol is very popular here too. Haarlem makes me think of Corrie ten Boom. Sorry, you didn't get to go inside. In her later life, she considered my pastor as hers. Chuck Smith did her funeral. Someday, Lord willing, I would like to visit both the Netherlands and Germany. I hope both you and Herman have a wonderful trip this Summer. Both Christmas and New Year's Eve I have to work this year, but it's the nature of the work.

Have a beautiful New Year, filled with blessings from God.

theophilos