Richard & Sandra van Dillen

Richard & Sandra van Dillen             Holland                 1 March, 2011

                                                             PRAISES

1.      1.I really LOVE my new college level Dutch class which just started last week. I have four Muslim women in my class. My class is made up of mostly women.  

2.      2. Paul-Duffy is required by the Dutch government to apply for his residency permit through his future college. Thank you for your prayers because we had our appointment at the police station for foreigners just in time. Had Paul-Duffy been living in Holland for 3 months without applying for a residency permit,  he would have had to return to America. Thank the LORD we can now apply through his college. We plan to take his necessary papers to the college tomorrow. Peter Daniel found a wonderful major for his little brother. The major is in communications with an emphasis in advertizing and graphic design. Paul-Duffy, like his Grandma van Dillen and his Aunt Howard, is a wonderful artist and he loves creating artistic projects. The college where he wants to go to is called Inholland and is only four kilometers (2.5 miles) from our house so he will be able to ride his bike!

3.      3.Perry-David is turning 25 on 7 March! We can’t believe how fast our 4 PD’s have grown up!

4.      4.Our only remaining living aunt on Mama’s Perry side of the family, Aunt Howard, is celebrating another birthday today. Thanks to your faithful prayers, she is doing very well physically.

5.      5.Manisha (Hindu) has enjoyed letting me play with her 20 month old son while I visit her. The week my Dutch school started I spent 9 hours in 2 days with Manisha and her son, Rikash. He really enjoys spending time with me! Manisha always asks me for prayer for her relationship with her husband, Vikash. Vikash is Bea’s 30 old son. Manisha always says, Tante (aunt) Sandra, do you still remember to pray for my family? I tell her that Richard and I, as well as our many faithful Christian prayer partners in America, pray for her young family.   

6.      6.Last week some Muslim Hindustani men appeared at our door asking Richard to translate from Dutch into English some official papers for them. At least ten Muslim Hindustani families lent money to a fellow Muslim brother who worked at the Indonesian Embassy. He and his wife convinced their neighbors and local merchants to invest thousands of dollars.  The couple instead left for Indonesia with the money. The man is now running for mayor of the city he is living in Indonesia. Pray for Richard’s Christian witness to these families as they struggle with the loss of their lifesavings.

7.      7.Two days after Valentine’s Day Richard finally got his letter about Dutch class. He was tested and made an almost perfect score. He is now on a waiting list for a college level Dutch class. Thank you for your prayers in this matter!  

                                                       PRAYER

1.      1.Please pray for the Muslim women in my Dutch class: Arzu,, Saba, Leila, and Faranaz to open their hearts to the love of Christ. Please also pray for the other unbelieving women in my class: Jilsa & Marcia from Brazil, Junko from Japan, Shelly from South Africa, and Zoa from Eritrea.  Pray also for a Muslim man, Akraam, whose entire family is suffering through the uprising now taking place in Libya. He has not been to class since last Monday due to the stress and turmoil it is causing him. We had a wonderful discussion in class about how Akraam and his fellow Libyans have suffered long enough under this dictator!  

2.      2.Pray for Paul-Duffy to obtain his residency permit easily, and that he will be accepted into Inholland for the fall semester of 2011. We plan to visit this college with him tomorrow in order to submit his necessary papers for a residency permit and the paper work needed for acceptance into this Dutch college.

3.      3. Please continue to pray for Perry-David to find a full time job in media production. Pray also for his lovely wife, Amber, to  pass her state exams in order to become a certified nurse’s assistant. Pray she can then work in the nice nursing home in Grand  Rapids where many of the elderly speak Dutch! She would love to practice her Dutch at work!

4.      4.Please pray for our dear Aunt Howard to continue to be blessed with good health so she may enjoy many more happy birthdays.  

5.      5.Pray for the salvation of Manisha and her husband, Vikash, her sister-in-laws, Anita and Sandia, her mother-in-law, Bea, and our neighbor Soenita. Anita and I had a great talk about Jesus last week. Anita thinks that just because Jesus is one of the many gods she worships, that Jesus is with her. Most Hindus believe that all religions are basically the same. When they see that prayers made to Jesus are answered they try to incorporate Him into their Hindu worship. Manisha and Soenita both do this as well.

6.      6.Pray for the Muslim families to open their eyes and realize that they need Christ as Savior more than the savings they have been swindled  out of. Pray for Richard as he plans to make contact with these Muslim Hindustani families in the near future

7.      7.A childhood friend of my brother, Stevie Perry and I, Thomas (Tommy) Yearout has been suffering with walking pneumonia since before Christmas. Please pray for his healing and for his salvation. His sister, Mary Kay, was my childhood best friend. She was killed by a drunk driver when we were in our 20’s. His other siblings, like Mary Kay, are wonderful Christians and prayer partners and some long time financial supporters of our church planting ministry among Asians in Holland.

8.      8.Please pray that Richard can be placed in an evening class with several Muslim men, who are disillusioned with Islam. He is still waiting to be contacted by mail about being placed in a college level Dutch class.

                                                                          Biking in Holland

Last week our Dutch supporting church had a missions meeting which we attended. I specifically asked Richard not to bike us through the woods (the shortest route). We needed to bike to Els and Harry’s house which is only 6 miles away. The last time we were at their house in the summer of 2008 with Patrice Danielle and Paul-Duffy we all had a beautiful bike ride through the deep woods to their house. Last Wednesday night it was very cold, foggy, dark, and raining cats and dogs. We started out going through Rijswijk (suburb of Den Haag) and ended up right in the middle of the dark woods. There were no lights in the woods and it was pitch dark except for the little front and back lights on our bike. I asked Richard, Do you know where we are? He answered, Ongeveer!  Translated that means “somewhat” which really meant we were lost!! It was cold and started raining harder and no lights were in sight. We had already been 9 miles when at last we saw a glimmer of some street lights. We ended up biking 10.5 miles to a house that was only 6 miles away! Needless to say we did not bike home through the deep dark woods! We went through downtown Delft along a major thoroughfare with other bikers, cars and streetlights! 

Richard & Sandra van Dillen

Happy Valentine’s Day to our Faithful Prayer and Financial Supporters! May our precious LORD bless each of you with a joyous day full of His love!

Richard & Sandra van Dillen                     Holland                    Valentine’s Day 2011

                                                            PRAISES

1.   1. We praise the Lord for His abundant, overflowing LOVE which He bestows upon us daily!

2.    2.We praise the Lord for allowing us to return to Holland to serve as His ambassadors. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to share the love of Christ with the lost Dutch, Hindu, and Muslim contacts all around us in Den Haag.  

3.    3.We praise the Lord for the required Dutch classes we have to take in order to obtain dual citizenship. I thank the Lord for the good scores I received on the four hour four part Dutch test I had to take last Wednesday. I praise the Lord that 95% of the students in my introductory Dutch classes are Muslims. I have one more introductory class this Friday. Next week I will be assigned a teacher and a permanent class.

4.    4. I spent 5 hours with Manisha (young Hindu neighbor and daughter-in-law of Bea) last week. She wants to spend time with me on a weekly basis. She is somewhat open to the gospel. She told me that although Bea thought she had not eaten any meat the entire week before Rudi’s last Hindu funeral service, she had secretly eaten meat at Sandia’s house (her sister-in-law and Bea’s daughter). She is a nursing mother and she needed to eat protein.  

5.    5.Bea (Hindu neighbor and friend for the past 18.5 years) invited us to Rudi’s final Hindu funeral service last Sunday. This last Hindu service is required right before one year after the death of the Hindu. When I asked the Hindus at the service why they were not allowed to eat meat for a week before the service and why Rudi’s son, Vikash, had to shave his head for the service, not one Hindu in Bea’s crowded living room could answer my questions. They practice these rituals and yet not even the older Hindus could explain why they have to do the ritualistic traditions that they practice. Bea told me that she just did things required of her Hindu beliefs because she had to. She thinks if she doesn’t do what the Hindu religion requires Rudi’s spirit will return from the dead to haunt her.

6.    6.We praise the Lord that although we are now under-supported by $600 a month,  thanks to special gifts from unexpected special donors, we were able to break even at the end of 2010.

7.    7.We praise the Lord that Peter Daniel’s knee is doing much better thanks to your faithful prayers. He has to wear custom made insoles. Evidently he walks with his feet leaning inward like I did when I was a little girl. I had to wear ugly corrective shoes when I was little. Today Peter Daniel only needs to wear corrective insoles.

8.    8.Last week the wind was blowing at 90 miles an hour and Richard & I tried biking to city. When we came around a tall building the wind caught me and took me flying off of my bike. I praise the Lord that I did not break my badly bruised left arm. The handle bars fell right into my left leg leaving another huge bruise. I was wearing so many layers and the good Lord protected my arm which still hurts.. The wind was still strong on Sunday so instead of biking 6 miles one way to our Dutch church in Delft, we chose to walk to Peter Daniel & Paul-Duffy’s church in the city which is only 4.4 miles round trip! Thanks for your continued prayers for safety on the bikes!  

                                                     PRAYER

1.    We are excited about our required Dutch classes. Richard is still waiting for his letter from the government requiring him to take these same Dutch classes. Please pray he receives his letter soon.   

2.    We are considering finding part time jobs. This will enable us to make new Muslim contacts while also providing us with additional money needed for ministry. Please pray we can both find part-time jobs with Muslim co-workers. Our Dutch classes provide an extra class which actually will help us find part time work.  We praise the Lord that He is providing these required Dutch classes at just the right time!

3.    Please pray that my new Dutch class will be mostly Muslim women who are not content with Islam and who are actually in search of the truth.

4.    Please continue to pray for Manisha, Bea, and Soenita (Hindu neighbors and friends)  to open their hearts to the love of Christ.

5.    Yesterday in our Dutch church in Delft,  Ton’s message centered around trusting the Lord to provide all of our financial needs. As missionaries for the past 21.5 years we have been totally dependent on the Lord’s provision for all of our family and ministry needs. We praise the Lord for continuously providing for our needs. Please pray the Lord would raise up our monthly support deficit.    

6.    Paul-Duffy found one major he is interested in but jobs are scarce in this area. He is still looking for a major he will enjoy and which will eventually provide job opportunities. Pray for wisdom for Paul-Duffy as he tries to decide what to do with his future. Pray also for us to be able to obtain his residency permit and eventually his dual citizenship easily. He was born in Holland, and grew up here so hopefully that will help.

7.    Perry-David has applied for 3 jobs in media production at 3 mega churches.  The 3 churches are: Grace Community Church in Plano,Texas; Hope Community Church in North Carolina; and another evangelical church in Illinois. These churches have good foreign missions programs which is important for the future of Perry-David & Amber who feel called to serve the Lord on the mission field. Pray for Perry-David to get the job at the church where the Lord would have him serve. I am partial to the church in Plano since it 29 miles from Dallas Theological Seminary and only a 35 minute drive on North Central Expressway (not during rush hour, of course).   

Jamie and Lisa Halverson

30,000 Miles later...

We are settling back into life and ministry in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea.  Over the past 9 months it was good to see many of you as we traveled and shared about the work of Bible translation here in PNG.  But it is also good to be back and settled in one place again.

Jamie has returned to the aviation department.  However, he will be working as a mechanic for a couple of months before he starts flying again due to the current shortage of aircraft mechanics.

Lisa’s primary job will be taking care of Thad, but since several translators are eager for her assistance with linguistics projects she will help as time permits. And Thad, well, he is settling in just fine and willing to help wherever he can.

“Pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ....Pray that [we] may proclaim it clearly as [we] should.” Colossians 4:3-4  It is our desire that during this three year term in PNG, we would speak clearly God’s message—in love and without fear—to whomever we come in contact with and in whatever we do. We want them to know God and experience His peace through trusting Him fully. 

PRAISE that Lisa & Thad’s PNG visas came through quickly!

PRAISE for safety in all our travels

PRAISE for God’s continued provision  of all our needs.

ASK for wisdom in raising Thad to be a follower of God.

ASK for wisdom and clear direction during our upcoming biennial branch conference.

ASK for boldness and an open door to minister directly to Papua New Guineans.

NEW PNG address:

Jamie & Lisa Halverson

PO Box (187)

Ukarumpa, EPH 444

Papua New Guinea

j-l.halverson@sil.org

Our home address:

Jamie & Lisa Halverson

669 N Sheppard St

Kennewick, WA 99336

For financial partnership:

Wycliffe Bible Translators

PO Box 628200

Orlando FL 32862-8200

Richard & Sandra van Dillen

Richard & Sandra van Dillen  Holland  Tiikkertje Doie’s First Birthday & Ground Hog Day 2 February 2011

                                                                   PRAISES

GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!! We want to thank each of you who have prayed for our family and ministry!

1.     1.Patrice Danielle was able to return to The King’s College because her housing costs were cut in half. An administrator talked to Richard over the telephone. The board of trustees decided to give her housing at half price for this entire school year. She is back in New York with her roommates, Mallory and Chelsea. She loves her classes and asked prayer for the salvation of Chelsea and for harmony in her apartment with her roommates all semester.

2.     2.Tikkertje Doei is turning 10 today and tomorrow (both 2 and 3 February are on her registered papers) and thanks to your prayers she has not had an epileptic seizure since 8 January. Richard put her on a ketogenic type protein diet and she was almost instantly transformed. The Meryl Streep movie “First, Do no Harm” made by Johns Hopkins Medical Center was the inspiration for this. Tikkertje is running with me, Richard, and Tijnie Leila better than ever and she acts like she is turning 5 instead of 10 today and tomorrow. She must have been born at midnight.

3.     3.Dharma (my Hindu girlfriend for the past 16 years) called and talk to me for nearly an hour this week. Once again I was able to witness about the saving grace of Christ to her. She is so superstitious she believed that it would be bad luck for her to come to Perry-David & Amber’s surprise newlywed and golden birthday party since 3 extended members of her Hindu family had recently died in Suriname. Dharma has seen Jesus miraculously answer our prayers regarding her immediate Hindu family, and yet is still spiritually enslaved to her fear of spirits and blinded from the truth.

4.     4.Soenita (Hindu neighbor and friend) is doing much better emotionally. Her Dutch boyfriend is being treated in an institution for fist fighting with a neighbor. She asked for prayer that he not be put in jail to finish the sentence. He is able to leave the institution 2 or 3 times a week in order to visit Soenita for an hour each time. She also sincerely wants to marry Ron. Ron lived with his previous girlfriend for 32 years. At age 50 Ron has never married.

5.     4.Peter Daniel injured his knee this week, but not while break dancing. Fortunately, the doctor said biking is good for his healing process. We are praising God that with biking and taking it easy (something not easy for Peter Daniel to do) his MCL should be healed within four weeks.

6.     5.We are visiting a career choice fair in Amsterdam today with Paul-Duffy. He needs wisdom on what career to study in college here in Holland since changing majors is not a freedom in Holland.

7.     6.We are required by the Dutch government to take an advanced Dutch course which is paid for by the government. My Dutch class meeting is this Friday and I begin a 5 day a week class next Monday, 7 February. Richard is still waiting to receive his letter requiring this course.

8.     7.After jogging with our doggies, Tikkertje Doei & Tijnie Leila, yesterday we saw Tante Lila’s Hindu sister, Nita. We had a wonderful opportunity to talk to her about Jesus at the park we run in. Nita said that since her grandfather was a Hindu, unlike her older sister, who became a Christian, she has to remain a Hindu. She kept saying it was not attractive to her to become a Christian like her older sister, because it would dishonor her dead Hindu relatives!

9.     8.When I visited Bea last week, I was able to share Christ with her again. She told me she didn’t know of a solution to her sin problem in Hinduism. When Bea asked me what she could do about her sins, I was able to share the gospel clearly. She is also bound to Hinduism since her family is Hindu.

10.  9.Thanks to Patrice’s suggestion to use Facebook, we were able to get back in touch with our Hindustani Muslim friends that moved from our neighborhood. We are planning to get together soon.  

 

 

                                                     PRAYER

1.     Please pray for Patrice Danielle to do well academically at King’s this semester. Pray also for her roommate situation to honor the Lord. Patrice Danielle wants to start an apartment building Bible study on Ephesians. Pray for at least 2 other interested girls to join her Bible study.

2.     Thanks again for your prayers for Tikkertje Doei. Please pray for continued seizure-free good health.

3.     Dharma believes that Hinduism is wicked and has a very dark side, but since she was born a Hindu she cannot change religions. Pray for the Lord to work within her hard heart and open her blind eyes to the love of Christ.   

4.     Although Soenita wants to marry Ron and believes that Jesus brought them together through our prayers, she still insists that all religions are true. She admits that Jesus is the most powerful of the gods, and she even gives Jesus credit for turning her life around and making her happy. However, she can’t see her need for accepting Jesus as the only true God and Savior, thereby rejecting Hinduism as truth.

5.     Please pray for a quick healing of Peter Daniel’s MCL in his knee.

6.     Pray for wisdom for Paul-Duffy in choosing a course of study in Holland. Pray as well that we can reinstate his residency permit and eventually get dual citizenship for him with a Dutch and American passport.

7.     I am so excited about my Dutch courses which start next week. Please pray for me to make some good Muslim women contacts through this advanced Dutch course. Pray Richard to get his language study letter soon. Upon completion of this course we will be offered dual citizenship. We are looking forward to not having to renew our residency permits every 5 years!

8.     Pray for Tante (aunt) Lila’s sister, Nita, and our neighbor Bea, to let go of their superstitious beliefs that converting from Hinduism to Christianity will bring bad luck, so that they can open their hearts to the love of Christ.

9.     Pray for our getting together with our Hindustani Muslim friends Ronald & Silvie. Pray we might be able to help them come to faith in Christ. Pray also for the salvation of their kids, Patrick (age 23), Ryan (age 19), and Amber (age 11). 

                    

                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                           

Richard & Sandra van Dillen

Richard & Sandra van Dillen               Holland                     12 January, 2011

                                                            PRAISES

1.  1. New Year’s Eve was extremely exciting again in our city of Den Haag. The fireworks start around Sinterklaasdag (5 December) and are heard around our city until about January 5th. However, legally they are allowed only from 10am until 2am on New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day. Our new daughter-in-law had never been allowed to shoot off fireworks and it was like watching a child shooting off their first firecrackers. Perry-David and Amber bought fireworks for as well as for the 3 other PD’s. The fires burning in the streets of Den Haag, the glitter explosions flooding the sky, and our smoke-filled neighborhood were all amazing to Amber. She kept saying, I can’t believe this is legal! Perry-David & Amber also enjoyed meeting our Hindu and Muslim Hindustani neighbors during the festivities. Mr. & Mrs. Poeran (Hindus) loved meeting Amber. Mrs. Poeran told me that I have a beautiful schoondochter (Dutch for daughter-in-law). (their grown Hindu daughter) is living with Reza (Muslim). They have two sons: Ryan (9) and Steven (6). Reza and Sarita do plan to marry legally sometime in the future.. They also loved meeting Amber on New Year’s Eve. Mrs. Poeran gave me a BIG HUG and told me how happy she was to have us back in Holland. Their grown Hindu son, Rino, always buys the BIG Chinese illegal fireworks which are extremely loud and long (100,000 ear drum blasting shots). Amber loved watching Rino & Richard set those fireworks off. Perry-David, Amber, Patrice Danielle, & Paul-Duffy also visited our Hindu neighbor, Bea with us. Anita (her Hindu daughter) enjoyed having Vinay (Anita’s 15 year Hindu son) shoot off his remaining fireworks with Perry-David & Amber. We thank the Lord for an exciting New Year’s Eve with our kids, and our Hindu and Muslim Hindustani neighbors.

2.   2. Perry-David & Amber were able to visit many Dutch cities and Amber LOVES Holland. The Dutch people were amazed at her simple Dutch sentences because she has only been studying Dutch for a few months. We praise the Lord for Perry-David & Amber’s love of Holland, the unreached Muslim and Hindus here, and of the Dutch language.

3.    3.Sharmila & Arun (Hindu convert whom Richard led to the Lord and baptized in 2005) invited us over for dinner with Perry-David & Amber. Amber was sick, but Perry-David really enjoyed fellowshipping with his Tante (aunt) Sharmila & Oom (uncle) Arun again after four long years. They also had us over last night since Patrice Danielle is flying back to New York tomorrow.

4.    4.Patrice Danielle & I also visited Manisha & Rikash (her 18 month old son) on New Year’s Eve. Manisha has invited us over again this evening since it is Patrice Danielle’s last night in Holland.  

5.    5.We praise God for the opportunity to have our entire family together for a late Sinterklaasdag (5 December) celebration, First & Second Christmas days, New Year’s Eve and Peter Daniel’s 23^rd birthday celebration. Duffy and Richard cooked delicious turkey filet for Peter Daniel’s birthday and we all shared what we were thankful for in 2010. We had a delicious and enjoyable family celebration on 3 January (one day after Peter Daniel turned 23).

6.    6.Soenita (Hindu neighbor) listened carefully when I shared Christ with her again this past Monday evening and she even sai d she agreed with what I read from God’s Word. However, she is so blinded by Satan. She just can’t see her need to trust in Christ alone for salvation from her sins.

7.   7. We are praising the Lord for our precious Boston Terrier, Tikkertje Doei who recently went through 11 epileptic seizures in 53 hours. The vet doubled her meds and she was as high as a kite. Richard put her on a ketogenic type diet on Saturday night and she has not a seizure since. We were also able to lower her meds dosage so she is almost acting normal. Yesterday she outran me and Tijnie Leila, our little pug gift from our Shadow Mountain Community Church Alpine kring, when we jogged our 4.5 miles. We praise the Lord for our close friends who prayed for Tikkertje Doei through this past weekend’s extremely stressful ordeal. Please pray that the Lord would continue to heal our doggie.   

                                            PRAYER

1.    Please continue to pray for the salvation of our Hindu and Muslim friends and neighbors: Bea, Anita, Vinay, Manisha, Viskash, Rikash,Sarita, Mr, & Mrs. Poeran, and Soenita (Hindus) and Reza, Ryan, Steven, Raf, Ans, Fayaaz, & Sufraaz (Muslims).

2.    Perry-David is still searching for a job in media production 18 months after graduating from Calvin College. Pray for the Lord to provide a good job for him. Pray that his professors at Calvin Colledge would help Perry-David in this endeavor since they offered to do so when he graduated at the end of May 09. Pray also for Amber as she works, goes to school, and learns Dutch for their future service to our Lord on the mission field.

3.     We praise the Lord for our close friendship with Arun & Sharmila Bageloe. We prayed for Arun to get a permanent job as an engineer last week. He interviewed on 4 January and by 7 January he was offered the job. Please pray that Arun would be a strong testimony for Christ at his new job, and pray for his relationships with his new co-workers to be amicable.  

4.    Please continue to pray for my friendship with Manisha to grow. Pray for Manisha to be able to understand Christ’s love for her as Patrice Danielle and I plan to share Christ again with her this evening.  

5.    Pray for Patrice Danielle to have a safe flight back to New York. We still have not heard from The King’s College about her housing situation. Please continue to pray that Patrice Danielle will be able to live in The King’s College housing at a 50% reduction for this 2010-2011 school year. Yesterday we sent another e-mail requesting this to two women in charge of housing and financial aid at The King’s College: Fanny Perez & Anna Peterson

6.    Please continue to pray for Perry-David, Amber, Peter Daniel, & Patrice Danielle to grow in their walk with the Lord. Please pray for Paul-Duffy to put Jesus first in his life. Pray for wisdom as he must choose an area of study since in Holland college students can’t just simply change their majors the way they do in the US. Pray for us as we work to get his residency permit and later hopefully a double passport since Paul-Duffy was born in Den Haag. Presently he has no idea what he wants to study in college in Holland. Pray he do very well on the entrance exam to the Haagse Hogeschool.

7.    Soenita needs prayer to be able to assess the meaning of one God in her mind. She feels that Jesus is just one of her gods who happens to have the most power, but her other Hindu gods are still important to her.

8.    I cried for 5 days after Perry-David and Amber flew back to Grand Rapids on 5 January. My only daughter flies back tomorrow morning. Please pray for me as I miss having my PD’s around very much!! The last time we had seen Perry-David and Amber was at Papa Perry’s memorial service in September of 2009..

9.    Pray for Patrice Danielle to be able to study business in the Christian University or College where the Lord wants her to be. She wants to open a youth center someday for troubled youth. Pray also she be hired for the job as a camp counselor at Camp Haluwasa in New Jersey for this summer. Richard worked at this same camp when he was also 21 years old and he had the privilege of leading more than 50 campers to the Lord. She filled out her extensive application here in Holland and she will be mailing it from New York after she returns tomorrow. This job would be good training for her future as a youth counselor.   

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Richard & Sandra van Dillen

Richard & Sandra van Dillen             HOLLAND           14 December, 2010

                                                              PRAISES

1.1. Last night I was able to share the gospel again with my Hindu neighbor and good friend, Soenita. After she read the evangelistic Dutch Christmas card that Richard made, I read it to her again and asked her questions. I asked her why God became a man and came to the earth and lived a short life and was crucified. She told me that Jesus came to the earth the first Christmas to save us from our sins. I asked her if she understood that we were all sinners. She said yes, but she still doesn’t understand why she needs to accept Jesus as her personal Savior and why He alone is God. She feels she can remain a Hindu and worship her Hindu gods and Jesus at the same time.

2.2. On 16 December we will be celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary. We praise the Lord for the happiness He has blessed us with, our 4 healthy, good-looking PD's and our lovely daughter-in-law, Amber. (We make no claim to be unbiased as parents.

3 3. Peter Daniel broke his middle toe break dancing, but he taped it up and is still able to dance. Pray for quick healing!

 

                                                                    PRAYER

1. 1.   Please continue to pray for Soenita to be able to understand her need for Jesus and that He is the ONLY God.

2. 2.     After Perry-David & Amber’s wedding we were awarded 4 Delta tickets for giving up our airplane seats and staying overnight for free in a nice hotel with a complementary breakfast buffet in Ohio. Over six months ago we used the vouchers (just before they expired) and made the reservations for Patrice Danielle & Paul-Duffy to fly to Holland for this Christmas. We took  the cheapest flight from San Diego we could get. We set up Paul-Duffy to fly to Holland on our 27^th wedding anniversary, 16 December. Patrice Danielle , Perry-David, & Amber are flying out on 17 December. We need urgent prayer that Paul-Duffy’s German professor will allow him to take his German final early since it is scheduled for the same time he will be flying. Paul-Duffy has a good relationship with her. She likes him since he is a European and doesn't speak German with an American accent. He also understands the European culture since he was born and raised in Holland. I called Delta in Holland and just as it was in June, all of the cheap seats on 17 December have already been sold. If Paul-Duffy is allowed to take his German final today or tomorrow we will not have to pay the high price to change his cheap ticket to a more expensive ticket on 17 December.

3.   3. Patrice Danielle has been working very hard on her final papers. She called last night and could not sleep, because her shoulder and arm which she injured l3 months ago during her bike accident in El Cajon, CA were all of a sudden causing her extreme pain.  We prayed for her and she was finally able to sleep. Please pray she can finish 5 papers and take her exams for her final grades.  Please also pray that the LORD would heal her shoulder and arm!          

Richard & Sandra van Dillen

Richard & Sandra van Dillen                 Holland                             10 December, 2010

                                                              PRAISES

1.   1.  Thanks so much for your prayers for Manisha, Vikash, and their 18 month old baby, Rikash, because they are now living in their very own apartment.  Richard was able to move them with several trips in the past 3 days. I helped Manisha with Rikash and some shopping.  Manisha said that Rikash slept through the night in their new apartment and was peaceful for the first time since his birth in June of 2008.

2.    2. Parvin (Muslim convert and sister of Zari) received several Christian books & 2 DVD’s in Farsi for Sinterklaasdag last Sunday from Allyn & Diane (also missionaries with Christar who worked several years in Iran). Allyn is in charge of the Christar workers who are ministering among Muslims & Hindus in the states. Parvin’s face lit up like a child’s does on Christmas morning when she received the gifts.

3.    3. Grace (a faithful Hindustani believer that we led to the Lord in 1995) called us on Wednesday evening and offered us free tickets she got from her work to the professional Dutch musical production of Mary Poppins! This was our first time to go to a professional theater as a couple since 1997(before the death of Dad van Dillen). Dad gave us tickets to a Broadway show in 1995 and then to the Dutch production of The Phantom of the Opera in 1997. What a blessing to spend an evening in a Dutch professional theater with some of our Hindustani Christian friends.

4.    4. The 3 other PD’s and Amber will be flying to Holland in one week and arriving at Schipol airport in just 8 short days!

5.    5. I spoke with little Soenita (Hindu) and her Muslim Hindustani boyfriend Ivan Vijzel for an hour and a half last night. They plan to visit us soon. Soenita went through a nasty divorce two years ago from an insane radical Hindu. He went to prison for faking terrorist acts at Hindu temples to give Muslims a bad name. He actually threatened to murder her 3 different times in 7 years with a huge carving knife.   

6.    6. Rio (Paul-Duffy’s good friend from Christian High School in El Cajon, CA) is home and is turning 18 today. Paul-Duffy is happy to be able to see his good friend again after 9 months. We praise the Lord that Rio’s relationship with the Lord is stronger!

                                                       PRAYER

1.    Vikash gave Manisha a Hindu idol as a wedding gift in 2008. He insisted that the idol be placed on a shelf in their living room. Although Vikash is not a practicing Hindu, his mother, Bea, is. Please pray for this young couple to come to Christ and to be able to realize the emptiness of their idols and Hindu gods.

2.    Please pray that Zari would be open to watching the Farsi Christian DVDs with her sister Parvin. Zari grew up a Muslim in Iran and converted to Christianity here in Holland through our ministry. She later joined an Iranian Sufi Muslim sect. She worships their charismatic leader even after his recent death. Zari says she still believes in Jesus.  Many Muslims say this, but they do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible. Please pray for God to use the Farsi DVDs and Parvin’s testimony to bring Zari back to the truth.

3.    We delivered some Dutch evangelical Christmas cards that Richard made to Muslim Hindustanis in the neighborhood. Unfortunately in the past three years some of our Muslim friends have moved and we do not have a forwarding address. Please pray that God would enable us to somehow reconnect with these Hindustani Muslim friends from the PD’s boys soccer teams (Dynamo 67) soon.

4.    Please pray for us to be able to borrow 2 bicycles for Perry-David and Amber to use in Den Haag for the 2 weeks during Christmas and New Year’s that they are here. We bike to our Dutch church (6 miles one way) and everywhere we go. Patrice Danielle and Paul-Duffy still have their old bikes.  

5.    Please pray that the Lord would use the trials in Soenita &Ivan Vijzel’s horrific pasts to open their hearts to the love of Christ.

6.    Patrice Danielle needs prayer to be able to get out of the 9 month housing contract with The King’s College. We can’t afford to send her there for the spring semester since our FASFA grant was much less than we anticipated.

7.     Pray for Rio, Paul-Duffy, Ronnie, and Ashley to always put Jesus first in their young lives and to be good testimonies at their secular college.  

8.    EXAM WEEK! Please pray for Patrice Danielle who has to write four final papers for college English, history, government, and logic. Please pray for Paul-Duffy to get at least a B on his philosophy final so he can pass his difficult philosophy course. Pray for him to do very well on his projects for acting and art and to get an A on his German final.  

                                                

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