Love Leiden

Monday 28th September 2009 – a milestone in my life here in Holland.  Why?  Two reasons:

1. My wonderful wife had her own milestone – she became 40 years old!  Had lots of fun celebrating, too many details for here.

2. I said to God, “No more using the phrase my Dutch isn’t good enough as an excuse.  What do you really want me to be doing here?”  Maybe a dangerous thing to say, but better than going round in circles saying, I can’t do this or that.  For goodness sake, I’ve just started on a Dutch course for ‘far-advanced’ speakers.  I battle with two thought patterns: I am constantly being complimented on my good Dutch and am pleased with my progress in the last two years, and; my Dutch is still the biggest frustration in my life, trying to express myself or explain something to someone.  However, I am going to settle for the compliments and push on.

I recently had a meeting with the community centre in the Mors area to discuss the next computer course for beginners, hoping to carry on as an assistant.  However, they persuaded me that my Dutch was perfectly good enough for teaching my own class and that people are not there to learn Dutch from a foreigner.  Good point.  So I start teaching my own beginners class in four weeks.  Yikes!

During a quiet time  on Monday I remembered the hymn that we sung at our wedding, “O Jesus I have promised” which contains the following line:

My hope to follow duly is in thy strength alone

I was reminded that if God is wanting me to do particular things here then he will give me just as many skills and abilities as I need.  I was reminded of the following (Exodus 4, NLT):

Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

So what can I do, except rely on him.  And look what Moses achieved with his mumbled words.  I’ll just keep using the excuse that I’m a dumb foreigner and rely on the Dutch folk’s goodwill – works every time!

I hope to follow duly, and in his strength alone.