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12/28/2005
Serving the Nations - Intercessors letter nr. 11
Almere, December 28th 2005

Dear Intercessor Friends,

What a (wonder-)full year we had through the guidance and protection and challenge of the Lord. Thank you again for standing with us in prayer or at least in reading this short update.

We made thirteen international travels, three of which due to Pieter’s book, two times to Kuwait, Pieter in October and Helene these very days between Christmas and New Year, and one to Malawi; for the teaching notes of the “Politician’s afternoon”, of the CHANGING THE COURSE OF THE NATION – CONFERENCE in November in Malawi. We did three one day Serving the Nations-seminars, each on God’s dealing with the nations, each time from a different angle, with a focus among others on Reconciliation. The next Seminar will be in February 2006, with Roger Mitchell, UK, on the Dutch-English issues to be dealt with!
Our involvement in the national prayer movement continued; this movement needs a lot of prayer. Our involvement in the reconciliation coalition increased; but the Dutch church scene is not really so on fire for this topic as we sense God is.
Overall we must say that we strongly feel to speak more and more boldly and expectantly on the return of Jesus, as a political reality. That sets the urgency of the reconciliation agenda and the agenda of repenting of national corporate sins.

The Six Nations Rhine Project.
After four years of seeking God and preparation, a conference took place in Congress Hall in Bregenz, where Germany, Austria and Switzerland meet, overlooking the Bodensee.
We took time to receive one another as six nations, with well-prepared and authoritative confessions of national sins against each other. Then only we proceeded to the main part: The confessing to God of the Rhine-related sins:
1. Deification of the river: with (blood-)sacrifices, rituals and legends ruling the life along the river: water spirits being elevated to saints in the church, wild Carnival festivities along the Rhine, romanticism (the “Loreley”) based on myths, still perpetuated in deadly shipping- and sports “accidents”.
2. Pride: of Cologne and Koblenz, and the 19th century German pride of “their” Rhine; the fight for the toll gates and the wars around the river, with Strasbourg changing nation 10 times in her history.
3. Abuse: drowning of enemies, pollution, suicide.
4. Anti-semitism: Jews settled in the 4de - 5de century north of the Alps first along the Rhine; from the 8th century anti-semitism increased in that area, payment for security was demanded, pogroms started; any city along the Rhine, from Austria till the North Sea, has a history of anti-semitism. (From this region the Jews started to migrate to Eastern Europe.)
The facts that surfaced, the depth of the repentance, the anointing, everything confirmed that we were touching God’s heart. Repentance and worship were the theme.
Then we travelled with a group of 24 to three locations in Switzerland, where Rhine-arms erupt, at 2600 – 3000 m above sea level, most of us climbing, some by helicopter (which God miraculously provided) and with the best thinkable weather in weeks for and aft! Again: just repentance and worship were the theme, and the anointing seemed to grow day by day.
This was not only a unique event in our ministry, but probably also in modern history: six nations, in a holy unity and humility, appear to confess their combined and river-related sins before God.

The Europe-Africa Reconciliation Process.
The fourteen nations that met in 1884-’85, exactly 121 years ago, for the infamous “Berlin-Congo Conference,” met again, again in Berlin. However, the difference was enormous. Then they met, making Africa a topic of European politics, with imperial and commercial spin off, and there was no African around. Now they met, inviting representatives at their own expense, and with no other goal than to repent of their pride and greed, and of the devastating effects of their attitude and their actions over the 120 years since then. The representation of both European and African nations was at intercessors-level, to take spiritual and moral responsibility for these attitudes and effects, while not underestimating the political, societal and economic consequences thereof.
The 1884-’85 Berlin-Congo was re-enacted, in the sense that again a table setting was arranged, according to a historic graphic, and again hosted by the Germans. The confessions of the then fourteen nations were brief, factual and humble, without excuse. The response of the, 22 altogether, African nations were overwhelmingly gracious. What was hoped and prayed for: in the name of Jesus, on the basis of the confessions and the repentance, on the basis of the forgiveness released on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus, one of the Africans, Langton Gatsi, Zimbabwe, broke the yoke of colonization, of the contempt for the Africans and of the poverty over Africa, and the yoke Europe was under through their actions, and declared Europe released of her guilt. We embraced across the table, worshiped, we danced (mainly the Africans) and we celebrated the release of the Lord. Lev. 26:13 applies: “I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with your heads held high”
For a complete report see: Two continents reconciled

These two projects had been on our agenda for years; these two events have tremendously encouraged us for the further attention and follow up.

Our writing projects, Pieter’s book on the city and Helene’s on the emerging infrastructures for the end time, have been on our plate all the time, and it seems that only now, in January and February, we can find time for “book weeks”! For a preview on Pieter’s book:
The City as beautiful as she could be

Our rough calendar for the coming months can be found at: calendar

At November 17th our third granddaughter was born (6th grandchild): Lianne Hadassah. Hadassah (Hebrew for Esther) was “born for a time like this”! If our generation will not experience the return of the Lord, then probably the next one. Are we afraid to consider the flow of events that will accompany His return? Or are we intimidated by developments in our time that seem to indicate God’s urgency? Our time is the “bottleneck” of history on the way to the realm of Peace, which will be a political reality: no longer will we be ruled out of Brussels or New York, but the law will go out from Jerusalem! What a confession of faith of our daughter and son-in-law, in a time like this.
May you and we, also in the next year of this “bottleneck”, trot on with inspired courage to that realm of Peace.

Pieter and Helene.

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