hey europe, watch out

this last week masters commission europe held their annual conference. it was especially exciting because it took place right here in brussels, belgium. i can recall the amazing presence of the lord last year, in rome, moving my spirit as i witnessed 200 young people opening their hearts and giving the lord everything they had during worship and intercession. this year it didn’t skip a beat!

young people all across europe and even beyond are recognizing that god is moving in this continent and they are overwhelmingly longing to be a part of it. i have such an opportunity to witness this unfolding right before me.

the students of the summons, were in participation. the great thing about their situation is they have the ability to make a vast impression upon leaders and their peers. many, if not all of the other programs have been functioning for well over 6 months already. the summons has been operating for nearly 3 months and yet the engagement, interaction, and response was a solid reflection of a seasoned individual. this was such an encouragement for me as their director.

there were a few times i witnessed them behave in such a way that only could have been prompted by the holy spirit. i remember sitting in the back observing their responses to the message and just weeping with joy as i knew god was touching them in a deep way.

many times i am excited to impart to young people and hold a special place of attention, it is important for them to lean on a leaders words. there are also moments when i must challenge them to let go of my attention and put into practice what they have been taught, this is biblical. the small request from one student to another for prayer was an awesome example of what god is doing in the student’s hearts. i witnessed them beginning to open up and tearing down the walls that have been built for security and comfort from the rest of the world. the fear of man is breaking!

there wasn’t anyone who got out of a wheel chair, or blind eyes opening, but i did get a glimpse of the potential of Europe and all that these young people are capable of when they completely abandon themselves to their maker.

alone in grand place

last night at around 5pm i was blessed with the opportunity to get away downtown by myself. most of the time going downtown with the boys is not that big of a deal. their faces light up even with the suggestion. it means they can ride their bikes all the way to the waterloo train station and then ride a train all the way downtown. not having a car has its benefits while forcing us to use public transportation. public transpo humbles everyone. that is a totally different post.

last night i rode my bike to gare de waterloo, locked it up, took the 1657 towards anvers-central, and rode it for nearly 30 minutes to my spot downtown. unbeknownst to me the train actually terminated at gare du midi. there must have been train issues. this detour didn't bother me as i was on my own. actually it forced me to either get on another train or ride the metro to the stop arts-loi (french for art law), which would give me the transfer metro line to gare du centrale. i chose the metro and stopped at ave. louise for a possible meal. nothing was appealing so i got back on the metro to hit my original destination of grand place.

grand place has many many different eateries. many nations and cultures bring their style of cooking (except the mexican cuisine, which would be very advantageous for me and my crew). however, there is no other place like pita row. pita row is a street of greek style pita shops which are all fast and very tasty. not so much good for you as much as dora the explorer would say, "delicioso!" it can satisfy the hungriest of the hungriest. i sat down had my meal and watched the euro 2012 challenge on the tele. the whole street was full of excitement as italy and croatia were competing. what an atmosphere.

from there i walked towards the american embassy inside central station...STARBUCKS! had my usual, black coffee. i sat there and did what i love doing downtown...people watch. had my journal out, wrote down observations and prayers for the city and family. i will leave you with part of my entry:

i love being able to ride my bike to the waterloo train station and it being only a 5 min bike ride
i love being able to get on a train that gets me downtown in 30 min
i love having enough time to read a chapter of a book while on the trip to downtown
i love having a starbucks at central station so that i can sit and drink familiar coffee
i love that this is the meeting place for my wife and me
i love sitting at the station and watching the rush of people
i love walking a few meters out of the station into history and all that is magnificent of grand place
i love having a friterie of my own downtown
i love discovering new areas of this great city alone without fear or time limits
i love having famous pita row
i love you brussels