Dank je wel!
Our teacher and his wife recently went to the Netherlands to meet supporters of our School. This first blog post will introduce you to what our teacher did in the Netherlands. You will be able to see just how much Dutch Reformed Christians are doing for us. A second post will follow which will look at the vibrant culture of Reformed Education in the Netherlands.
Brenda and I were very pleased to have this opportunity to thank our Dutch supporters for all their hard work. God has graciously used them to provide the necessary funds for commencing our School. Sunrise Christian School could not have been this far along without their help. A big reason for their support is that they have an appreciation for Christian and, specifically, Reformed education.
As we prepared to go to the Netherlands, our pupils made dank je (thank you) cards for the many people who have made their education a possibility. We talked about how it is always important to return thanks, especially to God. We thought about the ten lepers and how only one thanked Jesus. It is doubtful that many of our pupils really understand just how much has been done for them by our Dutch friends, but it is great to see a spirit of thankfulness being cultivated in them.
After arriving in the Netherlands, we stayed with Jan van Panhuis and his wife. Jan is the grandfather of one of our pupils. You may remember him as the man who has cycled from Holland to Scotland three times over! On his last trip he cycled as far as Stornoway! This summer he will cycle up the Bealach na Ba at Applecross. Jan is the chairman of our Dutch charity. We are greatly indebted to him for what he has done for us.
Jan took us to see two schools in Nunspeet that have supported us. One of these schools is providing us with some computers. It is great to see such generosity. The teachers in these schools understand just how important a Reformed education is to the children’s lives and to the culture at large. Their encouragement to us is extremely valuable.
One person who has contributed to our school is Jannie Koetsier-Schokker. Jannie wrote a book in Dutch that has been translated into English: Maaike and Marijke’s Trip to America. All the proceeds from this book come to our School. We were pleased to visit with her and enjoy a coffee in her garden. She was delighted to receive a card from our pupils.
Another group to greatly support us is the youth group of a church in Krimpen aan de IJssel. Back in 2014, this group raised over €4000 for our School. They carried out many projects to raise this money and put in a lot of hard work. It was great to be able to thank them personally.
Additionally there are many supporters who give monthly to our School, altogether over €600 per month. It is heartwarming to meet such people. They do not live in our country and yet they want us to enjoy good quality Christian education.
Most of all we are thankful to our God. He has chosen to use these Dutch saints to bless our School. It is great to see the unity of the Church that can extend across borders.
