Our week in Amsterdam was full of contacts and things we did so hopefully, I don’t confuse you. Since our Europe budget was tight we tried to find as many contacts we had so we could get free lodging. That’s how we ended up in Amsterdam. I reached out to my work contact Brian who is from the States but lives in an Amsterdam suburb about an hour away from the city center. He told me he would be out of town for our dates but offered his home to us. WHAT A BLESSING!! Right before Amsterdam, we were in Germany and during our last day there we saw the gay pride was going on. Tanner did some research and saw that pride was also going to be happening during our stay in Amsterdam. We felt a tug and decided to pray and see how the Lord wanted us to get involved.
Rewind to a couple of months back when we were in South Africa. We met Lehanie who told us that her Auntie Marietha lived in Amsterdam and worked with YWAM. Lehanie gave us her contact info so we could reach out to her and see if YWAM needed any help. YWAM (Youth With A Mission) is a Christian organization that is based all over the world and focuses on mission work and outreach in the local communities. We reached out to Marietha and planned to meet her the next day after we arrived. We got into town and sat down with her and explained what the Lord was putting on our hearts with pride week. She got excited for us and said that we could use YWAMs prayer room whenever we wanted. She also asked how we planned to do street ministry if we were so far from the city. We told her we would take public transportation but she wasn’t having it. She began searching for a way we could stay in the city center. WHAT A WOMAN! God just kept opening doors and providing for us. Marietha got us beds at Shelter City Christian Hostel for the rest of the week. Everything happened so quickly but we knew God had a plan and God was using Marietha as our blessing. The hostel is located in the red-light district of Amsterdam so we were right in the middle of everything. We were able to walk to the prayer room and then hit the streets without having to get a bus or tram.
As we walked around I began to see the pride flag on almost every single building, bus, and train. Not just on the LGBTQ community or supporter houses but on restaurants, government buildings, banks and international brands like Addidas, Nike, Guess, Apple, Starbucks and every single one you can think of. Now back home in Atlanta, we know of Midtown as the gay neighborhood of the city and to some people, it’s way too much. So for me, it was a shock to see an ENTIRE city support the LGBTQ community. It legit blew my mind and it was then as I was standing on the street corner that a thought came into my head. Where did this unity come from? What will it take to have an entire city for Jesus the way Amsterdam supports the LGBTQ community? Are we too busy judging others instead of loving them? WHAT IS IT!?? What would it look like if the church came alongside the LGBTQ community instead of running away from them or judging them?
Well, that’s what we decided to do. We went and participated in the pride parade. We stood among thousands and thousands of people from all over Holland and the world that came into the city for this event. We met a Dutch guy on the street that told us that for them pride is like our 4th of July! It’s their biggest celebration after Kings Day not just for the LGBTQ community but for the entire city and we got to join them! I posted several stories on the pride parade on my Instagram and several people responded with the following:
“How can you be there?”
“Are you converting those sinners to Jesus?”
“Can’t believe people on a mission trip are visiting a pride event”
“Your church accepts this?”
Yes, Jesus accepts this and He also teaches us that the GREATEST commandment is to LOVE and that we should LOVE our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37- 39). There’s nothing more beautiful than to befriend people from all walks of life and be a walking testimony of God’s love in us. THAT’S CHRISTIANITY! Not judging others, creating rules, doctrines, and separating ourselves from our neighbors because they aren’t “HOLY” enough. Sadly that’s how many Christians think nowadays. Many have reached this mentality of “we need to save these sinners.” SERIOUSLY? What’s your definition of sinner cause we’re all sinners!! YOU’RE A SINNER. IM A SINNER (Matthew 7:1-5). Jesus is in all of us because we’re all created by Him and for Him. WE ARE HIS CHILDREN. HE IS OUR FATHER. All of God’s children were a part of Amsterdams LGBTQ week and until we accept that we won’t be able to love as Jesus commands us to love. Once we’ve learned to truly LOVE we’ll be able to share God’s plan with those others. If you’re not there yet then you should pray and ask God to give you His heart for His people.
GOD’S MASTER PLAN. The Bible says in Romans 3:10 that we have all fallen short from God because of our sin. That includes our smallest thoughts, words, and actions. It includes all of us. The good news is that Jesus paid the cost for our sins at the Cross (Romans 5:8) for the entire world!! We just have to repent and our sins will be forgiven (1 John 1:9). From that moment we give our lives to Him and we receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16)! HOW COOL IS HIS PLAN FOR US!??
So what type of love are you giving the people around you? The people at your work? School? Is it a Matthew 22:37-39 type of love? Let’s check ourselves.
