Nr.69 ended with: “And then came April 1, 1972……!” (See richardandmarina.net)

Yes, on Saturday, April 1 we had our first baptism with three people obeying the Lord. Hundreds and hundreds upon hundreds were to follow. The next day, Sunday, April 2, we started the first little church with 16 people, children included in our living room. Fifteen years later there would be 20 churches all over Flemish speaking Belgium, some small ones, some large, that is, according to European standards. The Lord blessed in a wonderful way and I was asked to come and speak at conferences in at least 12 other European countries, as people were so amazed at what was happening in Belgium, it was just unheard of and they wanted to know what our “secret” was. But we had no secret, it was the work of the Lord and we were there just at the right time. The only things we had were the Bible, prayer and above all, the Holy Spirit who did the work, using weak and frail instruments. Had Jesus not said, “I will build my church?” Psalm 118:23, “This was the Lord’s doing, it is marvellous in our eyes!”

But that didn’t mean that it was easy, in fact I had such a difficult time during the first year that I wondered why the Lord had brought me to Belgium. Thank God, some time during that year, a friend who had been in Bible College with me in Canada was working with a youth movement in Northern Ireland and he asked me to come and speak at a youth weekend with about 300 young people. What a time we had, it was just wonderful to be able to preach in English again to a large group of people. I was overjoyed and the Lord really worked and many lives were touched. Even an IRA terrorist was converted, who had to go into hiding after that. But on the flight home I literally wept, so discouraged I was, and I asked the Lord why in heaven’s name He had brought me to Belgium, it was so difficult there. I was just not the right person for that kind of country and people. You see, I had three things against me……! (Go to Musings)