Maasbach Mission in Holland

October 2010

There were great expectations to reconnect with the Maasbach family after so many years! And the expectations were met – we continued where we left off as if it was the most natural thing in the world. God’s family is really amazing. Even if you do not see each other for a long time, the relationship continues as if there was no gap in time or distance. This is a privilege reserved for saints in the light, called ‘Fellowship’.

I went to Johan Maasbach Wereldzending in January 1972 for the first time as a young man. The Evangelist somehow took a liking to me and took me around with him wherever he had to minister: in the Krasnapolsky hotel auditorium, in De Dam plein where we ministered to the drug addicts, in Den Haag at the Capitol Sentrum and even on Luxumborg radio. He made me give my testimony everywhere. I stayed in an apartment of the Maasbach Wereldzending and ate with the staff.In 1984, while we were missionaries in Australia, the opportunity came for me to visit Europe again. I ministered all over Europe in Christian Centres in places like Berlin, Basel and Wolfenbuttel. I made an effort to go and visit the Maasbach mission again and like the previous time, the Evangelist was glad to see me and accommodated me.

Johan Maasbach was a kind of man that made you feel that life is worth living. He was a great encourager to inspire people to live for Jesus. He preached Jesus and lived what he preached. He was a man of vision. He used to tell me how that he would one day like to buy some of the old Cathedrals in Holland and hold Pentecostal meetings in them. On this trip I preached in one of them!

When T. L. Osborne came to Holland he required a Dutch interpreter. When the well known interpreter could not make it, Johan Maasbach was asked to do the job. He became friends with Mr. Osborne and was greatly influenced by him to reach the world for Jesus.Mrs. Willie Maasbach was invited by Mrs. Daisy Osborne to develop her international ministry and travel with her, but after she prayed about it, she decided to give her life to raising her children. The result today is that all of them are either full time in the ministry or involved in ministry! Even their children are in the ministry as well.

It was wonderful to attend the week of conference with the Maasbach family in Den Haag. We stayed in the same apartments where I used to stay and ate meals with the staff as well. It was like Déjà vu for me! They were all so friendly and so very well trained and committed to the task of the Maasbach mission. The young people are not frivolous and show seriousness about serving God.

We attended a live recording & video session of the Maasbach worship team on the Sunday afternoon. Rickey Grundy & Tachina Alexander assisted them. They sang beautiful old hymns in a modernized way.Some of the other ministers we met at the conference were Frank & Barbara Abram, Rickey Grundy, Gonny Maasbach, Larry Nielsen, Fred & Kathy Rodriguez, Rachelle Terry and Arelious Walker. It was a privilege to share meals around the same table with these dedicated men and women of God who spoke at the seminars.Yvette and Hilton made friends with the Maasbach children and Nola and I met with Ouma Willie and Ouma Jeanne, the mother of the wives of two Maasbach brothers.

I had some good conversations with John Maasbach, the evangelist. David is the pastor and overseer of the work. John told me, ‘I think this is a long term relationship!’ He invited me to go and teach in Pakistan during the first week in March 2011.

We enjoyed attending many of the interesting seminars during the conference and learned a lot. On Friday and Saturday nights Rickey & Tachina blessed us with Gospel concerts!

After the week of conferencing we stayed on for another week to minister in two of the Blessing Churches (as they call their churches) and to do some sightseeing. It was so wonderful to have my family with me on this trip! Nola especially enjoyed being in Holland, it has been her desire for so many years and God finally made her dream come true!

It is really hard to preach in Holland. Christians are seen as backward and behind the times. They try to show how liberal their society is, but it has lost the blessing which true Christianity alone can produce. The Maasbach family has really made a difference in Holland for generations and we are glad to associate with them and support them wherever we can. It is a pleasure to see how both families have endured serving God for several generations. It is the grace of God alone that makes it possible.

In a sense we owe our Protestant history to the Dutch settlers who came in 1652 to the Cape. In our own way we have gone back to say ‘thank you’ by doing something for the Lord in Holland.

I taught two sessions, one on The Fruit of your Words and another on Walking in the power of the Spirit. The messages were interpreted into Dutch. We have the CD’s available.