I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who
follow your precepts. The earth is filled with your
love, O Lord; teach me your decrees.
(Psalm 119:63-64)

Greetings from Ohio! We’ve just gotten back (to one of the places that we call) “home” in Shelby after a 10-day trip through 8 states, covering a total of approximately 3000 miles. Our “Great American Road Trip” truly was a great experience which allowed me to fall in love with my native land all over again. With our own eyes, we saw America the Beautiful: its spacious skies, its amber waves of grain, its fruited plains (I would have included the "purple mountain majesties," but I don't really know if the Dakota Badlands and Black Hills would really qualify as such)... In any event, our time here in America for home service leave this summer is already resulting in memories which we will likely hold onto forever. Everywhere that we’ve been this summer, we’ve been charmed by the American people who would have to be considered as some of the world’s most generous and hospitable. We’ve had a wonderful time, and we’re glad that we still have one month left to enjoy the whole experience (before flying back to Amsterdam on August 5).

You know what’s funny, though? No matter how much I rekindle my love for my American “home,” I can’t help but simultaneously feel pulled back toward my other “home” in Amsterdam. I think about the beautiful café terraces alongside the canals. I think about the city parks filled with picnickers. And most of all, I think about our friends and spiritual family in Amsterdam—especially those Christian brothers and sisters in the Zolder50 community. I keep up the best I can with blogs and e-mails and the occasional phone call or computer instant-messaging opportunity… But obviously, it’s not the same as being there. Our summer absence has been hard in some ways… but also strangely helpful. My prayer life, in particular, has benefited from this extended period of separation from my church in Amsterdam. I’m almost constantly thinking about the people from our home group, the pastors-in-training group, the staff team… and my memory of these people fuels my prayers. Of course, my prayers are considerably boosted by receiving e-mails like the following message, recently sent by a friend in our home group named Steven:

Hi all, How are you doing? I have been a bit down lately because I felt like I fall short in many ways (guilty) and that I am not doing my best to change (guilty). Fortunately, God is a forgiving God and He is not leaving me and He provides with everything we need. Once I realize that and apply Him and His will in my life again, things are going the way they suppose to and I feel more real and relaxed… My home group, and more closer my life group, is a big help for me to see God at work. It is good to know there are other people in my life with different backgrounds (and) problems but the same love for our Lord Jesus. There at the cross is where we can bring our hurts and is the place where our healing is. My lesson from the last few weeks is when God is showing me things that should be changed I should not try to fix things myself, but should let Him touch and make it possible. Being or trying to be in control over situations, people, habits and emotions is something different then letting them go or embracing them. I can say with Paul: "So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me.. who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” May what we do and who we are not be a worldly structure, but founded in Jesus Christ and His name. Be blessed in Him!

Doesn’t that make you want to pray, too?!?! I really do hope that you will pray for Steven, as I have been doing. Some of you may have heard me talk about this young man, in general terms, as I’ve traveled around sharing the story of our ministry in Amsterdam. He is a beautiful example of the transforming power of God’s grace. His life used to be tied up in drugs and criminal activity in the city—and yet, to talk to him today, this would be the last thing that you’d expect from someone so mild-mannered and soft-spoken. God is definitely at work in his life!

Just a week before leaving Amsterdam, Steven demonstrated some of his Christ-like selflessness and thoughtfulness by typing up a kind of “letter of recommendation” for me to pass along to you (without me even asking him to do this for us!). I figured that this month’s prayer letter would be a good chance to pass that along to you:

Hi, I am Steven from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and you are or can be involved with Eric Asp´s ministry. Eric Asp is an overseas pastor here in Amsterdam who has become a very important person in my life and he is not alone. The most High brought him and a few other good Americans in my life in sinful Amsterdam. I was far away from God, but after 37 years denying God and living with a hardened heart I was brought God's love through Jesus Christ and was brought to my knees and got baptized. I would love to be able to express myself for what the body of Christ means to me… I have seen miracles happen through it and would like to meet each member of the body if I could to thank (them each) in person, but for now these words are all I can give. It is so powerful to me that my Christian life after a strong conversion is stabilized with a person given to me like Eric who has grown up knowing our Lord. Eric's teachings and being makes me want to live out the Christian life and follow up on what I believe and am committed to. Without Eric our community would still be centered around Jesus, but him being there made for some people all the difference. God is making changes in Amsterdam and with good people, good things will happen. May (you) know the deep satisfaction of having made a difference. Thanks for your prayers, love and guidance.

I can’t say it much better than that. Thanks so much for your support of our family and our ministry! Please pray with us for God’s continued work in Steven’s life, and also for the last month of our home service leave in America. We’ll be in touch!

Eric