Posted August 3, 2016 by
Tags: Spiritual Life My Wheaton Global and Experiential Learning
Youth Hostel Ministry in Amsterdam
Spending the summer in Amsterdam with Youth Hostel Ministry has been such an enriching experience. When I first heard the word “Europe” during my introduction to the program last year, my interest was immediately peaked. Not only did the YHM program allow us to live in Amsterdam for 10 weeks, it invited us to be thrown into an international community of volunteers who all share the same passion for meeting and evangelizing to backpackers from all across the world.
As I prepared to apply for the program, I couldn’t help but wonder: what’s the catch? So far, I haven’t found one.
Before being flown across the Atlantic as a team of five Wheaties, Wheaton’s Office of Christian Outreach (OCO) ensured that we were well prepared for the program with weekly lectures given by professors and staff members. Each lecture was interesting and well-tailored to our ministry. Weekend retreats that we took with our team during the spring semester allowed us to get to know who we would be working alongside for ten weeks.
One of the (many) highlights of my YHM experience has been the ability to be a part of a ministry that is so clearly passionate about the Lord and communicating that passion to travelers. I had plenty of expectations coming into this summer, all of them high. But they were all exceeded. I have been able to learn so much from the people who run the program and the others who volunteered alongside of me. I was challenged, too, and looking back, I am very thankful for those times as well.
One of the most memorable moments from this summer was when two of the cleaners at our shelter were baptized. I got to know both of them pretty well. One of them had been a Muslim before he came to the shelter, and had a background of drug dealing and use. While he was working at the shelter, he was exposed to Christianity more and more, and at one point saw a vision of Jesus. This was the turning point for him, and he has been on fire for God ever since.
Whenever I saw him he would tell me about how much he loved everyone because of Jesus. This did come at a price though. He would tell us about how most of his family and friends don't talk to him anymore since leaving the Muslim faith. But he takes his faith seriously, and recently decided to outwardly show that by getting baptized. It was so cool to see the whole shelter community come and celebrate this important decision with him.
Melissa Ator ’18 is a junior studying applied health science. She participated in Wheaton’s program in Amsterdam this summer. Photo captions (from top): YHM students and shelter staff prepare to enjoy a Midsummer Celebration “as the Swedes do,” thanks to one of the shelter staff members who desired to give students an authentic experience of Swedish culture; A baptism service for two shelter staff members who came to Christ through the shelter ministry--they are the two on the far right, participating in a selfie.