Brother Heino Buitenkamp of Avondlicht Tabernacle in the Netherlands, felt led of the Lord to have an Easter convention this year, and to invite all that desired to come. He had a special guest speaker in mind and thought others might wish to come and hear him together with his local assembly. The guest speaker: Rev. William Marrion Branham, via an audio recording. Inquiries were coming from Believers all over Europe who wanted to come listen to the Voice of God for our day. Brother Gerald Buitenkamp thought it would be good to have a Young Foundations banquet and requested to host one as part of their Easter Convention. His request was granted, and YF gifts and puzzles were sent over and the planning for the event quickly moved forward. Brother Gerald soon realized that he would have to provide other activities for the youth, as most were arriving on Friday and not leaving until Monday or Tuesday, so he arranged a full schedule of events for the weekend. Brother Gerald’s report follows:
On Good Friday, families from Holland, Germany, Norway, and Italy came together for Easter, coming as far away as the southern tip of Europe and the northern parts of Europe. All came in great expectation. Most of the young people had met at the previous camps and were really excited to see each other again. The first get-together was Friday night. The young people enjoyed their first evening together playing volleyball and jumping on a large outdoor air cushion. Later on they had a meal together at a rented bungalow at the facility where all the families stayed. During and after the meal they played various games, spending the rest of the evening together having fun and enjoying themselves.
Many people are extremely isolated here or are in a part of a country where there are no believers. Many are alone and have no friends nearby to go to. Therefore they are looking for any YF gathering they can attend, just to be together. Some came from different cities in Holland, and others traveled long distances. They came from Palermo, Italy (2500 km) ; Bari, Italy ( 2000 km) ; Verona, Italy (1200 km) ; eastern Germany (600 km) ; and Norway (1000) km.
On Saturday they drove in a convoy to Orvelte, a historic Dutch village. They had a tour of traditional trades where they saw demonstrations at a blacksmith, sawmill, and a Dutch wooden shoe maker shop. Following the tour they got to see the quaint village and stopped in an old restaurant in the village to enjoy a cup of coffee together, relaxing and enjoying each others company.
After visiting the village, they returned to the park's facilities where they played volleyball, soccer, and basketball in a large gym. Around 4 PM they left to get ready for the YF banquet planned for that evening.
The banquet place was kept a surprise so that no one knew where we were going. Everyone met in the parking lot at the sports/bungalow park to drive together in a convoy. The banquet was held in a historic farmhouse that was converted into a cozy and inviting restaurant. As the young people arrived, entered the building, and passed through the restaurant, they were led into a banquet room prepared just for them. A warm fire in the fireplace awaited them as they sat down at the tables in great expectation.
They started immediately with a word search puzzle. After a set time all the puzzles were collected. I then welcomed and greeted them and had opening prayer. I told them that Brother Joseph Branham had wanted to give them the opportunity to come together this Easter and have this special banquet here in Holland. Each table had their turn to line up and serve themselves. They all enjoyed the elaborate buffet featuring a varied number of dishes. The food was just delicious.
After the dinner, we enjoyed some singing. Different groups stood up and sang some specials in their own language. We sang the Shona song "Hakuna Waikaita". Most of the group knew the song and participated gladly. They really like that song. It sure breaks the ice and everybody relaxes. Excited, we continued singing some other songs following up with a testimony that I shared with them--mostly of my experiences as a young person. I could relate with them of how it was to be alone with no other young believers around. I tried to encourage them to let them know that God has not forgotten them. And when you call Him on the scene, He does amazing things that you would never expect.
After speaking to the young people we sang a few more songs and then announced the winners of the word search puzzle. It was a brother and sister from Italy. The winners received their prize, a new 100th Anniversary Scofield Bible. We also had a surprise gift from Brother Joseph for each one that attended the banquet. It was the new YF Portfolio. They were very happy to receive this and some began writing in it right away. I told them to keep checking the Young Foundations website for future events and gatherings. They were really excited and can't wait for the next event.
Following this, we gathered around the fireplace. The youth really enjoyed this. They were singing and laughing. It was a relaxed atmosphere and everyone was enjoying themselves and didn't want to leave. It was a great evening.
At 11:00 PM the banquet ended and reluctantly everyone left to go home. They would go in the morning to Avondlicht Tabernacle for Easter service where the sermon “I Know” was played. Brother Branham addressed everyone's needs in this sermon. He spoke to the young and the old and all went away blessed. There was a tremendous unity among the believers and all received a touch from the Lord on this Resurrection Morning.
After an Easter dinner together with all those who attended Sunday morning service, the young people remained together for the rest of the day. They later returned to the rented bungalow at the facility and ate an evening meal together, played more games, and just fellowshipped together.
On the morning of departure truly no one wanted to leave. They all remained in the parking lot reluctant to get in their cars and drive away. As the song says, “Blessed be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love”. In this case it was truly so. Everyone glowed with the love of Jesus and the blessings they received from Him throughout the weekend. All left with full and thankful hearts.