Amsterdam.

Now, how will I start writing this blog? When the name Amsterdam is mentioned, many people think of certain things concerning the Netherland's capital city. This blog is not featuring these well known concerns around it's 'night life' and 'cannabis laws'. I will mention this somewhat in this blog. From our short visit to this country, Amsterdam is a blend of friendly people and culture. Firstly, there was the strong smell of cannabis that wafted in the air outside Schiphol (Airpot) sorry ... Airport; a timely reminder of the country's liberal culture.

Elevated Picture from the Hotel in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam from the Air and: Schiphol Airport from the ground.

This is a blog about the resurgence of Christianity in the Netherlands and in Amsterdam in particular. Indeed, Andrea and I got the chance to attend an international prophetic conference in Amsterdam on the 13th and 14th June 2025. I will mention that on one occasion we got lost walking back to the hotel, and I will briefly mention other happenings whilst we were there.

Firstly, I can say the local people are direct, friendly and helpful. Being from Ireland, this felt to us pretty much like a home from home. Particularly as from our experience they had a warmth to their interaction with us. This will be a short blog as we had only 3 days there.

Before we departed we saw the eagles.

Andrea and I discussed going over to a prophetic conference in the Netherlands. This was a new destination for both of us. We have been to many places in Europe, but never here.

Of all places, this was a church conference held over two days in Amsterdam. This was arranged by Dr Arleen Westerhof and her husband Dick at the 'Embassy Church in Amsterdam'.

Our usual transport in Europe over the years was by motorcycle, however, on this trip it was by car, plane and bus.

The guy opposite was in the Belfast International Airport heading somewhere himself. We didn't get to speak with him, however the eagles printed on his shirt were great to see as we headed off on this journey.

After we landed you have to go through the obligatory security and checks. The airport is large though clean and well signposted.

We had an initial problem in knowing which bus to take to get to our hotel. (This was a distance from the airport).

fortunately there was an official who spoke good English and helped us.

The people of the Netherlands largely speak English as a second language and like a previous trip to Norway some are very fluent.

Outside the airport the weather was clear and the air temperature still quite hot. Unlike Norway, the Netherlands can get hot and humid. (More on this later).

When we got our bus the driver was also very helpful and courteous with us. This country's people was beginning to warm to us, and we to them.

The control tower / bus depot at Schiphol Airport.

If you are going to a new city or unfamiliar area, it is wise to get a map of the place. This will help you if for some reason you get lost, or find yourself somewhere unexpected. At the airport terminal they had a large street map of Amsterdam to view. A phone snapshot will suffice as this can be opened and magnified if needed. This can be a useful thing and more so when used in conjunction with an app like Google Maps.

A map on your phone can be handy if you do not have internet connection or you run out of data.

As we discovered, many in the Netherlands speak fluent English, so asking for directions was easy and the local people were helpful.

Handy local map of Amsterdam

A view from the hotel over Amsterdam City.

The bus journey over to the hotel was reasonably quick and the bus driver was helpful and spoke in English to us. The hotel we used was the Holiday Inn express, however, for some reason we didn't photograph it.

The hotel was clean as were the rooms though they didn't give us the type of room we had booked. No idea why. As I had screenshots on my phone this was quickly resolved. (Another tip is to have copies of what room, specification and hotel you have booked beforehand).

Photo wise, fortunately, I did take a picture from out of the hotel and over this side of Amsterdam. There is a lot of construction work going on here from the cranes visible.

The next morning after we got ready, the hotel breakfast was good and the staff were courteous and efficient.

We walked the distance from the hotel to the conference by foot. The days we were in Amsterdam were quite hot and we passed by a football stadium draped in the late football (soccer) world cup legend Johan Cruyff. We walked for what seemed ages to get to the venue. It seemed around 2.5 miles to get there and given the heat we were pretty hot on arrival.

The venue itself was even hotter inside and as we were a bit late there was no seating left. This was arranged by some church members.

The worship team at the God's Embassy Church in Amsterdam. Day one.

Talks were given by Dr Arleen Westerhof (Amsterdam). and Jenifer LeClaire from the USA, a well known Biblical speaker and influencer. Unfortunately I didn't get a photograph of Jennifer LeClaire, however I have one of Dr Arleen which I gleaned from a video taken during this conference.

One major event was Dr Arleen's revealing of the 'European Prayer Initiative' a prayer and intercession platform run on the Telegram messenger service. It was mentioned that they would be going to the Russian frontier which bordered Estonia for prayer about the Russia Ukraine war.

Dr Arleen hosts prophetic YouTube broadcasts in English and Dutch. These are well worth a viewing. As with all prophecy, test it with the Holy Spirit and does it line up with the Word of God.

On the first day, back to the hotel we decided to take a different route back to the hotel. That was fun as we got slightly lost. We happened on a rather good restaurant by one of Amsterdam's many canals. In the string evening sunlight we enjoyed a fish and nut evening meal, which, was very tasty and different from what we would normally order at home. On the way back we walked through this South-west side of the city. We took the opportunity to do some evangelical work with some locals at the train station and in and around some of the shops. On one occasion however, we needed to move along as we were drawing some negative attention from a couple of people.

The conference topics over the two days were very interesting and Andrea and I got to know some of the people, some from Hungary, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Africa and of course the Netherlands. From our interaction with the Netherlands people they are a warm culture. Us being from Ireland, we fit right in. We spoke briefly with Dr Arleen and she welcomed us to the conference. One particular issue from our time there is how the enemy tries hard to infiltrate Churches, derail ministries and individuals. This encompassed the enemy's use of the demonic and occult practices against the Saints. There was discussion in territorial spirits and needing people from that nation before going there. The drug and prostitution issues in Amsterdam were raised; this Church and others efforts in the city to change this. There was a discussion on watchmen and women. The seminar also discussed how we can pray more effectively for nations and continents.

There was emphasis on how the Lord is warning believers that the enemy is out to steal, kill and destroy, if he can. The devil is after all the accuser of the brethren. For those who believe in the Bible and Jesus Christ, know this, you are already 'out' of the kingdom of darkness. Satan views you as an enemy already. I remember back to a Church minister, a Reverend, who from what I perceived took a certain stance. 'If we leave the devil alone he will leave us alone'. (You have to be kidding). If you step out in any way for God, the enemy will do all he can to stop you. However, also know this, the Lord is 'King of Kings and Lord of Lords' and He puts limits on what Satan can do. God is and always has been in total control. If friend, you are in a 'fix', remember our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is the great 'fixer' of every kind of problem.

It is indeed unfortunate that the prophetic movement has come under some malignment in recent times. We need to remember that the Bible itself is filled with the prophetic. From cover to cover, this has been a proven verity that if one looks into this in any detail the revelation is truly breathtaking in its accuracy and complexity.

Back to the conference, and oh yes they had a great praise and worship team there in Amsterdam. It was lovely to hear some songs in Dutch. This reminds me of the times Andrea and I were in Israel. We went to a Messianic Jewish Church in Jerusalem. We had to walk over 5 miles to get there (this was a Shabbat (Sunday) day and no transport was available). They sang some recognizable songs in Hebrew, and this had an impact on me.

Day two of the conference in Amsterdam (2025).

The conference alternated between Dr Arleen, Jennifer LeClaire teaching, and, Dick Westerhof promoting books from members of his congregation. Know this dear reader, you are in a war and you need the Lord to fight the battles for you. Your part is in prayer and petition to God, and to share the Gospel. (The more you try and defend yourself, the more you restrict the Lord from helping you). This was shared more than once during the conference. The bottom line is this, at the end of the Bible we win. Never give up, never give in, the Bible is true, in God we win.

Amsterdam. Faithfire-Christian Ministries Ireland (2026)

If you enjoyed this blog post, why not view another blog here at Faithfire Christian Ministries Ireland 'Evangelizing Dublin'. (Ireland has a rich Christian heritage dating back to Saint Patrick, over 1500 years) check the blog out. You can link in and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.