Report OASIS Encounter 2017 Maastricht

Sunday, September 10

The approach of Sunday brought high expectations to the  OASIS participants, since the week had been occupied  with various activities, namely reflection and deepening  exercises. Though a bit  tiring, all the exercises were very helpful in enhancing our spiritual upliftment. Coincidentally, Sunday came with a beautiful sunny weather and we all felt it was the moment to free the mind with recreational activities. We did this more or less in provincial groups. The Brothers from Ghana spent the day celebrating the birthday of Bro. Isidore by having a small sitting during which Bro. Isidore was officially ushered  into the group of "senior citizens" (He was exactly 60, the official retiring age in Ghana). Meanwhile Bro. Wim Brands visited his sister and other family members to celebrate his 50th anniversary as brother FIC and his sister's wedding anniversary. The rest of the brothers just enjoyed the day by visiting our fellow brohters at de Beyart.

The participants from Indonesia decided to go to Amsterdam, a three-hour journey from Maastricht. After breakfast we dashed to the railway station as early as possible to catch the 08.55 train. The atmosphere of Maastricht was quiet with only a few people in the streets. The train went smoothly. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery along  the way including many beautiful towns and villages, farm houses and factories.  Here too we could experience the beauty and presence of God. In  Amsterdam we went on a boat ride down some canals to see the beauty and uniqueness of the city of Amsterdam. It is indeed a very beautiful city with its beautiful and numerous canals. Amsterdam is also full of historic buildings. After enjoying the view of the streets and canals, we headed to a Chinese restaurant, where one of our former students at Pangudi Luhur Senior High School in Jakarta invited us to have lunch together. Thank God for his kindness.

After the meal we went back along the aisles to the centre of the city. This time we decided to enjoy the beauty of the city on foot. As we walked we saw many visitors from different countries. This is a city with numerous visitors who come to see Amsterdam every day. We are grateful to be able to visit this beautiful and crowded city. In fact, we wanted to continue to enjoy the beauty of the city, but time was running out. At half past five in the afternoon, we took the train back to Maastricht arriving at 7pm quite exhausted yet with exhilarating hearts. It was a truly exciting trip and we are grateful for the experience.

Bro. Yustinus Adriyanto Widodo