(Written in the hotel in Rome 7 am 21/8)
Austria I had a liegeplatz in a liegewagen on the night train from Graz. We were four people in our tiny 6 bed compartment and it was very very hot when we departed. Since there is no place to sit we had to go to bed right away, and my bed being right at the top meant that I was the hottest of all. I realized that I did not read Revelations to Austria yet, but decided to ask Austria to listen when I read it to Switzerland and tried to sleep.
About and hour of steaming later I realized that there I was wrong. I got up and stood in the hallway and read Revelations from around 11pm until 1am. It was an easy, happy and very victorious reading. Someone must have been doing allot of good work in the spirit over this nation for this to be so. I was later reminded of Gerda Leithgob, a South African prayer leader that I have worked with before. She is married to an Austrian man, Hans, and they have been diligently praying for the German speaking countries.
When I got back in the compartment it had cooled down and I had a good night from there. When I woke up we were still in Austria, but the houses had changed to the typical style of the alps. By taking the night train I was told I had missed some awesome views as the train along the south of Austria goes through very scenic areas.
My mother sent me an SMS with scripture for Austria: Ps 66, Isa 41:17-18, Eph 11. I proclaimed the psalm aloud and praised the Lord for the beautiful things he is doing in Austria.
Switzerland
No one was sure where the border to Switzerland was, and we found out by looking at the cars’ number plates. At a station that must have been one of the first in Switzerland one of the train’s wheels caught fire when we braked. They had to let the fire brigade come and all and in the great excitement I could not find a quiet place for the shofar thing. However, the Lord seemed to want it done there because the minute after I finally did it in the WC cubicle the train departed again.
I left the telling of the Gospel until we arrived in Zurich. There I had to scuttle to make my reservations for the trains to and in Italy and after that I was hoping to find an internet café to make an accommodation reservation for the evening in Rome. The man at the ticket counter did not get my request right and booked me on a train an hour earlier that I was planning on. I only discovered the mistake on leaving the ticket office - the implication was that I only had half an hour to do everything. I rushed to look for the internet café, and as I went down into the underground mall I started telling the gospel to the earth by greeting Switzerland in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I burst out in tears immediately and realised I had better give up the internet bit and focus on the prayer.
I felt like I was standing in an old strong fortress of His Name. It was as if I could see the impact of the testimony of the Lord that Switzerland has maintained in the world for so long. At first my tears were not sad they were WOW tears. But then they became sad when I also saw the way in which we have defiled Switzerland. Old Babylon has used what was good in God to set up one of her deepest roots here. The only actual manifestation I could think of was the banking system but I’m sure there must be other things too.
But I felt that Switzerland is ready to receive whatever it will take to uproot Babylon. I asked if this place is ready for the sons of God to be revealed, if all the beautiful mountains and valleys are prepared to be levelled for the glory of God to be seen. I got a clear answer: ‘This has been our hope of glory, this is what the testimony of Jesus is about. This is what we hold to. Take the stone!’
It was the hardest to find a stone in this clean paved environment. Even the trees seemed to be paved up to their necks. By the time I found a stone it was time to board again.
The track from Zurich to Lugano goes through some of the most spectacular scenes I have passed through. I read Revelations to Switzerland but this proved to be very hard. I had the hardest time to stay awake, especially when we went through the long tunnels through the roots of the mountains. But I plodded through catching my attention whenever it wanders and running after my thoughts when they try to sneak away. It was as if Babylon did not want to hear her bit and was trying to smother me. When I finished reading I allowed myself to sleep a bit and woke up almost choking with a cough a few minutes later. All along this journey I have found that I tend to be worse off spiritually after naps, but this was the first physical attack.
So even here in Helvetica there are the two voices. The one who looks forward to the Kingdom and the proud and conceited one who is trying to delay His coming.
Italy
I made sure I find out where the border is this time and got out at the first station after the border. It was only a very short stop so I greeted Italy, told it to pay attention to the announcement I will be making from the train and took a stone. In the WC again I blew the shofar and made the declarations, but I waited till I could put my feet on the ground again in Milan before I told the Gospel. I somehow felt a real need to get in the spirit before I get to Milan so I worshiped and prayed in tongues from the border to Milan.
In Milan I had 30 minuets to make the train change and I struggled a bit to find my platform. Then I went to get myself some water and veggies (its amazing to see how clear my body is on what it needs these days). Back on the very busy platform I took my dead-battery cell-phone and put it against my head – asking the earth to forgive me if I look fake, I just don’t want to tempt the people around me into judging me to be crazy – and told the gospel in Afrikaans. When I said that Jesus is the only way to the Father I felt shivers running down my spine like when something breaks after a long wait. It felt like a lie was broken. The earth knows its creator, but the sons of God here have been a bit confused and their confusion has spilled over on the ground.
When I asked if I could take a stone, if Italy was in on the petition for the sons of God to be revealed, I heard a very urgent and irritated YES! I felt that Italy had been holding back the impulse to shake off the snake that has been crawling up its leg with great violence in utter disgust. Like in Switzerland there wasn’t really stones on the platform, but just as I heard the ‘Yes’ I noticed a broken tile where I did find one.
The 4 hours to Rome was more restful and I enjoyed the slowly changing Italian countryside. There was an electricity plug at my seat so I could charge my phone. As soon as it was resuscitated I smsed Ethie, my sister, to help me make an accommodation booking – which she promptly did. I did not have a clean thread in my bag and I did not feel like another confrontation with the youth of today in a crowded hostel, so she helped me find a room to myself in a kind of youth hotel. Very nice.
I also SMSed Gerga Leitgob re standing in for the Austrian church, Anita Giovannoni re standing in for the church in Italy and my Swiss friend from the time on the Mount of Olives re standing in for Switzerland. I’ll call them all from Rome.
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