About me
Marc Kooiman
Hi everyone
I’m Marc Kooiman, a missionary currently serving in Carlsbad, California. I’m excited to share with you a bit about my journey, the mission work I’m involved in, and my experience in the Discipleship Training School (DTS). Thanks for taking the time to read—it means a lot!
If you want to know more or follow along, feel free to check out my Instagram
What did I learn and do i wanna share?
This month we covered four new topics:
- The Father Heart of
- God Relationship and God’s Love
- Spiritual Warfare
- Gifts of the Spirit
The first week about the Father Heart of God I’d like to share a few things. The teacher this week was Craig, a super kind man! That week, we had a one-on-two conversation about my life and what I want to do with my future. Craig gave me a few Bible verses about how people in the Bible sometimes struggled with their faith—something I can really learn from because there are many factors that make it challenging for me to stand firm in my faith, like my diabetes. The conversation with Craig was very enlightening. The lessons were about how God loves us as a Father, how He is a Father who will never leave us, and how He will always care for us—just as we, as humans, were originally created to be before the fall into sin.
What did I learn and do i wanna share?
The week about Relationship and God’s Love This week was incredibly beautiful. We had lessons from Weyman. He shared so many stories, and the biggest takeaway was about bringing people to God by loving them. In all his stories, it started with how he experienced God’s voice and obeyed Him. In doing so, he reached so many people—not by directly talking about God, but by simply loving and caring for them. Sometimes this process can take years, but people notice that you are different from those who live according to the world. The third week: Spirit, Soul, and Body This week with Andrew was my favorite! Andrew explained how we are made up of spirit, soul, and body. When we live with God, our spirit becomes new, our soul is renewed, and our body will be made new when we reach heaven. His lessons were super interesting, and he backed everything up with Scripture. He also talked about the importance of worship. I’m currently writing a book about the Holy Spirit, and much of what Andrew shared ties into it. So, stay tuned if you want to know more about this week! The final week: Gifts of the Spirit Karen’s week was all about discovering our gifts, and we identified our own spiritual gifts. My main gifts are: teaching, grace, words of wisdom, and evangelism. I want to grow in these areas during our Friday afternoon evangelism sessions and our sports mission, especially in Chile.
Life here
Life here is still incredibly beautiful. During my classes, I’m growing immensely in my relationship with God, and my desire for more knowledge is also increasing. I do notice, however, that I need to guard against being prideful about my Bible knowledge. I’ve learned that even if I didn’t have that knowledge, it would still be okay in God’s eyes. Pride is a sin I sometimes really struggle with, but fortunately, there’s a community here that helps me with it!
Evangelism remains a wonderful experience. Last week, Simon and I had a conversation with a Mormon. Mormonism is a faith here in America where they claim to be Christian but don’t believe in Jesus as God or in the Holy Spirit. We were able to pray for this man and are hopeful that God will reveal to him who He truly is.
Every Thursday evening, we play soccer with people from the community. We’re connecting more and more with them, and I hope to invite them soon to a church service or to visit us at our house sometime. They’re super kind, and some of them are Christians, though not actively practicing their faith. I’ve noticed that I sometimes see more opportunities for evangelism on the sports field than on the streets during our “official” evangelism sessions. I’m trying to apply the love Weyman taught us in these interactions.
Oh, and I’ve also been fixing up bikes—because, well, I’m Dutch, of course.
future and prayer
In addition to everything else, I’ve been reflecting on my future. I believe that God is calling me to full-time ministry in football. Several people have confirmed that evangelism is my gift and that teaching others is also one of my strengths. On top of that, football is my passion. I believe I can combine these things to bring people within football culture closer to God. After all, evangelism is a responsibility for the entire church. However, I’m still unsure whether I should pursue this in the Netherlands or continue in America. What I do know is that this will require significant financial resources. There’s a possibility that I will stay in America for at least two more months after my DTS, and perhaps even longer.
You can make donations to fund my trip to NL89 INGB 0001 4252 88
polarsteps
For those who don’t know, I’ve created a Polarsteps account where I post daily updates. Here, you can follow my journey, see my locations, and read about what I’ve been doing and learning each day. If you’d like, I can share the link with you via email (m01kooiman@gmail.com), WhatsApp (DM or email me for my number), or Instagram (marc1905cfc). If you’re interested in following my journey and learning alongside me, I definitely recommend checking it out!
Dones y talentos
Usar nuestros dones y talentos que nos fueron dados por Dios para que Él sea glorificado y más personas lo conozcan.
Salvación
Compartir la buena noticia de que Jesús nos hizo libres, perdonó todos nuestros pecados y hay salvación para todos los que lo acepten y, por lo tanto, también recibimos el Espíritu santo.
Amor
Mostrar el amor de Dios a todas las personas, un amor eterno y que no se limita a nadie.
Ayudar
Dispuestos al servicio, siempre ayudándonos unos a otros, extendiendo una mano para quien lo necesite.