STORIES FROM
EUROPE

Sander had been searching for years.

Growing up in the north of the Netherlands, he had drifted through different ideas and beliefs, trying to find something solid. By his early twenties he was exploring Islam, drinking heavily, and struggling to make sense of life. He found himself asking the deeper questions of life: Who am I? Who do I want to be? Is there something more? Surely there had to be more between heaven and earth. Yet nothing seemed to answer the longing inside.

His search took him in many directions. Online videos introduced him to other religions. The sense of community and belonging he saw there appealed to him. Yet the emptiness inside remained.

Then his younger brother Peter came to faith in Jesus through conversations with ECMI worker Kees, and invited him to his baptism service. Sander almost didn’t go. The night before, he had been out drinking heavily. But he went anyway.

As he listened to his brother speak about faith, something shifted inside him.

“I realised,” Sander says, “that the gospel was good news for me too.”

That day Sander put his trust in Christ. In time he was baptised himself and became part of a local church community. At first, everything felt unfamiliar—the songs, the prayers, and the rhythms of church life were new to him, but step by step he began to find his place, learning alongside others and discovering what it meant to follow Jesus. Today he is studying at Bible school, growing in his relationship with God and taking steps to build his life on a new foundation.

One Life. A Reflection of a Continent

Across Europe, millions are searching for meaning, identity, and hope. Many have never heard the gospel explained clearly or experienced Christian faith lived out in a genuine community.

Yet God continues to draw people to Himself.

And when believers are present—listening, building friendships, and sharing the message of Jesus—lives are changed. Stories like Sander’s are not the exception. They are a reminder of why the gospel is still needed across Europe, and the reason why ECMI exists: to see lives transformed through the good news of Jesus.