A NEW KING FOR MY NATIVE COUNTRY Those of you that know me well probably know that I am a descendant of Firmin

Navin, a French Huguenot who had fled to Holland in 1696 to escape from the massacre in France of the early Christian reformers. My grandparents settled in America, but much of my family is in Holland. The Netherlands' Queen Beatrix announced Monday that she is ending her reign after 33 years. The queen, who turns 75 in just a few days, said she will step down from the throne on April 30. That same day, her eldest son, Willem-Alexander, will be appointed king at an inauguration in Amsterdam. He will be the Netherlands' first king since Willem III died in 1890. I met the queen several years ago at the annual opening of Parliament, at the invition of my cousin, Hilbrand Nawijn, who was a member of the Dutch House of Representatives. Beatrix succeeded her mother, Juliana, as head of state. When I was a young boy in elementary school in the American Dutch-inhabited village of Prospect Park, New Jersey, Juliana, who took refuge in Canada to avoid the dangers of the Nazi invasion of Holland, visited our school and I was privileged to also meet her. Submitted by Dr. Johannes Maas, International President, Worldwide Faith Missions.