CBNNews.com - Holland is famousfor its windmills, tulip fields and wooden shoes. But its capital,Amsterdam, is better known for the unrestricted sexual promiscuityprevalent in parts of the city.

Yet for Venezuelan Armando Benner, Amsterdam's lifestyle offers hisstudents a perfect opportunity to counter those values with theknowledge they receive in the classroom.

Benner directs the Youth With A Mission, or YWAM, university here.

Benner said, "This building is called 'Deport.' This is where thetraining takes place. It belongs to the University of the Nations. Wehave different courses. Teachers come from all over the world, peoplefrom many nations. Amsterdam itself has a redemptive gift, the gift ofbeing a city of refuge. It just so happens that people from 125 nationsare living in Amsterdam. That gives us an opportunity to reach thenations that are represented here."

For Benner, the urban environment is very important for impacting asociety. That's why the organization has several buildingsstrategically located throughout the city, to do social work that willimpact the community.

"We call this building here 'The Good Samaritan,'" he said. "It's arestaurant where we focus on the youth, trying to win over theseartists who need Christ. I want to show you the bathroom so you can seewhat an artist can do. The young people of the city come here and theydiscover a work of art."

Benner added, "We have a band called "Tribal Roots." They're fromBarbados, but they don't just play in the churches, they also giveconcerts in bars and clubs and in other places where non-Christians go,because the idea is to reach them."

Amsterdam is also known as a sex capital, and its greatestattraction is the red light district where prostitutes offer theirservices night and day.

"We also have a ministry in the red light district called 'TheCleft,'" Benner explained. "From there we reach people addicted to sex,those who live on the street, and the prostitutes in the storewindows."

Edna Ballenilla is a missionary, also from Venezuela.

She said, "My job here is to lead the work with the women who workthe windows. When we visit with them over a cup of coffee or tea, theidea is to make friends with them. And for us, they really are ourfriends. We share a lot of things -- their pain, their frustrations,all the things they have gone through."

Edna and her companions want the women of the red light district tounderstand how God loves them, and allow God to change them.

She said, "We also go with them to Bible studies and we keep upfriendships with them. We have testimonies of women who have left theirwork and returned to their countries and have had their livesrestored."

YWAM'S work in the city is helped and supported by the evangelicalchurch. One church, with almost 1,000 ex-prostitutes has emerged in themiddle of the red light district.

Jorge said, "My name is Jorge, and I am the pastor of the Red LightDistrict Church. We are a contemporary church, open to the moving ofthe Holy Spirit."

Every day, hundreds of young people deceived into prostitution bythe Russian and Brazilian mafias, arrive in Amsterdam. And even thoughChristians have united to impact the city, there is still a lot to do.

Benner said, "Jesus wants to transform this society from the rootsup. Our desire is to generate passion for Christ. We tell our students,don't be afraid of the sin of this city, but rather be amazed at thegrace of God in this city."