Reverse Polarity

Out with the old and in with the new and slightly overwhelmed. Most of the old staff is going home to America and in their place is a staff made up of entirely non-Americans except for the few stragglers such as myself. I honestly welcome this opportunity with open arms. Even though I will miss all the old staff a lot ultimately I had signed up for an international experience and not just the U.S. transplanted to the center of Amsterdam.

Last night was open mic night at the Shelter. Our resident Irishman Jon the former cleaner set up the event and it went without a hitch. I can honestly say that it was one of those special memories that will never leave me as cheesy as that sounds. Guests and staff members all took turns playing music and there was this overwhelming sense of joy throughout the whole night. At the end of the night I was dragged up and made to do a spoken word piece. I didn't have anything planned but it went surprisingly well for being impromptu.

This place grows on me more and more each day. New challenges are set in front of me by God and I welcome them. I'm learning to trust Him more and more with my future even if the outcome seems like foolishness to an outsider.

Furthermore I love all of you back home and I miss you guys.

Moving and Rumors of Moving

So it seems the fabled house is going coming to an end. It saddens me to hear such talk but I guess the rumors are factual. The house was much more than living arrangements for seven individuals it was a place where almost anyone was welcome. It also puts most of us back at square one with our only option being to move back home with our parents. A humbling idea for most.

In other news the future seems so wide open. Which is scary and also exhilarating to think that the Lord has a plan for me. It's funny. Every time I decide to make any sort of plan in my life God seems to come along and shake me upside down, spin me around, and then send me on a completely different path then what my mind had ever imagined. If you had asked me two years ago where I was going to be in the near future it definitely would not have been Amsterdam. The Lord doesn't follow the rules of mankind or the guidelines of what man deems important and what it deems foolish. Like 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."

Pave Paradise

I'm really not in the mood for writing as of now but if I don't update while I have the time then I never will. Besides I feel I have an obligation to at least give a little insight on what I'm doing over here.

I've almost been here a month now and I still don't feel like I'm properly absorbed into the house. I've made plenty of friends right off the bat but there's something to say about time and how it ties people together. The housemates I've connected to are all leaving at the end of this month. That's just how the house works. Summer is a time for internships and one month visits. Not the most stable atmosphere but that doesn't make the friendships made any less real or memorable. But it does give me a yearning for stability to grow spiritually and as friends with people that are staying for over a month. I feel this slight fear and excitement for what the Lord has in store for me. I feel this yearning for something but I'm not sure for what.

It feels like 3 months won't be enough time.

First and foremost I have to extend a formal apology to anyone that has been reading my blog. It seems my promise of consistent updates has fallen by the wayside as of late. So much has been going on, the Shelter is brimming with excitement and activity and I have finally found a rhythm in the constant chaos. As I type this at reception I can hear the pounding of rain outside. It's been frequently raining almost every morning for the last week or so only to be chased off the streets by the heat of the midday sun.

Amsterdam is a city of contradictions. The screaming pace of bikes is paralleled by men and women in front of cafes nursing their coffee for half the day. The Christian hostel where I work is only 20 meters away from a prostitutes window and a stones throw from the Red Light District. This city of rich architecture dating back to the 1700s is possibly the most progressive liberal city in the world.

Faith is strong here at the Shelter and the joy of Christ is infectious. There's so many stories and so much to tell. I promise to update within a week.

Motion. That's the word the can sum up Amsterdam. The traffic is constant and the bikes carrying their riders are always in a perpetual state of danger with near misses every few minutes. The roads are not inhabited by the meek.

I fell in love with the bike culture the minute I was able to hop onto my old beat up Gazelle and start learning first hand the dangers of trekking from point A to point B. The last five days have been a blur of learning and laughter with the meeting of new friends and the basic understandings of how to use a griddle.

After getting constantly lost on the way to the city hostel for the first few days I have now successfully managed to traverse the various canals to the city without trouble.

I hope all is well in the states. I miss everyone.

Goede dag!

My arrival to Amsterdam was bumpy to say the least. After arriving to the airport was uneventful and I discovered a new friend named Ruben who was from the Netherlands but had arrived home from an internship in the UK. He graciously gave me his contact information and said I could call him whenever I needed help. After we said our goodbyes things quickly went downhill. After trying for 20 minutes to find a train ticket I finally boarded the train which I realized after the fact that I was on the wrong track. I was soon rescued by a kind Dutchman and his wife who went as far as to call a friend to find how I could get to Amsterdam Central Station. After switching trains and hopping on the metro I arrived at the station 20 minutes late. I was greeted by a less than happy Shelter worker who I profusely apologized to.

After a 20 minute trek with my massive trunk and 2 bags we arrived at the Shelter.
(more coming very soon)