Skip to main content

Back in Amsterdam.

The church bells are chiming on the other side of the street, and I am sat with the veranda door open, sipping my cup of Earl Grey tea. It’s beautiful evening here in Amsterdam. The sun is starting to set and it’s a comfortable temperature reminding me that it really is spring, almost summer.

I arrived back here today, and I get to stay in one of the flats over the “Lighthouse” project which is in the Red Light District. It’s a lovely flat. Right outside there’s a canal and on the other side of the canal is the Oude Kerk which is one of the oldest churches in Amsterdam (hence the church bells).

It’s been a good but slightly surreal day. After getting my baggage at the airport I decided to grab a bite to eat before getting the train to Amsterdam. And since I’ve been here before I knew to get a cheap baguette from HEMA rather than pay a lot for a similar sandwich somewhere else. It’s this kind of knowledge that reminds me that I am not here to be a tourist.

After the 10 minute train ride to Amsterdam Centraal station I strolled with my luggage to the Lighthouse, hoping I’d choose the right side street (which I did). It was lovely to see the team here again. They are such amazing people. Good to see them, surreal to not have all the people who did the “Shine Seminar” here also.

Soon after getting here it was time for the weekly intercession time in the Tabernacle which focuses on the Lighthouse and the Red Light District. It was great to get stuck in there again, and hear what God is speaking. He is speaking about intimacy, prayer, abiding in Him... and from that place stepping out and seeing justice. We also prayed for the outreach to Latvia this coming Sunday.

Latvia. I’m excited. Excited to visit another nation of course, but mostly to go with the team from here and be allowed to encourage and build up those who are partnering with Jesus in pioneering there. Pioneering is hard work. So we go to encourage and strengthen, whatever that’ll look like.

So there you go, a wee glimpse into my first day back here. I doubt I’ll be writing every day, but hopefully I’ll manage to keep the updates coming...

I’m glad to be here. And I feel the peace of God.

Popular posts from this blog

Getting to know the local culture.

Life is a strange thing. Last week went…not much happened, and then it was over. The weekend was quite calm without too many wild and exciting things happening. Except, of course, a wee outing to watch the National Championship for Veteran Ploughing. Now, like me, you might be sadly lacking an understanding of what this actually means. So I am delighted to be able to enlighten you in this respect. It’s basically (for the “farm-language-illiterate” like myself) a competition where you use old (hence the name “veteran”) tractors and ploughs, and plough up a stretch of field which is then evaluated and the one scoring the highest sum (accuracy, depth, how well the soil is turned is all given points) wins. I must admit that this information I got by eavesdropping on a conversation next to me where a man was explaining to some of my friends how it all works. So that was a fun adventure….although we only stayed for a bit. What is sort of occupying my mind at present is my upcoming travel abr...
Read more

Taking in the familiar and a heart connected.

Amsterdam. It still has that muggy feeling in Summer, and a constant flow of people which if you stop to think about it, it's quite amazing that there would even be space to accommodate them all. But then I guess they are not all staying. Just passing through on their way to or from somewhere. It's always good for the heart to visit somewhere that was once home. The familiarity of streets and customs makes it easier to embrace what might be new as well as the joy of being reacquainted with old friends. Friends. So many of them to be found in this city, ready with hugs and good words that are uttered when seeing someone who was away again. Friendship. A treasure that cannot be bought. Cobblestones trodden by many, including myself. Sitting on a bench. Praying. Remembering the first time I stumbled upon this area lined with windows with red lights and curtains. An area which has come to represent no longer windows, but people to me. Some still behind a window. Others who have ...
Read more

Tuesday children's prayer | Handing out shoes and feeding toddlers.

No day is the same here. After getting up early (which seems to be what I do here), and eating breakfast which was bread with butter (accompanied by an amazing cup of coffee given me by an American friend), I headed to the prayer room for children's prayer. This is a prayer time where the children come voluntarily to pray before school on Tuesdays and Fridays. Entering the room I was so impressed by how it was full of children eager to pray. There were probably 60 or 70 children there, and it was amazing to see one after the other choose to pray for their families and people who are sick, and other subjects on their little hearts. It was so great and an experience that I will carry with me for a long time. After prayer it was "Shoprite" time, which meant piling into a bus with other visitors and missionaries for the weekly shopping trip. I didn't quite know what to expect, but I had a few items to buy and hoped it would be a stress-free experience. As we drove along ...
Read more