Skip to main content

A swirl of activity...

It’s a beautiful day! I’m back in Amsterdam and my room is on the 3rd floor of the “Lighthouse” building. Out my window I see “Oude Kerk”. A huge old church. It’s spectacular, and if it weren’t for the noise from people on the street, especially the drunk ones at night, I wouldn’t even know I’m in the Red Light District.

This morning it is quiet though. Ascension day. Remembering the day Jesus ascended to heaven. And He is alive and He is there. It brings a smile to my face. I’m just taking a moment before starting the day. I have the webstream from IHOP-KC on; Bob Powers is leading worship- “quiet down...it’s time to be at rest..” Even if it’ll be a busy day I want to be at rest in my heart.

I’m just about to head off to the Poort for the YWAM Amsterdam Open Day. Since arriving back on Monday evening, life has been a swirl. The days have come and gone and there’s been so many different things filling them... I got to teach a team about intercession and justice yesterday, and I went to visit the ladies behind the windows. And the past two days we put together a display for the ministry. It took time to make it, but it looks good.

Many thoughts on being back, but they’ll have to wait. I have to go, but hopefully the pace will slow down after today and I can post some more of my thoughts as I continue on this journey.

Popular posts from this blog

It’s been one week.

A week ago we were sitting at work talking about how quickly the Corona situation was escalating. News of closed gyms and limited gatherings were there, and we were wondering what now. Only the day before we’d been open, and while taking the hygiene precautions and reminding each other to not hug or shake hands, there was a sense of support in each other, and normality was still there. Then suddenly it all changed. From being a crisis in China and Asia, then Italy, it had well and truly arrived in Norway. Friday morning we sat in our staff meeting. News of the closing of all schools and kindergartens for two weeks had come the evening before. We sat there with so many questions and few answers. The one thing we knew for sure was that this was a time to be available and present. A time to be proactive, and to make sure our people knew that we were there even if we weren’t open. That day we made many phone calls and sent messages and emails. Some were worried and needed reassurance,...

At a crossroads yet again.

This evening feelings of weariness flood my soul. Weary of not knowing. Weary of choosing to trust. Weary of waiting. Weary of walking yet not knowing what I am walking in or towards. Weary of figuring out life on my own. This past month the reality of crossroads in life has hit me yet again. I knew it was coming, but suddenly it was there and I just had to go with it. There’s not much more I can do...except waiting and trusting and choosing. Choosing to let God be the One who guides and fights and prepares the path before me. My crossroads is “do I stay or do I go”? From Kansas City and IHOP-KC. In October I’ll have been here two years, which feels like 5 years and at the same time 6 months. In December I go home for Christmas. It’ll have been a year since last time and I’ll be seeing my niece who’ll be 3 instead of 2 years old, and my little nephew who will be 1 year already, and I’ll get to meet little Julie who is only three weeks old as I write this. She’ll be 4 months when I meet...

Preparing for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the 17th of May. But for any Norwegian, this particular date isn't like any other date in the year, it's the 4th of July of Norway. And this year I am actually here. However, some preparations had to be done to get ready for tomorrow. One was getting my national costume down from the loft. I got it a few days ago and tried it on. It's a wee bit tight, but I think it'll be fine. This evening I ironed (or rather started ironing) the blouse which is hand embroydered and made of linnen (so those of you who have a clue about fabrics, know that linnen is the opposite of no-crease material). And the second part of the preparation was polishing the silver. I tried the "foil-in-hot-water-with-salt" method, but I don't think it worked too well. I did a bit of polishing with toothpaste after that and it looks alright. At the end of the day I'm the only one who will notice the level of polishedness of my silver. I have also got my camera on charging re...