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 walked away; who are living lives that actually make them come alive.
A heart being filled. Sitting by the canal I am feeling God tug on my heart with His heart. Connecting with that love for the broken which has become so familiar. That love which fights to bring freedom. That love which bypasses circumstances and goes after hearts.
And that is my prayer as I sit here surrounded by the sounds of people and traffic on a Summer's evening. That tonight in the windows those visited by the team here will encounter that love, and that the fragrance that remains after the team leaves would be one of hope and peace, reminding them of Jesus.