This one will be quick...
Tomorrow marks 4 weeks that I've been back in NL.. hard to believe that time can travel so quickly.. I moved in with J 2 weeks ago tomorrow as well, and we are getting along famously :) On Friday we welcomed a group of 8 women that came from the States for a 10-day mission's trip. I have been helping "lead" them around to various places and events, which has been a blast- and they are here until Monday. Then I will be helping out with another group of people that are coming next week to help another missionary with some things at the church. GOD has also blessed me incredibly with a church that feels like FAMILY and HOME to me in A'dam Noord (North Amsterdam) called Agape. The people have welcomed me with open hearts and arms, and this is more incredible than I can describe. Today and tomorrow we have our KIDZARK children's meeting, so please keep those kids in your prayers!! They may be the only missionaries their families ever encounter.. :)
Today I and a friend of mine took the ladies to the Corrie Ten Boom Huis in Haarlem.. it always amazes me when I am there.. And yes, if anyone ever visits me here, we WILL go there!!
OK, that's all for now. Love to everyone.. :)
~A
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
1st week back
Summary~
Traveling: My day of traveling was wonderful. We left the house around 13:00 (1 pm) and I had a great sense of Peace settle into me. Up until that moment, it had been quite hectic trying to pack and sort and see people and prepare to leave my family and babies (my cats!!) that I'd been feeling all kinds of emotions and some pressures. So leaving the house and being on the road to the airport was a good feeling. The flight was uneventful- yes, I was blessed with a direct flight! Ahhh, quality time with ME!
I met this guy on the flight who was co-leading a mission's trip to Zambia or Uganda... Praying for you Adam! He was taking some of them to an orphanage for a few days- what a blessing- softened my heart.
Then I got the the airport, and met a lady who was going to Ghana and told her I'd been there (and all the while she is filming me with her little video camera) and she was really excited to meet someone who'd been in Ghana- go figure?! Made me laugh. Awkwaaaaaaarrrrrd being on someone's camera after being UP ALL NIGHT ugh! haha
My luggage all came through just fine- nothing damaged or lost- and that is a miracle sometimes, ha! I loaded my stuff up onto a cart---- which the airport does NOT charge you for, thank you very much! Love that about NL---- anyway, and chugged on out to where MY missionaries were waiting for me, as well as another missionary- and both had 2 bouquets of tulips for me! Awwwww! I KNOW! I love this place, haha!
OK.. moving on :)
JetLag: Well, I've been back in Netherlands for almost a week- left the States a week ago today. And amazingly, I'm almost over jetlag- and maybe I am completely! The first 2 nights I had 4 or fewer hours of sleep, so by Friday I was really tired, and slept through the night until sunlight woke me around 7:45 am! I was thrilled. It's been pretty even since then, so that is such a blessing.
Choir: I had choir rehearsal the second day after I'd arrived, so I felt pretty out of it. In fact, the night before I had told Jackee to wake me if I wasn't up by 15:00 (3pm)- never thinking I'd actually need her to wake me. We had planned to go over the music during the day, so I was planning to be up. I woke up really early that morning- around 3 or 4, and was awake until past 9. I decided to rest just "an hour or so" more, and ended up drifting in and out of sleep- resetting my alarm over and over- until finally I heard J saying "it's after 3..."! haha. She wasn't sure if she should wake me! But I am glad she did. I got up, showered, we ate supper, and were off to choir! I felt like I was on a heavy dose of Dramamine or something! But made it through the night. Everyone that was there from last season was as excited to see me as I was to see them, and that thoroughly warmed my heart. It is never easy leaving my friends and family in the States... but having people welcome me so warmly... well it eases the pain :) I love them so much!
General: I am staying with DJ&N until Monday, when I'll be moving in with JM! Yay! All of them have been a blessing! I am so thankful for places to stay with people that I know. God has continually provided for me along this journey, and will continue to do so. I've been seeing people here and there that I know, and making plans to see others. Excited to see my friends!
OK, that's all. Is it ever all? :) But for now, it is. Love you all!
A conversation I was having earlier with a friend made me think of these verses:
Galatians 5:1, 22-23
"(1) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery... (22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
We were talking about patience- and really, my lack of it that he pointed out- and I was reminded of how, even if something does not come as something "natural" or as a personal strength... it can come through help. Having God in my life has helped me to be more patient. I was once told to NOT pray for patience, because then God will test me in it! But this passage talks about living by the Spirit- which I can't do on my own- and which I CAN do with God's help. And since praying is the way we communicate... well, I pray for God's strength to live according to His Spirit- and to bear fruit- even though it might not be so 'natural' for me to do so. And if you look at that list- well all of those qualities or "fruit" are beneficial both to me and others. So I can't really argue them away. :)
Ok that's really all. Love'Hugs
I met this guy on the flight who was co-leading a mission's trip to Zambia or Uganda... Praying for you Adam! He was taking some of them to an orphanage for a few days- what a blessing- softened my heart.
Then I got the the airport, and met a lady who was going to Ghana and told her I'd been there (and all the while she is filming me with her little video camera) and she was really excited to meet someone who'd been in Ghana- go figure?! Made me laugh. Awkwaaaaaaarrrrrd being on someone's camera after being UP ALL NIGHT ugh! haha
My luggage all came through just fine- nothing damaged or lost- and that is a miracle sometimes, ha! I loaded my stuff up onto a cart---- which the airport does NOT charge you for, thank you very much! Love that about NL---- anyway, and chugged on out to where MY missionaries were waiting for me, as well as another missionary- and both had 2 bouquets of tulips for me! Awwwww! I KNOW! I love this place, haha!
OK.. moving on :)
JetLag: Well, I've been back in Netherlands for almost a week- left the States a week ago today. And amazingly, I'm almost over jetlag- and maybe I am completely! The first 2 nights I had 4 or fewer hours of sleep, so by Friday I was really tired, and slept through the night until sunlight woke me around 7:45 am! I was thrilled. It's been pretty even since then, so that is such a blessing.
Choir: I had choir rehearsal the second day after I'd arrived, so I felt pretty out of it. In fact, the night before I had told Jackee to wake me if I wasn't up by 15:00 (3pm)- never thinking I'd actually need her to wake me. We had planned to go over the music during the day, so I was planning to be up. I woke up really early that morning- around 3 or 4, and was awake until past 9. I decided to rest just "an hour or so" more, and ended up drifting in and out of sleep- resetting my alarm over and over- until finally I heard J saying "it's after 3..."! haha. She wasn't sure if she should wake me! But I am glad she did. I got up, showered, we ate supper, and were off to choir! I felt like I was on a heavy dose of Dramamine or something! But made it through the night. Everyone that was there from last season was as excited to see me as I was to see them, and that thoroughly warmed my heart. It is never easy leaving my friends and family in the States... but having people welcome me so warmly... well it eases the pain :) I love them so much!
General: I am staying with DJ&N until Monday, when I'll be moving in with JM! Yay! All of them have been a blessing! I am so thankful for places to stay with people that I know. God has continually provided for me along this journey, and will continue to do so. I've been seeing people here and there that I know, and making plans to see others. Excited to see my friends!
OK, that's all. Is it ever all? :) But for now, it is. Love you all!
A conversation I was having earlier with a friend made me think of these verses:
Galatians 5:1, 22-23
"(1) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery... (22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
We were talking about patience- and really, my lack of it that he pointed out- and I was reminded of how, even if something does not come as something "natural" or as a personal strength... it can come through help. Having God in my life has helped me to be more patient. I was once told to NOT pray for patience, because then God will test me in it! But this passage talks about living by the Spirit- which I can't do on my own- and which I CAN do with God's help. And since praying is the way we communicate... well, I pray for God's strength to live according to His Spirit- and to bear fruit- even though it might not be so 'natural' for me to do so. And if you look at that list- well all of those qualities or "fruit" are beneficial both to me and others. So I can't really argue them away. :)
Ok that's really all. Love'Hugs
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