Amsterdam

If people know one thing about me, it is how much I love the city of Amsterdam. I wanted to give a brief history as to why..... 10 years ago, I was in Guatemala. I was seeking the LORD when he revealed to me his heart for Urban Missions. It was a concept I had never thought of before (I was imagining myself, called in to missions at age 16, in the bush somewhere like Africa or South America surrounded by needy children) and Amsterdam specifically was the city he opened my heart to. Less than 12 months after my revelation I stepped on Dutch soil for the first time, and I was ecstatic, though where I was staying staying was in a village, hardly Amsterdam..... but through that time I also fell in love with the Dutch culture, and language. Spring of 2003 I went into Amsterdam and spent a long weekend there, exploring the city. It was a dream come true, and the start of a love affair that has not waned over the years. God put the city in my heart, and has kept the passion burning for it... though the fact the Amsterdam is a genuinely awesome city certainly helps :) So, for my 30th Birthday present, Matt graciously let me go to Europe for two weeks, 8 days were spent in the city of my heart.

Above and below, are some artwork I scored- beautiful watercolors.

 This was view from the room I stayed in, not too shabby. The building on the right is "Het Scheepvaartmuseum" the Maritime Museum.  Oct 1st they had a re-opening celebration after 4 years of renovating. If you want to see how this celebration went down, check this link.

 This view, I am on the roof of the green building in the left of the previous picture, the "slanted" looking one. The church is so beautiful, St. Nicholas Church, it is just as beautiful inside too.  The Chinese building..... I think it is a floating restaurant....

This short video is just a panoramic view of the city, if you look closely, you can see the building in the picture below, named De Poort, it is one of the four YWAM buildings in Amsterdam, and where I stayed during my visit, and also where I roomed during the courses I took in Amsterdam... aka home.

 De Poort has a Prayer Tower, not visible in this picture. It is located on the back left corner, from this view.  It has 4 windowed walls, so a 360* view of the city is available, you can see it below.

Below is another YWAM building located across from Central Station. The words read "God Roept U" (God is calling you) and "Jesus Loves You". The signs were put up long before YWAM purchased the building when it was a Salvation Army. On the ground floor a fun Art Cafe' "Dwaze Zaken" (Foolish Things) serves amazing food.

 Two of the four YWAM buildings stand next to each other in the Red Light District. The building in the center of the photo is the Tabernacle of the Nations, modeling the IHOP (International House of Prayer, Kansas City) They aspire to run a 24/7 house of prayer and worship, although it is currently not run 24/7 because of limited staff.  To the left of the Tabernacle (hidden behind a tree) is the Lighthouse, a new ministry focusing on the sex industry, injustice, and anti-traffic issues.

 Every canal has a pretty view.

 Houseboats are everywhere.

My time in the city was very fruitful. I was able to go shopping at H&M :)  pick up a few Dutch treats for the children, and I met with a lot of the YWAM staff to get a better picture of life with a family in the city while doing ministry there.