Amsterdam

Amsterdam. The city of bikes, trams and any sexual orientation under the sun. Or should I have left out that part? It's true, you know.

We've been here for a few days now, staying in a beautiful summer home about an hour away from Amsterdam with my husband's family, safe behind one of the many dams holding back water that should have covered the ground that we walk on here. The area is cosy and cute, with every front yard extremely well-kept and booming with blooms. It's beautiful and all film-like, like a Hollywood suburb in some Hollywood romance.

But back to Amsterdam. The city is a melting pot of people, bikes, trams and shops, buzzing like a beehive in the heat of summer. We've seen almost every type of personality here, from women with bright green hair to sensual, deep black men and women, to cross-dressed Asians and perfectly normal and average teenagers and working husbands and wives. My husband commented after a "in-your-face" trip down one of the alleys of the Red Light District: "this must be what the (Biblical) city of Corinth was like". The women in the windows and doorways were indeed very beautiful, but I found myself unable to look them in the eye - when I did manage a small peep, I meet emotionless eyes, no trace of any heart or feeling, not a hint of a smile or frown. We quickly retrieved to the safety of the more clothed madness of the city.

But I cannot help but think about those women, and bless my husband's heart for saying a prayer out loud for them. They were not created for this. They were not created for looking for love, acceptance and value in the filthy arms of men willing to exploit their fellow humans. Men were not created to act in this way, degrading themselves to the horrible acts of supporting prostitution - and in many cases human trafficking!

Walking these streets, I was reminded of a book called Living  on the Devil's Doorstep, written by no less than Floyd McClung. Floyd and his wife Sally lived in Amsterdam, reaching out to those in great need in this city. I can warmly recommend the book - it's a great read and also a true story. Thinking about this book, I felt slightly better knowing that there are already people in Amsterdam trying to reach out and love on these women, pointing to Jesus for hope and assurance and value. I cannot imagine my life without Him, how empty and pointless it would all be, and my deepest desire is for everyone else to experience how transforming and absolutely pure and free His love is!

Anyhow - there is no easy transition from this tainted topic to a more family-suited one...

As already mentioned, we are in Amsterdam with our family, and with 4 teenage girls, shopping was at the top of out to-do list. So we spent quite a lot of time in the more modest part of town, shopping and enjoying whatever Amsterdam  otherwise could offer. We didn't get to the museums, having a 5 and a 6 year old tagging along as well, so Anne Frank and Rembrandt will have to wait (unfortunately - I would really have liked to see these places and paintings).

Tomorrow morning we leave again, this times with bags packed for Paris. Ahead of us Disney Land awaits, a well as the Eiffel Tower and perhaps the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

Update from Sweden.

Today it is exactly a week since we packed all our boxes into a truck and sent them on their way to Bornholm. Currently, everything is waiting for us in a barn, where it will stay till we start moving into our new house September 1st. 

We've begun our life as "trailer trash", as my husband so eloquently put it on facebook. We are enjoying the beautiful Swedish weather at Vineyard Nordens annual Summer Camp (it often rains... this year we are quite lucky with high blue skies and a hot sun). I am waiting, relaxing, vacationing and learning all at the same time. My spiritual life has taken me somewhere I am not comfortable - I know I am waiting on the Lord - waiting for His direction and His move in my life, but I don't know exactly what I am waiting for. As this mornings devotional speaker said... when it comes to faith, sometimes God will put you in an uncomfortable place in order for a breakthrough in your life to become possible. Perhaps I am waiting for that breakthrough....

And as all of this is going on, I have taken up running again. I've gone from being completely passive to running 4, then 5, now 6 kilometers in just 4 runs. I am elated! My good form and shape hasn't disappeared completely! Never mind the amount of time - I was thinking about it this morning, as I ran and mused over life and my own progression... the time in which I ran 6k was not at all impressive - but then again, Sweden is just about made up of a million hills, and I've been pushing myself up and down these hills the last 2 times I've been running. I had a great sentence in mind about the hills while running - now I cannot remember that sentence for the life of me!

I am enjoying camp. As an introvert character, having a trailer is a blessing. Being able to buy Internet access and sit in my trailer working on planning next school year (and blog a bit) is a true blessing. Here I can sit and look out my windows, enjoying the bustle of happy campers around me while gathering energy to throw myself back into mingling again. Here I can sleep at night without waking up wet and cold from tenting. Here I can cook and eat and feel civilized.  Here I can dream about the future and still invite people in for coffee. 

Here I can gather strength for the next leg of our journey as a family - a journey that will take us places we probably cannot imagine. A journey that will stretch us, drain us, renew us and hopefully draw us closer to not only each other, but God himself!

I looove the Swedish wooden houses!

Sshhhh....

I think I made a scoop! I am not very good at frequenting 2nd hand stores (mostly cause I'm too lazy to actually shop by the "search and ye shall find" method), but a few days ago I ventured into the one here in town. I hadn't been in the store for more than a few minutes when my eyes fell on this box:

It looked old and forgotten, the sort of thing you'd find in your grandma's attic if she had one. I had to have a peep inside, a lo and behold, it was a box full of old fashioned sewing patterns! All the patterns were in really good shape and I am guessing they are from the 50's. Included in the box was a DIY "this is how you make a pattern fit your shape" book from 1954! (I know there is a word for that, but right now, way past my bedtime, I can't find it in the back of my head!)

I honestly believe I have made quite the scoop, paying the silly price of 30 kr ($5,23 or 3,43 GP) for the entire box! I paid real fast before they realized the huge mistake they were making, and quickly carried the box like a dear treasure to the safety of my car.

Now, I don't really have the time to revel over my find, as we are truly packing our lives into boxes these days, but it will almost be like christmas when I sometime in the future open up that box and actually have time to look through the patterns and choose one for a dress or skirt.

Packing update

 So... school is out for the summer, and I spent quite a few hours sorting and cleaning out my cupboards at school. I have been employed at that particulat school for 11.5 years - quite a long time for me! Image the stuff that I've saved and hidden away for all those years. Moving offers a unique opportunity to sort out, clean out and throw out junk!

 I've been ok with the thought of moving, but during the last few days of work, it dawned on me that there are people I care about, that I will most likely never see again. I came home from work one of the last days and sat down with a cup of coffee, my husband talking away about houses that we shold go see, now that we're in the market for a new home. I wasn't listening. My thoughts were occupied with saying mentally goodbye, and when he noticed, I had to shed a few tears.

My last day of work was a mixed experience - I went through the wellknown motions of having fun with the kids, gathering with the whole school to watch some kids perform, joining in our vocal welcome to the summer holidays and saying goodbye to the students. 

The annual staff summer party started off really well, and I was sursprised by speeches, gifts and too many compliments. I shed yet another tear, but dried my eyes and had a wonderful party with some wonderful people. 

I know look forward to the future, knowing that I leave behind med 11.5 years of hard, heartbreaking, joyous and victorious work. I leave behind me a lot of competent people who will continue to work hard at offering the best to the kids of that neighborhood. I leave behind me an insecure, shy and somewhat frightened young teacher, and as I step forward, into my future, I strive to take with me a mature, secure and bold grown woman, eager to impart whatever knowledge I may, anxious to inspire and encourage another bunch of children.