On to Amsterdam

Yes, I along with 10 others are leaving for Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in just a few hours. How do I feel? Excited yet tranquil, and expectant yet completely uncertain. This is my first time in Europe, and I am unashamedly excited simply for that reality. I hardly know Dutch, but I have attempted to learn some about the history and culture of Amsterdam (although that attempt has not been as fruitful as I had hoped). I have since grown a respect and appreciation for the city, but I am sure that will evolve and morph once I begin to actually experience the people and the city as opposed to merely reading about it.

I’m excited for our team (FYI it’s a stellar group of people who I feel blessed to call friends) to experience this together. I hope for unforgettable stories and continued learning. I love the bond that is created on mission trips in a foreign area. For me, there is nothing that compares to that type of shared experience. In past experiences on mission trips I have found that as I move myself into uncomfortable territory God awakens me to his His presence and his movement among his people. In my everyday life it is not that he is not moving, but sometimes I need to be rejuvenated from experiences that revive the heart to see and be aware of Gods movement. Maybe that doesn’t make sense, but I hope this for my team.

I was reading Romans this morning and in the beginning Paul writes that through Christ we have been given grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all nations. He has given us grace. So thankful for that, and I need that! Even now as I await this plane ride to Amsterdam. And he has given us apostleship, which is this idea of being sent. He has given us a sent-ness. This to I am thankful for and pray that it would arise out of the grace that is given. I need to know that these two ideas are not separate entities. Pray for us!

Advertisement