Oh Canada!

Last night I had quite a busy day Small group in the morning etc...
while I was getting ready for my evening reception shift I was praying asking God for an oppertunity to share the gospel.
Almost imidiatly after I started my shift a girl came up to me and heard my accent (or lack of one) and asked if I came from Canada. This turned into a national bond because she was also from Canada. We talked a bunch then she went out to get some food.
We eventually ate dinner together in the Cafe as my reception shift was so slow I could do it out of the cafe.
We talked alot about Canada. She also opened up about why she came to Europe. She said she was on a journey to find herself and get over/away from a hard break up she recently had.
Then when Jens one of my co-staff invited us to Bible discussion she said she'd rather just chill and talk.
That got her on the topic of religion.
It was kewl.
I had a great opertunity to tell her about the gospel and grace.
Sharing with her my testimony and how i'm just longing glorify God and be where he wants me to be to serve Him.

That got me excited I love Canada and am still praying for my country

this weekend...

crazy reception shift on saturday...
i wasn't smiling as big because of the unending line of people and the constent phone ringing and the random situations that came up... but life is still good
and God is still faithful and amazing.

good day with my father

I just want to thank God right now for a great day full of Him.
This morning I woke up early and full of energy I spent time with my father, when it was time for small group I knew we hadn't really assigned any one a task so we just let it flow. I prepared breakfast and during worship April was inpired to share from the word.
This afternoon I listened to some great David Wilkerson sermons while working on some art work for a portfolio i'm puting together (school aplication).
Then before my evening shift when we prayed together we had a great encouaging time of sharing stories of Gods power and faithfulness.
God is good, hes answered my prayers of September.
To be living in him and experiancing His presence daily.

God bless, be encouaged, our God is big!

God is @ work

Gods in the buisness of changing lives, not only lives that don't know Him
The community that I live in as a Shelter staff know as 'Whillem Straat' has been changing. We've been unified and spiritualy renewed. After the crazy dramatic thing that went on in our home we've all been more serious about the life we live and allowing God to work in every part of it.
We've come to a point of having a prayer and worship hour every evening at 9:30.
Its so great really unifying us and lifting Jesus as King and Lord of our home!

This is the German girl who gave her life to Christ and Jens who spoke that night. He is also German so they could talk about God and the decision in their mother tounge.

So it was my small groups turn to lead and organize hostel night this last week.
However we were sick of just pulling something together randomly and hoping they work. So Tuesday during our small group it was my turn to share so i shared my heart and asked us to pray as a small group for guidence and that it would be Gods words and actions not ours.
My co-leader and I were a bit concerned when we had nothing ready even up to the day before but we knew that God would do His thing no matter how crazy we were.
We met as a small group friday morning (day of hostel night).
We ate breakfast together.
God had really been speaking to Jens (a small group member)so he shared what was on his heart and we put a program together with that.
At the end of the great meal and a powerful message Jens asked anyone if they wanted to recieve the forgivness and life he'd been talking about.
He waited a bit and one lady raised her hand.

Its kewl to be a part of Gods work of change no matter what part it is, weather its planting seeds or reaping harvest!

Thanks for your prayer and support, know i'm praying and thinking of you also.

God has victory!

Brothers and sisters in Christ I thank you for your prayers,
yesterday we started our monthly prayer and fasting with worship
this became a prayer time of confession and cleansing
Later on last night there was some intence spiritual warfare going on in our house we stayed up till 2am in prayer reading the word and worshiping God.
This was an intense time however it also reminded us all of the battle we are in, that we arn't fighting against flesh and blood. EPH 4
We know and are reminded of the authority that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are reminded of the victory through Jesus death on the cross.
I ask for prayer for the staff involved, for a unified comunity, Christ centred n focused.
God is working greatly in this place as we learn to live by the spirit.
Your sister in Christ, Heather

City Walk

Well today I led a tour through the shelter Jordan it was my first tour, however i had a slow afternoon cafe shift this week and in that time i revised the tour into my own still covering the same amount of information.
This morning I had seven guests join me for my walk. They were all women and we had a good time.
Its a kewl way to continue to develope relationships with our guests. This evening i had a great conversation with a lady that came on the tour this morning.
Its kewl how when you share a little bit of yourself with people it makes them comfortable.

Today i went to the Albert Koop Markt, and i had my first freshly made stroop wafel i was so excited because i've been craving one ever since i heard they exsisted.
That was a highlight!

Well i'm heading out... nighty night

Smit day

This Saturday was my Pake and Beppe's 55th wedding celebration
i got to see and hang out with cusins i hadn't seen in five years
it was great! we hung out in the country and in the afternoon we did a GPS hunt thing... it was good times..
we spent the night with my Om Gert n' Tante Janke and hung out with our cusins there
one of my younger cusins made marika and i a balloon and gave it to us before we left so i attached it to my bag... when we were traveling on the train every kid that saw the balloons were wide eyed..
one kid even said as she was passing by to get off 'dag vrow met de ballon','good bye lady with the balloons'

Baptism

So Friday was an exciting day very busy...
i had morning cafe, staff meeting, then we set up for hostel night outreach, went to Tobys baptism, came back to host hostel night.
Tobys story...
so Toby was a guest the Shelter City(the shelter where Marika works)
He started to work as a cleaner and started to read the bible... He loved the peace he felt after reading it and soon just couldn't put it down... he began to attend every bible discussion... soon after making a desision to follow God he was done his month as a cleaner and had to move on God provided a job for him and he stayed at our hostels... As the shelter family the managers asked him if he was serious about his desision to follow Christ and asked him if he wanted to be baptised...

This is another one of the lives that God has been working in that we have a privolage to be part of.

great night, God at work

so I had a really great day today did morning cafe and had a chillin afternoon which ended in a biblestudy in the book of Hosea with a gurl in our community house.
After that i had a huge heart to heart with God laying everything on the table.
I kinda regained vision through that. I went to the Hostel again for dinner and bible study that i was schedualed to attend. However there wasn't anyone intrested in the discussion so instead of giving up Tim (the bible leader) and I scatered into the crowd and i played a game with three German girls later Tim and another guy joined us. Eventually Tim asked the guy if he still wanted to do the discussion and we all decided to do it! It was great we discussed our conflict in life between our seeking justice and mercy. We also pointed to Jesus being the only way this conflict is perfectly solved. Gods true justice being satisfied and mercy in Christ.
I love explaining the gospel because it always confirms the truth and reality in it to myself also.
The guy also had a cool story of how he was seeking for more and left america to find freedom and himself. On the flight over a missionary sat beside him and talked his ear off telling him his testimony and about his relationship with God. It changed this guys life and his first day at our hostel he processed it and recomitted his life to Christ. By nothing we did but to Gods glory. Now its cool because we are able to guide him and encourage his young relationship with God!!!
God is awesome so beyond i ever thought or imagined!

ministry and life

Yes its been busy here in the shelter ministry in Amsterdam people are leaving and not enough people are coming so we are a little stressed and spread thinly here which makes taking time to talk to the guests and interact with them less likly.
However every evening we have a bible discussion at 7:30. One of us staff is schedualed to be a bible leader and one of us is schedualed as attender. We invite guests to join us. Its really great to see the diversaty of people that come and the questions that are produced at these dicussions.
This Tuesday i was schedualed as bible leader and i got really stressed out, any way i ended up preparing a bit but my attender and i had a hard core prayer time before we started and God really took over. Its the first bible leading that i did that i am confident and satisfied at the out come. God always does his thing and speaks to our guests or cleaners where their at.
Yesterday a guy from cali who was running from God came to amsterdam searching for more he just flew to euope to spend three months just sorta figuring out life. He had some great conversations with staff and last night told us how he made a re-comitment to God and is excited about following Christ.

Prayer requests:
-God would raise up more staff members to partner in this ministry
-my digestion problem has come back
-protections on present stafff so they will be focused on God as priority

Processing Life...

yes i need your prayers, this last week and still now my mind and heart has finally started caught up in processing this crazy summer and all the changes and challengs i faced and face now. Its draining and annoying.

back to the future???....!!

So how did this happen why would we be crazy and take pictures while being dressed up?! well i do have an explanation weather or not its good is up to you to decide.
Basicly about a week ago Misha (from the Czech Republic she has curly blond hair) , April (from Wisconsin she has straight/wavy brown hair) and I went briefly to the Amsterdam libary after work. We were all really struck with the Moderness of it, it was quiet the experiance. So we were inspired to make an apointment and do a photo shot in the library.
This is such a kewl creavtive space i would sugest it as a site to see in amsterdam if you come here on your travels. (they even have a furry wall!)
So thats the story of our crazy Wednesday evening!
Jolanda is my room mate by the way (straight blond hair)

love God love life!

Well well well I just want to say God is good!
Its been a good week just experiancing God and my need for Him
when i came here i felt like i wasn't beeing real with my self and those around me, and especially with God.
Then this week i had a team glitch this is a nice way of explaining personality and cultural clashes. So through this experiance although not enjoyable at the time i've become real. every one knows now that i'm not perfect and in huge need of Gods grace
like i can't earn Gods love like we like to think so often.
We had a devo this week about freedom in Christ and that freedom is also from religiosity of being bound to the rules of religion but being free in a relationship with Jesus.
Latley i've been processing alot and i'm happy about that cuz it means i'm not comfortable and standing still...

Last friday was my day off and i went to Zandfort aan Zee or to the ocean with Marika and an american friend Julie.
We also went to Harlem on our way back and we found this awesome hippi bus!
that evening my small group hosted a travelers night where we provided a free meal and presented the gospel and introduced ourselves and why we were working there. We also had table discussions about Paradise and it branched into talking about the gospel!

Today I am leading a bible study with guests i'm excited about seeing what happens though it because every time God takes over and we learn or talk about unexpected topics etc...

I just love how no matter how good or bad you feel God is always by your side.

Small Group n' Life

So life is okay i finally started working again today and i did okay made dinner with out to much trouble, so thats good... !
Also had Small group last tuesday which was awesome!
we eat breakfast together check in do some worship and prayer. At the end one of the members shares some living words that Gods teaching them or a testemony. Its great!
April and I are the new small group leaders which just means we make sure people know what they are doing when we also keep our group in prayer and are there for them if they need our support or a listening ear.
this is a picture of our small group:
Top left is Mo from England, April from Wisconsin USA, ME!, Jochannan from Holland
Bottom left is Misha from the Czech republic, and Jens from Germany

okay i'm a little beat up..

Yesterday i worked in the morning and was sad i missed all the morning services so i check the net and found a church that had an evening service. So i went with my sister Marika and a guy I work with Sam. On our way over i got hurt, fell off my bike actually. These are the days I ask why am I so accident prone.
So it wasn't really bad i was just in alot of pain as my knee is in pain and bruised and my arm is bloody. Marika and Sam took very good care of me and i got home okay and am in the process of healing i took today off to recuperate...
i'm still really sad i didn't get to go to church.

new life

Hey all i'm here again!!!
yes i'm doing well..
definatly alot of things happen, each day seems to drag on forever because so much goes on...
at the beginning of the week we had class and working shifts at the hostel so it was really busy.
On Tuesday i lead a Guest bible study it went well considering God took all my ideas and did His thing speaking to people even through my broken uncollected self.
Also that night a co staff and i spoke with a English guy all night He was an artist and we spoke alot about world view and hoplesness and selfishness of humanity. We also lead Him to the word and the cross wich he seemed very scared about. However he really enjoyed our chats and kept coming back for more insite and discussion.
I am still praying for him as he continues his travels and a type of quest.
But this week i got thursday and friday off. a friend from Canada randomly droped by so i showed him the city thursday morning then i took to friends (americans) to Ede my uncle and aunts house to get away from the city.
It was great the small town was quiet and their home is like a home away from home.!
we had a really great time and felt quite rested...
however i did get a cold yesterday its been pridy bad and i've bin trying everything to get better...

april my prayer partner

marika @ reception

Dam Square with Sam a random homeschooler i knew stoped by and i showed him the city.

Amsterdam MINISTRY

Crazyness....
so we got here last Thurday night spending a small week visiting relatives all across Holland...
so we ran around Amsterdam on Friday and found the bank i'm gonna go to when i have a SIN number and reallized how crazy this city is really...
then saturday morning i started working got trained in Morning Cafe serving breakfast to the guests... it was cool...
then i slept at the hostel as my sleeper shift...
sunday i went to a sweet church although it was all in dutch i was really touched by the worship an the great people... i'm still gonna check some others out but i'll keep it on my possibility list...
monday was intro in class all day.
then tuesday and wednesday i worked in the monings and went to class for intro and training in the afternoons and i was really busy it was crazy so its good to finally chill right now
i also finally got to move in to my room yesterday wich was amazing my roomate is kewl shes like marika so we get along great.. also a fellow YWAMer and knows my contacts in Cambodia
ya ministry wise i've been attending the hostel bible studies they have been intresting and a really good oppertunity to share the gospel with guests..
God is good
He is present in our everyday
God be with you!
Heather

my neigborhood in Amsterdam
and street!!!






we also went to Utrecht twice once with our uncle Friso my fathers youngest brother, he told us about the history of the church and university there.
The second time i went with our cusins Willma and Annelien on a canoe tour through the motes...


we went to Ovalte a small tourist location where you can learn about the history and farming... my uncle Gert works there with a government funded work program placeing people with in experiance or diability and teaching them job/life skills...

wakker in de midde van de nacht

so i woke up at about 2 am this morning and i havn't been able to get to sleep so i spent some time in prayer and reading the bible. God is good he really gave me a renewed passion for His word and i dove in the word hungry for more. I'm excited about that because this summer at Youth Works i didn't have much time for bible study and meditaion so i lost my passion for Gods word and it scared me and i felt more distant from God because i wasn't frequently filled with His truths.

So right now i'm just killing time, i woke up starving so i ate an apple i found in the room i'm staying in randomly. Any way good news its about 6:30 now and some birds have started their song!
This picture is a tiny taste of what i'm experiancing
God is Good all the time and worthy of our trust and praise!

Amsterdam Finally.. or more like already?!

Hey all so after Marika and my long journey to Holland through the evening we are here!!!!! It feels like one continuasly long day.
We got off our plane, got our lugage and hoped on a train to amsterdam central station where we looked around for our pick up guy and eventually just took a taxi to the staff housing location (it turns out He slept in but he would have walked so we would have needed to use a vehicle and how with all our akward lugage)
So we met some staff from the hostels but most of them are leaving next week so there will be a fresh crew starting with us. The staff are from around the world but also alot from Canada or USA. We got a huge intrecate tour of our living arangments and got to put the bulk of our lugage in their office for safe keeping as we spend a week visiting family. So right now i'm in Ede where my Om Johan and Tante Magret live. There one of the families we are closest with so its great to come to open arms and familier faces.
For me its been great I relize I really havn't been here in long time, and since i'm so used to traveling alone its awesome having Marika with me. She lived here for a while so shes really confident riding the trains and taking care of buisness.
Well thats that just trying to stay awake so we can get over the jet lag ASAP.
On the list of things to do for me is:
-Buy cell phone/activate it
-Get dutch SIN # so i can get a dutch bank account
-Get settled and comfortable once we're back in Amsterdam ready for around 8 months of living in community and serving those around me.

God is good i thank Him for keeping us safe in our long travels and for helping us find the way!

Blessings - Heather

Off to Amsterdam... in a week!! already, i just got home

Next week friday i'm flying to Holland with my sister Marika.
we are going to drop off our stuff @ the Hostel staff house and visit relatives for a week then start working the last day of augest.
Marika is working at Shelter City by the red light district, and I am working at Shelter Jordan close to the Anne Frank house.
So I'm busy packing and trying to relax and reenergize after an intence summer.

I want to thank you for your support and ask you to keep us in your prayers.
Continue to give thanks to the almighty God for who He is!
In Christ
-Heather

Youth Works! summer crazyness

Hello there! Wow its been awhile since i've updated and i'm sorry about that.
This May i was hired by Youth Works, my possition was to help out where needed and an extra staff incase one of the other staff quit. So in may Youth Works flew me and all the Canadian staff to Denver for training. We spent a week there then flew together to our sites. I was with the Thunder Bay staff, they needed the extra staff member since they only had one prep week before they started hosting youth groups and churches and providing ministry opertunities for them.
It was great we had up to 72 people on site at a time the youth were great and really steped out of their comfort zones.
I stayed in Thunder Bay for a month, one prep week and three weeks of service trips.
Then on the Thursday of my third week i got called out to be a Site Director in Vancouver BC.
So that Saturday morning at about 4 I flew out to BC. When i was picked up at the airport I went straight to my new team and hung out with them.
My area director trained me that week on what exactally the Site Director role intailes.
I had to keep the schedual moving make sure everything that needs to get done is getting done or will get done. Communicate to the adult and trip leaders about the schedual any changes. Addressing any concerns they may have. I had to live into three staff memebers facilitating staff meetings and connecting with them in One on Ones.
It was stretching and challenging i was exhausted and warn. God was my strength in every situation. All the promises He spoke into my life during the fall didn't change they were what i held on to. All the joy and passion was from Him. He took so many situations in His hands. He taught me alot about myself, about other people. It was intense.
God knew i was ready for it!!! I love that He knows me so well, knows what i can take !

I like the snow but I'm ready for the fresh new life of spring.

Hello and welcome!
In this blog i hope to walk with my friends and supporters as i minister to those around me. Right now i'm in Hamilton working at Living Rock Ministries and Poco Loco Tex-Mex Take-out. I am also invloved in a churchplant in downtown called New Hope Church. I'm a leader at 'girls club' at Street Light Ministries in down town every Thursday night.
Thats sort of what i've been up to, i look forward to shareing more of my life with you as the life goes on.
Thanks for your time and love.