!

Wow God is good!
Last week on the 1st and 2nd of the month I was stressed out about how to move all my stuff and i needed a mattress etc...
God totally provided! Got a 120 E mattress for 17.50 at a kringloop, My uncle works in Wageningen right by Ede and picked me and all my stuff up and brought me to Amsterdam the same day that I SMSed him at 8 am. Wow it all worked out and I felt God speaking about the aboundance of His love for me as His daughter.
Its so wierd because i've been feeling kind of shallow in my walk with God not setting any real time apart for him but in those moments God is by my side loving me when i don't deserve it. I guess you would call that grace...
just experiancing Gods grace~! its awesome!

So this is the beautiful place i have for three months its right by my favorite park in Amsterdam (westerpark) where i love to run or go out for coffee. Also just down the street from the Shelter community house. I'm so blessed...
(the pics don't show but theres also a kitchen and a bathroom and a garden yard thing in the back!)

The adventures thus far with photos and explanations!

Living at Marcos in the Oudezijs 100 community house apartment sitting in the red light district. This is where I lived my first two weeks in amsterdam with my friend Heather who was kindof in the same position as me. It was good to live with her she helped my transition time and processing life/relationships.

Amsterdam is beautiful i always wanted to go sailing, my whole life. A manager at the Shelter City took Tamar and I out on a day trip it was sweet. I loved it!




It was like a mini vacation/just enjoying life and deligting in the Lord.
Heather and I went hitchhiking one day to the beach it was great relaxing and a ton of fun!


We had a cool kind of community since we lived in the red light district (after marco's we moved down the street to house sit for another two weeks). So many of our friends from the shelter etc... would come over and find a haven of rest at our place spending next to no money of living we some how ended up eating so well and really just enjoying life, fellowship and time with God.



The first weekend in September I went to Ede to pick up some things from my lugage that i have in a garage there at my aunt and uncles place. I also went to meet my friend Asha.

We met a month earlier at a anti-sqat place in Niewegain with my friend Mattanja. Asha and i klicked right away one of those one in a hundred people who you are super comfortable and get along with real well from the get go. We planed a mini Vac we were going to hitch hike to the French beach but it was ugly weather that weekend so we hung out in Niewegain
The community house in Niewgain is very alternative and resourceful they go dumpster diving for 90% of their groceries. So as usual i taged along so i could also benifit from the finds of the night. A little late night grocery shopping.


Later we hitch hiked to Mattanjas parents house we ended up haveing an amazing relaxing weekend there really encouraging time.
Sunday after church we headed back to Amsterdam...


The next place I lived was with my friend Kitty on a house boat on the Amstel river.
Gods provision has been unreal.
During my time on the boat i went through a transitional process from christian bubble amsterdam to student/secular society. Her house mates had a BBQ it was great meeting and getting to know them but i was faced with how much diffrent my lifestyle and moral standards are.


I also a few days later got a job as a waitress at a steak house on Damrak. I didn't like it at first because one of my co-workers was making me uncomfortable. But now I love it because he respects me now and my managers are great. It actually feels a little like the shelter of course not the pop music and alcohol but the interaction with tourists. I always get questions of where i'm from and why i moved to Amsterdam etc.

After a sweet time in Ede with Asha this weekend it turned out i had monday off. So did a ton of shelter people so we went on a sweet trip to the beach on one of the last days of summer. We hitch hiked in pairs. We really had a great time.

still here!

Yes i'm still in Amsterdam!
Only by the grace and provision of God!
I ended up house sitting for diffrent people and still find my self so well provided for. I havn't gotten a job yet but I have a peace in me knowing I'm right where I need to be.
Today I'm helping out at the shelter as a afternoon cafe trainer as they have a very high staff turn over. Its cool to be a part of whats happening here still to some extent.
For the rest just sitting at the feet of my Lord, and soaking in His presence.

Crazy flight and delays!

Well on thing leads to another... there were some thunderstorms in Toronto which delayed out plane from coming in (it was stuck in a line on the runway) it delayed our boarding by 2 hrs. Then we got seated and they wanted to wait for people who had a transfer from Winnapeg. Then the fuel truck had to finish up so it delayed our take off an hour and a half.
Flight was okay some turbulation but nothing life thretening.
Got into London and had a bunch of line-ups. it was 9am by this time so I obviously missed my 8:15 flight from london to Amsterdam. Found out the only next flight to Amsterdam left at 16:00. Found internet access (friendly currancy exchange man gave me a £) I called the hostel at the air canada desk... thankfully my friend Martha picked up and contacted my sister and two friends who were waiting for me already at Schiphol (amsterdam airport). Now i'm waiting... thankfully the waiting is almost done and i got to kill the last hour on free internet place i found. yay i'll find out my gate number in 10 min.

its cool though i've been really peaceful and suprizingly patient... God is good!

Next step

moving to 'Nederland'
I am trusting the Lord who lead me there
i don't have much money, any apartment or finalized job contract.
walking by faith...
every time the trust challenges seem to get harder and harder.
its good I'm learning to trust Him with all things
Got the next 22 nights figured out hopefully that will give me enough time to find out what I'll be doing.
I NEED PRAYER
as i have been praying allot lately realizing how much I really can't even pretend to have it together this time
I'm at a loss: broke, homeless and stranded in Europe.(technically)
I know God is my only sure thing in life so I will hold on to Him!

Summer in Canada

I came to Canada for 'vacation' found out that its good to take a break and this was my chance, I really felt like it was a gift from God.
My first week I just started getting on my feet... realizing how much I love Canada, what a ghetto I used to live in, my heart for Hamilton, old friends who are always there for me. It was good.
The second week my friend Tamar from England who I met in Amsterdam came.
I spend two weeks hanging out with her, showing her Canada... we went on a canoe trip and to Niagara fall, Toronto, strawberry picking... etc. We had allot of good talks about God and just praying together.
My parents came in the last days of Tamar's stay. It was so good to see them, but when Tamar left it was a big adjustment to live with just our family. All of us had different emotional reposes it was hard. We got busy cleaning and doing random crafts and before we knew it, it was family camping.
From there a week later we disbursed. Marika went last minute to Amsterdam for August a week before me, Heit and Mem left for China, I'm leaving for Amsterdam, Eritia will be heading to spain for 2.5 months, Art is off to teachers collage in thunder bay, and Hobbe is busy hangin out with his girl friend and ministering with Campus for Christ in Hamilton.

leaving feeling is diffrent every time

Sad leaving but knowing it wouldn't last forever.
Comforted by looking to the future and living out all that I learned at the Shelter.
Holding on to the faithfulness God displayed through that time.