1st sunday

Pictures: 1. Outside the front window, 2. Gigi's birthday with Deborah and Daphida, 3. Concert on the canal with Marlena!, 4. The kids (and Julia) on a very cool playground toy.

Sundays are great in Amsterdam because nothing is open. Everyone just spends time at home or at the parks with family. It's so good for the soul... and for me since I've never been good at keeping Sundays a day of rest. So, in true dutch Sunday fashion, I had a low key morning, walked to a lovely park with Julia and the fabulous Pickerill kids (how can you fall in love so quickly with 3 kids who aren't your own?), had a little lunch gazing at the gerber daisies in the middle of the kitchen table, then we all took naps. Around 4pm we took the tram up to the Jordaan where Zolder 50 meets (zolder50.nl), a great international church here. It felt like home.... their community has split in to 2 small churches so it felt like walking in to a Joshua House small group! Even though we were a bit late, people made room on couches and chairs and we settled in quickly. Worship was wonderful followed by coffee time were we met a lot of kind people. Jen, Reinshke, Gerart, Leslie, etc..., and saw Eric (the pastor) and his family again. People were so warm and really excited about our church plant. Afterwards we went out with one small group and ate some true dutch food: Subway! Very fun! Back at home we jumped on skype and got to talk to our team mates John and Amanda, Grayson, and even A's sister Emilee! It felt so good to see good friends and give them the apartment "tour." Oh, I can't wait for the Larsens to get here too!! Come, come! It doesn't feel quite right without you!