Claire de Lune

Walking through the streets of Amsterdam I felt like this city was making a poor attempt at powdering out its erotic blemishes. Our hostels sits in the Red Light District where life is simply open.  It was but 2:30pm when we began our walking tour of the city and already we notice young women in black lingerie posing inside windows, smiling at passerbys. They are just another item for sale in a city intent on high fashion and brand names.  It is hard for me to see the rest of the beauty in this city when something so base is so blatant in sight. 70-90% of the women here are forced into the sex trade. The business men of this industry often threaten to harm the womens' families if they refuse to comply. So I wander these streets, perplexed and deeply saddened. "There is beauty everywhere," I keep telling myself. I know it is true, but for once I don't want to believe it.

We make our way to the public library (7 stories tall!).  A piano waits in anticipation in the main lobby. A signs reads that somewhat experienced payes are allowed to strike a tune, but quietly and for no longer than 30 minutes.  With child-like excitement I sit down on the piano bench and play a rough version of "Claire de Lune" (my go-to-song, when I don't carry music). They have muted the strings, but I do my best to let the notes sing in this still, quiet atmosphere. A few people stop, listen, and thank me afterwards for playing.  It is then that I realize that hope can be found in beauty, and beauty in forms of art. This city is crying out for hope. Even when I feel like throwing up my fist at it, and cursing it, I must, we must, love on it. We must see and bring what beauty we can, even in the darkest places. Beauty is in everything, but as an artist, I hope that I will strive to paint, draw, play music, and dance even harder, not just for myself, but for others and especially for those that are broken in this world.

I don't know much, but I know that God's heart goes out for Amsterdam and he will not stop working in this city. There is hope.  There is always hope.

Youth Hostel Ministry

This summer from May 26-27th I will be in Europe traveling around youth hostels with a team of four. We will be building relationships and sharing the gospel with travelers, through word and action.

Here is our itinerary!

May      25                     Arrive Chicago, USA

             27                     Arrive Amsterdam, Netherlands

             29                     Interlaaken, Switzerland
June      2                       Salzburg, Austria

             6                       Budapest, Hungary

             10                     Bratislava, Slovakia

             12                     Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic 

             15                     Vienna, Austria 

             21                     Munich, Germany 

             27                     Hurlach, Germany
July       2                       Prague, Czech Republic

             28                     Cologne, Germany

             31                     Amsterdam, Netherlands
August  2 - 10                England
August 11                      Dallas, TX

If only it were different...

Not on the path, the homeless man feels obligated to walk on the street.  There he is a free man.  On the path he is an obstacle, an annoying disturbance, a mass of dirty jumbled together jackets that makes us walkers slightly alter our course, in slight disgust.  I can understand why this man chooses to move with the cars. He pushes his cart, which hides his entire world and belongings, just another part of traffic.