More windows closing!!!

These are some of the windows that have been closed on Achterburgwal, the main drag of Amsterdam's Red Light District. It's hard to tell from this photo, but the windows now display independent designer's fashions. It's so strange to walk down that street and see all of these stark white windows interspersed among the red-hued ones. I'm so blessed to be working here while all of these changes are happening!

Tomorrow, the windows in what we call the Africa section (where the African and Spanish-speaking women are) will close. The owner sold them to the government, and tomorrow is their official closing. The sad thing is that the girls who come regularly to our Monday night Bible study are from those windows, so they are not sure how they will be affected by the changes. As a friend of mine so aptly put it, "What happens to a working girl when she can no longer work?" Hopfully, this will be the beginning of changes for the better in their lives, not for desparate measures!

From now on you will catch men...

Our Bible study on Monday nights continues to be a blessing, both to the ladies who attend and to us. We have a rotating group of about 5 who come, and two of those attend faithfully. "Eve" and "Mary" are showing so much growth in the Lord, which is beautiful to see! Last week we studied Luke 2:5-11, where Jesus calls the first disciples. The guy who was teaching us pointed out that, according to the other gospels, Jesus already had a relationship with Simon Peter at the time of His calling him to be a fisher of men. They had met, but Simon was still fishing to earn a living--he hadn't yet left everything to follow Jesus in full-time ministry. That message was so challenging to me, and I hope as well to Eve and Mary. They can both see that, in their own lives, the are afraid to trust God to take care of every need they have if they step out to obey faithfully. We're praying that they'll have the strength to do the same thing Simon did--to put down their nets, give up their jobs, and follow Jesus wherever He leads. Also, Eve continues to have dreams; last week, she dreamed that Jesus came to her with words of encouragement, and she had never felt so loved and happy. Please pray that she continues to hear God speak to her. It's been so amazing to see with my own eyes as God works in these ladies. Thank you for being involved in changing lives!

A trip to Utrecht

This past weekend I went to the city of Utrecht, about 30 minutes away from Amsterdam, with my friend Jolanda. We stayed the weekend at her family's home, and she showed me around. It was so nice to be away for awhile! Her family is really great, and it was good to meet them. I'm accumulating quite a long list of things that I want to do before I leave the country the end of May, and I'm slowly but surely working through it! Tomorrow a friend Lizzie and I are going to the Keukenhof, a flower garden/tulip fields, and it's supposed to be beautiful weather! Then Wednesday is Queen's Day, a day of mass chaos in honor of the queen and country. It should be a lot of fun!

Here's a link to the photos of my weekend in Utrecht; just copy and paste the address into your address bar. I'll update more soon!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26062918@N04/