this trip just came together so easily. two weeks ago i was thinking i prolly wont even go and now here i am plane ticket in hand and bags packed ready for a new adventure. I really have no idea what to expect seeing as how i never really have stayed in a hostel before. but every time i read about them or hear about them i always think they are such fabulous ideas! i think getting away from the normal rhythm of my life here will also help me to appreciate the life i have here in england as well.

This hostel, Shelter City, also sounds incredible. The majority of the staff are volunteers that all live in a shared dorm. They get together every morning for prayer and bible study, then spend about 4 hours doing work in the hostel, the have the late afternoon free to join in some of the events the hostel puts on. I think they are living out a call for Christ in a way i find completely attractive, in that they are just serving people in a very natural and needed way (given them a bed to sleep in and a roof over their head), but at the same time leaving enough space to build relationships with people, to encourage prayer, and to share the gospel to those that are interested. It just seems very natural and organic to me! which might sound kinda hippy, but i like that kind of christ centered living!

I am so ready to just get there and soak it up for all its worth. i really have a feeling this is going to open more doors then even i was ready for! which is exciting. The last time i was at TCF church i had a guy pray for me and he told me that i am striving after God and praying that i want to see and live the things i am reading about in the Bible. And he said that i need to be ready because the life i keep desperately fighting for is just going to come, very unexpectedly and very easily! i can't help but notice the similarities between my trip to Amsterdam and that prayer! even if just going to amsterdam solidifies my desire to be somewhere else or just gets me to think in a different way... i know this journey is going to change me!