stories and pictures from summer at Oudezijds 100

update: you can also watch a video of them (and me) eating herring.

last week we had a group of American young adults here to experience life in community. they were eager, helpful, energetic, and enthusiastic. they did a lot of work around the place - and so now the balcony outside my window is cleaned up, and our common area looks really good - it feels and looks a lot more gezellig (cozy) - the way a living room ought to feel. a write-up of their visit is on the website. as are photos of them fixing things up. (The photos are of them fixing up the balconies, the common room, eating together and having coffee/tea together - since i joined in on the food parts, i'm in a few of them).

and besides bringing with them energy to do work, they also brought with them a desire to learn more and experience God further. they helped us remember the goodness of living in Christian community. there is great joy to be had in shared meals and shared work. there is peace, prayers, and a history of people trying to serve God faithfully, which all provide space to ask questions about what God would have next. there is the duty and joy of worshipping together - whether spontaneously or through planned chapels - and all of us worshipped in ways we weren't always familiar with but could see the beauty of. and there is the love of God, which makes us all immediately family.

yet, one question from the week made me realize that perhaps some of them might have missed out on one part of life in community here. someone asked me something along the lines of "based on the reputation of americans, didn't i feel a bit "put out" about their coming?" certainly, i'd argue that Americans in general have a lack of awareness of (and healthy concern for) the rest of the world, but that hardly makes me disappointed at their presence. community is about making space for others - irrelevant of differences or my own personal opinions and preferences. and by welcoming people in community, i learn better how to share the grace and love of God with others - and am often given an opportunity to see God better because of their presence in my life. i wish i had been able to share that better when i had been originally asked the question but perhaps it is also a lesson that one learns only with time - and the "opportunity" of having people make their differences apparent in ways that are sometimes inconvenient.