Our Never Ending Journey Continues: Uppsala, Sweden to Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tim, Bella and I on one of our many walks through the beautiful Swedish wilderness. 

            This blog will not be much like those I have written in the past. I apologize for my lack of communication for the past few weeks. I have felt slightly unguided and don’t know what I should report back to the people back home that are praying and supporting me. I spent an extremely relaxing spring break in Sweden with my wonderful Swedish friend Izabella and my dear American friend Timothy. Bella’s family provided us with wonderful hospitality and we where able to experience a plethora of Swedish foods and lots of salty licorice that I am now addicted to.  After our month in Ethiopia our week and a half in Sweden was everything we could ask for. We then traveled to Amsterdam where we have spent the past 3 weeks.

Daffodils in the old town of Zaandijk, Netherlands.

            I have mixed feelings about our past month in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a beautiful city and it is clear that God’s heart is for this city. Our school however has quite a tough time here. After returning from our break our first week back in school was a bit misguided and due to our speaker coming a few days later in the week it was much more difficult for me to get back into the routine. The following week our speaker canceled, is actually quite amazing that this whole year this is the first that this has happened. This also made it difficult for me to be self-motivated with out a schedule or routine. Many other people where struggling with this as well. I was able to go to the Van Gogh museum though and see one of the artist’s paintings that I grew up hearing my mother talk about! J Our school is now going on 2 more months of traveling before we return to Hawaii. Many of us have been traveling for twelve months now; many people are getting discouraged about visas, finances and education. More and more students are feeling God is calling them home sooner or later. The number of students in our school will soon dwindle and this also brings discouragement among the rest of us.

  Streets of Uppsala, Sweden.

   I personally have been struggling this past month on being engaged in what we are doing. As well as my personal time with the Lord, which is affecting other areas in my life. I have now recognized that and am stepping back into that but I am lacking trust in God. I feel God has called me to this two-year program, I have now been in it for a full year and now I have one left. I have felt I am to be in this and I am exactly where God wants me but like many of my peers I am struggling with finances and the human that I am this circumstance is causing me to rethink where it is that God wants me. If you could please pray that vision is once again restored to my school and me. That God will reiterate in all of us why he has called us to be a part of this journey. That he will give us that excitement about what the end result of this school will be, to get others passionate about the change of the injustices of the world. I think we all just need encouragement to push through these last two tough months.  

Typical windmills of Holland. 

       This Saturday I travel to Paris with my friends Naphtalie and Tim. We have a week there where we will be working on a school photo assignment; I am very excited to see the Eiffel tower and eat crepes! The fourth of May we begin our month in Malaga, Spain where we will be learning about Islam and do a outreach in Morocco. Your continued prayers would be greatly appreciated. Please read my friend John Paul's Blog

if you want to know more about what is going on in Amsterdam particularly in the red light district, he is a excellent writer it is worth a glance.

Wooden Shoes . . . Netherlands. 

Typical Swedish fence found in a Forest In Uppsala.