Amsterdam those 80 stairs!

We are on our 6th day in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. Since our last blog we have settled in to our new home and gotten to know our wonderful hosts Jacob and Rachel Kollar as well as the YWAM base staff. We have walked around much of the city and gotten to know more about the city itself and the Dutch culture. The buildings here are amazing and the city is beautiful with the canals and waterways, the old buildings, and the people. We all really love it here and are beginning to feel very at home.

During our first few days here we have been able to join in with the various ministries of YWAM, the Tabernacle and the Lighthouse. Almost every day we join the Tabernacle, which is located in the Red Light District and is a house of prayer and worship, in their 2-hour worship sets. In these times we are able to intercede for the city and the people as well as the YWAM base staff and the ministries.

Along with the Tabernacle worship and prayer times we have devoted 1-2 hours a day of prayer with our own team. It is a time when we are able to pray on behalf of the base and really focus ourselves on the Father's heart and to be ready for our day, allowing the Lord to guide us. These times have been amazing and the Lord is really speaking to us.

We also have plans to do evangelistic ministries through art and worship within the city. We began to paint last night and have plans to place art throughout the city to display God's beauty to the people, specifically in the Red Light District.

Tonight we have planned a community night in which we will show a movie and invite the entire base to join, serving them food and drinks. We have seen in our time here, and after talking with many of the staff, that one of the biggest needs on the base is encouragement and community. YWAM Amsterdam is going through some very difficult transitions and there has been a lot of discouragement within the staff. Therefore, we plan to host community nights every Friday where we can foster more community on the base and get people to come together, giving us a chance to encourage.

Next week we will begin to help out with the Lighthouse ministry which focuses on the Red Light District and the prostitutes and their children. They have womens bible studies with some of the women that work in the windows that they have poured time and energy into building relationships with and we are able to cook dinner for the women on Monday night. We are also going to do a prayer walk throughout the Red Light with one of the leaders of the Ligthhouse where we can become more informed on specific brothels and women in order to better pray as we walk.

We are really excited to see what the Lord is going to do with us here and every day feels like a new adventure. The Lord is working here at the base as well as in each one of us individually. We are all changed and have been moved by the Lord and are grateful that we are able to be here at this specific time.

We do have some prayer requests as we have really begun to intercede here and begin ministry, and we feel the opposition of the enemy. We ask that you would continually pray protection for our team in our relationships with each other, in our personal walks, and in our unity. Also that our families and people we love back home would also be protected as we are here, and that we would trust the Lord in his protection. We also would ask that you really lift the YWAM base and ministries up in your prayers because they are having a really difficult time here with their recent transitions, and therefore need a lot of prayer in this time. Pray for physical health because we all feel extremely exhausted and Chelsea is beginning to feel a little sick.

The biggest prayer request that we need is JOY and PEACE in every situation and every circumstance. Thank you all for your prayers while we are here because we do feel them and they have brought us so much comfort.

SHOUT OUTS
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Chelsea- someone please text me encouragement, texts are free to receive but I can't send you one back! (i.e. Josh and everyone else) Also Josh please check your email. I love you all!!

Niki- no phone. Email me please...encouragement.

Natalie- Dear everyone, I love you and I miss you. Please send me lots of messages on facebook that will make me smile. PS MOM: I'm really glad I got to talk to you last night. Austin Ashley and Dad: I miss you a lot. PSS Ashley: good luck in track today.

Heather- Tiff and Rob: I hope the living room is treating you well, stay out of my room. Amy Metz and Sarah Bram: thank you for the encouragement, you light up my life! Everyone else I love: please keep up the encouragement I need it on a daily basis. Thanks in advance because I can't text you back!

Elisa- Mom and Dad: miss you guys. Danielle, Jaymee, James: I love you all and I miss you. Jared: I love you, thank you for your daily encouragement!

Hannah- Jacob: It was so good talking to you the other day! I love you so much! You make my heart so happy, I miss you so much! Mom and Dad: I want to talk to you soon! My day for internet is Wednesday so please be available to around 2pm your time. Can't wait to talk to you and see you! Everyone else: I love you and miss you!