finally

friends, I am here. finally. so, this is the inagural post for the next... however long i am here. i hope you have all received the last email i sent out. if you are reading this, chances are you did. yay!

i am in den Haag right now, which is about a 40 minute train ride from amsterdam. this is where the christian associates international (cai) headquarters are. i am working here on tuesdays and thursdays, helping out with organizational and administrate needs here in the office. right now, that means that i am helping plan and orchestrate the coming of all of our most-recent missionaries to den Haag for the Field Orientation. I am also helping a bit with the Staff Candidate Orientation for those that are still looking into joining the forces here. so that is my "day job".

due to my monetary situation (many of you know that when i left the states, my intention was to come here fully funded. that has not happened for whatever reasons...), i am in a place where i am still support-raising, but needing to get creative about how to stay here and work with cai/other groups/people. lucky me: Holland happens to be one of the most strict countries in the EU when it comes to the entrance of ex-pats, so this is going to be good... presently, i have met with an immigration lawyer here who is offering some helpful suggestions and creative solutions to be here and have it work! more to come on that when i have a better idea of what that is going to look like.

presently, my habitat is at shawna snow's house with her and her lovely children, among whoever else is coming in and out of the house at the time. it has been fabulous; getting to know her neighbors (friend Phenny and the other great people at the thai restaurant next door... wanda, the polish photography art gallery owner on the other side... eddie, the bar owner down the street who is self-declared neighborhood watchdog...french friends Geraldine and Ben who own another gallery not too far away... esther and james, andrew, ian, brigitte, dieuka, others that come by the house...) such a great place of community and developing friendships... as well as great contacts in the community at large! there is more to come, but i have to bolt for the moment!