Life in the Netherlands, or, Holland is lekker, Part One.

hello all. i am in the netherlands right now. i'm right in the middle of my 2 week stay- i've been here since tuesday and i'm still here until friday. i'm here, along with 3 of my teammates as well as some other cool church planters from elsewhere in europe, for part two of christian associates' field orientation (you'll recall i did part one in october).

here are just a few musings from the lands of nether:

Monasteries are like college
ca puts us up in a monastery for our 2 weeks of field orientation. that may seem weird, but it's actually not bad- we all get our own room, it's right in the center of town, and there's no curfew. i really really love living in community with my dear fellow church planters for a few weeks. and it feels like we're all living in the dorms at college- right now i'm staying up late, wasting time on the internet and emailing with my teammate who is in a room right down the hall.

Luggage is optional
since we're staying in a monastery, i decided to go with the simple living theme and go without all my luggage for a few days. actually, the choice for me to be without my stuff was not my own, but klm's, when they left my suitcase on the runway in marseille. oh, they quickly realized their mistake, of course, and put it on another flight so it would catch up to me that day, but they accidentally put it on a plane headed in the opposite direction. it all worked out well in the end, though. i got my suitcase delivered for me, right to my door. and i learned that i can go without clothes and everything for 2 whole days.
(interesting side story- my teammate teal's bag was also left behind. when we arrived in the hague, i told him we should probably go to the store to pick up a few essentials, since we may be without luggage for a few days. i bought a toothbrush and deodorant. teal bought a six-pack of beer. i guess men and women really do have different priorities.)

i have many more dutch musings to share with you, but my (tiny monastery) bed is calling my name. i'll post a few more over the next few days. goedenacht.