through the canals of this city and into a renewed love for righteousness

It's been a week since the start of the intercessory missionary internship. That's a mouthful, let's call it the IMI! It feels like I've been an IMIer for many weeks already, but no, it's only been one week. Mine is a simple life for these next three months. Each day I wake up, eat breakfast, walk to the Tabernacle, pray for five hours, walk back to the base, eat lunch, attend to my work blessing (we don't have work duties here), free time!, dinner, teachings, reflection time, and bed.

I've had some swell adventures in the city. I've been to Oosterpark a couple of times and walked around, talking with Holy Spirit. I went for a jog and tried to navigate a new route following the street names that I wrote on my hand, but I got lost. I got to a certain part of the city and was tempted to keep running and see if I came upon any buildings or parks that looked familiar. However, I decided to take the route of common sense and go back to the base the same way that I came, which eventually led me to the street that I missed in the first place and then I found my way back again. I went to the largest library in Europe, for it is in Amsterdam and about a ten minute walk from the base. Shoot, that was some library! Picture an Apple store or maybe just an Apple product made into a library and that's what this library looked like. I know that this is a very helpful description. (Maybe I can put some pictures up later)

I got to drive a boat through the canals! One of the YWAM staff loves boats and the Lord blessed him with his very own, so he took all of the IMI people for a ride through the canals. It is the best way to see the city! We saw the "smallest house" but I'm not sure if it is the smallest house in Amsterdam or in Holland. We also saw a houseboat that serves as a cat shelter. I eventually got a chance to man the boat myself heehee. I loved it! I love the water. Being out on the canal made me want to go to the beach and see the sea, which I did get to do. A group of us went to the beach on Sunday. It is about half an hour by train, and the train ride turned into a worship time as one of the guys brought his guitar. We all had a nice time jumping over the waves, in an attempt to not get out clothes wet but we weren't trying very hard. Lovely lovely times and waves and seashells and grains of sand.

Of course the five hours in the prayer room are an adventure altogether. For five hours we talk to an invisible God and tell Him what He tells us to tell Him. The beauty of it all is that this is the greatest adventure! There is so much about this God that I don't know yet, that I want to explore. There are so many areas where God wants to release His spoken Word through us humans. There is so much love and hope in Jesus' heart for His bride. He knows she will come through, that she will be pure and spotless and able to come to Him. He is patient. He is purifying Her. This is the day He longs for. And this hope is also rubbing off on me! I am truly hopeful for the church and I can't remember when I could ever say that with a sincere heart. I can't remember ever desiring a love for righteousness.

This last week, I was crying out to God to give me a greater hunger and love for righteousness. A love for righteousness that brings the oil of gladness, like Jesus had. which is spoken about in Psalm 45:7. I realized that only a love for righteousness brings true oil of gladness. What is righteousness? I was also thinking about this, about how we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, about how the prayers of the righteous avail much. In my handy dandy amplified Bible it says in parenthesis that righteousness is "right standing with God". That sounds official and stiff. Honestly I think that I knew in my mind what righteousness meant, but in my heart I saw it as being a religious person and staying away from the evil world, in a "holier than thou" state. But after reading Psalm 45 I truly pondered this whole "right standing with God," and it reminded me of Adam and Eve. If anybody stood right with God, it was them. They chilled with God in their nakedness amidst a garden and it was perfectly fine. To be righteous is to be with God, unashamed and open, all throughout our days and moments. So loving righteousness, loving this friendship with God, brings gladness of course. As humans we will be the most glad when we come into friendship with God because this is what is good and right and what He originally desires and still desires so intensely.

The desire of God is a whole other enchilada! During my time here, I have also delved into a deeper revelation of how much Jesus desires us, the church-His bride! She must prepare herself for His return! He will only return when she is ready and she will only be ready when she is fully mature and righteous and pure. In Revelation 19:8 it talks about the marriage of the Lamb and His bride, saying of the bride: "She has been permitted to dress in fine linen, dazzling and white-for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." The righteousness of the saints! That is why Jesus said blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6), because they will be completely satisfied in the return of Jesus. He is waiting for a bride who is hungry, a bride who realizes that He is the only thing that can satisfy and nothing else on the earth can. He is waiting for a bride who is painfully aware of her need for Him and cries out with the Spirit, "Come Lord Jesus!" as it says in Revelation 22:17.

And now I finally realize why a love for righteousness is so precious and necessary.

There is so much more to tell. Daniel Lim is our teacher this week and last night he talked about how the whole Bible, the message of the gospel, the story of God and humankind can be likened to a Jewish wedding. All I can say is that we really do not comprehend how brilliant God is or how beautiful is His mind or how affectionate is His heart toward us or how intense is His desire for us. How He loves us. His love is deep beloved, so so deep. I pray that we all as the Body of Christ can grasp what is the breadth and length and height and depth of God's love, which surpasses knowledge. We will be a Body filled with God. We will be a bride fully prepared and pure for the wedding. The desire of Jesus is too strong for it to be otherwise.


on the boat, seeing the beauty of the city


boat house and cat shelter


Oosterpark-there are interesting statues all over the park. Mr. crow and I liked this one!


I missed the saltwater :)