And Then There Were 3...

I took Mady, Kirby, and Shelby to the airport this morning on the 5:30 train. It was hard to say goodbye and we are going to miss them so much over the next few weeks. I am so thankful they were here for the beginning of this trip. Their energy, excitement and pure hearts laid a foundation for the rest of our trip. The time we spent in the Red Light, the people we met, and the prayers we prayed will set the tone for diving into the research portion of our time in Amsterdam. Yesterday we met with Lauran Bethall. Over 20 years ago she set out to be a missionary English teacher in Thailand and through a series of events only orchestrated by God himself, she is now a prominent voice in the world of human trafficking. She is extremely well connected and gave us several names of people to contact for research. She also invited us to a conference next weekend with leaders from all over the world who are coming together to hear from those working on the front lines of stopping trafficking. We are REALLY excited about that. Today we are making phone calls and setting up more meetings with organizations to learn about what they are doing to help women in the sex industry as well as asking them what they can offer us in terms of the research project. Please pray for favor and trust. These organizations don't trust outsiders easily and are VERY protective of the women...so it is our prayer that there is something about us that sparks an interest in them. We are praying for 10 interviews with women...please pray for that with us. It's going to be hard work, but we are believing God will make a way where there doesn't seem to be one. Below are some photos from the past few days... More soon. Cal

The girls saying goodbye to Melissa (our precious hostess) and Paschal... their littlest boyfriend.

At the "I AMsterdam" sign on the museumplein.

We traveled to Haarlem to see Corrie Ten Boom's house. "The Hiding Place..." Our guide was a very straightforward Dutch woman whose father was actually in prison during the Nazi regime and heard Corrie talk after it was all over. Her message of forgiveness touched our guide's heart and she has given her life to preaching that same message to every visitor who comes to the house. And preach she did...to people of all nationalities. Seeing the house and hearing Corrie's story was a powerful example to us of mission and purpose in life. We left feeling humbled and challenged. Below is the actual hiding place where the 6 Jews staying in Corrie's house hid for 2 and a half days until they were freed, while Corrie and her sister Betsy were taken to prison. The other photo is the original watch shop that is still open for business.