Today Matt from CCC Bath and Bristol (http://www.christiancitychurch.eu/bathandbristol) came to visit my church in Amsterdam. He just came back from Israel and had a stopover in Amsterdam. It has been almost 2 years since I last saw him! We were together in an Intercession group of 5 people back in CCC Bath (at that time it was known as Freedom Center). He's also leading the CAP (Christian Against Poverty) group in Bath. He has a big heart for the homeless. Meeting him again makes me think of the good ol' days in Bath. It was rather different in Bath compared to Amsterdam, although we share the same Kingdom culture. It felt really homely back in Bath. There's a sort of cosy, warm feeling. Instead of meeting in a cafe, usually we would meet in someone's home. There are also families offering to host students for lunch etc. There is just a sense of a small community or a big family. I miss just chilling out for Connect Group at Cath's and Danii's house. I miss the home baked cookies and cakes before and after service. I miss the children waving their flags and dancing around in front during worship. I miss Pastor Betsy, she's just so bubbly and full of life. And she's probably one of the few rare ones that can get people saved while drinking coffee with a stranger in Starbucks! When you meet Betsy, she is soooo warm, and full of love, that you just feel sooo comfortable and feel like you can share anything with her. It's so great! I miss walking to church with Shanon, shivering during the winter and walking full speed; and just strolling happily during summertime. I miss the shoppings and lunches that I do with Shanon after church. I miss the kids in Kids Crew (ages 7-9), I still remember Moses punching Josh (Pastor Andrew's eldest son), and his nose bled!! I was shocked! Boys... sheesh! The girls were adorable! I miss Jon and Rachel Wilcox, my CG leaders! I miss Pastor Andrew's preaching, he's really intense. Super good! I miss Pastor Betsy's preaching, her way of preaching is different from Pastor Andrew, she tells it in more of a story, makes it very real and relevant. I could go on forever...
But now I'm in CCC Amsterdam (http://www.christiancitychurch.eu/amsterdam/), and it's really cool too! It has brought me to another level of faith. In Amsterdam, maybe it's because the people here are city people, their perception of things are different. Maybe that's why I get drawn to Lizby, she has a familiar "British-ness" about her. The atmostphere in CCC Amsterdam is friendly and nice, but you do get the extra boost of Pastor James' vision, and the leaders have a very vision-like mindset! It's cool! I love it! There's just sooo many things to learn from the leaders here. Pastor James is the overseer of the CCC International in Europe. And he always say that he used to be really shy, and scared to preach... kinda hard to believe actually. And he used to be a hippie! But it shows how much God can transform your life.
Sometimes, thinking back makes me yearn for all the good things back then. And sometimes I miss the good things ahead of me. But I've learn to trust God for my future, and wherever He leads me, I know it's gonna be good and even better!
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