will stacken - ywam amsterdam staff

Hey One and All Well its been a few weeks now that I have been back and man...It still feels good. I am blown away every time I go to the Cleft. Don't get me wrong, its not always easy. Not by a long shot, but I am so very blessed to be there. I have the joy of...peace. Seriously. At the close of everyday I have the peace of knowing that I am right in the city...in the ministry...in the life that God desires for me. No joke. I think to myself, how many other people do I know that get such a great peace at the close of the day? Today I was talking with someone here in the RLD. He was someone working with an outreach team that came to work with the Cleft. I spent most of my time particpating with what God was already doing in his life...He came from a moderately broken home I could tell from his words...He had a passed of chemical abuse...Was involved in that whole lifestyle (all its pain, affects, and dysfunction)...However, he had become a Christian some years back. Now he was in the process of just walking out his sobriety and becoming a Christian. But there was something I missed in his story. Something that he did not share to me about. That was simply about his rehabilitation. About how he learned about the causes of it all...About how he dealt with his addict mantality...About how he built the bridges of maturity. I didnt he those things...Also, I could see it how he began to share with me all this over the course of 45 mintues, without stoping. My point in all this being...This is someone who was hurting. He had been through so much. He had not yet reached the wholeness he needs and desires. He just talked to me...I had some how become a safe person for him. How? I dont really know. But I was able to listen to him. He had come on this missions trip by chance...and now he was here in the RLD with me. Funny eh? Anyway...That was just on my mind. I tried to share with him what I have learned about life and mission...about what I have seen in my here in such an unhealthy place...But I am learning that at certain times I just need to listen. Listening is a safe and comforting response when people share the difficult traumas of life. This is the wisdom I have gleened. So...in the end I say of this blog "Take what you like, and leave the rest."

Hey All... I gotta admit that these last few weeks back here in Amsterdam have been so hectic...but, oh, so good! I am surprised to see how much I truly missed this city. So many things about this city...from the art of it...the many different types of people in it...and the overall culture of Amsterdam. All these different components of this city I really did miss. The one thing I am finding to be such a joy is my work in the RLD. We were blessed to have a team from America come and work with us a few days from an Amsterdam church called the Zolder. They came to work with us on a Tuesday afternoon for street prayer and evangelism. It was such a blessing to have them! They were so passionate...they were certainly blessed by it and the area that I love was impacted by it. Its great to see how God blesses those who give so much, eh? Overall, its good to be back. It feels like I missed out on so much while I was away, but I know that God had be in India for some very good reasons. I have been able to put to good use the things I learned in the ABC. This has been a blessing and a relief. It encouraging to see that God equipped me so me well. But...Thats about it. I have been given the chance to take on some responsibility as a ministry leader at the Cleft since one of our staff took his 3 month furlough. This is a challenge, but quite exciting. I am looking forward to takin the bull by the horn. So, with that said...Thank you all for you thoughts, prayers, and emails! Take Care... in Him...Will

Hey Gang... Well is 7:00 am in Milan, Italy as I write this update. I am on my 2 hour layover here before I fly north to Amsterdam. I am so excited to be back, nothing against India in the least. Its like my dad always said whenever he and my mom went some where (which was not often!)..."Its nice to go some place, but its always nice to come home." I reflect on that thought quite a bit. India was an amazing experience. God taught me things about relationships, counseling and people I never dreamed I would know. Also, God taught me about myself the most, I am a man with many faults and someone who God is always working on....someone He is challenging to "live from your heart!" That was one thing I truly did learn to ask myself in this school, "What does it look like to live from my heart in this situation." Translation..."What does the heart of Jesus look like here?" I am excited to get back to Amsterdam for sure though...I anticipate what ministry is going to look like now. How will my outlook and view of my work change? How will I do it better? What angles and techniques does God want to employ through me? These are just a few of the huge questions rolling through my head. These are questions I truly do rely of God for answers too. So thanks for your prayers...emails...and such in this time. It was truly a time of refinement...but also as Psalm 23 talks about "green pastures"...Thanks to you all. God Bless....Will