Mike and Anita James

So, when we first moved here, we bought some bicycles.  It’s not only part of the culture here, it’s kind of a necessity.  Bicycle paths everywhere make it safe, and the price of gasoline makes it more than a necessity.  I got a used bike and thought it was a steal.  I didn’t really know how much I would use it.

As it turns out, I use it quite a bit.  (Ok, I’ll be honest and say that I don’t use it as much as most Dutch people, but I’m way beyond what an American does.)  I usually take my bike to the grocery store, and I also take it to Grace’s swim lessons.  I’ve met up in the city with friends and gone to people’s homes to visit with it.  I’ve also done things like take meals to people on my bike and gone to Bible study, church and church meetings.

Bikes here are so much more convenient than cars sometimes.  You can go down paths that are shortcuts or that cars are not allowed on.  It’s actually faster to go to our church with a bike than with a car.  Another beauty of using a bike, besides the general healthier factor, is the money that you save using them.  I mentioned something about gasoline.  I just figured out what I paid for gasoline with the last conversion rate we used.  We’re happy because the conversion rate is actually down at the moment.  Still, we pay about $8.40 per gallon.  Crazy, huh?!  Imagine how much money we save by taking our bikes over the car.  Plus, with a bike, you don’t have to pay for parking.  In my head, I’m hearing the sound of a cash register adding up all the savings from riding a bike.

So, do you want to check out my glorious new ride?  Here she is in all of her splendour:

The new ride

Do you want to know how much better this is than my old bike (which I will actually be giving to a friend who needs a bike)?  This bike has a kick stand.  When there’s no good place to park your bike, you realize how important that is.  The brakes work really well.  That’s kind of important.  I can change gears.  The frame is sturdy enough to haul quite a bit.  My seat is complete and doesn’t have holes that take in water like a sponge.  (Again, rainy weather here really doesn’t help that problem!) My wheels aren’t rusted, and the spokes are all attached.  Yes, those are some of the things that are better about my new bike.  With my old bike the way it was, you might wonder why I’m giving it to a friend.  Hers was stolen, and her husband can do some repairs to the old bike.

You’ll notice that there isn’t a picture of me with the bike.  I took it for it’s first spin to the grocery store.  It was sprinkling a little when I left, but if you wait for it to stop raining here to do something, you might never do anything.  So, I went.  It proceeded to rain harder and then hail.  In case you’ve never cycled in the hail, you might want to know that it isn’t the most pleasant experience.  In fact, it’s a bit painful.  I was going to have Mike take a picture of me when I got back with the bike.  I looked like a drowned rat, so that photo shoot was out.  Maybe tomorrow.

I have to say a big thank you to North Texas Youth Ministries who gave money through Speed the Light to help me get my new bike.  There are kids who sacrificed for me, and I don’t take that lightly!  I can remember giving when I was a teenager for Speed the Light.  I thought it was a pretty awesome program then, and I think it’s even more awesome now!

Things are definitely changing around here.  You can see more and more signs of autumn.  Our time changed last Sunday.  Now, when I take Grace to school, it’s not totally dark.  Unfortunately, it will be before too long since we continue to lose daylight right now.  It also gets dark much earlier.  It makes you really appreciate a sunny day when you get one!  You’d be surprised by how much the lack of daylight affects you.

This might sound like a gloomy post, but for the past few days when I’ve been walking Boomer, I’m reminded of beauty in this time of year.

Leaves on the ground

Just look at those beautiful fall colors on the leaves.  Below it, you can see brilliant, green grass.  A few years ago, we had friends visiting from Africa.  They came in December and were curious about what type of grass the Dutch people planted during the winter.  I didn’t know what they were talking about.  They said, “You know, what kind of grass is it?  It’s so green and it’s wintertime.”  I had been taking it for granted.  We have the same beautiful, green grass all year.  I had a Dutch friend who told me once that there might be a lot of clouds and rain here, but it helps keep the grass beautiful and helps beautiful flowers show up in the spring.

path during autumn

It might be getting a bit cooler outside, but I still enjoy taking Boomer for our daily walks.  If you see the beautiful path where we walk, you would probably enjoy it also.  So, if I can find something beautiful in all these things, maybe I can find something positive about getting into a freezing cold bed for the next few months.  :)

We feel that God is leading us to start a new church in the city of Hoofddorp. We’ll be starting it with some friends of ours, Sietse and Vanessa Houtman. We’re really excited about being used by God in this new way.

Sietse & Vanessa

If you’re wondering if we will still do children’s ministry, the answer is yes but not as much.  We are still doing training and teaching, but when we start the new church, it won’t be our only focus.  We will be doing children’s ministry though.  When you start a new church, you end up doing a lot!

We have a facebook group, Pray for Hoofddorp.  If you’d like to get updates about what is happening or how to pray for us, follow this link, ask to be a part of the group and join us in this new adventure!  http://www.facebook.com/groups/159364030812216/

When we got our dog, Boomer, 5 years ago, I was unaware of a subculture here in The Netherlands.  That subculture is dog owners.  I remember walking with our puppy and having strangers come up to us talking about our dog.  Normally, people here don’t do something like that; they’re much more private.

We definitely weren’t your typical dog owners at the beginning.  We didn’t take our dog for as many walks as most people around here did.  We were happy to let him out in the back yard to do what he needed to do.  In the last few years, I’ve learned to really enjoy taking Boomer for a daily walk.  During the week, we walk for 1.5 miles and on the weekends, we bump it up to 2 miles.  It’s something he very much likes to do.  During these outings, I realized that I slowly had become part of the dog-owning subculture or “one of them.”

In the beginning, I never let Boomer off his leash.  Inside our house, he was apt to bark at anything – especially dogs – that walked by.  He also wasn’t the most obedient.  I was afraid that if I let him loose, I’d never get him back.  Plus, he constantly pulled trying to get to other dogs.  I only saw the bad that could come from that.  I eventually got to the point that I started letting him loose, but only in certain areas where everyone else did.  I started to encounter the same people/dogs everyday.  It reminded me a bit of children’s church.  While I might know all the kids’ names, I have a hard time with their parents’ names.  I found myself talking to the dogs and calling them by name but having no clue as to the owners’ names.

One day, I met a lady walking her dog.  Sometime into our conversation, here’s what was said:

Her – “Ben je een Nederlander?” (Are you Dutch)

Me – “Nee, ik kom uit Amerika.” (No, I’m from America.)

Her – “I’m English!”

Since then, when I see Harvey (I still don’t know her name), I immediately speak English.

Not too long ago, while Boomer and I were out for our walk, I came across someone with their dogs that I’d never seen before.  I went a little further and ran across my neighbor.  Yes, I do know his name.  :)  As we were talking, he pointed to the other man with his dogs and asked me if I knew them.  I said, “No, I’ve never seen them walking around here before.”  It hit me then: I’ve become one of them.  I’ve found that when I’m jogging, other joggers greet me like we’re great friends.  When I’m walking my dog, I really have built relationships because of Boomer.

Last week, Boomer had to have surgery to remove stones from his bladder.  He has stitches and isn’t allowed to scratch them.  In the house, he has to wear a t-shirt that is more like a onesie.  It even has snaps that go on either side of his tail.  It’s better for him than a cone, but it’s a bit of a hassle for us at times.

Boomer's onesie

When I’m taking him for a walk, it’s definitely in the way, so I take it off.  Until the stitches come out, he has to stay on his leash while on walks.  I feel like we’ve stepped back in time when I was afraid to let him loose.  I’m also concerned with what the other owners will say.  Yep, I’m definitely “one of them!”

I know I’m biased when it comes to The Netherlands, but honestly, I can’t believe that there is a more beautiful place in Spring.  Don’t believe me?  Here is some proof:

Canal near our house

Everyday I take our dog for a walk.  What a beautiful view I get to see and enjoy!

Blooming tree

I love walking by this tree. It looks a bit like snow when its petals start to fall.

Spring flowers

I know what you’re thinking.  It’s Spring in Holland.  Surely you’ve got some tulips around.  Of course we do.  In fact, we have a few in our front yard.  They’re so pretty that I don’t want to pick them.  I just enjoy looking at them in the ground.  One thing I love here is when we go into Leiden.  There’s a farmer who sells flowers pretty cheaply.  Today we went by, and I saw that he was selling 5 bundles for 5 euros.  That’s 50 flowers for 5 euros.  Do the math!  You can’t get anything priced like that in America.  I brought them home, and they were too much for my large vase, so I had to add an additional vase.  Beautiful!

My Tulip Bargain

We finished a series on the Fruit of the Spirit. It was a lot of fun. We recycled an old song we did years ago that taught the kids the list.  To get the actual lessons into their heads, we did some of my favorite videos so far. You can check out our youtube channel to see them: www.youtube.com/mikeandanita.

We also had a few Zuper Zondags during the series. We’ve got an incredible lady who comes up with crafts for us. Here are a few of her ideas for the kids.

Fruit tree

Fruit mouse

Of course, the kids were creative and made things in their own way.

Kid's fruit mouse

For our last lesson, we talked about good fruit vs bad fruit. Mike offered bad fruit first to the kids and then gave out good fruit.  It was a good visual for the kids and adults as well. The apple was so gross! Mike put it in a plastic bag and simply pushed on it causing it to explode. I definitely want to have good fruit in my life!

Good fruit vs bad fruit

We often play “What’s Your Favorite” as a family. Generally, one person will ask a question about a favorite thing.  It could be things like what your favorite movie, tv show, song, game, etc is.  Grace often asks what our favorite season is.  Her “favorite” season is: fall (because her birthday falls during that season), winter (because of snow and holidays), spring (because of the flowers) and summer (because of no school).

My favorite season is spring. I love the hope that comes after a long winter and gray skies. I love the flowers making their first appearances and warmer temperatures. We’ve had a few days of warmer weather. Well, I guess warmer is relative. I saw that for family in America, it has been much warmer than it has here. Nevertheless, I’ll take the warmer temperatures we’ve had. The highs have been 10 – 15 C (in the 50s F). I got so excited that I decided to wear a short sleeve shirt and flip flops when we went out. Mike laughed at me, and I realized that it was a bit too soon for that. I’ve added a hoodie to my t-shirt and traded my flip flops for warmer slippers.

We can see flowers beginning to bloom everywhere. They’re so beautiful. With that, blue skies and warmer weather, it’s hard not to get excited. Now, if it will only get a little bit warmer, I can break out the flip flops and not freeze trying to wear them!

Home is a relative term to many, but it does invoke certain feelings.  I just spent a week in Madrid, Spain getting great training on video editing.  I met some new friends and got to see some old ones.

Living in The Netherlands, you’d think that I would love Spain more than anything – especially since we’re from the South in America where it’s warmer and sunnier.  You’d think that, wouldn’t you?  Yet, when I look out and see Madrid, I see a brown landscape that doesn’t do much for me.  There were people at the training from other parts of the world who talked about how much they loved it in Spain, and I was thinking about how much I’d rather be home.  It didn’t help that I got sick while I was there and away from my husband and daughter for seven days.  Thank God for Skype that allows me to call them while I’m away!

Yesterday in Madrid, it was 20 degrees.  For those of you who don’t speak Celcius, that’s 68 F.  It was sunny and beautiful.  In The Netherlands, it had warmed up to 10 (50 F) and was rainy.  That’s not an unusual occurrence.  I had to leave for the airport this morning at 5:45 and didn’t sleep well because I was so worried about having everything set for the flight.  Luckily I got to catch up on some of that sleep on the flight.  The pilot announced that it was windy in Amsterdam (no shock there!) and that we might have turbulence before landing.  Every bump brought me closer to home and got me happier and happier.  When we finally broke through the clouds and I could see the ground, so many things brought me joy.

First of all, there was GREEN everywhere.  I forget sometimes how comforting that color can be.  Secondly, there was water.  When we fly into Dallas, Texas, the only water I see on the ground is in swimming pools, but here in The Netherlands, it’s au natural.  Then, I saw the houses, and it made me think of our house.  After that, I saw bicycle paths on one of the streets.  Once again, it was comforting.

The Spanish people clap when a plane lands, and I thought it was appropriate.  I clapped along because I was so happy to be back. When we landed, I saw that our airplane was making tracks in the water standing on the runway.  Yep, it was windy and raining.  Home!  One man nearly fell over when leaving the plane because of the wind.  I smiled – not because I was laughing at him – but because it was somehow comforting to have this weather greet me.  Crazy, huh?

So, I went to get my bag and go by Starbucks.  That’s definitely not a Dutch institution, but I decided to get a hot chocolate.  I guess I needed even more comfort.  I got home and was first welcomed by my dog.  I had really missed him.  Then, Mike and Grace got back from church.  After sitting and talking for a while, Grace said, “Mom, can I give you another hug?”  Of course, I said yes and breathed a sigh.  I’m home!

I love it when the sun is out – especially after many gray days!  We seem to have had a long time of rainy, gray days.  I’ve even had to put sunglasses on.  I had to dig around to find them at the bottom of my purse.  One spring, maybe 2006, I had a day like that.  I had to dig my sunglasses out only to find that they had spent so much time being abused at the bottom of my purse that they had broken.  I’m happy to report that my sunglasses are injury-free.

Yesterday, I stopped and realized that I need to thank God for the gray ones too.  If nothing else, they make me appreciate the blue skies when they’re here.  I started to think about my life.  Do I sit and complain about the hard times or do they help me appreciate when things are easier for me.  Or, do I only focus on my problems and not thank God when things are smooth sailing?

It made me think of Philippians 4:12.  Paul said, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Grace can be classified as a third-culture kid.  She is an American living in The Netherlands.  She’s not fully Dutch and at the same time, she doesn’t totally relate to people in America.

When I observe her, I see some differences in her from most American kids.  First of all, she only understands temperature in Celsius.  We were Skyping with my family, they mentioned that the weather had been in the 70s.  I looked at Grace and asked her if she  knew what that meant.  She didn’t, so I told her that it was about 20 degrees.  She immediately knew what that was.

She also has an odd mix of vocabulary and spelling.  She is taught English on a British curriculum, so she writes about how many metres it is to the centre of town.

Grace can also compare the voices of cartoons in English versus Dutch.  She said that Spongebob is weird to hear in Dutch because they don’t sound too much like their English counterparts.  Mickey Mouse, however, sounds exactly the same – except for the fact that he’s speaking another language.

When it comes to traveling, Grace has more miles under her belt than most adults.  She’s flown over the Atlantic Ocean seven times.  When we go somewhere, she’s the one to remind us that we’ll need our passports.  While we’re in The Netherlands, we don’t travel all that often, but since countries are small and it’s easy to get from one place to the next, she’s been to quite a few countries.

Grace’s list of best friends changes often.  One friend in America has stayed on the top of the list since Grace was a baby though.  Some of her other best friends she’s had here have moved to places like Spain, Libya, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain.  Between that and being in an international school, Grace’s world geography knowledge is pretty good.

I often think about what an amazing opportunity it is for her to grow up in another culture while at the same time wondering what it’ll be like when she goes back to the States or where she’ll end up when she’s older.  I do my best to help her as a mom, but I have to leave most of that in God’s hands!