Quagmire

Have you been wondering about what's going on with the new ministry facility on the Herengracht? I know I sure have...

It's been a few weeks since I last posted about our church's new home in the heart of Amsterdam's grachtengordel. And even though there's been a continued process of renovation (some plaster work, reconstruction of some wider doorways, installation of some technical fire safety measures) -- and even though I've got the inside track on all the up-to-the-minute information -- I have to admit that I myself am somewhat uncertain about what's going on with the Herengracht 88.

To put it succinctly, the Herengracht 88 has become a bit of a quagmire.

It is neither rational nor relevant to disclose the particulars of the situation -- suffice to say that we've run into challenges on just about every front: with the building owner, with the contractors, with the city officials, with members of our own team, with our own consciences... At times, I'm content to let the process run its course -- as I know it should. But at other times, I worry that we've gotten ourselves into a land war in Asia. As with about a thousand other instances throughout the last four years of establishing a church in the heart of Amsterdam, we've found ourselves in way over our heads, just a bunch of hacks trying to figure things out as we go. And yet -- and yet... God always seems to always find a way to take care of us.

I've been told that virtually all such building/renovation projects always seem to take longer than expected, require more money than expected, and run into more problems than expected... So if that's the case, then this project is right on track! Still, I would hope that we could soon see a resolution to the renovation process, so we can move into the space and be done with it. Of course, I'll do my best to keep you updated... And if you could, please pray with us for God's intervention in the situation.