c o u r a g e o u s * d e t e r m i n e d * m e r c i f u l
Hello all! This is a quick post to let all of you know that we are in Amsterdam and all is well! We have spent the past 5 weeks chasing paper trails, clearing goods through customs, and finding a place to stay in Amsterdam. I am now resurfacing briefly to say that we are here and all is well!
My permanent link to cyberspace is currently severed (painful), but we are working to remedy that, and you will soon be hearing more from us!
Thank you to all for all of your support and prayers!
This is it! Today we will board a one way flight to Amsterdam! We have spent the past couple of weeks in an intense “packing mode.” On Thursday we received a large shipping container which we promptly packed with the help of some of our amazing neighbors. Friday, we watched a truck drive away with all of our worldly possessions to be loaded on a ship to Rotterdam. We spent all day Saturday packing our luggage, and cleaning the house (Thank you Lina & Bård!). By the way, if you ever need to get some windows cleaned, I now know a specialist in that field.
We are overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude for the land of Norway, the city of Kristiansand, and our dear friends here. When we moved to Kristiansand in 2002, it was just Sarah and I. Now we are a family of five! Norway is where we became a family, and where we adopted our dear Norwegian family members into our hearts.
We have been anticipating this day for nearly a year. These months have been filled with waiting on God, listening to Him, making plans, and allowing Him to direct our steps. Now we are amazed that it is actually here!
We would greatly appreciate your prayers today for our travels, for our furniture, etc. (that it would arrive safely and clear customs smoothly), and that we would receive a fast answer on our working visa in the Netherlands.
More updates to come as we get settled in Amsterdam…
Happy Spring 2010! Its finally warming up here in Kristiansand, Norway after a very long and very cold winter! As you know we are getting ready to move to Amsterdam and we have already started packing and throwing away things that we don´t need anymore, etc… Ida is starting to understand that we are moving from Norway and she is sad that she will be saying goodbye to her friends here, but thankfully we are not moving too far away so future visits are a definite possibility! She is very excited about starting 1st grade at a Dutch school! We are all very excited about the move and the kids have had a chance to meet some Dutch people already and have tasted some of the Dutch treats, so they have had a “taste” of what living in the Netherlands will be like. 
As pictured above, Ida and Max recently got a haircut. I cut off about 4.5 inches from Ida´s hair and Max´s was looking pretty shaggy before I trimmed it! Alexia is doing well, she is 6 months old and quite a happy and easy going baby. Please check out the recent pictures I posted in the Picture Gallery section labeled: Spring 2010: Ida, Max and Alexia.
We are in the process of moving our family to Amsterdam, and as many of you know this is an expensive task. For legal help with our visa, visa fees, transportation, moving our belongings, and getting set up in an apartment, it will cost about $15,000. We have about two months to raise the necessary funds. We have friends in both Norway and The Netherlands who want to invest in this as well, so your contribution would be a part of a truly international partnership!
We are happy to announce that the cost of our move is now posted as an official missions project with Foursquare Missions International, and you can contribute to it online! All contributions small and large are gladly received and appreciated!
To partner with us in this, please visit this link:
http://fmi.foursquare.org/adopt/project.sd?iid=1410
Thank you, and we will keep you updated on how this journey continues!
The past few days have been quite busy scouting apartments, meeting people, and preparing for our move here to Amsterdam. With a slow morning on my hands, I make my way on foot to one of my favorite places in Downtown Amsterdam – Cafe Debalie. They serve one of my favorite lunches here: an open faced sandwich with generous portions of Old Amsterdam cheese on some delicious brown bread. My hopeless addiction to oude kaas (old Dutch cheese) satisfied, and some fresh caffeine in my system, I take in my surroundings. This cafe is a gathering point for local artists, writers, and film makers to collaborate, gain perspective from each other, or to simply enjoy some good food and atmosphere. I hear discussions about independent film, music, local galleries, recent inspirations, or just the determined clicking of laptop keyboards. Thank God for Dutch cheese and free wifi!
As I take pause to be present and enjoy this place, I am reminded of one of the reasons why I love artists and the arts. Artists are missional people by nature. Good art is functional. That is to say, it has a mission – it is an expression of perspective, belief, and an invitation to participate in the inspiration of the artist. Most artists I know are not threatened by or defensive toward difference. Often the arts celebrate the truth of love, beauty, or suffering, and seek to present them in ways and mediums that invite us to participate with the artist in their encounter with that particular truth. Missional and participatory by nature – I love it!
I have found some great prospective apartments and neighborhoods to live in here – now all we need is for our visa to be granted quickly, and to gather the $$ needed for the move. Small details in context of the providence that continues to lead us to this city. I look forward to making our home among the people of Amsterdam, and participating with our neighbors in ways that practically and meaningfully add value to our community, and see and celebrate together the transforming truth of the love that God has for us all.
We are Adam and Sarah Hartel, and together with our children Ida, Max, and Alexia, we are a family living the Gospel in Europe.
