bittersweet

If you're tired of my Amsterdam musings, you should skip this post. :)
I was just reading on Eric Asp's blog that Eva has made it safely back to Amsterdam. She was home in Missouri for about 18 months, raising support to return to Amsterdam as a full-time missionary.

I first met Eva on my first missions trip to Amsterdam. She was there for a one-year "short term" trip, and was our "host" while we were there. I remember that I liked Eva right away. I liked her spirit, her passion for God, and her heart for the city. During that trip, we were supposed to help her plan and execute an art event called "The Hug". I have a lot of event planning/coordinating experience, but there's nothing quite like trying to pull off an event in Amsterdam. One of my most distinct memories of Eva was of her walking into the Zolder50 office and announcing that we had just lost the venue we'd planned to use for The Hug. I remember her walking through the door and simply saying "Well... we don't have a venue." Keep in mind, this was less than 48 before the event was supposed to take place. There were flyers and posters up all over Amsterdam advertising the time and location for The Hug.

I remember appreciating Eva in that moment, because she didn't freak out. (Granted, she may have been freaking out on the inside, but if she was... we couldn't tell). She simply made her announcement and went to working trying to locate a new venue.

Over the last 18 months, I've had a lot of conversations with Eva. She even came to Detroit for a few days, which was great. And I was able to see her briefly during the Christmas season. She's truly been a blessing in my life since that first trip to Amsterdam. Even then, when her time in Amsterdam was limited to a year, she knew she wanted to go back long-term. And now she has. It's so awesome to see a dream like that realized in someone's life. She's worked so hard over the last year and a half, raising support and doing all the things necessary to move oversees. I know it's been tough at times, and sometimes the obstacles may have seemed insurmountable. But she just kept moving forward, one step a time. And now she's back, and I couldn't be happier or more excited for her.

I'll miss our conversations. Talking via email just isn't the same. But it gives me one more great excuse to return to Amsterdam. One more friend to visit.

Congrats, Eva. Welcome home. :)