Hello all! Many of you know that I was in Nakuru, Kenya this past summer with Damascus Road International Church in collaboration with House of Praise Church International Church– Just yesterday, one of the houses in the dumpsite village caught fire and caused some extensive damage. Please consider supporting Pastor Kennedy Otieno Audi and the rebuild!!
We are praying that this family is funded as soon as possible
God bless
This is my first week working at World Horizons USA & Hillside Mission, partner international missions organizations based in Richmond, Virginia
A little background: The focus of our activities is upon ‘church-neglected’ parts of the world, places where there are no churches, or very few Christians. We have more than 400 people from more than twenty nations, serving full-time in more than thirty nations. We are non-denominational and have members of many different churches serving with us!
The organization recruits, trains, sends, and supports workers for mission in ministries that include church-planting, business as mission, art as mission, schools and education, refugee outreach and internships. We’re engaged in a wide diversity of ministries because we are committed to making disciples among those who have had the least opportunity to know the gospel of Christ. We do this in response to our love for our neighbors and Christ’s great commission to take the gospel into all the nations.
I will be working on the Art as Missions and Refugee Care teams!
Art as Missions
Gallery Edit, where our office is located, is a gallery in Richmond that exists as a collaboration of Hillside Missions and World Horizons, two Christian mission organizations working together to establish Christian community in nations where it does not exist. In Richmond, that means inviting Christian artists to display their work— work that they can say is a direct result of their faith and work that starts a conversation. We’re bringing people together to appreciate beautiful things that God has inspired! Since it’s also an international missions organization, we’d like to use this gallery as a prototype and support galleries like this in other countries— especially those where people are not able to express their faith.
Refugee Care
Working with partner organizations in target cities, we support aid programs specifically designed to respond holistically to refugees’ needs by providing food, clothing, medical care, childcare, and education. We are also actively reaching out to and helping to care for refugees in Richmond, Virginia.
If you would like to receive a newsletter, please comment with your email.
All of our staff rely on fundraised donations to support their work, so if you would like to provide financial support, please click here: http://www.worldhorizonsusa.org/donate/
In addition to my name, please add the ID number: 21713
Please feel free to ask me any questions about the work that I am and will be doing before considering offering support!
Much love <3
Skye
After that, we were off to…
The Hague/Scheveningen Beach, The Hague
We walked around the Hague a bit and ran into a music festival where we had the pleasure of watching this rad older couple dance with each other to some live rock.
We walked around the Binnenhof before deciding to go to Scheveningen Beach, even though we knew the water might be cold as the sun started to get a little lower in the sky. We got directions from Italians at a restaurant, who Salvatore spoke Italian with, hopped a tram and made the 30 minute ride to the beach. I barely get to go to the ocean/sea, unlike some people *coughSalvatore* who get to live on an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Naples *coughSalvatore* so i was beyond delighted to be so close to the ocean and to play in the sand! The water was heavenly for my blistered, tired feet and after my artistic endeavors on the beach (see the sandy sea turtle above), I soon remembered how much I hate sand.
The sun was going down and I no longer could comfortably wear my flip flops. We caught the tram and headed back toward the train station to get to Haarlem before the sun had completely set!
Haarlem
By this time, I was getting reallly tired and my feet were nearly unbearable and I was ready to go home– especially since I’d already been to Haarlem with my parents. But, I walked slowly and let Salvatore do his thing and we explored a little bit before the sun had set and we took the train from Haarlem to Amsterdam to catch our 2 hour train back down to Maastricht.
What a day!!
Scheveningen Beach, The Hague
Salvatore is half Dutch and gets free travel on the weekends with the NS, and I bought a NS Treinkaartje so I had a flat fee to travel all day within the Netherlands so we decided to go on a NETHERLANDS ADVENTURE.
Our first stop was Eindhoven–honestly not much going on in the morning and we just went to a Bagel and Beans for iced coffee and to prepare ourselves for the blazing day ahead of us. We walked up one of the main streets and back to the station before heading off to….
Rotterdam!
It was vital for us to go to Rotterdam, the biggest port city in the Netherlands and home of an infamous indoor market. Since most of the architecture was destroyed after the world wars, it has been largely reconstructed over the last few decades, resulting in “bold, modern architecture.”
After browsing the large market, checking out the odd architecture and taking a little break on the dock, we left Rotterdam and headed toward…
Delft
Delft is a quaint little town known for the quintessentially Dutch beautiful blue and white pottery that originates from the town. During our time here we saw multiple wedding parties–even one that had a Delft blue themed wedding dress! Delft is also the birth and home town of Johannes Vermeer, of the Dutch Golden Age (most famous for Girl with a Pearl Earring. It’s a very picturesque town and we took many pictures of the canals on Vlamingstraat, where we only later found out was the same street as his painting Het Straatje! By that time, we were hot, thirsty, hungry and my feet hurt like crazy (I decided that this day was the day to wear a brand new pair of flip flops). We had some delicious sandwiches at Bij Best (definitely would recommend!) and a nice cool drink and a bathroom break before continuing our journey to the town square where the bells were ringing!
I had the absolute pleasure of watching one of my best friends get baptized on May 21st in the Maas River. She, along with three other young adults, made the commitment to live their lives to be more like Jesus and I’m so happy for them!!
Matthew 28:19 (NIV) “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
The next day I spent at the printers doing the final edits on my thesis– it was a 45 minute bike ride away and was a very tedious day. Finally, the printer and I went over the last details and I biked back to the city center to join Karen for a complimentary dinner, courtesy of her lovely friend, the chef! That evening, my flatmate Kaye and her boyfriend Tom surprised me with a celebratory little cheese plate and wine, delivered to my bedroom! What a day!
On the 23rd our good friend Andrea, who had been in Maas on exchange last year, came back to visit!!
A quick current update, to interrupt my slow trudge through the past year.
It’s that time of year again, when everything becomes gezellig and warm. I was on my way home to Virginia, via Reykjavik, and even though my first flight was delayed due to the weather, I had a certain peace and excitement. After living in the Netherlands for two and a half years, it’s finally time to return home. I will admit, I’m a bit worried about the adjustment. While I have been home for summers and Christmas breaks during my time away, this time it’s ~relatively~ permanent (for the near future!). Additionally, I don’t have everything squared away for my future employment and I have Sarah visiting in three days and Christmas is coming up and there’s not much time for grief or adjustment so I’m just gonna cannonball into it and pray to God that He gives me the strength and support I need for this last month of 2017.
2017 has been the “year of acting on things realized”, which means it was a year of doing, moving, creating, travel and everything else action-oriented. It’s been a crazy exhausting year and still probably one of the best years of my life…a huge step up from last year (2016, the year of realizing things) which was a mess, but a mess that I can’t deny, helped me prepare for this year. I don’t know what to expect from 2018, but I’m getting better at letting that go and trusting that the Lord and I can work together to make something good of it. I look forward to sitting by the fire, drinking hot cocoa, shoveling snow, spending time with my family and baking cookies. I look forward to showing Sarah around my US home, returning to healthy friendships and meeting new friends and colleagues. I look forward to being challenged with new work and to explore my art further. I have felt so much confirmation in the way of teaching and children’s scientific illustrations, and I am confident that God has an exciting future ahead of me.
This last week in the Netherlands has been so emotionally exhausting, but I believe the Holy Spirit was with me in such a way that I could enjoy every second without being overwhelmed by the fact that I might not see my international family for a (potentially) very long time. Now that I’m back, maybe I’m fine, or maybe I’m repressing my emotions horrendously, or maybe I just haven’t properly confronted that realization.
Regardless, I’m back, hitting the ground running and absolutely delighted to start this new chapter of my life. Soon I will return to updating June-December 😅 this was one of the busiest years of my life, so please be patient!
Love,
Skye
Karen was one of my first friends in Maastricht and I’m so grateful to have met her. She is a talented artist, thoughtful friend and incredibly motivated, hard-worker (even if she doesn’t feel that way all the time). Look at her go!! Wooo! She is also really fun and cute and loves swing dancing and jazzzzz. I had a lovely time celebrating her birthday with her. Even if we don’t hang out as often as we used to, I will miss her so much when I leave in a few months!! Kick some major dutch illustration butt!!!!
The next few days were filled with mother’s day (14th), an entrepreneurship conference (Maastricht Entrepreneurship Week) (15th) where Karen, Michal and I learned about building a website from an advertising perspective, beginning a company, struggles we might face and more! I also happened to bump into my previous flatmate, Deepthy who was there to support a friend who was speaking! The next night was a LUSH face mask and movie girl’s night (16th), followed by a day of coffee and a walk in the park (17th), hanging out at the Millers (18th) to make cheesecake for Karen’s birthday!!
The 19th, aside from being a wonderful day when a wonderful person was born, also happened to be the day we got our first test print!! I was so excited to hold it in my HANDS. The Beesis was on its way to becoming a finished work :’)
What’s better than the day after a huge deadline? I was clean. I had slept in. I woke up late with not a care or worry in the world. The weather was actually gorgeous. I decided to make 13 May #bestday2017 and took a walk down to the Markt to get a delicious American breakfast at FAB (Famous American Bistro).
I had been living off of peanut butter and crackers, coffee and an occasional Mounds bar for the last few weeks and knew I needed to start my free-woman diet with some good ol’ breakfast food. I was not disappointed. I took my time eating and learned how to properly eat a halved kiwi in the process. After my breakfast, I went to the Dominicanen Boekhandel, got a big cappuccino and browsed the children’s books for a while.Then I walked back home and stopped to pet antique store dog who was as fluffy and chill as ever. I went home and chatted with Kaye for a bit before getting a message from Becky inviting me to go with their family to Wingbergerhoeve Fruit & Ijs out in Geleen.
We stopped on the way to take pictures of the rainbow over the gorgeous pastoral landscape! When we arrived we got massive delicious sundaes for a ridiculously cheap price and shared a little picnic. Little did I know, this included a little birthday surprise! Just spending time with this family is a huge joy and despite some turbulent events, it was a wonderful evening. #bestday2017
It was around May 12 that a honey bee flew into my room and sought refuge from the rain. I lived on the third floor in the attic room and slept under the slanted roof. My room gathered heat like asphalt on a summer day so the windows were nearly always open, year round. On this particular day, I was doing my best to get some much needed shut-eye (today was the day that I was going to the printers!) since I had stayed up late the night before. I knew I had a lot of corrections to make still and a lot of work was needed to tie up loose ends. The room was getting pretty warm as the early morning sun poured in through the windows and even though my bed was far away and I was in a deep sleep, I heard a buzzing. I woke up and tried to ignore it but it just sounded so loud, like it was in my ear. I couldn’t sleep. I kept listening to the buzzing and noticed there was something different about it– that was surely no fly. I whipped off my duvet and ran over to the window. Sure enough, a honey bee was stuck at the window frame. I tried to guide her to the window opening, but she eventually just stopped and sat on the frame, looking out at the rain.
I left that day for the studio, to finish up everything that I could and send it to my teacher. I finished a teensy bit earlier than a few of my classmates and left to go home for a quick wash and snack. My bee friend was still there! I went out for drinks with Karen and Eric, my teacher and a few classmates the year under to celebrate being DONE! We were all so tired :’)
That evening, I wanted to just go to sleep, but I saw my bee friend was still there!! She must’ve been so hungry!! I mixed up a little sugar water and got her to buzz down to the dish. However, due to the shape of the dish, she was having trouble getting to the little oasis. In a sleepy stupor, I decided to put a drop on my finger and see if she could drink it that way. She timidly approached my finger and then, with her forelegs, boosted herself up and stretched out her long proboscis to get a lil drink. Her little antennae hastily tickled my finger as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
I probably hung out with her, feeding her and letting her crawl on my arm, for about an hour and a half before she flew up to my birthday banner and decided to roost for the evening. I, too, was in desperate need for sleep.
Eventually, she left, but continued to return intermittently for the next few weeks! More updates in a bit
My 25th birthday (on May 10th) was sandwiched in the middle of an incredibly busy and stressful week. I am so thankful for everyone who made it so special! Tuesday nights were our small group nights that Kaye and I hosted for university student bible study. Normally we made dinner and would have a long discussion and learning and prayer etc, but I gave Kaye the reins to prepare that week and ended up with a lovely birthday celebration!! It was such a wonderful surprise and I was so thankful to be able to take time to have a breath and celebrate and share in fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ. And, it didn’t even add extra stress because it was time that I normally would have set aside during my week! My birthday seemed to be bee-themed this year (for obvious reasons) and I couldn’t have been more pleased!! The next day, on my actual birthday, I was surprised with homemade chocolate chip cookie cake courtesy of Karen, who remembered that I didn’t like cake and that my mom and dad would get me a chocolate chip cookie cake instead each year! Additionally, I received super thoughtful illustrations from my classmates.
Every year I am reminded simultaneously of the people I am blessed to have in my life– people who care about me and who I care about deeply. Here’s to a new year of fun, fellowship, friends and family!
Wow the first two weeks of May were a wild ride. The thesis was supposed to be off to the printers for a print proof on May 12 so the first two weeks were an endless cycle of leaving for the studio at 845 to get there at 9, working until 10p, in the computer lab and then going home to work on the traditional art from 10pm until 3 or 4 in the morning and waking up early to get to the studio by 9am the next day. Binge playing Arrow on Netflix kept me awake during my late evenings, but I loved the return of night-time creating…a common theme throughout my life. When I was young, I would get in trouble for cutting some crafts in the middle of the night under my covers (turns out moms can hear scissors and crunch paper pretty well), and even now I find myself getting a creative itch around midnight and have to make something– a piece of a cosplay costume, a birthday card, a mini sketchbook to take on my next adventure. Regardless, these first two weeks of May were exhausting and productive and ultimately, I was incredibly proud of what I managed to produce!
You can check out more of the Beesis on my art blog: http://www.justskyesart.tumblr.com
Pictures from the All-Church Retreat!!
When I first moved to the Netherlands, I found a church online called Damascus Road. I had just googled “english speaking churches in Maastricht” and it was the first one to come up. I read the “about” page and it seemed like we shared the same values so I checked it out one Sunday morning. I loved the atmosphere and have continued to go there ever since! Within the first few months of attending this church (so, like, maybe going 8 times?) I decided to join the All-Church Retreat. It gave me the opportunity to meet everyone in an even more relaxed and fun setting, crossing the line between age groups and living in the same quarters as my peers. It really made an impression.
The next year, they didn’t host an all church retreat, but instead pushed it to this spring. So with a nostalgic heart, I attended the next one in my final semester in Maastricht. It was a very welcome and much needed break from the thesis rush–However, this time was different. This time, I was surrounded by friends and family. I didn’t feel like the new kid trying to meet people and find someone to talk to during breaks. Instead, I was actively involved in the group scavenger hunt, I was on Matthew’s coffee-snob morning fresh brew shortlist, I actually was there for the group picture instead of by myself in the woods, and I had an absolutely wonderful time. I will miss this family so much when I finally actually do leave Maastricht!!
