I cannot believe I have already been here three weeks. I don't feel like I have learned enough for it to have been three weeks already! It seems like just yesterday I was arriving here early in the morning, so early that no one was awake to answer the door. So early, that I just kept on ringing the bell until someone let me in. So early that once I finally made it into the building, my sleep deprived brain told me I had to force myself to stay awake for the entire day, prompting me to attend a small group breakfast and Bible study despite my fatigue. I made it through the breakfast, but fell asleep about ten seconds into the Bible study. Not a great first impression probably! I managed to make it through the rest of a day that felt very long indeed and started work the very next evening.
My first training shift was evening cafe, normally a shift that requires very little cooking. However, this night happened to be a hostel night meaning we were supposed to provide food for everyone who attended: about 30 people. Plus the guy they assigned to train me, Ryan, is actually a senior receptionist, who has only worked in the kitchen maybe five times. It was close, but we managed to get the food out in time. Trainers without a lot of experience is kind of a recurring theme here at the hostel. Lukas, who trained me on morning cafe had apparently not done morning cafe for five years. Not weeks or months, years. Thankfully there is a checklist of things you need to finish each cafe shift, so we were able to follow that.
For cafe, you only get three training shifts, and then you are on your own. Then, after being on your own for two days, you are apparently ready to train other people. I arrived at the hostel about a week before a major transition of staff. In the span of about three days, most of the old staff left and a whole ton of new people arrived. This meant people who hadn't been here very long and didn't have a lot of experience in the kitchen were expected to know things well enough to explain it to other people. I trained Molly on the afternoon cafe shift, which meant making dinner, despite the fact that I had only been on that shift once before. We had many questions about the chicory casserole we were expected to make, including "How do we turn on the oven?" and "Where are the potatoes?" and "What is a chicory?". Fortunately, there was someone being trained on reception that day as well, so whenever it was slow, one of the receptionist would come and help us out.
Now I am again finishing up a series of trainings. This week, I was trained on reception as I mentioned in my last post. My first shift on my own is Monday, so please keep that in your prayers! My training has gone well, though. Reception is a neat job, because you get the chance to introduce people to the idea of a Christian hostel when they check-in and you get to see how it's effected them when they check-out. It's really amazing to hear so many people tell me they can feel something different about this hostel, that they can sense a calm here they don't feel in other parts of the city. It's a great opening to talk to them about the presence of God and often people are actually willing to talk about it. One morning I met a woman\named Julia who seemed very reserved and reluctant to talk. That evening, I sat down with her and another staff member, Thirza, to eat dinner and to my surprise Julia completely opened up. She explained that she wanted to know more about God, but had always found church to be uninviting and hard to understand. Being in the atmosphere of our hostel, however, she felt welcomed and able to talk about God and ask questions that she normally would feel uncomfortable sharing. I don't know if she is a Christian now, but I do know we made an impression on her life that God can use. And ultimately that's what this is about: talking to people to the best of our ability and leaving it up to God to change their hearts. No matter how much training we have or how prepared we feel, God can always use us in some way.
Kyra,
ReplyDeleteAs I was on The City today, I noticed that Michael Crocker had included a link to your blog so that we could see how things were going for you in Amsterdam. Once I clicked on it, I was immediately engaged! You have a lovely writing voice, and it's a treat to hear about not only the daily activities but also how God is already using you in a specific way. I truly believe that God shared a picture of you with me on the Sunday that we prayed for you...perhaps your mom and dad shared it with you. I can still see you laughing and bouncing away at the top of a fountain of water...surrounded and lifted up by those here that love you. You are meant for amazing things, and I can't wait to hear more about what God does through YOU. Praying for you now.... :)
Stacy Smith
Thank you so much for your comment! My parents did mention your picture of me, but to be honest I hadn't really thought about it since being here. This morning I was feeling quite overwhelmed with everything I had to do and opening my e-mail and being reminded of that image just encouraged me more than I can properly expressed. I'm glad you are enjoying the blog; it's good to hear that people find it interesting. I appreciate the prayer very much! Thank you again!
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