8% Sounds Like a Small Number...

Until you fall into that category. Which Amanda and I (and Grayson too, in a way) did just yesterday. You see, Amsterdam is a city of bikes. Almost everyone in the city cycles as their normal mode of transportation. And, in a city that is relatively low in crime, bike theft is uncommonly high. The website iamsterdam.com says that in 2007, 8% of the bikes in the city were stolen (down from 16% in 2001). Count the Nash bikes into that statistic for 2008.

We've had our bikes for a little over a week, and were just becoming comfy. Grayson's little bike seat fit him perfectly...and he loved to ride! (see the picture in the sidebar) But, as of yesterday, someone else in the city has our bikes and Grayson's bike seat.

It went down like this: We were headed to a suburb in the south of the city to do some shopping for our new apartment. It is quite a ways, so we biked to the metro station, and chained our bikes up along with a couple hundred others. To make it easier on ourselves, we chained our bikes together (with two chains, of course!) against a pole. Well, when we got back from our shopping trip later that afternoon, all that was left were a few hacked-off chain links. It was a two-for-one deal. These guys must have been PROS.

It was a bummer. But we have so much to be thankful for:

• We're here in an amazing city doing life with a team that we adore
• The Lord really provided us with the perfect apartment...that is beginning to feel like home already
• Today our internet service was connected in our flat, so we are able to connect with friends and family back home
• Grayson is healthy and adjusting well to his new environment
• And most importantly, I'm reminded of the last sermon we heard at Vineyard Columbus before we left, when Rich encouraged us that the only thing in life that would truly be devestating to lose is Jesus. But God is on his throne, and that is our greatest hope in life.

So, we'll just have to get new (used) bikes - and maybe better locks - and hope that 8% really is a small number.

Also - we're excited to show you our apartment, but are still settling in. We promise that once the dust settles, we'll take a bunch of pictures and post them here for all to see.