AFAC

"What is AFAC?" you might be asking yourself. That is a good question. Until this past Friday, Amanda and I didn't know what AFAC was either. It stands for De Amsterdamse Fiets Afhandel Centrale - or, basically, the Amsterdam bike police. They haul away bikes when they don't like where the bikes are parked.

It turns our that our bikes are likely in the possession of AFAC, not a bike thief. We'll find out for sure this afternoon when we head down to their headquarters with our bikes' serial numbers and our passports in hand.

Amsterdam is an interesting place. People leave their bikes everywhere; chained up to anything. Often I'll pass a bike chained in a random place and wonder, "are they allowed to just leave their bike there?"

So this past Monday, when Amanda and I left our bikes at the metro station chained to sign along with a moped (because there were no bike racks left), I wondered, "are we allowed to leave our bikes here?" But then I brushed the fear aside because, after all, people chain their bikes to everything in the city. When we returned to find our bikes gone, we just assumed they were stolen.

On Friday, however, Amanda got into a conversation with a Dutch girl at Julia's birthday party (which was amazing, by the way!), who mentioned that our circumstances sounded more like a confiscation by AFAC rather than a theft by a junkie. After talking to a couple other of our Dutch friends, they agreed. So we're off to AFAC in a couple hours to hopefully reclaim our bikes (and praying that Grayson's bike seat is still attached).

I guess we can chalk this one up as a learning experience. What did we learn? Don't mess with AFAC. The only problem is, I still don't know where I can't park my bike!

For more interesting tidbits on the bike culture of Amsterdam, along with some amusing pictures, click here.

UPDATE: We made our way out to AFAC and they had our bikes! We were so happy to have them back, that we didn't mind the 1.5 hour ride back home...all is right in the world.

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.

Moving Day

Exactly two weeks ago today Amanda, Grayson and I hopped on a plane that brought us to Amsterdam. We've been so graciously hosted for these 14 days by Brooke and Allie, living in Allie's loft bedroom. It has been wonderful...but now it is time to move into our own home! This afternoon at 6pm (or, for you eastern time-zoners, 12pm) we sign the contracts on our first apartment here in the city.

This whole process seems to have been simply guided by the Grace of Jesus. We found an apartment quickly, it is in a great neighborhood, the price is perfect for our budget, and it has everything that we need. Plus it is geographically situated en route from the Pickerill's apartment to Brooke & Allie's. We are only a short bike ride from a great outdoor market, the center of the city is about 10 minutes away, and all of the shops we would need for everyday living are on our block. What more could we have asked for?

The neighborhood that we are moving to is called the "Rivierenbuurt," and it has its own distinct feel, as each neighborhood does in Amsterdam. Feel free to read about it here or here.

Because we are just moving in today, we will be sans internet for a couple days; though getting our modem is high on the priority list. Once we get settled, we'll be sure to post pictures of the apartment.

If you are interested in our mailing address, contact us and we'll be sure to get it to you!

Love and miss you all.

A New Video, and some Football (European Style)

I know that most of you were sad that weren't able to watch the Netherlands World Cup qualifying match yesterday against Iceland. For some reason, obscure European football matches don't make it to the major television networks in the states. Well, to soothe your fears, our Dutch boys beat Iceland last night 2-0, to remain on top of their qualifying group. On Oranje! To find out more about why the Dutch team wears orange, and what "KNVB" means, click here. And yes, I did watch the match. Eric, Connor & I biked around for a bit and found a little corner restaurant with the game on. We got to eat some Dutch style hamburgers, too...which I was surprised to learn are served without buns. Tasty, though!

In other news, Grayson is cute. Here's the proof:

One last thing. Check out Brooke's latest blog post about our trip to the beach this weekend, and a few of her great polaroids documenting it all. Here is a more technologically advanced (i.e. digital) version of the group @ the beach:

Tot Ziens,
John

A Big Day

Well, this was quite a big day for us. We found out in the morning that the owner accepted our bid for the apartment - so we now have a home in Amsterdam! Right after finding that out, we went down and bought our bike at a nearby shop. We even got a seat for Grayson. Man, I wish I would have gone on some Tour de Highs. That would have prepared me a little for the bike culture here. Anyone planning on visiting should start riding with the crew from Joshua House now!

We rode the bikes home on back roads and Grayson absolutely LOVED it. He couldn't stop laughing and smiling. Even before we had the bikes out of the shop, he was reaching for the handlebars wanting to ride. We then came home, and the whole Nash clan took a nap. It was the first really good nap we've had yet. Gray slept over 2 hours! Prayer after prayer being answered...man you guys really are praying for us aren't you?

When we woke up, we rode our bikes with Brooke down to the Rijks Museum and looked at some Rembrants for about 1/2 hour till Gray got tired. Amazing. Then we rode home...in the DARK! All went well, and Grayson went to sleep like a champ. Wow. What an overwhelming day of blessing from God. We are so grateful - I can hardly express. Thank you so much those of you praying for us...we feel it loud and clear.

-Amanda