Morning Cafe

Well I have officially worked all of the café shifts available. Today was my first Morning Café experience and it was a little intense. The hostel provides breakfast to everyone that stays the night and last night there were about 50 people staying, although not all of them came for breakfast. I was so happy to have my trainer there with me because I think it would be pretty impossible to work the morning shift by yourself. I was having a hard enough time to take orders and get the cold breakfast ready, I can’t imagine what it will be like when I have to do it all by myself. There are three options offered for breakfast: a hot breakfast of either eggs, ham, and toast, pancakes, or French toast (and all of these alternate everyday); a cold breakfast with a bread roll, cheese, butter, and jam; and another cold breakfast with Muesli (which is like granola) with either milk or yogurt on top and fruit. And the yogurt here is different than at home because it comes in a carton, like a milk carton, and you pour it on stuff instead of spooning it out. So my trainer (who is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met) was working the grill and frying the eggs and I was taking orders, filling drinks, and making the cold breakfasts. Luckly we just work behind a counter the whole time, cause I wouldn’t have been able to walk around a lot. But 2 hours felt like 2 minutes with everyone coming at one time. I had a few bumps along the way trying to understand people who couldn’t speak English and having to do a lot of sign language and pointing; but I managed to get through the day.


This afternoon a group of us rode our bikes to the Jewish History Museum of Amsterdam. It was very interesting and I was able to get a card that will give me a discount to all Museums here in the city. They had so many beautiful items that people have used over the years for ceremonies or rituals. And it was very interesting to learn from a different perspective. Not just reading from a distant land about it, but actually being in a city that experienced it. I pass everyday by the Anne Frank house and one day when I have free time, I’m going to go and look around. I love history so much; I just enjoy being in places that are so rich and full of it.

Tonight I was the attender/helper for Bible Study. Every night someone prepares a lesson for the guest to come and listen and learn if they want to. Everyone is invited and told about it whenever they check into the hostel. We only had one person there tonight, but I could really feel God’s presence. She was from Japan and I think she really understood the lesson. It was about forgiveness and how God has forgiven us if we ask. It was very good and I just pray that the girl took something away from it. I could tell that she was searching for something, and I hope that we have helped her to find that Christ is the answer. I just have to keep praying for her.