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MISSION POSTDecember 2009

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE MISSION HOUSE? In 2010 the Mission House will have a big birthday. 5 years old and still going strong. Friday 2nd June - Sunday 4th June we will be celebrating here in Amsterdam. WILL YOU?

This story is about the experiences we go through in the Mission House, how we collect them, make sense of them and then hopefully use them in the months and years to come . This s tor y, unsurprisingly for someone who is only 21 and only been living in the MH for 3 months, isn’t about answering these questions but exploring these questions to get everyone who is connected to MH thinking about ‘experiences’.I remember working at de Kloof (a drop in centre for homeless people) and I encountered my first serious aggressive incident.

‘I learnt a valuable lesson that day’

A service user was refusing to leave and acting in a very aggressive manner towards one of the coordinators…we will call him Mr Europe to protect his identity…any way Mr Europe was asking the client to leave and this client became

increasingly aggressive. At one point the client took a number of steps towards Mr Europe and as he did I started to take a couple of steps towards the service user (which brought me level with Mr Europe). However I stopped when I realised Mr Europe was taking steps back…I couldn’t work out why Mr Europe was taking steps back but knowing well enough to follow suit I kept my position.The man left and Mr Europe conscious this was my first aggressive incident de-briefed me. Taking steps back, he told me, helped open his options, he had more escape routes and gave him physical safety but also stopped his actions from raising the aggression of the service user. I learnt a valuable lesson that day, one which I have used once to the aid of a colleague. When I return to Scotland I plan on joining the police. Hypothetically had this same incident happened while I was a police officer I would not of been taking steps back but held my ground and dominated the situation through being assertive. Therefore this experience

Mission House team 2009-2010

‘ Where Word and action meet’

doesn’t necessarily go hand in hand with reality in my life (with in the hypothetical situation).

‘some might feel at a loss and experience an

emotional vacuum’That being said I did learn a lot about assessing a situation and considering the safety of yourself and others. I suppose it’s all about matching up the experiences and putting them to a productive use.My point, given the introduction? Well how do we join up MH experiences with real life? Many go together but some can’t, when leaving the MH some might feel at a loss and experience an emotional vacuum. This is certainly true of many returning from gap years.Therefore I’ll be taking the time to learn from my experiences but retain a realism needed to stop a gap year resulting in a vacuum upon my return to Scotland and the end of this voluntary year. Buchanan

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We want to hear from you: What are you now up to, what are you doing and do you have any stories from your months in the Mission House or maybe you worked with a volunteer, send us your stories.

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year from all of us here in

Amsterdam in the Mission House.

News from the Houseleader

The clock is ticking, time is speeding up. We just celebrated Sinterklaas and after these few stressing weeks it’s time for Christmas and then in just a few stressful weeks we have New Year!I feel it in every bone through my whole body, it’s time for rest. I realised again in the last few weeks how much it asks from somebody to live in the Mission House. So many things to do, so many people, opinions and feelings to think about, a small bit of your own life as well, working, it’s all coming together in your tiny little head and you think your going crazy. Until that moment when you go crazy and walk away from your confrontations you face it and walk over it. You realise how much you get back when you actually give your best in everything. Inspiration, energy, joy and hope. It’s all possible to share when facing and stepping over your own confrontations. And in this everybody has his or her own confrontation, but we do have something in common; it is a confrontation. My confrontation is coming up now. And actually it’s a very simple one, not giving up. Keep going, take some rest and go further! And that’s exactly what’s going to happen in the Mission House at this point. As everybody is tired (and probably the whole world) this is the time to try to get together and share life. Encourage each other, celebrate together and fill each other with energy for the rest of the year. This, instead of losing your energy because of the stress of Christmas/etc. – weeks. I hope you can think about this and instead of thinking about all the obligations you have for this month, think about that what is really important now. Face your confrontation!And then in summer, having a big party in the garden of the Mission House, we can all share our confrontations from the last years, laugh about them, leave them behind and just party.

Send us your stories, photos and

news

A word from the project leaderAs a write this I am sitting on a train heading to London to see my family and spend Christmas at home. The first time that I will have celebrated Christmas with my family since making the move to Amsterdam. Why is that though? The first time that I stayed in Amsterdam for Christmas I worked in inloophuis De Kloof. This was for me what Christmas was all about, celebrating with those with no family to turn to, no turkey to put in the oven or even an oven to put a turkey in, yet they were full of joy and had smiles on their faces. They were here with us celebrating when others turned their back. It was for me the highlight of my year. The next two years I went there to celebrate. This year though I am now heading home back to my roots to celebrate the birth of Jesus with those I love, my family. I hope and trust that your Christmas is one of happiness.

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What does it mean to be a Christian?

We live in the year 2009 after the birth of Jesus Christ, at the end of november. One month left to buy all the presents we need for Christmas (or only a few days for Sinter Klaas, of course ;)) It is every year the same. In the time before Christmas we are stressed, we have “so much to do” and no time for ourselves or others. This is also the same, when you live in the Mission House. The only difference is, that you have a lot more to do =)

‘I forget often about another group of people; Christian people.’We seven live here together in the Mission House and make a lot of new experiences, good and bad ones. I learn a lot about myself but also about other people and other characters. I am privileged. I live in one of the best parts of Amsterdam for free and have every day a place to sleep and a lot to eat. And during my daily life I meet people in drop-in centers, in a homeless choir or on Sunday in a service for homeless people, who don’t have a place to sleep and not so much to eat. But a lot of coffee ;) I think about their lives and their problems but I forget often about another group of people: Christian people, Christian people who are discriminated against and persecuted only because of their belief.

‘I have also the chance to speak about my faith and share it....why don’t

we...’I must prepare this week our Zin-moment and I chose “Christian persecution” as my issue because I think that it is really important for everybody of us to realise that we are in our western world privileged. I have not only the chance to give coffee and bread to the people. I have also the chance to speak about my faith and share it with the people. But why don’t we (and especially me) use this chance as often???

Maybe I can use the time before Christmas not only to make my present shopping but also to think about my faith and share it than also with the people around me…

Alena