I visited Amsterdam 8 years ago and I was excited to go back, this time with my friend Kaylie. The streets are exactly as I remember. Cobbled stoned, beautiful canals, and full of bicycles! Our first stop was to Anne Franks House. It was somber, yet hopeful. The space that she and 8 other people lived in was as big as a slum house in Kenya. The only difference was they were not allowed to leave.
Our next stop was the Red Light District. This was just as I remembered, too. Disturbing, somber, and eerily beautiful. From a distance, this part of town is charming. The trees lite up and lined the streets and the bridges covered the canals perfectly. Then you take a closer look into the windows and you see sex slavery the most gloried form. Windows lined with girls as young as 14 waiting to prostitute themselves to any man, any age. Kaylie and I walked through the freezing cold and rainy for hours and prayed for each one of them. We prayed for redemption, grace, mercy, and protection. I know it seems like such a small thing for such a huge problem. But really, how many tourists go to the Red Light District to gawk at the windows? I’d say most of them. And how many go to pray? Not many.
We slowly began to make our way back to the airport. We checked in with plenty of time to spare. It was a good thing, too. On our way through customs I realized I didn’t have my phone so we went in and out twice to try and find it. Sadly, one of the security guards said, “An iPhone 5?? Oh, it’s on a flight to Spain by now!”
And we’re off to Nairobi. We’re going on almost 48 hours with no sleep!
ladydianna.com 