Four of the United Youth Corps flights to Amsterdam (layover to Ghana) from Seattle were cancelled. Through this cancellation, Carl, Ben, Becky, and I would be arriving into Ghana a day later than expected with an eight hour layover in Amsterdam. This layover gave us enough time to see a little of Amsterdam and we took the opportunity to experience as much as humanly possible. From the Amsterdam airport, we rode the train to Amsterdam Centraal and walked down to the museums. Our initial idea was to go visit the Van Gogh museum but, unknown to us, you should reserve tickets before going unless you want to wait in a 45 minute line.

However, it was a lovely walk through Amsterdam as we saw the typical houses along the canal. Realizing that our time was short we turned around to head back to the main station when we saw a big chess board. So naturally we all wanted to play! Ben and I coached each of our relatives as they competed against each other.  It was a close game but ultimately Becky won with a little bit of luck.

With the time in mind, we decided to take a canal boat back to Centraal. It's a lovely experience to ride a boat along the canals and it's one of those things you have to do  when you are in Amsterdam. On our way back to the airport,  we even stopped to buy some cheese and chocolate. One final thing we tried was french fries with three different types of mayonnaise. This combination of food was so delicious!  It soon became apparent that the star was the mayonnaise and the French fry was just a base and a supporting act. Our time in Amsterdam was short; however, I think we accomplished many of Amsterdam's highlights.

Although we had to deal with an overnight delay we were able to experience a different adventure so it all worked out for the best. Sometimes in life, we are given frustrations and in the moment it feels like you are losing something valuable. However, when the frustration is over you can see that you were blessed in a different way. Time gives you perspective and I'm so grateful that we have arrived in Ghana with positive attitudes and are able to serve camp to the best of our abilities!