Why Amsterdam, NY

When my father left NYC to come upstate, I was very confused by his reasoning.

"God has called me here," my dad said.

I would remain unsure of what that meant for years and years. It was not until I became a father myself that this concept would begin to show its Godly intentions.

If there was one thing I could leave my children before I died, it would be a home that they are safe in, proud of, and a community which is united in the grace of God.

I have spent most of my youth in Amsterdam, working... working so that I may continue to supply myself with substances that would blind me from my ability to reach my potential as a man.

With my children came an understanding that shattered all boundaries I set up in order to keep me satisfied with wasting my life away. God had granted me a vision of me as a father. He then placed that vision on the other side of a valley engulfed in flames.

As I travel through these flames, I am unwilling to selfishly hoard all the tools I gather along the way. I can see my pain in the souls of people around me, and to withhold these tools is a proud selfishness I am not capable of.

I am here now, on a roof looking over Amsterdam. I know who I was and who I want to be. I know what I want to leave for my children. I know who I must become to properly fulfill my duties as a husband.

God has done something with my vision. Everywhere I look, I am rebuilding my family's home. I am providing the tools which saved my soul to all the people willing to meet me at the entrance. Between chaos and order, I will build a bridge.