Week 3 & 4 pictures from School of Worship in YWAM Denver

Meeting with a Hydeen

Darwin Hydeen lives near YWAM Denver base, and he is my third cousin. What are the chances of that one happening? Slim. He picked me up today and we drove like mad men to the Golden Europe restaurant where he treated me to an honorable German lunch. Lets just say the Sour Kraut was just that......sour! It was a good time. I didnt have to eat anything for the rest of the day. I had to savor every bit of it. Thanks Darwin!

Week 3 Report

I just came home from a rock band party and my head is spinning. I dont really like loud noises and I really dont like the rockus head banging involved with the 'guitar hero' type game. it was a party hosted by the school leader, Rachel Warren. She made cookies and threw them at people straight of the hot pan. She has a crush on someone at the base and I have been trying to figure it out. Can you believe the things I have on my mind?

Well that is not necessarily true in the end....because this week we have been learning about worship and the Word of God. To worship with the Word is totally necessary. I was inspired and shocked to understand a bit more about praying the Word and really meditating on it to get it inside of me! The teacher, Mary Jean Powers has taken her DTS in Sweden. It was sweet when she told me that she has been praying for 3 years about coming to Scandinavia again. I talked to the base leader in Skien and we would really like to have her come to the DTS next year. I think it would be so great for them to hear her insights. In one activity we were given a topic sheet and had to pick a topic that the Holy Spirit prompted....and then look up that verse and pray it through. We had to pray into the verse and let it be our prayer. I chose one on loneliness. (Because I feel that way....especially in a new place, and new culture, and everyone has a nose ring, and knows the inside jokes.) I was given the verse from Romans 8:35-39. And then it happened. As Mary Jean's son David was playing the guitar softly, I began to sing this verse. THERE IT IS:......THE SONG. I wrote the song for this next Monday that day. When I went to the piano to try it out I just sat there weeping. God was healing my heart as He was worshiped. The chorus has a stunning melody and comes in with:
*Nothing can Separate, loving you Jesus
Nothing can separate our love*

I think you would cry if you heard it.

Tomorrow I am going on a hike with another lady staff here. I look forward to that outside time. The snow went away and now the sun is as bright as it can be.

Some prayer requests:
I desperately want to discover the fear of the Lord
Loneliness
Focus of heart and soul in this school
To look for the opportunities to minister to people. To love them.

Thanks for reading this one!
Any comments. Any words or encouragements??

Rapport fra Denver #3

I am going into my third week here at YWAM Denver. I guess you can say that I am still in the honeymoon stages. The stage where you are sure you have enough energy to do anything you want...and still love everyone who you are doing it with. I don't want to be a pessimist, but I think from what the other staff in my school have shared with us.....there are some tears to be shed and some pride to be stomped on. Ouch. Its weird how they prepare us for those things.....when I yet wonder and wish that there was a supernatural preparation of the heart of worship. When we are loving God and learning to trust each other I do not see how it is possible for us to be at each others throats. I guess I am not perfect. Anyone have any comments. I guess I need a perspective change when it comes to the relational side of things. Am I so naive?

I am beginning my song for next monday. Like I told you last update, it is a love song that can be sung in corporate worship. I struggled with the melody today and still I have no clear ideas...but I have come upon a wonderful revelation. I believe it was an answer to prayer....or at least a portion of a good brainstorming. I was able to dive into my own heart and discovered what the best love song would be for me to receive. I think it would be something with passion...that is if anyone who was anyone knew what I liked. I like slow stuff too, but if you can swing dance to it...waltz, or tango.....make it happen. So I thought........how about a tango! Can you imagine a tango being played in churches around the world? Wow! I have been listening to a great group called The Gotan Project (thanks to Helina) lately and they have been my inspiration. I decided I want to go creative on this song (really blow them out of the School of Worship water). There is no need to just stay in the worship box anymore. Now that we have broken free from the hymnal mold and now moving into a culture of hard rock and even heavy metal worship I am certain that the tango and the waltz and the swing are in the coming to a worship time near you. So.....I will do it now. I am taking the chords to one of the songs and trying out what it would be like in corporate worship. I wonder.....as it is pretty sassy....as a dance style.....it would really bring up some questions, as well as communicate an emotion. Dancing with Jesus.....the tango. I have always wanted to do that corporately! Well.....I guess now I do.

Just as a note. Once, I was dancing with a good friend of mine in Norway and he was letting me do the waltz and as he was quite good at it....I asked if I could close my eyes. He then proceeded to just whisk me around the dance floor. It was a truly magical experience. I trusted him actually (that is hard to say for the rest of the world) it was safe and joyful, and he never stepped on my feet. Thanks for the dance.

I want to learn the accordian.
I start babysitting on Monday.
I go on an evening outreach into the city of Denver Monday night.
I have my first guitar lessons on Wednesday.

Good week.
Good night.

My cell band

My Cell Band at the School of Worship
Erika, Tony, Tommy, Chris, Will, Sophie, (not pictured) Kenny

school update #2

Back from Eagle Rock in Golden, CO

So, I am preparing to go and present our first songs to the other cell band in about a half an hour. We have spent the last week in a cabin on the mountain. We have been laughing, bonding, and practicing hashing out our first songs as a team. Our practice conditions were not the best as they were cold and snowy. But our time up there was good to get away from the bussle of the base. You know, hussle and bussle. Now as we have returned I have to begin my work duties in which I will have for the rest of the three months. I wake up at 5 to go to the YMCA and swim and then prepare breakfast for the base- every morning! Then on Monday's I am babysitting through the staff meeting. So...this weekend it looks like I will just take it easy and maybe make a newsletter. So....prepare yourself for a great update.

My next song is due in two weeks. I think it will be from Song of Songs. Eeeek!

school update #1

Let me tell you what has been going on here in Denver. The last days have been quite intense and seriously outstanding. I wonder how the next 12 weeks will develop. We are 14 people in the school and just today have been broken up into 2 bands. I am in a group with 3 boys and another girl. We have no drummer, the boys play guitar, and the girl sings. I think we are all open to working on songs and laboring, but I think I underestimate how heavy it will be to carry the weight of everyone's songs. We have to write songs, and type them, perform them, and use them in worship. We are graded on the quality of the song and the if it can be used easily in worship. I find that hard to do...to give the song away to someone who was not there for the original creation time. The risk is that they will not be able to actually fulfill the vision I had in the beginning. And I suppose that is the same for another person's song. I am quick to give advice and changes....to benefit at least I think. I guess I just need to be careful now that this is a team effort.
So, I have been working on that song entitled Arise tonight. The rest of the day looked like a 545 am walk around the little lake and then stretching, a shower, breakfast and meeting our new cell bands. We laugh alot especially when they all tried to learn the violin. My biggest struggle here is to receed into the background. I realize I am a leader. I see things that could be done and maybe something I would do better if it were my school. I am a staff and it is possible for me to run something just like this, but I have to remember that I am NOT running it. I am a student. I am supposed to have a bit of a distance from the program. I should do my homework, get rest, and mingle with the other students. I will let the program run as it will. It will take a bit of time to get my life with YWAM Skien off my mind.
In other news, I am struggling with my nose pin. It is just always infected and it is such a bummer. I can not get it to be normal. Everyone has said they do not understand what is going on. They have never seen it so red before...and bloody....and puffy. Hmmmm.....great. So I am just praying that it goes away! Otherwise I have to think of some other solution.
Tracy comes tomorrow!

Puppet Players

David playing the elephant and sea horse

Daniel on the horse

Erika sliding the sea turtle

Arise!

The theme of my 3 month worship school is Arise. I get all shaky all over when I hear it. I am imagining that God had this in His great plan for Erika. I think He means to announce His glory, that He will get it back. He has prepared me for such a time and now that it is here, I am almost overwhelmed that I can not jump in. The feeling I have as I stand before a great cliff overlooking the crashing waves and moving tides, sweeps over me. Then I realize that this is not just preparation for Erika, but for His work in the world. He intends to rise up a nation of worshipers. I hope He uses me. And I look forward to digging into the Word as well as learning more about team work. Our first song is due on Monday. I should write one about the word Arise. I have written the beginnings of one already and look forward to finishing it this weekend. Who knows...this time with other worshipers might be just what I need to discover God's bigger heart. I miss Norway. I miss Iowa. I am okay though. I just tell you honestly how I am. I am transitioning to this place, this space, and this peace. I pray now for a piano. It seems I am always doing this. I need a piano that I can play freely and when I want to. The only way to write music is when I am able to freely worship God. There are so many people here, and not as free space as Norway. We will see how God answers this prayer. I think it will be miraculous! Otherwise.....Tracy Ouwinga is coming to visit me this weekend. Oh I look so forward to this. She is so dear and such an encouragement to me. I believe we will laugh, maybe cry, and share back rubs! Halleluiah!

Arise and shine friends