this morning when I came to the office to meet for worship I noticed some unique changes in the city center. our office building is right in the middle of the city...and our city is not THAT big so it's not THAT cool. (H&M is only 100 meters away) There was a lady, a clipboard, a big truck, a crane, and some massive rocks--considered boulders. This lady was using her clipboard to show the big truck where to position the crane to place the massive rocks---considered boulders. What is the point of that rock being moved by that crane from the big truck from an instruction on a clipboard from that lady? I would like to know that.
Perhaps it is an installation art piece where she just puts huge rocks outside our building to make a stir amongst the people---to create a curiousity. It works. I think it looks ugly and I am an artist who usually appreciates a good art installation. The only redeeming part about it is that it makes for a couple really nice surfaces to sit on in the next two weeks.
i have begun to pack my stuff. oi. I have a lot. I really hope my mom and dad are not packing a lot in their bags because I have to use thier space well. speaking of rocks...my suitcase is a considerable boulder. I will be taking most of my stuff up the Hamar...4 hours north before my mom and dad even get here. Hamar is the last place on our adventure vacation. I will pick up my stuff in 4 weeks on my way home to America. I thought I had gotten rid of all the excess stuff but apparently there was a lot of stuff I really thought I needed to keep. To pack up so early is really sad. I think it's hard to just make this move home and by packing I am just reminding myself more and more of the inevitable final goodbye.
i have been having a better week. i am encouraged that the Lord has opened my eyes to His heart and to rest. there have been quite some changes in how I spend my time. We have been running from this to that in the last month and so now....after this weekend in Hamar we will be IN SKIEN for the longest amount of time since Easter. The DTS is graduating today. It's a bit sad to have to say goodbye to new friends. I think that the Lord has great plans for next year and for the staff and students. there will be new students, new adventure, and new seasons for everyone. it's good. the only thing the same is God.
I wish I could be like that lady with the clipboard and the truck and the crane and the rocks. She has so much authority to move rocks. it must be nice to go to bed at night knowing how much power she has. wow.
5.28.2009
5.25.2009
home, but not yet.
here we are back in Skien. i am tired and i have those chills in my body like I am soon sick. it has been a hard weekend. i must say...the hardest in a while. i guess that would be since the wellspring tour. i am pretty sure that God is really calling out to my heart in a deep way. we have been in Warsaw for the weekend and it was the LAST STRAW! i am desperate for rest.
if you are interested in the Poland journey, just check out the pictures soon.
day off tomorrow.
i shall be silent.
if you are interested in the Poland journey, just check out the pictures soon.
day off tomorrow.
i shall be silent.
5.22.2009
Warsaw is what I saw!
we are here!
Wizz Air brought us right into Warsaw without much of a problem and Tomasz our great contact man met us here. He is so good at English and has a heart for lost people. I mean really, their church is handing out bread every Friday to poor and needy drug addicts and such. They really care about them all. After the handout there is a meeting for those who are intersted in knowing more about Jesus.
We got some Polish sausage and french fries at the HUGE grocery store (no more small Norwegian stores) and some American style cereal-----I feel like we are in America! And it is so cheap. No joke! Right afterwards we went to this 'extra meeting for wanting to know about Jesus'. We sang some songs in Polish and then were invited to speak and share a testimony. Right on the spot.
I got to sing a song for them--There is no fear when you are here JESUS!
Andrea and I are staying at Monica and Ania's house near the worst streets in Warsaw. These two girls are missionaries and really working the streets with thier hearts. I have already seen that they LOVE to be here in the middle of the mess. It is so neat. Inspirational.
Tomorrow we will meet in the city center and get some supplies for painting. We will have an evangelism time from 2 to 430. Please pray that we will see healings and salvation. God is doing big things...we want to see it!
If you want to get extremely inspired, just look at this updates website for the RISK project. The teams are all out in thier places on the map. JUST READ A FEW. It's amazing that we have been all together worshiping just two days ago and now we are all experiencing what God is doing in every country in Europe!
This project is really exciting and backed with a lot of prayer. Thanks!!
RISK UPDATES HERE.....and check it many times a day to get it all!!!
blessings!
Wizz Air brought us right into Warsaw without much of a problem and Tomasz our great contact man met us here. He is so good at English and has a heart for lost people. I mean really, their church is handing out bread every Friday to poor and needy drug addicts and such. They really care about them all. After the handout there is a meeting for those who are intersted in knowing more about Jesus.
We got some Polish sausage and french fries at the HUGE grocery store (no more small Norwegian stores) and some American style cereal-----I feel like we are in America! And it is so cheap. No joke! Right afterwards we went to this 'extra meeting for wanting to know about Jesus'. We sang some songs in Polish and then were invited to speak and share a testimony. Right on the spot.
I got to sing a song for them--There is no fear when you are here JESUS!
Andrea and I are staying at Monica and Ania's house near the worst streets in Warsaw. These two girls are missionaries and really working the streets with thier hearts. I have already seen that they LOVE to be here in the middle of the mess. It is so neat. Inspirational.
Tomorrow we will meet in the city center and get some supplies for painting. We will have an evangelism time from 2 to 430. Please pray that we will see healings and salvation. God is doing big things...we want to see it!
If you want to get extremely inspired, just look at this updates website for the RISK project. The teams are all out in thier places on the map. JUST READ A FEW. It's amazing that we have been all together worshiping just two days ago and now we are all experiencing what God is doing in every country in Europe!
This project is really exciting and backed with a lot of prayer. Thanks!!
RISK UPDATES HERE.....and check it many times a day to get it all!!!
blessings!
5.21.2009
PROJECT RISK
last night we gathered 130 people in one room praying, worshiping, and wondering....WHAT WILL GOD DO IN THESE NEXT DAYS?
we have begun the project....RISK: Jesus to All of Europe.
Of those 130 people we are divided into about 40 teams averaging 3 members each. We are going to TAKE Europe this weekend. Starting from Norway we release team by team to go to their nation of choice. All of Europe!! I mean, I am talking about Andorra, Lichtenstein, Italy, Greece, Albania, Russia, Latvia, Belarus.......all of them! It's amazing. We are almost at 100% but then the team that was going to Romania BACKED OUT in the last moment. If team Romania knew that they would be the answer to the 100% victory mark on this project would they have backed out? Who knows. I do know that the enemy doesn't want us to reach Europe. He will scare us with silly ideas of 'not getting enough money', 'getting robbed', 'not having a contact person', or ' not having a team'. These might seem like practical things to consider when going to a foreign country...but for this project and us as a WHOLE MISSION BASE, we have seen that God can fix all these issues in His time---not ours. Although not all the money came in that was needed for the teams to go to the end reaches of Europe--like Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Russia we took an offering amongst ourselves (the ones that have already paid the way for our own travels) and raised 19,000 KR to go towards those others. It's so special to live in a community where we support each other.
So you want to hear about my team and our mission to WARSAW, POLAND?
TEAM: Erika, Will, and Andrea (she is a beautiful Norwegain girl, 20...and has a great heart for what God is doing)
Friday:
We will leave tomorrow and arrive around 4:45pm. We will be joining a man named Tomasz and his church called Praga for Christ. We will be participating in an evangelism meeting on Friday night. Andrea and I will stay at some girls' home near the church and Will is going to sleep in the church.
Saturday:
We will have a worship time and orientation with the church people, and they will join us to the streets or so for a two hour evangelism time. They are very outgoing. We shall see what God is up to. We would love to just pray about some clues God would give us to find people He wants to heal, save, or bless. We also have thoughts about music and painting on the streets. Warsaw is a beautiful city. It was on the Lonely Planet's top 10 cities list at one point (says Will). So...I really want to check it out. We will be stopping and praying at specific times during the weekend. All of the teams in all of the nations will pray at 12:00 and 18:00. Join us.
Sunday:
We will have some time in a local church to bring a message of HOPE and support for Europe.
I really hope we can have some meals with locals. I want to just enjoy the city and the people from the church. I can not expect myself to be anything more than ready to smile. Smiling on Sunday...that sounds nice and spiritual warfare-ish! Yeah! It's called 'Laughing at how dumb the devil is Day!!!!
Monday:
We fly back to Norway around noon. Then there will be a gathering of all the teams who went out. It is time to hear testimonies from the travels. God is good already.
If you want to keep up with the blogs you can try on www.ywamskien.wordpress.com
The reason I say 'try' is because many of them will be in Norwegian. But there will be some reports from some nations in english. So...just try.
My team would love to hear from you. Do you have any words from God? Any encouragements and prayers for our way out and our time? Just share if you will.
FYI: mom and dad and christa come to Norway in 3 weeks. I leave Norway for good in 5 weeks.
so much.
so little time.
but I am ready to get out of here.
ready for a change.
amen
we have begun the project....RISK: Jesus to All of Europe.
Of those 130 people we are divided into about 40 teams averaging 3 members each. We are going to TAKE Europe this weekend. Starting from Norway we release team by team to go to their nation of choice. All of Europe!! I mean, I am talking about Andorra, Lichtenstein, Italy, Greece, Albania, Russia, Latvia, Belarus.......all of them! It's amazing. We are almost at 100% but then the team that was going to Romania BACKED OUT in the last moment. If team Romania knew that they would be the answer to the 100% victory mark on this project would they have backed out? Who knows. I do know that the enemy doesn't want us to reach Europe. He will scare us with silly ideas of 'not getting enough money', 'getting robbed', 'not having a contact person', or ' not having a team'. These might seem like practical things to consider when going to a foreign country...but for this project and us as a WHOLE MISSION BASE, we have seen that God can fix all these issues in His time---not ours. Although not all the money came in that was needed for the teams to go to the end reaches of Europe--like Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Russia we took an offering amongst ourselves (the ones that have already paid the way for our own travels) and raised 19,000 KR to go towards those others. It's so special to live in a community where we support each other.
So you want to hear about my team and our mission to WARSAW, POLAND?
TEAM: Erika, Will, and Andrea (she is a beautiful Norwegain girl, 20...and has a great heart for what God is doing)
Friday:
We will leave tomorrow and arrive around 4:45pm. We will be joining a man named Tomasz and his church called Praga for Christ. We will be participating in an evangelism meeting on Friday night. Andrea and I will stay at some girls' home near the church and Will is going to sleep in the church.
Saturday:
We will have a worship time and orientation with the church people, and they will join us to the streets or so for a two hour evangelism time. They are very outgoing. We shall see what God is up to. We would love to just pray about some clues God would give us to find people He wants to heal, save, or bless. We also have thoughts about music and painting on the streets. Warsaw is a beautiful city. It was on the Lonely Planet's top 10 cities list at one point (says Will). So...I really want to check it out. We will be stopping and praying at specific times during the weekend. All of the teams in all of the nations will pray at 12:00 and 18:00. Join us.
Sunday:
We will have some time in a local church to bring a message of HOPE and support for Europe.
I really hope we can have some meals with locals. I want to just enjoy the city and the people from the church. I can not expect myself to be anything more than ready to smile. Smiling on Sunday...that sounds nice and spiritual warfare-ish! Yeah! It's called 'Laughing at how dumb the devil is Day!!!!
Monday:
We fly back to Norway around noon. Then there will be a gathering of all the teams who went out. It is time to hear testimonies from the travels. God is good already.
If you want to keep up with the blogs you can try on www.ywamskien.wordpress.com
The reason I say 'try' is because many of them will be in Norwegian. But there will be some reports from some nations in english. So...just try.
My team would love to hear from you. Do you have any words from God? Any encouragements and prayers for our way out and our time? Just share if you will.
FYI: mom and dad and christa come to Norway in 3 weeks. I leave Norway for good in 5 weeks.
so much.
so little time.
but I am ready to get out of here.
ready for a change.
amen
5.18.2009
missing Tulip Festival, but still saw a parade!
17th of May
'Gratulerer med Dagen'
'Gratulerer med Dagen'
Ragnhild was wearing her traditional outfit from the west coast province. She was beautiful.
We ate cake and ice cream too. This is important to do on a day like this. There are even more hot dogs being made than on a normal Norwegian day. Silly string and whistles being blown. I tell you everyone was having a fun time. Even this beautiful girl from Estonia! Hip Hip Hurra!
We are saying goodbye to our lovely friends Brad and Laura. They will be going back to the USA tomorrow. Brad has been working in YWAM for 8 years. Laura has taken a School of Evangelism here this year. They were so kind to cook a curry dinner for us. See you back in the states friends!!
shrimpy in my tummy
Ragnhild's mom and dad came on Saturday.
They are so generous!! They bought a refrigerator full of food for us. They came home with everything we could want. And more.
pop
candy
meat
bread (white)
tomatoes
apples
strawberries
cheese
orange juice
AND
whole shrimp
I was just about to say I was going to bed on Saturday night around 10:30 and Gunnar (Ragnhild's dad) says 'well we better start the food then'. Huh? I always thought Norwegians were strange because they ate food so late at night...but this was ridiculous.
Yes folks, those whole shrimps were going to be going in my tummy just before bed. I was like WHAT!!! I suppose I didn't have to eat. But you know cracking the heads off those little guys while their black eyes are still looking at you has a little bit of satisfaction in it.
The process was something like this:
1. Pick one up from the ice cold stash in a watery bowl. Try to chose a male (the females are always carrying young ones in a creepy black eyed pouch underneath thier legs)
2. Snap off the head
3. Open the ribs
4. Pull off the tail like a sock off your own foot
5. Create a small pile on your plate (after gathering enough to cover a piece of bread move on)
6. Toast WHITE bread (don't ask why...it is just the way it goes)
7. Butter the toast
8. Lay the shrimps down
9. Squirt lemon juice on top
10. Sprinkle lemon salt over them
11. Squeeze some dashes of lemon tasting mayonaise on them
12. Eat (preferably right before bed---it helps to create crazy dreams)
I guess this was such a hit with me here....that Gunnar and Janne are going to have some shrimps available when my mom, dad, and sister come with me to Bergen in June. I know that dad will love it....I think mom and Christa .....AND Will might squirm a bit. HA HA HA! So fun!
They are so generous!! They bought a refrigerator full of food for us. They came home with everything we could want. And more.
pop
candy
meat
bread (white)
tomatoes
apples
strawberries
cheese
orange juice
AND
whole shrimp
I was just about to say I was going to bed on Saturday night around 10:30 and Gunnar (Ragnhild's dad) says 'well we better start the food then'. Huh? I always thought Norwegians were strange because they ate food so late at night...but this was ridiculous.
Yes folks, those whole shrimps were going to be going in my tummy just before bed. I was like WHAT!!! I suppose I didn't have to eat. But you know cracking the heads off those little guys while their black eyes are still looking at you has a little bit of satisfaction in it.
2. Snap off the head
3. Open the ribs
4. Pull off the tail like a sock off your own foot
5. Create a small pile on your plate (after gathering enough to cover a piece of bread move on)
6. Toast WHITE bread (don't ask why...it is just the way it goes)
7. Butter the toast
8. Lay the shrimps down
9. Squirt lemon juice on top
10. Sprinkle lemon salt over them
11. Squeeze some dashes of lemon tasting mayonaise on them
12. Eat (preferably right before bed---it helps to create crazy dreams)
I guess this was such a hit with me here....that Gunnar and Janne are going to have some shrimps available when my mom, dad, and sister come with me to Bergen in June. I know that dad will love it....I think mom and Christa .....AND Will might squirm a bit. HA HA HA! So fun!
recording the first steps
If you wonder what has been going on since Italy then get ready for a run down!
Will and I arrived fresh and relaxed from Italy. Wow, what a great trip. Not only was this time together good for our friendship it also helped us get a healthy stand back from Norway. I think in most cases you are really a good judge of what is happening TO you...when you have a moment to step away from it. At times I guess it is the opposite. You realize what you need to do by stepping INTO it instead of AWAY. For us...we needed to step away from Norway. It's so hard to see what things are happening to me while I am in the middle of it. Being down in a warm culture helped me to appreciate the people who just simply 'looked' at us on the train. The idea of someone just giving a little smile seemed so distant and sort of hard to imagine after spending so much time in a colder country up north. It was WARM: the people and the weather.
So we were refreshed for sure. And ready for the job that lay ahead of us. RECORDING our little project called 'The Threshing Floor'
Last week we started our music project with help from two wonderful friends from the west coast of Norway. They have taken thier DTS in a creative school in Ålesund and because of my good friend Lyndee (who worked on staff with me in Skien last year) I got to know her sister and brother in law--Caleb and Erin Paxton. Wonderful musicians and fantastic people. They came to help us. Look at how cute they are!!!!!
We laughed a lot. I mean if you want additional details you can just look at Will's blog (willstrickland.blogspot.com). I was so proud of my instrument tracking skills. I was in charge of getting a banjo and a cello. WHAT? WHERE? WHO? It's a miracle actually. I contacted the man that asked me to join the blue grass concert and asked if he could get one. He did. I asked for a cello and three days later we had one. Who should play the cello on our songs? ME. So fun. I definetly want to get a cello and start playing when I get back to the states. Thomas, the cello owner, asked for his instrument a day too early so we rushed through the recording. I did ALL the cello parts in a half hour. It was fun to try and I felt fairly successful. Thomas....as he took the cello away--said it was good playing. YES! All I have to say is---LOOK FORWARD TO MY CELLO DEBUT ON OUR CD!
It was so amazing to see our songs that we really didn't have much idea for---come to life. I found it to be quite difficult to open up and be creative. There were some moments that I just felt unproductive and like I was hindering the group from progress. I know that God was using this time to teach me about trust. I need to trust Him and to trust my friends. He has anointed us to do music. I need to trust that people are not going to reject my TRYING...and to just be willing to screw up. That is why there is a delete button---and grace.
We spent a lot of time in the YWAM Skien office building but the second half was spent in the Skien Methodist Church. It was a blessing to use that big acoustic space....and the huge wonderful piano. Frøydis (my beautiful Methodist church pastor friend) was a sweet heart to let us borrow the place and she even came in with hot coffee for us. It was a sweet moment!
I think it was obvious that Will and I needed another couple to experience some life things with. To have a young couple the same age showing us some first baby steps in the direction of our hearts...is a dream come true! God has gone above and beyond my expectations of this time. Will and I are on this super strange adventure that sometimes seems like a LIGHT SPEED space mobile. We then look around and wonder 'Hey this is nice and wonderful, but how did we get here? God....show us what we need to know and do.' I am contantly trying to understand. I guess it is the process of trust. This project was that first step towards really letting our hearts open up to God in a new way.
Be still
Lay down
Rest in the Father
Give thanks
For everything
Comes from the Father
Will and I arrived fresh and relaxed from Italy. Wow, what a great trip. Not only was this time together good for our friendship it also helped us get a healthy stand back from Norway. I think in most cases you are really a good judge of what is happening TO you...when you have a moment to step away from it. At times I guess it is the opposite. You realize what you need to do by stepping INTO it instead of AWAY. For us...we needed to step away from Norway. It's so hard to see what things are happening to me while I am in the middle of it. Being down in a warm culture helped me to appreciate the people who just simply 'looked' at us on the train. The idea of someone just giving a little smile seemed so distant and sort of hard to imagine after spending so much time in a colder country up north. It was WARM: the people and the weather.
So we were refreshed for sure. And ready for the job that lay ahead of us. RECORDING our little project called 'The Threshing Floor'
Last week we started our music project with help from two wonderful friends from the west coast of Norway. They have taken thier DTS in a creative school in Ålesund and because of my good friend Lyndee (who worked on staff with me in Skien last year) I got to know her sister and brother in law--Caleb and Erin Paxton. Wonderful musicians and fantastic people. They came to help us. Look at how cute they are!!!!!
We laughed a lot. I mean if you want additional details you can just look at Will's blog (willstrickland.blogspot.com). I was so proud of my instrument tracking skills. I was in charge of getting a banjo and a cello. WHAT? WHERE? WHO? It's a miracle actually. I contacted the man that asked me to join the blue grass concert and asked if he could get one. He did. I asked for a cello and three days later we had one. Who should play the cello on our songs? ME. So fun. I definetly want to get a cello and start playing when I get back to the states. Thomas, the cello owner, asked for his instrument a day too early so we rushed through the recording. I did ALL the cello parts in a half hour. It was fun to try and I felt fairly successful. Thomas....as he took the cello away--said it was good playing. YES! All I have to say is---LOOK FORWARD TO MY CELLO DEBUT ON OUR CD!
It was so amazing to see our songs that we really didn't have much idea for---come to life. I found it to be quite difficult to open up and be creative. There were some moments that I just felt unproductive and like I was hindering the group from progress. I know that God was using this time to teach me about trust. I need to trust Him and to trust my friends. He has anointed us to do music. I need to trust that people are not going to reject my TRYING...and to just be willing to screw up. That is why there is a delete button---and grace.
We spent a lot of time in the YWAM Skien office building but the second half was spent in the Skien Methodist Church. It was a blessing to use that big acoustic space....and the huge wonderful piano. Frøydis (my beautiful Methodist church pastor friend) was a sweet heart to let us borrow the place and she even came in with hot coffee for us. It was a sweet moment!
I think it was obvious that Will and I needed another couple to experience some life things with. To have a young couple the same age showing us some first baby steps in the direction of our hearts...is a dream come true! God has gone above and beyond my expectations of this time. Will and I are on this super strange adventure that sometimes seems like a LIGHT SPEED space mobile. We then look around and wonder 'Hey this is nice and wonderful, but how did we get here? God....show us what we need to know and do.' I am contantly trying to understand. I guess it is the process of trust. This project was that first step towards really letting our hearts open up to God in a new way.
Be still
Lay down
Rest in the Father
Give thanks
For everything
Comes from the Father
5.03.2009
Italy....transport and beauty.
We are here in Italy!
Let me tell you it has been quite the travel though. I thought RyanAir was going to never let us off the plane....but we didn't know that our journey from Norway to Italy would not be the longest wait of the day. Skien to Torp=50 minutes. Torp Airport to Bergamo=3 hours. Bergamo (Airport) to Milan Train Station=50 minutes. Milan to Sacile=4 1/2 hours.
The train was supposed to take only 3 hours but the rain storm broke the electricity line and so we were seriously delayed. But we made it.
We are meeting and getting to know Sarah...Will's fabulous and marvelous cousin that he has never met until yesterday! She lives here with her husband William (the actual 1st cousin) and he is in the military so he is stationed here in Aviano Airbase. It is crazy that we are here....and Will is reminicing about the olden days with cousin Will. We wish he could be here too but he is now deployed in Afghanistan for some months. It is great to get to know Sarah, entertain her, and see her drive around the city in her smooth American car.
Today we had egg casserole! I have not had crescent rolls in forever!!! We went to church this morning and it was in English! It was a Bible study about Ruth and it was fantastic. Read it....it's good. Later we went to a PIZZERIA! My Italy dreams came true today when we had pizza! It was fun to meet up with more Americans that are here in this small Italian city and are planted here on the base. It is refreshing to eat good food and talk with understanding and with a vocabulary people can understand. Hallelujah! I think I have a speaking problem though. It might take a bunch of time to get back into my English speaking. I can't really communicate things yet. I am just learning to speak English again.
We went to Trieste on the Adriadic Sea! We saw a castle!! We got lost...or at least a little frustrated with the traffic and the GPS.....but that was because Sarah denied the help of the GPS! We got authentic gelato icecream in the middle of our long travel home.....so that was relieving!
Now....before bed we are eating speghetti, drinking red AND white wine, eating authentic Italian cheese and having a great vacation.
It's beautiful.
Tomorrow........VENICE!
Let me tell you it has been quite the travel though. I thought RyanAir was going to never let us off the plane....but we didn't know that our journey from Norway to Italy would not be the longest wait of the day. Skien to Torp=50 minutes. Torp Airport to Bergamo=3 hours. Bergamo (Airport) to Milan Train Station=50 minutes. Milan to Sacile=4 1/2 hours.
The train was supposed to take only 3 hours but the rain storm broke the electricity line and so we were seriously delayed. But we made it.
We are meeting and getting to know Sarah...Will's fabulous and marvelous cousin that he has never met until yesterday! She lives here with her husband William (the actual 1st cousin) and he is in the military so he is stationed here in Aviano Airbase. It is crazy that we are here....and Will is reminicing about the olden days with cousin Will. We wish he could be here too but he is now deployed in Afghanistan for some months. It is great to get to know Sarah, entertain her, and see her drive around the city in her smooth American car.
Today we had egg casserole! I have not had crescent rolls in forever!!! We went to church this morning and it was in English! It was a Bible study about Ruth and it was fantastic. Read it....it's good. Later we went to a PIZZERIA! My Italy dreams came true today when we had pizza! It was fun to meet up with more Americans that are here in this small Italian city and are planted here on the base. It is refreshing to eat good food and talk with understanding and with a vocabulary people can understand. Hallelujah! I think I have a speaking problem though. It might take a bunch of time to get back into my English speaking. I can't really communicate things yet. I am just learning to speak English again.
We went to Trieste on the Adriadic Sea! We saw a castle!! We got lost...or at least a little frustrated with the traffic and the GPS.....but that was because Sarah denied the help of the GPS! We got authentic gelato icecream in the middle of our long travel home.....so that was relieving!
Now....before bed we are eating speghetti, drinking red AND white wine, eating authentic Italian cheese and having a great vacation.
It's beautiful.
Tomorrow........VENICE!
5.01.2009
home....but not for long
hey there!
the drought is over. I am getting in contact with my friends and family again. the tour really threw me over the edge in some ways----one huge EDGE is communication. I just dry up when there is a LEADER job at hand. I should not let that stop me----but alas, I am learning.
now I am home and it has been wonderful in Skien. The weather is like 80's and sunny. My skin is crying out for mercy as I sit on our back porch in skimpy stuff soaking in the SPF lotion. I washed all my clothes and hung them out to dry. It was dry in about 4 hours. Sometimes in the winter the clothes would take 3 days to dry inside. yikes. I have been thinking alot about the two week tour we just came from. I had a debrief session with Helga, Maria, and Will. It is good to get feedback about things that went well, things that didn't, and hopes for the next weeks.
today Ragnhild and I spent the day together. I rode my bike for 11km with Will first...then I scrubbed the outside of the house with a thick brush....and washed the porch....in my skimpy swim suit. I soon realized that I was not the only one in the neighborhood. The Polish neighbor was doing some yard work...eek. I should not make people look at this winter white skin in bulk! We ate delicious burgers...drank coffee...and icecream. I wrestled with SKYPE...because my microphone is broken. I talked to mom and dad. And updated my whole life!
tomorrow Will and I are going to Italy. I am looking forward to it. I have not packed.
I think I will sleep first.
thanks for the prayers for the tour and in general for what God is doing here in Norway. We have seen amazing things during the tour. I want to share them with you later. Would you like that???
goodnight
the drought is over. I am getting in contact with my friends and family again. the tour really threw me over the edge in some ways----one huge EDGE is communication. I just dry up when there is a LEADER job at hand. I should not let that stop me----but alas, I am learning.
now I am home and it has been wonderful in Skien. The weather is like 80's and sunny. My skin is crying out for mercy as I sit on our back porch in skimpy stuff soaking in the SPF lotion. I washed all my clothes and hung them out to dry. It was dry in about 4 hours. Sometimes in the winter the clothes would take 3 days to dry inside. yikes. I have been thinking alot about the two week tour we just came from. I had a debrief session with Helga, Maria, and Will. It is good to get feedback about things that went well, things that didn't, and hopes for the next weeks.
today Ragnhild and I spent the day together. I rode my bike for 11km with Will first...then I scrubbed the outside of the house with a thick brush....and washed the porch....in my skimpy swim suit. I soon realized that I was not the only one in the neighborhood. The Polish neighbor was doing some yard work...eek. I should not make people look at this winter white skin in bulk! We ate delicious burgers...drank coffee...and icecream. I wrestled with SKYPE...because my microphone is broken. I talked to mom and dad. And updated my whole life!
tomorrow Will and I are going to Italy. I am looking forward to it. I have not packed.
I think I will sleep first.
thanks for the prayers for the tour and in general for what God is doing here in Norway. We have seen amazing things during the tour. I want to share them with you later. Would you like that???
goodnight
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