*these are in no particular order.
Rachel V
Andrea
Mom
Christopher
Dad
Pa
new friends
snow
skype
IKEA
trains
sledding
scarves
coats
camp wawona
hope
thanksgiving feast
packages
nature
space (outer space)
books
Bible encouragement
visitors
baking
apples
spanish
french
tchad
missions
knitting
wildlife
bears/bjorn
lions/love
swedish hot dog loaf
fires
candles
wooden homes
scandinavia
norway
cottages
duvets
hotties
love
encouraging books
CS Lewis
stick shift
charcoal
garlic
tea
hot chocolate
dysfunctional pink tea pots
popcorn
music
hiking
cultures
warm homes
potluck
kitchens
cookbooks
internet
mail
God's unconditional love
memories
lamps
sheep
cows with bells
walking through forests
Fangekasa
inspiration
motivations
boys
green
purple
Advent
Christmas
tights
traditions
change
constant
farms
fall
good smells
Bessaggen
Adventure
future
yosemite
campers
moose
Mowgli
Honduras
Norway
kindred spirits
Estonian friends
garden friends
trees
beauty
time
heaven
Christ
me
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thanksgiving Norwegian Style
In the start of November Maggi Harrel asked me if I could coordinate Thanksgiving day for the group of Americans. At first it was easy I just told people what to bring and to go to Gabriela's house, that is until last week when we realized Gabriela couldn't host it because her kids had the Christmas concert to go to. I then volunteered Gronvold because I had the space.
So that's how I got to host my first Thanksgiving day feast.
I was a bit worried on Thursday and Friday but it all melted away. I cleaned up the house and put out my Christmas decorations. Sunday I woke up ready for the festivities to begin. People were set to start arriving at 12 to eat around 1pm. I had to make an apple pie and mash potatoes. (I signed up for mash potatoes because that is my brothers favorite part and I though I should make them in honor of him, although I am sure they didn't taste the same because I didn't have the same ingredients).
Everything went great. We had 12 people and 1 baby. There was Joy (American) and her 4 children (Norwegian/American), Nila (American), Luke (American) and his wife, Inga (Latvian), Maggi (Norwegian, married to Jason who is American and the sponsor on the Tanzania trip with the EBS students), Bjorn Åge (Norwegian) and his wife Erin (American) and of course me (American).
We had a full table of food! Gluten, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, salad, cornbread, dinner rolls, rutabaga, elder berry juice, norwegian cranberries, McCormick gravy, and AMAZING deserts! Pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan pie and my apple pie, tofu and regular ice cream.
After we ate the main course we left all the dishes on the table and went outside to play some football on the icy grass. It ended up being the full blooded Americans versus the Europeans :O) No one won. We were all just that good. It was nice to add that to my traditions. I hadn't played in a while and it was quite fun. After the game we ate desert and played more games inside. Taboo and Fantisi, a norwegian game like gestures and pictionary combined. It was much harder to play with teams of mixed languages and cultures. I was a bit off my game, but there were some moments of shinning glory.
All my plates were used, my serving utensils, silver ware, cups, bowls, pitchers and chairs. A dream come true. I truly was thankful for it all. Thanks to all of those who were a part of the celebration of Thanks.
Where ever I am next year I hope I am able to share the special day with people as jovial and lovely as each person at the feast.
Here's to good food, family and friends.
So that's how I got to host my first Thanksgiving day feast.
I was a bit worried on Thursday and Friday but it all melted away. I cleaned up the house and put out my Christmas decorations. Sunday I woke up ready for the festivities to begin. People were set to start arriving at 12 to eat around 1pm. I had to make an apple pie and mash potatoes. (I signed up for mash potatoes because that is my brothers favorite part and I though I should make them in honor of him, although I am sure they didn't taste the same because I didn't have the same ingredients).
Everything went great. We had 12 people and 1 baby. There was Joy (American) and her 4 children (Norwegian/American), Nila (American), Luke (American) and his wife, Inga (Latvian), Maggi (Norwegian, married to Jason who is American and the sponsor on the Tanzania trip with the EBS students), Bjorn Åge (Norwegian) and his wife Erin (American) and of course me (American).
We had a full table of food! Gluten, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, salad, cornbread, dinner rolls, rutabaga, elder berry juice, norwegian cranberries, McCormick gravy, and AMAZING deserts! Pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan pie and my apple pie, tofu and regular ice cream.
After we ate the main course we left all the dishes on the table and went outside to play some football on the icy grass. It ended up being the full blooded Americans versus the Europeans :O) No one won. We were all just that good. It was nice to add that to my traditions. I hadn't played in a while and it was quite fun. After the game we ate desert and played more games inside. Taboo and Fantisi, a norwegian game like gestures and pictionary combined. It was much harder to play with teams of mixed languages and cultures. I was a bit off my game, but there were some moments of shinning glory.
All my plates were used, my serving utensils, silver ware, cups, bowls, pitchers and chairs. A dream come true. I truly was thankful for it all. Thanks to all of those who were a part of the celebration of Thanks.
Where ever I am next year I hope I am able to share the special day with people as jovial and lovely as each person at the feast.
Here's to good food, family and friends.
Somewhere, Sweden
What a start to my trip through Scandinavia! Just getting up at 4:40am is a big ordeal. Then getting up to my world blanketed in snow! Ivo drove me down to Hokksund train station and I missed my train by minutes, but there was still time to make the train from Oslo to Stockholm. Just 6 minutes. In those 6 minutes I had to get my EuRail ticket stamped and find my train. Of course I always panic and can't decide if I am no the right train or not. Realizing I was just before my exit I lug my suitcase to the door to make my dash for it. I get in line to get my ticket stamped after speed walking past everyone, get my ticket validated and turn to look for the track with my train just as I hear over the loud speaker in english ''last call for Stockholm'' Ekk! Quick which one is track 6! Following behind an equally late man, we push through the stream of people going the opposite direction and make our way to the train. I literally got on seconds before they rolled out! Amen. Praise God for guiding everything.
So now I sit on the train waiting out my 6 hour ride to Stockholm.
So now I sit on the train waiting out my 6 hour ride to Stockholm.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
heads up.
Just so you know I am going to be posting my Thanksgiving adventures. Stories from all three meals and pictures/video too. I will also be posting my adventures from Finland, Sweden and the mother IKEA store. . . .
Just not today. I am tired from all the festivities today and have to get up at 5 am to make my train to Oslo, Norway that takes me by train to Stockholm, Sweden that takes me by ferry to Turku, Finland by Tuesday morning. So I am off to bed to sleep what few hours I have left.
Many blessings to you on your Sunday night.
Ps It's snowing, why does it always snow when I am leaving?
Just not today. I am tired from all the festivities today and have to get up at 5 am to make my train to Oslo, Norway that takes me by train to Stockholm, Sweden that takes me by ferry to Turku, Finland by Tuesday morning. So I am off to bed to sleep what few hours I have left.
Many blessings to you on your Sunday night.
Ps It's snowing, why does it always snow when I am leaving?
Friday, November 27, 2009
I'll tell you where you will be . . .
So the other day I was thinking, "Five years ago had God told me where I would be doing right now I would have not believed Him."
Really if God had come and sat down next to me while in the Destiny Drama Company bus on tour and begun to tell me that in five years I would be driving a stick shift, big, red bus/van down a dark Norwegian road with a charcoal poultice on my infected ear and my, then new friend, Ben from DDC, to pick up a Bulgarian named Tzveta, at the train station. I believe I would have laughed and said thanks for the funny story. But to have believed it, no way.
Let us rewind my life tape and see where I was five years ago. I was back from Honduras as an SM, going through the reentry shock of America and University life again. I had finally been accepted into the touring theater group Destiny Drama Company, after two years of rejection. I was on fire for life, spanish, student missionaries and God. I had a minimum of two years left in University before any life long decisions needed to be made (even though I took three). I was young and as they say innocent. My eye's had only just begun to open to the difficulties of the world and I knew that I wanted to do mission work more than anything.
However for better or worse, here I am. Sitting in a dark Norwegian flat at 3 pm on a Friday typing on my mac computer. God is crazy sometimes. He gives us our passions and dreams and then the opportunity to live them out. I think God does not tell us our future because we would not believe Him. So we dream up lives for ourselves and pray and hope they come true, yet God has an even bigger crazier life in store for us. When I stop and think about my life over the last five years I see where I have slowly been trusting God more and more with my life.
I am learning to just let go of everything and go where He leads, because I have I have found myself driving a stick shift, big, red bus/van down a dark Norwegian road with a charcoal poultice on my infected ear and my, now old friend, Ben from DDC, to pick up a Bulgarian named Tzveta, at the train station.
I am reminded of a phrase I learned my freshman year of university at a Bible study at the Owen house.
Let go and let God.
It is when I do that I find myself doing amazing things for Him.
Really if God had come and sat down next to me while in the Destiny Drama Company bus on tour and begun to tell me that in five years I would be driving a stick shift, big, red bus/van down a dark Norwegian road with a charcoal poultice on my infected ear and my, then new friend, Ben from DDC, to pick up a Bulgarian named Tzveta, at the train station. I believe I would have laughed and said thanks for the funny story. But to have believed it, no way.
Let us rewind my life tape and see where I was five years ago. I was back from Honduras as an SM, going through the reentry shock of America and University life again. I had finally been accepted into the touring theater group Destiny Drama Company, after two years of rejection. I was on fire for life, spanish, student missionaries and God. I had a minimum of two years left in University before any life long decisions needed to be made (even though I took three). I was young and as they say innocent. My eye's had only just begun to open to the difficulties of the world and I knew that I wanted to do mission work more than anything.
However for better or worse, here I am. Sitting in a dark Norwegian flat at 3 pm on a Friday typing on my mac computer. God is crazy sometimes. He gives us our passions and dreams and then the opportunity to live them out. I think God does not tell us our future because we would not believe Him. So we dream up lives for ourselves and pray and hope they come true, yet God has an even bigger crazier life in store for us. When I stop and think about my life over the last five years I see where I have slowly been trusting God more and more with my life.
I am learning to just let go of everything and go where He leads, because I have I have found myself driving a stick shift, big, red bus/van down a dark Norwegian road with a charcoal poultice on my infected ear and my, now old friend, Ben from DDC, to pick up a Bulgarian named Tzveta, at the train station. I am reminded of a phrase I learned my freshman year of university at a Bible study at the Owen house.
Let go and let God.
It is when I do that I find myself doing amazing things for Him.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Tales from an exile
Well today the majority of the students have been gone from the school leaving me and just a very tiny group of working students and green house workers to run the place. I must be honest I wasn't very excited about being left behind while everyone else went to an faraway land to do mission work. Especially because one group was going to Honduras, the very first place I lived outside of America. I would have LOVED to visit my old home at El Hogar de Ninos. But alas I was left here to 'run' things.
After I saw the light of all the fun, Kaisa, Tiina and I could have I began to get excited. So now after a week I would love to tell you about our tales.
All week I worked doing things from cataloging library books, covering new books, planning my recruiting trip through Scandinavia, cooking in the kitchen, taking the trash out and cleaning Solhoug down the hill. The days have been diverse enough and I have been able to listen to great music and books on tape. (a side note about the music, if you have never tried it I recommend putting on your head phones and dancing for awhile by yourself. It's a blast) Not so bad and boring so far. . .
This weekend was also very nice. On Friday night after vespers a group of us leftovers came back to Gronvold to drink hot drinks and sit on the sofa with the fire roaring and the candles burning for light. We sat and sipped our hot drinks for a long time while talking about little bits of everything.
Saturday was potluck at church, always great. After trying bits of all the food, Ben, Tiina and I went for a little walk around the river to help the food digest. The plans for the evening included a concert in the State Church up the hill on the other side of church and then pancakes at my house. Since the sun goes down around 3:45 we stayed at the church till it was time for the concert.
Oh, boy this concert was great. It consisted of an organ, trumpet, mini organ and pan flute. The organ reminded me of Southern, it made me feel like I was at Even Tide. The lady who played the flutes was amazing too, she played music from Handel, and Baroque. After the concert we came back to my flat and cooked up some great tasting crawafle. Yes, I typed that right. It was a cross between a creepe, waffle and pancake. Tasty, it was quite the little feast we had.
So I might be in exile, the numbers here might be few. But we are having a rock'n time :O)
Tonight on the docket is fort making in the living room with a movie, hot drinks, baked apples and perhaps some pepperkaker!!!!
After I saw the light of all the fun, Kaisa, Tiina and I could have I began to get excited. So now after a week I would love to tell you about our tales.
All week I worked doing things from cataloging library books, covering new books, planning my recruiting trip through Scandinavia, cooking in the kitchen, taking the trash out and cleaning Solhoug down the hill. The days have been diverse enough and I have been able to listen to great music and books on tape. (a side note about the music, if you have never tried it I recommend putting on your head phones and dancing for awhile by yourself. It's a blast) Not so bad and boring so far. . .
This weekend was also very nice. On Friday night after vespers a group of us leftovers came back to Gronvold to drink hot drinks and sit on the sofa with the fire roaring and the candles burning for light. We sat and sipped our hot drinks for a long time while talking about little bits of everything.
Saturday was potluck at church, always great. After trying bits of all the food, Ben, Tiina and I went for a little walk around the river to help the food digest. The plans for the evening included a concert in the State Church up the hill on the other side of church and then pancakes at my house. Since the sun goes down around 3:45 we stayed at the church till it was time for the concert.
Oh, boy this concert was great. It consisted of an organ, trumpet, mini organ and pan flute. The organ reminded me of Southern, it made me feel like I was at Even Tide. The lady who played the flutes was amazing too, she played music from Handel, and Baroque. After the concert we came back to my flat and cooked up some great tasting crawafle. Yes, I typed that right. It was a cross between a creepe, waffle and pancake. Tasty, it was quite the little feast we had.
So I might be in exile, the numbers here might be few. But we are having a rock'n time :O)
Tonight on the docket is fort making in the living room with a movie, hot drinks, baked apples and perhaps some pepperkaker!!!!
Friday, November 20, 2009
I can not remain silent, so I’ll sing.
In vespers a few weeks ago we sang most all of Fannie Crosby’s hymns. She has written several personal favorites. As we were singing I remember one part standing out to me more than the other songs. It was “I sing because I can not be silent.” How beautiful is that!? Sometimes I find myself singing songs out loud. For example at camp this last summer I found myself singing “It’s a beautiful day and I thank God for __________” How wonderful it was to find myself walking around with that song bursting forth, not worrying about who will hear me, how I sound but just singing with all my heart simply because I can not be silent. The rest of those words are just as profound, as you read the words think about what they are saying. Are they true for you? Do you love to proclaim it? When was the last time you found yourself singing out loud because you were in love with your boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse? If you have, think about when was the last time you sang because you were so in love with God.
That last sentence has been on my mind lately. How in love with God am I today? Do I crave time with Him, not necessarily worship but time to talk with Him. Do I prepare myself for our weekly dates or do I just arrive on time for the date? I want to be so in love with God that I cannot remain silent. I want to sing it from the rooftops, because if I don’t then the rocks will.
Redeemed how I love to proclaim it. His child and forever I am.
Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
Redeemed through His infinite mercy;
His child and forever I am.
Refrain:
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am!
Redeemed and so happy in Jesus—
No language my rapture can tell!
I know that the light of His presence
In me doth continually dwell.
I think of my blessèd Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent—
His love is the theme of my song!
I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in Whose law I delight,
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
I know there’s a crown that is waiting
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be!
That last sentence has been on my mind lately. How in love with God am I today? Do I crave time with Him, not necessarily worship but time to talk with Him. Do I prepare myself for our weekly dates or do I just arrive on time for the date? I want to be so in love with God that I cannot remain silent. I want to sing it from the rooftops, because if I don’t then the rocks will.
Redeemed how I love to proclaim it. His child and forever I am.
Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
Redeemed through His infinite mercy;
His child and forever I am.
Refrain:
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am!
Redeemed and so happy in Jesus—
No language my rapture can tell!
I know that the light of His presence
In me doth continually dwell.
I think of my blessèd Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent—
His love is the theme of my song!
I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in Whose law I delight,
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
I know there’s a crown that is waiting
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be!
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