Yes, vi er blitt 30 år! Jesus startet sin tjeneste omtrent på samme alder så jeg regner med at 30’åra blir gode år. Jeg er i all fall lykkelig gift. I dag har jeg og Per Eirik vært sammen i ett år! Hehe.. det kribler i magen av å tenke på hvordan jeg hadde det i fjor på denne dagen... Det var en fantastisk dag. Per Eirik kjørte opp fra Kristiansand og var på døra mi mellom 10 og 11 på morgenen den 9. november 2008. Han smilte stort da jeg så han komme bortover gangen.. det hele var veldig romantisk… Og nå har jeg har fått gifte meg med verdens flotteste mann.
Per Eirik ble 30 år på mandag så vi tilbrakte helga i Kristiansand hos foreldrene hans. Han har en veldig god familie, så vi hadde en fin helg. På mandag var det selvfølgelig litt feiring av dagen.
I Kristiansand prøvde jeg også å få unna noen forberedelser til bryllupsfesten vi skal ha i januar. Problemet er at jeg ønsker meg ovnsstekt sjokoladeostekake til bryllupskake og det er ikke så lett å finne noen som vil lage… vet du om noen???
For de av dere som har fulgt med litt her på bloggen så vet dere at vi bare kan låne leiligheten vi nå bor i fram til 7. desember. Så vi har vært litt i tvil om hva vi skal gjøre etter denne datoen. Vi har fått tilbud om å låne et sted fra 10. desember, men vi lurer litt på om vi kanskje skal ta en tur til Østerrike.
Vi kunne tenke oss å reise til Østerrike før jul. Da ville vi kunne ta med et flyttelass med oss ned. Det hadde vært deilig å få med litt kjøkkensaker og pynt som vil gjøre basen litt mer hjemmekoselig. For oss handler det litt om å skape et hjem og slå litt røtter i Østerrike. Vi håper også at et par fra Latvia som vi har blitt kjent med her på Grimerud vil møte oss der nede. Vi gleder oss til å be og prise Gud sammen med dem der nede.
Vi ser at Gud har gitt oss noen viktige samtaler og kontakter de siste ukene. Det er spennende å se og kjenne hvordan vi får innspill fra ulike hold. Det er så flott å snakke med mennesker som har gjort lignende ting og ”drikke” litt av den visdommen de har tatt med seg på veien.
Denne uka har vi fått være med på et lederskapsforum som Ungdom i Oppdrag har. Det var en type konferanse der ulike saker på dagsorden ble diskutert. Konferansen varte fra tirsdag til fredag. Det var spennende og lærerikt.
Vil forresten anbefale en film som vi så i løpet av disse dagene: Amazing Grace. Den handlet om Wilberforce, en britisk politiker som etter mange år klarte å overbevise britiske styresmakter om å forby slavehandel. Det var en rørende film som fikk tankene til å vandre mot moderne menneskehandel/slaveri. Spørsmål om hva kan vi gjøre, eller hva vi burde gjøre for å sette fokus på dette og stoppe det, reiser seg. Egentlig ufattelig å tenke på at mange i dagens Europa lever som slaver og få gjør noe med det.
Jeg har fått tilbakemelding på at det kan være vanskelig å legge igjen kommentarer. Dette gjelder spesielt de som ikke har egen blogg. Jeg tror dere må trykke flere ganger for at funksjonen skal bli aktiv.. Ellers så er det jo lov å sende en e-post også og sende oss et hint om at du har vært innom. Synes bare det er veldig koselig med kommentarer… Vet ikke helt om jeg stoler på tellefunksjonen på bloggen… synes at den plutselig la til mange tusen på antall mennesker som hadde vært innom sida her.
Tusen takk til alle dere som støtter oss i bønn og omtanke. Vi synes det er veldig hyggelig å møte folk som har vært innom bloggen vår. Hvis det er flere der ute som ber for Østerrike eller som har erfaringer som kan være nyttig for oss, hører vi gjerne fra deg/dere.
Ønsker også å takke dere som støtter oss økonomisk. Det er flott å kjenne at dere står sammen med oss.
Bønneemner:
- Be om at vi skal få visdom til å bruke tiden rett i månedene som kommer – både i forhold til om vi skal ta turen til Østerrike, og legger opp dagene våre.
- Be om at det økonomiske skal fortsette å legge seg til rette for oss.
- Be om at Gud skal fortsette å vise oss sitt hjerte for Østerrike.
- Be om at Gud skal fortsette å sende mennesker som ønsker å stå sammen med oss i bønn og som kan dele av sin visdom og erfaring med oss.
mandag 9. november 2009
Celebrations and Challenges
Yes, we are thirty years old! Jesus started his public ministry when he was about our age, so I am expecting great things from this next decade. Well, I have had a wonderful start at it anyhow… I am happily married. Today, Per Eirik and I have been together for a year! I still feel the butterflies in my tummy when I think about that day, last year. It was amazing!!! Per Eirik drove up from Kristiansand and was at my door sometime between 9 and 10 am on the 9th of November. He had a big smile as he walked down the hallway to my door… it was all very romantic… and now I am married to the world’s best husband.
Per Eirik was thirty years old on Monday. We spent last weekend at his parent’s house, celebrating Per Eirik’s birthday with them on Monday. It was a very nice weekend.
For those of you that have followed our blog, you know that we can only borrow the apartment we are in now until the seventh of December. We have been offered another place to stay from the tenth of December, but our minds are set on Austria...
We are considering another trip to Austria before Christmas. This would enable us to take a lot more with us down there. For us this is about making a home down there and growing some roots- in the place where we are going to stay for the next two years. We also hope that a couple from Latvia, who we have met here at Grimerud, will meet us down there. We look forward to a time of praise and worship with them in Austria.
In last few weeks we have witnessed how God has given us some very valuable conversations and contacts. It is exciting to speak with people that have done some of the same things that we are going to do. We try to draw as much as we can from the wisdom and experiences they have.
This week we were at a leadership conference for YWAM, Norway. This was an excellent way for us to observe and see how leadership is executed within YWAM. We really enjoyed being observers to the conference which lasted from Tuesday until Friday.
I have received some comments that it might be difficult for some of you to add your comments here – especially for those of you that don’t have your own blog. I think you have to push where it says “Kommentarer” several times in order to activate it. You may also send us an email. I’d really like to hear from you if you are able to leave a comment.
I want to thank all of you who have been supporting us in prayer and in your thoughts. It is so nice to meet and talk with people who have been in on our blog. If there are more people out there that are praying for Austria or have experiences you think will be useful for us, please let us hear from you.
We also would like to say, thank you, to all of you that are supporting us financially. It is such a blessing to know that you are standing with us and supporting us.
God bless you all.
Prayer requests:
- Please, pray that we will use our time wisely – especially in considering another trip to Austria.
- Pray for our financial situation – that God will continue to provide for us.
- Pray that God will continue to show us His heart for Austria.
- Pray that God will continue to send people our way that can stand with us in prayer, and share with us from their wisdom and experiences.
Per Eirik was thirty years old on Monday. We spent last weekend at his parent’s house, celebrating Per Eirik’s birthday with them on Monday. It was a very nice weekend.
For those of you that have followed our blog, you know that we can only borrow the apartment we are in now until the seventh of December. We have been offered another place to stay from the tenth of December, but our minds are set on Austria...
We are considering another trip to Austria before Christmas. This would enable us to take a lot more with us down there. For us this is about making a home down there and growing some roots- in the place where we are going to stay for the next two years. We also hope that a couple from Latvia, who we have met here at Grimerud, will meet us down there. We look forward to a time of praise and worship with them in Austria.
In last few weeks we have witnessed how God has given us some very valuable conversations and contacts. It is exciting to speak with people that have done some of the same things that we are going to do. We try to draw as much as we can from the wisdom and experiences they have.
This week we were at a leadership conference for YWAM, Norway. This was an excellent way for us to observe and see how leadership is executed within YWAM. We really enjoyed being observers to the conference which lasted from Tuesday until Friday.
I have received some comments that it might be difficult for some of you to add your comments here – especially for those of you that don’t have your own blog. I think you have to push where it says “Kommentarer” several times in order to activate it. You may also send us an email. I’d really like to hear from you if you are able to leave a comment.
I want to thank all of you who have been supporting us in prayer and in your thoughts. It is so nice to meet and talk with people who have been in on our blog. If there are more people out there that are praying for Austria or have experiences you think will be useful for us, please let us hear from you.
We also would like to say, thank you, to all of you that are supporting us financially. It is such a blessing to know that you are standing with us and supporting us.
God bless you all.
Prayer requests:
- Please, pray that we will use our time wisely – especially in considering another trip to Austria.
- Pray for our financial situation – that God will continue to provide for us.
- Pray that God will continue to show us His heart for Austria.
- Pray that God will continue to send people our way that can stand with us in prayer, and share with us from their wisdom and experiences.
mandag 5. oktober 2009
September og kos : )
Det er blitt oktober og vi sitter tett i tett på en brun skinnsofa i et hus like ved Grimerud Gård. Kjærlige ord veksles mellom oss. Vi koser oss. Vi har fått låne denne leiligheten i tre måneder. En velsignelse. Vi har hatt noen flotte uker i det siste… og jeg skal prøve å gjengi noen av godbitene…
Friskt i minne står turen til Østerrike for knapt en uke siden. Men først, vil vi skru tiden enda et par uker tilbake…
Menighetsweekend. Vi fikk noen flotte dager på Solstrand en helg i september. Jeg trengte sårt noen dager med avslapning og påfyll og det fikk jeg virkelig. Gud velsignet oss. Det var fantastisk å møte en så flott menighet som Frikirken på Hånes. Dette er hjemmemenigheten til Per Eirik. Det var liv og røre med alle generasjoner representert. Det er lenge siden jeg har møtt en så hjertevarm menighet. Det var rørende å kjenne hvordan de støttet opp om oss. Menigheten ba for oss og sendte oss ut som sine misjonærer.
Samme uke fikk vi gleden av å være med på et kurs på UIOs base i Kristiansand, Skjærgårdsheimen. I storflott vær fikk vi benytte noen dager i en av Norges flotte skjærgårdsperler. Kurset føltes ut som akkurat det vi trengte. Det handlet om noe som heter ”Mission Adventures”. Mission Adventures (MA) er et av konseptene for misjonsturer som UIO driver. Hovedideen bak dette konseptet er å ta med hele ungdomsgrupper på misjonstur, der de får gjøre humanitært arbeid og evangelisering, i tillegg er disippelgjøring av gruppen og av de menneskene gruppen får møte en viktig del av konseptet.
Kurset var nyttig for oss. Det er ikke slik at vi tenker å starte MA i Østerrike, men at vi ønsker å legge til rette for at noen kan gjøre det. Allerede til sommeren som kommer er det snakk om at vi kanskje kommer til å ta i mot slike team fra Norge. Kurset forberedte oss på hva vi kan gjøre for å ta i mot ungdomsgrupper på en best mulig måte. Kurset la også ned i oss et ønske om å se MA grupper reise ut fra Østerrike. UIO har et fantastisk konsept her som legger alt til rette for at en ungdomsleder kan reise på teamtur med gruppa si uten å bekymre seg for organiseringen. UIO tar seg av organisering og tjener ungdomslederen slik at han/hun kan kose seg på tur med ungdommene og konsentrere seg om å lede dem.
Høydepunket i september var reisen til Østerrike. Sammen med en gruppe ledere fra UIO her i Norge, reiste vi ned for å ”speide” ut plassen. Plassen vi reiste til lå ca 20 minutters kjøretid sør for Wien. Det er en flott liten by med ca 4000 innbyggere. Her har UIO hatt sitt kontor noen år. Boligkomplekset inneholder store muligheter for UIO i Østerrike, med både plass til overnatting og eventuelle skoler, leire eller kurser … UIO leier plass i komplekset. Vi kommer til å bo i halvparten av en leilighet som er delt i to. Den andre halvdelen kommer vi til å bruke som kontor. Joda,… jeg har allerede plassert det meste på plass i mitt hode allerede og det ser ganske koselig ut. Jeg er glad for at IKEA ligger en kort kjøretur unna. Leiligheten trenger en god porsjon kjærlighet og en flink mann som kan fikse alt jeg ikke har peil på. Tror slutt resultatet blir ganske koselig… og jeg kjenner at jeg gleder meg til å komme i gang. Det er spennende det vi får være med på. Jeg føler meg ydmyk overfor det vi får være med på.
For deg som sitter nå og lurer på… ”men hva var det egentlig de skulle igjen”.. så skal jeg ta det kort… Etter jul reiser min mann og jeg ned til Østerrike for å være kontaktpersoner for Ungdom i Oppdrag i Østerrike. Ungdom i Oppdrag er en tverrkirkelig misjonsorganisasjon. I Østerrike finnes det pr. dato ingen såkalt base for UIO. Det er ikke lenge siden UIO hadde et arbeid her og UIO, Østerrike har bedt UIO Norge om å ta over ansvaret for organisasjonen i landet. Vi er de første fra Norge som flytter ned dit for å drive det som igjen skal bli en base for UIO. Vi skal samarbeide med de lokale menighetene, ta i mot team og prøve å danne et grunnlag for at østerrikere kan reise ut i misjon. Vi skal i samarbeid med ham som tidligere var leder for basen, utvikle et kontaktnettverk for UIO. På lokalt plan er vi opptatt av å se etter hvilke behov menighetene har og bistå med den kompetansen UIO har. For de av dere som enda lurer på hva vi egentlig skal gjøre så er det bare å legge inn spørsmål.. jeg skal prøve å besvare dem så godt jeg kan.
Østerrike overrasket meg med sin vakre natur. Jeg har vært der før, men naturen rundt Wien, var annerledes enn fjellstrøkene jeg har vært i tidligere. Store vingårder og varmt vær preget stedet. Vi fikk også noen flotte turer til Wien der vi kjente at Gud talte til oss om behovene som ligger i Østerrike. Vi ba mye i løpet av dagene i Østerrike og det var godt å kjenne på noe av det som ligger på Guds hjerte for landet. Relasjonen vi fikk med Bruce Clewett som har ledet basen tidligere var også veldig god. Vi gleder oss til å lære mye av han. Om der finnes helter i Guds rike må han være en av dem. Historien hans er helt utrolig… man sitter limet til stolen og hører han fortelle om hvordan Gud har gjort at han har fått samarbeide med de utroligste mennesker.
For at vi skal kunne reise ned til Østerrike trenger vi økonomiske støttepartnere. Vi har fått noen løfter fra mennesker som ønsker å støtte oss. Det er virkelig oppmuntrende. Tusen takk! Til nå er det likevel stort sett familie som støtter oss økonomisk i måneden. Vi er veldig takknemlige for de av dere som ønsker å være med å hjelpe oss.
På samme tid må vi vel innrømme at sparekontoene våre blir litt slankere for hver måned. Så vær gjerne med å be for oss at vi skal få flere som vil være med å støtte oss. Tror ikke Gud vil vi skal verken mase eller bekymre oss for penger, så derfor er jeg frimodig og ber om forbønn for dette.
Tusen takk for alle bønnene som har blitt bedt de siste ukene. Vi har kjent på bekreftelse i forhold til at Gud virkelig har kalt oss til å gjøre dette og at han er med. Hverdagen her på Grimerud har også forbedret seg betraktelig. Det er også hyggelig å høre fra dere om hva dere ber om for oss og kjenner at det treffer hjertet. Tusen takk.
Bønne emner
-Be om at vi skal ta de rette avgjørelsene i forhold til spørsmål om besøk av team i sommer.
-Be om at vi skal fortsette å ha en god kommunikasjon med Bruce Clewett
-Be om at vi skal få en enda større del av Guds hjerte for Østerrike, at vi skal ha hans øyne, ører og tale hans Ord i møte med mennesker. Be om at vi skal ha Guds visdom.
-Be om at vi skal få de økonomiske støttepartnerne og de gode relasjonene med mennesker som vi trenger her i Norge.
- Be om at Gud skal sende mennesker til Østerrike som kan stå sammen med oss i arbeidet
Mvh Kristina & Per Eirik
Friskt i minne står turen til Østerrike for knapt en uke siden. Men først, vil vi skru tiden enda et par uker tilbake…
Menighetsweekend. Vi fikk noen flotte dager på Solstrand en helg i september. Jeg trengte sårt noen dager med avslapning og påfyll og det fikk jeg virkelig. Gud velsignet oss. Det var fantastisk å møte en så flott menighet som Frikirken på Hånes. Dette er hjemmemenigheten til Per Eirik. Det var liv og røre med alle generasjoner representert. Det er lenge siden jeg har møtt en så hjertevarm menighet. Det var rørende å kjenne hvordan de støttet opp om oss. Menigheten ba for oss og sendte oss ut som sine misjonærer.
Samme uke fikk vi gleden av å være med på et kurs på UIOs base i Kristiansand, Skjærgårdsheimen. I storflott vær fikk vi benytte noen dager i en av Norges flotte skjærgårdsperler. Kurset føltes ut som akkurat det vi trengte. Det handlet om noe som heter ”Mission Adventures”. Mission Adventures (MA) er et av konseptene for misjonsturer som UIO driver. Hovedideen bak dette konseptet er å ta med hele ungdomsgrupper på misjonstur, der de får gjøre humanitært arbeid og evangelisering, i tillegg er disippelgjøring av gruppen og av de menneskene gruppen får møte en viktig del av konseptet.
Kurset var nyttig for oss. Det er ikke slik at vi tenker å starte MA i Østerrike, men at vi ønsker å legge til rette for at noen kan gjøre det. Allerede til sommeren som kommer er det snakk om at vi kanskje kommer til å ta i mot slike team fra Norge. Kurset forberedte oss på hva vi kan gjøre for å ta i mot ungdomsgrupper på en best mulig måte. Kurset la også ned i oss et ønske om å se MA grupper reise ut fra Østerrike. UIO har et fantastisk konsept her som legger alt til rette for at en ungdomsleder kan reise på teamtur med gruppa si uten å bekymre seg for organiseringen. UIO tar seg av organisering og tjener ungdomslederen slik at han/hun kan kose seg på tur med ungdommene og konsentrere seg om å lede dem.
Høydepunket i september var reisen til Østerrike. Sammen med en gruppe ledere fra UIO her i Norge, reiste vi ned for å ”speide” ut plassen. Plassen vi reiste til lå ca 20 minutters kjøretid sør for Wien. Det er en flott liten by med ca 4000 innbyggere. Her har UIO hatt sitt kontor noen år. Boligkomplekset inneholder store muligheter for UIO i Østerrike, med både plass til overnatting og eventuelle skoler, leire eller kurser … UIO leier plass i komplekset. Vi kommer til å bo i halvparten av en leilighet som er delt i to. Den andre halvdelen kommer vi til å bruke som kontor. Joda,… jeg har allerede plassert det meste på plass i mitt hode allerede og det ser ganske koselig ut. Jeg er glad for at IKEA ligger en kort kjøretur unna. Leiligheten trenger en god porsjon kjærlighet og en flink mann som kan fikse alt jeg ikke har peil på. Tror slutt resultatet blir ganske koselig… og jeg kjenner at jeg gleder meg til å komme i gang. Det er spennende det vi får være med på. Jeg føler meg ydmyk overfor det vi får være med på.
For deg som sitter nå og lurer på… ”men hva var det egentlig de skulle igjen”.. så skal jeg ta det kort… Etter jul reiser min mann og jeg ned til Østerrike for å være kontaktpersoner for Ungdom i Oppdrag i Østerrike. Ungdom i Oppdrag er en tverrkirkelig misjonsorganisasjon. I Østerrike finnes det pr. dato ingen såkalt base for UIO. Det er ikke lenge siden UIO hadde et arbeid her og UIO, Østerrike har bedt UIO Norge om å ta over ansvaret for organisasjonen i landet. Vi er de første fra Norge som flytter ned dit for å drive det som igjen skal bli en base for UIO. Vi skal samarbeide med de lokale menighetene, ta i mot team og prøve å danne et grunnlag for at østerrikere kan reise ut i misjon. Vi skal i samarbeid med ham som tidligere var leder for basen, utvikle et kontaktnettverk for UIO. På lokalt plan er vi opptatt av å se etter hvilke behov menighetene har og bistå med den kompetansen UIO har. For de av dere som enda lurer på hva vi egentlig skal gjøre så er det bare å legge inn spørsmål.. jeg skal prøve å besvare dem så godt jeg kan.
Østerrike overrasket meg med sin vakre natur. Jeg har vært der før, men naturen rundt Wien, var annerledes enn fjellstrøkene jeg har vært i tidligere. Store vingårder og varmt vær preget stedet. Vi fikk også noen flotte turer til Wien der vi kjente at Gud talte til oss om behovene som ligger i Østerrike. Vi ba mye i løpet av dagene i Østerrike og det var godt å kjenne på noe av det som ligger på Guds hjerte for landet. Relasjonen vi fikk med Bruce Clewett som har ledet basen tidligere var også veldig god. Vi gleder oss til å lære mye av han. Om der finnes helter i Guds rike må han være en av dem. Historien hans er helt utrolig… man sitter limet til stolen og hører han fortelle om hvordan Gud har gjort at han har fått samarbeide med de utroligste mennesker.
For at vi skal kunne reise ned til Østerrike trenger vi økonomiske støttepartnere. Vi har fått noen løfter fra mennesker som ønsker å støtte oss. Det er virkelig oppmuntrende. Tusen takk! Til nå er det likevel stort sett familie som støtter oss økonomisk i måneden. Vi er veldig takknemlige for de av dere som ønsker å være med å hjelpe oss.
På samme tid må vi vel innrømme at sparekontoene våre blir litt slankere for hver måned. Så vær gjerne med å be for oss at vi skal få flere som vil være med å støtte oss. Tror ikke Gud vil vi skal verken mase eller bekymre oss for penger, så derfor er jeg frimodig og ber om forbønn for dette.
Tusen takk for alle bønnene som har blitt bedt de siste ukene. Vi har kjent på bekreftelse i forhold til at Gud virkelig har kalt oss til å gjøre dette og at han er med. Hverdagen her på Grimerud har også forbedret seg betraktelig. Det er også hyggelig å høre fra dere om hva dere ber om for oss og kjenner at det treffer hjertet. Tusen takk.
Bønne emner
-Be om at vi skal ta de rette avgjørelsene i forhold til spørsmål om besøk av team i sommer.
-Be om at vi skal fortsette å ha en god kommunikasjon med Bruce Clewett
-Be om at vi skal få en enda større del av Guds hjerte for Østerrike, at vi skal ha hans øyne, ører og tale hans Ord i møte med mennesker. Be om at vi skal ha Guds visdom.
-Be om at vi skal få de økonomiske støttepartnerne og de gode relasjonene med mennesker som vi trenger her i Norge.
- Be om at Gud skal sende mennesker til Østerrike som kan stå sammen med oss i arbeidet
Mvh Kristina & Per Eirik
September and happy times…
It is September and we are enjoying our time in the borrowed apartment just down the road from Grimerud. We are blessed. We have had some wonderful moments in the weeks that have passed and I shall try to retell some of the highlights….
In mid-September we spent a weekend at Solstrand, a beautiful place on the south coast of Norway, with Per Eiriks home church, Hånes Frikirke. It was a very relaxing and refreshing time. God blessed us, with some much needed rest. It was so nice to meet this wonderful church. I was touched by the way they met us and blessed us. They prayed for us and sent us out as their missionaries.
The following week we had the pleasure of attending a Mission Adventures course at YWAM’s base in Kristiansand. This is a very beautiful place right by the water, and the sun was shining every day. This course was very useful in our preparation for Austria. Mission Adventures (MA) is a one of YWAM’s outreach concepts. MA seeks to see whole youth groups going together on outreaches. YWAM organizes the outreach and seeks to serve the youth leader so that he/she may concentrate on leading their youth group.
At this point we are not thinking that we will start an MA in Austria, but we hope and pray that we can put everything in place so that whoever God calls can come and do it. Also, we are already looking at the possibilities for receiving teams from Norway next summer.
The main highlight of September was our trip to Austria. Together with a group of YWAM leaders from Norway we went to Austria to “scout” out the place where we are going to rent. We went to a little town about 20 minutes south of Wien. It is wonderful town, with about 4000 people. YWAM has had its office here for some years now. The complex where the office is situated has great potential. YWAM rents its office space here. We will live in one half of one of the apartments here, and the other half will be the YWAM office. … Yes, I have already placed all the furniture in the apartment… in my head and it looks really nice. I am happy IKEA is just a five minutes drive away. The apartment needs a good portion of love… and a handy husband that knows how to fix all the things I have no clue about. I think it will be quite nice in the end… I am really looking forward to getting started. I feel humbled by the things that we get to be a part of…
If you are now wondering… ”what is it these people are going to do”…I will give you a summary… After Christmas my husband and I will be moving to Austria to become contacts for YWAM. YWAM is an interdominational mission organization. Today, there is no YWAM base in Austria. YWAM, Austria has asked YWAM, Norway to take over the responsibility for YWAM in the country. We will be the first two people from Norway that move down there to run the base. We will work with the needs of the local churches to provide whatever expertise YWAM may offer. Furthermore, we will receive teams and try to encourage Austrians to go out into missions. In all this we are fortunate to have Bruce Clewett, the former national leader of YWAM, Austria at our side, working with us. If there are heroes in God’s kingdom, he must be one of them. We sat glued to our chairs while he told us the story of how God has opened incredible doors in working with the different churches in Austria. We really look forward to working and learning from him.
We hope you enjoyed some of these highlights and that you will stand with us in prayer. In order for us to be able to go to Austria we also need financial support. We have had some promises from people that would like to support us. That is really encouraging. Thank you so much! We are very grateful for those who wish to support us.
At the same time we must admit that our saving accounts are decreasing. So, please pray for us that we will see that more people join to support us. I don’t believe God wants us to worry about money that is why I am not afraid to ask for your prayers concerning this matter.
Thank you for all your prayers these last weeks. We have felt a confirmation that this is really what God wants us to do. And our everyday life here at Grimerud is better. It has also been nice to hear from some of you that have been praying for us – that touches us. Thank you.
Prayer requests:
-Please pray that we will make the right decisions concerning teams that we might receive next summer.
- Pray that we will continue to build a good relationship with Bruce Clewett
-Pray that we will receive more of Gods heart for Austria, - that we will have His eyes, ears and speak His words as we meet with people. Pray that we will have the wisdom of God.
-Pray that God will send people to Austria that will join us to build up the YWAM base
-Pray that we will have the financial support partners that we need, and that we will establish fruitful relationships here in Norway.
Yours in Christ,
Kristina and Per Eirik
In mid-September we spent a weekend at Solstrand, a beautiful place on the south coast of Norway, with Per Eiriks home church, Hånes Frikirke. It was a very relaxing and refreshing time. God blessed us, with some much needed rest. It was so nice to meet this wonderful church. I was touched by the way they met us and blessed us. They prayed for us and sent us out as their missionaries.
The following week we had the pleasure of attending a Mission Adventures course at YWAM’s base in Kristiansand. This is a very beautiful place right by the water, and the sun was shining every day. This course was very useful in our preparation for Austria. Mission Adventures (MA) is a one of YWAM’s outreach concepts. MA seeks to see whole youth groups going together on outreaches. YWAM organizes the outreach and seeks to serve the youth leader so that he/she may concentrate on leading their youth group.
At this point we are not thinking that we will start an MA in Austria, but we hope and pray that we can put everything in place so that whoever God calls can come and do it. Also, we are already looking at the possibilities for receiving teams from Norway next summer.
The main highlight of September was our trip to Austria. Together with a group of YWAM leaders from Norway we went to Austria to “scout” out the place where we are going to rent. We went to a little town about 20 minutes south of Wien. It is wonderful town, with about 4000 people. YWAM has had its office here for some years now. The complex where the office is situated has great potential. YWAM rents its office space here. We will live in one half of one of the apartments here, and the other half will be the YWAM office. … Yes, I have already placed all the furniture in the apartment… in my head and it looks really nice. I am happy IKEA is just a five minutes drive away. The apartment needs a good portion of love… and a handy husband that knows how to fix all the things I have no clue about. I think it will be quite nice in the end… I am really looking forward to getting started. I feel humbled by the things that we get to be a part of…
If you are now wondering… ”what is it these people are going to do”…I will give you a summary… After Christmas my husband and I will be moving to Austria to become contacts for YWAM. YWAM is an interdominational mission organization. Today, there is no YWAM base in Austria. YWAM, Austria has asked YWAM, Norway to take over the responsibility for YWAM in the country. We will be the first two people from Norway that move down there to run the base. We will work with the needs of the local churches to provide whatever expertise YWAM may offer. Furthermore, we will receive teams and try to encourage Austrians to go out into missions. In all this we are fortunate to have Bruce Clewett, the former national leader of YWAM, Austria at our side, working with us. If there are heroes in God’s kingdom, he must be one of them. We sat glued to our chairs while he told us the story of how God has opened incredible doors in working with the different churches in Austria. We really look forward to working and learning from him.
We hope you enjoyed some of these highlights and that you will stand with us in prayer. In order for us to be able to go to Austria we also need financial support. We have had some promises from people that would like to support us. That is really encouraging. Thank you so much! We are very grateful for those who wish to support us.
At the same time we must admit that our saving accounts are decreasing. So, please pray for us that we will see that more people join to support us. I don’t believe God wants us to worry about money that is why I am not afraid to ask for your prayers concerning this matter.
Thank you for all your prayers these last weeks. We have felt a confirmation that this is really what God wants us to do. And our everyday life here at Grimerud is better. It has also been nice to hear from some of you that have been praying for us – that touches us. Thank you.
Prayer requests:
-Please pray that we will make the right decisions concerning teams that we might receive next summer.
- Pray that we will continue to build a good relationship with Bruce Clewett
-Pray that we will receive more of Gods heart for Austria, - that we will have His eyes, ears and speak His words as we meet with people. Pray that we will have the wisdom of God.
-Pray that God will send people to Austria that will join us to build up the YWAM base
-Pray that we will have the financial support partners that we need, and that we will establish fruitful relationships here in Norway.
Yours in Christ,
Kristina and Per Eirik
søndag 6. september 2009
Surviving a Hectic Community Life
The facts and reality of community living is really starting to sink in for us. These first few weeks at Grimerud have been somewhat hectic and chaotic. Where shall I begin? We struggled as we tried to find our place here. We had a hard time figuring out just what we were going to do here. As you continue to read you may come to the same conclusion as we did – we needed a time out… and a clear vision of the goal for our stay here.
Our first week here Per Eirik went through three days of DTS (Discipleship Training School) staff training, while I was in Oslo to teach at the Baptist/Pentecostal leadership college (HLT). I had a good time in Oslo. I want to thank all of you that prayed for me.
The same week we also had two days of staff training, for new staff, here at Grimerud. It was good to get to know the other people who are new here at the base and to learn about the vision, and history of the base.
The next week Per Eirik went away for a few days for staff training, while I started to work in the kitchen. I have been working in the kitchen for two weeks now, making food for 30-60 people every week day. I love making food – I enjoy eating good food and l love it when I am able to make food that other people enjoy as well. I also enjoy making food together with other people – here at Grimerud I got to work with two other women that work part-time in the kitchen – that was great! However, I soon figured out that running the kitchen is too much of a responsibility for me right now…and maybe a bit of a diversion away from the main purpose of our stay here (to be prepared for missionary work in Austria). Per Eirik was with the DTS staff team and worked with them for almost two weeks. When he saw that the kitchen was too much for me – he came and helped me. For the first time since we got here Per Eirik was physically tired at the end of a day (he is usually very fit, and to me he never seems to get tired). I was so happy that he came to help me – it was really sweet and nice of him.
At this point we knew we had to have a change – we could not go on working all day in the kitchen until Christmas and not have time to focus on language learning and Austria. So we talked with some of our leaders and they set up a meeting with us.
What a blessing it was to have that meeting!!! It was as if God put us back on the right track again. We were encouraged to set up a schedule – as an overview of what we would like our week to look like. We have been working on that this weekend. So now we hope and pray that we will be able to spend some time every week learning from other missionaries, observing the leaders here and language learning. We also hope to have time for reflection, prayer and just focusing on Austria. We will be working in the kitchen as well, but it won’t be our main focus and we will share the responsibility.
Next weekend we will attend a church-weekend with Per Eirik’s home church in Kristiansand. I look forward to meeting more of the people from his church. It will be good for both of us to spend some time away from Grimerud as well. At same time it will be good to tell people about what we are doing and how they may support us in prayer and financially, if they would like.
On the 20th of September we are going to Austria. Please, pray for us – that we will have a good trip and get good contacts and further confirmation that we are on the right path. Pray that we will have a clear vision of what God wants us to do in Austria.
I am sorry for not writing this in Norwegian. The days are just too short for me right now. I will try my best to let our next blog be in both languages…
Other prayer request:
- Pray that we will have enough financial support
- Pray for our time here at Grimerud – that God will equip us for Austria
- Pray for Gods protection against sicknesses/accidents
- Pray that we will have the wisdom and power of God in daily lives
- Pray that we will have renewed strength each day
Our first week here Per Eirik went through three days of DTS (Discipleship Training School) staff training, while I was in Oslo to teach at the Baptist/Pentecostal leadership college (HLT). I had a good time in Oslo. I want to thank all of you that prayed for me.
The same week we also had two days of staff training, for new staff, here at Grimerud. It was good to get to know the other people who are new here at the base and to learn about the vision, and history of the base.
The next week Per Eirik went away for a few days for staff training, while I started to work in the kitchen. I have been working in the kitchen for two weeks now, making food for 30-60 people every week day. I love making food – I enjoy eating good food and l love it when I am able to make food that other people enjoy as well. I also enjoy making food together with other people – here at Grimerud I got to work with two other women that work part-time in the kitchen – that was great! However, I soon figured out that running the kitchen is too much of a responsibility for me right now…and maybe a bit of a diversion away from the main purpose of our stay here (to be prepared for missionary work in Austria). Per Eirik was with the DTS staff team and worked with them for almost two weeks. When he saw that the kitchen was too much for me – he came and helped me. For the first time since we got here Per Eirik was physically tired at the end of a day (he is usually very fit, and to me he never seems to get tired). I was so happy that he came to help me – it was really sweet and nice of him.
At this point we knew we had to have a change – we could not go on working all day in the kitchen until Christmas and not have time to focus on language learning and Austria. So we talked with some of our leaders and they set up a meeting with us.
What a blessing it was to have that meeting!!! It was as if God put us back on the right track again. We were encouraged to set up a schedule – as an overview of what we would like our week to look like. We have been working on that this weekend. So now we hope and pray that we will be able to spend some time every week learning from other missionaries, observing the leaders here and language learning. We also hope to have time for reflection, prayer and just focusing on Austria. We will be working in the kitchen as well, but it won’t be our main focus and we will share the responsibility.
Next weekend we will attend a church-weekend with Per Eirik’s home church in Kristiansand. I look forward to meeting more of the people from his church. It will be good for both of us to spend some time away from Grimerud as well. At same time it will be good to tell people about what we are doing and how they may support us in prayer and financially, if they would like.
On the 20th of September we are going to Austria. Please, pray for us – that we will have a good trip and get good contacts and further confirmation that we are on the right path. Pray that we will have a clear vision of what God wants us to do in Austria.
I am sorry for not writing this in Norwegian. The days are just too short for me right now. I will try my best to let our next blog be in both languages…
Other prayer request:
- Pray that we will have enough financial support
- Pray for our time here at Grimerud – that God will equip us for Austria
- Pray for Gods protection against sicknesses/accidents
- Pray that we will have the wisdom and power of God in daily lives
- Pray that we will have renewed strength each day
mandag 3. august 2009
Sommer og forelsket
Forelsket… Det er litt over en måned side vi giftet oss. Jeg er fortsatt veldig fornøyd og veldig, veldig forelsket i mannen min. Jeg har fundert litt på om jeg kanskje er mer takknemlig for å være gift fordi jeg har vært singel så lenge???
Sommer.. Selv om vi flytter og flytter – først ut av min leilighet og nå ut av Per Eirik sin leilighet, har vi ikke glemt at det er sommer. Vi har tilbrakt det meste av de siste tre ukene i Kristiansand. Vi var på en veldig hyggelig seiltur med et vennepar for litt over en uke siden. Nevøen min har også vært på besøk noen dager. Været har ikke akkurat vært imponerende, men vi har prøvd å slappe av innimellom. Vi nyter livet som gift.
En avslutning… Da jeg hadde overtagelsesmøte for leiligheten min for snart to uker siden, var et kapittel i livet over. Jeg var veldig glad i leiligheten min. Jeg følte likevel ingen tristhet eller sorg da jeg forlot den for siste gang. Det var mer en lettelse enn noe annet. Det var deilig å tenke på at jeg nå kan se framover og glede meg over det som kommer, - det er som en ny begynnelse.
Støtte… det er veldig hyggelig å høre fra alle dere som følger bloggen vår. Det er oppmuntrende å kjenne at folk rundt oss støtter oss og tenker på oss. Vi har også begynt å få noen tilbakemeldinger fra folk som ønsker å støtte oss økonomisk. Vi er veldig takknemlige for at Gud er med og forsørger oss.
Kontonummer… Vi har bestemt oss for å oppgi et kontonummer på denne siden. Det er for at folk skal kunne støtte oss økonomisk dersom de ønsker det. Vi har ikke lyst til at folk skal føle at de må gi… så føl deg helt fri. Om du vurderer å gi, så vil det være en velsignelse for oss uansett hvor mye/lite det enn måtte være. Fint om du kunne sende oss en e-post dersom du kunne tenke deg å støtte oss med et fast beløp månedlig.
Østerrike… Denne uken har vi fått litt mer informasjon om perioden vår i Østerrike, selv om ting fortsatt er ganske usikkert. Antagelig vil vi leie et hus i Mödling utenfor Wien. Vi skal eventuelt dele huset med UIO, og ha UIO kontor i en av etasjene i huset. I tillegg planlegges det en liten tur til Østerrike i september, der vi skal være med.
De neste ukene… Til helga flytter vi opp til Grimerud. Vi skal flytte inn i et rom i en av bygningene på selve basen. Det er bare en midlertidig løsning, - inntil vi flytter inn i en leilighet i september. Fra 12-14. august skal vi på Go-festivalen i Stavern. Lørdag 15. skal vi i bryllup i Enebakk. Uka etter skal jeg begynne å undervise et bitte lite kurs på HLT. Samtidig starter UIO opp igjen for høsten, på Grimerud. Så vi har noen veldig spennende uker foran oss – og vi gleder oss stort.
Bønnebehov:
· Be om at vi skal ha god helse
· Be om beskyttelse når er ute å kjører de to neste ukene
· Be om at vi skal få et godt opphold på Go-festivalen
· Be om at oppholdet på Grimerud skal bli en fantastisk tid for oss
· Be om at Kristina skal ha Guds visdom når hun underviser
Sommer.. Selv om vi flytter og flytter – først ut av min leilighet og nå ut av Per Eirik sin leilighet, har vi ikke glemt at det er sommer. Vi har tilbrakt det meste av de siste tre ukene i Kristiansand. Vi var på en veldig hyggelig seiltur med et vennepar for litt over en uke siden. Nevøen min har også vært på besøk noen dager. Været har ikke akkurat vært imponerende, men vi har prøvd å slappe av innimellom. Vi nyter livet som gift.
En avslutning… Da jeg hadde overtagelsesmøte for leiligheten min for snart to uker siden, var et kapittel i livet over. Jeg var veldig glad i leiligheten min. Jeg følte likevel ingen tristhet eller sorg da jeg forlot den for siste gang. Det var mer en lettelse enn noe annet. Det var deilig å tenke på at jeg nå kan se framover og glede meg over det som kommer, - det er som en ny begynnelse.
Støtte… det er veldig hyggelig å høre fra alle dere som følger bloggen vår. Det er oppmuntrende å kjenne at folk rundt oss støtter oss og tenker på oss. Vi har også begynt å få noen tilbakemeldinger fra folk som ønsker å støtte oss økonomisk. Vi er veldig takknemlige for at Gud er med og forsørger oss.
Kontonummer… Vi har bestemt oss for å oppgi et kontonummer på denne siden. Det er for at folk skal kunne støtte oss økonomisk dersom de ønsker det. Vi har ikke lyst til at folk skal føle at de må gi… så føl deg helt fri. Om du vurderer å gi, så vil det være en velsignelse for oss uansett hvor mye/lite det enn måtte være. Fint om du kunne sende oss en e-post dersom du kunne tenke deg å støtte oss med et fast beløp månedlig.
Østerrike… Denne uken har vi fått litt mer informasjon om perioden vår i Østerrike, selv om ting fortsatt er ganske usikkert. Antagelig vil vi leie et hus i Mödling utenfor Wien. Vi skal eventuelt dele huset med UIO, og ha UIO kontor i en av etasjene i huset. I tillegg planlegges det en liten tur til Østerrike i september, der vi skal være med.
De neste ukene… Til helga flytter vi opp til Grimerud. Vi skal flytte inn i et rom i en av bygningene på selve basen. Det er bare en midlertidig løsning, - inntil vi flytter inn i en leilighet i september. Fra 12-14. august skal vi på Go-festivalen i Stavern. Lørdag 15. skal vi i bryllup i Enebakk. Uka etter skal jeg begynne å undervise et bitte lite kurs på HLT. Samtidig starter UIO opp igjen for høsten, på Grimerud. Så vi har noen veldig spennende uker foran oss – og vi gleder oss stort.
Bønnebehov:
· Be om at vi skal ha god helse
· Be om beskyttelse når er ute å kjører de to neste ukene
· Be om at vi skal få et godt opphold på Go-festivalen
· Be om at oppholdet på Grimerud skal bli en fantastisk tid for oss
· Be om at Kristina skal ha Guds visdom når hun underviser
Summer and in Love
In Love… One month has passed since we married. I am still very, very happy, - and still very, very much in love with my husband. I wonder if being single for so long makes me more appreciative of the fact that I am married…?
Summer… In spite of the fact that we have been moving out of my apartment and organizing our future move to Grimerud, we have not forgotten that fact that it is summer. We have been spending most of the last two weeks southern Norway – in Kristiansand. Here we have had the pleasure of going on a lovely boat trip with some of our friends. We also had one of my nephews down here for a couple of days. The weather has not been that great …with a lot of rainy and grey days.
The end… When I handed over my keys to my apartment almost two weeks ago it was the end of a chapter in my life. I really loved my apartment. Yet, when I left my apartment for the last time, I felt no sadness – more a feeling of relief and excitement. It is a new beginning and I am looking forward to whatever follows.
Support… it is really nice to read and hear from those of you who follow our blog. It has been encouraging to feel that people around us are supporting us. We have also started to get responses from people who would like to support us financially. We are so grateful that God is providing for us.
Bank account number…We have decided to put out a bank account number on this site, so those of who might feel like you would like to support us financially will be able to do so. We don’t want anyone to feel like they have to give… so feel free. If you are considering supporting us; whatever you give will be a blessing to us. Please send us an e-mail and let us know if you plan to support us with the same amount every month.
Austria…This week we received more information about our time in Austria. There are still a number of uncertainties, so what I am sharing with you is not written in stone. We might rent a house in Austria and share it with YWAM. There will be an YWAM office in the house. The house that YWAM is considering is situated in Mödling, just outside Vienna. There are also plans of a short trip to Austria in September, but can’t share the details with you yet.
Near future… next week we plan on moving up to Grimerud. We are going to move into a room in one of the buildings on the base. This is a temporary move – in September we are planning to move into a bigger apartment. August 12- 14th we are going to YWAM’s “Go”-camp in Stavern. On Saturday the 15th we are attending a wedding outside Oslo. In the week that follows I will start to teach a small class at a college for theology and leadership in Oslo. During the same week things at Grimerud are starting up for this fall. So…, we have some really exciting weeks ahead of us!
Prayer Request:
- Pray for our health
- Pray for safety as we will be driving a lot the next two weeks
- Pray that the “Go”-camp will be a time of blessing for us.
- Pray that we will have a wonderful time at Grimerud
- Pray for Kristina’s teaching -that she will have Gods wisdom.
Summer… In spite of the fact that we have been moving out of my apartment and organizing our future move to Grimerud, we have not forgotten that fact that it is summer. We have been spending most of the last two weeks southern Norway – in Kristiansand. Here we have had the pleasure of going on a lovely boat trip with some of our friends. We also had one of my nephews down here for a couple of days. The weather has not been that great …with a lot of rainy and grey days.
The end… When I handed over my keys to my apartment almost two weeks ago it was the end of a chapter in my life. I really loved my apartment. Yet, when I left my apartment for the last time, I felt no sadness – more a feeling of relief and excitement. It is a new beginning and I am looking forward to whatever follows.
Support… it is really nice to read and hear from those of you who follow our blog. It has been encouraging to feel that people around us are supporting us. We have also started to get responses from people who would like to support us financially. We are so grateful that God is providing for us.
Bank account number…We have decided to put out a bank account number on this site, so those of who might feel like you would like to support us financially will be able to do so. We don’t want anyone to feel like they have to give… so feel free. If you are considering supporting us; whatever you give will be a blessing to us. Please send us an e-mail and let us know if you plan to support us with the same amount every month.
Austria…This week we received more information about our time in Austria. There are still a number of uncertainties, so what I am sharing with you is not written in stone. We might rent a house in Austria and share it with YWAM. There will be an YWAM office in the house. The house that YWAM is considering is situated in Mödling, just outside Vienna. There are also plans of a short trip to Austria in September, but can’t share the details with you yet.
Near future… next week we plan on moving up to Grimerud. We are going to move into a room in one of the buildings on the base. This is a temporary move – in September we are planning to move into a bigger apartment. August 12- 14th we are going to YWAM’s “Go”-camp in Stavern. On Saturday the 15th we are attending a wedding outside Oslo. In the week that follows I will start to teach a small class at a college for theology and leadership in Oslo. During the same week things at Grimerud are starting up for this fall. So…, we have some really exciting weeks ahead of us!
Prayer Request:
- Pray for our health
- Pray for safety as we will be driving a lot the next two weeks
- Pray that the “Go”-camp will be a time of blessing for us.
- Pray that we will have a wonderful time at Grimerud
- Pray for Kristina’s teaching -that she will have Gods wisdom.
mandag 13. juli 2009
Moveing
There are a lot of challenges that occur when moving. Where do I put my Discman that has faithfully provided me with music these last 10 years? Should I throw it out just because I bought an mp3-player? Where do I put the mysterious box which my husband does not know actually contains toys from a long gone childhood? A lot of things are thrown away. However, I am a collector. I hate throwing things out that might come in handy some day. Yet, at the same time I can’t bring half of all the stuff I want with me to Austria…
Now, things have found their way into several cardboard boxes. How do we move it? We called everyone we knew in the area… yet in the middle of the summer people aren’t that easy to get a hold of. We got really desperate…. Eventually Per Eirik was able to borrow a car from his cousin. Tomorrow we will rent a hanger and drive all my stuff up to Grimerud (I think it will be full).
Today we face another challenge. What are we going to do with my laundry machine? It is very good – I have only had it for two years, but I can’t bring it with me. It was perfect for my apartment – it hardly made any noise. …ah.. as was writing this my real-estate agent called and told me of someone that was willing to by the machine for 1000 kr – We are blessed!!! So, now we only have to figure a way of getting rid of my heavy green sofa… - our plan is to break it into small pieces and drive it to the garbage dump.
These mundane things of life on the move, does not pull a shadow over the fact that we believe we are moving in the direction God is leading us. Per Eirik had been praying for God to confirm that what we are doing is his will. Yesterday when went to church he got his answer to his prayers. The preacher challenged her congregation to follow Peters example when he left his profession and followed Jesus when he called him – and to follow Jesus when he calls us to whatever he may call us to do. We have a tendency to make excuses for this challenge that Jesus gives us – our responsibility is to earn money and take care of our family – tend to our jobs and homes…. sleep-eat- work-eat sleep- work and sometimes a celebration comes along to brake the mundane routine. The preacher challenged us to take Jesus challenge literally… and I suppose that is what we are trying to do. We are not ready for it, we don’t feel equipped for it, the shoes that are served to us feel way too big… and the most reasonable thing would be to continue in our well paid jobs and buy a house together… yet… that is not where God is leading us. We both felt the sermon reinforcing the call God is putting on our hearts to leave everything and follow wherever He leads. A song came to my mind as we were praying after the sermon.. it’s a Swedish worship song from the 90’s. It goes something like this “to leave everything and follow me may cost you your life, but what I have is so much better…” I may be an idealist – maybe we both are but we have to go. We are bound by Gods love and we know that His life for us is so much better than all the things of this world….
Prayer requests:
- Pray that we will be able to move all my stuff tomorrow and drive it safely to Grimerud
- Pray that we will get the financial and prayer supports that we need
- Pray that we stay close to God and are able to hear His voice for this time
- Pray for our health
Now, things have found their way into several cardboard boxes. How do we move it? We called everyone we knew in the area… yet in the middle of the summer people aren’t that easy to get a hold of. We got really desperate…. Eventually Per Eirik was able to borrow a car from his cousin. Tomorrow we will rent a hanger and drive all my stuff up to Grimerud (I think it will be full).
Today we face another challenge. What are we going to do with my laundry machine? It is very good – I have only had it for two years, but I can’t bring it with me. It was perfect for my apartment – it hardly made any noise. …ah.. as was writing this my real-estate agent called and told me of someone that was willing to by the machine for 1000 kr – We are blessed!!! So, now we only have to figure a way of getting rid of my heavy green sofa… - our plan is to break it into small pieces and drive it to the garbage dump.
These mundane things of life on the move, does not pull a shadow over the fact that we believe we are moving in the direction God is leading us. Per Eirik had been praying for God to confirm that what we are doing is his will. Yesterday when went to church he got his answer to his prayers. The preacher challenged her congregation to follow Peters example when he left his profession and followed Jesus when he called him – and to follow Jesus when he calls us to whatever he may call us to do. We have a tendency to make excuses for this challenge that Jesus gives us – our responsibility is to earn money and take care of our family – tend to our jobs and homes…. sleep-eat- work-eat sleep- work and sometimes a celebration comes along to brake the mundane routine. The preacher challenged us to take Jesus challenge literally… and I suppose that is what we are trying to do. We are not ready for it, we don’t feel equipped for it, the shoes that are served to us feel way too big… and the most reasonable thing would be to continue in our well paid jobs and buy a house together… yet… that is not where God is leading us. We both felt the sermon reinforcing the call God is putting on our hearts to leave everything and follow wherever He leads. A song came to my mind as we were praying after the sermon.. it’s a Swedish worship song from the 90’s. It goes something like this “to leave everything and follow me may cost you your life, but what I have is so much better…” I may be an idealist – maybe we both are but we have to go. We are bound by Gods love and we know that His life for us is so much better than all the things of this world….
Prayer requests:
- Pray that we will be able to move all my stuff tomorrow and drive it safely to Grimerud
- Pray that we will get the financial and prayer supports that we need
- Pray that we stay close to God and are able to hear His voice for this time
- Pray for our health
fredag 3. juli 2009
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Married and Looking to the Future
Married… just a little under a week ago we stood before a judge and said our “yes” to each other. It was one of the greatest moments in my life. I am blessed. On our wedding day I sold my apartment – a big step among many – towards forming a future and building a home together.
Introduction…my name is Kristina, and I just married a wonderful man named Per Eirik. This fall we will both turn thirty…
Future… what will the future hold for us? We are both committed to serving God with our lives – but what does that entail for us? What can we do/what does God want us to do? After months and weeks with these kinds of thoughts playing out in our minds and hearts, we decided to contact Youth With a Mission. We have both attended Discipleship Training Schools with YWAM (Canada and South Africa), so YWAM was a natural place to start looking for ministry opportunities.
Surprise… to our big surprise things fell into place very quickly. Our reception at Grimerud (the main base for YWAM ministries in Norway) was beyond any of our hopes. Opportunities for ministry were presented to us and we felt God tugging at our hearts. After two days at Grimerud, we both knew were set on working with YWAM in Europe. It felt like God somehow had gone before us and prepared the path on which we now tread.
Challenge… a challenge that was way beyond what we ever imagined was proposed. A challenge we need Gods grace to even start looking at. We were asked to consider whether we would like to go to Austria for two years and be contacts for YWAM in Austria. In order for people to get to know us at Grimerud we are going to live within their perimeters until Christmas.
New beginnings… God has put His dreams within us, and we believe this will be like a new beginning for us both. We, by His grace, are tools in His hands. Our dream is to share God’s love and grace with the people of Austria.
Hopes... Our hopes for this blog is that it will give family, friends and those who wish to partner with us an opportunity to stay in touch and receive frequent updates. We also hope that this blog will encourage some of you to support us in prayer or/and financially. If you feel encouraged to support us – please let us know.
Introduction…my name is Kristina, and I just married a wonderful man named Per Eirik. This fall we will both turn thirty…
Future… what will the future hold for us? We are both committed to serving God with our lives – but what does that entail for us? What can we do/what does God want us to do? After months and weeks with these kinds of thoughts playing out in our minds and hearts, we decided to contact Youth With a Mission. We have both attended Discipleship Training Schools with YWAM (Canada and South Africa), so YWAM was a natural place to start looking for ministry opportunities.
Surprise… to our big surprise things fell into place very quickly. Our reception at Grimerud (the main base for YWAM ministries in Norway) was beyond any of our hopes. Opportunities for ministry were presented to us and we felt God tugging at our hearts. After two days at Grimerud, we both knew were set on working with YWAM in Europe. It felt like God somehow had gone before us and prepared the path on which we now tread.
Challenge… a challenge that was way beyond what we ever imagined was proposed. A challenge we need Gods grace to even start looking at. We were asked to consider whether we would like to go to Austria for two years and be contacts for YWAM in Austria. In order for people to get to know us at Grimerud we are going to live within their perimeters until Christmas.
New beginnings… God has put His dreams within us, and we believe this will be like a new beginning for us both. We, by His grace, are tools in His hands. Our dream is to share God’s love and grace with the people of Austria.
Hopes... Our hopes for this blog is that it will give family, friends and those who wish to partner with us an opportunity to stay in touch and receive frequent updates. We also hope that this blog will encourage some of you to support us in prayer or/and financially. If you feel encouraged to support us – please let us know.
Our wish as a wedding gift would be partners that will support
us financially and in prayer. God bless you all.
Framtidsutsikter
Viet… for en uke siden sto vi i tinghuset og sa vårt ”ja”. Det var et av livets ubestridte høydepunkter. Jeg er så heldig!! I løpet av bryllupsdagen var leiligheten min solgt og et nytt kapittel i livet begynt.
Hvem…??? Jeg heter Kristina og jeg har akkurat giftet meg med verdens flotteste mann: Per Eirik Undheim. Denne høsten blir vi begge 30 år.
Framtid…? Hva gjør vi nå? Hva vil fremtiden bringe for oss? Vi har begge en drøm om å følge og tjene Gud resten av våre liv, - men hva betyr det egentlig for oss? Disse tankene fylte oss og lekte rundt i våre hoder og hjerter i månedsvis, før vi bestemte oss for å kontakte Ungdom i Oppdrag. Ettersom vi begge har tatt en Disippeltreningsskole med UIO (Canada og Sør Afrika), føltes det naturlig å ta kontakt for å finne ut om det var noe vi kunne bidra med på misjonsfronten.
Hva….??? Til vår store overraskelse begynte ting å legge seg til rette veldig raskt. Vi fikk en fantastisk mottagelse på Grimerud*. Dette er stedet med flotte mennesker som virkelig vet å ta i mot gjester på en god måte! Mange spennende muligheter innenfor misjon ble presentert og vi kjente begge at dette var retningen Gud ledet oss i. Etter to dager på Grimerud visste vi at Gud ledet oss til å jobbe med UIO i Europa. Det var som om Gud allerede hadde gått foran oss og bare ventet på at vi skulle ta skrittet ut.
En utfordring… en utfordring som langt overgår det vi drømte om og så for oss ble presentert for oss. Det er en utfordring vi kjenner oss ydmyke framfor… og som vi kjenner vi trenger en stor porsjon av Guds store nåde for å kunne tre inn i. Vi ble spurt om vi kunne tenke oss å engasjere oss i UIO sitt arbeid i Østerrike. UIO sin base i landet har lenge vært uvirksom og det er et behov for noen som kan tenke seg å flytte dit for å være UIO sine kontaktpersoner i landet. Vi kjente at Gud ledet oss til å fokusere på denne utfordringen. Vi har sagt oss villige til å engasjere oss i UIO for en toårsperiode og etter en forberedelses periode på Grimerud flytte til Østerrike.
Noe nytt… Gud har lagt sine drømmer ned i oss, og vi tror at dette vil være som en ny begynnelse. Etter Hans nåde får vi være redskaper i Hans hånd. Vår drøm er å dele den kjærligheten Gud har vist oss med andre.
Håp… vårt håp for denne bloggen er at den skal være en måte for familie, venner og de som ønsker å bli våre partnere, å holde kontakten samt bli oppdatert på ”siste nytt” i familien Undheim. Vi håper også at denne bloggen vil være med å bidra til at noen av dere får lyst å bli våre partnere og støtte oss i bønn og/eller med penger. Det hadde vært gøy om mange ville være med å stå sammen med oss.
Som bryllupsgave ønsker vi oss partnere som vil være med å støtte oss i året som kommer. Gud velsigne dere!
*Grimerud er hovedbasen for UIO i Norge.
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