We have a good six inches of snow outside now and it’s still coming down. It’s supposed to snow off and on all week, which is fine by me. I love that it comes and goes so we never get tired of it. The landscape changes so dramatically every time things get covered in white. I was thinking the winter would be the hardest season to be here, but so far, it’s been fantastic. So was summer and fall though, so I must be well suited for this climate. We haven’t had nearly the rain that’s normal so I’m pleased we picked the right year to be here.
The photo today is one Kory finished a few weeks ago. It’s of Solevåg in the snow – the farm where his mom was born. He was once again “experimenting” with his drawing and I’m not sure he really likes how this one turned out. He’s now doing another one of Solevåg in the summer – without the hidden details. (If you double click on the image you can see things better.) In the mountain on the left side of the picture is a face. If the picture is turned upside down, it becomes a Viking – I even think he tried to put a Viking ship in there somewhere but then tried to take it out somehow. Also, in the reflection in the water of the group of trees a little to the left of center, he put a horse drawn wagon – reflective of the old farming days when he was young. I’m not sure if there are other hidden things, but those are the ones I spotted. The house where his mom was born is on the right side of the picture. The pitch of the roof is the highest one visible. She was born in the upstairs bedroom of that house, inside the room with the window. That entire hillside hasn’t changed much in a hundred years, but the hillside across the water from it is experiencing quite a housing boom so it’s completely different. The farm land reaching down to the sea is what makes this scene so spectacular so I hope future generations don’t sell out the family farms in that area or this image will be lost forever. Kory and Kaleb’s roots run deep at Solevåg.
Today in my Norsk class we got to scare all the students that didn’t take the test yesterday by telling them how “vanskelig” (difficult) the test was. Testing is a “free will” thing (“frivillig” – pronounced like “free willy” - which cracks me up every time I hear it.) Testing is not mandatory so only if a certificate is needed for something, is it necessary. Not everyone chose to be tested so those of us that made the choice had to make a presentation on how it went. I guess I won’t really know how it went until I get the results back in a few weeks, but I enjoyed telling everyone it was hard and how strict they were, which scared people even more. Over half the people in Norway that take that test fail it, but I guess the Ålesund Kommune has some of the highest statistics for passing, so we’ll see how it goes.
Tonight I was invited to a dinner party just for ME. I was the guest of honor and it felt great! The praying women I’ve met with a few times decided to say “thanks” by throwing me a little party. I guess I’ve made quite an impact on that group. Of course, it’s not really me, it’s what God is doing for them, through them, with them… but they wanted to thank me for all I’ve taught them. It was so encouraging for me to hear what has been happening with them since they started “soaking prayer.” Miracles, really. One woman took a friend with her to a retreat center and they just soaked all weekend. The things she said happened there were incredible. We decided all seven of us women should go there together next month, so I hope we can get a reservation. They are a fun bunch of women to be around because they are all sold out for God. We shared stories of how God has worked specifically in our lives with perfect timing, perfect provision, healings and teaching us to forgive. Tone, (pronounced Tone-ah) the woman that hosted the party, said she looks at forgiveness like fertilizer because it helps her to grow and become more beautiful every time she forgives someone that does her wrong. She said she learned that from a dream she had once where she was in a greenhouse and two plants stood out as being so healthy and perfect looking. She asked the gardener what he was feeding those plants and he said, “forgiveness.” She feels that when she forgives someone, it protects her from anything that would otherwise destroy her “beauty.” (And she’s a beauty – inside and out.) I thought that was great imagery. These women are a hoot to be around and I so needed it tonight as I’ve had a tough couple of days dealing with both Kory and Kaleb’s crabbiness and my own spurts of depression. I keep thinking I’m not doing enough with my life yet I feel so blessed and somehow that feels wrong. I’ve almost adapted Kory’s mantra of “life isn’t supposed to be this good.” But I know it is, and it should be, and it’s okay to feel blessed and be blessed because then I’m a blessing to others, as I found out tonight. Talk about perfect timing. God is good.
The photo today is one Kory finished a few weeks ago. It’s of Solevåg in the snow – the farm where his mom was born. He was once again “experimenting” with his drawing and I’m not sure he really likes how this one turned out. He’s now doing another one of Solevåg in the summer – without the hidden details. (If you double click on the image you can see things better.) In the mountain on the left side of the picture is a face. If the picture is turned upside down, it becomes a Viking – I even think he tried to put a Viking ship in there somewhere but then tried to take it out somehow. Also, in the reflection in the water of the group of trees a little to the left of center, he put a horse drawn wagon – reflective of the old farming days when he was young. I’m not sure if there are other hidden things, but those are the ones I spotted. The house where his mom was born is on the right side of the picture. The pitch of the roof is the highest one visible. She was born in the upstairs bedroom of that house, inside the room with the window. That entire hillside hasn’t changed much in a hundred years, but the hillside across the water from it is experiencing quite a housing boom so it’s completely different. The farm land reaching down to the sea is what makes this scene so spectacular so I hope future generations don’t sell out the family farms in that area or this image will be lost forever. Kory and Kaleb’s roots run deep at Solevåg.
Today in my Norsk class we got to scare all the students that didn’t take the test yesterday by telling them how “vanskelig” (difficult) the test was. Testing is a “free will” thing (“frivillig” – pronounced like “free willy” - which cracks me up every time I hear it.) Testing is not mandatory so only if a certificate is needed for something, is it necessary. Not everyone chose to be tested so those of us that made the choice had to make a presentation on how it went. I guess I won’t really know how it went until I get the results back in a few weeks, but I enjoyed telling everyone it was hard and how strict they were, which scared people even more. Over half the people in Norway that take that test fail it, but I guess the Ålesund Kommune has some of the highest statistics for passing, so we’ll see how it goes.
Tonight I was invited to a dinner party just for ME. I was the guest of honor and it felt great! The praying women I’ve met with a few times decided to say “thanks” by throwing me a little party. I guess I’ve made quite an impact on that group. Of course, it’s not really me, it’s what God is doing for them, through them, with them… but they wanted to thank me for all I’ve taught them. It was so encouraging for me to hear what has been happening with them since they started “soaking prayer.” Miracles, really. One woman took a friend with her to a retreat center and they just soaked all weekend. The things she said happened there were incredible. We decided all seven of us women should go there together next month, so I hope we can get a reservation. They are a fun bunch of women to be around because they are all sold out for God. We shared stories of how God has worked specifically in our lives with perfect timing, perfect provision, healings and teaching us to forgive. Tone, (pronounced Tone-ah) the woman that hosted the party, said she looks at forgiveness like fertilizer because it helps her to grow and become more beautiful every time she forgives someone that does her wrong. She said she learned that from a dream she had once where she was in a greenhouse and two plants stood out as being so healthy and perfect looking. She asked the gardener what he was feeding those plants and he said, “forgiveness.” She feels that when she forgives someone, it protects her from anything that would otherwise destroy her “beauty.” (And she’s a beauty – inside and out.) I thought that was great imagery. These women are a hoot to be around and I so needed it tonight as I’ve had a tough couple of days dealing with both Kory and Kaleb’s crabbiness and my own spurts of depression. I keep thinking I’m not doing enough with my life yet I feel so blessed and somehow that feels wrong. I’ve almost adapted Kory’s mantra of “life isn’t supposed to be this good.” But I know it is, and it should be, and it’s okay to feel blessed and be blessed because then I’m a blessing to others, as I found out tonight. Talk about perfect timing. God is good.
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