We went to Agape Church this morning. I was hoping to take Kaleb with us, but when I called him at Andre’s house he begged to stay with his friends. He said, “I feel so much closer to them now…” and that got to me, so I relented and let him stay there among his mission field. I did tell a few people at church what happened yesterday with Kaleb and they announced it from the pulpit. Applause and shouts of Hallelujah erupted from the crowd. I couldn’t have been more proud, or weepy, as all during the service I just kept thanking God for Kaleb and that He is able to use him to impact the lives of his friends.
The sermon this morning was pretty good. Pastor Mark was comparing being a charismatic Christian with being a charis-maniac Christian. He’s pretty leary of the latter, as he admits he’s a “Charismatic Christian with a seat belt on.” I thought that was a pretty funny way of describing his sense of reserve and caution when dealing with the power and might of the Holy Spirit. He’s a funny guy.
After church today Agape held their annual “grill” out at the beach. When we went last year with them, Kory brought his big BBQ and everyone laughed at him being so American, since Norwegians just use their little lasagna pan sized “enganggrill” (one time grill) to cook their hot dogs. Well, apparently Kory sparked someone’s imagination and this year one guy brought his big American sized bar-b-quer off his back porch and cooked hot dogs to sell to those who didn’t bring a grill. When he saw Kory, he nodded and said, “Now it’s my turn to bring the grill…:” and they both laughed. I thought it was funny that Kory had such an influence. Who knows what the future holds for beach parties in Norway now.
We had picked up Kaleb and his friends Andre and Toban to go with us for a few hours to the beach because it was such a spectacularly beautiful day (see photo of Kaleb and pals). The boys entertained themselves by throwing Kaleb’s crocs in the river that feeds into the fjord, then waiting for the incoming tide to get the shoe close enough to grab it while leaning out over the rocks. I was sure one of them would fall in, but it never happened and it kept them busy for a good long time. It just warms my heart to see him pal around with a couple of kids, doing what kids do.
Kaleb wasn’t the least bit happy about having to leave Andre’s house this afternoon, then not the least bit happy about leaving the park to come home. He begged incessantly to be able to continue playing with those boys, so I called their parents and they all agreed to let them come to our house for the rest of the day. They were unexpected company for dinner, but fortunately I had enough food to feed them, as well as Miriam and her family. Four boys running around for several hours was all the better.
Kaleb told me tonight that Toban is now worried about all their friends not being Christians and he thinks they should talk to everyone personally and tell them they need God in their lives. Kaleb encouraged him to start with Andre, so Kaleb left the two of them alone while Toban prayed for Andre. Kaleb told him he can’t pray wrong, it’s only talking to God, and when he prays he should “feels different.” It was pretty cute to hear him giving instructions like that. Who knows, maybe the whole school will have a revival, as many have never even heard of having a personal relationship with God – He’s just an historical figure around here. We’ve been praying for Kaleb’s school pals for over a year, so maybe this is the harvest. He’s heading back to school tomorrow for the last three weeks, so we’ll see what God has in store. Hallelujah!
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