Sun Daze

Another Sunday has come and gone and it didn’t even rain today!  I so wished we could have climbed a mountain, but there were just enough low lying clouds that views from on high would have been iffy.

We went to Agape Church and heard another inspiring talk by Pastor Mark and joined in on some of the most awesome worship music I’ve ever heard.  That church is blessed with incredible artists in the vocal and musical arena.  Honestly, it brings tears to my eyes.  I need to remember to bring Kleenex.

The afternoon was full of busywork.  Both Kory and Kaleb used the time to pack up for our trip tomorrow.  I used the time to clean up from the dinner party we had last night.  A few loads in the dishwasher and a few loads in the washing machine and I was feeling rather accomplished.  So much to do still, but my priorities were in other places.

I can’t stand being inside when the sun is shining.  It just doesn’t happen often enough around here to stay inside.  I started getting anxious that the day was awastin’ and I wasn’t going to get outside, so I threw caution to the wind and let the housework go, let my own packing slide til later tonight and we were out the door for a small adventure.

On one of the islands we cross getting to the island of Vigra (where the Bible study is on Sunday nights), is a very ancient historic sight that neither Kory nor Kaleb have been to.  It’s actually a cave in a very tall mountain where they’ve discovered evidence of habitation dating back 13,000 years or so.  It’s the oldest known residence in all of Norway and perhaps Europe. 

Getting to this cave is an easy ten-minute flat walk, following by a very grueling fifteen or so minute steep climb straight up over rocks that have fallen from the face of the mountain (not quite as difficult as the photo below).  It’s a “do it at your own risk” kind of adventure because you never know when the next big chunk of rock will fall down, but living life on the edge is kind of a Norwegian style anyway, so I was game.  Thankfully, no one got hurt.

There’s not much to see inside the cave except a bunch of graffiti.  The cave goes back quite a ways but there are warnings that it’s not safe, so the mean mother in me kicked in and forbid Kaleb from exploring it further.  I just wanted him to see it because it’s from the real cave men times and it was on the way to Bible study and it was a sunny day and why not.  Besides, I needed something to photograph today other than the mess we have going on in our condo.

Clive had another rousing study on the end times – focusing on the judgment seat of Christ in the last days.  He always gives us something to think about, even though it‘s a topic I don’t think much about anyway.  It’s also nice to be able to encourage them in their mission to evangelize Norwegians, but as they are discovering, they are a hard nut to crack.  People rarely show up for their studies.

In our discussion afterwards, (we stayed so long we actually saw “the cows come home” when we left) Carol said she thinks Norway will be the first country in the world to take on the “mark of the beast” talked about in Revelations.  Norway is already becoming a cashless society and they are so good at conforming and not questioning what the government does.  I would say I have to agree with her.  The systems are already set in place for that to happen – buying and selling with an implanted chip – yikes!  My prayers for Norway will continue. 

Pastor Mark this morning told us how desperate the spiritual situation is for Norway as a country – as one church a month is now closing down.  Also, no church in our area has more than 200 people in attendance at any given time – with most of them having just 30 people or less each week.  So, so sad.  People just don’t know what they are missing.  One guy we met a few weeks ago said that there were two suicides on the oil rig where he works after they had an accident and one person was killed.  The two people couldn’t handle the stress, and I told him that’s what happens when a person has no hope, no relationship with God, no understanding of His plan in our lives.  I can’t imagine living without hope.

Kaleb, on the other hand is full of hope.  He spent the whole night sitting in his room waiting for a certain someone to log onto Facebook so they could “chat.”  Listening to his giggles told me they connected and that his hormones are raging as his life is now all about girls.  I should say, ONE girl in particular. Lord, help me.

We stopped and visited Tante Ruth on the way home.  We hadn’t seen her in over a week and we won’t see her again for a while.  She was sleeping, so we were going to leave but the nurse woke her up.  She was so thankful for the visit.  It’s incredible how sharp her mind is at 88.  She still has a sense of humor and she still laughs about things, but she can’t do much more.  She complimented me on my Norwegian but she told Kory he sounds like he’s a foreigner trying to speak Norwegian!  Ha.  Her life isn’t too complicated as she’s totally blind and not very mobile.  I guess I’d have plenty of time for prayer, if my life followed the same path. 

There’s such a contrast in aging with Kory’s three aunts:  Ruth just sits in a chair all day, entertained only by her thoughts.  Kari (84), who just a year ago was so lively, always bubbly and positive, and the life of the party, now has no energy to even come up for a cup of coffee and chat. (Her body is no longer making blood cells and her health is declining rapidly.)  And Aslaug (86) acts like she’s still a teenager, with the energy to go with it.  There’s nothing that woman can’t do.  She still travels, sews, and socializes.  She just learned how to use a computer last year and Skypes and posts photos to Facebook like a pro.  Kory’s mom died at age 77 of cancer, so they have all outlived her.  I’m going for quality, not quantity, so I sure hope God in agreement with that one.