The Long Drive South

None of us slept much last night as we were up late packing and then up early this morning, leaving.  It was a long day in the car and the weather didn’t cooperate one bit.  The “beautiful” drive to Bergen, just wasn’t.  It was cloudy with low fog so none of the mountains were all that visible.  So, so sad for Stuart and Judy.  Kory and I have seen the sights before, but they may never get the chance again.  On the one day we did have blue sky this past week, Kory asked Stuart what he thought of Norway and he said if he died and went to heaven, heaven would be one step down from Norway.  So THAT’S what he was missing today – all that incredible beauty as we drove south.

Poor Judy didn’t take well to the swerving roads and our driving them, so she didn’t feel too well all day.  I’m sure lack of sleep didn’t help either.  Both Kory and I struggled to stay awake as we took turns driving the eight hours it took to get to there.  I’m just thankful the car tires didn’t blow out, AND that we did make it to Bergen without incident and there was room on the ferry to put our car so we don’t have to make that drive again.  It’s not that long of a distance from Aalesund, but when we have to dodge sheep along the roads and have a maximum speed often of only 35mph, it takes forever.  Plus there were four ferry rides involved.  Travel in Norway is slow and expensive, but that’s just part of the “charm” of it all.

We left at seven this morning and got into the Hurtigruten dock, where we had to check in, just before four.  We only stopped once at an antique store to see what things they had there, and to eat lunch at a grocery store café along the way.  Kory found a tiny hand carved wooden box he wanted to buy at the antique store, and I wasn’t in total agreement since it costs $40 (200 kroner), but he was going to buy it anyway.  When he went to pay for it, the clerk upped the price to 700 kroner ($140) because she decided it was too nice to sell so cheap.  I guess that’s the difference between antique stores and thrift stores.  In one, the prices can go down, but in the other, they obviously can go up.  Sadly, Kory didn’t buy his treasure as it was way beyond our budget.  At least we could afford lunch. 

It’s funny, Judy and Stuart are still somewhat unaware of the prices of things and when Judy saw that Potato Balls were $20 a plate in a restaurant, she made the comment that she thought Potato Balls were supposed to be “poor man’s food” but they obviously must not be for that price.  I told her they really are, but that’s as cheap of a price as she’ll find on anything in a café in Norway.  I’m not sure if she believed me when I told her we went out to dinner once with Odd and Turid and it costs $650 for one meal.  Twenty bucks seems like a bargain to me these days, and that’s how much it was for a bowl of Rommegrot at that café today.

Once we made it to Bergen we checked in on the ferry then headed into the heart of town for a little shopping.  Kory has a cousin that lives in Bergen and she wanted to meet up with us (see photo), so we walked around for a few hours with her and caught up on what’s been happening in her life.  Stu and Judy did a little shopping and enjoyed the old buildings along the harbor that have been there for around 700 years.  It’s hard to imagine things so old, coming from America, but Bergen was a city founded in 1070 or thereabouts, so it just wouldn’t be right to have new buildings dominating the landscape.

Kory’s cousin, Ingebjorg, was sad our time together was so short, as we were, but we had to catch the ferry.  It took forever for the car to get loaded but afterwards we were able to enjoy a late dinner in the dining room with Stu and Judy. Judy headed for bed soon thereafter while Kory and Stu had a beer together and laughed about the day.    Kory has thankfully adopted a “It’s a great day no matter what” kind of attitude so he keeps reminding me that little things like the weather and other inconveniences, really aren’t a problem unless I let them be.  Ok, dear.

Now we can all relax as there’s nothing much else to do for the next 12 days.  I was a little stressed out since a large storm in northern Norway knocked out all the cell phone lines so we couldn’t call Bjorn and confirm that our car was indeed on the ferry.  He said he’d pick it up in Aalesund tomorrow if we needed him to, and we do.  We were finally able to connect up with him, so now I’m sure I’ll be having a good night’s sleep.

On The Radio

I’ve had several dates penciled in on my calendar to speak on Christian radio since I came to Norway this year, but the dates kept shifting. I’m still not that great speaking the native language, so I need a translator. The woman that hosts the radio spot has a daughter that used to live in America, and her English knowledge is fantastic. I need her, but she’s a very busy working mom with five kids and one with severe medical challenges. Today, however, things lined up and our schedules collided so that we could be together on the radio. I had prepared a talk using simple words, and she translated, line for line perfectly. It takes more patience listening to tell a story using a translator, but from what I heard, it was still powerfully received. Hallelujah!



I finally got to tell the story of how God provided us with free housing last year. I also told of all the challenges we faced in moving to Norway and how God provided through them all. And finally, I wove in the story about Kaleb’s two buddies accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior last week. Woo hoo! From the people I know who were listening, I got some great feedback. They all said it was a very powerful message. One guy even phoned in afterwards and said he had to take the radio into the bathroom with him because he didn’t want to miss any of my talk and he really needed to sit on the toilet. I thought that was pretty funny. So, if things go well for my translator, I’ll be speaking again next Wednesday. We’ll see what God has in store then.



Kory only heard half my talk on the radio because he was busy doing other things. He said he hears me enough, already. He made me a little towel rack to hang in the kitchen and he fixed a broken light switch and repaired a valve stem on Kaleb’s bicycle. He didn’t sit down much today.



After I picked Kaleb up from school, we both went over to see our old neighbor, Tobias. He cleaned out his closets and had some clothes he’d outgrown he thought Kaleb might like. He was right. I also asked Bjørn, his step-dad (and Kory’s second cousin) if they would mind bringing some of our things with them to America when they come visit us this summer. Bjørn told me they were bringing empty suitcases over because they want to buy many things in America because it’s so much cheaper than here. It took awhile for that comment to sink in, but when I realized I had several boxes of things I was setting aside to bring home, I put two and two together and thought they could help us out. And they can. Whew. I also talked to Bjørn a bit about our vacation plans for when they are with us in July. We’re all very exciting they are coming.



Kaleb stayed on to play Wii with Tobias. He finished his last science lesson with Johns Hopkins University today, so he was feeling pretty good. He still has to take the final when we get home, but he’s pulling at 95% in the class, so I’m pretty proud of his scientific knowledge. When he came home he was spouting some theory he has on time/space dimensions and it was so bizarre I had to record it. He even said he doesn’t understand all that he said, but it was one of those things that sounded very intelligent but certainly meant nothing. He likes to use scientific terms as often as possible, so I need to nurture that gift in him and act interested.



Tonight I hosted our “ladies only” home fellowship group with Agape Church. I had a little “restemat” (leftover food) from last night so I let all the women have a small bowl of that yummy seafood chowder for “kveldsmat” (night food). They all agreed it was the best soup they’ve ever had. I must confess, it was heavenly. I need to make it again.



I belong to three different women’s groups here and I have now hosted them all in our new home. Everyone agrees we are richly blessed by God, as they all love our place. I find it funny however, that the thing that gets the most comments about our condo is the cupboard doors in our bathroom that conceal the washer and dryer. Every single person just raves over that and says how smart it is. It’s so common to see a washing machine in a bathroom that I’m sure no one thought to hide it away – it would be like building a wall around a toilet. But I’ve had several people now say they want to redo their bathroom so they can put a closet around the washer. Funny. I’ve also heard a few people say our bathroom is their “dream bathroom.” It doesn’t even have a tub, but it’s big enough for two. I’ll start dreaming about one.



I can’t even say enough how blessed I feel that we have this place. But honestly, it doesn’t feel quite like home just yet. When we were at Odd and Turid’s last weekend, THAT place felt like home. We’ve stayed there so many times for so many years, that I’m even more comfortable there than I am in our own condo… but ten years down the road it might be a different story here. I guess it all just hasn’t sunk in yet that we really do have a permanent place to stay in Norway. Hallelujah! And next year, we’ll be all set for visitors!

Misunderstandings

I got my laptop back today from repair, for the second time. Oh happy day. I hope it’s really fixed this time as there is no time to send it in again. We have only two weeks left before we move out and start our road trip. Our calendar is filling up fast.

Good-byes are never easy, or fun, but sometimes there’s a party and good food involved so it sweetens the sorrow a little. Tonight there was a little party for us for our last Connect Group meeting (home fellowship group). It was sad to say good-bye because we really like getting together with that group from Agape Church. One of them said it is just “gruesome” that we have to leave. (That’s a word that sounds and means the same in both English and Norwegian but here it’s used to express feelings, not just gory movies and murders.) Kory reminded our group that Bethany Covenant Church, our church back home, sent us to Norway as missionaries. Our group leader tonight said Agape Church should send us back to America as missionaries, but then they want us back here again. It really is hard to say good-bye. I’m glad God found a use for us while we were here though.

My Pal Vestina told me in class today that she read my blog. She liked what I said about her but she disapproved of the photo I used. She wanted me to replace it with a nicer one of her off her Facebook profile, just in case there are any single men that might want to meet her. She’s too funny. I told her I was sure there is no one reading my blog that would be her cup of tea, but she insisted I change the photo anyway. It is easier to add it today than change one from a few days ago. I think she’s a lot prettier when she smiles, but she likes this photo the best (I bought her those earrings in Rome.) Most of her photos on Facebook are quite sexy, so I’m thankful she wanted me to use this one – which is suitable for all ages. That girl can pose!

Kaleb had his field trip with his classmates into the city this morning. I went out during my lunch break to see if they were up on the mountain behind my school, and I found them taking their lunch break in the park right next door. It was fun to watch Kaleb playing with other kids when he didn’t know I was there. I walked over to him and he gave me a big hug and kiss, right in front of his classmates, which thrilled me to no end. He then started crying when he told me his teacher told him that pop, candy, cookies and snack crackers are not allowed in school lunches. I normally pack him two open faced sandwiches (the norm here – just buttered bread with something on top – cheese, salami or ham), a sliced up apple and a peeled carrot. Every once in a while he’ll get some pretzels. Today, I knew, was special, so I put a bottle of pear flavored pop in his backpack (his favorite), a piece of candy and some snack crackers along with his sandwich, just for a little treat. I guess his teacher talked to him about it and what upset him the most was that all the other kids were eating cookies and crackers and some had pop. He was devastated at the injustice that he couldn’t have it but others could. I apologized to his teacher for giving him forbidden food and she said she had told him those things are not NORMALLY allowed, but it was OK today because of the field trip. He hadn’t fully understood all her Norwegian – he just heard the part that it wasn’t allowed so he stopped eating his lunch because of it (I love that kind of obedience!)

I thought about that situation for a while and decided it reminds me of when I read the Bible sometimes and I don’t fully understand what it’s talking about. If I did, then maybe I’d get all the treats that come with the main course too, but my limited knowledge of spiritual things sometimes keeps me from enjoying all of God’s blessings. There are so many mysteries yet to be uncovered. The Bible says in Corinthians that “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully…”. I’m going to enjoy that day of full understanding even more than Kaleb enjoyed his pop, candy and crackers today after he found out it was okay to eat them. (But I’m often in the same boat as Kaleb – I hear and understand the Norwegian words, but I totally miss the main point.)

Kory was home the whole day making fish soup. He was so meticulous in the process. When I got home he had all the ingredients chopped up in near perfect uniformity, each item in their own bowl like on a cooking show. When the time was right, he added them to the soup base. Too funny, but I love that he’s experimenting and teaching himself how to cook. He’s come a long way, baby. I spent the afternoon packing more boxes and baby, I still have a long way to go – in more ways than one.