Today was another anniversary… the months just keep ticking by and we’ll be back home in Mount Vernon in a flash. I try to savor everyday but some of them feel quite routine and ordinary. Today was a bit of an exception though. The Good Teacher Inga has been sick for a week now so we’ve had a few different substitutes. The one we had the last few days is from Serbia and she came to Norway only two years ago and is already teaching the language! She admits she’s “gifted” in languages as she speaks nine of them fluently and understands about a dozen more, but can’t speak them. Holy cow. She was good too – as we could understand her perfectly and she was very good at sympathizing with the insanity built into learning Norwegian. It was also easy to see some of her feelings about the insanity of some of the Norwegian laws. The chapter we are on in our textbook now deals with “normal” Norwegian lifestyles and families so there was much discussion about what is “normal” and what is not. In Norway, you will lose your kids to foster care if you are ever seen slapping them (even their hands) or spanking them. It’s absolutely forbidden to hit your child in any manner. The government here feels that a good talking to is all that is required to keep them in line because “violence begats violence.” I see how well that’s working in Kaleb’s school. Good grief. (But I think they made that law because of all the immigrants coming into Norway, as some of their cultural norms are to beat their children, so the pendulum had to swing wide to the other side.) And there is considerable emphasis placed on what constitutes a “family” and how it’s just not the norm to get married anymore – but living together and having a couple kids – that’s perfectly normal. It seems the only ones getting married these days are the homosexuals, as last year the government made it a law that gays are now allowed church weddings. It made for some interesting discussion.
A plumber came out to our house today to “fix” the sewer pipes under our house and one other. Because the pipes are attached to the building, when the ground sinks down, the pipes go with it so they will soon separate at the joints if longer flexible pipes aren’t installed. It was downright comical when the plumber came here. He started swearing (taking the Lord’s name in vain) and practically yelling (in Norwegian) “How could anyone have built houses like this?” He just kept swearing and saying that over and over like he couldn’t even believe he was witness to such an awful thing. (Kory kept telling the guy, "We don't swear here - we say, "HALLELUJAH!") Kory finally got him calmed down so he could do the work. There is so much emotion around these houses it’s incomprehensible to both Kory and I. I guess it’s that high standard of living, and quality of building things that gets people so upset. One guy I know told me that Norway builds the best of everything as it’s the only way they can stay competitive in the world market because it’s so costly to produce anything here. So I guess if you are used to top quality everything, to see something actually break must be an insult to the entire nation.
The boy that I’ve been praying for every day has been calling me no less than a dozen times per day now. What I think is happening is that he’s actually gotten so much better that he’s not even comfortable with his own thoughts – he thinks everything is a spiritual attack. Kory and I had to laugh today as he called up for prayer because of these “attacks.” I gave the phone to Kory and he just drilled him over and over – What is the problem? What are the thoughts you’re having? What can I do to help you? And the boy just kept answering “I don’t know” to everything. Finally, Kory got a bit perturbed with him and said, “You MUST tell me what you are dealing with, otherwise I can’t help you.” Finally the boy said that he was being, ”tempted to eat food that wasn’t healthy.” So he’s come a long way if that’s all that’s bothering him now. We are both shouting Hallelujah, but that kid still needs prayer. I think he’s been so tormented for so long he doesn’t know what “normal” feels like. Poor thing. Kory told him before he calls us the next time, he must read the book of Romans, as there are a lot of answers to things that bother him in there.
I’ve been busy today baking pies and preparing for Thanksgiving tomorrow! We’re inviting over a few cousins and aunts for the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but what a challenge to find the ingredients! The biggest turkey I could find was only 9.5 pounds… and if it weren’t for the Schaubs visit in September I wouldn’t be able to make Pumpkin Pie (she brought pumpkin and vanilla and brown sugar), and thanks to cousin Bjørn's trip to Kansas, I have pecans for Pecan Pie. They might not taste just right though as some spices needed to make those pies aren’t anywhere to be found. I had to buy a bunch of spices with names I’d never heard of and open them up like Christmas presents to see what was inside. But, unfortunately, everything I needed wasn’t available. Oh well. No one will know, but me. The one big bummer is that I can’t make cornbread because I can’t find cornmeal anywhere. I thought I hit the jackpot until I got it home and opened the box and saw it was cornstarch instead. So much for my Norwegian reading skills.
A plumber came out to our house today to “fix” the sewer pipes under our house and one other. Because the pipes are attached to the building, when the ground sinks down, the pipes go with it so they will soon separate at the joints if longer flexible pipes aren’t installed. It was downright comical when the plumber came here. He started swearing (taking the Lord’s name in vain) and practically yelling (in Norwegian) “How could anyone have built houses like this?” He just kept swearing and saying that over and over like he couldn’t even believe he was witness to such an awful thing. (Kory kept telling the guy, "We don't swear here - we say, "HALLELUJAH!") Kory finally got him calmed down so he could do the work. There is so much emotion around these houses it’s incomprehensible to both Kory and I. I guess it’s that high standard of living, and quality of building things that gets people so upset. One guy I know told me that Norway builds the best of everything as it’s the only way they can stay competitive in the world market because it’s so costly to produce anything here. So I guess if you are used to top quality everything, to see something actually break must be an insult to the entire nation.
The boy that I’ve been praying for every day has been calling me no less than a dozen times per day now. What I think is happening is that he’s actually gotten so much better that he’s not even comfortable with his own thoughts – he thinks everything is a spiritual attack. Kory and I had to laugh today as he called up for prayer because of these “attacks.” I gave the phone to Kory and he just drilled him over and over – What is the problem? What are the thoughts you’re having? What can I do to help you? And the boy just kept answering “I don’t know” to everything. Finally, Kory got a bit perturbed with him and said, “You MUST tell me what you are dealing with, otherwise I can’t help you.” Finally the boy said that he was being, ”tempted to eat food that wasn’t healthy.” So he’s come a long way if that’s all that’s bothering him now. We are both shouting Hallelujah, but that kid still needs prayer. I think he’s been so tormented for so long he doesn’t know what “normal” feels like. Poor thing. Kory told him before he calls us the next time, he must read the book of Romans, as there are a lot of answers to things that bother him in there.
I’ve been busy today baking pies and preparing for Thanksgiving tomorrow! We’re inviting over a few cousins and aunts for the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but what a challenge to find the ingredients! The biggest turkey I could find was only 9.5 pounds… and if it weren’t for the Schaubs visit in September I wouldn’t be able to make Pumpkin Pie (she brought pumpkin and vanilla and brown sugar), and thanks to cousin Bjørn's trip to Kansas, I have pecans for Pecan Pie. They might not taste just right though as some spices needed to make those pies aren’t anywhere to be found. I had to buy a bunch of spices with names I’d never heard of and open them up like Christmas presents to see what was inside. But, unfortunately, everything I needed wasn’t available. Oh well. No one will know, but me. The one big bummer is that I can’t make cornbread because I can’t find cornmeal anywhere. I thought I hit the jackpot until I got it home and opened the box and saw it was cornstarch instead. So much for my Norwegian reading skills.
