Three weeks in Ålesund
I thought I would write my first blog post within a few days of arriving so I apologize for the lack of updates! It has already been three weeks now that I’ve been in Norway and it has flown by! I didn’t know anything about my schedule, my lectures, my track time or my free time before arriving. That was probably a good thing because we are so busy! This weekend is my first weekend of having Saturday and Sunday off and it’s one of the only ones so I am taking it slow and catching up on updates, on sleep and enjoying not having a packed schedule.
So far my time has consisted of lectures, lots of worship (praise God!), many trips to cozy coffee shops, getting more warm clothing, knitting, hiking, camping, trail running, and taking in all Norway has to offer. It has also involved learning to say hei hei (hi), tussen takk (thank you so much!), ja takk (yes please), nei takk (no thanks) and sorry do you speak english? I look very Norwegian I’ve been told, so much so that even the people on base thought I was from here. The only apparent difference is that all Norwegians have hand knit wool sweaters- they love wool here and it’s very practical!
I thought I was coming prepared for the cold weather in Norway with a puffy and three sweatshirts, thinking I was used to the cold. However coming from summer weather of 80 degrees I was not ready for the chill that comes off of the Norweigan sea. So I have bought two more wool sweaters to stay warm when sitting in lectures and when out on hikes. So far we have hiked every weekend and summited three mountains! Overlooking the fjords make Norway one of the most beautiful places I have been. It reminds me of Alaska a lot!
On particular days it is sunny, and for fall in Norway that’s very lucky! Other days it is raining. And truly that may be one of my favorite parts. When it rains here it is so cozy!! There are ample coffee shops in town and everything is within walking distance. The feel in Norway is very cozy. So cozy that i’ve already learned how to knit and have completed a headband and a scarf!
Everyone dresses for the weather in raincoats and wool to stay warm and dry. The rain doesn’t scare people away, they’re just always ready for it and continue their strolls down the street to accomplish their errands. There is a saying they remind us of often here, there is no bad weather, only bad clothing. And that is now what we live by. I learned the hard way yesterday on a hike to a peak called Sula.
The day started off a little drizzly as per usual but overall it wasn’t too cold. I started the hike in my shell, a wool sweater and wool undershirt. I had my hiking pants then rain pants and my fully waterproof boots (praise God!) because we haven’t had a dry hike yet. I was warm as we ascended towards the summit but once we reached the final push the wind came out of nowhere. I zipped up all my ventilation zippers on my coat and zipped my yellow coat all the way up past my chin to keep the heat in. I was trying to fight to keep the wind and suddenly piercing rain away from my body. Only I didn’t have gloves. I could hardly move my fingers at the top. So I ran down the mountain after taking a few painful minutes on the top. And yes, I actually ran to try to regain some blood flow. Now I know what it means to fully prepare for a summit as we head into colder weather days.
This morning we woke up to snow on the mountains for the first time! Our base is a quick, walk around the corner walk to the cathedral and prayer room so every morning we get to see this view!!! And every morning it is a little different. Below is from one of my first mornings. And the view never gets old!
The days vary between time for worship, lectures, intercession, meals, outdoor track time, cleaning, group time, and camping trips! We also learned our outreach location and God has put it on my heart quite clearly to go to Mexico. So my outreach for the lat two months will be traveling to different destinations throughout Mexico and evangelizing and connecting as we go! We have a team of 11 people with exact destinations to be determined.
So far some of the coolest things have been learning about and worshiping God with people from all around the world from all different cultures and speaking all different languages. We pray and worship in different languages and God hears it all. I also get to hear about people’s experiences with christianity in their home culture and their home churches. God is so much greater than any language or cultural barrier and still delights in all the praises and hears all the prayers.
In lectures we have different topics each week. So far we have covered Hearing God, God’s character, and the bigger story of the Bible. This is such a sweet time to dig into bigger questions and to learn more about how to build our everyday lives around the lord. How we can invite Him into everything we do. There’s so much information that at times it seems quite overwhelming but having quiet time with the Lord and prioritizing daily moments to slow down and listen have helped. It’s a time to collect tools and learn more for the next 5 months as we prepare for and go into outreach and then for all the days that come after. God will never stop being the foundation so it’s such a gift to have this time to learn how to fully trust in the lord with all I am given now and in all to come.
I have updates my photos page for month one, here is the link to go check out a few photos! Luckily we have quite a few skilled photographers in our group so most of these photos are thanks to those guys and girls!
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If you have any specific questions please ask me and I will write a response to those and a prayer request post coming soon as well!