Love Feast Craziness

   I was the sun and my dancer friend Cristina was the moon-our assignment was to dance together to the song "Fly Me to the Moon." Definitely the best assignment. ;o)

 Chai Tea at YWAM's cafe downtown during an open mic night!

        Mathijs cutting the Thanksgiving turkey like a pro. ;o)

          JoEllen and I-- happy after a successful Thanksgiving. 

                                                      Yay for turkey!

                   Thankful for these wonderful friends. :o)

Highlights of Grace

Life here in Norway continues on! All the different tracks just got back from their different mini-outreaches. Here are some highlights of what God's been doing in Norway at and through YWAM. :o)

    . Dance party! 
Though dancing has taken place in the kitchen, we had our first official dance party with everyone on the base after the staff treated us to a "Love Feast."

    . Thanksgiving! 
JoEllen (a fellow America) and I planned a Thanksgiving celebration for everyone. We baked three apple pies, two pumpkin, had vanilla ice-cream, a whole turkey and turkey breasts, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy, homemade croissants, apple cider, and stuffing. It was a wonderful, cozy time with everyone. JoEllen and I also did a dramatic reading of the Thanksgiving story--we were a hit ;o)--and we played "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" on a screen in the background. We also went around the table and said what we were thankful for-this is a personal family tradition started by my aunt and I was happy to continue it in Norway. 

    . Hip Hop!
Our last creative week the dancers got taught hip hop and breaking! Unfortunately  I had hurt my wrist and couldn't do much of the breaking, but the hip hop was a blast! I never knew I enjoyed hip hop so much. I won't say I'm very good at it, but I can get into the confident attitude pretty fast and I enjoy the beat-filled music. Our hip hop teacher was a YWAM staff and family man. I actually babysit for his little son, Liam, once a week. It was so nice to have a male dance teacher! Yay for males who love dancing for Jesus! Our breaking teacher was also a part of the YWAM family and he actually has a dancing crew back in California-they formed out of Bethel School and their dance style is amazing-combining breaking with contemporary style. 

    . Night of Worship!
We had a night of Worship one Saturday evening from 7-12. Each hour had a different person leading with a different emphasis. I got the privilege of leading with a fellow student, Mathijs. He played guitar and we both sang. We both decided we would sing only old songs, meaning older than the 2000's. We sang a couple hymns and some classics such as "As the Deer." It was so nice to sing the songs to Jesus that I grew up singing in church. Mathijs has a lovely voice, and harmonizing to these songs was such a blessing. I thought of my family and my sister Emily and how much I enjoy harmonizing together with people as we lift our voices in praise to Jesus. 

    .Room Change!
After praying, talking, waiting, hoping-our room got to switch to a room with a loft! And who got the loft? Me! I am so happy and grateful. God continues to bless my life with these wonderful reminders of His love. It is nice to still be with my roommates, but to have a bit more of a private space. It's like a tiny room-and it's up high! As I write this, I'm enjoying my first night on my new bed in my loft, feeling cozy, happy and blessed. 

   . Letters (and packages!) from home!
I love receiving mail and I've gotten some great postcards from Hawaii, as my parents took a little visit there. I also got a great card from my sister Emily that had the characters of "Hoops and Yoyo," two goofballs that remind Em and I of ourselves together. The card was one of those talking cards-fun! I also have received many neat packages, complete with tea and gum. I share the wealth and each week try to give my housemates little gifts in their mailboxes. (Tea, gum, Dr. Suess stickers, chocolate, etc.) My last package had one of my favorite chocolate bars-white chocolate with oreo bits. Yum! And....candy corn!!! I was a bit giddy receiving that package. All in all I am, again, so grace-filled and blessed, as my family likes to write. I have received more packages and letters than anyone else here. My parents rock. 



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Another Week of Jesus

So, for the past two weeks we have had prophetic assignments that we've worked on. 

     

Explanation: each student and some staff were given a number. This number represented a person-none of us knew who this person was. We were to pray about this person and ask God to speak to us for them. Then, according to our different tracks, to create a piece, (dance, song, painting, etc.) that spoke to them what the Lord had inspired us to create from. 

For my person I got a clear scene in my head and created a dance out of it. Though I was nervous and wasn't sure about this-it was awesome how God was so specific and the dance was perfect for the person who received it. 

Then there was JoEllen. She's a fellow American and though she's from Wisconsin and we do have differences, it's amazing how we actually relate a lot. JoEllen is in the acting track and decided to make a video for her person. God gave her a story line and some specific words. She asked me if I could be in her video-as she needed some help. I enjoy acting very much, and making films, so I said, "Sure!" 

"Wouldn't it be funny if you're in it and it's for you?" JoEllen asked me. 

I laughed, "Yeah, that would be funny."....yeah, you know where this is going. ;o)

On Friday when we showed each other our pieces and it got to JoEllen, I was excited-I was in this! Then they called the name who it was for-- "Beth."

 Me: What?! haha.

I sat down and watched....here is the link to the video-watch and then read the rest: 

https://vimeo.com/52794373

After I watched this I was a bit confused, but I also understood some things from the video. I laughed when I watched myself chasing myself....I realized- I'm the one who puts the labels on myself. And the hand in the video that slaps the post it on? Yep, mine. And who wrote those words on the post its for JoEllen? Yep, me. And the fact that is was JoEllen "being me," allowed me to receive the video more than if it had been someone else I think. I thought about the video and prayed with someone after that God would give me clarity about it.

Testimony. God is doing what was happening in the video-He has and is always completing to write on my heart my identity in Him. I realized I try to pull those labels off myself, I know I don't walk in the lies of the enemy. Yet God has been teaching me that I can pull those labels off, but they'll still be there unless I allow God to write His truth on my heart. God has been romancing me here in Norway-He's such a glorious God, and yet He comes close and pulls me into His heart and shows me how much He loves me. 

This video has already touched people in Belfast (!) and I know will speak to many more. I am so grateful that God not only pays attention to me, He works specifically in my life to give me just what I need. He wants to do the same for you. God is speaking-will you pause and allow yourself to rest in Him. Listen to His words of love-

"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love." ~Jesus

You are Beloved.

Don't be Afraid to Burn

     Tuesday night we had just finished teaching and I was happy to find "Time" magazine sitting on the table in the living room. An American magazine! And one that would inform me what was going on in the world! I began reading, already feeling more comfortable now that I was sitting being "informed." On the second page there was a little paragraph down in the left corner about the Taliban shooting two teenage girls. It said simply that the Taliban had aimed for a 14 year old girl who had talked about what life was like under the Taliban 3 years earlier when she was 11 on some news channel-so they had been targeting her all these years. They actually missed her and shot her two friends....that was it. That's what I read. An actually pretty typical story with all the horrors that go on in our world. I've read stories like this many times. 

    But I felt this burning inside. This anger. I looked up and said, "uhhhhhhh!" My two friends on the couch were very gracious when I explained. They said it was o.k. to feel upset. I had this feeling like I needed to respond some way, but I flipped through the magazine and tried to read some other stuff. Usually when I start to feel this way after reading something like that, I pray and then move on. But I felt uncomfortable and wanted someone to pray with or just feel with. I got up and decided I needed to go pray in my room or something. I thought of praying with Jena, the staff in charge of intercession, but didn't know where she was. "I might cry," I thought as I felt that sense starting. So I went downstairs to the studio, hoping no one would be in there. Turns out Jena was in the studio. I showed her the article and as she read tears started flowing from me. I asked her to pray with me and as she took my hands and as we came before the Lord the tears started coming from deep within. I started shaking and feeling sick and there was definitely.... a lot of snot. I knew God was giving me his heart. Jena and I prayed and we brought the girls, the surviving girl, the nation of Pakistan, and the Taliban to Jesus. We prayed at the end that God's love would save-that His love would be seen as truth and that His love would bring freedom to the Taliban soldiers and the 14 year old girl. 

    It's awesome to receive God's heart....and it's hard. It didn't feel "good" to have those reactions to God's heart going around in my body, but my spirit felt connected to Christ-and that part of me did feel good. I was actually encouraged by God's love, as I just experienced a small portion of what God was feeling. Those girls are not forgotten  God knows them, they are eternal to Him and He cares about each news story out there-because He cares about each person on this planet. I felt peaceful as Jena and I ended our interceding time. Jena thanked me for being faithful to respond to what God had put on my heart. "Well, at first I didn't!" I said. I knew "two is better than one" and that having two or more agreeing in prayer is important, but I still had the thought of, "Who do I go to? What do I do with this?" It's so much easier for me in my own room, feeling the pain of God, or the joy of God and praying with just me and Him....but God has created us for partnership, for community. Jena then said to me, "Don't be afraid to burn." 

    Whoa. That hit me. I wasn't afraid to feel God's heart, I pray for that, though I understand it's a huge thing I'm asking and it's hard to handle. But I do become afraid to "burn" with God's heart, and with passion when I'm with people. It sounds ridiculous, but I actually can feel guilty when I display passion for Jesus in front of my Christian friends because they don't always have the feelings to match, or they don't know how to respond. But the thing is-that's o.k. We just need people to grasp hands together and support each other in prayer. If one is feeling led to pray for something, the other doesn't have to cry and feel passion for it-but by agreeing and supporting  in prayer we are fulfilling the Bible's command to carry one another's burdens. There are no "super Christians," there's just those who are available to God-who are ready to receive His heart. When you're open to God, He's open with you. 

    This morning in our small group my friend David said, "This morning  when I was praying I asked God for the first time how He was feeling." So good! David said we give God our feelings, but we don't think about asking Him what He's feeling. God feels all the time-He loves us, He is moved by us. Later today we had a sharing time of wounds in our lives. (We had each made a "redemptive art piece" that represented our situation.) David turned to me in the middle of it and said, "I think because I prayed this morning, 'God what are you feeling,' He is showing me, because usually I'm better with my emotions, but I'm feeling for the other people more." I replied, "You mean you're 'better' now, cuz' this is the way God wants you." He nodded-yep-that's the way God wants us.  God is compassionate, God is loving, God's heart burns. Ask Him about His heart sometime....and don't be afraid to burn. 

Day in and Day Out

Wanna' know more about the day to day of life in Norway for us YWAMers? Well here's a glimpse into my day (on a week day) ;o).....

6:00-6:15am-Roommate's alarm goes off...I pray she'll wake up and stop it

6:30-Other Roommate's alarm goes off to awaken her and myself

7:00-Breakfast (Bread and cereal provided every morning. A popular morning breakfast is the Norwegian version of Nutella, Nugati (New-got-e) and cheese...yep you read correctly-cheese and chocolate together....I try not to think about it.) 

7:30-Chores: My chore is to make tea and coffee and set it up in the boxes to take down to teaching. It's an easy job, but actually takes awhile-it's rather nice. 

8:00-Powertime (This is time for just you and Jesus. We are going through the Proverbs in Oct and writing about each one in our journal for a "book report.")

9:00-Depending on the day we have either worship and devotion, intercession, family time, or small group intercession. Today was family time, since it's a Wednesday and we carved pumpkins. 

10:00-Teaching (During a teaching week-we're in our third week of teaching this week.) We walk to the church about two blocks from the base and make ourselves comfortable for teaching. We've had the subjects of "Knowing God and making Him Known," "Kingdom Principles," and "Art and the Artist in God's perspective." 

12:00-Lunch (we also have breaks-Norwegians are big on breaks) We pack our lunches, so this is usually sandwhichs, unless you're the lucky duck who bought other food and made it the day before. 

1:45-Walk back to base and depending on the day we're either...in artist date (which means an hour with just you and your art), one on ones (staff with a student time), small groups or chores. 

4:00-Dinner time! We had pizza today, which made me a bit nostalgic. It was quite nice.

4:45-After dinner announcements we have free time usually (unless you have dinner dishes that week. blah.) This means though that you probably need to do some good ol' homework. And it's actually good stuff. We're reading a book by Lauren Cunningham which a book report is done on, and we sometimes get different assignments we're supposed to do. For instance, I just finished an art project based on a time in my life when I was wounded and didn't understand what was going on. Everyone had to make a tangible piece of art. 

(Mondays I have dance technique at 5:30, Tues we have teaching and worship at 6:30, and every other Friday I have my serving the community group)

8:00-Supper: More bread, more cereal...yeah it's nice when you have other food...

I usually go to sleep around 11:00, though going to sleep before then is rather nice. All in-between there are spontaneous happenings.....like Zumba, walks with friends to the mall, a great conversation with someone in the living room, watch funny things online together, play music in the studio, share music, dance in the kitchen  play "futbol" aka soccer, laugh, cry, let God move! 

And there you have it-a little bit more of what's happening logistically for those of you interested in that kind of stuff. 

:o) "Day by Day-Oh Dear Lord three things I pray, to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly day by day."

 

WORSHIP

       This Friday I was privileged to lead worship for usins' at the DTS. I had signed up to lead worship the week before and was asked on Wednesday if I could lead Friday morning. Didn't think it would come up so soon! I'm not new to leading worship, but my nerves still came up because my talent in guitar is far below many of the people here so I grow self conscious and I still get nervous when singing in front of people. I was excited though, and I thought God was saying, "yep, let's go!" So I said yes. :o) I asked a fellow student, Jonathon (From Switzerland), if he would play the djembe (drum) with my guitar. We practiced Thursday night and just during practice I felt the presence of God and was encouraged by Jonathon's heart for Jesus. I told him I'd probably stop and just have time of music or I might sing in the Spirit (sing out words that were Holy Spirit inspired). He said, "Yes, yes, that's how it should be!" Then he said, "Why don't you do this right now?" I was a bit taken aback, but I felt this was from God, so I just started singing and God gave me words to sing for Jonathon. It was so encouraging and good. 
           Friday morning Jonathon and I prayed and I told him I was a bit nervous, but I was just going to worship God. He said, "Yep! You just sing from your heart. You're fine." The night before He had said, "I have Jesus, so when I walk into a room, I bring heaven with me." His confidence in Christ and the authority he walks in was great for me to be around! We started out by prophesying over Jonathon's girlfriend who is leaving for China in two weeks. She wasn't actually there, so we filmed ourselves to send to her. It was a blessed way to start out. I started playing and singing and just being with God-leading others into His presence. I was swept away. God is so good. Sometimes we just sang with the drums, we were silent, we clapped, we were still, (I sang in the Spirit about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and how they weren't alone in the fire-Jesus was the forth man in the fire. Later that night some of us were at a youth service, the preaching was about...Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego...yep, how God was with them in the fire.) I sang from my lungs. When I lead worship, there's something about my desire for Jesus that just expands. I think it's because I'm wanting Him not just for me, but for the others in the room as well. And having the honor to lead others-I just am mega blessed! Calling down heaven and calling out to Jesus-pouring out my love through the songs I get to choose and the method of worship just stirs my heart. I sang so loud-ha-it's like the song lyrics, "I can't hold my love back from you!" I had asked Jonathon to at some point when I stopped playing to just continue with a drum beat. On Thursday we looked up the Tarzan Disney movie soundtrack for this drumbeat he really liked-and of course that was funny and awesome, as I love Tarzan. He let loose on the drums in worship and wow-we heard the heartbeat of God. There was so much power and freedom. I was on a high from the Holy Spirit for awhile on Friday. :o) 
     So-I'm learning to be more abandoned, more abandoned to Jesus' love. After worship Paulien, a dance track staff came up to me and told me, (paraphrased) "I really like your voice, actually I was sitting there and thinking, wow, this is another side of God, I mean, your voice is so feminine and beautiful, so it was like I experienced a new part of God." Wow. Yeah, overwhelmed there. 
       I give to God, but he is the ultimate Giver, no one can out-give Him. I give Him my worship, and He gives me His love, His Presence, His approval. He says over His children, "This one is mine. He/She is mine for all eternity." He so loves us. 
      If there's something you're afraid of, if you want to pour out your love in a way that maybe is scary-please just go for it-God is worth it. :o) 
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. James 4:8
http://youtu.be/o6kSRKZ60q4

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Åsemulveien 5
6018 Ålesund
Norway