setapartforthegospel

Summer in Africa!

2011-08-21T04:51:00.019-05:00

What a summer, in many ways that is. Here in Norway it's been fairly wet, the rain has shown it's best side - but we've also had some nice warm sunny days in between. =)

But the best part of the summer, was my time in Africa - surprised???

On the 24th of June a handfull of Norwegians left with high expectations to Africa - we flew from differnt cities in Norway and met up in Frankfurt. From there we flew to Johannesburg South Africa b4 we flew to Pemba Mozambique. Fantastic!

The first weekend we were there we went out on a bushbush outreach. Interesting as always.

We got into the camions, pakked with stuff that we needed for the trip, tents, sleepingbags, food, cups, plates, breadrolls, jam, coffee, teabags...... etc. There were also some students from the missionsschool and some local students from the bibleschool. Lots of fun driving to the place where we set up our tents. It was almost dark by the time we got done setting up the tents, and then of into the village to show the Jesus movie. There were many hundres of peple present, some probably had never seen a movie before. After the movie someone shared a testimony and then we had a time of praying for the sick and for salvations.
The story I want so share with you is with a lady that came forth for prayer that first evening. She had been disturbed in her sleep since she was a little girl, and was now in her late 30/early 40. We prayed for her, and told her that she should come to where we were staying and tell us how she had slept then next day. Then we continued to pray for more ppl. The next day she came, and ..... YES she had had a peaceful sleep the whole night. Glory to God. She said she wanted to get to know this Jesus and that she wanted us to come to her house and help her get rid of the stuff she had there. A group of us went to the house, and burned all the witchcraft stuff she had. To honor her husband she had asked persmission to do that, and he said she could take care of it - because he had seen that she had slept through the night without disturbance for the very first time since they had been married. Another miracle!

Another cool thing with this family, is that her mother is still living -that is also out of the ordinary since the average age for women is 38. =)

Then on Sunday - she got baptised!! Only God can do such things in such a short time.

Another story that I would like to tell you is when I met Eliza. She is a girl that lives with her granny and her older sister. I went with a friend of mine to visit her in their village, where we were welcomed into the church where they had sang some songs for us. Then they had some gifts for us, and we went to their house. There I gave Eliza a bag, a capulana (raparound skirt) and a box of juice. The smile on her face was the best ever. Isn't she gorgeous??

I also spent some time with my good friends in Pemba, which was a true blessing to c them again and hang out.

Then back to Norway after spending some time in South Africa with yet some good friends - how blessed I am.

And now I'm back in school out on the field in a nursing home to get some practical work woven into the school. The practical period is for 7 weeks, then it's back to school again and have an exam in October.

This has been yet another summer, but with many more memories to share with others.

1st semester almost done!

2011-05-24T11:05:00.006-05:00

Didn't Forest Gump say: "life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you get!". The more I think of that, the more I have to agree - yet at the same time, it's not a box of chocolate! There is a limit to that, it's more like the nature. Deep yes indeed it is, but there are always changes to nature. A time to bloom, a time to wither, a time to die, a time to grow.... the colours, the hight... it goes on and on. So I'd say life is more like nature.... (Just a little bit in the philosofical corner)

First term in nursing school is almost over, it has gone by so fast. The anatomy exam is done and over with, the practial exam as well - the next one is nursing on June 1st. Then 2 more weeks of class before summerbreak.

My good friend Sally is coming to visit on the 6th of June, for a week - and we'll do some exploring on Oslo in the afternoons after class. Last time we were haning together were in Rome, and next time (maybe she'll join me in New York) she doesn't know I'm going yet =).

After school I'll in Kristiansand (where my parents live) for 1 week, before going to Mozambique (PTL) it will be so fantastic to be back in Africa. There is a group of 24 that is going to help out in IRIS for about 2 weeks. Then some are going on Safari, but South Africa is calling for a visit and there I'll stay with some friends there for a few days. I miss Africa!!!

There will be an update from Africa for sure!!

Until then, enjoy the beginning of summer!

Spring is right around the corner!

2011-03-29T06:21:00.003-06:00

Spring right around the corner? I thought so, but then during the night it had snowed yet again. But hey the sun is out, and the snow is gone. So spring is right around the corner!!

School is amazing, hard work at times - and at times very relaxing. We have a lot of essays that needs to be handed in, which isn't my strongest thing. But heck I learn a lot from it, and it's usufull information.

In 6 weeks, the 12th of May there is a huge exsam. Anatomy and physiology, trying to study for it =) some days I do pretty good.

We also have the practial aspect, which is ..... well what to say!!
Changing the bed, easy! With a person in it, more of a challenge! Feed the person in bed, not complicated - if the person is cooperative =) Clean someones mouth, if they are in a coma! Do they need their mouth to be cleaned??? Yes, they do. Helping someone with their personal hygiene, can be a huge challenge......

Why do all of this, and why put myself in this possition? It's worth it, and it gives insight into how a person whom is in need of help might feel.

Nursing school!

2011-01-30T03:12:00.003-06:00

Oh yeah, school has started and it's quite the thing. First couple of weeks were pretty relaxed, yet very stressful at the same time - cuz we didn't quite understand that what to read, what is relevant, what is the need to know...etc. But after being in school for some weeks now, I do believe that we are getting closer to an understanding of - dang - this is for real.

First essay has been written and handed in, not sure when we will get feedback on this one - but they said we'll pass if we hand it in =) Then they will go through it with us. That is the pivotal point. Then we have yet another essay in about 2,5 weeks. It's fun fun fun.

Last weekend I went Kristiansand to hang with friends, and also hanging with my nephews. Lots of fun, it’s always good to met up with friends and family.
My stay here in Oslo goes well, my sister and her family have opened their basement hangout place for me to stay in. At times I move out, so that they can have sleepovers! It is a privilege to have a big family with lots of friends.

This coming week we're having practical teaching. Changing bed with and without a person in it, how to move a person etc. never a dull moment.

Do I like the school, I do. This is for sure what God has for me this season, and it's exciting.

Christmas!

2010-12-23T06:02:00.003-06:00

It will be a white Christmas this year, the weather is a bit cold - but beautiful. The sun is shining and the snow is "squeaking" when it's being walked on - that is what I call a White Christmas.

My parents and I will celebrate Christmas with my oldest brother and his family this year, New Year will be celebrated with my sister and her family. They live in Oslo, and have very graciously opened their house for me until a door opens for a place to live/stay since I’ll be moving and living in Oslo for the next 3 years because of nursing school. Exciting and a bit nerve wrecking.

Don’t know much about the school yet, but have been told that they have small classes and there will be good opportunity to be interactive in the class. The school has opportunities to do some assignments overseas (something that I’ll of course look into =) ) which is not a shocker to anybody who knows me LOL.

The school starts 5th of January, and will end 18th of December 2013. Hm, seems long – but it’s almost 2011. Time goes by so fast, and I do believe this is the next thing God has for me. And before I know it I’ll be out on the field again. Yet I was told yesterday, by a good friend of mine, that I need to keep in mind that wherever I go is a field to do what God has called us to do. The school now is the next field/season, and He will receive the glory.

With these few words,

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

Winter!

2010-12-08T01:03:00.003-06:00

The snow has come, and it seems like it's going to stay - so we might get a white Christmas this year =) knowing that the weather here in the south of Norway changes very fast. We have had more than -10 celisius over the last week, which is quite unusual for us. There are been quite the cold wave going over the southern part. Good clothing, and layers upon layers - not my favorite, but rather that then being cold.

Yesterday I got accepted for nursing school. =) For the first time in years (over 20) I know what's "happening" the next 3 years. A new way of thinking, yet it feels good! The school will start on the 5th of January, the first little while I'll be staying with my sister and her family. My prayers are that I'll find a place to stay, with all that that intales; and that it will be home for the next 3 years. So if you find your way to Norway, let me know!!

Almost winter!

2010-11-23T01:52:00.003-06:00

So what's happening.... never a dull moment in my life, and I hope there never will be.

Getting a job hasn't been easy this time around, but I've been able to get something to do. I've had two different jobs since I started to work in mid September; the first one was as an assistant in 3rd and 5th grade. That was a lot of fun, and WOW teachers need more salary =) they are doing an amazing job.

Now I'm working at National Oilwell Vargo, classifying items for toll. It's been very interesting and lots of new things to learn about Oil drilling. This is a project so by the end of the year it will be over.

A friend of mine heard that I wanted to take a bachelor in nursing, and she said there is a school that starts full time in January. I looked it up, but the application date had passed with 20 days. She texted me and said: look again. They had reopened the application process, and I jumped on that and applied. So now the application is in, and I'm waiting for a reply. If this goes through, I'll be starting my studies in January of 2011.

Why nursing, some might ask! i believe it will be helpfull when being on the field, adding to what God has invested in me already.

Fall in Norway!

2010-10-06T11:49:00.011-05:00

Time goes by so fast, and I've been in Norway now for almost 3 months. I'd been thinking that the blog should be blogged at least 1 time per month, yet.... haven't happened.

This time around in Norway has been different from other times. Pretty much every time I've been back here getting a job has been fairly easy. Jobs do not grow on trees, (never have =) ) but still. The ink (key board) was in use very freequent, yet the jobs didn't come.

One day, while painting my old room the phone rang and a principal from a primary school here in Kristiansand called me. If I was interested in a job! I changed clothes and drove over to the school, and got the job. It's an assistant job, and I'm helping in 3rd and 6th grade. The lady that usually work there is on sick leave! So until she comes back, the job is mine.

I must say that teachers today have a job that is a bit difficult, I don't remember ...... yes it's been a while, but still..... it being so noisy and distracting in the classroom - and the volume in the classroom. But like I said, it's been a while.

Last month Sally and I went to Rome, a fantastic trip and a beautiful city. Would love to go back there someday, there is so much to c and more footage to be done. We walked an average of 7-8 hours a day, if you don't believe me.... just try to find Sally she will confirm. =)

But Pompeii was probably what made biggest impression on me, also the Colosseum ofcourse, and Peter's church and...... just kidding. Pompeii for sure, it was amazing. Didn't make it to the 16th chapel, cuz we went cooking instead =) good food, nice wine... and the chapel will be there next time. One advice, bring good walking shoes... don't walk in flipflops (yes i did :D)

In Norway!

2010-08-01T02:40:00.006-05:00

It's been way to long since I've updated my blog and there is no excuse, just plain laziness =)

The IPHC (Introduction to Primary Health Care School) ended on the 19th of June. Then on the 20th I left Perth and flew over to Brisbane to visit a good friend of mine and her husband. I stayed with them for a bit over 3 weeks. Christy showed me around on the East Coast and it was beautiful. She also took me to meet her parents and show me where she grew up in Victoria State. There we did some sightseeing, stunning scenery. Went and saw the 12 Apostles, but there are only 8 standing.

Then back to Brisbane! After that we went to visit a mutual friend of ours Amanda and her husband further up north. There Amanda took us to visit an indigenous reservoir, where we were introduced to 2 amazing ladies. The place has quite the history and there has been done a lot of injustice there, among other places all over the world. My time in Queensland was amazing, and I'd love to go back there sometime.

After Queensland I flew back to Perth for one day, where I attended a short seminar called "Not for Sale" amazing. They have a web site with the same name if you are interested in looking into it. Then on the 15th of July I boarded the plane that took me to Kuala Lumpur, then quickly onto the flight to Amsterdam, before boarding to Kristiansand. My parents and my youngest brother and his family came to the airport to pick me up =)

Stayed in Kristiansand for a few nights, before leaving with my youngest brother to Oslo to visit my sister and her family. They had just arrived from Croatia that afternoon, but that doesn't stop her from having people over. We were 15 people that stayed in their house for 2 nights before the guests left, and I stayed for a few more days.

Came back to Kristiansand on Thursday, and will be here for a little bit of time. This weekend there has been a Tall Ships Race here in Kristiansand, and it was amazing. There is just of the ships.
First week of September.... Rome here I come.

What is next.... that is always the question. And to be honest this time it's huge, because it's difficult to know. There are many things that are of interest, but I'll have to keep you all hanging still. But as soon as I know more.... don't worry..... you will be notified =)

Back in Perth!

2010-06-16T02:48:00.003-05:00

And then we're back in Perth, Australia. 4 of the team came in Saturday midday, Grace and Joel came in on Sunday but different times, and the rest came in on Monday. Some are still trying to get over jet lag =)

Our time in Mexico City has been super, God is so at work in that city and He is still doing lots of work.

The last Sunday service before we left, was quite the thing. Yet we probably shouldn't be surpriced because Pastor Domingo is capable of asking us to sing or share testimonies the last minute. He is an amazing man of God. We thought that we were going to sit during the service, but right after the pastor had prayed we were told that now it's all yours. We went from not knowing anything, to having the whole service. What a JOY! Terence and Joel preached the word, without any problems or hesitation. It was awesome. Sarah and William had the worship time, and then some testimonies.... What an amazing team! Like the Bible says: “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season 2.Tim 4:2

The evening service we were more prepared! We had a slide show with pictures from all the different things that we've been involved in, and then at certain times one of the team came up and shared a testimony from that place. The churches we've been involved in are: Centro de Fe, Esperanca y Amor – Dios es Amor – Centro Christiano Pagiel – Gente de Jesus, also World Vision and evangelism in La Laguna. Different ministry, but most of the time health care was the main entrance to what we did. I have never thought that health care was such a big thing on God's heart. But seeing how it has opened door to preach the gospel to people, has really been an eye opener.

And now we have report back week. Have had some good team time, and will have some more team time the next few days. Then on Sunday, I'll be flying over to Brisbane to visit some good friends of mine for 3 weeks. Not quite sure what we'll all do, but I believe that we'll go into a reservoir for Indigenous people. Have a feeling that there will be some ministry time with them there – yuppie! I'm praying that God will open doors for us, so that He will be known and glorified.

Last week in Mexico City

2010-06-06T07:07:00.003-05:00

It has been an amazing time here in Mexico, and it's with a sad (yet it will be good to move on) heart that we are leaving. God has done so many things here, and it has been a privilege to c how people have been touched by God and how He has ministered to them through the people we have worked with and through the team. Wow, what an amazing God we have.

This last week, we have had more clinics and seen people being ministered too. I had the privilege to talk with a single mother with 6 children in the last clinic we had. Her story was heart breaking yet she is a walking miracle. She had an accident 12 years ago, where she got paralyzed from the neck down. The doctors said that she would never be able to walk again, but here she was right in front of me walking around. And after accident, she has been pregnant 2 times – the last time with twins. Her uncle is a Jehovah’s witness so he has been telling her about his faith, she has been part of a Mormon church, a catholic church , then she went to a spiritual gathering…… as you can understand …. She has been seeking for something. This lady had also met a catholic priest that told her not to pray to the saints but to pray to God and Jesus, who is the only Savior. A while back she had an experience with Jesus, but didn’t give her life to him. And in the clinic she’s there sitting right in front of Mary and myself. We were able to minister to her, and encourage her….God is on the hunt for this lady, she knows Jesus – but is not walking with Him yet.

We had a time of intercession yesterday, and God showed me a picture: A heart that was flat, and then blood came into it and it got bigger and if there is no flow out from the heart it will explode. I shared it with the team, and as you can see from the photo….. which is amazing, thank you Sarah, God has put words to it. By the team coming to Mexico City investing in what God is already doing here, it will have an effect on the nation. They will have to continue to do what God has told them to do, if not it will be like still water… no fruit and no growth, stinky and smelly.

My prayer is that we will continue to invest/pour into nations all over the world, doing and being where God wants us to be. Obedience to Him, and He will do the rest.

Miscelaneous!

2010-05-27T16:23:00.004-05:00

These last couple of weeks, I've been with a friend of mine in the hospital. She is doing well now, and it's all good. I do want to tell a little bit about the experience I had while coming and going to visit her.

When one come to the hospital, you have to show your identification before you can enter. Then you have to know where the patient is, which bed, which is normal. The id card stayed with them guards at the gate of the hospital, and it was given back to you when you left. Well, this one afternoon when I was leaving they couldn't find it... but luckily it was a copy of my id. The day my friend was discharged, they still couldn't find it =) but it's all good.

The room that my friend stayed in was with 4 beds, but there were only 2 of them there. So we were able to stay with her pretty much the whole day. In her room we had to wear a mouth cover and a jacket because the lady in the bed next to her had severe pneumonia. I didn't know the first time I came in, and the nurse whom had one told me to put on one asap - so I did. And then things were ok.

Yesterday we had another clinic and we saw many people. One lady came up to me and said that she wanted her ears checked. Yfke did that, and they were both clean - something that is not very normal here =) often they have lots of wax and it's hard to syringe. We saw that she had a bandage on her right hand, and asked what had happened. She said that she hurt it the day before. Of course we asked her if we could pray for her, and guess what.... the pain left. She got so excited, and asked if we could pray for her feet also because at night they are burning. So we did, but we don't know cuz we haven't seen her since.

There was a man there that had a lot of sorrow in his life, and he was wandering why he had all these bad things happen to him. And why God allowed all of that to happen to him. Grace and I talked with him for a good while, and he knows what he needs to do, but he doesn't feel ready or something. But we prayed for him, and believe that God will work in his life and show him what he needs to do.

This week we are invited to dinner every night, what a treat. People here are so hospitable, kind and friendly.

Today we went to lunch with the combi driver, David - which is a person that comes to pick us up when we go to World Vision - the other side of Ecatepec which is the area we stay in. It's a bit of a hassle to get there with public transport because there are 13 of us. One day he drove us home, and said if you ever need transport.... if he knew. He is also going to take us to the airport when we are leaving on the 10th of June. A good guy!

A clinic close to the market!

2010-05-11T16:30:00.000-05:00

We had another clinic the other day, and so many people got touched by Jesus. The people that was there from the Pagiel church, who we did the clinic with, could tell us that over 20 people had come to the church after the other clinic coming to testify about what God had done in their lives. Two ladies had been healed from knee problems after they had gone home after a previous clinic. A guy had been healed from urinary tract infection, but we didn't know that that was his problem. It was so encouraging to hear all the testimonies that they told us.

One lady that had felt drawn to the place where we were came to the church as well. But let me tell her story. This lady was desperate for something, but she didn't quite know what. She felt drawn to leave the house and take the metro to a certain stop, while leaving her 2 children at home. She took the metro and got of at the stop, and felt drawn to the marked where we had a clinic. She came over where she was ministered to. Then the following Sunday, she came to the church with her 2 children and her husband - and some neighbors. God touched her life, and she has been touching other peoples lives. Glory to God.

This last week, I talked with 2 ladies. One of them had to go to the morgue to identify her son this last December. The police had found him dead on the streets with his hands cut off. An still to this day, she doesn't know what really happened to her son. The other lady was heartbroken, because her husband of 35 years had walked out on her. He had sold the business behind her back, then took the car and left her. I took their blood pressure, and started to talk with them. Soon realizing that they both were ready to receive Christ as their Savior. Jess, who is the pastors daughter stood close by, and she talked with them - and they both accepted Christ as their Savior.

We also have been syringing peoples ears, and the stuff that comes out is quite interesting. At times people are quite surprised that they can hear when the stuff has been taken out, but when they see what has been in their ears..... their facial expression is awesome. We have seen a unclean, clotted wax the size of a "cigarette butt" several times, quite the thing.

Today we went to a preschool and taught on nutrition, and another group taught on how to brush their teeth. We saw 50 kids, and measured them and weight them. It was so fun to teach them, and they were very enthusiastic about the whole thing. At first they were scared, because they thought we were giving them injections - but relaxed when they saw that we were only doing height and weight.

There are so many stories, and I'll tell more at another time =)

Prison visit!

2010-05-01T07:48:00.000-05:00

On Thursday we went into one of the prisons here in Mexico City. It was quite the ordeal. The guy that was coming to help us get there, had some instructions to give us...... All jewelry had to come of, rings, earring etc... then we couldn't have any blue, black, grey or beige colored clothing. A lot of us had to run back to change =). Then we took taxis to get there, it was quite the ride. But we finally got there.

We had to wait in line to get in, and then when we did the door was locked, bolted behind us. Registration and then we got patted down and our purses got searched. Then they let us into the place where we would be. We were told not to look at the inmates, not to have eye contact with them and not to give them anything when they asked for it.

The session we came to was an open place with fence of course, it was where they had Mess. There were about 14-15 men there, the older ones. But some of them were 50. Mary and I was in a team, we talked a bit with the guys and then took their blood pressure. Most of them had high blood pressure. One, can't say his name, had been a believer for a long time - and he spent most of his time in prayer and to teach other about the Word. He got tears in his eyes and said he was so blessed by us coming in there and serve them in this manner. I was touched by him as well, you could see Jesus in his face.

I had a little opportunity to talk with one of the guards, and he said that here are 2500 men in this prison and 148 women. They are mainly Mexicans, but a few from Honduras and Cuba. He told me that there were fights daily, and even that morning when we came there was a fight that broke out - a person got stabbed. If the injury is not severe, they treat them in clinic at the hospital, but if severe they take them to the hospital.

Then we went over to the women’s section. There were 4 women pregnant, and 4 women with children. These were the women that we were told to minister to. We took their blood pressure, and ministered to them also. Some of them spoke English so that was a big help. One of the ladies had her baby 15 days ago, and was in a lot of pain while breastfeeding. We were able to teach her a good breastfeeding position, cuz the baby was not getting enough food and she wanted to give formula. You could see on her face that she was in lesser pain, it was so amazing.

I do hope that we'll be able to go back into prison and visit them again, you could see that it was an encouragement to them.

That same morning a friend of mine sent me a message on facebook saying, You are not the hope, but the hope you have in you, you bring to the hopeless. We all got very encouraged by that word, and really felt that God was giving these people hope.

Health seminar.

2010-04-22T16:44:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a week. This has been amazing, and the weeks isn't over yet. God is so at work here in Mexico, it's so fun.

We have had a seminar here in the church Eglesia Centro de Fe, Esperanca y Amor. The attendance wasn't great, but those that were here had a good time. Tuesday morning we tought on handwashing and hygiene. They were happy to participate, and drew lovely drawings and made puzzles of them. Quick learners!

In the evening session they tought on dehydration and O.R.S (Oral Rehudration Solution). After the session a woman that came late was wondering how she could make ORS cuz her son was sick at home. We told her, and was able to pray for her. She is coming back on Sunday, so I'll ask her how her son is doing.

The next day we tought on cough and cold, and the second session tought on fever reduction. A lady stayed behind, because she wanted us to interpret her dreams. What came out of the whole thing, was a deliverance time. She was a very confused woman when she came, but the Lord touched her deeply. Her face was very different when she left, and she was also instantly healed. Thank you Jesus.

Clinics and evangelism!

2010-04-19T08:01:00.001-05:00

God is amazing!

This last week, first on wednesday and then of friday, we set up tables near by a marked where people could come and get their bloodpressure taken and have their ears cleaned AND prayer. Many people came, and we helped them as best as we could, but the best thing they got was a touch from God. He healed many people 22 instantly, from deafness and knee problems. People didn´t show much of a reaction, but they really lit up when we asked them if they had pain, and it was gone - with a huge grin on their face. Left the place thanking us! We say Glory to God!

There was a lady that came up to me, and asked if I could pray for her. I had a Mexican lady come with me as well, and while talking to her - we were able to minister to her, and she gave her life to the Lord. They are so genuine in their seeking for God, and so open. The harvest is ready here in Mexico City. So many have been saved, just those to days with the clinic about 50 gave their lives to Jesus.

On our day of we went to the pyramides, that was quite the sight. It was awesome. The history at this place is tragic, cuz they (the Aztecs) thought that they had to keep the Sun burning, and to keep it burning they sacrificed a person. In total they sacrificed 80.000 people. It started raining while we were there, so we were not able to c the whole place. But it is so amazing that I do believe that when the rest of the team gets here, that we'll go back

We have had some amazing times during evangelism, God has been there with us and has healed people and some has also received the Lord as their savior! Almost everyone that we talk with wants a prayer of blessing, and lots of them wants to receive Jesus again after that. It's so amazing to be able to be a part of what God is doing in Mexico today!

What's happening in Mexico City!

2010-04-06T14:58:00.001-05:00

We have finished reading the Bible, and it has been amazing. We read it in the park outside where we live, and yes we read it out loud. People came over and asked us what we were doing, and we explained that we read the Bible from cover to cover. The church we stay with is wanting to get started on reading out loud to, so that is awesome.

The other day we picked garbage in the same park, and people wondered why we were doing picking up garbage - and we said that we wanted to help out. Two guys came and started to help us, awesome.

Two girls have accepted Christ as their Savior since out time here. One of them today! We felt that we were to go over to her house and pray, and they were on their way out to go to the hospital for examination. She is epleptich, but we do believe that she is completely healed. They had wanted to come to the church to get prayer, but hadn't had the time. And then we came to them instead, just in time before them leaving. What a God we serve!!

Yesterday was our day of, and the whole team went downtown. The picture you see is the metro, but this is not the right picture. Usually there are lots and lots of people. We had to cram ourselves on the metro and make sure we stayed on until the right stop. People push and press their way in and out of the metro. Quite the experience, a bit scary but fun at the same time. Glad that we travelled in a team =)

Mexico City is so big, and has so much history. And we hope to be able to see more of the city and hear more of the history during our time here.

Our team members that are in need of visas are still not here, and we are keeping them in prayers - because we would really like to have them there. The team that are in India are doing great, but also looking forward to come here to Mexico City.

In Mexico City

2010-03-31T18:52:00.001-06:00

So we are here, yuppie! It was a long flight, and I didn't sleep much but that kind of normal. The flight went well thought, and there were not too much turbulence. =)

During the 9 hours layover we had in Los Angeles I was able to met up with two good friends from SBS, Brian and Jason. Brian came and picked me up at the airport, and we went to Jason's house. So nice to have a break from being in the plane or at an airport. We had a good time catching up, have been 7 years since I've seen Brian and 11 since I've seen Jason.

Then we came here to Mexico City, it went very well through customs no problems for any of us - so that was good. Now we just need to pray for the rest of the team that don't have the visas yet that they will receive theirs so that they can come and join us.

On our way to the church we are staying at, we got lost. So it took us a while to get here, but we got here and it's awesome. The area isn't as rural as I thought it would be, which is a pleasant surprise. The church is involved in quite a bit in the area, so we could be working with them the whole time - but Megacities wants the churches in the area to connect with each other and the team is going to be a bridge for that. There is a seminar that we are going to attend Friday, and there will be a lot of pastors there so that will be good.

Our schedule for now is to read the Bible out loud in a public place from Genesis to Revelation. It is round the clock, so we sleep in between our readings. We have read a good chunk but still have some hours to go.

It's quite interesting to c how bad things were in the Old Testament how silly people behaved when they knew what the penalty would be, yet ...... wow we do the same today. Not much have changed....... I guess we are sinful people, but Praise be to God - He is our Savior and has taken all our sins away. And that is our privilege to go and tell the people of Ecatepec!!

Leaving for Mexico City!

2010-03-26T06:42:00.000-06:00

So the day is finally here, we're leaving for Mexico City tomorrow evening. The team leaving for India will leave tomorrow morning, and then they will join us in about 1 months time. It has been quite the preparation, and it's not done yet. There are still people that need their visas to be able to travel, so there are 3 of our team that will join us in about 3 weeks time. Lots of warfare, and we know it's not over yet.

We've had a full day today with lots of information about the history of Mexico City and lots of info we need to know before we go there. And it's for sure that we are in for a quite the adventure. The area we're going to be in is right next to the largest garbage dump in the world. We'll be doing some ministry with World Vision at their clinic....amazing stuff. The first 72 hours we'll read the Bible out loud in a public place, then the next 3 days we'll do some prayer walking in the area. Then a days rest....... Exciting!

Last year there was a guy ( I think an Australian) had been meeting with 8 different churches in the area he lives every week to pray for things to happen there. God told him that next year 2010 Megacities (Megacites is a ministry coming out of YWAM Perth - which we are a part of) would come to Mexico City and a revival would come. They didn't know anything about Megacities, and didn't know what to do to find out about it. Then early this year, a guy from a region not far from theirs had heard about them and gave them a call. He invited them to come to a gathering where Megacities people would be present.... how would you feel if you had heard God say Megacities....... Well they came, and are super excited that there is a team coming to their region this week.

We've heard that people are ready and excited about Megacities teams coming into town, and they are so willing to host and get the city for God. An awesome time is ahead of us......

I do want to ask for your prayers, cuz there is a lot of witchcraft and occult stuff going on in Mexico City. We know that God is on our side, and HE is the one that has called us there. He is our protector!!

Just to let you all know, we've been told that we always have to be in groups of 3 + our local friends and translators at anytime. Just in case you were wondering =)

The storm!

2010-03-23T01:34:00.000-06:00

We've been praying for breakthrough, in many was here at the base: finances, rain, visas.... Yesterday it rained a lot, and we were not quite prepared for that. The rain came gushing in, and as you can see the sealing fell down. We do thank God that nobody got hurt in this time. Some had to check the sealing in the classrooms, so that we wouldn't have it fall down on our heads. As far as they could tell, only one of the classroom were in danger - so that sealing was pushed down. The others seems to be ok. There has been some damage, the biggest one is the electicity. So there are people running around fixing that, so that we can get everything (hopefully) up and running again before comissioning night tomorrow the 24th.

There are times when we pray that God will come through, and then when He comes we are not quite prepared for that. My prayer are that we'll be prepared for what we pray for =)

Ecatepec, North Eastern corner of Mexico City

2010-03-19T17:57:00.000-06:00

The area that our team is going to work in during outreach in Mexico is Ecatepec, situated in the North East corner of Mexico City. The name "Ecatepec" is derived from Nahuatl (native Aztec language) and means "windy hill".

A little history of the area: Ecatepec was the site of an Aztec kingdom established in the 12th century. The Mexican revolutionary hero Morelos y Pavon was executed by the Spanish at Ecatepec in 1815. Pavon was executed for treason and was buried in the courtyard of the parish. A monument to him stands in the region. In the past century, there has been a great deal of political turmoil.

Ecatepec is one of the poorer regions in Mexico City. The region is crossed by major national and international highways. It can be divided, geographically, into 2 distinct areas. The western area is full of steep winding roads that climb the side of the volcanoes, which form the north western border of Ecatepec. These suburbs have a spectacular view across valleys and out over the plain. The eastern side is a vast plane, bordered by water reservoirs and desert.

Our outreach is not quite finalized yet, but that will be worked on during this last week. Our team will be leaving a week from today, Saturday the 28th of March.

Funds!

2010-02-28T06:17:00.000-06:00

The week came and went there was no update, but the money is coming in slowly. We haven't seen the big money come in yet, but we are praying and believe it will come.

Within the IPHC these last 10 days, 11 000 Australian dollars has come in. Yuppie. That is so amazing. We are still in need of 30 000, so it's an exciting time we're in. We as a class have prayer together for finances every day, and the following day telling about the what we have received. It's so awesome. God doesn't fail.

Another fantastic thing, is that I got another nephew Haakon. He was born on the 18th of February, and it was quite dramatic. My sister in law is still on antibiotic because of the infection she got, but is recovering. Glory to God.

As a base we've done some evangelism in an area called Cottesloe, and this last Thursday we had open air. Many people came and wanted to know what we were doing there, and a person gave his life to Jesus.

On the 28th of March we're going to Mexico City. Not quite sure which are we're going to be in, or what specifically what we're going to do. But there is still plenty of time to know that =)

2.5 million Australian dollars

2010-02-13T02:51:00.000-06:00

Oh yeah. Within the next 7 days the YWAM Perth base needs 2.5 million dollars (13.750.000 Nok) to come through to do a down payment on their first purchased property...... We have been doing pledges, some people has fasted and a lot of prayer. It's exciting, and it will be awesome to tell you all how thing have gone and how God has provided this. (Faith!!)

As a school IPHC we need about 41.000 dollars to go to Mexico City and this has to be payed by the 10 of March. We are rejoicing everytime someone gets money. Sometimes this comes in by donations. William who is from Vanuatu, received 35oo (19250 Nok) dollars the other week toward his school fees. He was in awe and couldn't believe it, walking around with a big smile on his face. Who wouldn't =)

We are all waiting for a miracle to happen concerning our finances, knowing that God is faithful.... it's always a bit intense while waiting.

The flame goes forward!

2010-02-04T17:18:00.000-06:00

That was the slogan for the 50th YWAM celebration that we had here in Perth last week. It wasn't only a 50th celebration, but YWAM Perth had it's own 25th celebration. Lots of people from the area around came, teams that are located in other countries came to be a part of this celebration. Lauren and Darlene Cunningham, whom are the founders of YWAM were also in our midst. All in all there were about 700+ people during that week.

Lauren took us through some of the YWAM history that has been significant during these last 50 years. One of the biggest ones, is of course God's FAITHFULLNESS. My attitude toward this whole celebration wasn't the best, because I haven't been part of this base at all. And the second day while sitting in the auditorium, the Lord said: "You are like the young Israelites in the desert. They had not been part of the stories like the separation of the sea, and the other stuff and had an attitude. Yet it's part of their history, and they needed to know it - so that they could tell their descendants about it." I repented of my attitude, and then all of a sudden the celebrations were so much more pleasant =). Realizing yet again that attitude so often change our view on what is reality.

After the 50th celebration, we had YWAM Perth 25th celebration. Things were more relaxed, and we had a lot of fun. Went to Queens Park, where we had a bbq, went to the Oval to play some footie.... We also had some time in the auditorium, where there was reflection on God's faithfulness with YWAM Perth. Shirley Brownhill, which is the base director, had an awesome teaching alongside with the regional leader Steve Ahern. Go + Do+ Obey was their exhortation to us. That we do have the power of God in us, believe that you have it within you.... Very encouraging teachings.

And this week life is back to normal. It's good to be back in the classroom again with my fellow students. This week we have had Dr Sunnetha with us. He and his wife work in India with Hiv/Aids. They used to work with people with Leprosy, but then God called them to start a clinic for Hiv/Aids. The first thing he told us was: "It is a privilege to work with the sick" this shows his and his wife’s heart. It has been all about that this week, his humbleness and love for these people that has this disease. He gives them hope.

We have HOPE and LOVE to bring people of the world!

Perth, Western Australia

2010-01-15T02:46:00.000-06:00

My flight here went well, I had a layover in Singapore where they happened to have a beautiful orchid flower garden. It was absolutely amazing. Everything was a bit shorter, so when I was using the free internet I had to bend my knees, it looked pretty funny.

Came to Perth at night and it was actually a bit windy and cold. I thought to myself this is strange, but had to rethink that thought when I got out of bed the next morning. Nice and hot outside, I think that we on average these last 2 weeks have had about 30 Celsius. Not bad at all. =)

The area we live in is actually the red light district, but we don't see so much to it. We walk two by two, and at nights we have guys walk us home - which is quite normal i YWAM anyways.

This road is right out side my house, and is fairly busy. We are 11 girls living in the house. 4 to a room with 2 bunk beds in each room. Then we have a small kitchen, bathroom and the toilet is actually outside - but it's closed in.

We are 10 students where 3 of them are boys. There are people from Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, USA, Vanuatu, Switzerland, Faro Islands and Norway. There is lots to read and we are quite busy during the week. But on the weekends we don't have much. Although last weekend we had to wash cars as a fundraising for students whom are coming to do a primary health school in India then coming to Perth to be trained further.

Then the following week, there will be a celebration of YWAM 50 years at the base, and 25 years celebration for YWAM Perth. Exciting.

Introduction to Primary Health Care

2009-12-08T14:08:00.000-06:00

People have asked me what kind of school IPHC is, well here is a tidbit on what we are going to learn:

God's heart for the Poor; the way that Jesus healed.

We will be introduced to the essential health care needs of the poor and needy. There are water, sanitation, communicable diseases, waterborne diseases, how to present a health teaching, nutrition issues, the essential drugs needed, maternal health, children's health, hands on practical advice related to eyes, ears, nose and throat and wound care, skin problems, how to diagnose and treat.

How to minister to malnourished children; women and children's health; setting up a health clinic; how to teach and train in needy communities with simple health care messages;
God's character of compassion;
helping those with nutritional deficiencies; water - a vital source for health; curing those with worms; diarrhea; Preventing major diseases in the world today such as HIV/AIDS; Tuberculosis; learning to DO health care and more importantly teach others.

Generally the health care needs of the poor and needy relate to those illnesses that could easily have been prevented

Downunder

2009-12-04T02:15:00.000-06:00

It has been a long time since I've updated this blog. New start, new beginnings.

I've been in Norway since October 2008. My heart has been wanting to be out in Missions, yet I've seen that Norway also is a mission field.

My time here has been awesome, and God has done major things in my life. Have meet some new amazing people, and new friendships are made.

This spring I attended a LTS, Leadership Training Seminar - that was a very grand time. Learned a lot, and saw God's hand in that time and how He directed me in doing the seminar.

And now I'm going out again. It's been a long wait, but the Lord told me earlier this year that I was to stay in Norway until the end of the year. This is indeed true, I'll be leaving for Australia on the 31.12.09.

First time I'm traveling this far east, and it's going to be awesome. I'll be attending a YWAM school called Introduction to Health and Primary Care. The outreach is planned for Mexico City.

I've heard from friends in Australia that Perth, which is south west, is the part that is most like Africa. What a sense of humor God has that sends me to a part of the world I've never been to, and it's like the continent I like to be in :-) Eastern part of Australia has huge difference, as you can see from these photos.

This is just a quick update on what is next, and I promise that I'll keep you updated on a more frequent basis.

Family holidays!

2008-08-30T11:48:00.000-05:00

To continue to tell you about our family holidays.. The boat trip was awesome, we did see crocodiles huge ones – the biggest was 4.5 meters. Not sure how many inches that is, but it’s big. We also saw white monkeys by the river side. At night we slept in tents on the riverbank, which was great. The first place we stayed at, they had killed a crocodile that day – and had the tail right there so we could see it, and some crock meat hanging in the sun to dry. Thought it was a prank, but it was fresh…

The river was so low, that sometimes the guys that worked on the boat had to jump into the river – where the crocodiles were – to push us of the banks that were visible. The water was knee deep, so they would have been able to see them if they would come. At one of the places we stopped it was so hot that the workers went for a bath, on the shallow part of the river – just in case the crocks would come. My brother-in-law and his oldest son went and joined them, when they saw that there was no danger.

From the boat trip we went onto the mainland again, where we saw some baobab trees, the ones that look like they have been pulled up and put back down, up side down. Just like the one you can see on the photo. We drove to meet up with the rest of the family in Morondava, where we stayed the rest of our time in Madagascar. Morondava is by the ocean where we used to go on holidays when we lived there. We played in the sand, built castles with the kids… and enjoyed being together.

It is quite amazing to me that we all could be there at the same time, 17 of us with all the children included. And we had a great time, no disputes or anything. Good to be with the family and hanging out together. I’m so blessed to have such a loving family.

Something that became even more real for me in Madagascar, is that it’s not the places but people and relationships that is the meaning of life. Having friends, relationships is what makes life valuable and worth living. People will come and go, but friends/relationships will make an impact on your life for ever!

Then we flew back to the capital and the family took off. I stayed a couple of days longer, and hung out with some new friends before going back to Uganda.

Family holiday in Madagascar

2008-07-07T07:44:00.000-05:00

I didn’t fall of the face of the earth, it just feels like it.

After coming back from the north with the children things got back to normal very quickly. They went back to school and the days got busy. They wanted to start school, but then when it started….they wanted to have some time of. =) Now that the kids in grade 6 and 7 need to be more serious in their studies, they also have evening classes. So the kids from grade 4 – 7 have prep. classes from 7:30 till 9:00 in the evening. “Late nights”, and early mornings!!

Now I’m in Madagascar with the family, 17 if us. It’s quite the sight when we drive around in the bus we have hired. They people look and talk, no wonder!! Seeing 1-3 is quite normal, but a busload is not the norm.

We came here end of June, the whole lot. Went to Anakao, which is very close to what paradise must have looked like… beautiful. Right next to the beach, our own bungalows, hardly any other people cuz it’s wintertime. Can be a bit chilly in the mornings and in the evenings, but we have a lot of fun together and enjoy the fellowship we have.

The other day we went to the first place we lived while here, and there we met the gardener that we had way back in the days. The average age here is 56, and he’s 78 years old. A lot of emotions when we saw him again. Seeing the people that my parents worked with, meeting friends has been awesome. It has been 23 years since we have seen most of them, and it’s very strong. The word is now out that my parents are back, so many people come to visit…

We have also been at the Bible School where we lived the last 8 years. And on Sunday they invited all of us to come to church for a celebration - confirmation. 650 people in the church, and the service was “only” 4,5 hours. They had baptism, 7 different offerings and communion – so it takes time. Some of us sat the whole time, well my dad did… the rest of us went in and out several times.

The next step of the leg is a boat trip on a river that is known to have huge crocodiles, and quite a bit of mosquitoes. So my 2 brothers and their family will drive directly to the beach, cuz their kids are small – and then we’ll meet up with them there after a couple of days.

2008-05-17T05:35:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the children that I was in contact with while up in Guruguru in Amoro district and in Gulu. Pictures tells more than words!

Trip to Pader and Gulu

2008-05-17T02:57:00.000-05:00

Wow what an awesome 11 days in Gulu and Pader, with lots of fun, challenges, impressions, hardship…… A new view of life and appreciation on what we have.

The whole trip started on the 10^th of May when 3 buses left from the home in different directions. They were all overloaded with people, they could take 29 passengers, and they had 35, 37 and 44 people. A bit squeezed, but we had a good time.

The bus I went with was the one to Pader, the children were singing praise songs along the way – but the most amazing thing was when we crossed the bridge into Pader district we saw the rainbow. The kids started shouting and got even louder when they saw the telephone tower in Rackoko. Their relatives were there to welcome them, and it was quite emotional. 4 of the kids had to spend the night with me – and early in the morning they came to me saying that they wanted to go home. And within a short time, their relatives came….

During the few days I was in Rackoko, my time was spent with the children who live there – some of the kids live quite far away so I wasn’t able to visit them in their homes. Some of the children and I walked the IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camp to find the huts for the other ones and see their previous living condition. I had to keep my tears back a few times, cuz it was quite something. One of the boys got emotional when he saw me coming to visit, so I asked what was wrong. Got him close to me, held my hand around him and showed him some love. And after a while he said, we only eat 2 times a day – and we don’t have soap for bathing or for washing. I went straight to the “store” and bought them a bar of soap.

Then I went to Gulu to visit some of the children that live in the IDP camp there. My transport over to Gulu was what they call a bus, but it’s a pickup. Like you can see it was overloaded, but seemed that there always was room for one more – that is typical for Africa. The trip went well, and we only got one flat tire. The road that we used was opened officially in November 2006, because the LRA (Lord’s Resistant Army) the rebels used to ambush people/vehicles there all the time.

After a quick shower, the trip went to visit the children in the IDP camp and that camp was quite different from the one in Pader. Many people from this camp in Gulu have moved back to their villages – so many of the huts were empty.

The next day I went with 2 of the mama’s that works here in Kasozi, to visit her mother. The journey took up far into the bush – with an amazing scenery. They had told me that there was a big mountain there that there had been some fighting on in 1911 and that people had lived there. So we wanted to climb it, and see what it looked like. It was quite the climb, where we at times had to get on both hands and knees to get up the cliff. But the view from there was amazing and it was worth all the emotions that we went through. Sweat, fear, happiness….

The plan was to stay for 1 night, but then there was no diesel in Gulu town so they had to wait in line… meaning that we had to stay another night there. Guruguru is a place quite far from the rest of civilization, and the marked was empty. There was nothing to be found, most of the people had peanuts and a sort of beans. So it was difficult for them to do trading with their goods. We brought food to Jaja (which means grandmother) and ate of that – and left what was left. They got up early in the morning 5 to start digging in their garden, and they would come back early afternoon b4 the sun got to hot. Hard working people, living in hard conditions – yet they shared the little food they had. I was yet amazed over their hospitality. We slept 2 adults, 4 teens, and 4 children in one hut with a diameter of 4 meters….LOL no need for a blanket. Quite the experience, yet I found myself thinking that it could have been worse… knowing that the conditions we were in were hard. Yet there are people other places in the world that has it worse than what we experienced there. Some of the children that came with us said “this is hard”, they have seen that life is different for other people.

Then it was time to take the trip back to Kasozi village, I had to go back to Pader to pick the children there – so we left Gulu at 6:30 and drove 2 hours to Rackoko to pick the children there. It was a long drive but it went very well. The kids were happy to be back home, and to see their friends again. It took us 12,5 hours to get here. Tired and exhausted – but with a gratitude to God that all had gone well that He had kept us all safe on the road.

We got power and holiday trip for the children

2008-05-05T02:29:00.000-05:00

We have electricity. It has been a long wait, and it seems a bit surreal still. We were told that it would get here last year, but that obviously didn’t happen….. and now it’s a fact. The poles came first, after laying on the ground for a while… It takes longer here in Africa – and that has for sure been a fact coming to electricity.
First thing first, I had to charge my phone…which was a huge thing cuz now we don’t have to go anywhere to do that. And then secondly charging the music….=)

What is more beautiful than sitting in your room, watching the children play outside in the rain – and then see the promise of God showing up on the sky. The rainbow has been showing up here a lot lately. Something which I do believe, is God reminding us of His promises to us as his children. There has been some stuff going on here at the home, which has not been good for anybody. Witch craft and such, but those things have now been cleaned out and we see that the children have more freedom. Difficult to explain – but it’s very visible. Praise the Lord for all the things that he has done.

The 2 last weeks before the end of first term at school, the pre-school started. Are they not a beautiful bunch of children? They didn’t quite know what to do or where to strand the first day, but it didn’t take them very long to figure out things. The children can be heard from my room, when they are repeating after the teacher….A..B..C… and their 1…2…3… What an awesome things that we are able to see happening here at Kasozi Village.

On Saturday we left Kasozi village at 8 am to take the children back to see their relatives. Some have been counting days for the last week or so. The big news was told when Duncan (whom is the founder of Uganda Orphans Fund) told the children that they all were going back to visit their relatives. They jumped of joy, and screamed of happiness. And since that day they have been counting the days until the day of departure.

Like I’ve written before, I do have the privilege to go with some of the children back to visit their relatives. In the beginning I was supposed to go with the children to Gulu, which is up north in Uganda. But then the plans got changed, I left for Pader (which also is in the north), Rackoko for the first leg of the trip. Then I’m going to take public over to Gulu, which might be an interesting thing to do. Cuz up there the busses are not the most common vehicle, it might be a truck or something… I’ll let you know.

The trip went well, and the joy in the bus when they saw the phone tower in Rackoko was amazing. They were singing worship songs and it was very powerful. Most of the kids were met by their relatives on Saturday evening, only 4 of them stayed with me until the next day. But then their relatives also came. It was a time with lots of emotions, amazing. I’m visiting the children and their relatives in the IDP camp here in Rackoko, it’s awesome to be able to do that.

Please do remember us in your prayers during this time. The children are used to pray 2 times a day at the home, and some of their relatives are non believers. We pray that God will protect them and help the them to be witnesses to their relatives.

Daily life at Kasoi Village, and a wet Easter

2008-04-05T02:41:00.000-06:00

Easter is over, a while ago – but I would like to tell you about it. It was a nice weekend, but it rained a lot. The children were asking what was on the menu several times a day for days before Easter. Many of the children were at the home last year, and remember what we had then. And I guess like most children, they told the others about it. We wanted the children to have some good food and started to plan it about 1 week before the weekend. They got milk tea for breakfast with a bun. For lunch they had matoke (banana mash), meat, potatoes, rice and a soda. And there was enough food for them to get the same for supper. In the afternoon they also got some candy, which made their day. Easter service was good, but very different from what I’m used to in Norway. But most things here are very different from Norway……lol

A while back, one of the children came to me after a day of prayer and fasting, and told me that he felt the Lord saying that I should teach Bible in the School. I laughed at it, and felt it quite ironic. Cuz a friend of mine has been telling me for years not to run away from teaching the Bible. I love the Word and I guess it has taken a while to realize that it’s part of what the Lord wants me to do. So I’m teaching the Bible in the school, from grade 1-7. It’s quite challenging at times, but they do learn and wants more of the Lord. Part of the vision for the home is, is that we want the children to grow spiritually.

The other day when teaching grade 6, the lesson went on for 2 hours instead of 40 minutes, because of their interest in the Holy Spirit, and how to get baptized in the Holy Spirit. Encouraging, yes it surely is…. Keep praying for them and that their hunger for the Lord will increase.

The school has been going on for almost 8 weeks, and there is only 3 weeks to go before the first term of school is over. The children like being in school, but looking forward to the holidays when they are going back to their villages to visit relatives. I have the privilege to go to Gulu which is in the Northern part of Uganda, with some of the children.

School start! New kids!

2008-02-25T03:10:00.000-06:00

School has started and the kids look so smart in their uniforms and their new shoes. They were so excited and literally jumped out of bed the first day of school. But when reality hits, it’s not so easy to get them out of bed in the morning. I do remember those days, when my mother came to wake me to get ready for school. How do you get 100 some kids ready for school ?!?
Well, you have to get them out of bed early enough for them to get ready. School starts at 8 am, so we wake them at 05.45. It’s early and they still have difficulties to get ready. They have chores to do before school, like sweeping and mopping the room, cleaning the toilet facilities, sweep the compound etc… which takes time. But slowly we get into a routine, and things looks good.

We are still waiting for the electricity to come, but they have now brought the poles. Until then we still need to go into town to get our phones, laptop and MP3 charged….

This morning going into town, the taxi decided to pull off the road, and pull up alongside a building and load some corn. Just like that. And nobody says anything, cuz it’s so normal to do something of that sort.

The other day I sat along up front, which is quite the treat… but when I leaned back the seat didn’t hold me…. which made my fellow passengers have a good laugh.

The home has gotten more children over the last few weeks, so now the total nr is 141. The last 4 are siblings - so it's a bit easier for them to adjust. Their parents died, and they were left with realives that didn't take good care of them. So one of the kids ran to the street and started living there, cuz he felt that kind of life was better.... Uganda Orphans Fund got a call, and the children are now with us. They are having a good life now.

A brief update!

2008-01-24T02:51:00.000-06:00

During the holidays we go for walks, go to one of the playgrounds - taking them over to the football field all the fun things that will be less when school starts.

Daniel (Dan-dan) is a fun kid to be around, he is one of the workers son. He loves being around the white people, and is a bit spoiled - He has quite the character, but doesn't all 3 year olds??

The children are now getting ready for the school to start, which will be around the 1 week of February. We are still in need of teachers, but we all believe that they will be there when needed.

The pillows have been sent from Norway, and the paper work is being worked on - and then we'll be abel to picked them up.

The other day we were able to hand out all the suitcases to the children, they were all happy and went to their rooms so that they could put their few things inside it.

Life goes on, the children are amazing. They are hungry for the Lord and many of them are fasting on regular basic. Those that fast, come for prayer and it's so encouraging. The reasons why they are fasting are different, but many of them want more of God and are praying for their future. God is so at work at this place and it’s awesome to see the changes in the children that are seeking God.

The gates are up, the fence is almost ready – still one thing missing – electricity….LOL it’s Africa and things take time…

The wildest Christmas!!

2008-01-17T04:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas trees look different!

It’s time again to update you on what is going on in Kasozi village. It probably has been the most interesting Christmas I’ve ever experienced. Let me tell you a bit of what happened on the 24^th of December. The children wanted to stay up until midnight, so that they could see Jesus being born!!!!! Mainly seeing the start that showed up like 2000 years ago….. Then early in the morning of the 25^th they were up early so that they could see the angel was the moon…. Well, there were a couple of things that I needed to tell them about all that – but we got a good laugh out of it.

Then New Years evening, which was another different event. We had a time of worship ending 2007, and started 2008 worshiping the Lord. That was awesome. They stayed up until midnight of course – and then they took the Christmas tree and set it on fire alongside with the Christmas decorations that they had put up in their rooms…. I guess we all have our different traditions….

Life goes on pretty much as normal at the home. We are still waiting for the pillows to come, but I’ve now got the confirmation that they will arrive in Entebbe on the 21^st of January. The pillow cases have been ordered, so they will be picked up Monday. Things take time in Africa, so the suitcases that they children were supposed to have for Christmas some of them arrived yesterday. The children were ecstatic, they were shouting and screaming. Not so happy when I told them that they had to wait until we get all of them….. but they know that they will get one.

Electricity. All the paper work has been done, the money has been paid, but ….we don’t have it yet…. Hopefully it will be there soon. Africa is Africa, patience is something one needs to learn here, if you don’t have any b4 coming – then I can promise you that you will be streeeeeeeeeetched….lol

I’m having a good time with the children, they are making my day. There is a group of us that is fasting and praying on regular basis, and it’s so encouraging to see the children coming asking for prayer when they fast. There are usually several that are fasting every week. God is a work at the home, and the children are getting more hungry for the Lord.

A friend of mine is visiting these days, and she has seen several angels on the property. She has seen them during time of worship, while sitting talking in the rooms….. it’s awesome and very encouraging. But this is not what things are about; it’s getting closer to the Lord and having a deeper fellowship with Him that matters. Without a relationship with Him, there is nothing. My prayer for this year – is that we all get a new hunger for the Lord and that we want a deeper relationship with Him.

Christmas preparations.

2008-01-09T01:26:00.000-06:00

Christmas was right around the corner. Will post this cuz it was supposed to be. How it went, will be in a few days......

It’s kind of hard to imagine cuz it’s fairly hot outside. But hopefully we’ll be able to make things different when the Christmas is here, they play “Jingel Bell in Luganda on the radio – kind of strange. Specially when one usually think of that song when it’s snowing outside…..

The children are doing ok, the boys are playing soccer and the girls are doing some other games. They are all enjoying the holidays, but are looking forward to Christmas. Mainly because they know that they will get different food, from what they get every day…. They will have milk tea, with egg and chapaty in the morning. For lunch they will have meat with rice, and potatoes with green and a soda. And for supper they will eat meat again. They usually get meat once a week, so they are very happy about the meal.

There has been people that has sent money for gifts to the children, so I’ve done some shopping for that. 133 gifts, which they all have to be the same which has made my job quite easy…. It has been fun, but has taken a lot of time. We hope to give them one suitcase, a towel, body cream, candy and some other small stuff. I would like it to be a Christmas they will always remember.

Some people in Norway have been given 250 pillows, 400 duvet covers and some blankets for the children. It will be sent by plane to Entebbe, someone people has sponsored the shipping. It’s a true miracle that all of this has happened so fast. They will be sent around the 27^th of December – the children are all praying that it will all reach here….

We are also praying for the electricity to be connected, but things take time here in Africa… something that is not new. The fence around the center has been put up, so what remains to be put up are the gates. The place looks very different from the first time I got here. It’s bigger for one, but also neater and cleaner. The children are helping in cleaning the compound, weeding, planting the fruit trees, that also was given to them…. God so has His hand on this place.

The children are happy, the place has a peace that one can feel… I praise God for all that He has done here, what He is doing and what He will do,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

2007-11-26T02:16:00.001-06:00

Mama Inger, Mama Inger come. There is this huge commotion going on down by the roadside. I’m going toward the children and they bring this huge thing to me… They are going to rap it in banana leaves and eat it…. My first words were…. WHAT!!! Would you eat something like this?? I chickened out, and they enjoyed it.

Life at Kasozy Village is good. The children are busy doing their exams at school, so many of them come for prayer. They are fasting, so that they can get better results. It is so encouraging to watch them coming for prayer when the other children are enjoying their breakfast, lunch and supper. It encourages me to fast as well – which is something I’m not to found of doing… =). The children are more comfortable having me around now, which is quite fun. Cuz they come wanting to converse and hang…. It’s awesome.

Discipline is still something that is part of our daily life here. Sometimes it’s not fun, but needed. They have also realized that they can sort some of the things themselves, which is good.

The workers are working on getting the fence up around the property where the housing is, and when that is done – it will be easier to control the coming of unwanted guests…. They come to shout – some with not so good intentions. So please pray for protection on the children and all the activities that is going on here at the center. We are in need of good guards. It is by God’s grace and mercy that nothing has been stolen from our property – His protection has been here and it is very visible and tangible.

The rain is still a problem in areas, we have had some heavy rain here as well. The crop are being washed away and people are loosing their livelihood. Last week 4 people died in Kampala, due to the rain. Haven’t heard much of the North these days – but the roads are still bad. They have to go on huge detours to get where they need to go – cuz the bridges are not fixed – and the roads are not there. That is challenging when you want to travel…. =)

Update from Uganda, various things!

2007-11-02T02:19:00.000-06:00

The rain has ceased, and people are able to harvest some of what they planted before the heavy rain started. The roads up north are still not fixed, but they can cross other places so that they can get to their destinations. Uganda has been very affected, and people are still trying to get their lives back together.

The children at Kasosy village are doing well. The bales of clothes has almost all been given out to them. But it has taken a long time. Some of you know that shopping for clothes isn’t what I like to do so often – and when I do go shopping it’s done quickly. Well try to give out clothes to 140 children, when they all have to try the t-shirts, the shorts, the jeans …. Yup you can laugh, I didn’t by the end of 4 hours – and that was only giving it out to the girls…. Then the boys were the next day. It was worth all the hard work though, cuz the smiles on the children’s faces showed their gratitude.

Earlier this week when one of the caregivers, 3 sick children and I were on our way to the hospital in Jinja – someone called me. They asked me to go back to Kasosy Village, cuz there were people coming from the district to visit. The kids needed to be called back from school – so that the visitors could see them and greet them. So I got out of the bus, and went back. The kids helped clean up the place, it was very clean and well done. Then they took a bath and put on their new clothes. I heard that the visitors were coming from Gulu, we have 28 children from that region. My heart jumped, cuz last time there was a team from Gulu they didn’t have much good to say. The children were asked to go start worship and they all did. The visitors came, they were very impressed – and said that the reports they had heard about our place were wrong. The children were asked if they wanted to return to Gulu, if they didn’t that they should stand. ALL of them stood, non of them wants to return. That made a huge impression on the visitors and on us the staff. The officials from Gulu said we have good reports to give back to their relatives and caregivers in Gulu. Thank you for your work and what you are doing for our people. Can you come up to Gulu and do the same work there???

Wow God was so in all of that, it was amazing. The children were impeccable – I was so proud of them.

It does not end there. Some of you know that I’m in the process of trying to get a work permit. The most difficult paper would be a police rapport from Norway. Cuz you have to apply yourself and present it to the police. Well that is difficult when I’m on a different continent. =) I asked my parents to go to the police and ask on my behalf, and then ask the police to fax it to the Norwegian embassy here in Uganda. They went and got things done. But the police usually don’t send official documents on fax – yet it was done for me…. Praise the Lord. Then I went to the immigration. My folder was taken and processed….was talked to different offices that day – the process that was done in one day usually takes 1-2 weeks depending on how many files needs to be registered. FAVOR that is what all of this has been. My gratitude goes to My Lord and Savior.

The miracle of the bales

2007-10-11T01:04:00.000-05:00

Kateh and I went to look for bales of clothes in Jinja, not knowing where to go or who to talk with. We walked along the street, and we prayed that Jesus would show us who to ask with. Kateh said let's go into that bookshop and ask if they know anything about bales of clothes. We talked with them; they said - let the white girl sit here in the shop with us - and one of us will go with you to require for it. I sat there, listening to music they were playing - which was Christian music. They offered me a coke, which I gladly took. Kateh and Mary came back after 1 hour. They had good information to give us, with prices and when they bales would possibly arrive.
We left the place, very encouraged.

Two days later we came back to Jinja, and the guy had a bale of t-shirts available. The seller needed the money, so we scram belled it together. Because the person that was supposed to give us the money wasn't able to come. Mary from the shop lent us what we didn't have. We got the bale and placed it in the bookshop. After paying we were left with no money.

That morning when we left Kamuli, where the orphanage is, I brought my foreign currency - why well, who knew we needed money... GOD.
I realized it was there, so we went to the exchange place and ....... we had money. God is so funny. The money had been given to me by a friend, cuz she was not returning to Kenya anymore and had some shillings.....
We were able to get some food, find a place to stay - cuz we needed to be in Jinja early the next morning.

It has been one blessing after another, God is so good - and takes good care of us.

132 children, what to do?

2007-10-08T03:34:00.000-05:00

Living at an orphanage that now has 132 children, it’s quite something. There are so many things happening, quite fascinating watching what is going on. Then needing to bring some correction and helping them understand that they can’t hit their brother or sister. Cultural differences, tribal issues….so much to learn.

Some people have wondered about how long the children can stay at the orphanage! This is their home, and they are always welcome. The day they descide to move after they are 18, then they can. It's their home.

It hit me the other day that the kids here are orphans, the tears flooded. They don’t have parents, this is true – but I’ve never thought of how they lost their parents. Reading their stories made me cry even more. Most of their parents died in HIV/AIDS. Many of the kids from the north lost their parents when the rebels came into their village and set the huts on fire, or beheaded them, killed them on the spot, in crossfire….it hit me hard. I started thinking about my family….what a blessing it is to have one.

Two nights ago, we got a visitor coming with a child. The child, an 8 years old boy – don’t speak any other language than what his tribe does. At the orphanage, we don’t have anyone that comes from his tribe. He is all by himself, lost his mother in AIDS 3 weeks ago, his father died 7 years ago, coming into a home where nobody speaks his language…….imagine. He cried lots, which is understandable. The next day, we found out that there are similarities with another tribe’s language….which makes life easier for him. He is now playing with the smallest children, and seems to get along with life at the orphanage.

Flooding in Uganda!

2007-09-22T04:50:00.000-05:00

The thunder is rumbling, the lightning flashes in the sky – and the rain comes and goes. It’s quite fascinating, yet there is another side to all of this.
The situation here in Uganda is quite severe. The Northern part is pretty much disconnected from the Southern part. As you can c in this picture from the newspaper, taken on the 18th of September – the bridge is non existent. 300 000 people have been affected, and some have been killed. “Experts say the rising waters may hit as yet unaffected areas in the coming days, such as Uganda’s central regions.” (quoting from The New Vision) People are filling bags with sand, and dirt so that they can build up some flood fencing here in Kampala….

A friend of mine in Rackoko, in the Northern district Pader said: “Please pray 4 the end of flood, it has made things difficult”.

Quoting from the newspaper The New Vision. “With camps for the displaced fast swelling in countries across the center of the world’s poorest continent, experts say the threat of disease is mounting quickly”. They are afraid of diarrhea and cholera outbreaks.

My plea to you is, pray for the people that are affected by the floods, not only here in Uganda – but also the other countries that has been severely affected. Sudan, Kenya, Niger are some of them.

First days in Uganda

2007-09-11T05:08:00.000-05:00

After a long trip I came to Uganda. Some friends of mine came to the airport and picked me up which was a huge blessing. Wasn’t up for any public transport that day…lol

The next day Kateh, one of my Ugandan friends and I took public transport up to the Children’s home in Busota. This is the place I stayed b4 going back to Norway in April. The children didn’t know I was coming, which was part of the surprise. Kateh and I came from the bush way, so they wouldn’t be able to c me right away. But they were doing some dancing at the end of one of the houses, so they saw me. It took them a split second to see us – and they came running like a huge wave toward me. What a welcome. They screamed “Mama Inger” and almost pushed me over wanting to hug me all at the same time. It was awesome. Some of them came over several times, just to make sure that it was for real.

Christine one of the caretakers, didn’t know what to do – she told the children not to joke with her, saying Mama Inger is back. When she saw me, she came running leaving her shoes behind – knelt by my feet and said: “God is so good, you are back.”

Maria, one of the girls at the home is quite the evangelist and prophet. She is talking about God to her friends, preaching the Good News. When they are having worship her countenance is changing. She has some white spots on her face, but they go away and are gone for hours after worship is over. Maria is also a listener and she hears God talking to her. The other kids have understood that, and are coming to her to ask different things. She tells them: God hasn’t spoken to me today, if He hasn’t. And if God has, she tells them.
One of the boys came up to her and said: “Since God is talking to you, tell me what we are going to ear for Christmas? “ She looked at him and said: “God has not sent you to me to ask me that, this is you asking.” A bold one she is, about 7-8 years old.
I’m looking forward to spend more time with the children… There are more stories to tell….

The big family!

2007-09-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

This is my family; mom and dad - one sister and two brothers. They are all married - my sister has 4 children, my oldest brother has 3 and my youngest brother has 1 child.
We have been together this weekend, to celebrate my nephew Kristoffer's confirmation. It was a big dag and many guests - and lots of food.
The next time we'll be together is when we all go to Madagascar which will be next summer.

And now the journey continues - my family will go back to their work, school and pre-school - while I'll head back to Africa!! Yuppie!

Getting ready to leave!

2007-08-14T03:19:00.000-05:00

Time flies, and I've enjoyed my time here in Norway. Of course I've not stayed here all the time :) that would have been a miracle!!!
Went to visit some friends in Northern Ireland, where we had a grand time as they say. It was good cing them all again. Good to have fellowship with them, which is so needed.
Some of the things that I've realized while being here in Norway this time, is the necessity of staying in contact with people that are like minded - to have a relationship with them. Just as important it is to have a relationship with our Father. Staying grounded in this Word, spending time with Him, set time aside to be with Him and nobody else. He is a jealous God, and He’s serious about it.
God so put us on the spot sometimes; this is one of the times where He did put me on the spot. I was sitting on the bus coming from Oslo. A lady sat next to me with a knee problem. While talking with her, I wanted to pray for her – but ….. didn’t. She left the seat next to me to sit somewhere else. Then I had to tell God I was sorry that it hadn’t been done, and asked for a second chance…. Guess what – she came back… didn’t take me long to ask if I could pray for her.

And now, it’s time to move again. The ticket is booked, and I’m leaving for Africa on the 3rd of September. The destination is Uganda, possibly Sudan.

The one and only thing that I want, is to be with Jesus – I’m not going anywhere unless He’s with me. Sounds pretty basic, but so important.

Latvia, Riga and Rezekne

2007-07-17T03:13:00.000-05:00

Left Norway for Riga on the 28th of June, and came back on the 13th of July. It was an amazing trip where God showed up in many ways. We were a team of 6, 2 from Northern Ireland (Dan and Gill), 2 from UK (Jason who lives in Northern Ireland and his brother Steve), Agia our Latvian translator and myself.
The first couple of days we stayed in Riga, enjoyed being tourist b4 we started the meetings. We had one meeting Sunday morning, one Monday evening and one Tuesday evening. People got saved, healed and refreshed in the Lord. Jason put us on the frontline, asked us to prophecy over people in the congregation….it was a lot of fun and a bit scary – thank you Jason for doing that. We needed that, and we all grew in the Lord.
We took a 3 hour train ride to Rezekne, where we stayed for one week, loving on the children in that ministry. The children come to stay at the house, when their parents have difficulties having them at home. The girls there liked having us there, we played with them – had water balloon fights…..
The team also attended a conference. 4 people from Finland spoke the first couple of days, b4 Jason shared the next couple of days. The people got refreshed here as well, and received a touch from the Lord.
Some days we spent hours in soaking, which was so refreshing and renewing. God showed up in that prayer room – awesome.
While there, 2 other teams came to join us. Some of them came from a Presbyterian church, so a lot of the worship, soaking and ministry time was foreign to them. One of the evenings after the teaching (which was on prophecy) we had a prophecy time, the group was split in two, and we should prophecy over each other. Everybody stayed!!, All got something for the person they prophesied over – God is faithful. The boat got rocked, the Presbyterians got excited and want more of what God has for them.
This trip has done so much for me, where God has yet again showed His faithfulness and stirred the pot using people to put me on the frontline…… Thank you guys!!

My where abouts!!

2007-06-26T16:11:00.001-05:00

I'm still in Norway, have been hanging with my family and such. It has been needed and good for all of us.

Went to London and helped out at a conference where Heidi Baker was speaking. While there, some Holy Given friends showed up. Some from the first school, and some from the third school. It was holy chaos - a lot of fun. Meet new people, and had a blast. Saw people healed, refreshed, excited for the Lord - it was awesome.

In a couple of days I'm going to help at another conference which is going to be in Latvia, Heidi is not coming to this one, but Jason Holbeceh is. He and his wife Kellie were students at the last Holy Given School - carriers of an awesome anointing. The team whom is going, believe that huge things are going to happen!

I do want to mention a little girl from the Kamuli orphanage in Uganda. After I left they did an HIV/AIDS test on the children - and one of them tested HIV+. I've been asking for information about the children, whom are doing well - and they got 42 new kids from Northern province as well. Anyways!!

I got news about the little girl, she's 6-7 years old. I'm quoting what happened at the Uganda Orphands Fund senter in Kamuli.
"The girl is doing OK, she took a fast on her own to ask Jesus to heal her. The Dr had put her on antibiotics (after she took a second test which turned out negative :)) and she had asked one of the Caregivers why she's taking pills daily...she told C she was going to fast and pray for healing for 3 days...after 3 days of fasting she went to C and told her she doesn't need the pills anymore because Jesus has healed her...C tried to insist - then she would take the pills and throw them away...she will be due for another test next month."

What to say about that? Many of the children at the senter are eager to pray and fast, not because they are asked to do it - but they want to. Yeah God!

My time in Norway!

2007-06-04T13:26:00.000-05:00

I've been in Norway for almost 8 weeks, time goes by so fast. Most of the time has been with the family, which has been good. Helping my parents move into their house, helping my siblings with their children - being aunty......

Have been traveling some in Norway, gone fishing and caught some fish - fun.

Have been sharing at different occations about Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa. People ask for prayer and God shows up. Praise the Lord. He is faithful in all He does.

The question is always the same from family and friends..... How long are you here for? Where are you going next? I've been here for ....... not sure where to next....... But there are many things on the blueprint - timing is the one thing that holds me back....lol

In the near future, a conference with Heidi in England. Some people from the last Holy Given School in Mozambique will be there as well - believe there will be awesome stuff happening there.

Back in Norway

2007-05-09T09:53:00.000-05:00

I left Uganda after my visa ran out, and came back to Norway. Surpriced my parents, and my brothers and their wifes - they didn't know I was coming. Only my sister and her husband knew. You should have seen my parents reaction when they saw me or heard my brothers reaction when I talked with them on the phone- it was fun. Priceless!!
This is the house I moved into, nice isn’t it - it's my parents house in Kristiansand southern part of Norway. They haven't lived here for 10 years so there is a lot to do in renovating and such. Soon after I got back, a spiritual cleansing was done in the house – needed!! There was such a difference in the house after that. Imagine that!!

It has been hectic for me since I got back, because I have been a fulltime aunty for my nephews and niece. Good to see them and spend time with them, yet very different from being with the children in Uganda and in Mozambique.

The other day somebody asked me to come and share at an Africa evening. The people were able to ask questions after pictures had been showed and stories had been told from my time in Mozambique and Uganda. They were interested in signs, wonders and miracles - and some of them wanted prayer afterwards. There is a hunger for more of the Lord, something that really is encouraging - and I do believe that Revival is coming to Norway soon.

Uganda, Green - life, growth

2007-04-23T06:47:00.000-05:00

Uganda is such a green country, specially in vegetation. But there is also life and growth in the spiritual atmosphere. Living with the children at Busota, was challenging but also very fun. Staying with 40 other girls in a house that didn't have walls all the way up to the roof - didn't always give good nights of sleep..... if something happened in one end - it would be heard in the other end..... leaving the rest of that to your imagination LOL We had times where the children needed discipline (imagine that), and that is not always easy to do, one on one, when the culture is – “something is happening lets go look what it is” ...... cultures are different and we need to take that into consideration. Getting water at the borehole down the road was always something. They ran to find a gerican, and then go fast or run so that they could have time to play when the others filled their gericans. Children are so alike when it comes to play..... Leaving the orphanage was hard, but I was ready to move on - not in a bad way - just because I knew it was time. The children have changed so much during the time there. From being shy to come running toward us when we came, and give us hugs. It’s huge.

Many things have happened on the property, and a lot of buildings have been built - 2 new homes, 1 dorm for the girls and another for the boys. They have also built 2 school building, new latrines and showers. By now the school is done, and the children are all excited about the new Kasozy Primary School. They will have new uniforms, shoes and stockings. God is so cool.

After leaving the orphanage, Duncan Hill whom is the founder of UoF, had met someone on his way over to Uganda - and it was another divine connection. He got introduced to a person that has huge influence in Pader district - and had a meeting with him. This resulted in that the team I was a part of went up to Pader 3 days before we all were supposed to leave Uganda. The place we went to is the same place that I went to in the beginning of my stay in Uganda. Interesting !!!! I was able to meet some of my friends there, which was very good.

One of them has a daughter that had had diarrhea for 1 month - I prayed for her and then they left. The next day I went over to say hi and buy (since we were leaving) and guess who was outside playing.... the little girl. She didn't have any problems at all...Glory to God

Busota!

2007-03-20T02:10:00.000-06:00

Busota is a place north of Jinja close to Kamuli in the southern part of Uganda. The houses on the property are built by Uganda Orphans Fund (UOF) and owned by them. They also own the land and are buying land to cultivate.

They are now in the process of building schools for the children, and are planning on building more houses so that they can take in more orphans. The goal is to take in 240 orphans from all over Uganda. Right now they have 74 children, from 2 till 16 years old. 36 girls, and 38 boys.

I have the privilege of staying with these children over a period of time, together with a friend of mine, Jeff Gazy. We are there helping them with their school work, loving on them, playing with them, getting water with them…… what ever is needed.

They don’t have electricity or running water, but they have LIFE. They are so full of life and are happy kids. I don’t know who is benefiting of this the most, the children or Jeff and I. They are so fun to be around.

Last Sunday Service, after giving the word – the children was asked to come forward if they had any pain or sicknesses. A lot of them came forward, and we prayed and prayed. Many of them got healed, and some was completely well the next day. Yeah God.

The Bible talkes about caring for the widows and orphans, at the home - the widows are talking care of the orphans - by being their mothers. And we have the priviledge of being part of this. Thank you. Lord.

Rackoko

2007-02-18T02:57:00.000-06:00

Northern Uganda is different from the south, how - well busyness is one of them. Driving up to the north takes hours - the roads are not paved - it's red dust roads - love it.

The IDP camps (Internally Displaced People) have their own stories, but the people have all been told to move from their villages. Some of their stories are to strong/horrible to tell, it breaks my heart. All the evil that is out there, how people are deceived and blinded from the Truth. This is the reason we need to go out, so they will learn about the Living God that gives hope in a hopeless situation. That will love them when love is missing....

Now that things have settled down and the peace talks are somewhat in process, people are starting to go out and plant so that they can get food to their families - sell some of it and get money to buy from others. Less than 1 year ago, they had a curfew at 5 pm - they had a lot of fear - in fact they still do with good reason. Slowly but surely they are getting back into a routine, that seems normal....

The children find time to play, some are in school - but there are to many in one class. In the one nurcery we visited there are about 60 children in each class, and they have 5 classrooms - would you like to be there when they have a break, that is about 300 children...... try to keep them in order

In the IDP camp that I visited, about 80 % are infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, and on top of that many of them get malaria. The children are the ones that get affected the most when their parents dies and they don't have relatives in the camp. What to do, where to go, what now??

Uganda Orphans

2007-02-05T04:55:00.000-06:00

Wow, this is awesome. The team I've been with these last couple of weeks has been great. We have gone into many different orphanages, yet done the same. Prayed over the children, breaking curses, blessing them with a fathers/mothers blessing. The homes are very different both in size of the houses and in how many children they have. Some have 60 children others have 12.

They have all been happy to see the "Muzungu" which is the white person. Most of the children are screaming, jumping and shouting when they see the land rover coming. The children run to greet you, the girls kneel in front of you as a way of respect and shake hands - the boys shake hands. Some take a little while to warm up, but then by the time we leave they ask when we are coming back to stay the night.

Some of the children have said that they feel very free when the prayers are done, they sense that things are different. Praise the Lord. We believe that things have happened in their lives, and that they will see the consequences later on in life.

In one of the homes we went to, 2 of Joseph Kony's children was present. Joseph Kony is the leader of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). It's so encouraging to know that they are there, and get christian influence. We believe that more of his children will come into orphagage homes.

Going to Uganda

2007-01-18T05:55:00.000-06:00

The question always seems to be, where are you going next? And now I can answer that. :)Uganda, it is. The process has been pretty interesting, but when the decission was made that I would go - a lot of doors opened.

The first 2-3 weeks I'll be part of a team that will visit orphanages in the southern part of Uganda - in Kampala and in Jinja. We'll be praying for kids in the orphanages, lead them to Jesus, break orphan spirit, prophesy destiny, pray for healing...etc

Mid February I'll be leaving to go up to the Northern part of Uganda. Some facts about that region, and the ministry I'll be involved in.

In Northern Uganda there has been a war going on for the last 20 years. The war involves the stealing of children to make them soldiers, and the girls to become wives of the commanders. As a result of the war, there are now many displaced person camps. The rebels do not actually fight the government, they kill civilians, often torturing them. So the people in Northern Uganda have had to move out of their villages into these camps. They now depend on the UN for food.

The ministry is in the process of starting an NGO in a Northern District. The first phase is the Tabitha Project. Where they hope to get the neediest widows and teach them tailoring as well as giving them land to grow food. In the future, as they see the need they want to build a small orphanage. Lastly they hope to begin a Bible school. There are also possibilities in doing evangelism in the camp, and teaching and preaching in the church. The language is Luo, but most children are taught English in the school, so they can understand English. But to be able to communicate with the older people the local language needs to be learned.

Feeding the streetkids!

2007-01-14T02:41:00.000-06:00

Remember how it is on Sundays after church, when all the people come to eat!
Well, now that the Holy Given School is over the street kids come in and get lunch every day. They stay at the gate all morning, at lunch they come under the tree by the compound gate - the bell rings and they come running to get food. It's quite the sight, they run for their lives - and the guard looses control....

Outreach

2007-01-09T09:11:00.000-06:00

The last couple of months have been spent with Iris Ministires staffing Holy Given School in Pemba Mozambique. We just got back from a 2,5 weeks outreach in the bush.

It took us 2 days to get there, in the back of the truck - sore backs, laughter, fun.... very bumpy. Worth all of it, seing what God did in peoples lives.
The local church we connected with, went with us on the outreaches into the bush. 20 westerners, 7 Mozambicans and about 10-15 people from the church also Mozambicans.
We would drive into the bush, have a meeting with worship, preaching and then praying for people. Then at night the Jesus movie would be shown at a different location. After the movie, there would be ministry time where they could get prayed for and majority of the people wanted that. We saw many healings; stomach aches, heart problems, blind, deft and dumb, knees, chest pain.... it was amazing to see God at work and the way people reacted to the healings.

On the 24th of December there was a huge celebration. 15 couples got married and afterwards - food for everybody. The team helped to slaughter the goats (10), clean the rice and beans - serving the newlyweds - then the children and the others. They think that about 600 people got food that day. We had to wash the dished in between the servings, cuz we didn't have enough!! It was a lot of fun.