jeg er i sveitz! i've been here this past week for a ywam conference. the provost of the university of the nations is here and wisdom just flows. i've taken classes on death and grief counseling by john bills and sarah lanier and equipping staff and students with intercultural skills, also by sarah. she wrote "foreign to familar," which is a best seller.

i came with ragnhild and marianne and we're in awe of the years of experience we are blessed to listen to. the base here in burtigny is in a valley of the alps and in the middle of nowhere. they milk the cows in the morning and even grow their own potatoes. there are acres and acres of fields to walk, which is pretty much the only thing to do around here. i guess the best word to describe this place is idyllic. when i look out the window in the morning, i feel that i'm looking at the landscape of "pride and prejudice."

God spoke to me very clearly this week about the need to find a confidant and that i also just need to trust Him. He also brought to mind these Scriptures:

Psalm 20:7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.
Psalm 33:17 A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

And i'm wondering in which horses have i been boasting in and trusting. the base, people, positions, future plans, and many more, i know. i have to boast and trust in the Lord. otherwise, i lose my identity, my trust, my hope. it's pretty heavy, but i know the One in which i can rest secure.

changes!

an exciting weekend! not only did i watch 6 episodes of season 2 of "prison break," i also got a new haircut and we had a fireplace installed in our apartment. gone are the $200 electricity bills! and now i am the proud owner of pannelugg/bangs! without further ado...



ikke verst, eh?

i went to oslo last weekend with erika to visit my good friends, kjersti and karen amalie. it's so nice to just step away from the every day life occasionally. we shopped, went to cafes, took walks in the city, went to a ywam oslo gathering, and even spent an hour or so browsing cds on sunday afternoon. i highly recommend rufus wainwright, jens lekman, beirut, and band of horses. they've been on my ipod all week.
ken helser taught at the dts this week and as i sat in on the teaching, i had such a sense of thankfulness for who God is and what He does in our lives, often without us even noticing. i really want to be aware of how He's moving and move right along with Him.
and... i went to the police station to see about my visa and will now apply as a skilled worker. there's a lot of paperwork involved and much clarifying to be done about what i'm doing here, but i have peace about it. and after 3 years i can apply for a settlement permit, which allows me to stay here as long as i want! now i just have wait and pray.

blinding desperation

the new year. i have to say that perhaps santa didn't read my blog because he didn't send any of the things i wished. oh well. guess i'll be better next year and will have to settle for "seven swans" until then.

just got back from the ywam norway worker's gathering. this year was a bit special. my family was here for christmas and i was worn out in every way after new years. but i was looking forward to the gathering (a first for me) - a sign that life was returning to normal. usually being around 400 people i don't know isn't my idea of fun, but i had such a good time seeing former students and friends. but i also realized the first night there i was empty. absolutely nothing left. and when that happens, i can't help but wonder why i can't stop it from happening. because it does happen. so, i just wanted Jesus to show up. and i think he did, but by the end of the weekend i had this blinding desperation. as i was saying goodbyes, i realized that this might have been the last time i would be at a ywam norway gathering and the feeling was overwhelming. this is my home and for the first time i have realized that i could live here for the rest of my life - and be totally okay with that. but, there's a chance that i will have to leave after july. and it just makes me sad. everything familiar is here. as i was crying in the van on the way home (i longingly remember the days when the tear ducts didn't work), i realized just how all this happens - this emptiness, this blinding desperation. if i take my eyes off of jesus for just a second, life and all it entails calls for desperation. because i just can't function with giving him parts of me. do i trust that he can make a way for me to be here? do i trust that i will one day find that perfect role? do i trust him more than i trust those i see? do i trust that he will make my relationships work? i so want to be grounded in him, be like that unwavering man of God in psalms 1 that is planted by streams of water, who yields fruit, whose leaf does not wither, and prospers in all. so, the question is - how do i do that? well, that person's delight is in the law of the Lord, on which he meditates. i can't believe that i am a Bible teacher and still can't remember that.
enough of blinding desperation for life to work itself out. i don't have time for that. if i'm going to be desperate, it's going to have to be for Him.

christmas wish list 2007:

non-realistic wishes:
sufjan stevens (the man, not the music)
a bigger apartment
a cleaner apartment
around the world travel ticket

semi-realistic wishes:
sufjan stevens (have to keep the hopes up)
extended norwegian visa
ability to speak norwegian
stress free holidays
for my christmas tree to live
full-time kitchen worker

realistic wishes:
yet again, sufjan stevens
joni mitchell cd
bird by bird by anne lamott
ugg boots
season 7 gilmore girls
season 2 prison break
anti-wrinkle eye cream
vintage material

(what are your wishes?)
merry christmas!

christmas is here. erika from america, helina from estonia, and me - little american lyndee, went in search for a christmas tree on saturday. and we found it! helina made a great slide show of it and soon i'll post a picture of the final product. we "trimmed the tree," ate pepperkaker (gingerbread cookies), christmas bread, and made homemade hot cider. an enjoyable day.