WE HAVE A NAME!!!!!

Well, after weeks of agonizing over what to call the new student group we are starting, we finally stumbled upon and decided upon (you have no idea how difficult that was!) the name.....

QUEST.

It is really exciting because things are moving forward for us here to really connect ourselves with the university and have a more defined vision for students to take hold of. We have finally become an official student group on campus and are listed on their website (very exciting, and amazingly simple here!) and after our first Student Night at the church last Sunday, we were able to launch the vision we have for this year and our group. We even got applause when we were finished! Crazy!

Check out the new website at: http://www.questnorway.blogspot.com

It is so strange what just having a name can do. We watched as students got excited about being able to identify with something tangible and already are beginning to call of the activities we have planned this semester "Quest" activities. Of course, we did have to explain to everyone why we chose the name and what it means (it isn't a Norwegian word, so some had not heard of it, though many had). But now people can explain to others if they ask what it means, and it's a great opportunity. We really wanted to go with the "Journey" idea and be consistent with the vision we had on the back of our fliers (see previous entry) and finally felt that what we are really on in this journey with God and each other, this path of discovery, is a Quest. It think it is also something that those who are really seeking can identify with as well. We even showed a clip from Lord of the Rings Sunday night where the Fellowship is formed (check it out- it's great scene!).

We were also able to spread a greater vision for our connection with SFC Europe and were mentioning the student conference coming up in Nuremberg, Germany over New Years. Many students are very interested in coming! So maybe we'll be bringing the first Scandinavians to attend and SFC event. Praise God! Feel free to check out the info about the ESC (European Student Conference) at the Students for Christ Europe link to the right under Links.

So please continue to pray with us for the future of Quest and for students to continue to catch the vision. This week we are giving out free waffles at both university campuses, Tuesday and Wednesday and promoting our group...so pray we make great connections and that our name gets out there.
We are also hoping to do more networking with other churches so we can have more resources and be an outlet for many mostly-Christian communities to reach out to those who are seeking at the university.

God is really opening doors and using the things he has spoken to us this past year to really define where we desire to go so we can really ask people to join us. It's all beginning to come together now...but we have much still to do! Thank you for your prayers!!!!

Here are some images from our koie (cabins you can rent cheaply through the university) trip last weekend (no electricity or running water)- had a blast!
Our group: Helen, Magnus, Fredrik, Peonn (from my Norwegian class), Jess, Brett, and I.
Many of these our courtesy of Jess...the crew that went- great group: Americans, Norwegians, and a Tai :). Notice the white stuff. Ridiculous.

because of cold, rainy, and SNOWY weather, we spent a lot of time in a wood stove-heated cabin playing cards

And S'mores will now take Norway by storm! Helena's first taste...

Kelly, me, Peonn, and Jess on our little hike in soggy marshland

hiking in the beautiful outdoors- loving it!!!

The boys- Magnus and Brett- gathering wood. Kinda' nice when it's already chopped for you!

Roughing it! Peonn's first experience washing dishes outdoors :)