Dad and me looking over the Trondhiem fjord

Dad, Cortney, and me in the Tyholt Tower eating pizza

I (Brett) was blessed to have my dad visit two weeks ago for 5 days. It had been over 6 months since we last said goodbye at the airport, so it was great to give him a hug hello. Cortney and I showed him around our city allowing him to treat us to coffee, hot chocolate, and of course some nice food. I actually had my first hamburger in Norway courtesy of my dad. Thanks dad, I almost forgot what real meat tastes like. :) It was great to show him a little of what our life is like here and meet some of our friends and the people we see often. So many things we did were "perfect" to use his words, and yes it was, I agree. We had many conversations over a warm drink or food and I miss that terribly now. Definately the most difficult part of being here is being away from our family and friends. It was not so easy to say goodbye to my dad at the airport here and hard to drive back home knowing that he will not be there anymore and nobody else will make the coffee early in the morning. We are incredibly blessed to have our families and thank God for their wonderful support.

So all of you back in the US...know that we think of you very often and have cried from being unable to see you. Vi er glad i dere! But we are extremely grateful for our time here in Norway and the great relationships we have. We are looking forward to the coming months anticipating God's love in our lives as we continue to seek first His kingdom.

Budapest, Hungary...
I have to say that the greatest thing I took away from our trip to Budapest was an awareness, a reminder, that we are a part of something bigger. What an amazing opportunity to gather together with others who have the same heart for university missions, who have given up so much to answer the call to countries all over Europe, who have gone through similar
struggles and triumphs, and who believe God is going to do mighty things on this continent.
There is just nothing like encouragement from those who understand what you are going through. We were so blessed and met so many amazing people. This trip came just at the right time- when we needed to be encouraged and motivated to keep following the call of God and His plans for students here.
We were also inspired hearing representatives, (most from the U.S. doing either short-term or long term university missions, but a few natives as well), from each country give a 10 minute presentation about what is happening and their hopes and dreams
for the future. We then took time to pray for each team and country. We spent all day doing this and it was very powerful!
It was just so good to be together. Many of us had only just met, but we felt as though we had deep heart connections by the time we all left.
Being in such a beautiful city only added to the blessing of this time. There is such a history of dominance and oppression in the city, but it is so culturally rich. Our hosts for the gathering are doing student ministry there and have seen fruit, but need prayers, like all of these people... Ireland, Scotland, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Austria were the others able to make it.

Our team is the only one in all of Scandinavia and it was such a strange feeling to hear that in previous years at this gathering they had been praying for God to call people to this part of the world. To be an answer to prayer is a very humbling thought and one that makes us realize how sovereign God is and how His hand has been in all of this before we ever knew anything! And that He chose ordinary people like us. All of us there were just ordinary people who have chosen to answer the call, to step out in faith for the things God has burdened our hearts with. How amazing to know that we are all in this together. Sometimes here in Trondheim we can feel so isolated, small, and incapable...yet how untrue that is. One thing we certainly are not, and that is alone. Praise God! :)




Walking hand in hand, we will be strong in God's plan....




picture #1: Diane (in Belgium), Kelly, Sarah (Scotland),Cortney, Anna (Scotland)
#2: out to eat at Hungarian resteraunt- great food!
#3: Our team with Joyce joining us from Japan (incredible woman doing student ministry)
#4: Praying for a team and country on map
#5: Us

Sights from awe-inspiring Budapest, Hungary

Amazing architecture; the famous chain-linked bridge and city at night

Anonymous writer of Hugarian history- superstition says that if you touch his pen, you recieve good writing skills! We'll see...

From the bridge between Buda and Pest over the Danube River

Chuck back to visit for a few weeks! Outside St. Stephen's Basilica

How blessed are we? Overlooking the city

Part of the Parliment building...The flag has a hole cut out where the communist symbol once was

Such an intriguing, mysterious city

Well...I know I said I would write about Budapest, but that will be coming soon. I just wanted to share something that I am excited about and challenged by....

Saturday night we were invited over to a friend's "open house" (as they call gatherings to hang out here). It was so great because we had the opportunity to meet quite a few new people. It was also a mini-concert because several of the people had written songs and wanted to share them- and they were really good and inspiring. What talent and giftedness! Most of the people there were Christians, but as I began talking with some of them I realized again how even as Christians we can become so very lost and unsure about God.

The Norwegian culture is not always the most..."open", shall I say? So I felt so privledged when people open up and to be able to listen to them really share their hearts with me about the church and where they are at with God. It seems in many instances God has just given us favor with people and allowed them to feel comfortable being open and honest with us...even when they hardly know us! Hearing the phrase, "wow, I'm telling you a lot and I don't even know why!" has become quite common.

As we were talking, I heard a cry from both conversations of wanting so badly to be able to better hear God's voice, to be able to see and know what He is doing. Wanting this so that we can be walking in His will and that more people would really come to know Him through our lives. How discouraging it can be to try to be a Christian in an environment where it is often nearly impossible to know who has relationship with God and who doesn't. Where the silence seems to be so loud. To know where the is line between openly sharing, and letting your life speak. Tough questions. To want so badly to trust the church, yet being hurt by it and seeing so much disunity. Being tired of the church because it is beginning to look just like the worldy culture that they are trying to get away from. Wanting to be known, but feeling only known by what they can "offer". Leaving the church because it seems to be satisfied with self-maintenance and inward ways of thinking and seems to forget the call to go out and be the hands and feet of Jesus, to teach how all of the spiritual looks in the practical...these thoughts and much more they shared with me.

When I say "the church", these are different places that these individuals had personal experiences with that have caused them to feel this way, but they still feel unable to find a community that looks like what they believe a church should look like: real and Biblical. And there are many Christian students that rarely attend a church, even though they believe it to be important and that we were many for community. And many of them would say that what they miss is that community.

It is hard to hear these things, but I have struggled with many of them myself. Of course, it is easy to become so cynical or skeptical sometimes that we are unable to see the blessing that so many churches are, but they are valid concerns nevertheless. And I would venture to say that these Christians are not alone in desiring more from God, from the church.

What does this mean for the future of ministry to students? If more feel this way, then there is something missing and we are being called to be something more as the church. Something truly real and founded on Christ and Truth. Don't get me wrong, there are many wonderful churches out there doing just that, but I do believe God is calling many to something greater. Calling us as Christians to be who God calls us to be in His word: set apart...humble, broken, raw, real, prayerful, annointed, united, prophetic; both inward (personal growth), and outward... a community that the rest of the world would desire to be a part of.

I walked away from these conversation with a burden to see the church rise up and with a great hope that if more people are this thoughtful and longing for God, then this place can truly be ripe for rival. Join us in praying that God would not appear hidden to these people and that He would show Himself in all His glory. And if maybe you are feeling these things as well, unsure of what He is speaking and what it all means for your life, critcal of the church, or just tired of more of the same... ask Him to reveal Himself to you in new ways; spend time in His prescence so that you become more familiar with His voice; ask for grace for the church and for others (for none of us are perfect); ask that the church be awakened to what God wants to see happen with His community of children, and that those who don't know Him would be drawn into something that is greater than anything they have ever experienced before.

The church needs your prayers. This generation needs your prayers.

I know I want to see more, experience more, and be walking in God's will because it is the absolute best place to be. Pray for Norway, for Eruope. I believe God can use this generation to change this city, this country, the world... let's cry out to God and watch it happen. He is listening...

Yes, we're still alive and going strong here in Trondheim! Thanks for checking in! Our goal for this year is to try to update weekly or bi-weekly, so keep stopping by! Here are some images of the last month...


Winter in Norge!


Cortney's sister Danielle comes to visit!!

Out to eat at radio tower overlooking Trondheim

First time skiing in Norway!!

Danielle gets to meet our lovely Norwegian friends

More memories from the past couple of months...

Brett and "the guys" at our Christmas/Haavik going-away/Kelly b-day party

Cortney and "the ladies"

Saying goodbye to our German friend Anne...we hope to visit her!

Attempting Christmas cookies...not as good as Mom's of course

Cortney and Kelly New Years in Trondheim...never seen so many fireworks in my life!

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Hei hei! So it's now 2007 and the completion of 6 months living in Norway, first major holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years away from home, 1 1/2 years of marriage, first Europe trip out of Scandinavia...as well as personal changes resulting from major challenges and awesome successes... moments on our knees and others with our hands lifted high... What a whirlwind adventure with God! So many days, still, it seems incredible to think of all that God has done in bringing us here, providing for us, using us, and teaching us. I often think how blessed I am to be living this life- challenges and all. None of this could be without His sovereign hand in on our lives and our surrender to His will. Never did we picture ourselves here...and the things we have seen and done and have yet to do are the things of dreams and visions. But yet here we are, living this life that is so unlike any other. Wow. Words can't describe it. I guess this is what Jesus meant when He promised to give us life to the full. Of course there are many things we miss being here (family of course, familiarity- though Trondheim is becoming that-, "cheaper" food and shopping, old friends, etc), but we know this is the life God is desiring us to live. We don't know what the future holds, but whatever it is, we know that it will be beyond what we can imagine...because life right now certainly is. Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for believing in us. We pray that through sharing our experiences here with you (another 1 1/2 years to go!) will remind of you of God's grace and His undeniable love for His children...and His desire to use our lives to bring Him glory. What a privilege.
More images and stories coming VERY soon...can't wait to tell you about our trip to Budapest, Hungary! It was amazing! Ha det bra for now!