Life Journeys from the North to the South...

2011-01-15T22:53:00.003+01:00

A White Christmas in Minnesota

The explanation for this first photo: The night before we left for MN, we finally decided to break open our Italian bottle of wine that we had been saving for a "special occasion". Well, simplicity at its best, we decided just to go for an ordinary night with a homemade pizza as special enough. This bottle of wine was bought by us on our Italy vacation summer 2009, hauled back to Norway, then back to the U.S. and out here to CA- one well-traveled treat and it was delicious. :)

Our 2 weeks in Minnesota for Christmas and New Years were great- filled with family and a few friends. Brett and I somehow managed to divide time between our two families (being less than 10 minutes away, helps) but we certainly came back to Pasadena exhausted just in time for a new quarter, but more about that in another post. Minnesota certainly did not disappoint with playing up the Christmas-feel: there was a record amount of snow at this time of the year by the time we arrived!

Next door to my parents' house

Brett's family dog, Whitney, didn't seem quite in the Christmas spirit

Nice picture of my parents on "Kenow Family Christmas"- Dec. 23rd every year!

Present opening is much more eventful with kids around!

Playing Guesstures with Brett's family

Sisters. My sister, Danielle, and my Grandma share a birthday on Dec. 28th. Turned 26 and 85!

Siblings and spouses- look at that snow!

We spent a few days over New Years at Brett's parents' cabin in WI. With 11 people and 5 dogs, we still managed to get in a little relaxing time- reading or playing ipad games were the hits.

We got to go snowshoeing as well- it was so beautiful and so quiet in the woods- I was in heaven!

The cabin crew by the giant snowman!

We all went to a German restaurant for New Years- the light up plastic ice cubes in the glasses were a big hit!

We were even able to squeeze in some time with a few friends from college. With Connie and Mike and their daughter, Naomi.

Celebrating Danielle's birthday at the Dakota Jazz club with our friends, Amanda and Jordan. There was a really great Jazz pianist and singer performing.

All in all it was a blessing to be able to be "home" for Christmas. It was sad to leave not knowing when we will be able to make it back again. Hopefully in the days to come I will be able to post a little more about life in Pasadena (we are enjoying the few days of 80 degree weather we have been having!) and our hopes for the new year. Happy 2011!

2010-12-17T00:11:00.001+01:00

Enjoying our break at Venice beach before we head back to the MN snow and cold for Christmas!

We survived! I can't believe that our first year of grad school is already over. Just 2 more years to go! :) Thanks for those of you who have been praying for us- we have needed it and are so thankful to have this opportunity. We are learning so much and though it is an incredible amount of work, it has certainly been worth it.
We haven't been so great at staying updated with this blog, but plan to keep trying to do our best. Here are just a few images from the past few months...

We were able to get out of Pasadena for a weekend with friends from Fuller and went camping in the Angeles National Forest. It was so great to have a break and just relax and hang out.

Our good friend, Christen, took this photo, you should check out her website- she's an amazing photographer! http://www.christenbphotography.com

We spent an afternoon at Huntington Gardens which is really beautiful at this time of year- actually felt like fall! We have a membership there so it has been neat to see the change of seasons that we often miss living in California. These were from the Japanese gardens

There are still flowers everywhere no matter what the season. That is one thing I do love about living here. There is always some new kind of flower in bloom that I've never seen before.

We also made another trip out to AZ in October for Brett's cousin's wedding. Here is a picture of the bride and some of the cousins

And the siblings, minus Jake who wasn't able to make it down

We also never ended up getting pictures on here from Brett's brother's wedding. Jake and Catherine married on June 4th. We flew home for a few short days and were able to be there for it. We now also have another niece and nephew as Megan and Adam are now officially part of the family!

Catherine was such a beautiful bride!

Brett's sister Brooke officiated the wedding

Caught in the Act: The family couldn't help chowing down on the leftover cake at the end of the night!

Well, that's all for now.... but hopefully we'll update a bit more over the break! Thanks for following and Merry Christmas! :)

2010-09-19T02:58:00.005+02:00

Welcome to Hotel Heerwald...
A Spring & Summer of Lovely Visitors

Our dear Norwegian friends Ellen and Håvard spent 2 1/2 weeks with us- we spent a spring break driving up the Pacific Coast Hwy to San Francisco and over to Yosemite National Park. The second week we hung around Pasadena. It was such a blessing to spend quality time with some of our closest friends- we miss them so much! Ellen was a trooper being 6 months pregnant- such a hardy Norwegian. They now have a son, Birk! We can't wait to meet him someday. We love you guys!

Along the Pacific Coast Hwy- we had no idea California looked like this! So beautiful!

An hour drive from Pasadena: Zuma Beach in Malibu- gorgeous

Love it!

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Our next visitor was our good friend Kelly, who is still living in Norway working with the Quest student ministry that we started together. Such a blessing to see her and hear of all the amazing things God is doing through her and the dedicated students in Norway. Overlapping with Kelly's visit was my sister Danielle and her husband (and our good friend) Grant. They had been leading mission trips in Mexico for the summer and were able to swing by for a week. So great to see them and show them around our new "home". We had such a great time with everyone- what a blessing! We miss them all.

Hiking in the San Bernadino Mountains not far from our place

At Huntington Beach with Kelly

Waiting for the Metro in L.A.

Sisters- why do we have to live so far away from each other? Miss you!

Visiting the Getty Museum overlooking the city

Miss you Kelly! You're amazing :)

Can't forget the tourist trip to Hollywood and the walk of fame

I (Cortney) am not usually a big fan of zoos (most are depressing!) but I have to admit this is the best I've ever seen, pretty impressive. For a zoo.

Seriously is there any baby animal cuter than pandas? I don't think so...

I was most awed by seeing these hippos so close. They are amazing.

Dorks. What else can I say?

What a bunch of weirdos...We're so glad you come out and see us!

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Last but not least, a couple of our friends, Erlend and Aida (we met our first year in Norway before they were married, (Erlend is Norwegian and Aida is from Columbia) were taking an "American road trip" and stayed with us a couple of days on their way through CA. It was so great to see them!

Gotta love the Pasadena "fro-yo" experience!

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Oh, and we were also blessed to meet up in Arizona for a few days with some of our wonderful "Duluth family" (those we did student ministry with at UMD). Though some of us are living in different places now, we still feel like family whenever we have the chance to get together. Made us miss them all the more...

2010-08-29T23:10:00.000+02:00

Backpacking in the San Bernardino Mtns

I (Brett, that is) was able to get away from the city last weekend with two friends, Tony and Brian, as we backpacked for two nights in the nearby mountains. It was a tough trip for

me since I haven't been backpacking in awhile, but I pressed on. :) Overall, we hiked about 19 miles roundtrip in two days, the first day being completely up the mountain the entire way--so I was a little tired. It was a great time with great company as we saw some beautiful sights.

2010-04-12T22:10:00.001+02:00

Arizona

Last month, we were able to drive 6 hours to Phoenix to spend time with Brett's family for a few days of vacation. It was a great break from school (although it was right before finals for us) and a great opportunity to spend some quality time with family. The desert is an interesting landscape and is actually greener, at least this time of year, than you would expect. We also were able to see quite the variety of animals

A quail roaming near the pool.

I (Brett) saw this coyote on the golf course. I also saw a bobcat about 30 yards away while golfing, but didn't have the camera ready, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Went to an ostrich farm, and fed these funny looking creatures.

Feeding birds nectar as they hang all over us.

Cortney getting her neck licked by her new friend.

Cortney getting kissed by my uncle's Great Dane. Animals seem to really like licking her.

We went for a short hike in the Saguaro National Forest in Tuscon. Here is my brother in law, Jeremy, hugging this huge cactus.

2010-03-10T04:58:00.006+01:00

(what kid doesn't love being forced to have their picture taken by their parents in front of their school sign? Never gets old)

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Well, we've been busy these past months! Really, we do plan to write more specifically about how school is going and the everyday thoughts of life, but wanted to throw up a few photos from special visits with Brett's dad (who dropped by for a day as he was in Anaheim for business) and Cortney's parents who made took a long car trip from MN and after visits to TX and AZ, spent the week in Pasadena. It was fun to have our first visitors and show them around a bit and be tourists ourselves to some new places.

Going out for dinner with Brett's dad in Old Pasadena

With Cortney's dad on the deck of the Queen Mary with Long Beach in the background

Picnic at Huntington beach

Treated to a nice meal out!

A bit of hiking in the San Gabriel mountains a short drive from our apartment

We've become quite the bird enthusiasts in the last year and Brett enjoys trying to capture them on camera

Can't miss a visit to Hollywood- habitat of the rich and famous along with the dreamers of fame and the homeless alike...

Cortney's dad couldn't resist a photo with his hero

Cortney and her mom preferred Mickey

2010-02-12T00:57:00.000+01:00

Missing Norway...
So...I (Cortney) realize we have already not been so great at updating our blog. I hope to post some pictures soon (really), but since I'm really missing Norway today, I thought I'd say a little bit about that. Let me just preface by saying that things are going well here in Pasadena. We survived the first half of our first quarter, well, let me change that. We more than just "survived", we learned a lot, enjoy our classes immensely even with all the work that they bring (I'll even admit that I enjoy most of the homework!), and after receiving a few papers back, are pleased with how well we are doing so far!

So much more to say about life here, but today is an "I miss Norway day". Really though, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of the place and people there, but today, in this moment, my heart hurts! I'm so thankful that we have been able to keep in touch pretty well with Kelly who is still over there (and planning to embark on her 5th year this fall if all goes as planned!) via skype video conversations on the computer. It is exciting to hear all that God is continuing to do there and through Quest and the amazing people that are surrounding Kelly. It is also a blessing just to talk to Kelly who has really become family these past few years as we've all gone through life in Norway together. We've also been in touch with some students as well (though not nearly as much as we'd like!) so that is always great when we get to talk to them. It is even crazy that there are a few Norwegians here studying at Fuller that we've been able to talk with. One girl, Ruth, is in two of my three classes so that has been really great and crazy- who would have thought? Brett and my Norwegian speaking is rusty to say the least, but it is still exciting to be able to understand conversation and try to speak if we can.

So often when I am in my Global Theology class, I am reminded of Norway and little things constantly remind me to pray for the people I know there (and those I don't).All of this to say that I realize more and more how much a part of me that place has become. I still struggle with what God wants to do with the three years we spent there both for that place and also for our own lives and our future. It is now a part of who we are. Was our time there a season, will we ever go back? Of course we will go back to visit, but what will our relationship be with Norway in the future?

It is interesting how we can look back on that time in our life and how it was the most incredibly difficult (and there were many days we wanted to quit!), yet also feel it was the most amazing, blessed time. Certainly the most life-transforming. My heart hurts because I feel like I gave everything I had to whatever God wanted to do in and through me there- I gave so much of myself (more than I felt I had to give or wanted to give at times), so much of my heart. And I feel like a piece of me is still there. So strange. It hurts sometimes to not be there and be a part of all that is happening, to not know all the details of the lives of dear friends, especially as they are happening (we probably drive Kelly nuts asking for updates on everyone!). To not be able to physically get together and really pray and seek God together and see Him move in our midst. To feel like 3 years of my life sped by and now suddenly I don't get to see those people and that place anymore. I miss the hunger for God that I witnessed there especially the last year.And I still feel so strongly that God's destiny is on that place, on that group of people even, in a powerful way. I know we didn't always feel that way, but God knows it. Praise God that we will have two dear Norwegian friends staying with us for a couple of weeks in March, and Kelly and her roommate, Linn, hopefully coming in June. We are so excited.

Now, here in Pasadena, CA, I am trying to learn how to live in the present moment and place- to always know what an incredible blessing it is to be here doing what we are doing, yet also hold close our connection with Norway, while also being open for WHATEVER God may have planned for our future and to trust him in all of that. It is not an easy thing to do.

I could just keep going on, but I just wanted to send out to the world a big I MISS NORWAY today and a prayer that God's kingdom would come and His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, Amen.

2010-01-07T06:10:00.000+01:00

A New Journey on the Highway of Life has Begun!

While there is much we could say about the past months and weeks, for now we just wanted to check in and say that we are writing from our new apartment in Pasadena, California. Life seems a bit surreal at the moment- the 70+ degree weather in January contributing greatly to that feeling! We arrived here one week ago today and have almost completed our first week of classes. Needless to say, we are experiencing many new things and many more to come!

We are doing well though, feeling more settled each day, and doing our best to meet new friends and complete our assignments while also exploring this foreign territory. The picture above is the 14 lane highway that exists just across the street! Though the city-feel will take some getting used to, the surrounding view of the mountains is a blessing and we look forward to venturing out to both them, as well as the beach,.that are both within easy driving distance.

We are excited by our classes and thank God every day for the privilege of being able to learn from great minds and hearts and be surrounded by such an intellectually and spiritually stimulating environment. Many more thoughts (and pictures) to come!

We do still miss Norway, however, and are experiencing more reverse culture shock here than in Minnesota (where our also very much missed family resides). Hopefully we will have time in the craziness of life to write here often with our observations, thoughts, and questions. Please keep us in prayer as we adjust to this next phase of life. We already have been blessed with the beginnings of some friendships with great potential and have felt very welcome in the Fuller community that we live amongst.

We pray that 2010 is off to a great start for you as well and the year is full of wondrous adventures and life-changing experiences with the God who loves you so much.
Blessings!

2009-11-21T15:30:00.005+01:00

A Reminder...

In case you didn't know, or forgot about it, if you are going to be in the cities area TOMORROW (Sunday, November 22), Brett and I are hosting a Lunch and Celebration of our 3 years in Norway at Woodbury Lutheran Church in the Youth Room (called "The Bridge") @ 12:30pm.

We will provide lunch and take some time to share what God has done in and through us during our time in Norway-and what He is still doing- show some pictures, and share a short video with some of our Norwegian students sharing their hearts.

Anyone is welcome, it would be wonderful to see you!

More Updates coming SOON! :)

2009-10-30T02:11:00.005+01:00

Some Enjoyable times back in Minnesota

Though we've had some rough moments of missing life in Norway since we've returned to the U.S., we've also had many wonderful moments with family and friends. It has been special to be back for the longest period of time since we moved over 3 years ago. We are enjoying the times of conversation and quality time with our loved ones back here. Here are just a few highlights, with more to come!

I was able to go up and visit my younger sister, Danielle, in Duluth for a girls weekend since her husband was out of town. It was really nice to be back in my home for my college years and 2 years of doing student ministry afterward. I was reminded again how much I have missed it (and my sister!)

Another weekend, Brett and I were able to make it up to Duluth together and spend a great few days with dear friends and my sister and her husband, Grant. Our good friends, Dan and Sarah DeLaForest are now living next door to them, so we had a great time together. We also were able to have dinner at Chuck and Sally Haavik's with them and our friends and Chi Alpha ministry partners, Jay and Lindsey Sykes (and their new adopted son, Caleb, from Ethiopia!) for an early birthday dinner for me. Turning 28 seemed crazy to me, but it was so wonderful to celebrate with some of our dearest friends. There is just something special about Duluth and the relationships we have from our time there. We left after that trip being so encouraged and hungry to see God continue to move there and each of our lives. It is so evident that He has amazing plans for every person in that community. What a special group of people!

GO TWINS!!!

Yes, I know they didn't make it all the way, but they sure went farther than people thought. We were blessed to be able to be at the game against the Tigers that many are labeling an "instant classic". I (Cortney) have grown up being a Twins fan and been to quite a few games, but I have to say that this was the best game I've EVER been to! (My dad agrees and he's been to many more than I!). It was a ton of fun and a packed stadium of homer hanky wavers. Brett even lost his voice from yelling so much! (The video below shows why!) . We also went to the playoff game against the Yankees that ended up being the official last Twins game at the metrodome (I guess i don't have to tell you who we are rooting for in the World Series- Go Phillies!). Sad day! But hoping to make it to at least one game next summer in the new outdoor stadium! Gotta love MN baseball!

WEDDING!!
And who can forget the fun times had at Brett's sister, Brooke's, wedding in August? It was a great time had by all. What a beautiful bride and a Jeremy a great new addition to the family. It was great to also have Cortney's whole family there. We danced the night away! (Pictures taken by the wedding photographer)

2009-10-15T16:41:00.008+02:00

Saying Goodbye to Trondheim...for now

view from Gløshaugen (science and engineering campus)

Our last weeks in Trondheim were bittersweet as we tried to savor the last of the beautiful summer scenery and spend time with loved ones before departing for the U.S. Three years has flown by, yet at the same time when I think of all that has happened and how we have been changed- it is remarkable how much God can do in only three years.

Brett and I were blessed to be able to have some time to reflect on our experiences living in Norway after we returned from Italy and before attending the annual Students for Christ conference (Connect '09- see entries below!) in Brussels. When we returned from Brussels, we jumped right into the first week of arriving freshmen students. We had a group of students help us to share about Quest at the freshmen orientation in which they experienced many God-given connections with new students interested in getting involved.

It was a great chance for us to pray for what God has in store for the students of Trondheim this next year. Of course it was also difficult knowing that we were not going to be there to be a physical part of it all. We were encouraged though, watching our students boldly introduce themselves to new students and show enthusiasm for the community that God has brought together.

Immatrikulering= freshmen orientation

one of many beautiful Trondheim sunsets (from outside our apartment) lasting hours into the night

Brett and I took a biking camping adventure for one night- was really tough, but a worthwhile adventure!

Chuck and Sally Haavik were in Trondheim from the states for a few days after Brussels and invited many of our good friends out for a nice dinner

Day Before Departure- Goodbye BBQ

Some of our key students (and dear friends) who were freshmen last fall and have really been transformed by God through Quest

My good friend Tea- we have many wonderful conversations about life, God, and faith (still talking on Skype!)

Some of our favorite people- we are blessed! Many tears this day...

Hanging out at our close friends' house (OJ and Annette) our last night (we rented their upper level with Kelly our first year in Norway and stayed with them our last 2 nights in Trondheim)- was meaningful to spend it in a familiar, relaxing way with them and Kelly, Magnus, and Linn Cecilie

Our "Team", more accurately family, of 3 years- We love and miss you Kelly! (Kelly remained in Trondheim to continue working with Quest- we are continuing to hear great things!)

Me and Annette- we will miss her and OJ and their adorable little boys! Our last night in this place, spending it with them had a little bit of the "coming full circle" feeling to it.

Needless to say, the next morning was a difficult ride to the airport at 4am. I cried the whole way there! But I have to remind myself that it is the tears that are evidence of the love that we have experienced in that place, the relationships that have shaped us. If there were no tears, no breaking of our hearts to leave, we'd have to wonder if it was all really worth it. Thank God that there is no doubt about that.

2009-10-04T23:19:00.006+02:00

amsterdam, netherlands

We were blessed to be able to take a few extra days on our way to Brussels to finally venture outside the Amsterdam airport. Brett, Kelly, and I spent 3 days bonding in what we soon found to be a really interesting city.

below: coolest public library I've ever seen (and the view from the top floor cafe)!

We decided to indulge and get a taste of America at the Hard Rock Cafe. Note: when travelling in Amsterdam, feel free to stop at the cafes, but avoid those marked "coffee shop"- this is where people hang out smoke marijuana, which is legal here- don't worry, you'll be able to tell by the haze pouring out of the front door!
One of my (Cortney) highlights was visiting the Anne Frank House museum. Reading The Diary of Anne Frank was my inspiration to consistently journal starting when I was in elementary school and continuing to this day! Emotional to hear the story of her life as we walked through the actual rooms they lived in hiding and see her real journal. She named hers "Kitty", so I had named mine too. :)One aspect of Amsterdam was heartwrentching in its reality. Our hostel was on the edge of the redlight district (a Christian hostel dedicated to reaching out to the area and to those passing through) and we saw firsthand the tragedy that holds so many in bondage- the selling of human beings. Looking eye-to-eye with those behind the glass, it is impossible to not feel burdened by the need of these cherished ones of God to experience true love and acceptance as only He can give. And so we pray with increased vigor that the Kingdom of God would break into this place and set people free...

2009-10-04T22:38:00.004+02:00

CONNECT 09 STUDENT TRAINING IN BRUSSELS

Finally we are putting some updates on here from our 10 days spent in Brussels, Belgium in August for our annual gathering with Students for Christ Europe. Check out the slideshow that was put together and a few other photos below! As always, it was an amazing time and we were all changed as we experienced more of God in our lives through incredible teaching, worship, and community. So glad we could be there and bring some Norwegians with us!

3 Americans, 2 Norwegians, and 2 Fiinns :)

Cortney getting to help out with worship

The Norwegian team with our new Finnish friends

Being goofy- Siri Helene with Chuck and Sally Haavik; Brett and Kirk Priest (doing SFC in Germany)

2009-09-18T01:57:00.005+02:00

We're still here...
Just want you who are actually following our blog to know that we haven't forgotten you and that we still plan to keep this up even though we are moved back to the U.S. as of August 16. It's hard to believe we have been back for 1 month already!
Much to say, much to catch up on, many pictures to post! It's been a little crazy since we've been back, but we promise to update as soon as possible!
Thank you for your prayers- Brussels was amazing!!! And our transition back has been going well, even though of course we miss Norway very much (we've been hearing many encouraging things that have been happening with Quest this semester!)- it still hasn't quite sunk in that we won't be returning there soon. We continue to need your prayers for the transition and we will keep you in ours!
You'll hear from us again soon!

Our last week in Trondheim

2009-07-31T14:28:00.002+02:00

Hello from Brussels!

Right now Brett and I are in Brussels, Belgium for our "Connect 09" (formally known as CSM) annual student training. We are having an amazing time and really experiencing God and learnign so much! There are around 90 of us here and it is so exciting to reconnect with staff who are doing student ministry around Europe and gather with students who are around the continent and world.

I thought I'd briefly just share what are days are like here and ask if you would be praying for the days ahead with us. That students would continue to experience the love of God in even greater ways, that they would get a hunger to go deeper in their faith and commitment to Christm gain a passion for reaching out to their universities and that the Holy Spirit would be leading and guiding us every step of the way. Thank you! We truly believe this time to be precious and huge part of building the momentum for the year ahead. God wants to use these students to reach Europe!

The conference is for 10 days which allows relationships to be more fully developed and an opportunity to really dive in and get a better idea of the SFC (Studetns for Christ Europe) community, be encouraged, and be empowered to go back to where we are all from and implement what we have learned.

Here is a breakdown of the schedule:

8-8:30 breakfast

9-9:30 Worship

9:30-10:30 Class (students have signed up for a specific themed class that they will attend the entire 10 days. 1st time students are enouraged to attend the one entitled "Reach the U" but other classes offered are about Adventurous Faith, Life in the Spirit: Living the intimate life, Unraveling the Mystery of the New Testament (Kelly, Brett, and I are taking this one- it is so great and we are learing so much!) and Acts...I may be missing something, but you get the idea. :)

10:30-10:45 break

10:45-11:45 Class again

11:45-12:00 Break

12:00-1:00 Elective (can choose from differnent relevant topics that pertain to living as Christian in this world) or Coaching= gathering in our country groups to pray, talk, and plan for reaching students in our specific cities and universities)

1:00-4:00 Lunch and free time

4:15-5:15 Small Groups (students are mixed together in a group they have througout the conference to discuss how things are going, what they are learning, and pray for oneanother, Staff meets together to discuss, evaluate and pray for our SFC Europe ministry)

6:30-7:15 Evening meal

8:00-9:30 Evening meeting (worship, speaker, group interaction,etc.)

So there you have it! It is a full 10 days!! We try to make it not only listening to teaching, but interactive and participatory as well. It is a really powerful week for everyone who attends. So keep us in your prayers and we will update you when we return and have some photos to share as well!

This time is bittersweet for us with the knowlege that, at least for a time, we will be leaving Europe, but it is truly a blessing to again be a part of this. It is amazing to be a part such an incredible Europe-wide community (with plenty of Americans in the mix as well!)

Thank you for your prayers- they make a difference! You are in our prayers as well.

2009-07-11T21:33:00.022+02:00

Some Snapshots of our trip to Italy (June12-27)!!!

So, I know these are a lot of pictures, but considering we took over 800, this was the best I could do at narrowing them down to some of the highlights! The picture above was our first night in Italy, in Rome. It was Brett's birthday, so I had made reservations at a well-known, pretty fancy restaurant called Piperno's in the old Jewish quarter of the city. It was great! Not often that we sit down to a 4 course meal at a place like that! It was true Roman cuisine complete with the highly recommended Jewish-style fried artichoke for an appetizer.

Our first full day we spent a large amount of time in Vatican city, visiting the Vatican museum including the Sistine chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. Incredibly interesting and a little bizarre at the same time. What a different world!

Michealangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling and wall of The Last Judgment- quite impressive!

We climbed the 300+ stairs to the top of St. Peter's basilica and overlooked St. Peter's square, Vatican city, and Rome

The next day we visited the Colosseum, Palentine Hill, and the Roman Forum. Makes you realize how the things we create on this earth and build up for ourselves truly don't last! Erie to think that these places were once the center of Roman civilization. Little could they know that one day throngs of tourists would be lining up to pay admission and take photographs of what little is left in piles of ruin. But definitely an experience to remember!

Of course we also visited the Pantheon, Rome's oldest and best-preserved building from antiquity. The inside was beautiful.
And of course there was lots of Roman-style pizza to be had! Got to be the best there is!

After 2.5 days in Rome, we were ready to move to quieter places and went to our place for 5 nights in the town of Corniglia in Cinque Terre (5 villages along the northwestern coast). Absolutely breathtaking with an amazing view from the private balcony (see 3 pictures below the next) of our very nice apartment. Memorable and would gladly go back again!

Had the chance to swim in the ocean and it was great! Until of course, right after the picture above when Cortney sliced open her hand on a rock and had to hurry to the hospital in another town to get stitched up. Little scary, but we didn't let it take away from the rest of the trip!

We were really looking forward to the many hiking opportunities available along the Cinque Terre and were not disappointed. Here we are on the easier path between all the villages and this spot overlooking the village of Vernazza. So picturesque!

We also went on a longer, more difficult higher path and it was one of the highlights of our trip- 5.5 hrs. of beautiful views of the coast, mountains, forest, and vineyards. A bit treacherous trail in parts, but well-worth the challenge!

Another village, Monterosso known for it's stretch of beach.

Some more village scenes- there were Italian cats everywhere- Cortney was in heaven!

Next stop was 7 nights in the countryside of Tuscany where we had a rented car. Another diversely beautiful part of Italy. In every direction are rolling hills of forest, vineyards, olive groves and cyprus trees.Another surprise- an incredible 180 degree view of the countryside from our own private balcony/patio. We were so blessed!

The lovely hill town of San Gimignano. Only 15 of its original 72 towers are remaining. The only place on the trip we visited twice!

And of course we made the trip to Florence which was not far by car. Neat city, but by this part of the trip, less than a day was perfect for us!

Stopping for lunch on another hiking adventure. We followed a book Cortney got from the library entitled Walking in Tuscany because there was a 4hr. route near where we were staying. Well, long story short, 8.5 hrs. later and a hitched ride from an nice Italian family the remaining 7km and we were finally back at our car, completely exhausted! Makes for a competing TV series, don't you think? Lost: Tuscany Forest. Needless to say, won't be using that book again! But we did see some amazing parts of Tuscany that you just can't experience from a car or being in a city. And got a good work-out besides!

View while lost of San Gimignano

Cortney looking quite tired wandering in someone's vineyard
Also made it to Sienna (yes, we were everywhere) and enjoyed the atmosphere of what is considered to be Italy's loveliest square and sight of the infamous Palio bareback horse race- too bad we were just a few days too early!Cortney is very excited about yet another gelato-tasting experience

Thought this was great- two very Italian older men

And how amazing to see large fields of sunflowers

Phew! Well that just scratches the surface of our trip- we saw so much!- but it was amazing and thank you for your prayers and well-wishes! It was truly a trip of a lifetime and a wonderful experience to share together. Now we are taking a little time to relax from the vacation (you know how that is, I'm sure!) and to prepare ourselves for the transition ahead and our Students for Christ conference in Belgium July 28-August 8 (which we have 2 Norwegian students and 1 alumni coming with- woohoo!).
We can still use your prayers for all of this as it is as thinking about and preparing to leave Norway is incredibly difficult! Returning here from Italy reminded us even more how incredibly beautiful it is here and how this has truly become our second home.
Thank you and more updates soon!

2009-06-11T20:05:00.002+02:00

We're off to Italy!!!
Just want to ask that you be praying for us as we travel and that all would go smoothly. We've been planning this trip for almost a year so it's hard to believe we're actually leaving tomorrow! Unfortunately, Cortney's health hasn't been too good this week and she actually had a trip to the hospital on Tuesday because she fainted twice in the early morning and was feeling really sick. Thankfully, all the many tests taken came back okay, so we're hoping it was just a one-time combination of perhaps dehydration, stress, etc. She's still not feeling 100% so if you can pray that she would be well to fully enjoy our trip, that would be great! We will leave tomorrow on Brett's birthday, and land in Rome until the 15th, we then travel to Cinque Terre where we will be staying in the village of Corniglia until the 20th, and then renting a car and heading to Tuscany where we will stay until the 27th in the countryside. Can't wait! This trip is truly a blessing from God and we look forward to sharing with you about it when we return!
Have a great 2 weeks! Love and miss you!

2009-06-11T12:49:00.010+02:00

Living in one of the most Beautiful Places on Earth

above: view looking towards the downtown area of Trondheim

all of these photos are from places within walking distance of where we live
Norway's national flower called hvitveis (white anemone)

one of the many traditional coffee houses that are set up along hiking trails through woods and fields

2009-06-08T15:26:00.009+02:00

We are definitely feeling the Love....

Last month we were given quite the shock when we showed up for our weekly discipleship group that we lead. We came all prepared to study Matthew, but when we opened the door to Kelly's apartment, we were met with a big, roaring "SURPRISE!!!" We were shocked to see over 35-40 people crammed together to give us an appreciation/goodbye party. Thankfully it was more of the appreciation part and less of the goodbyes because we will still be in Trondheim until August (though many students are now leaving for the summer). But we still had to hold back tears as we looked around the room at so many wonderful friends and thanked them for all that they have meant to us these past nearly 3 years. We were also blessed above and beyond by a very generous gift of money to go towards our Italy trip that we head out on this Friday for 2 weeks. God never ceases to amaze us with the blessings he pours out on our lives. What a wonderful night! Thank you Kelly, Linn, and Magnus for doing such a great planning job and managing to keep it a secret! And thank you to all who came and made it such a memorable night. We truly feel loved and love all of you right back!

Our faces as we realized what was happening!And us re-enacting our "surprise faces" :)

Funny story: I, Cortney, after much deliberation, had decided to chop off my long hair at my first Norwegian hair-cut....and it just happened to be the day of this party. I didn't have time to do anything to it myself before coming to Kelly's and was already nervous just to see the 8 people who would be there, so imagine what was going through my head when I realized how many people I was now going to see! What a debut...yikes. Still getting used to the hair (what's left of it), but got to say I've now had more time to work with it than in these photos! :)

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Syttende Mai!!! (May 17th, Norway's Independence Day)
HURRA!!

This year we got to experience our third 17th of May celebration from a different vantage point- we got to be in it! Many Christians in Trondheim came together to march behind a sign that said: "Sammen for Jesus" or "Together for Jesus". It was a great change to join others who marched for different organizations and causes by walking and singing about who Jesus is in our lives. I think we were one of the larger trains so it was neat to be a part of. In the pictures above you'll see some of our good friends wearing their tradition Norwegian "bunad". Many people receive these when they are younger (or all desire to have one someday) and they are very expensive and worn proudly to events like this, as well as confirmations, weddings, etc. Different regions of Norway have different designs and colors, so it is really neat to see when everyone is wearing them!

One thing we like about the Norwegian parades that is different than many U.S. parades is that they don't consist of fancy floats or crazy antics, but rather simply celebrate People. You can stand and watch a few hours of people just walking by for different reasons, all decked out in their traditional outfits and cheer them on with a "Hurra!". It is quite special to experience (even if it can get a little long after a while!). Then, it's off for some pølser, or hotdogs, and is, or icecream. BBQ is also a common thing to do in the later afternoon with family and friends. Interesting traditions- so glad we get to experience what makes this culture truly Norwegian!

2009-06-04T13:27:00.003+02:00

End of the Semester Happenings

The exam period is now in full swing, so we've been planning less events ahead of time, and being more spontaneous. This seems to work much better for stressed out students who imagine they will be studying non-stop for a month but soon realize that taking occasional breaks (and a bit of procrastination as well) is quite necessary! We had our final waffle give-away of the semester at the Dragvoll campus and were thrilled to have so many students show up to help out. Kelly, Brett, and I only had to show up with the stuff and then just stand back and pray while the students took charge making waffles and starting up conversations with students. What a great feeling to see our hearts' desire for more student ownership of Quest and leadership be realized.

Another desire being realized more often now is that of more sun and warmth! We've had some days now where we've joined throngs of Norwegian students in soaking in the rays. These pictures show one of the most typical places to do that, called Marinen, in Norwegian. It is right near the river going through the city and not far from the Gløshaugen campus. As we jokingly say, "the time of nakedness in Norway is upon us!" Sure doesn't fit so much with some of the other Norwegian cultural characteristics of trying not to be noticed! ;)

And, although this is not such a great picture below, Cortney was able to finally have some of the amazing ladies from Dragvoll over for a ladies night, complete with Norwegian dessert waffles and great conversation. These girls, (from second on the left), Siri Helene, Line, Ragnhild, and Ane have been key student involved with Quest this year. We met all of them in the fall as new students to the university and they have been incredible answers to so many prayers. Not only have we seen many of our hopes for Quest realized in their lives and the community they have helped create, but they have been a source of encouragement to us that has blessed us tremendously.

Fun Fact: Right now, Trondheim is experiencing long days of light! The official sunrise is at 3:17am and the sunset at 11:15pm, though it is virtually light all throughout the night. We've been trying to darken our windows to help with sleeping but it makes it easier to be out longer in the evenings which is fun!

2009-05-18T21:50:00.006+02:00

NORWAY= EUROVISION 2009 WINNER!
"I'm in Love, with a Fairytale..."

Europe was wowed by this years Norwegian entrant (amidst interesting contestants from all over the continent) and we got to be a part of the experience- people are singing this song and playing it everywhere we go. Trust me, odd as it is, it really is a huge deal here in Europe! Now Norway will be next year's hosts for the contest. Congratulations Alexander. Yay Norway!

click on this link to view performance

2009-05-18T20:29:00.005+02:00

Our Easter Adventure in Rauland
(a highlight of our time here in Norway)

2009-04-09T18:18:00.003+02:00

Quest Winter Weekend Get-Away in Søvassli

March 6-8

Finally, an update about our winter retreat! Feel free to take a few minutes to view the slideshow above to get a better idea about the great time we had. There were 12 of us who drove 1.5 hours to a snowy mountaintop to get away with God and each other. As always, this was a great time to bond as we spent the days and nights together playing games, hiking, worshipping, praying, and making meals together. What was different about this time is some of the even greater openness we witnessed in many of the students through tears, laughter, and the sharing of our hearts. We felt like God was really bringing us together to encourage and lift on-another up. We all left feeling closer to each other and God. After times like these we always seem to see significant growth in relationships so it was a blessing to spend this precious time together. We only wish we could do it more often! We are continually reminded about the importance of community and how God enriches our relationships with a deeper love and greater authenticity.

It was such a blessing also to have a dear friend come along with us who is not a Christian but who is genuinely seeking to know God more and learn more about the Christian faith, especially the life of Jesus, through us. It is simply the acceptance, love and peace that our friend feels in relationship and community with us (since we arrived in Norway, in fact) that has deepened the desire to more recently actively seek out God. To learn from oneanother and to be a part of this process in our friend's life (with no pressure or strings attached) is truly a blessing and honor. Isn't this how the Christian community should be- welcoming all in and journeying together? It brings fresh new meaning to the concept of "belonging before belief" and we feel it enriches our lives just as much. It certainly seems to be the way that Jesus would have wanted it. May we all pray that God would so fill our hearts with his love for people that all we meet are naturally drawn to Jesus.

2009-04-09T18:17:00.003+02:00

Fredrik and Brett at our table at the university- we were giving out free coffee and talking with students about prayer and faith

"Quest" has truly become more than just a word to us these past two years. Even more so this semester. To see God answering our prayers of forming a community for students where they feel connected, cared for, and challenged in their faith is truly a blessing to us in this time. Hearing encouraging words and creative ideas coming from students has given us a focus, strength and joy that we really need for this semester. It still surprises us when students tell us how thankful they are for "Quest" and how they don't know where they would be without it! To know that lives are being transformed and foundations are being laid that will have lasting effect in lives is something that brings us to our knees at God's faithfulness. There is a hunger that we have not seen often here since we arrived.
God is stirring something in Trondheim...thank you for your prayers! May you also be assured that God knows the desires of your heart and He is faithful!

Our monthly Worship Night/Lovsangskveld at the university- now almost entirely led by students

Chuck Haavik leading "Developing Prophetic/Holy Spirit Community" Seminar at Kelly's- great turnout and response and everyone received individual prayer

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Some Winter Scenes in TrondheimOur neighbor's home and zoomed view from our kitchen window of downtown- yes, we still have lots of snow!!

Forest and lake within walking distance of our apartment- many places to walk and ski

That's Cortney looking very small in the forest!

Nidaros Domen (Cathedral in Trondheim)- The International Student Festival projected images onto the front

2009-03-04T12:20:00.016+01:00

48 Hours in PARIS

From the top of the Eiffel Tower (which really is incredible to see in person)

Notre Dame at night

inside and in the day-
pretty amazing

Jumping for joy at Sacre Coeur

Along the River Seine

Ever seen the movie French Kiss?
Triumphing at the Arc de TriompheThe ever mysterious and infamous Louvre Museum

3 hours to search
Inside the Louvre

Venus de Milo

Winged Victory (Nike) of Samothrace

Hmm...should we be more impressed? The Mona Lisa

The often ignored HUGE and impressive painting on the wall directly behind the Mona Lisa

Time for some delicious chocolate crepes from a street vendor. YUM.

Some French Scenes:

Found out later that this bookstore is incredibly famous and many well-known authors frequented it- Cortney just thought it looked amazing! Too bad we didn't stop...

On the way up to Sacre Coeur, near where Amélie was filmed

Small village in the French countryside on the train from Toulouse to Paris

2009-03-02T21:21:00.011+01:00

January SFC Prayer Weekend in FRANCE

Our apologies that we have been a little behind on the blogging lately. Lots going on so haven't had the time and lots to share with you from the past months! We'll try to give you a somewhat brief update and mostly try to communicate some highlights through pictures.January 22-26 we attended our annual SFC Prayer Weekend. Each year, the last weekend in January, university missionaries in a different country in Europe host this even for SFC staff. This year we were blessed with getting to travel to France! We spent the weekend in Toulouse where our dear friends are native SFC workers, and despite the rather chilly and rainy weather and high winds, it was an amazing time as always. And we definitely worked hard!

Friday morning and afternoon: participated in a seminar/discussion on the theology of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament and how this should influence our SFC ministries. It was a very enlightening and challenging time. We then began the typical prayer routine:

Friday night: breaking into small groups and praying for each individuals personal needs.
Saturday: praying and fasting as each country gave a short presentation on what is happening with their student ministries, where they hope to go in the future, and ministry prayer needs- we spent 9 hours straight together praying! Saturday afternoon we were able to spend a little time getting a tour of downtown Toulouse.

Sunday: combined business meeting and prayer for SFC. Needless to say, we were quite exhausted by the end of the weekend, but also incredibly encouraged and with fresh vision for the semester.

We always love being with what has become our SFC "family" here in Europe. It is such an amazing group of people and we feel blessed to be a part of such a loving and enjoyable community. It has truly made a huge difference to us since we moved to Norway.

Cortney giving the Norway country report

Gathered around a country map to pray for it and those working there

Our Norway team being prayed for

Kelly and Cortney with Nadine who is pioneering student ministry in Seville, Spain

St. Sernin's Basilica

Strolling in downtown Toulouse

Eating French dinner creps

After the weekend, Kelly and the two of us had to take the train to Paris to get the best flight back to Trondheim. We had decided we couldn't miss the opportunity to see this amazing city, so we decided to spend 2 nights in a hostel and try to see as much as possible of the city's sights in less than 48 hours. Yikes! We'll post some pictures of our Paris adventure in the next post- we had a blast and went home with aching feet!

2009-01-10T11:45:00.006+01:00

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Home being a relative term of course because we have also tried to make a home for ourselves in Norway as much as is possible, but being with family definitely adds a deeper sense of being "Home" and seeing as we were in Norway the last 2 Christmases, it was a blessing to be able to to celebrate with loved ones. Of course the 3 1/2 weeks went by much too quickly, but we had a lot of memories to take back with us. We were also able to see some dear friends who were in town that made us realize even more how much we miss them. We experienced a different level of culture shock during this return trip but also appreciate the many conveniences and openness and warmth of Americans- shocking as it seemed to us at times! We think we managed to spend as equal of time as possible with both families (we are fortunate they live only a 10 min. drive away) so left feeling both satisfied and exhausted!

The trip gave us much to think about as we pray about our move back to the states in July or the beginning of August and our future plans. Please pray for us as we both continue the process of applying for grad school at a several seminaries. We want to make sure we are doing what God wants us to do and that we accomplish all that He has for us to accomplish during the remainder of our time here in Norway. Prayers for creativity, focus, and motivation for the new semester are much needed as well as for the transition time for the ministry. We pray that you had a blessed holiday season as well and are filled with peace, excitement and hope for what 2009 will bring! We are so thankful for you in our lives!

Our visit to Duluth was a cold and snowy one, but great to spend the weekend with Danielle and Grant Visiting the Haavik family in Duluth

We did manage to find a few moments to rest at home and spend New Years at Brett's family's log home cabin- 12 people and 5 dogs!

Father-Son bonding and a miracle full family pic!Cortney's youngest nephew Colton has gotten big and happy since April!
The Kenow family

Good playing time in with the niece and nephews- miss them!

Cortney had the attention of all three at one point!

2008-12-09T22:45:00.004+01:00

Ski "Hopping" World Cup in Trondheim

Had a great time on Saturday seeing our first ski jumping competition (photos courtesy of Kelly and Linn). We were freezing but cheering on the Norwegian and International competitors with gusto (check out the video below!) What a fun experience- and guess what? We made it on TV! So we are of course now famous to all those who tuned in all around Europe ;)

painting our faces of course- go Norge!

Kiira cheered on her homeland of Finland while Linn was die-hard for Norway, and Kelly split her cheering between Norway and her other heritage from Poland

Our friends Gijs from Netherlands and Magnus from Norway

2008-12-05T15:52:00.004+01:00

THANKSGIVING AND MORE WINTER FUN

For those of you who have been wondering, we had a great Thanksgiving celebrating here in Norway with good friends. Of course we missed our families in the U.S. but we did our best to recreate traditional dishes and demonstrated the spirit of Thanksgiving to our international friends. We had more than enough food! Brett and I were able to celebrate Saturday with his basketball coach (who is an American married to a Norwegian) and his family and neighbors, and Sunday we threw a big party at Kelly's apartment. At one point we counted 30 people all cozily squeezed in the one room!
Lately we've been enjoying having a little more time as things have slowed down a bit during the exam period. We even went ice skating last night in the center of the city downtown- it was so much fun! We are also really looking forward to when we will board the plane next Saturday to spend Christmas with family and friends in MN. We hope that we will get to see as many of you as we can if you are in the Twin Cities area!

Kelly made her first turkey! Success!

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The brave and graceful skating group

Team U.S.A. ;)

2008-11-27T11:08:00.005+01:00

Not to put a damper on the Thanksgiving mood, but I highly recommend taking a little time to watch this video (just click on the picture above to get to the website and push play). It is a good reminder of (or perhaps new insight into) what I would say is most of our consumer lifestyles, and what the result of our choices are- how it affects much more than we can see. Hopefully it will inspire you to think more seriously about how we consume. We have a lot to be thankful for to be sure, but there is a lot that we can do without and a lot of choices we can make everyday that will prevent us from being a part of a system that is destroying the planet and lives all over the world. The world is getting smaller in many ways and we have a responsibility to be aware of how we are contributing to what is happening in it.
Please take some time to be informed.
I am reminded again how thankful I am for the things that really matter: relationships with family and friends, and having my basic needs provided for- all the extra "stuff" should mean little in light of that. My prayer is that I would be aware of my how my actions affect the world as well as engaged in learning to live more sustainably. To me this is one powerful way to grow in love for others.

P.S. I read about this video on our friends Richard and Angela's website: http://richyangbaby.blogspot.com/. They are really an inspiration to me and are doing a lot to be involved in these issues in their everyday life, especially with their first child on the way. Feel free to check it out!

2008-11-26T20:12:00.010+01:00

Much to be Thankful for

Here are some scenes from the past months starting with the most recent! As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded of how much we truly have to be thankful to God for. How crazy that we ended up in Norway but yet how incredible the grace of God that brought us here. And how amazing that He has blessed us with so many wonderful friends from all over the world and families that love and support us- for those of you that are not with us- we miss you and will miss celebrating Thanksgiving with family, but you are all in our hearts! We are thankful for YOU- may you experience the fullness of God's love each and ever day as expressed so wonderfully through Jesus and know you are in our thoughts and prayers!

Yep, the snow has come! This is the street we live on. Probably around 3:30 in the afternoon when it is almost dark (right now- sunrise: 9:13, sunset: 2:54)

Our Discipleship Group Cabin Adventure
Before...
3 hrs. later after wading through waist-deep snow and realizing we aren't going to make it to the cabin...

sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and admit defeat- but we still had a great time spending the night at our friends' place and grilling outside the next day! The Norwegian wilderness can be beautiful but brutal!

What a great group of hard-core Norwegians ;)

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Friends Nicholas and Jessica Lusk who we know from Duluth and are doing YWAM's "Around the World" trip, decided to spend the end of their experience traveling to different missionaries they knew around Europe so spend a week with us in Trondheim. Was great to spend time getting to know them better and have welcomed company!

couldn't resist sharing this "jumping picture"- Hilarious!

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QUEST
Been getting some creative ideas from our freshmen students to engage people at the university campus. For example: How long can you hold a bottle of liquid to win a gift certificate and free house cleaning??? Students really had a good time with this one. We've had more help from students than ever before which has made a huge difference- especially having fluent Norwegian speakers! :)

Trying to have a Quest table every other week now to engage students in conversation by giving out free coffee and asking them what they think about certain life questions like, "If you could have one question answered in life what would it be?" or "What is happiness in your life?" This one resulted in two of the students helping us to have a great hour long discussion with some classmates about faith!Our group of 9 meeting every Tuesday night (a miracle!) to eat dinner together, worship and pray, and discuss the Sermon on the Mount with The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. It has been so life-giving and a great example of Christian community seeking to live out the teachings of Jesus.

Fall Weekend Get-Away

Crazy Norwegians (and one Dutch)! :) There were 10 of us that had a really great time together seeking God. Thank you for your prayers! We tried some new things like different stations of worship combining elements of art, meditation on scripture, visuals, journaling, etc. This was a challenge but also an enlightening experience as we tried to make the weekend one of participation (instead of just "preaching") and learning how to combine intimacy with God into our everyday experiences and passions- something that is really a challenge for students here. Our prayer is that these young adults would experience freedom in their personal relationships with God and who they are created to be in a way that gives them an excitement and hunger to grow deeper in their faith.The art corner was a hit! One of the pictures made by a Norwegian:

verses to focus on, candles to light for friends and family we are praying for

Afternoon hike in the forest...really beautiful

2008-11-10T21:01:00.002+01:00

Renewed in knowledge…

This semester I (Brett) have had a weekly Bible study with a friend who’s studying at the science and engineering campus of the university. We have gone through Colossians together and have now moved on to Acts. I just wanted to share a few thoughts from what we have talked about in Colossians.

There is a common verse that is quoted often, Col. 3:10, “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (NIV). I have often, if not always, associated this to mean that somehow the new self becomes more knowledgeable. My first impression of the word ‘knowledge’ has to do with the scientific knowledge in my brain, my ability to know facts, how something functions, comprehend God, etc. But as Magnus and I slowed down to really look at this verse in English and Norwegian, I became interested in the original Greek word too.

The common Greek word “Gnosis” in fact is closely connected with my first impression of the English word “knowledge.” But the word used in Col. 3:10 is not gnosis, but “epignosis,” which can be translated as recognition, full discernment, or acknowledgement. Actually the KJV of this verse uses ‘acknowledgement’ instead of “knowledge,” so this really interests me.

As we studied the surrounding verses to understand Paul’s original intent, this really opened up a new and deeper meaning for me. The paragraph where this verse is found (3:5-11), Paul is communicating to the recipients to put to death a list of things that cause harm to the individual committing it, but perhaps even more so to the object of this action—another person. Apparently there is “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language” (v. 8) present in this community; all of which have a direct consequence between two different people no matter how internalized they may be. So when Paul continues to say, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” he is going way beyond one person’s mental capacity to know things and is directly speaking to how they treat and relate with one another. This is in fact much more penetrating to the heart and requires serious attention in each of our lives.

Let’s go a little farther if you’re still with me. :) “Renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” If you are renewed in your recognition or acknowledgement of the image of Creator God, then you can ask what is the image of the Creator? This is a reference to Genesis when God created man and women in His image. If all people are created in the image of God, then every person is worthy of honor and respect. Paul is clearly pointing out to the Colossians their lack of recognition of God’s image in each person surrounding them.

We are called to acknowledge each person we meet as though they are created in the image of God, because that is what we are. Paul continues on to one of my favourite passages in the Bible when he uses the imagery of clothing, “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (3:12,14).

As a follower of Jesus, my new self has been put on, and it is (or should be) an extremely visible existence like the clothes I wear. It is not a magical event of receiving more knowledge in my brain, but a transformed life in how I see and love those around me. May you and I continually be renewed in acknowledgement of the image of God in each person we relate to today.

2008-11-06T09:28:00.004+01:00

An Historic Time to be Alive
Regardless of who you voted for, I think we all have to admit that this is an historic time for America and an amazing opportunity to witness the kind of change that has occurred in our nation. That for the first time in its history, an African American has been elected president. Brett and I, to speak for ourselves, found it to be quite a significant and emotional day.

2008-11-04T14:40:00.006+01:00

Some thoughts on Election Day...

I know today is considered quite the historical one and yes, we did vote via absentee ballot. But that being said, I read this really great excerpt from Greg Boyd's book entitled The Myth of a Christian Nation and have to say, that no matter what the results end up being tonight, as a Christian I must choose to ask God to help me to live as one under His rule above that of the world's. I desire to be a participant in the Kingdom of God of which Jesus has made available to everyone but that we then must choose to grab a hold of. The excerpt is long, I know, but I encourage you to take a little time to read it, and if you only have a few minutes, I recommend at least reading the bold paragraphs at the beginning and end. Would love to hear your thoughts. This way of being has not only my vote, but my very life.

The Kingdom of God in contrast to the Kingdom of the World

"Once again, this is the kingdom of God: It looks and acts like Jesus Christ. It looks and acts like Calvary. It looks and acts like God’s eternal, triune love. It consists of people graciously embracing others and sacrificing themselves in service to others. It consists of people trusting and employing “power under” rather than “power over,” even when they, like Jesus, suffer because of this. It consists of people imitating the Savior who died for them and for all people. It consists of people submitting to God’s rule and doing his will. By definition, this is the domain in which God is king.

It this light, it should now be obvious why Jesus said his kingdom was “not from this world,” for it contrasts with the kingdom of the world in every possible way. This is not a simple contrast between good and evil, for, as we’ve seen, God gives the governments of the kingdom of the world power to carry out the service of keeping law and order in a fallen world. Not only this, but kingdom-of-God citizens are to humbly acknowledge that we are the worst of sinners (Matt.7;1-3; cf. 1Tim. 1:15-16), acknowledging, as Jesus himself did (thought he was sinless), that the only one who is truly good is God (Luke 18:19). The contrast is rather between two fundamentally different ways of doing life, two fundamentally different mindsets and belief systems, two fundamentally different loyalties.

It will be helpful to end this chapter by summarizing these contrasts under five headings.

*A Contrast of Trusts: The kingdom of the world trusts the power of the sword, while the kingdom of God trusts the power of the cross. The kingdom of the world advances by exercising “power over,” while the kingdom of God advances by exercising “power under.”

*A Contrast of Aims: the kingdom of the world seeks to control behavior while the kingdom of God seeks to transform lives from the inside out. Also, the kingdom of the world is rooted in preserving, if not advancing, one’s self-interests and one’s own will, while the kingdom of God is centered exclusively on carrying out God’s will, even if this requires sacrificing one’s own interests. To experience the life of the kingdom of God, one has to die to self (Matt. 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 17:33; John 12:25; Gal. 2:19-20).

*A Contrast of Scopes: The kingdom of the world is intrinsically tribal in nature, and is heavily invested in defending, if not advancing, one’s own people-group, one’s nation, one’s ethnicity, one’s state, one’s religion, one’s ideologies, or one’s political agendas. That is why it is a kingdom characterized by perpetual conflict. The kingdom of God, however, is intrinsically universal, for it is centered on simply loving as God loves; It is centered on people living for the sole purpose of replicating the love of Jesus Christ to all people at all times in all places without condition. The kingdom-of-God participant has by love transcended the tribal and nationalistic parameters of whatever version of the kingdom of the world they find themselves in.

*A Contrast of Responses: The kingdom of the world is intrinsically a tit-for-tat kingdom; its motto is “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” In this fallen world, no version of the kingdom of the world can survive for long by loving its enemies and blessing those who persecute it; it carries the sword, not the cross. But kingdom-of-God participants carry the cross, not the sword. We, thus, aren’t ever to return evil with evil, violence with violence. We are rather to manifest the unique kingdom life of Christ by returning evil with good, turning the other cheek, going the second mile, loving, and praying for our enemies. We are to respond to evil in a way that protects us from being defined by it and that exposes the evil as evil, thereby opening up the possibility that our “enemy” will be transformed. Far from seeking retaliation, we seek the well-being of our “enemy.”

*A Contrast of Beliefs: The kingdom of the world has earthly enemies and, thus, fights earthly battles; the kingdom of God, however, by definition has no earthly enemies, for its disciples are committed to loving “their enemies,” thereby treating them as friends, their “neighbors.” There is a warfare the kingdom of God is involved in, but it is “not against enemies of blood and flesh.” It is rather “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

Conservative religious people involved in kingdom-of-the-world thinking often believe that their enemies are the liberals, the gay activists, the ACLU, the pro-choice advocates, the evolutionists, and so on. On the opposite side, liberal religious people often think that their enemies are the fundamentalists, the gay bashers, the Christian Coalition, the antiabortionists, and so on. Demonizing one’s enemies is part of the tit-for-tat game of Babylon, for only by doing so can we justify our animosity, if not violence, toward them. What we have here are two different religious versions of the kingdom of the world going at each other. If we were thinking along the lines of the kingdom of God, however, we would realize that none of the people mentioned in the above lists are people whom kingdom-of-God-citizens are called to fight against. They are, rather, people whom kingdom-of-God citizens are called to fight for.

Our battle is “not against flesh and blood,” whether they are right wing or left wing, gay or straight, pro-choice or pro-life, liberal or conservative, democratic or communist, American or Iraqi. Our battle is against the “cosmic powers” that hold these people, and all people, in bondage. Whatever our own opinion about how the kingdom of the world should run, whatever political or ethical views we may happen to embrace, our one task as kingdom-of-God disciples is to fight for people, and the way we do it is by doing exactly what Jesus did. He defeated the cosmic powers of darkness by living a countercultural life characterized by outrageous love and by laying down his life for his enemies. So too, we contribute to the demise of the “power over” principalities that hold people in bondage when we retrain from judgment of others and rather extend grace to them, when we let go of anger toward others and instead “come under” them in loving service.

A person may win by kingdom-of-the-world standards but lose by the standards that eternally count—the standards of the kingdom of God. We can possess all the right kingdom-of-the-world causes, but if we don’t look like Jesus Christ carrying his cross to Golgotha—sacrificing our time, energy and resources for others—our rightness is merely religious noise. Jesus taught that there will be many who seem to believe right things and do religious deeds in his name whom he will renounce, for they didn’t love him by loving the homeless, the hungry, the poor, and the prisoner (Matt. 7:21-23; 25:41-46; cf. Luke 6:46-49). However right we may be, without love we are simply displaying a religious version of the world, not the kingdom of God."

2008-10-23T16:58:00.004+02:00

One of our friends, Siri-Helene, who is a freshman student and will be joining us this weekend

Weekend Get-away this weekend!

We just want to ask that you be praying for our student retreat that we are having this weekend. We leave Friday afternoon and come back Sunday afternoon. We will be going to another Church about 30 minutes from here that has room to host groups. Kelly, Brett, and I will be leading the weekend with a theme based around the pursuit of God and Community. We are going to be having many times of more interactive teaching, time to get away alone with God, pray for one another, and enjoy fellowship (and food!) . Each time we have done a retreat in the past, these have been amazing times of growth for people- both with God and in relationships. We pray the same for this time and believe God is going to do some life changing things.

Our other prayer is those who He wants to be there would find time to come. We have a small group right now, which is great, but it would always be wonderful to have more! In this culture it can be very difficult to get students to commit to anything, especially a weekend away, no matter how much time in advance they know about it. So...we know that there are many things that could keep people from coming but we believe God has even greater things in store for those who would hear His voice and allow themselves to get-away with Him for a weekend. We all need uninterrupted times like these in our lives- away from distractions and the stresses of life. Pray that those students who come would be refreshed in all areas of their lives and leave with new friendships and an understanding of what it means to live out true community, as well as have a greater understanding of God's love and a fire to pursue Him with all that they are.

Thanks! We can't wait to tell you about it when we return- it's going to be a blast!

2008-10-20T20:20:00.007+02:00

The winds of change...

(A rainbow that appeared Sunday after church as Brett and I walked along the river that runs through the city)

It is difficult for me to express how I feel after Thursday night's worship night at the university. Thank You for your prayers! One thing I keep sensing is that something has simply "changed". I feel changed, I saw others leave changed and I am continuing to see the effects even now in the lives of those students of this "change". I guess that is what happens when we let ourselves be open to what God wants to do and allow Him to move without hindering the Holy Spirit. We are changed.

Was it a success because of how many people were there? By the world's standards, certainly not. But of the 20 students who were there, many we had not met before and are now new friends, and we kept hearing over and over after we ended how amazing of an experience it was for those who came.

Was it a success because of the rockin' worship band and hyped atmosphere? By the world's standards, no. But we had an amazing, gifted freshman student play the piano and sing in a purely humble, Spirit-led way that helped usher people into the true heart of worship. One girl walked in and said that she immediately felt the presence of God so powerfully that she requested us to sing the song "Majesty" and so we all sang it a cappella and it was completely beautiful and moving (see video below to hear it).

Was it a success because of having a well-known speaker lead the time? By the world's standards, definitely not. But from the mouths of ordinary, broken people came words of truth, vision, prayers, prophetic words, visions, and dreams. 2 hours of uninterrupted worship to God that I am certain flowed out of that room and through the halls of the building, changing the very atmosphere of a place that is usually so resistant to God.

There was a spirit of freedom in that lecture hall that I have rarely felt amongst students here in this Norwegian culture. It is quite rare for people to desire to pray out loud at all, much less pray out in a group like that, but the prayers kept coming- for Trondheim, for the university, for students, for themselves...
I couldn't keep back the tears as I realized that what we were experiencing was a small part of the dream we have for students here in Trondheim. To be so touched by God that they are transformed on the inside in a way that they can't help but see the vision for their lives as dearly loved by God and called to be His servants right where He has placed them, as students at the university.

I am so thankful that I don't live by what the world often defines as success- especially in the ministry-realm, and instead can be confident that wherever God is moving, that is where I want to be, that is what I want to be a part of, and that is success in the eyes of the only One we need to look to for our identity and approval (who is as unchanging in His love as His love is uncompromising in its completness). We may plant seeds, but it is God who makes them grow. And we believe this is the beginning of something special. It feels as though the life-giving rain is beginning to softly fall... and it was just the encouragement we needed.
"He who has begun a good work will bring it to completion..."

"The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? But: Are you in love with Jesus?" -Henry Nouwen

2008-10-16T16:48:00.002+02:00

Please Pray!

We need your prayers for tonight! Tonight we are having our first worship night on the university campus. This has been a desire of ours for a long time so it is now finally happening! Please pray that many would come (we have been spreading the word throughout many of the churches in the area) and that students would experience the presence of God there and be encouraged to let God use their lives to change the very atmosphere of the university of Trondheim and to be a light to the 30,000 students in this city; that they would know that their lives as students are not separate from their Christian lives, but that they have been put at the university for a purpose!
Thank you and we will let you know how it goes!

2008-10-03T11:32:00.005+02:00

The simple joys of living in Norway

I (Cortney) just have to say that there are some wonderful joys that I have discovered in this place. They remind me of how living here has allowed me to appreciate even more the beauty of nature and rekindled the desire for a more simplistic, peaceful way of life.

A couple of weeks ago I went on a hike in the forest, which covers an enormous area here in Trondheim, near our house, alone (something people do here without fear all of the time). It was such a precious time for me and I felt God's presence very near.

I feel I am most myself and most at peace when I can immerse myself in nature, far from the sights and sounds of the rest of the world. As I was on my way back, I stopped and happened to look down and to my delight, saw these yellow mushrooms peaking out. I knew that they were great for eating (something I learned from my Norwegian friends) and very expensive in the store, so I filled my pocket and made them for dinner the very next night. A few days later we discovered these berries, called "rips" here (red currant I think in English) and found out that they are great fresh off the bush with sugar and vanilla cream/pudding. Such simple joys but wonderful just the same and gifts from the God of creation. It is things like this that make me feel most fully alive and all it cost me was some time.

Some scenes from my new favorite place I discovered on my hike"In these sanctuary spaces, these Sabbath spaces...I'm giving up the need to arrive at some destination...I'm giving up my need for accomplishment. It's not about what I get done or how I perform. My focus has changed. If I'm lucky, I take this new focus back into the other space." - Terry Hershey (Sacred Necessities)

2008-09-18T14:31:00.006+02:00

Let the Fall Semester Begin!

Well, after a few setbacks, we are finally heading into the semester full speed ahead...or at least as much speed as is possible when you are continuing to plow through uncharted territory filled with the ups and downs that inevitably come! We are reminded again how much this has to be God's thing because no amount of any success can depend on our efforts alone. So even as we have faced frustrations and disappointments already this early in the semester, we have also seen God move in ways that encourage us and "keep us keepin' on" as they say. Wow, the challenges of starting something new in a different culture are more complex than I ever could have imagined. But with your prayers joined with ours, we are believing that God is going to do great things this year and have already begun to see things happening that we have been waiting for these 2 years to see! These are a few of the highlights...

A beautiful afternoon hike and Norwegian pancakes with our friend Elisabeth- God has truly blessed us with the amazing spirit of joy and encouragement she has.

One of a few gatherings we have had recently that really stir our hearts as we see people enjoying being together and making new friendships in an environment composed of Norwegians, internationals, those who share our faith in Christ, and those coming from other backgrounds. To us, it is an example of true community where all are welcome and the love of Christ is evident. Where there is openness and a welcoming atmosphere, conversations happen naturally and authentically.

And who could forget Waffles?? We had 4 days in 2 weeks of giving out free waffles at both campuses to promote our second Open Mic Night as well as our group Quest. We had some great contacts there and had some freshmen students taking over for us and connecting with their peers and classmates- So Great!

Our second Open Mic night proved a success with even more variety of music, poetry, and story-telling. We had some return performers from last time and saw new faces arrive and students we know bring their friends. We are already thinking of another for sometime in November.

We had a short visit from Anita Koeshall (she and her husband started the first SFC student ministry in Europe in Germany in the 80's and now oversee all the SFC Europe groups). We had a great time having her stay with us and spending many hours talking of life, ministry, and generally solving the world's problems. ;) We greatly treasure her friendship and wisdom. Thanks for being such and encouragement to us Anita!
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PRAYERS NEEDED....Our next bigger project is to have a weekend retreat for students. Unfortunately we are having a difficult time finding a time that works for people in October, as well as a place to host us if we switch weekends, so please pray for us! We are looking at possibly the weekend of Oct. 17th now. We feel God has given us some exciting things to share and to engage people with, so we really want this to work out. We appreciate your prayers for this as well as other opposition we've been feeling in terms of planning and student involvement. We need God's help and leading as well as His strength and encouragement to keep pressing on even in the face of disappointments and discouragement. So much effort goes into each thing we do so we don't want to get weary in the sometimes lack of visible "success". Pray that we would truly have joy in the many things that are happening, for there truly is a different feel this semester and we believe we are going to see some major breakthroughs! Be blessed...

2008-09-03T20:31:00.007+02:00

CSM 2008Finally an update from our great experience once again at CSM- College of Student Ministry- 2 week training for students in SFC groups around Europe as well as for SFC missionaries like us. It proved to be a growing time for us all and we left being both encouraged and strengthened. The SFC Europe community is such a privledge to be a part of. We are continually amazed at the hearts of those we are working with and how God is moving in the hearts of students. I don't know if we've ever experienced the Kingdom of God here on earth as expressed through this multi-cultural community. It truly is heavenly to all be joined together, lifting one another up, with the shared purpose of worshipping Jesus!

Kelly and I with Siri Helene- freshman student from Trondheim- 1st Norwegian student at CSM and on fire!

Johnny- works in Trondheim and is involved with our ministry, sharing the inspiration God had given him to draw this picture at the Talent Night

Visiting Brugge, Belgium on our free day. Were able to be together again with our friends Phil and Katja who were interning in Duluth with Brett. They just arrived in Sweden this year as fully appointed missionaries to the university students of Stockholm.

Some of us in our night out in Brussels

Some scenes from our day trip to Brugge, a beautiful canal city

Nothing like Belgian Chocolate mousse to add to the Belgium experience- there are no words...

Inspiration: Two single missionaries committed to reaching students- Nadine in Spain and Krystal in Greece- they are amazing!

Finnish missionary to Thailand, students from Germany, Africa, Czech Republic, and Iran

Us at the bi-annual Flower Carpet in Brussels

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Tribute to Joe Zickafoose
During CSM we lost a dear friend and collegue. Some of you may remember our requests for prayer for Joe who with his wife and 2 teenage boys were student missionaries to Scotland. Joe was diagnosed with bone cancer this past January. We only knew Joe since becoming a part of SFC when we moved to Norway, but were blessed to become friends with him over several of our Europe gatherings and even visited him and his ministry in Scotland last year to glean from his years of experience in reaching students and his innovative ideas doing ministry in Scotland. We appreciated his humor and his wisdom so much and he was dearly loved by many around the world who have been praying for his healing. We spent a lot of time praying for him while at CSM and felt encouraged about the ability of God to heal him. However, God had other plans that we will never fully understand and the SFC staff all received the sad news together that he had gone home to be with the One to whom he had dedicated His life. This experience of sorrow brought our community together even more and though it is difficult for us to understand this loss of such an amazing man too early in life, we felt God comforting us and know that Joe is now truly free, healed, and in all fullness of Joy. It is in times such as these that we must choose to trust God. Please pray for his wife and boys as they deal with this incredible loss, as well as all those who knew him. We are truly blessed to have known him.

We will miss you Joe....

2008-08-03T22:32:00.005+02:00

3 Year Anniversary at Fosenkoie

We managed to get away for a few days to a cabin owned by the university. We hiked 3 1/2 hours uphill to a beautiful spot on the other side of the fjord from Trondheim. We had a full day to relax in the perfect weather and enjoyed the seclusion of the Norwegian wilderness. We can't wait until we can do it again...need to let our muscles recuperate first though! It's hard to believe we've been married for 3 years now, but we are still enjoying every day we get to spend together. We are truly blessed to have one another.

*Apartment Update!*
For those of you who may be wondering and were diligently praying for us and our apartment search, we have great news! After returning from Africa and much searching and praying, God has blessed us with a new place that is a fulfillment of our prayers! The owner of the house we are renting the first floor from is even from Duluth! What a small world...he is married to a Norwegian and has been living in Trondheim for 18 years now. We are looking forward to getting to know them better. Thank you for your prayers! God truly did answer beyond our expectations! Pictures coming soon! :)

Off to Brussels tomorrow morning for 2 weeks!
In case we don't get to update while we are gone, please be praying for our annual CSM (College of Student Ministry) conference in Brussels, Belgium. Students from around Europe will be attending to receive training and vision for campus ministry in their country and we will also be meeting with the other staff of SFC Europe to vision-cast and encourage one another. We look forward to this time of re-connecting, learning, and being encouraged. We also are bringing a Norwegian student with us. She will be a freshman at the university here this fall and is excited about joining with what we are doing. She will be the first Norwegian to ever attend CSM.

2008-08-03T19:09:00.004+02:00

The U.S. Team Arrives!

As soon as we returned from Uganda, we had visitors from the U.S. for an idea of Chuck's: 21 days of prayer for the city of Trondheim and our work with the universities. We were blessed to have Chuck and his wife Sally, their daughter Emily, Dan and Elisa- friends of ours from Duluth who are now living in Kansas City, MO at the International House of Prayer training school, Dan and Sarah- also friends from Duluth: Dan did the UMD Chi Alpha internship with Cortney and was on staff with us both the following year, and Nadia- a friend from Nicaragua doing full-time campus ministry there and who interned with UMD Chi Alpha with Brett. How amazing God is that He would bring all of us together again in this place to pray for Norway! It was a really encouraging time for us as we joined them for prayer and worship nights and just enjoyed hanging out with American friends! We really haven't been forgotten over here! :) They spent full days prayer-walking and making connections with Norwegian Christians. God spoke so many things to them and to us and we are encouraged for the year ahead- we believe God is really going to do some breakthroughs in the next year in the city and at the universities! Thanks for coming everyone- we were truly blessed and miss you all already!

Having some traditional Norwegian food at the Tautra monastery ruins

Brett getting some quality bonding time in with the Dans and Stig playing frisbee golf

It's been too long Nadia! The students of Nicaragua are truly blessed to have you- and so are we!

What a joy to see great friends from home again...we realize yet again how much we miss them!

The day before Dan and Sarah left, we saw these two wild moose 15 yards away! Great picture Dan J.!

Opera at Nidaros Cathedral

Emily, Linn, Kelly, and Cortney went to their friend's dress rehearsal performance of an opera that took place both outside and inside the famous cathedral in Tronhdeim- it was amazing (and free)!
The cathedral was lit up with many different colors with an outdoor orchestra as well. What a backdrop!

2008-08-03T18:09:00.009+02:00

SNAPSHOTS FROM UGANDA....As you may have guessed, we arrived safely back to Trondheim after 3 1/2 weeks in Uganda. We have so much to update on, so we'll try to make this brief and will be more than happy to tell detailed stories later! Overall, it was an amazing experience and a culture unlike any we have experienced before. We were kept busy too! We accomplished all that we set out to do and more and learned so much in the process. Thank you for your prayers...we felt them and saw the hand of God work in many ways during the trip- within our team, within relationships, with teaching opportunities, with health and protection, and in growth and experiences.

Our team of Norwegians and Americans meshed so well, we couldn't have asked for a better team. All so servant-hearted and willing to try new things. We all came back with a heart to bring the things we learned back with us to Norway. What a beautiful, hospitable, joyful people we came in contact with! So family and relationship focused- we were rarely alone! The love that was shown to us was truly a blessing. Even with the challenges of adjusting to such a drastically different culture from what we are coming from, God gave us the grace and open hearts to glean all we could from the experience and let ourselves be changed and challenged.

And the sound equipment that we were able to buy with the money we raised was such an enormous blessing to the Church of Uganda! Our showing of the Jesus Film was a success and we know that many more outreaches will be made possible because of the generous financial gifts that were given. We saw how incredibly important having the equipment was and we even had money leftover to use for purchasing Bibles for new Christians and blessing different places that we visited with practical things that were very needed.

So many stories! Check our our picasa web album to see more photos. For now we'll leave you with a few short low-quality video clips from our camera (more better video from the video camera later!).....

One of our most memorable experiences in the village of Otuboi, they blessed us by including us in their traditional village dance.

No details necessary. Until we gave it to a family, we really did own a live chicken, and yes, it rode by my feet all the way to our next location. Alive.

Before our attempted showing of the Jesus Film (at this location, the wiring was destroyed by the dancing feet of the villagers- we didn't show the film, but prayed for many people! And danced until we were quite sweaty!)

May the joy that is so obviously present in many of the lives we met in Uganda overflow into the places of the world that attempt to find in the temporal and material with no avail- for this JOY is most certainly of the lasting kind and comes from heavenly places...

2008-06-12T18:29:00.003+02:00

It's off to UGANDA we go!

We leave in less than 12 hours, so we'd appreciate your prayers as we begin this next adventure. Please pray for safety, health- physical, mental, spiritual, for team unity, and that we spend each day doing exactly what God would have us do, learning what He would have us learn, experiencing all He would have us experience. We can't wait to share with you when we return. Unfortunately we have heard the internet access is very minimal at best so we are not sure how often, if at all, we will be able to update while we are there, but we will do our best if we are able! But if not, we will be sure to update you when we return. Once again we realize how amazing a life lived in God's plans can be, it's quite the adventure! Our team: Elisabeth, Katrine, Magnus, Audun, Kelly, Brett, Cortney. Thank you for your prayers and support! Have a blessed month! See our tentative schedule below the video for more specifics to help you pray. :)

Below is a video clip taken at our church here in Trondheim. The Watoto Ugandan children's choir held a concert and it was so amazing. All the children are orphans of parents who have mostly died of aids and have been taken into this Christian organization to receive a close family of "parents" and "siblings". They were precious, and filled with the joy of Jesus. It made us look forward even more to experiencing this vibrant culture firsthand and meeting its beautiful people.

Tentative Schedule for Uganda:
(we've been told that schedules don't seem to hold up so well, so we are remaining open to whatever else God has for us!)

June 13: Leave Trondheim 6:30am, arrive in Entebbe
14: go to Kampala to get speakers, Bibles, etc, and travel to Soroti
15: Church in Nakatuny...
16: Get to know Soroti, dresses made for wedding, pray/prep for Jesus film outreach
17: Travel to the village of Otuboy, meet with Christian leaders in the village- teachings on Discipleship, etc. and preparation for Film, p.m. showing of the Jesus Film in local language of Ateso
18: Film follow-up, connecting Christians with those responding to film, teaching, testimonies, etc., back to Soroti
19: visit prison?
20: markets,etc.
21: Participate in Ugandan wedding
22: Church, prayer/prep for film
23: Travel to Orungo, meet with Christian leaders in the village- teachings on Discipleship, etc. and preparation for Film, p.m. showing of the Jesus Film in local language of Ateso
24: Film follow-up, connecting Christians with those responding to film, teaching, testimonies, etc.
25: Amuria girl's school- teaching, drama, service, etc.
26: returnn to Soroti
27: Time with families
28: time with families
29: Church in Nakatunya
30: Orphanage
July 1: Orphanage
2: Prep for farewell party for families
3: Leave Soroti, arrive in Entebbe
4: Day in Kampala
5: Lake Victoria
6: Church, Flight from Entebbe to Trondheim (p.m.)
7: Arrive back in Trondheim

2008-06-06T22:23:00.003+02:00

Uganda Project Support Concert

Last Saturday night our Uganda team hosted a concert to raise money for some projects we wanted to contribute to for our trip. Our lovely Norwegian teammate, Elisabeth, performed some songs she had written and we held the concert after the service of the largest student service in Trondheim (two of our teammates are leaders in that church). Everyone loved it and wanted to know when she was going to put out a cd! She did so awesome and God blessed our efforts by bringing in over $1400!!! We now should have enough to purchase speakers that the church we will be working with is in need of for outreach and services, as well as some Bibles to give out to those we meet who desire their very own, both in English (the official language) and Ateso, (the local language). Praise God for providing! It will be such a blessing to those we meet in Uganda!

2008-05-29T19:26:00.003+02:00

Urgent Prayer Request!
In light of the many things going on around the world right now, I know this is small in comparison, but in this little corner of the world and in our small lives, we just found out some stressful news. We were supposed to be able to stay in our current apartment (that we love) for the next year, but were just informed that our place will be sold in the next few weeks so we need to find a new place to live a.s.a.p.

We were so blessed to have such a nice, fully furnished place so we are just praying that God would provide just as He did last time and always does.

We leave for Uganda, Africa in 2 weeks until July 7th and have much to do before then ministry-wise so our new situation adds the potential for stress and much more to do and plan for than we had anticipated and in a very short time. It is also difficult to find places to live for one couple in this city and especially once July comes.
So...please pray for:
1. Good location for an apartment- close to the city and university and bus lines
2. Something affordable for us (and preferably furnished since we have no furniture/dishes here!), and maybe even less than we have been paying
3. Good situation with renters
4. A place where we can feel at home and at peace and that is large enough to have people over
5. Smooth, non-stressful transition of moving again and accomplishing all that needs to be accomplished

Thank you so much! We appreciate your prayers and trust that God is going to continue to be Lord of this situation as all others. He has yet to let us down! :)
More updates and pictures to come....we apologize for the delay!

2008-05-01T15:16:00.007+02:00

Student Retreat

A few weeks ago, a group of 14 of us had our student retreat 1.5 hours away from Trondheim. It was a great time getting to know each other, to relax, and to receive encouragement from God. We had two topics that the weekend was focused on: Grace and Identity in God.

Cortney opened the weekend Friday night talking about the grace of God. She used Acts 14:26 that tells how Paul and Barnabas had been sent out from Antioch and “committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed” in their missionary journey. Like them, we too must be committed to the grace of God in all we are and do.

Grace is too often misunderstood in our individual lives. By definition, God’s grace is unconditional, but we often do put conditions on grace in our lives. By believing in conditional grace we have a misunderstanding of God’s character, we put up walls in our lives, and we live with fear, guilt and shame. Living with this mindset restricts our freedom to live a joyful life.

If you truly understood that you are committed to/dedicated to/covered in Grace, how would that change the way you live?

“…the opposite of depression is not happiness, but delight. Grace fuels delight. Grace is that which tumbles into our lives, and we are spontaneously surprised by the goodness and beauty of living.”
-Terry Hershey (from Sacred Necessities)

To understand unconditional grace, we must begin to understand that the Cross is God’s message of Grace to us. Through the cross we receive God's grace that truly allows us to live our lives without inhibition and with increased freedom.

In great connection to the message of grace, I (Brett) continued with the topic of Identity in God. We all have an identity, that is, we all have a view of who we are as a person. Our identity is influenced by many things outside of ourselves like people, culture, success, mistakes, hurts, etc. Our view of ourselves affects our thoughts, attitudes, behavior, self-image and much more. Like our view of grace too often our identity is equal to what we do, not who we actually are.

The first step I believe in talking about identity does not start with who I am, but whose I am—God’s (John 1:12). Acknowledging that I am a child of God is the first step into viewing myself for who I truly am.

We are created in the image of God and are a naturally beautiful reflection of God’s glory. But we live in a fallen world, and no longer always are a reflection of that glory. The wonderful act of the Cross, the grace of God in the Cross, that Jesus would die for me, for who I am, sets me free to once again see myself for who I am and reflect God’s glory the way I was originally created to. Through Jesus Christ we are completely accepted and constantly transformed to be his reflection in this world. There is a great and wonderful power behind the natural world--there is a power that caused it to exist. And when we say yes to the Grace of God that same power is released in us causing us to reflect the Lord's Glory.

2 Cor. 3:17-18 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

There's nothing quite like a 14 player game of Ligretto :)

2008-03-18T12:44:00.003+01:00

AND NOW....A TIME FOR SILENCE AND REST....

Oh...so much to catch up on! But once again, not enough time today for it all...
We just got back last Wednesday from a quick 2 week trip back to the U.S. for Brett's sister Jessica's wedding (we had a great and really busy time- more on that to come) and are still adjusting to being back in Trondheim.
Fortunately, it is perfect timing for a week off for Easter Break so our team of 4 are heading off today to Tautra Mariakloster, a monastery just outside of Trondheim for a silent retreat. Might sound a little strange, but we are all really looking forward to it and it will be the first time for us all. We visited the monastery last year and have been thinking about having a retreat there for us for a while. We will all have our own rooms and are choosing to just bring our bibles and journals and try maintaining as little contact with each other as we can so we can just rest, seek and be with God and hear from Him.
So in a world that is always plugged into something and always seemingly too busy, we are going to attempt the counter-cultural and see what happens! We'll be anxious to share our experiences with you when we return.
All we know now is that we are hungry for God and need to be refreshed and refocused for what He has for us. We would appreciate your prayers during this time as we know it will also be a great challenge!

As you prepare for Easter this coming Sunday, may you also reflect on the goodness of God, on the sacrifice of His Son for all humanity- which means, for YOU-, and the victory that is also ours through the risen Jesus. Take some time to "Be still and know that HE is God". There is always more to receive if we earnestly and openly seek it! We serve a God who desires to bless us because of His great love for us!
Peace and Grace be with you...

2008-02-17T14:15:00.007+01:00

Well, it's been a little while once again, but we have to say we have have had quite the full schedule here! Friday night we finally had one of the biggest events we have attempted since being here. We've been planning and promoting for our first open mic/art night for over a month now and it finally happened. We weren't sure what it would like in this culture or how it would go, but we all feel it was a great success!
We had a great turn-out with probably close to 40 people showing up with over 10 different acts performing. We really desired this to be a place where people could invite their friends and enjoy the creativity of others. Our group Quest sponsored it so we were also able to share with more people about who we were.
After promoting it several days at the universities with free waffles, we got some people to sign up and others to show up. We got several requests to have another one, so we'll be thinking about that in the months ahead. Cortney had an opportunity to share some singing as well so it was a fun night all around. A lot of work, but definitely worth it!
Events like this are definitely counter-cultural here, but it was great to see people enjoying themselves and see some Norwegians (and internationals!) step out and share their talents. We'll post some other pictures (and maybe some video) soon!

This weekend has also been filled with another meeting for our Uganda mission trip in June- so far there are 6, potentially 7 of us, a really great group!- and a dinner with an Iranian friend we know from church. She made an amazing dinner of Iranian food, it was great!

Tonight is our monthly student service at the church so we will be heading off to that soon. Please pray that God would continue to bring people there from all backgrounds. It's been great to have a mixture of believers and seekers and to get to know some new faces. Even with the many challenges we face here, we have to say that God is really doing so much- thank you for your prayers!

2008-01-29T21:38:00.000+01:00

Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp

We arrived a day early in Krakow for our SFC prayer weekend, which allowed Cortney and I to see the city a little bit as well as visit the Aushwitz-Birkenau concentration camp located a one and a half hour drive outside Krakow. It was a surreal experience to visit the site where approximately 1.5 million people were murdered throughout the course of WWII. The entire camp is divided into three different sites, but we saw only two of them: Auschwitz I and Birkenau. Auschwitz I was the main camp and it could hold up to 20,000 prisoners. As you enter the camp you walk through the famous gate that says “Arbeit Macht Frei,” which translates as “Works Makes You Free.” This, of course, was not true. The intent was that no one would go free.

Our group had a tour of the camp from a Polish woman whose uncle was murdered in the camp at the well-known “Death Wall” where many prisoners were shot. We were guided through the brick barracks of the camp and saw some of the living conditions the prisoners had to endure. In the basement in one of the buildings was the solitary confinement section with numerous cells and others designed for other forms of torture and death. There was a room called the “suffocation room” where up to 39 people were packed into it, the door was shut, and with little to no oxygen the prisoners would slowly suffocate throughout the night in their already weakened condition. The next day, half the people would be dead while the other half were allowed to go back to work. Near that room were also “standing cells.” These were 1 square meter cells with walls from floor to ceiling with only a small opening at the floor for the prisoners to crawl through. The prisoners were made to stand in there all night after a hard day’s work. Most did not survive after a few days of this. And they were not alone in their own cell—there were 4 or 5 people in each cell.

The reality that these atrocities actually happened, and on such a huge scale is definitely very difficult to accept. Our guide tried to help us understand the enormity of the lives lost. The holocaust was like having the attack on 9/11 happening every other day for 6 years. The Jews were stripped of their possessions, families, and their own lives. Many of the barracks now contain many possessions that the Nazis took from the prisoners as they entered the camp. There are rooms filled with shoes, clothes, combs, prosthetic limbs and crutches, shoe polish, eye glasses, etc.

Surprisingly I only cried once during the entire visit; it was mostly a numbing experience. We entered a room which had a huge section of the room blocked off by a glass wall only to reveal a ton of human hair. The women’s hair was cut off as they entered the camp, and it was used to make a certain type of cloth material. In those moments I pictured Cortney’s hair being shaved off, thrown into a pile, and then facing her time as a prisoner. Not a good thought.

The gas chamber at Auschwitz was considered one of the smaller ones compared to those built later on at Birkenau. The chamber is still standing today and in it thousands of people were murdered. We walked directly through it. We saw the holes in the ceiling where the poison was dropped into the room, killing every person in the room in a matter of moments. The main room where people were gassed led directly to the incinerator where some strong prisoners were forced to transfer the dead bodies to the furnaces. With the construction of the gas chambers at Birkenau, this gas chamber would later on not be used as the others were much more efficient at killing.

From Auschwitz we took a short bus ride to Birkenau. I was struck by the enormity of the camp, far beyond what I imagined. You could barely see the entire camp from the tower at the entrance to the camp, which is shown in Schindler’s List. The two sides of this camp were split by a railroad leading directly to the gas chambers, which lie in ruins today. The barracks at this camp were made of wood were destroyed by Poles after the war for the wood. Now what remains of the barracks are only the brick chimneys scattered throughout the entire camp. Many Jews were taken directly from the train to the gas chamber. We walked the 1000 meters from the entrance to the gas chambers. By the ruins of the gas chambers now stands a monument to the murdered victims of this genocide.

Walking on the soil where so many other people had just before their own deaths awakens you to the reality of evil in this world. I was still asking the question in my mind, why? Why were they killed? And even in the face of this extreme evil, there were many moments of hope and love. We heard many stories of prisoners living with courage, love, and self-sacrifice for others' sake. I'm so thankful there is a God who loves every person and is not blind to the suffering and social injustices in this life. Even though it seems evil has had a victory, I have a living hope that through faith the victory has already been won and those victims will have justice through God's grace. The memory of what happened will not be forgotten and we have the opportunity to choose to live a life full of faith, hope, and love with God's help.

2008-01-27T21:39:00.001+01:00

Krakow, Poland

We are currently in Poland for the annual SFC staff prayer weekend. We are nearing the end of our weekend spent praying for European students and reconnecting with our friends/colleagues stationed all over Europe doing full-time student ministry. It's been a great time of encouragement and dreaming for the future. We were also able to visit Auschwitz concentration camp earlier in the week, but will write more later about that very impacting experience. Please continue to pray for us, other leaders, and the students involved in University ministry.

2008-01-07T16:10:00.000+01:00

European Student Conference
Nuremberg, Germany

We were able to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Nuremberg, Germany where we gathered with 200 European university students and Students for Christ staff. It was a great 4 day conference full of worship, teaching, discussion, laughter, and some sightseeing. Cortney and I were joined from Trondheim by Kelly, Jess, and Fredrik (the first Norwegian at an SFC event!) and a great time was had by all.

Each evening Christopher Gornold-Smith from England spoke very thought-provoking messages and engaged both our hearts and minds about the character of God and His church. One night he spoke about the Transcendence (basically how huge and grand God is) and the Immanence of God (basically how “small” God is that He loves us and became a human too—nothing is too small for Him to care about). God is so huge beyond our comprehension along with His creation (i.e. the vastness of outer space), it can be overwhelming to ponder and definitely impossible to completely grasp. Yet in his infinite greatness, God is closer to us than we can think possible. God knows us even better than we know ourselves and His desire is for relationship.

In the morning sessions we broke into smaller groups and were given the opportunity to discuss and even act out several different stories captured in the book of Acts. We first looked at Acts 1-2 with the story of Pentecost and talked about its implications for the first church and how it continues to us individually/communally today. Second, we looked at Paul’s (or Saul) conversion experience on the road to Damascus in chapter 9. Last, we entered into chapter 16 with the story of Lydia who made purple clothes, her and her family’s steps to faith in Christ. The story then proceeds to Paul and Silas in prison where an earthquake sets them free from their chains and leads to the jailor coming to faith in Christ along with his family. Each small group was given a part of the story to act out through the chronological timeline for all of us to witness. It was a great exercise for us not just quickly to read the passage, but to really think about the implications and place ourselves in the story and see its relevance for us today.

It was amazing to be with students from all over Europe for one common purpose with services translated into German and French.

Overlooking the city from the castle turned hostel that we stayed in.

Cortney going back to her German roots--eating sausage with sauerkraut

Fredrik and Brett

The last night we had a "Bunter Abend" or talent show for anyone to display their unique gifts. I was able to contribute with what I'm certain will be seen and "experienced" around the world. Notice how the crowd is so in to it. It's called Hand Dancing...Enjoy... ;)

For more pictures click on the link "OUR PHOTO ALBUMS" to the right!

2007-12-26T21:17:00.001+01:00

Here is a short clip from the 22nd in Trondheim and below
an even shorter one...sorry for the poor quality! :)

In just about an hour we are heading out to take the night bus to Oslo where we will fly out tomorrow morning to Germany! This will be our first time traveling to the country where many of our ancestors are from. We will be at the Students for Christ European Student Conference in Nuremberg that occurs there every other year. There will be a speaker, seminars, worship, sightseeing, and time to be with about 200 other people- many students from other countries of Europe. We will be taking with us the first Norwegian to attend an SFC event- exciting!
Brett will return on the 2nd and Cortney will be returning the 4th as she and Kelly will be visiting their friend, Anne, who studied in Trondheim last fall for a semester- they met in their Norwegian class and have continued to keep in touch. They will be spending a short visit with her in Freiberg and Dresden. We will post all about it when we return. We are excited for a new semester and the many ideas we have for this coming year! Please pray for the conference and for the upcoming semester and the many changes and planning that will be happening when we return from Germany.

2007-12-25T13:10:00.000+01:00

GOD JUL! [goo yule] "MERRY CHRISTMAS"!
Here are just a few pictures of Christmas for Brett and I this year. We had a quiet Christmas just the two of us, which was nice, but we were definitely missing our loved ones from home! We pray that you all had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to a new year in 2008! We love you and miss you!

Brett and I had our first experience picking out a Christmas tree together...and then hauling it home on the bus!

We had a relaxing day together on the 22nd, hiking along the fjord in 40 degree weather-no white Christmas again here this year!- followed by a night out together as a gift from Kelly and Jess, dinner complete with our favorite dessert of tiramisu. The walking street downtown was all lit up for Christmas, it was a great day-

Yesterday we spent Christmas eve with some international friends of ours. Our friend Peon from Thailand cooked us a traditional Thai meal and we hung out with friends from Russia, Belarus, and Indonesia. A Christmas to remember!

2007-12-21T09:15:00.000+01:00

Here is an article from Norway's newspaper Aftenposten from yesterday. The statistics at the end of the article are indicative of a steadily growing trend here in Norway:

Find religion at Christmas

Norwegians flock to church at Christmas time, but for the rest of the year religious attendance is low.

Christmas Eve, the high point of Norwegian Christmas celebrations, is the day of highest church attendance of the year. In 2006 627,000 Norwegians took a pew on Christmas Even, and the number is rising every year.

Christmas Day used to be the busiest day in terms of church attendance, but the emphasis has now clearly shifted to the day before, local newspaper Gjengangeren reports.

About 13.4 percent of the population visited a church on Christmas Eve last year, up from 12.8 percent the year before, and equivalent to about an extra 35,000 visitors.

But church attendance is far more modest the rest of the year. Norwegians visited church an average of 1.4 times a year in 2006, including christenings, weddings, and funerals.

The younger generation show the least interest. A survey by the Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD) found that half of those under the age of 30 say they never go to church, compared to 25 percent of those over 60.

2007-11-30T19:03:00.000+01:00

PRAY WITH US!

Hey! It's been a while, we know...but we'll have updates coming soon! For now, we just want to let you know that Tonight we are having another ALL NIGHT prayer/worship gathering at Betel Church (we have invited students, and anyone from other churches as well) to pray for the universities in this city, the city itself, Norway, etc. We will be praying from 10:30 pm until 6:00 am tomorrow (Norway is 7 hours ahead of the midwest). So if you read this, join us in prayer for Norway and the city of Trondheim. That major breakthroughs would happen and God would really MOVE in answer to our prayers! Also pray that we would have the strength and energy to keep up our prayer and praises to him throughout the night.Thanks!

Check back again: We'll be writing again soon!

2007-11-03T12:29:00.000+01:00

Here are a few pictures from Cortney's parents' visit last month...we had a great time and it was such a blessing to have them experience life with us here. We took a weekend trip away and saw amazing scenery. The rest of their visit was a great opportunity for them to observe what we do on a weekly basis. They loved the waffles we gave out at the university and were able to meet many of our students. We are so thankful for the time we were able to spend with them.

2007-10-28T08:31:00.000+01:00

Click Here to see our Sept-Oct Newsletter!

2007-10-26T16:17:00.000+02:00

All-Night Prayer & Worship

Tonight we will be having our first all-night prayer & worship gathering. We will be praying in Betel Church from 10:30PM to 8:00AM tomorrow morning. So, if you are reading this join us in praying (even for a little bit) for Trondheim, the students, the ministry here, or whatever else God lays on your heart. We are excited to seek God tonight, to praise His name, and are expecting for Him to move in our hearts and this city tonight.

2007-10-15T17:49:00.001+02:00

Here are the fliers we've been passing out to spread the word. Cortney had the chance to try out some extreme art skills in creating the logo. Gotta' love stick people. :)

We gave out "Gratis Vaffler" or Free Waffles at both of the NTNU campuses to promote our new student group. It went really well and we got a great response. We were able to talk to many students and explain who we are. Overall, we received positive responses and people couldn't believe we were giving food and coffee away FREE.
We had a great time and plan to do it again soon. But we went through 10 liters (about 2.5 gallons) of waffle mix in 1 hour! Next time, we're going to have to make more!

Kelly and Jess tried not to burn their fingers too much as students anxiously awaited their piping hot waffles Norwegian style- with jam and sour cream.

We had some good conversations with students while they waited

Cortney's parents (more about that in the next entry!) were visiting for 2 weeks and got to be a part of the experience!

2007-09-23T08:38:00.000+02:00

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 :)

2007-09-07T16:36:00.000+02:00

Thoughts and Photos from the first weeks of classes...

Well, here is whirlwind tour of the first weeks of classes here in Trondheim. We started it off by inviting freshmen at their orientation activity where organizations promote their groups (see picture below of all new students in the courtyard of the engineering campus of NTNU, Gløshagen) for grilling down at the Marina that first weekend. Unfortunately, we learned a little too late that there was a huge scavenger hunt activity planned for freshmen that same day....live and learn....so we had a lot of left-over hotdogs, but still had fun with our team and a few older students who showed up! :)

The rest of the week proved to be much more successful! :) We had our good friends, Paul and Sunia Gibbs flown all the way over the big pond to help us with music outreaches on both campuses and in a cafe downtown. They were great (with the music and just to spend some good time in conversation with them) and the students seemed to really enjoy their music. Live music in cafe's and cafe's on the campuses is not common at all, so we definitely piqued people's curiosity. Many said they had been going to the school for 5 years or more and had never heard of them having live music. Praise God for opening the doors for us! Our goal was mainly to get who we are out there and to provide an environment to begin building relationships with students. It was also a great opportunity for people to invite their friends to.

We did have some divine appointments with people and now know that there may be future possibilities to do similar things like this again. It was tough to go up to people and talk with them, but overall people were very positive and though most were not Christians, they enjoyed the music and didn't seem too hostile when they found out who we were. However, we could definitely sense the aversion to the name of Christ and found it hard to read people many times. These things are always learning experiences and give us a greater insight into the cultural climate we find ourselves in. But I do think we broke some ground and the relationships we made will hopefully be long-lasting.

It was a busy week with the music outreaches (every day of the week), planning for the semester, Brett and I moving, me starting up Norwegian language class again, etc. but we know God was doing great things. We have much to share with you about our upcoming semester plans, but those will come next!

Tonight I am heading off to choir practice with a choir I just joined last week. We meet every Thursday night usually and it is made up of mostly Norwegians and some internationals, however I am the only one who is in the process of learning Norwegian- everyone else seems to know it well! So it is a challenge, but so are all attempts at meeting new people. I just know that it will be a great opportunity to not only be able to get back into group singing, but also to build relationships with new people, and be forced to become better acquainted with the language and culture! But I won't say it isn't scary! :) Just need to ask God for courage and humility and plunge in! The fliers I made up to pass out to students- I'm trying to step out and attempt some creativity :)

The back of the fliers- really felt God put these words on my heart to describe our mission

Paul and Sunia performing at SIT cafe at the NTNU campus, Dragvoll

Again Thursday and Saturday night at Boco Choco cafe downtown

Brett and I with Sunia at Lade in Trondheim- I have missed her!This has got to be one of the most hilarious "jumping pictures" I've seen yet: Chuck, Brett, Magnus, and Paul

At least being in the rainy season yields some beautiful skies- downtown Trondheim

Preaching at Betel's Unbad youth meeting (meet every Friday night)

2007-09-04T23:01:00.001+02:00

3 NEW UPDATES FROM THIS SUMMER! ...READ AND LOOK ON ...
(next stop: Beginning of semester here in Trondheim)

As I mentioned earlier, we spent 10 days in Brussels, Belgium in August for a yearly gathering of students and university missionaries for SFC's (Students for Christ) CSM (College of Student Ministry). This time is an opportunity to bring students from the different SFC groups in Europe to participate in relevant training for being leaders on their campuses. Students can select from several areas of focus taught by full-time missionaries, pastors, and teachers as well as select different electives. Brett and I were a part of the class for full-time leaders where we discussed with other missionaries (many originally from the U.S. and some native to Europe) about the challenges -theological, cultural, Biblically, etc. of doing university ministry in Europe, as well as formulated practical ways we can be effective in each of our unique country situations, and a even more clear vision for SFC as a whole, especially in the midst of changing and challenging times.

We had amazing times of discussion, prayer, laughter, tears, etc. and everyone left exhausted, but refreshed and with renewed hope for the future, even as many of us headed back to unknown and difficult circumstances. Our team from Norway left with an even greater sense of being a part of something much bigger and are in the process of creating ways to connect what we are doing in Trondheim even more with this larger community we are a part of. Though we were unable to bring any Norwegians with us this time, our prayer is that there would be some there next year- the first Scandinavians to ever attend an SFC event. Pray with us that God would ignite the vision for SFC Europe in the hearts of Norwegians here and that we would even get some students to attend the SFC European Student Conference being held in Germany over new years this year. Seeing the excitement and fire ignited in the students who attended CSM this year as they connected with students from all over Europe with a common purpose- to see students come to know Christ- has made us long for students here to experience the same.

What an amazing opportunity to unite with people from all over the world, learn from one another, love one another, and create life-long friendships. To truly represent the Body of Christ as displayed through the diversity of the nations...

Here are just a few images from our time in Brussels....

Vanessa and Sietse from the Netherlands who are going to pioneer an SFC group in their city

Cortney with new friends Rike and Jo- students from Germany and Scotland

Receiving prayer from other SFC missionaries for us and our ministry in Norway

Our tourist day in Brussels....enjoying real Belgian waffles covered in Belgian chocolate-Wow.

Our friends Dave and Kate- missionaries in Edinborough, Scotland

SFC missionaries in Belgium, Netherlands, Greece, and a student from Scotland; vision-casting; Cortney trying out the D'jimbae

The Norway Team! With our new addition for the year, Jess

Students from the U.K. surrounding their flag as we prayed around the flags of each country represented

2007-09-04T20:38:00.002+02:00

July! :)
Brett's parents came and took us on an incredible tour of more of Norway! Check out the "Our Photo Albums " link to the left to see more (yea, there are LOTS more ....)Visited a real glacier- the water was really that green!

end of trip: home in Trondheim

downtown in Trondheim with Brett's dad

In Geiranger- fjord listed as a world heritage site. Stayed here 3 nights and it was BEAUTIFUL

Brett driving the boat we rented in the fjord

Fjord boat tour we went on- we kept warm and dry!

Feeling on top of the world...

picnic with the fam in Trondheim

Stop as we were driving on the trip- absolutely breathtaking

In Bergen, eating fresh salmon and shrimp from the fishmarket

overlooking Bergen

Relaxing in Flåm before our hike to a waterfall

Made it to the top! Brett and Paul

And for those who would like to see the whole trip (maybe just a few of you!) here is a slide show...

2007-09-04T20:16:00.001+02:00

June! :)
Just a few images from the our trip home...The Heerwald family at Brett's cousin's wedding in MT

me and my gorgeous "little" sister, the bride!

evening on my older sister and brother-in-law's boat- Brett and nephew Ryan

Ever the cutie, my niece Lauren- just turned 4 last week!

The happy newlyweds: Danielle and Grant

2007-08-18T10:29:00.000+02:00

YES! We're still alive! The lack of writing on this blog the last months is testimony of how Life can take you full-speed ahead with hardly a chance to stop and reflect. So many things have taken place since we last wrote, that it is rather overwhelming to think of posting them all on here. So, I don't think I'm going to try to do that at this moment. Here is a brief summary, and perhaps I will be able to post some pictures soon:

1. Our trip to Spain in May was amazing. We went there for the Assemblies of God World Missions European conference that they have every three years- lucky us that it feel this year! This is a chance for all the AG missionaries of all kinds to come together and connect, be refreshed, and encouraged. There were over 500 in attendence and it was truly inspiring to hear stories of what God is doing all over Europe. We also prayed for the many challenges facing the church on this continent. The most new missionaries at the conference were young adults like us who had felt called to reach the universities of Europe- very exciting!
Brett, Kelly, and I also took a couple of days before and after the conference to stay at hostels in Barcelona and see the sites...we saw many incredible things! Our favorites were the Gaudi park (famous architect) and Montserrat monestary outside of Barcelona.

2. Next big trip was our trip home! What a whirlwind....we were blessed to be able to see some of you at Woodbury Lutheran Church shortly after we arrived, but the majority of our time was spend with family and preparations for my sister's wedding. We also attended Brett's cousin's wedding in Montanna right before we returned to Norway. It was so great to be with family again, and though things were busy (we never really adjusted to being back or being away!) we were able to spend quality time together that we are very thankful for. We were also able to see many good friends at the wedding and afterwards- we have missed them dearly!
The weddings were beautiful and a true testimony of God's love...

3. A week after we returned to Norway, Brett's parents came to visit and took us on a 10 day tour of western Norway. We were incredibly blessed to see all of the amazing things we did. This has to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Mountains plunging into ocean fjords, snow and glacier-covered mountains melting into breathtaking waterfalls that flow into glacial lakes- it was amazing. We met them in Oslo, took a train to Bergen, drove to Flåm, and then to Geiranger. I highly recommend it! Thank you Paul and Carol! :)

4. The day after Brett's parents left, we left for Brussels, Belgium for CSM (College of Student Ministry) put on each year by the organization we are working with: SFC- Students for Christ, Europe. This is a place where students that are a part of SFC groups around Europe gather together for teaching and fellowship. It is also a great opportunity for those of us doing student ministry full time to come together and pray, vision cast, and learn from one another. We feel very privledged to be a part of the community and met and got to know better others who have come from the U.S., as well as native Europeans, who have a heart to see universities reached with the love of Christ. We left very encouraged and with a better sense of the bigger picture of what God is doing through SFC. We look forward to sharing more of the vision with students here in Trondheim and pray that we would have the first Scandinavians at CSM next year!

5. NOW: So after that brief synopsis we are closer to being caught up to speed! We are now sharing our temporary home with Chuck Haavik who is back visiting for 2 weeks, as well as a couple from the states, Paul and Sunia Gibbs. They are our friends from my internship with Chi Alpha in Duluth who are now going to be doing Chi Alpha students for Christ in Portland, OR. and our great musicians. We are having them help us with cafe outreaches at the university and a cafe downtown all next week. We are hoping to provide an environment for people to bring friends who may not know Jesus because the content of their music discusses life issues that may spark conversations about God and life. We are also hoping to start some relationships through this venue. We're excited!

Today we are headed down to the Marina (a grassy area along the river behind Nidaros Domen Cathedral) to have a BBQ, play a game called KUBB, and hang out with people who may come that we invited at freshmen orientation this week. Please pray for good weather and for people to come that we can begin to get to know better.

We'll give you more updates soon! May God fill you with His Joy, Peace, and Love today.

2007-06-05T23:22:00.000+02:00

(In Spain at the monastary Montserrat)

Hi again! Well, it looks like our blog update is going to have to wait until we are stateside...yep, that's right, in less than 7 hours we will be on a plane headed for the states! We are going to be home until July 3 to spend time with family and be involved with all the preparations for and event of my sister, Danielle's, marriage on July 23rd. It doesn't even seem real yet that we will soon be seeing our families and able to hug for the first time in many months! There are many things to look forward to, but we certainly need your prayers for the transition home and adjusting, as well as preparing to come back here to Norway in July.

If you are reading this and will be in Woodbury this SUNDAY, JUNE 10....YOU ARE INVITED to join us at Woodbury Lutheran Church in the Fireside room at 9am. We want to invite all those who are interested in hearing more about our first year in Norway and the ministry, as well as to just spend some time talking with you. Coffee and rolls will be served as well as the opportunity to try some true Norsk cheese and chocolate! :) We would love to see you there and talk more with you. We appreciate all of you who have been so supportive and encouraging in so many ways...We love you and hope to see you stateside! :) U.S.A. here we come...