Good Times With The Family

Shya and Chad watching "Ice Age:Mammoth Christmas" in my bedroom.

This really tickled me!

Hunty having his first lesson on the hammered dulcimer. He's two years old.

Look at the concentration on his face!

Shya had her 4th birthday on the 18th 

Shya and Mommy = Beautiful Girls

Shya got her ears pierced! 

Smiling because she has Hello Kitty earrings!

Shya is Beste's Favorite Helper

Spencer just HAS to be in the middle of everything!

Lovely Christmas Tree!

I am grateful for such a lovely family! Takk Jesus!

Favorite Family Christmas Songs

Christmas songs say a lot about people. What's your favorite?

Bunads!

There's nothing cuter than two wee grandbabies in their Norwegian bunads!

Shya is going to be four in a couple of weeks and Hunter turned two in August.

Here is a pic of Shya and Hunter with their magnificent mom, Meghann!

We're going Christmas-tree shopping soon! 

Utah, this is your queue to snow!!!!!

A Beautiful Day!

What a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning: making soap!

Shya was fascinated by the process and especially liked the 'poorple' soap.

Thanks for the air-mic concert, Raelynn, you are always a ray of sunshine!

Thank you, Megs, for your steady hands when it came time to remove the soap from the molds. 

Can't wait to try this again!!!!

Beautiful, Beloved Snow!

At last, a REAL snowfall in Sandy! I'm SOOOOO happy! It's snowing!!!!!!

It's hard on poor Spencer because his hoo-haw is so low to the ground that he has to immerse himself in the snow to do his b'ness. It's tragic but cute at the same time.

Unless it's your hoo-haw in question.

Shya caught snow on her tongue tonight in celebration of the first snowfall. Priceless.

Bring it on, Winter! I'm ready for you!

Hjemlengsel for Norge!

Ok, it's true....I am hopelessly homesick for Norway! I dragged Vivien to Ikea this morning (wearing our Norwegian sweaters, of course) so I could feel a little bit of the Norge vibe. But it didn't work. And my heart is still aching. 

This is Elin & Geir's cabin. We had a lovely time there with Pascual from Mozambique

as we chilled in the beautiful mountains of Norway. Check out the sweaters once again.

If this doesn't abate shortly,  I'll have to bust out the krumkake iron!

The Lightning Of God

I went to an intercession class last night at church and we watched a Dutch Sheets DVD. His theme was the 'Lightning of God' and how we, as intercessors, are like God's lightning bolts that hit the target. Just as we may turn a magnifying glass towards the sun and beam it's heat to burn paper on the ground so, too, we may turn our faces to God and learn to direct the fire of His Presence through intercession. Dutch Sheets explains it this way: We become the violent flashing forth of His divine energy, shattering, scattering and routing the enemy.

Here we are, the prayer warriors in Utah,

releasing God's glory and thwarting the plots of the enemy.

I think that's awesome!

Adorable-ness

I love, love, love being home for a variety of reasons but seeing Shya and Hunter every day is at the top of the list.  They are absolutely delightful and it makes me so happy to hear them coming through the door calling, "Beste!!!!" It was fun to shop around Norway and find things to bring home that their compatriots don't have like viking helmets and bunads!

Hunter the Magnificent, Viking Boy!

Beautiful Shya in her 'big girl' bunad, the traditional dress for Norway.

This is the view of Spencer over my laptop screen. Adorable, eh?

I feel blessed to have such a lovely family: Megs, Chaddy, Shya, Hunter, Spencer and, of course, Vivi! It has helped with the homesickness I continue to feel for Norway. 

Rugby World Cup 2011

HURRA for the Rugby World Champs!
Hats off to the All Blacks!

Hurra for Vivien!

This is for you, Vivien. We have three more days left in this beautiful country and all I can think about is how amazing you are. You have poured yourself out for two months with a grace that has spoken eloquently of our Father's love and glorious character.  You have opened God's Word and taught the secrets of His Presence with "authority", "anointing" and "ability" proving once again that you are a master at what you do. You've prayed for hundreds day after day, prophesied over them, played and opened the prophetic door into God's Presence. You never turned anyone away who longed for a connection with God but tirelessly gave and gave. With that beautiful Jesus-sparkle in your eye, you have encouraged and counseled and imparted and released the beauty of your Lord to the people of Norway. You, my beloved sister and friend, have left a waterfall of God's goodness behind you and it has been a delight and an honor to stand by your side.

How can [I] thank God enough for you in return for all the joy [I] have in the presence of our God because of you, [Vivien]? 

1 Thessalonians 3:9 

Jeg elsker deg, tusen takk, kjære venn.

Slap Happy After Two Months

We have had a positively WONDERFUL time in Norway but I have to admit that my body and brain are getting a wee bit weary. I know I'll be crying on Monday when we have to leave but this is just a peek into my world right now:

Where do you hang your socks so they're dry before morning when you need them? 

Is it possible to travel with a portable washer and dryer? Wouldn't that be amazing?

Do you prefer your meat in a tube or in a bucket? Neither, tusen takk :)

Are you prepared to spend $15 on a McChicken when the alternative is fish in a bucket?

If we move here one day, we will have to bring a bag of gold to buy a piece of bread.

(Jesus Movement reference for the oldies out there)

When did Ricky Ricardo immigrate from Cuba to Norway? And what happened to Lucy? 

Ricky, you have some 'splainin' to do.

How can an elk look like a moose and why is it hanging on the wall by the fireplace?

Why do people who are so peace-loving and kind like shooting animals in their backyard?

This is Chad's kind of place :)

Santa Claus and Reindeer or Elves and Crocodiles?

And lastly, is Raelynn really correct with the following translation? If you kick your ball here, the teddy bear will go a farten on you, you barn looker.  Just for the record, she is not correct.

Jeg elsker deg, Norge! Du er veldig hyggelig!

Hungry Norwegian Women!

This is what it's all about, folks. Heidi Baker gave an altar call tonight asking if people would give everything they had - in complete surrender to God - in order to feed the starving people around them. This includes spiritually starving and physically starving. She inspired us with amazing stories of faith where thousands were fed and people were healed of blindness and diseases. Almost every woman in the room came forward to give her life to Jesus as bread to the nations. It was very beautiful.

Please keep praying for Norway! God is doing something wonderful here!

National Women's Conference in Kristiansand, Norway

The National Women's Conference begins this afternoon. You can read about it here:

Kvinner i Nettverk 2011

Vivien is playing on the worship team for the meetings and we will also be one of the prayer teams ministering after the evening meetings.  This conferences is a beautiful demonstration of what God has been doing with the women of Norway. They are arising with great passion and power and this nation is being changed because of them! The conference now includes all of the Nordic countries as the Women's Network is spreading throughout Scandinavia.  We are pleased to announce that we will be starting the first USA Kvinner i Nettverk group in Sandy, Utah. Very exciting, indeed!

Please join us as we pray that God would fulfill all He has in His heart for Norway in these days!

Guds Herlighet for Norge!

Norwegian Brides & Psalm 45

Norway has a lovely cultural tradition for its brides. A traditional wedding is held in the family church (kirke) and the bride wears a special dress (brudekjole) that reflects her heritage and place of origin. She also wears a silver crown (brudekrone) or handmade head-dress with bangles and ribbons and I think it's quite beautiful. These bridal crowns are passed down from generation to generation if a family can afford one, but if they can't they borrow the crown from their church. No bride is ever left out of this custom. 

This is a typical brooch worn by a bride. The symbol of the heart and bridal crown is lovely! The bangles of silver and gold are meant to declare that the bride is God's property and to 'scare' off evil.  Yes, I realize this is a bit superstitious but I like the idea that silver, the symbol of redemption, and gold, the symbol of God's divinity, are used to signify our protection. 

This is a painting of a Bestemor (grandmother) showing her grandchildren the bridal crown they will wear one day. The painting was given to the royal house of Norway in the 1800s. Charming!

I would love to do this for Shya one day! I admit it might be a bit extreme, but I love it!

When a bride and groom go into the bridal chamber, the groom removes the crown. When the bride wakes up after her wedding night, she is supposed to write down the dreams she had because they are meant to be 'prophetic' concerning her future, the number of children she will have and what the couple will accomplish.  Her wedding guests have also planted two fir trees on either side of the front door to the house as a statement of the new life that will begin with this union. Interestingly, there is a giant evergreen next to our front door. We already have our 'babies' and rejoice over Shya, Hunter and Samson!

And one more thing......We are God's Royal Bride!

Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention:Forget your people and your father’s house. Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. The city of Tyre will come with a gift, people of wealth will seek your favor. All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her—those brought to be with her. Led in with joy and gladness, they enter the palace of the king. Psalm 45:10-15

Waterfall of His Presence

  

Deep calls to deep 

   in the roar of your waterfalls; 

all your waves and breakers 

   have swept over me.

By day the LORD directs his love, 

   at night his song is with me.

Psalm 42:7-8

I feel like I am hanging out in the mist beside His glorious waterfall.
We have had such wonderful meetings this weekend.

I am overwhelmed by His loving Presence.

Takk Far, jeg elsker deg.
Du er så godt!

Grosås Farm Retreat Center

We're staying at Grosås Farms for a Prayer Retreat this weekend.  Several people are joining us who have serious illnesses and are looking for healing from the Lord. It is a time of divine appointments! 

Prayer Retreat at Grosås Farm

The beautiful Norwegian flag blowing in the breeze.

This wee chapel on the grounds is a peaceful place to tuck yourself in and spend time with God.

This is an old barn that has been converted into a meeting hall. There is a kitchen, dining room, living room with a lovely fireplace and also a large room upstairs that can hold about 100 people. This is where our meetings will take place.

We are staying in this 17th century farmhouse with the owner who is named Eva. She is a marvel at making us feel at home and is the ultimate creative woman! She bakes her own bread and makes her own jam, among other things, and her home is beautiful. Her family has lived on this farm for centuries and she has mixed the old and new in her home and I love it!

An old violin from Eva's family. Simply glorious!

I love the way Norwegians seem to have a gift for making cozy (coselig) spots to sit and chat.

This is a painting of Jesus that was in my Norwegian Grandmother's home.

I was SO happy to see it hanging on the wall of my room.

I'm looking forward to meeting with God in new ways this weekend.

Please join us in praying for His Presence to fill this place!

Three Little Beings I Miss

ShyShy the Beautiful Dancer!

Hunty the Magnificent!

And Spencie!

I have to admit that my heart aches a wee bit and I'm missing home....