Week 1 (technically 2)

Update time! Just finished my first week of creative track, which meant I was dancing for nearly 5 hrs most days. We had a dance teacher from Seattle working with us! It was mostly a lyrical jazz style as we looked at our personal timelines and lifestories so its been quite emotional! We learnt about six dances during the week which dealt with a different theme each day. Monday was Sad Clown and the masks we wear infront of others, ourselves and even God. Tuesday, the exploration that everyone has got a soty to tell as well as we workeshopped a movement piece in reflection of abandonment/homelessness. Then Wednesday we learnt a piece on grief to the classic Autumn Leaves. We also played with the theme of temptation and a physical depiction of that. Then on Thusday we looked at Beauty and discovering that inside of everyone. And finally on Friday we did a gospel number to View of this City ("I'm gonna sit at the welcome table, drink sweet milk and honey, shout and never get tired...!"). At the end of each creative week (we alterenate between teaching and creative weeks) we have show and tell, where each track presents something that they have been working on during the week. (We performed out Sad Clown dance). On Wednesday evening myself and my roommate Hanna-Maria (from Finland) worked at Lyspunktet (YWAM linked cafe translates to "lightspot"). We had a great time - the cafe was quite so we were able to chat ewith the chef and other staff and they fed us. Its so nice to be able to put the skills I learnt from Beadles in to practice and bless these people. I really would love a chance to make coffees again though! Apart from creative time/teaching and our community chores we have a lot of free time to spend how we please. Last night a small group of us wen to the youth meeting at the local church which felt like 1.5 hrs version of Youth Alive. Mixed reaction, trying not to be critical as it was so very different to my usual church family of Fusion and Night Church. Lots of lights, music and smoke machines. Still thinking over it. To give you some perspective of the church atmosphere: there quite a large influence from the lutheran/ state church, with a focus on confirmation. Norway is quite a western culture - though not as free as Australia with their views and acceptance of everything (ie. Gays etc). One of the staff was explaining a Norwegian mentality of ''you can't teach me anything/ I can't learn anything from you'' - I don't know if that makes sense to you..? Next weekend we are off to a YWAM prayer conference  in Skien, southern Norway. It's called RISK focusing on Jesus to all of Europe. After a few days there I then head to Cyprus for a few days with a prayer team, so if you could be praying would be great, don't know what the political situation is in Cyprus climate moment. Just want to give you all a hug but still enjoying myself here - it's starting to sink in that this is my home for the next nine months!!

Thursday 15 September

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the lack of grammar in my last post, as my mother so kindly pointed out to me, but I'm not promising much different this time:P

This first week we have a lot of free time as. people get to know each other so I have been able to update this blog fairly often, not sure how much time I will get next week etc once lectures and our creative time gets into full swing. At the moment it is mostly practical information download. Yesterday we took a trip into Alesund to the look out over Aspøya, postcard material apart from the rain. Something I am learning is to take a rain jacket whenever you venture outside as you will probably get wet. (we ended up playing soccer in the rain on tuesday).

So, today, we started lectures and our creative track times. First teaching was on Worship and Intercession, including a free, a capella worship and prayer session and praying for the tracks. It is a bit more like study than I realised (but expected) as we have book reports to do and in our tracks we will have assignments, though totally different to conventional school assignments, but the give the year focus and structure. Exploring the arts with a Christian view, mainly focusing on incorporating worship into everything. There are seven girls, plus our lovely leader Hanna (she's Norwegian) in dance track, which is a big group, and there is so much variety between all of us and our dance, it is exciting to be able to work in such a group, particularly with the intent of reaching the local communities.

Some on my roommates. Both are nineteen and lovely girls. Hanna Maria is from Finland, she's in music track - she sings and plays guitar and likes John Mark McMillian (that's a positive) and then there is Ellen, a local Norwegian in art track who loves to joke around. Its such a nice dynamic in our room, as well as in the school, as we are all happy to keep to ourselves but all get on well. The other day the was a change in the timetable which meant we had and extra hour of free time, so all the students just sat around in the lounge room sharing testimonies and stories. There is such a diversity in the students, but all with such creative, God-focused hearts. It is so nice to see how much community there is already and we haven't even been here for a week yet (crazy!)

There was an overnight hike planned for today, but because the weather forecast was rainy (unsurprisingly), it was changed to tomorrow, but then we discovered that we have no tents. So tomorrow we are going for a day hike to a mystery location.

my home: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=alesund

Well, I have supper duty soon. There are photos just up on my facebook so check them out!!!

I'm in NORWAY!!!

Sorry to take a while to put this up. Just started to make friends so now can borrow computers :)

After 32 hours I finally made it to this beautiful place! The plane rides were long but reasonable. I didn't realise how long the first leg (Brisbane to Bangkok) actually was until I was half way through the flight. I stopped over in Bangkok for 4hrs, then left at 1am for Oslo, an 11 hour flight. At least I had two seats to my self by the window and was able to sleep a bit. I did, though, manage to wake up feeling a bit sick (almost over it thanks to some drugs :). And then after arriving in Oslo at 7-30am, I spent nearly eight hours waiting for my 45min flight into Alesund, when the base is. While I was waiting at the airport in Oslo, I saw a guy wandering around looking lost and carrying a guitar, who I guessed looked like a YWAMer, and turns out to be on my DTS!! ha. A couple of students had already arrived on base by the time I got there, so that night (Sunday) we and the staff went into town to Lyspunktet http://www.lyspunktet.as/ the local YWAM mission cafe. It felt strange being there a day early and not having responsibilities, as I am so used to in this context being a leader on camps. etc. On the plane ride here, I was feeling a bit unsure and doubtful about going, but am really happy to be here, it feels like it will be the perfect place for me - like a green house.

My first impressions of Norway:
It is beautiful - mountains with snow already on the tops, rivers and fjords. Quaint little villages speckled all over the place. Looks like Tasmania cross with what I have heard and seen of Canada. The roads are very narrow and people drive on the right side of the road. There aren't really any fences, or if there are they are only very low, or sometimes just hedges or nothing at all. The houses are really cute with pitched/ A frame roofs and all nestled next to each other. Also, it is very expensive!!! On Monday I went to the shopping centre (one of three right next to each other, with supermarkets the Norwegian equivalent of Wall-Mart. Oh, and they eat 4 meals a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner (4pm) and supper at 8, and they like brown cheese, which I think tastes like cheese with peanut butter. It's a delicacy with jam!!  

I am sharing a room with two others, one for Finland and the other from Norway, both lovely girls. I allocated the loft part of the room (!!!!!) which is excellent as I was feeling a bit unsure about sharing my personal space with other people. There are 30 students living on base and then about a dozen staff plus staff families living close by in the community. We have 13 different cultures represented in the students alone, including another Australian - Johnny for Melbourne. It's strange being one of the few native English speakers, I was told by one of my roomies that it is hard for them to be speaking English so much at once - so we have to be gentle with them.

Last night (Monday night) we all went into town to Atelier for the 'Opening Night' of introductions, music and laughs - worship with a sync! Today has been mostly ground rules etc for the house and living and going over the year ahead - there is a possibility that Ken Helser may come to teach at the end of the school!!! It was a bit of information overload! During the weeks we get to be involved in the local community, serving in various ways, including in Lyspunktet! The calendar ahead looks very exciting and I am soo keem just to get into but, I could tell you all so much more, but for now I think I just need to get over jet-lag.

Till next time, Gud velsigne! (God bless:)

The start.

So, hello!

This blog is designed to be where I inform you of my adventures of the next few months. Beyond that, I am sure it will turn into something completely different.

I (quite literally) about to leave for Norway to join Youth With A Mission as a student on  the Creative Arts - Dance Track - Discipleship Training School ( DTS). That means lectures, bible studies and dance workshops. Towards the end of the the school there is an outreach phase, where we will head off in team to a foreign country to put what we have learnt into practice, and use the gifts and talents we have been cultivating to serve the local church of the community we're in. YWAM is an international organisation, know as the 'University of the Nations', with their goal is "to know God and make Him known". There are some very real threats and dangers, particularly during the outreach phase, even though it may appear that I am doing a 'course'. And I still don't entirely comprehend what I' getting myself into! I am not going with a particular desire or calling to international mission, but more so to gain perspective, grow my faith and purse my creativity!

This wasn't always the plan for my life after school. As this year being my second year out, I had originally hoped to go to Italy as an au pair, but had to work for a year before I started anything. That year  turned into twenty months. During that time my brother, Isaac, did his DTS in Brisbane, which encouraged me to make this decision

Anyway, I shall try my best to keep you updated, so jump in my pocket and join me on this adventure!!!!~