ADVENTKALENDAR - trying for an advent season approach besides "Getting to Christmas"!

An Allison Post

Today is Day 7 of the Christmas Countdown, or Jule rather (pronounced "yu-la"). Per usual, time passes quickly as we try to savor every bit of this holiday season including but not limited to:

-decorating christmas trees that measure up to my knee

-singing with 53 christmas songs on my playlist that I'm trying not to get sick of after listening to for just 3 days

-making gingerbread houses that cave in after a day because of the humidity in our house

We bought our plastic spruce at a
place called "Plantasjan"! It was all of 20 bucks
and even came with little lights. SHOUTOUT TO
MARTINE for the ride, The LORD knows I did NOT
feel like walking!!!! ;)

But OF COURSE these little details are not the why for Christmas which is why we can happily laugh and thank God for the meaning and reason of Advent. We look forward to Jesus coming to us this month, this week, daily. We see Jesus coming when we walk in the bitter cold to find our 1-foot tall Christmas tree, only to be stopped by a girl we've only met twice who wants to give us a ride to there and back and keep us company. Jesus also comes when people still want to celebrate your birthday 4 months after the fact by taking you to movie they'd rather not sit through (Oh btw, if you're planning to see Allied, be prepared -__-') Anddddd Jesus has also come when friends of friends of friends invite us to a birthday party because even though we are 3 times removed and only met once for coffee, they think we're worth having at special moments in their life.

Maybe I didn't realize how blown away I was be Jesus showing up these recent weeks in the midst of Go Go GO circumstances and unsurfaced lonliness & longing. I wished it were these times that I vividly remembered when people ask me, "How can you SEE Jesus? He's not real!" Christ grace for the world is real, and huge considering how long we've been missing His presence both incarnate and in the heavenly realms.

Pray for my eyes, that they'd be open to see how real Jesus is everyday. I want to see Him!

Jeremiah - A Weekend at Trovassli

- Jeremiah

This last weekend we were at a camp called Trovassli with our youth. Usually by the end of these weekends I am in need of rest, and struggling to find energy. Typically my introverted characteristics show strong when I am around groups of people for a fews days in a row. Even though I was still tired by the end of this weekend I was really excited to see God giving me strength in a new way. It's funny to think about how I was able to stay engaged with the youth in new ways just by being myself. But the hardest part about that is being comfortable enough to let my true interests and desires come out. A few ways I was able to engage in new ways was of course playing guitar, but also playing a fast paced card game called Egyptian Rat Screw. I have no idea why it is called this, but it has been an amazing way to include new people in some great fun.

At Skien Baptist there a few different groups a young people. Skien Soul Children are a large choir consisting of young people from around 12 to 18 years old. Another group is a group that is about 11 to 13 years called the Tweens. Then we have another group that is called the Bæggers group that consists from ages 15 to 18. There is some overlap in these groups, but at the camp this last weekend they got to finally spend more time with each other for a couple days back to back. Here in Norway meeting new people is hard. I would say it is even more difficult when it involves middle school to high school awkward moments. I realized as we were arriving that part of my job was to help those who didn't know each other at least acknowledge each others presence. By the end I could see new relationships being formed.

So we played fast paced crazy card games, we also jammed on guitar, and then since it was snowy we got ski and do some sledding!!

On these camps where the youth are meeting new people it is hard to create spaces where they can feel safe to open up about their lives. But it just reminds me how Jesus is always calling us to him. Whether we are ready or not He is always ready for us. I felt God telling me that even if there are some youth that are not open it is important to continue to talk about God's desire to be with us. Part of my testimony is that God was ready for me, but I ran form him and I ended up in really lonely and empty places. But when I was at my loneliest He was there still ready.

The divorce rate here in Norway is very high. Many of the young people we come in contact with don't have the best relationships with there parents. Also, it gets really cold and very dark here so people don't want to leave there houses in the winter. This creates loneliness too. All of these things contribute to loneliness and can lead to being very closed off to talking at all. Church may be the only place where they get to experience true friendship and love. Out of this friendship and love it creates a safe place for young people to talk about what is actually going on in there lives. It also creates an opportunity for them to talk about how they have seen God bless them so that others can benefit from their testimony.

So we have a responsibility and an opportunity to follow the example of our God. Our God gives us grace when we don't deserve it. Our God loves us even when we run for him. Our God is always ready for us whether we are or not.