Dear friends in the Solomon Islands. I write this to you now from the other side of the globe. It is so strange not to be able to be with you, but when I left in May I did not foresee the serious consequences this epidemic would bring, nor do I think anyone did. In my plans, I would go back again in August, but that date has come and gone. Even though I had faith that I would make it in time, my plans have now changed, as I think many others have. But I am confident that our God will work all things for the good for us who have been called according to his purpose.
Usually I write a newsletter to all my supporters and followers every month, but this month I want to write to all of my friends in the Solomon Islands. To my church family in Koalale church, I am looking forward to seeing you again and to share what God has been done during this time, both in the Solomons and in Norway. To all my brothers and sisters in YWAM Solomons, I greet you with a mighty high five! I am so encouraged to follow all that you are doing on facebook, and I am looking forward to come back to a further changed base and all the villages along the coast of Malaita that has been impacted by your ministry. To all my friends in Gateway and from my DTS, I will be back to greet you again! I just don’t know when yet.
Family
One blessing in my life during this time is that I got to spend a lot of time with my grandmother in her last season of life. She died on September 1st while all her 6 children was staying vigil over her last days. In the pictures above you can see my entire family and my grandmother 2 months before she died, and all the 6 children she has (my mother being one of them). In her funeral, all of her closest family and friends were gathered to say their farewells and to remember a long and rich life of 96 years. I am thankful I got to be a part of it and to meet all my relatives in this occasion.
Nature
Another beautiful thing about being in Norway is that I have been able to enjoy our beautiful nature. Everything from hiking in the mountains in the middle of summer with a lot of snow still lying around, to being at sea level sailing in big swells. I feel so blessed to have experienced my first Norwegian summer since 2017, and I have been able to meet a lot of my friends along the way.
YWAM Ålesund
While I wait for my VISA and approval to go to the Solomon Islands, I am serving with another YWAM base in Norway – YWAM Ålesund. They have just been given this huge building in the middle of the city by an old mission organization for the symbolic sum of 1 kr (1 SBD). It is called Johanneskatedralen (John’s Cathedral) and has a big church room in addition to many other rooms. Right now we are renovating the first floor on street level to make it into offices for YWAM Ships Norway and other Christian organizations in the city, so that we can all work together and encourage one another.
I am very much involved in tearing down and rebuilding. The building is over 100 years old, so we get to see a lot of different solutions to previous renovations. Sometimes, the best solution is to tear down the old and build something new, while other times we put new over the old.
I am working together with an amazing group of people from all over the world. Even though it is a Norwegian base, most people that work here are internationals. We are four Norwegians, and the rest are from Finland, Romania, America, Latvia, Switzerland and Chile. I arrived to the base right after they emerged from a season of low activity due to summer break and covid, and so we have been focusing on team building which has been great to build unity and trust in the group.
My heart has also been moved for the youth of Norway. I was part of arranging a Christian kick off for their senior year of high school. Me and my co-host were wearing wigs and we put on a show for the youth where they had to pull toilet paper all over the room. It looked great afterwards! I hope to be able to minister to this group of people more before I leave.
Coming back to the Solomons
I am hoping to come back soon. These days, nobody knows when I can come, but we have applied for a working visa and an invitation from the government to be allowed to come on one of the repatriation flights. Please pray with me that this process will go smoothly and that I will be able to come sooner rather than later. I trust that God’s timing will be perfect, but I will still do everything in my power to go where I believe he has called me – back to the Solomon Islands.
God bless you, wherever you are at in this season of your life. I am looking forward with great expectation to be back with you again!
