Coming soon...

Oslo2. The Saturday-experience.

I have now been to Oslo two times in 10 days, and on Tuesday I am going there again, this time to help my uncle move some stuff.

But, yesterday, being as spontanous as I can be, I decided Thursday that I was gonna join going to the house-fellowship-YWAM-meeting at Joakim Magnus' place, at Holmenkollen, Oslo.

So yesterday we went, Jan-Erik, Nils-Andreas, Kobus from South Africa (The Grimerud DTS' speaker this week) and me.

First, we met as a former-YWAMers-now-students-group, me feeling in between somewhere, being half-YWAMer now, becoming a student soon, being a teacher now, but becoming a YWAM-student when I do become a student...

The first thing coming into Joakim's place, I met Brittern, and then later on, Lyndee and Kjersti came, plus Anette, Tuva, Karianne, Joakim (of course) as well as people I met at Slingshot this summer, for instance Gunnhild.
(If I left someone out, or someone's blog-adresses, let me know. What I write here can easily be edited.)

We had a good time of worshipping Jesus, and then hearing from Kobus tell stories from his life in Africa serving God. (I know Africa is generalizing, but for a man travelling all over Africa, almost all the time, you need to use a general term). He urged us to not go away from the calling God has on each of our lives, and to remember that the blessing we have been given, is not ours to keep. (Psalm 67)

As I sat there on the floor in a big living room, I felt like this was how church was meant to be, worshipping together, hearing from God together, looking each other in the eyes while listening, eating together, praying for and blessing each other, asking for God to lead us in our daily walk, focusing on the lost. Not just trying to make up all kinds of good ways to waste time while staring into the back of someones heads.
I really lived yesterday.

Oslo. The mid-week weekend experience.

Konsert. Ekstase. Hjem til Erlend. Bytur. Jegergryte. Mye kjøtt. Tyggis. Anette og Tuva. Tegnspråk, bamsemums, brownies, rare ord og kirkehistorie. Amerikansk frokost. Bislett Kebab. Omvisning på Staffelds. Litt rar i magen. Togtur hjem.

I had a really good time in Oslo, and it all started with the highlight of the fall, The Sufjan Stevens concert. I had been looking forward to it ever since I bought the tickets in August.

That man did not disappoint me, rather the opposite. Delivering a fun loaded show with beautiful sounds and chaotic mess, all in the theme of flying, all with wings and inflatable supermen.

I continued on my road to the week's perfectness by going to Erlend's place to stay a few days. Hospitality and late nights, lots of meat and care.

I also went to visit Tuva and Anette, who gave me a memorable fun night, playing mime-games all night, with the musical sound coming out of the speakers being a mix of Sufjan, Armenian bossanova, High pitched falsetto singing and back to Sufjan again. A cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream as well as brownies with iced cream topped the night off. Thank you, both of you. (Sign-language for thank you: Hold both palms towards each other, all fingers pointing upwards, in front of your solar plexus, and bow your upper body forward in a slight bow.)

Back at Erlend's place, we slept, woke up, one before the other. The other being myself, the one being American-breakfast-maker Erlend. He made us a real American breakfast with American pancakes, Aunt Jemima's original syrup, bacon and scrambled eggs. A good start on a relaxing day.

After some hours in the antique apartment, we went out to eat at the world famous Bislett Kebab. Good food that makes your stomach come alive. After some minutes at the mother of kebab-places, we went over to Staffelds, where Erlend gave me a tour of the building, stating that it's not the building that makes the school so good, it' s the people in it. True, true.

It was time for heading home to Stange, and after packing my bags and heading out the door, my stomach tried giving me a fun time, especially on the train, when the guy next to me fell asleep and I had to pick up my book and read to keep my thoughts on other things than the growling within me.

I came home with a satisfied feeling, knowing that I had been given a gift, a much needed break with some great friends, good food and lots of laughing.

I know the post got long, but I think it's almost free of boring stuff, and if it got too boring, read the top few lines again, and you'll get the short version, if you know Norwegian, that is.

-paulandreas

American breakfast

Surprised by the cameraman.



Laughing and eating simultaneously.

Sufjan Stevens!

I have just been to the most amazing concert, with the most amazing multi-talented-musical genius:
Sufjan Stevens.

He played a long set, with both old and brand new songs, all with some kind of thematic reference to flying of some sort... everything was done with a big set of kite-wings attached to his back. He was himself the Grand Master Chieftain of the Eagles, and he had a group of butterflies that made up his band of friends.

It's hard to describe the experience with words at this time, except that the man must be a genius, playing all the instruments that he does, and writing the complex lyrics that he is also known for.

I'll try posting more later, perhaps a picture or so, but for now, know that I had a REALLY great time this Tuesday night in the city of Oslo.

Right now, I am visiting Erlend, my friend and former bossity-boss.

Australia, here I come!

I got my visa (visum) this last Wednesday, and I am soon ready to go to Perth, Australia to do my SFM, School of Frontier Media there in the beginning of January 2007.

I got my visa in record time. From I pushed the send-button on the webpage, it took about 1 hour and 32 minutes until I got the email saying I got my visa! I was expecting at least a few days, but less that two hours? No way.

Perth is the background city as well as the yellow dot in the lower left corner.

Hungry visitors

We just had a visit by Bambi and his family.
They were hungry.
We just said, "Just go ahead, help yourselves".