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".

Finally it came

Today the first snow came.
The kids loved it,
and I loved it,
and we still drove cars.
Slowly.


Untouched snow. Beauty.


Frosty the Snowman as an infant.


The school-kids going crazy in the snow.


Two of my 10-year-old students made a really nice pig.


Trying to throw the snow back where it came from.


Jumping and landing, at the same time...


New snow. Amazing.

Det snør, det snør, tiddelibom.

Det er dét det gjør, tiddelibom.

A lovely day

Yesterday was a lovely day. It was a Saturday, it was weekend, it was a sleep longer day, and it was a outdoor-pølse-grilling-day!

Jan-Erik invited me to join him down to the lake Mjøsa (Norway's biggest and greatest lake) to spend some quality time, enjoying God's creation as well as grilling some pølse. (Pølse=almost hot dogs). The ones we had were Prior's Turkey and Cheese Pølser. They were tasty and the cheese burnt our tounges.

I had wanted to take the camera out for a ride this week, and I finally got to do it yesterday, taking some beautiful pictures that might end up on your wall some day.

It was such a nice day, the crisp cool air biting my nose and toes at once, the sun making me squint and smile, the food filling me up and satisfying my hunger, the good friend making me laugh and think.

Thank you, Jan-Erik for providing this good day for me, as well as a night to remember.

Thank you God for giving me what I need, just when I need it, and for being in control, always.



Arriving at the lakeside.


Holding tight to the tree's branch.


Shaking the cold out of my head.


Sun warming my face.


A row-boat dreaming of the days past.


Pølsegrilling with a smile.


It's hard to hold two pølses at once.

Berta

A picture from this summer.

Pictures, pt. 3

It's been a great day

It began with me finding the best front page of a news paper I have seen in a long while, which I probably will comment here later on, most likely my first Norwegian post. Some things are hard to translate.
Then, the lady in the post office stared at my head and complimented my hair. Not bad that a 45 year old woman compliments your dreadlocks...
Then I went to Europris where they, just as I walked in, were starting selling out ice cream for 3 kr a piece. Usually it's around 15, so it was 80% off. I bought 17 (!) (3 kr is about 50 cents, 15 is about $2,50).
:)

I am happy.

I have a job!

Yes, indeed I do.
Many have asked if I have a job, and many have received the reply "Not, yet, but I am looking."
Now, if you ask me, I can tell you Yes, I have a job, a good one, as a substitute teacher at Hedemarken Friskole, where I went to school long ago. I am now the colleague of my former teachers. Funny, huh? At least my old teachers think it is. I do too.

I just finished my first week, and have three more weeks for sure in those classes. I teach Maths, Geography, Science, Norwegian and Christianity in three different grades, or classes, whatever you want to call it. Three different groups of kids. There you go.

It's a job well paid, considering my lack of education, and it's fun too, at times, when I feel that I am a good teacher, and it sucks when I feel I am a bad one... I have been told that is how it is to be a teacher, a real love/hate relationship.

Just wanted to inform you and thank all of you who have prayed for me getting a job.

-paul andreas

Matteo Vestbøstad, welcome!

I wanted to wish Matteo Vestbøstad heartily welcome to this earth,
and into our big and ever growing family of YWAM-kids.

Here he is:

Photo: Sigfred Proud-Dad

Fun With a Camera, part 2

After some nice and beautiful comments on the last post, I thought I had to take some new pictures. So I went to Skien, because that's where Andreas lives, the one who owns this special camera...
So this week will be spent i Skien, taking pictures of myself.