Gareth

This is a normal day of my life... this time is just happened to be at a New Years Part---AY!!!!

a collection of learning from the last three days.

These slightly bad photos are the product of a sick day in bed.

In one of the meetings a speaker gave a word picture of some people or mission fields just seem like a smelly fish, but in that mess is a broken heart.

I liked that word picture so I got out my felt tips and made this. :)

Lately I have been craving deep conversation that really matters, I like to ask people what there dream is. It has lead to two really great conversations with two people I didn't know. Fabulous.

In an apologetics class I learned something really valuable that I have never ever heard in apologetics. Ask Questions. My warped view of apologetics has been a lot of dreaded arguments between Christians that don't listen and other religious people that don't listen. They are like kids with squirt guns, emptying there tanks on each other with there eyes closed. But this man, even though he knew all the right arguments wanted us to just ask people what they believe, make an open atmosphere. A question is an invitation. Statements are closed.

loves.

p.s. I really appreciate getting comments on here. :)

Japan?

Three months ago I went to a big YWAM Scandinavia conference in Sweden, there I learned about the need in Asia for missionaries, when I heard that many had never heard the name of Jesus Christ, my heart was pulled. A couple weeks after we had a teacher, David McDaniel, who is a missionary in Japan, he informed me that out of the 127 million people living there 1% are Christian. After that I felt I should be a missionary in Japan, but my mind screamed "no!", so after a couple months of saying no, I stopped thinking about it and started to create other plans. However, Japan would still come up sometimes. Last week I was settled in to going to University of Alaska Fairbanks, running and studying a degree that I would be happy to learn all about for 4 years. So I sent an email to UAF asking if they had the degree I was hoping for.

When I showed up to the Workers Gathering in Hamar with all the other YWAMers of Norway, my plans started to change. As we gathered for different meetings I enjoyed learning and fellowship but on the second day they played a video about Asia, giving the facts of how desperately they need missionaries through simple statistics. Japan instantly came to my mind, I needed to go. Then I went to a session on being full time YWAM, it was a small group setting so I was able to talk to some long time YWAM missionaries and then I voiced my feeling of calling to Japan there but I still wanted to go to UAF, really bad. Being home in Alaska sounded really good, over Christmas break I started to realize all the things I miss about home and even just America. I miss my family and friends but also things I never thought I would miss, like being able to eavesdrop on people conversations and talk to little kids, or driving my little car and finding all the things I want in the store. All of these things that I was really missing I was no going to be able to find in Japan.

I went to the prayer room here and started praying while I wrote and drew, the paper says "me in Japan, Tokyo". I was simply opening up the possibility again and God really met me there and I decide to just start taking steps toward Japan. Then I made a check list: Pray, Email, and Look at Plane Tickets.

I sat down and wrote an email to David to let him know I was considering it and see what he thought and hear a little about what was going on there. There was an email from UAF saying to re-email my admission councilor because she was out of the office till the next day, so I resent an email to UAF asking if they had the degree I wanted. Then I kept praying and went on with my day and slept soundly.

Yesterday, when I checked my email I had 2 emails, one saying that UAF had no such degree and one from David telling me that he was excited to hear that I was interested and that when he met me he thought I would be a blessing in Tokyo. I took this as a really great confirmation.

So now I have decided to continue praying about it. And would ask you to pray for me also, this is a really big decision, to go into full time mission at 19.

I am not committed on paper yet or anything like that, but I am committed to push toward this until I can't push any further.

Oh and I didn't realize how close Japan is to Alaska! Way less for than Norway.

A little about what I would be doing: for 6 months I would be staffing at a DTS (like a school similar to mine except with an emphasis in evangelism instead of Art) and then the other 6 months I would be focused on my own mission work in Japan. This would be a 2 to 2 1/2 year commitment.

That is what is up with me right now. I think I could talk about this for hours but I am exhausted of writing...

mk... pray pray pray.

I am thinking it would be cool for different people to pray with me about this each day of the week, so if you would like a certain day just leave a comment on here I will get it all sorted out.

So I rode on a train for 9 hours. That was good.

Hamar

Hello everyone.

I am in another part of Norway now, Hamar. At a conference for all YWAM Norway workers, called the workers gathering. I am really enjoying myself and hearing from really wonderful people who LOVE Jesus. I am so inspired...more later, dinner is soon.

loves.

she.nan.i.gans

Did you know that there is a proper way to spell shenanigans! I didn't till spell check corrected me. I thought it was a made up word that lots of people embraced but it was first used in 1855!

It is such a great word and goes well with the idea of Power Rangers.

(Ramsey, I will be the yellow one so you can be pink. Lars, you can be black...)

2011

Happy New Year, my wonderful friends.

My celebration included a lovely evening of good food, turkey (yes!), some games, fireworks at Alida's friend Jeannette and Tormod's house with Hanna, Andre', Justen, Gareth, and Kristina.

One of my favorite things was standing on the edge of a field on a stone wall, watching 20 different private firework displays ranging from over our heads to miles away. I wonder what it was like to watch the first firework...

Godt Nytt År!