Northern Norway recap!

Hello everyone!  

I arrived back in Bergen on Monday evening after a week of ministering with Youth With A Mission in Northern Norway (Finnmark).  It was an incredible week of handing out Bibles, experiencing the Arctic climate, learning, and encouraging the strong community of Christians in this special part of Norway.

Traveling to Finnmark was not in my original Norwegian plans, but God has a way of changing my plans and I'm getting used to it!  I had the week off from my work in Bergen, and my friend Ana invited me to join her YWAM team as they handed out Bibles to every home in Hammerfest.  Below, you can see a map of Norway and how FAR north Hammerfest is located!  The people who live there live half the year with the sun never setting (the famous Norwegian midnight sun), and the other half of the year in almost permanent darkness!  While I was there, the city was just on the brink of entering the very dark part of the year.  The sun was setting around 4:30 every day.

Handing out Bibles to EVERY house in Finnmark is a huge task.  My team in Hammerfest was only a small part of the big initiative.  Bible to All (or "Bibelen til Alle" in Norwegian) is a part of a global goal to offer a free Bible to every house in the world by the year 2029.  In the past few years, the Norwegian people have shown an increasing interest in the Bible.  Even in Norway, one of most secularized and non-religious countries in the world, the Bible is the #1 seller.  For more information, read this Huffinton post article about Bible sales in Norway from June 2013.  Bible in Norway

During the week, we went out in teams of 2 people.  Since my Norwegian language skills are VERY limited, I was thankfully paired with a native Norwegian speaker each night.  :)  I found that most people we talked to spoke English pretty well, but I was still thankful to knock on doors with a Norwegian!  This goes out to you, Henrik og Rebekka!  Tusen takk!

Each night, we walked a specific route organized by the local churches.  It was a very organized system, because we needed to cover a lot of ground, and not accidentally visit houses twice.  We walked around and passed out Bibles for 4-5 hours each night.  Some people said "no" right away, some people weren't home, but at many houses we were greeted with a huge smile or a hug!  Some people even invited us in for conversation and coffee.  Because "Bible to All" had been in the local news, many Hammerfest residents were eagerly awaiting a free Bible and welcomed us with open arms!  What a blessing!

Thursday night in particular was extremely memorable for me.  My partner, Rebekka, and I had been walking around handing out Bibles for almost 4 hours and it was an especially freezing night.  Many people weren't home, so we spent most of the night stuffing mailboxes with information about local church events.  It was slightly discouraging.  However, at the LAST house we visited, an older woman opened the door and when we offered her a free Bible her face lit up and she hugged and kissed each of us!  She then promptly invited us into her home, where she was sitting and talking with her neighbor man.  Rebekka started talking with this woman and translating for me.  The woman opened up immediately to us (a beautiful and rare thing for many Norwegians) and told us she was suffering from an oppressive evil spirit and anxiety.  Rebekka told her about Jesus, and how He offers us freedom from oppression and peace.  She asked the woman if she would like to experience Jesus' peace through prayer, and the woman immediately said yes!  Her friend also wanted prayer so we prayed for him too.  It was a beautiful moment for all of us!  This woman and her friend were completely open to Jesus and his Word.  I am so privileged that the Lord chose to use Rebekka and I in HIS work.  Our simple obedience (handing out a free Bible) turned into something much deeper and more meaningful.

Overall, this past week was challenging and tiring, but SO worth every minute.  God is doing great things in Norway, and I believe he has targeted Finnmark for revival that will spread through the whole country!  Please pray for this part of the country.

If you want more information about Bible to All and how you can be praying, check out this link: Bible to All

Blessings to you all!
Anna

October is here!

Hello everyone!


I kveld, jeg skriver fra Sandvika, utenfor Oslo!  (Tonight I'm writing from Sandvika, near Oslo!)  I am also using a Norwegian computer, so I apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes ;)


Yesterday, I took a very short plane ride from Bergen to Oslo to visit Solveig Bakk and her husband Alf.  Solveig is my great grandfather Otto Bakk's niece.  Even though we are distantly related, we ARE truly family and Solveig has been a wonderful tour guide and hostess!


I had been in Oslo (Norway's capital) very briefly a couple of weeks ago.  However, because Mary Elizabeth and I were heading directly to a church in Mysen, I didn't have a chance to really SEE Oslo.  Compared to Bergen, I had heard that Oslo is quite industrial and less cute, but I really enjoyed my time exploring.


Solveig brought me to several well known tourist destinations yesterday!  I visited:


     ~the Oslo opera house.  It's famous for its massive roof, which allows people to walk on it and see a beautiful 360 degree view of the city!
     ~the Oslo parliment building.  It has been 200 years since Norway has had its own constitution, and yesterday Norwegians celebrated the "Åpning av stortinget" or "the opening of parliment".  Many People gathered on the main street of Oslo near the parliment building, because King Harald was inside giving a speech!  Solveig and I stayed outside for almost an hour waiting for a glimpse of King Harald and his wife Sonja.  Our only entertainment was watching three royal guards faint.  Poor guys...  But, we were finally rewarded for our patience when the King and Queen came out to the street and drove back to their palace.  I saw royalty with my own eyes!! Pretty exciting for a girl who hasn't even seen the U.S. president!
     ~Oslo city hall.  This is where the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony is held, so it's obviously HUGE and gorgeous.  It felt like an art museum because paintings hung on nearly every wall.
     ~The King and Queen's Palace and gardens.  Beautiful.
     ~Vigelandsparken.  This is a gigantic sculpture park in Oslo, filled with sculptures by Gustav Vigeland.  The sculptures are made of granite and bronze, and are simple and beautiful.  I am in awe of Vigeland- he completed over 200 sculptures in his lifetime.


Last night after all that walking, I was quite tired.  Norwegians know how to walk for long distances!  :D


Today, Solveig took me on another adventure: seeing the Bakk family farm!  It was such a surreal experience to actually SEE the farm where my great grandfather Otto grew up.  He had 5 brothers and 3 sisters, so you can imagine that space and land must have been hard to come by.  When Otto was 18, he and his older brother Alfred moved to the United States to get a fresh start.  I am so thankful I could visit the Bakk farm here!  It's a beautiful thing to get in touch with my roots and try to imagine what life was like 100 years ago.  I felt at home there, like I could have grown up on a Norwegian farm as well.


Tomorrow, I'm traveling by train to Hamar with my dear friend Ana to visit our mutual friend Lilla at a Youth With a Mission base.  Then on Monday, Ana, her YWAM team and I are flying to Finnmark.  Finnmark is the Northern most region of Norway.  I am STOKED to see this rugged and pristine part of the country.  We will be evangelizing and handing out Bibles while we are there.  Please pray for God to move and guide us, and for Divine appointments.  I am honored to serve God and learn from Ana's team.


Blessings to you all.
Klemmer fra Norge (hugs from Norway),
Anna