Skip to main content

Flexible introverting.

I seemed to be moving around a lot in October. Thankfully I am now back at Grimerud, and I think I’ll be here for a bit now…at least more than 3 days (I’ve been back 4 days now, so that is already true). Plus it’s now November, so I know for certain that there will be no more moving in October (unless I travel back to the future which I think is highly unlikely). I wonder if I’ll ever experience smooth transitions…seems that every time I go from one place to another there is always a period of adjusting. I suppose that is normal, but I am hoping it will get less tiring as life passes. At least heaven is for eternity, right.

Being home for the week was just what I needed. After being around lots of people in Kansas City (travelling in a group cuts down on introvert-recharging-on-your-own time), and then going straight into home-days which meant lots of people all day, it was lovely to get home to space and few people. During the days I had the house to myself. Great both to get some much needed space, and try to adjust back into Norwegian time. I was amazed at how long it took before I stopped finding myself wide awake at 2 am wondering how to get myself to sleep.

This has been quite a draining week for me…I started bright and early Monday morning translating for the DTS. I was geared up to start on Tuesday (which was the original plan), but then things changed, and so I started on Monday instead. Not a problem…as a good YWAMer I am always open to change and being flexible…and it also means I have tomorrow off which is nice. Thinking about it, I think it’s been draining not necessarily because of the day-change (which I honestly didn’t mind at all), but the fact that I have been translating from English to Norwegian. Always a lot more challenging seeing as I have spent most of my adult life in non-Norwegian speaking settings. However, there is nothing like a bit of challenge to help me grow as a person.

Life apart from this is pretty low key. We have a large Kings Kids conference here this weekend. As part of that we’re holding the café at the base open and I am going to give them a hand this evening. In a bit I am off for my training…it’s exciting! Makes me remember how (now) many years ago when Anna, Elisabeth, and I in Fortaleza were brainstorming ideas of how we really wanted to open a Scandinavian café in Fortaleza. Thinking about it now, I am not convinced it really would have become the most successful business venture ever, but we had a lot of fun talking and dreaming about it. Especially the waffles and cakes we were going to make (it might actually have worked with a profit because we would buy all our own food).

The weather is getting colder…the challenge each day is to know how many layers to put on so that I won’t freeze or suffocate…life is full of challenges (smiles).

Popular posts from this blog

Small moments that mean a lot

Walking home on the crunchy snow that lights up a December evening,  I felt so thankful. The revelation that fellowship and being together is the best gift you can give someone, and realising that although it might seem small, it can turn into something big when a person feels seen and valued.  Yesterday I helped out with a crafts workshop for a group of lovely women volunteering for Crux where I worked before (well, in all honesty: they were making angels while I ate Christmas cookies, Quality Street chocolate, and chatted). I love walking alongside people in conversation, and realise sharing life for 2 hours can last so much longer in value and experience.  This evening we had our Christmas dinner for volunteers and people who are part of my current job. It was a delightful evening with many nations gathered around the same table…. eating the same food… and for a few hours creating a small fellowship moment that will become a good memory for the future. Often in my job ...
Read more

Taking in the familiar and a heart connected.

Amsterdam. It still has that muggy feeling in Summer, and a constant flow of people which if you stop to think about it, it's quite amazing that there would even be space to accommodate them all. But then I guess they are not all staying. Just passing through on their way to or from somewhere. It's always good for the heart to visit somewhere that was once home. The familiarity of streets and customs makes it easier to embrace what might be new as well as the joy of being reacquainted with old friends. Friends. So many of them to be found in this city, ready with hugs and good words that are uttered when seeing someone who was away again. Friendship. A treasure that cannot be bought. Cobblestones trodden by many, including myself. Sitting on a bench. Praying. Remembering the first time I stumbled upon this area lined with windows with red lights and curtains. An area which has come to represent no longer windows, but people to me. Some still behind a window. Others who have ...
Read more

So what is new in Kansas City?

“Not much”, I think is the answer. Although, that’s not quite correct, I’ve had quite an adventurous weekend (in the mildest sense of the word). Let me see, where do I start? Well, Thursday when I last wrote was really good. I got to join with a team for a bit in the evening, which was really good fun and it lifted my spirits as I am totally a team person! The whole week had been quite tense because of adjustments with our household and people coming and going. On Saturday two of the girls I shared with were moving out and since Friday night they were packing, my other housemate and I went shopping. We figured it was easier to not get caught up in the chaos that packing to move houses is. It was fun to go shopping, even if we only went to Wall-Mart and HyVee (big grocery and other thing shops). We got a few bits and pieces for the house to make it more homely and generally just had fun looking at all the stuff they have. We’d decided that when the other girls had moved we’d do a big cl...
Read more