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The routine of life in a nutshell (I never quite understood why it's in a nutshell).

I'm sat here at the coffee shop "Higher Grounds" here at the IHOP-KC Missions Base. This is my regular routine, I mean obviously not writing my blog as I sit here, but coming here for a cup of tea in the morning. From my first weeks of having no routine whatsoever, life has come to take on a daily rythm which pretty much stays the same. I usually get up a bit before 5 am (now, don't start thinking I've suddenly become some super-human who can survive on minimal sleep, I do get to bed earlier also!). Yes, I rise and shine before the sun appears, and I leave around 5:45 am to go to the prayer room, getting a lift (or ride as they call it here) with one of the people in my house. I know I should take every opportunity to walk and get in some much needed exercise, but -13 degrees Celsius joined with ice and wind makes me quite happy to sit for 5 minutes in a warm car instead of trapsing for 25 minutes in the freezing cold (I am sure you agree!).
I hang out at the prayer room till I head off for class around 11:45 am. Hanging out meaning that sometimes I join in with the worship, prayer, Bible meditation stuff. Sometimes I read, and when I can be bothered I'll take my laptop with me and do internet stuff (this is rare coz it's just a hassle to lob my laptop around. Seeing lots of small, white, cute macs everywhere makes my laptop look humongous!). I know I'm going for small and cute next time I get one (which is hopefully years from now). And in the midst of this when I get a bit chilly or feel sleepy, I pop over here to the coffee shop for a much appreciated cup of tea (Earl Grey of course, in case you were wondering and couldn't guess).
Class is 12-3 pm (or 15:00 as we write in Norway). Sometimes less is more as the saying goes, and for me 3 hours of teaching is exactly the right amount of information to take in and process and appreciate each day. We just finished 10 days of teaching on a small book in the Bible called "Song of Songs", and I was blown away by seeing just how passionate God is about us and how much He loves us even in our weakness and imperfection! After class I head back to the prayer room and usually stick around till about 6 pm (sometimes I stretch it till 6:30 pm, but then it is probably technically dark, so I should try to leave before that). Wrapping my long brown H&M scarf around my neck, I set off on to face the cold and the long walk home (which isn't really that long), and often some blessed person will have pity on me and give me a lift.
Well, I don't actually go home, I head to the Justice Prayer Room which is a second prayer room only 2 minutes from where I live (ergo, I am not limited by the dark to go home). It's got a lovely atmosphere and is "rougher" and less "slick" than the main prayer room we refer to as the GPR (Global Prayer Room). The GPR is very well done, the sound and worship teams flow well, lighting is good, the set up is great, and you have screens with words on, and of course cameras as it is all filmed and webstreamed. The JPR (Justice Prayer Room) is kind of how the GPR was in the beginning (I hope you're not getting too confused). It's good, but you know it's a place for people to try out being in worship teams and leading prayers. And naturally it's smaller and there are less people there.
But I love coming there and hanging out in a less busy atmosphere (now, if you've never been to IHOP-KC or seen the webstream, all of this will probably go over your head, but it's good and different I think is the bottom line). Anyhow, I hang out there for however long, and then I go home, chat to my housemates for a while and eat something, and then I try (note: try) to be in bed by 9:30 pm (easier said then done).
And so that is my routine, which is different at weekends, and also Fridays, and yesterday also because I went to the "Cheesecake Factory" for a friend's birthday. As always the exeptions sometimes outnumber the regular. But there you go. A glimpse into life as a "Commission" intern (the name of the course I'm doing here for 3 months).
Oh, and I'm totally healthy (note: I believe the word "totally" is more frequently used in this country, and I think I have adopted it into my vocabulary. I will need a bit languague "detox" when I get home). Lots of people around me are having the flu and colds, but I think that getting over mine has made me immune to getting it again (that is how it works, right?).
Well, this was acutally handwritten and typed up on a communal computer here at the coffee shop, so in respect of others who want to use the computer, I shall draw things to an end here. Life is good and I am excited to be here!

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