On a journey...

Stepping out of the car the community looked the same. Graffiti, walls falling down, houses in different states of decay, and the ground an uneven mishmash of concrete and many attempts at construction woven together. As we walked down the familiar alleyways, paying attention to where we walked, I wondered if I’d see her. On our way we smiled and greeted young and old along the way, asking if she was still living in the same house, and the answer was “yes”, coupled with a friendly indication of the direction in which we were walking. Walking up to a small corner house, the door was shut, but we knocked on the door to see if she was home. Hearing affirmative sounds from within, we waited for her to come to the door. Another walk was walking into the wedding venue. It seemed so long ago, yet not that long, that we met on the streets. Now the young man coming towards us was dressed in a grey suit with his hair styled, and ready to say “yes” to his bride. Seeing him again, and being pre

When your day-to-day is hectic and full, it is sometimes easy to forget and look forward to that which deserves a lot of “looking-forward-to”. On Monday I fly to Brazil. A trip I am and have been really looking forward to, but also a trip which has in moments be far from my thoughts, because the trip itself seems so far away. And now it’s almost here. I am going to visit a city which carries a place of home in my heart. When you live for years somewhere, I think it becomes part of who you have become, and ends up leaving a permanent mark on your life. Fortaleza is one of those places for me. A city I love. A city I lived in for seven years, which truly formed me, and was such a huge part of growing me into who I am today, and hopefully forming in a good way how I live and think and love people today. I am who I am today, because of who I became through living and working there. And now I am going back to visit. It’s been 21 years since I first set foot on Brazilian soil, 1

“What was your dream when you were 20?” That was a question our guide asked us as we were standing outside a huge derelict cement monument in Tirana, the capital of Albania. We’d spent the day touring and hearing a lot about the history and journey of Albania, a young country with more Albanians living in other countries than in Albania itself. A country where tourism has only really been built up the past 30 years. It was eye opening to hear more of the history, and it made me realise that this country is so much more than meets the eye. A country where the beaches and tourist area of Durres Riviera was packed with tourists, mostly from the Balcan area. A country where hospitality is ingrained in the culture, and where the friendliness of the people was noticeable. After a pause to let us reflect over the question of dreams, for some thinking further back than others, our guide told us that for him it had been to own a pair of jeans. That simple fact said so much. Both of what he

Stepping out from the plane into the comfortable warmth of 26 degree air was a promising start to a week of holiday. Sitting in the bus I noticed a pair of tiny knitted wool socks and a head of garlic hanging in the front window. Not sure if was for sentimental, touristic, or supersticious reasons, but it was an interesting sight.  The bus ride took us past flat landscape with new and old buildings side by side, and at times seemingly on top of each other. We saw the contrast between extravagant buildings, probably from years past, and houses with rusted roofs and a patchwork of materials to keep them together. Pepsi and Amstel were visibly advertised with huge billboards on the hillsides, and we'd spot familiar shop chains along the way. Entering the centre of Durres we were thankful we weren't driving, as the bus had to navigate packed streets and a variety of creative parking along the way. It felt like a mixture of tourism starting and a people going about their daily

“So often adults ask questions that go across. They need to ask downward questions.” With a lot of humour, yet a seriousness about it, the teenagers from Forandringsfabrikken (translates: the change factory) confidently shared from their lives and their experiences in being met by adults at challenging points in their lives. Forandringsfabrikken is a centre of knowledge here in Norway, where they gather knowledge from large amounts of children and teenagers in all kinds of situations and settings, and then write knowledge reports that are used when decisions are made that affect children and teens (laws, how things are done etc.). On their webpage they say that: “ Knowledge from children is summarised experiences and advice that isn’t linked to theory or analysis by adults.” It was a fascinating and very informative hour of hearing from the three teenagers who had so much to share, and a different perspective which I take with me. Not just into encounters with children and teens,

The streets of Paris are dusty and stained. They are well worn by being walked on by millions of feet over centuries. Streets that lead people to where they are going, or away from somewhere they don’t want to be. Streets that connect buildings and people in a big city that is known throughout the world. We had been out to dinner at Au Bon Coin . The “meny-as-in-chalkboard-propped-on-the-chair” was in French, and French being a language foreign to me, I had no idea what was on offer. After trying to figure out what the different dishes were I chose one which turned out to be a veal stew. Flavourful but not necessarily something I would have chosen, yet (I think) it had an authentic taste of France. Coming back to the hotel and the tiny room with an interesting bathroom solution, we turned on the TV. It was surreal to see flames engulfing the Notre-Dame with headlines stating just that. Surreal to be in Paris on the very evening when such a national monument was severely damaged.

My heart is full. SHINE seems to be a running theme in life. This week we had the final evening of a course called SHINEWomen we’ve been running the past 6 weeks with some amazing women I work with. It was an evening of life. There was laughter, tears and a deep sense of fellowship. It’s been a privilege to journey with these women through looking at value, strength and purpose, and walk together in discovering dreams and purpose in life. I feel so honoured. Honoured that I get to invite them into truth that will bring freedom and build them up, and honoured to have an amazing team with me to create a space that is welcoming and a safe place to share joys and struggles. A place where each one can SHINE. It’s interesting how the last time SHINE was in my path was 5 years ago in Brazil when we were running the SHINE Seminar. In that Shine we were equipping people to minister in the area of the global sex trade and bring a Christian response. A different kind of shining. A shining of