Skip to main content

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 the focus is on handling crises and navigating the Norwegian systems. Sometimes it means listening for an hour to the “waiting music” before getting to talk to someone who might or might not be able to help. Other times it’s listening to someone’s story and being present. And often it’s reminding the other that if we walk step by step we will find the way. This evening I was together with some of those I have stood with in crises, tried to find out the system with, listened to, and even hugged when their despair became too much to comfort with only words. And seeing them get dressed up and meet around a celebration was so encouraging. Giving me courage to keep persevering and keep hoping when hopelessness so easily can take over a situation.


I arrive home with yet more chocolate in my bag. Chocolate given to me as a gift. “Thank you for helping me and believing me!”, is the message that is given with this token of gratitude. And of course I receive the thanks, but I also thank them. Thank them for giving me the gift of their trust, and for letting me become part of their journey. And thanking them for allowing me to speak what I see in them, when they are simply trying to survive. And I thank them for who they are, and tell them that my life is also impacted by their life. That they impact my heart.


My thoughts remain reflecting as I am sat here in my rocking chair, trying to get warm in front of my gas oven. And I catch myself thinking whether it might very well be that I am the one who really has received the most in all of this, and I feel so very grateful.

Popular posts from this blog

Packing...again.

I just folded the last load of laundry and I’m almost packed. Off to the airport at 5am tomorrow morning, heading off to Amsterdam. I’m excited, a bit nervous, and wondering what it’ll be like. It’s been a good week at home with lots of quality time with family, especially the little nieces and nephew. I’m glad I’ll see them in April again. Well, not much to write and packing to be done and a bit of sleep would probably be a good idea too. Next time I write it’ll be from Amsterdam....
Read more

Single-tasking September: The art of single-tasking.

To change habits and ways of life, the motivation for change has to be strong, and the benefits outweigh the effort it takes to make the change.  For so long it’s seemed like the ability to multitask has been regarded as a great skill, but is it really a good thing? Recovering from burn-out, one of the effects I noticed was that it was harder to concentrate, and especially tricky trying to focus on many things at once. I’d try to multitask, only to realise that all tasks suffered from lack of capacity to complete any one of them. The challenge is that the habit of always doing many things at once goes deep, and when I tried to focus on just one thing, I found that it was actually really difficult.  As I did a little google search on the matter, I found it seems like multitasking isn’t as healthy as once thought, and that it doesn’t help productivity. Some even referred to it as “switch tasking”, in the sense that the brain isn’t doing many things at once, but shifting rapidly...
Read more

Walking through December: overcoming the challenge of language.

I just got done leading a Bible study in Spanish without a translation back-up, and it went really well. I am amazed at what we are actually able to do when we have no other option. It wasn’t a flawless flow of communication (that would have been a miracle), but together we figured out what I wanted to say. And I think it was good. I was blessed and they seemed blessed as well. The girls just left and I am sat here in my living room with the candles lit. It’s windy and rainy outside, and I am smiling. Happy. Not because I overcame the language challenge, but happy because of yet another beautiful time of bringing more of Jesus to the girls in our Bible study. I am thankful for the privilege of knowing them and standing with them in their journeys of knowing Jesus. And thankful that even when language is shaky, love is stronger and is communicated beyond mere words.
Read more