As I walked past him I heard him ask those passing by (myself included) for money towards a downpayment on a cheeseburger. It brought a smile to my face and touched my heart, so my friend and I decided to get him a coffee and sandwich (there were no fast food places in sight). Stood there buying the coffee I was struck by cynical thoughts; thoughts that maybe he wouldn’t accept it and say that he wasn’t in the mood for coffee. Interesting to think that I was concerned about being rejected by someone who is rejected numerous times a day…I realised how selfish I am and how it was so not about me not feeling rejected, but about him feeling, if not much, maybe a little bit of dignity. We got the coffee and sandwich and gave it to him, and he was very grateful for it and positive. It was one of those wide open doors I could have stepped through, and maybe taken him closer to Jesus. But being pressed for time and with a commitment to the prophecy rooms we simply blessed him and told him Jesus loved him before we headed off. My heart was tugged and challenged by the situation. Looking back at it I become so aware of my own priorities and values, and wondering where the heart of Jesus is within them. How can I live in line with what He wants to do in peoples’ lives, including being faithful to the “planned” when the unexpected comes along.
Tomorrow is the 17th of May. But for any Norwegian, this particular date isn't like any other date in the year, it's the 4th of July of Norway. And this year I am actually here. However, some preparations had to be done to get ready for tomorrow. One was getting my national costume down from the loft. I got it a few days ago and tried it on. It's a wee bit tight, but I think it'll be fine. This evening I ironed (or rather started ironing) the blouse which is hand embroydered and made of linnen (so those of you who have a clue about fabrics, know that linnen is the opposite of no-crease material). And the second part of the preparation was polishing the silver. I tried the "foil-in-hot-water-with-salt" method, but I don't think it worked too well. I did a bit of polishing with toothpaste after that and it looks alright. At the end of the day I'm the only one who will notice the level of polishedness of my silver. I have also got my camera on charging re...