Skip to main content

The little old lady at the statue.

As I listened to the “guide” give the pre-recorded tourist speech about the Blackheads building in my cheap, white headphones hanging from the ceiling, a little old lady caught my attention. She was very unassuming, and for the passing glance could have been just anyone. However, with the myriad of tourists wandering around the square with their cameras and groups and custom “tourist attire” (read: backpack, bum-bag and sunburn), I was surprised at how this lady was different. She was sitting at the base of the statue (which the “guide” informed us was a replica from 2000, the original being in some church building somewhere). At first I wondered what was going on. She just sat there with her head tilted slightly forward. I think she was dozing as a bit later she readjusted herself and kind of leaned into the statute. Even from a distance I could tell her clothes were unkempt and I figured she was probably not a tourist. The deep wrinkles in her face and her worn hands made me think that her life had probably not been easy. And knowing a little about the history of the nation, I wondered what her story was? And I wondered what her life was like now. Was she simply enjoying the sunshine, or was she sitting at the base of the statue because that was what she did every day? Does she have family and friends who know and love her?

The little green guided tour bus (which felt more like a toy bus with open sides) soon started chugging away again, with the pre-recorded voice reeling off numerous facts about the different streets and alleys we drove through… most of it I can’t remember, but seeing this little lady at the base of the statue remains with me. And I wonder, just wonder, if noticing her is part of connecting with God’s heart for this city?

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday children's prayer | Handing out shoes and feeding toddlers.

No day is the same here. After getting up early (which seems to be what I do here), and eating breakfast which was bread with butter (accompanied by an amazing cup of coffee given me by an American friend), I headed to the prayer room for children's prayer. This is a prayer time where the children come voluntarily to pray before school on Tuesdays and Fridays. Entering the room I was so impressed by how it was full of children eager to pray. There were probably 60 or 70 children there, and it was amazing to see one after the other choose to pray for their families and people who are sick, and other subjects on their little hearts. It was so great and an experience that I will carry with me for a long time. After prayer it was "Shoprite" time, which meant piling into a bus with other visitors and missionaries for the weekly shopping trip. I didn't quite know what to expect, but I had a few items to buy and hoped it would be a stress-free experience. As we drove along ...
Read more

It’s been one week.

A week ago we were sitting at work talking about how quickly the Corona situation was escalating. News of closed gyms and limited gatherings were there, and we were wondering what now. Only the day before we’d been open, and while taking the hygiene precautions and reminding each other to not hug or shake hands, there was a sense of support in each other, and normality was still there. Then suddenly it all changed. From being a crisis in China and Asia, then Italy, it had well and truly arrived in Norway. Friday morning we sat in our staff meeting. News of the closing of all schools and kindergartens for two weeks had come the evening before. We sat there with so many questions and few answers. The one thing we knew for sure was that this was a time to be available and present. A time to be proactive, and to make sure our people knew that we were there even if we weren’t open. That day we made many phone calls and sent messages and emails. Some were worried and needed reassurance,...
Read more

At a crossroads yet again.

This evening feelings of weariness flood my soul. Weary of not knowing. Weary of choosing to trust. Weary of waiting. Weary of walking yet not knowing what I am walking in or towards. Weary of figuring out life on my own. This past month the reality of crossroads in life has hit me yet again. I knew it was coming, but suddenly it was there and I just had to go with it. There’s not much more I can do...except waiting and trusting and choosing. Choosing to let God be the One who guides and fights and prepares the path before me. My crossroads is “do I stay or do I go”? From Kansas City and IHOP-KC. In October I’ll have been here two years, which feels like 5 years and at the same time 6 months. In December I go home for Christmas. It’ll have been a year since last time and I’ll be seeing my niece who’ll be 3 instead of 2 years old, and my little nephew who will be 1 year already, and I’ll get to meet little Julie who is only three weeks old as I write this. She’ll be 4 months when I meet...
Read more