Fame!

Since last time I wrote, I've traveled to Los Angeles! On my way I had a stop over in Phoenix, Arizona, and I read that Grand Canyon (my #1 place I want to see) was in that state, so I started to look for that kind of scenery. And there was something that could remind you of it:)

The plans changed a little bit, so instead of Disneyland today, me and Blake went to Hollywood and Santa Monica Beach! I'll let the pictures tell the rest.

And after a long day it's good to end with some relaxing time in the jacuzzi in the backyard:)

Houston, we're having a great time!

While I was in Uganda with Hald, me and Kay lived in the Wafula-family. One of the brothers lives in the US with his family, but was in Uganda for some time to do a job. So this week I've been in Houston to visit him and his family, his wife Sarah and their daughter Daniella.

It's been a great week with Warm weather, some shopping, relaxing and a trip to NASA and to a island in the Mexican gulf called Galveston. The three first days I was totally on my own since Sarah and Daniella were on a holiday to Milwaukee and Jimmy was busy reading for his exam. So the first day I just walked around here in the neighborhood and the next day I took a trip to downtown and to a shopping center. Downtown was not much to write home about, so when I found out that there was no shopping center downtown I found a bus and found a really big one so I got to do some shopping this day and the next. Now it can look like I shopped for two whole days, but take it easy. I didn't. Something was wrong with Jimmy's land-line, so the Internet at home didn't work. So actually my first mission on that Wednesday was to find a Internet-café or a place with wireless. And not surprisingly I found a Starbucks not far from where I stayed:) So everyday, either before doing anything or after doing something I went there to surf.

On Saturday evening we went to a service at Lakewood Church, the biggest church in the US! And it was Huge! I loved the worship there, but I didn't get much of the message in the speech because I had a terrible headache.

Monday was Memorial Day, and therefore a public holiday. So we went to NASA visitor center! It was really interesting to see the different outfits that the astronauts use, to see how a Space-ship looks like inside and the food they eat while their in space. We also took a tour to Johnson Space Center where they actually train astronauts and testing things that are going out to ISS.

 

When we were finished there we went to Galveston, a big island in the Mexican gulf. The beaches were packed with people and the water was so warm! But the beach it self was not very nice. A lot of sea weed covered it, but people didn't seem to bother. 

Holidays and 17. mai-celebration!

Since last time I've had some awesome days. It started with 100% relaxation in Fort Wayne last Monday, I slept long, and enjoyed doing nothing at all.

On Wednesday I continued to Madison, to visit Finni for a few days. It became some really nice and fun days! On Thursday morning Becky, a college and friend of Finni, picked us up at Finni's place and we went to Milwaukee to watch a baseball game between Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers. A very interesting thing we saw were all the people that was having a bbq on the parking lot outside the arena before the game. The game by the way, did not have many highlights in the six first rounds, so we left, and even then some people were grilling outside, so they just went there to grill!

 

 

Becky had done some research on things we could do around Milwaukee, so we decided to go to The Jelly Belly beans-factory:D We tasted some of the beans, and I can personally not recommend rotten eggs, vomit and booger. But there was a lot of good tastes!!

In the afternoon we went for a walk along the water until we found a fireplace where we sat down to enjoy the fresh air. And Finni found a piece of red-hot charcoal, and he managed to make fire out of it, so we had a small bonfire.

 

On Friday Becky lent Finni her car, so me and him went to a really nice place that is called Devils Lake. It's a place with forest, bluffs and a lake and it was so nice to just come out there and chill. In the evening we went to a friend of Finni's place to have a bbq and hang out, a really nice time with a bunch of cool people!

 

    Hipp Hurra for 17. mai!!

Finni did some research about where we could go to celebrate 17. mai, and we found a town called Stoughton where they celebrate for the whole weekend closest to May 17th. Me, Finni, Becky, Grete and Dustin took off early in the morning to reach all the program we wanted. It became a very nice day with a lot of Norwegian things in it:) We watched the parade, ate brown cheese on a waffle-heart and lefse and we watched some really good dancers dance Norwegian folk-dances. And many had put on bunaden for the day. 

 

Jesus' soldier

My time in Chicago has come to an end, and it's time to write something about what I have been doing here, and how I have experienced it. Before I came her I knew very little about what I was going to do, I just did what I felt God was telling me to do, "Go to Jesus People". I came a Thursday evening, and they told me to be ready to do dishes 7 o'clock the next morning! It was not what I expected on beforehand, but that is what I have been doing the last six weeks, from seven in the morning up to two in the afternoon, with breaks in the weekends. And this other day, while I was working, a song I learned as a kid came to my mind. The text goes something like this; "I am not a foot soldier, in the cavalry, a pilot, but I'm a soldier for Jesus". And you know how different soldiers in the military have different positions and therefore different equipments. And it just hit me how Jesus equipped me to fight all this plates and bowls all this time. And if you're willing to go for Jesus, he will e quip you with the right "tools" to do what he put you to do!

 

But I have done some other things also. Two Wednesdays I've been at one of the shelters to help giving out food packs to poor people and one Saturday I've been serving food to homeless people at the same shelter. I have also had nightshifts on this physically handicapped man many Wednesday nights and two nights I've been doing nightshift at the reception in the main building. Really nice to do something different, and to see and experience different parts of the Jesus People ministry:)

I've also done other things in the afternoons than sitting on my computer. Some evenings (too few I think) I've been playing games with some of the people here, it's been arranged concerts on the house and this and other highlights have made this a really good experience after all.

 

And here is some pictures of people

 

Chicago on its Best

Yesterday was a B-E-A-UTIFUL day here in Chicago:D

Since I had nightshift the night before I had half of the day off, so early in the afternoon I took the red line downtown. I was ready to enjoy the sun and the nice temperature:)

 

  

In the afternoon I met Anne-Marie. I met her for three years ago when I visited Nate and Gunhild in Wheaton, and it was nice to see her again! We ate some really good food at The CheeseCake Factory and not surprisingly we had cheesecake for dessert!

A taste of Uganda

  This weekend became a healing for body and soul. I went to Wheaton, one of Chicago's suburbs to visit Nicholas, who I worked together with in Uganda and now studies at Wheaton College, and his wife Sylvia. Again it was really good to come to somehow the country side and feel the peaceful and quiet atmosphere there. Saturday evening we just relaxed at home with a big cup of milk-tea, and I was taken back to Uganda for a few seconds:)

The Sunday started with a Bible class that Nicholas attends before church and continued with a service after. After church, While Sylvia went home to prepare lunch, me and Nicholas walked around in the beautiful sun to picture the spring. And I almost didn't believe what I got served for lunch, cabbage, meet and chapati!! 

In the afternoon we went for a IFES-meeting, where we heard IFES-news and did a lot of praying.

When we came home in the evening I went for a walk by my self, to have some quiet-time, and just feel the peaceful atmosphere that was there. Thank you for a really Nice weekend Nicholas and Sylvia! Next time I see you will probably be in Uganda:)

 

 

 

 

This week is my last here in Chicago and at Jesus People! I've had a good time here, but I think it's time to move on.  As Kay like to say, "There is a time for everything" (Eccl 3,1a), and my time as a dishwasher is soon over. I will miss many of the people here, but with today's technology (Facebook, MSN and MySpace) I hope to keep in touch:) And It's nice to know that I will have a place to come to here in Chicago! The next month I will do a lot of traveling, and I'm sure I will have some really exciting weeks! It all starts with some restful days in Fort Wayne:)