after a long time...

... I'm moving again: www.lillemelis.blogspot.com

He makes me lie down...

...in green pastures...

tearing down walls...

OOOOO, the DTS is almost here! The students will come on Wednesday! We've been doing lots of work around the base, to make it ready for the students to live in. There was too much water damage in one room, so we had to tear away layers of paint and wall, to expose the brick beneath it. So that's me, covered in wall! :)

So yes! I'm getting very excited for the DTS to start! The theme for this year is "Intimacy, Identity, Integrity". Also, we want to focus on our roots growing deep down into God and His Word.

Not too much more to say for now. Til next time!

It has begun!

I've been in Norway now for almost three weeks. The picture to the left is from the State Church in Skien, looking down the street. :)

The YWAM base is an old prison, so we live in "cells". But it's really nice, actually! For the time being, I'm sharing a cell with 3 other girls. Soon we'll get assigned to our permanent rooms.

I'm one of the DTS staff persons. There are 12 of us, plus 2 DTS leaders. Lately we've been doing lots of different things to prepare for the start of the DTS. We've been doing some construction-type work on the base, and lots of office work. We've also just been taking time to get to know each other, and to pray for the coming DTS year, and for the students coming, in mid-September.

There are several other types of ministries going on through the YWAM base here. So tomorrow, all of the staff who are part of the YWAM Skien base here are going on a camping trip in Sweden! We'll be there for two nights, get to know each other, spend time in prayer, hang out, then we'll come back and get back to work :)

I'll try to put up some pictures of the Sweden trip when I come back!

That's all for now!

Back in Norway!

Hello everyone!

I started this blog about a year ago, before I went to Ethiopia, as a way to update on my life and ministry there. However, unfortunately I was unable to update at all while in Ethiopia, because this website was blocked.

A quick review! I finished up my time in Ethiopia in the end of May, made a stop in Norway for some debriefing and other work, and came back to WA in mid-June. I was so glad to see many friends and my church family while in Seattle this past Summer! I also had a great time and vacation with my family! And alas! Now I have come back to Norway!

In case you don't know why I'm here or what I'm doing, let me explain a bit. As some of you may know, in the Fall of 2006 I went to Norway for Discipleship Training School with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). During that time I received teaching and training on subjects like mission, evangelism, prayer, God's character, the Bible, teamwork, etc. I also got to put into practice what I learned (along with the other students of the school) in practical ways, through week-long community outreach trips within Norway. Later on I was able to go on a two-week mission trip to Latvia, and later a two-month mission trip to Thailand. I'm explaining all of this because it relates to what I am now doing in Norway!

For the next two years I'll be working with YWAM in Skien, Norway as a staffperson for the DTS (Discipleship Training School). Basically, I will be a staffperson in the school where I was previously a student! If you have any questions at all about what I'm actually doing here, go ahead and e-mail me at mcheck88@gmail.com and hopefully I can make things more clear! =)

Okay, now that all of that boring mumbo jumbo is out of the way, I can get on with it. hehe. =)

So I arrived in Norway last Monday night (Aug. 4th). Thank you for all who prayed for safe travel for me! I sat next to some very pleasant people on my LOOONG flights, and I didn't have any trouble on my layover! So that's great! Also, I haven't really experienced noteworthy jet-lag this past week! That's also great!

This past week has been pretty busy, but fun! I've been getting to know the other people I'll be on staff with. And then from Wednesday to Sunday we all went to a conference called the GoFest. All of the YWAM Norway workers attended, as well as many other people outside of YWAM. There were lots of great speakers and seminars and worship, prayer, and fellowship times. The focus of the conference was, well, to GO. To GO out into missions! It was touching and also motivating to be there with all these Christian Norwegians and see their great passion and drive to reach out to the world with the love and truth of Jesus Christ! I can really see how God has blessed these people to be a blessing to others!

But my heart is breaking for the rest of Norway. The total population of Norway is less than 5 million. And that's less than the population of Washington State alone. But think about what influence for Jesus the nation of Norway could have if they, unified as a nation, went back to their Christian roots. I think of Norway as a city on a hill, and I feel that it has insanely great potential to have the role of a significant "sending out place". And that's actually one of the main purposes of the DTS (Discipleship Training School) -- to equip and send out young people into missions!

Anywho. The DTS itself does not begin until mid-September. But we as staff are now making many, many preparations for the whole year to start! I'm so excited! But I'll continue to write updates here. I'd love to hear back from any of you... keep me updated on your lives too! =)

I'll be sending out newsletter updates every couple months... so if you didn't get them last year and you'd like to get them this year, you can just e-mail me at mcheck88@gmail.com with your address. You can also get them in email if you want.

By the way, I'm thinking the rest of this blog is probably going to be quite informal, just so you know =)

I haven't taken any pictures yet this past week in Norway, so I'll randomly end with a few pictures taken this Summer of me and my beautiful brothers. Thank you so much for the prayers!!!!!!

on our way

I'm at the Heathrow airport in London right now! The following is actually a blog I wrote yesterday, at Geir Edvin and Nina's cabin. Now that I have internet access, I am posting it! :)

People have been asking me lately, “Are you ready?” The answer I give them is “I think so?”. But really, during these past days in Norway, I don’t think it has actually hit me that in not so long, I’ll be going to Ethiopia -- and staying there -- for nine months. That is, it didn’t hit me until my team and I packed ourselves and all of our luggage into one of the good ol’ YWAM Skien vans, and drove away from Grimerud (the place where we had a week of training).

So yes, this past week we were at Grimerud - the main YWAM Norway base. I was at Grimerud for the last Worker’s Gathering, in January. But oh wow, it’s so much more beautiful now, in the Summer. I’ve so much enjoyed being in Norway for these (almost) two weeks! It’s almost like being back in my “second home”. Anyway, this time around at Grimerud, we had an intense “crash course” week of training on different subjects, including mission, teamwork, language learning, culture, prayer on the mission field, ministry to muslims, poverty, and development work. Whew! It was a lot of fun… it kind of reminded me of being back in DTS during the “lecture phase”. But I’m glad to be done with it now, and as much as I like being in Norway, I’m excited to actually GO to Ethiopia and have the challenge of putting into practice what we’ve been listening to in all of the teaching.

Since Friday, our team has been staying at a cozy Norwegian cabin in the woods. It’s been nice and relaxing. Yesterday I picked wild blueberries! I felt like I was in Little House on the Prairie… or like I was one of the “Matchbox Children”. hehe. It was fun. Today we went for a walk in the woods, and took some team pictures. It’s beautiful here, and I’m very much enjoying seeing and being in God’s creation! :) Tomorrow, bright and early, we will drive to the airport. Our plane leaves at 7:50am, I believe. We’ll have two connecting flights: London and Alexandria, Egypt! We’ll arrive in Ethiopia at 3:00ish in the morning, and that very same morning, we will begin our language school! We’ll be going to this language school (learning Oromo) for the first 4 weeks in Ethiopia. Then we’ll travel south to our soon-to-be home in Koffele!

HERE'S SOME PICTURES!

The Ethiopia Team: Evan, Jorun, Amund, Brittney, Melissa



Grimerud

back again

In less than 24 hours, after setting foot in three different countries, riding in two cars, two planes, two busses, one subway, one tram, and one ferry, I have arrived safely in Norway! Thanks to all who prayed for my travelling. God was oh so faithful! He even provided me with company from two really sweet German girls on the busses and the ferry. I didn't feel all alone and confused and lost, yay! :)

Right now I'm in a town called Vestby. It's south of Oslo. I'm staying at Jorun's (Ethiopia team leader) house. I'll be here until Thursday. Tomorrow we're having a BBQ here at Jorun's house... kind of a "farewell" thing for the Ethiopia team. Then on Thursday we're heading to Hamar for GoFest/Worker's Gathering. That will be funnn! :)

sidenote: Soon I'll be posting my to-be-address in Ethiopia.

Thanks again for your prayers -- they make a huge difference!

~Melissa