Trolls & Trails.

OSLO

Upon arriving at the train station I was greeted by an old friend, Andreas.  Andreas and I went to high school together  before he and his family moved back to Norway.  When I saw him at the station it was the first time we had seen each other in ten years!! so naturally I walked right by him :)  It only took a few minutes for us to find each other and then we were off to his place.

I got to meet his girlfriend (who is the nicest person! I really enjoyed talking with her) and his precious baby, Nicoline, before he took me for a spin in his Tesla.  

The car was pretty sweet even for someone who doesn't really car about cars, but it was really cool to see some of the local "sights".  We drove to the Christmas House which is basically a shop that looks like Santa's Workshop! Andreas took me to the ski jump they used in the 1952 Olympics.  I've been to the one in Bavaria but it always amazes/terrifies me how high the jump is.  As we were leaving we noticed a person practicing on the "smaller" jump just below the olympic one.  So I got to watch as the skier jumped and sailed literally five feet from my face.

It was incredible!!!  

I honestly have no idea how they do it!

Not me.

Nobel Peace Prize museum

The next day I spent in the city exploring before meeting up with Andreas and his family.  I went to the Nobel Peace museum, which was really cool.  There's a room lined with blue lights and tablets with the faces of Peace prize winners on the screen.  When you tap the tablet it tells you about the winner and a quote.  Very cool.  I saw City Hall, the opera house, the harbour, the fortress (which inspired the Arendale castle in Frozen), and a few other little shops.  

view of the fjord from the fortress

harbour at sunset

When we all met up we went to the Viking Ship museum.  It's wild to me that some of these ships voyaged so long, so far, and so ferociously but are a fraction of the size and quality we use nowadays.  

I mean, think about it: we're still talking about the power of the vikings, but their mode of transportation was basically a sturdy canoe. 

These guys on a boat. 

Wild.

From there we went to the Holocaust Museum; it was one of the best ones I've been to.  The museum is in Norwegian, but I was able to take a free audio tour and tablet that translated most of the exhibits.  I really enjoyed the museum.  It was different than the other ones I've been to, because the whole place flowed in the order of a timeline.  Interesting, informative and easy-to-follow. Loved it.

Following that we had a brief visit (it closed 6 minutes after I walked in) to the Kon-Tiki museum, which I had never heard of before, but was really cool.  The Kon-Tiki was a raft that sailed from South America to the Polynesian Islands chartered by Norwegian zoological researcher Thor Heyerdahl. We watched the movie that night; really entertaining and an all around good story.

We finished the day with a stroll around Vigelandsparken.  It's the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist and has over 200 statues...all of which I'm pretty sure are nude.  I want to do a little more research on the park's namesake, Gustav Vigeland, to find out how he got all the land and what his fascination was with naked people.  The most famous sculpture is "The Angry Child",  but again, out of all the statues I'm not sure what set this one apart.  The part was beautiful and I can only imagine how much more beautiful it would be when everything is in bloom! Andreas said they have concerts and events out there which seemed like it would be fun.

My time in Oslo was short, but enjoyable.  I didn't find it as romantic as Copenhagen, but it was nice. From there I traveled via train to Bergen.

The train ride from Oslo to Bergen is one you'll read about on most blogs and travel sites.  Now having done the trip, I totally get it.  It was one of the most picturesque views ever.  During the 7 hour journey there were moments I was terrified I might actually freeze if Bergen had even a fraction of the snow I saw.

Easily three or four feet of snow and zero degrees Celcius. Easy.  Which is normal if you're from that part of the world, but for this Virginian girl, that's a doozy of a winter.

The video clip is only a few moments of the journey, but it's a good representation of the whole.

My friend Maria, who I met while she was studying in Oz, lives in Bergen and was sweet enough to host me for the two nights I was there.  Bergen is surrounded by 7 mountains which makes for great hiking when the weather is right.  And the weather was perfect!

We went hiking up one of the mountains and had the best chat! It was a nice change of pace from visiting museums and reading maps.  After our descent from the mountain we visited the old leper colony/hospital.  It wasn't open, but we were able to look through the windows.  I really appreciated how there were new buildings around the colony, but the city decided to leave it as a landmark.  A lot of places are constantly updating and changing out the old for the new.  Europe is full of historic buildings which serve as a reminder to future generations of the past.  As nice as "amenities" can be, I do love the charm of an old building.  Maria took me to a strip on the harbour called Bryggen.  The buildings are super old, to be technical about it :)  If you look up you can actually see that the buildings are slanted. Pretty cool.

Hiking, walking around the city and lots of girl talk is good for the soul.  The physical activity was nice, but spending time with Maria was the real treat! 

One day when I'm more adequately prepared for the frigid temperatures I'd like to go further up in Northern Norway and go dogsledding, see the Norther lights and stay in an igloo.  But I'll need at least 12 more layers before that happens!

Hygge in Denmark

7 countries.
10 flights.
1 train ride.
50+ hours of travel.
4 time zones.
21 days.
1 trip of a lifetime!


I've just gotten back from a 3 week trip around the world...sort of.  I flew around the world, but stopped in only a handful of countries.
Still cool.
The initial reason for the trip was to be back in Sydney for my graduation ceremony from Hillsong International Leadership College (HILC).  Because I love adventure I decided to also go somewhere new, so I visited Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.  The posts will be split up: one for each country.  I'll highlight my favourite things and include small bits of travel tips and info without sounding like a cheesy AAA brochure.


First stop, Denmark.

I LOVE COPENHAGEN!!!

Tivoli

My sweet friend, HILC alum, and host, Nicole.

I'm a fan of all things Christmas (lights, music, movies, parades, decorations, etc) and apparently so is Copenhagen.  It was beautiful and so decorated!  Tivoli, which is a carnival-like place themed according to season had just opened for Christmas and was spectacular.  There were lots of little markets, rides, a water show and Christmas lights galore.  One of the coolest things was one of the shops was making candy on site! Tivoli was pretty special but what made it even better was being able to share it with sweet friends.  That's actually what made the entire trip in every location better, sharing it with friends.  So even though I was traveling alone, I wasn't really alone.

The Little Mermaid

Anyone who has known me for half an hour knows I'm a believer in all things Disney.  So when I heard about "The Little Mermaid" statue I knew I had to find her.  The Little Mermaid is a statue by Edvard Eriksen.  He was inspired by H.C. Andersen's fairy tale (another famous Dane) and fashioned it after his wife.  The Mermaid has been decapitated twice, vandalised by radical feminist, and quite a few other memorable events.  You can read more about her interesting story by clicking on the headline.  As one of CPH's most famous tourist attractions it is almost impossible to get a photo without dozens of other tourists...but I did it!! 

Just another reason to wake up for the sunrise: no one will be in your photos :)

 

After I spent some time with the Little Mermaid I rode my bike back to Nyhavn, which is the popular strip of colourful buildings that are oh-so-picturesque.  Around that time in the morning it was still pretty quiet and only a handful of people were outside.  Nyhavn has such a lovely charm about it.  No. 9 is the oldest house in the area dating back to 1681 and hasn't been altered since.  Many of the houses of Nyhavn have been the homes of prominent artists including Hans Christian Andersen in No. 20.  It's a sweet little area lined with boats and cafes best seen via canal boat tour!

Other Copenhagen activities included Guinness World Record museum (heaps of fun), German Christmas Markets, Hans Christian Andersen museum (great for those who love stories), Amalienborg Palace where the Danish royal family lives, and some fun window shopping Stroget, the largest pedestrian shopping street in Europe. 

Amalienborg Palace

    voted best hot dog stand in Europe

            and I do love hot dogs!

 

World Record Museum- tallest man

I could have spent another few days in Copenhagen; its charm is so captivating!  My last stop before leaving Denmark was church at Hillsong CPH. I was able to catch up with some other HILC alum which was a sweet way to end my time in Denmark!

Overall Denmark was my favourite! The Danes have a word for the cozy feeling you get when there's lots of candles, warmth and friendship.  The word is "hygge" and it's a very real feeling. Also, as a group, Danish men were the best looking out of the 3 countries ;)
As you'll read on pretty much every website, the Scandinavian area is pretty expensive, but it can be done well on a budget.  I'd recommend the Copenhagen Card if you'll be there for more than a day.  The card got me in to every museum I wanted to visit, included a boat tour and all public transportation.  Well worth the krone!
Denmark was a dream.

Next stop, Norway!

True Humility.

"True humility is when a person realizes they don’t need to talk up their life, 

because they’re actually living it."

-Debra Fileta

In a world of "mine is better than yours", gossip, and easy offense I am reminded that all of those are ways a life discontented tries to medicate itself.  

There is no sustaining self-satisfaction; there is a peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7) and allows us to live in true humility, living a life of abundance (Jn 10:10).

My life has been full...very full as of late.  In the best way possible.  Being active in the Kingdom of God isn't about "down time" or "taking it easy"; it's about getting things done. And as exciting as it has been it's about to get even crazier.

I leave for Sweden tomorrow.

and then Denmark.

and then Norway.

and then Sydney.

Friends, I don't mind telling you that to me packing is torture.  Especially this trip since I'll be flying into winter (or in my mind I'm calling it "super-winter") and then to summer.  A bipolar suitcase indeed. But it will get done. And something will be forgotten. I'm sure of it.

Please pray for travel mercies; airports are one of the few things that stress me out upon contact. 

Here's to living life, from sea to viking sea :)

"...even dragons have their endings."

"So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their endings." 

J.R.R. Tolkien 

The Hobbit

To say this last week was rough is an understatement.  In the past five days (so really not even a full week) I've had my character questioned, an event proposal turned down, didn't get the job I interviewed for, and had my heart broken.
It has been the worst week of my life.

After "losing" the job, which was an incredible opportunity at a health growing church, I could start to feel myself slip into depression.  I've never been depressed before, but I knew that's what it was.  The news came late Monday night and my thoughts went wild: "you should have stayed for third year.  Then you wouldn't have gone through this", "you're back to no prospects. You'll live with your parents forever", "you aren't good enough", "you did this wrong", "you did that wrong", etc.  It was awful. And I started to rationalise my depressed state, like it would have been totally understandable to everyone why I was so upset and since I've never been through anything like that it would have been "excused." I was going to let myself slip into depression.
But the next morning I woke up, went for a walk and decided differently.  As I was walking I was praying myself out of that victim mentality, completely saturating myself in Scripture.  I refused to go down without a fight; and fight I did. Victory came via God's Word and His Spirit.

Then on Wednesday, I decided to ask a man on a date.
And he said no.
There's a backstory that doesn't need retelling, but I was crushed.  Heartbroken. And some of you may be thinking "well at least he was honest", yes, I'm grateful. But it still sucked because I was hopeful...and in love. So it just sucked.
I cried the rest of Wednesday night, and Thursday was spent in bed either crying, staring into space, or asleep, and I just couldn't eat anything.   Unlike the day after the news about the job, this time I couldn't even pray; every time I opened my mouth I would start to cry. Every time.
I was devastated and felt depression rearing its ugly head.  I was so mentally exhausted I couldn't even stop my thoughts from going crazy.  This whole new level of disappointment made it even easier to excuse my inevitable comatose state.  I couldn't find the energy to get up out of bed much less declare war on Satan's attacks!

And then today. Friday.
I have been nothing short of astonished at the turn around I've had.  It was a major win when I was able to get out of bed this morning, eat breakfast and make it to my eye appointment without crying.  That was victory!  And then because it was the perfect summer day in October I went to the beach, which is always a good decision.  Then after the beach I made a new friend at the local Starbucks AND my softball team won both games.

Coach's daughter gave me this note during the game.
A message from the LORD? I think so.

Friday has been tearless and full of joy.  Which is wild to even comprehend considering where I was less than 24 hours ago.  Yes, I've had to switch the radio station a few times to avoid emotional (mostly country) songs and there's definitely been mental defence in play.
But it has been tearless.
Let me tell you how I think this happened:

"...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor ruler, nor things present nor things to come, not powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:37-39

Friends, to put it simply, I am sure that it is God's love for me that rescued me out of the depths of depression.  God tells us in Isaiah that His Word will not return void, it will accomplish what He desires (55:11) and He desires good good things for us.  The best, really.  That's why He sent Jesus.  Jesus is Heaven's best.  And I firmly believe that because I've been reading my Bible and getting Scripture in my heart His Word is in me.  

I will not return void.  

I will accomplish what He desires.

"Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is great than he (Satan) who is in the world."

1 John 4:4 (AMP)

I'm not foolish enough to believe there won't be work to do in the coming days and weeks, but I am child-like enough to believe that God has done a complete miracle in me!  

I had never seen darkness like I did on Thursday. I never thought I could feel so defeated.  But there I was, after so much disappointment in such a short period of time, I was defeated.

And for a small moment I thought "OK. Satan got me. Now he'll take a break."

YEAH RIGHT!! 

If we fool ourselves into thinking Satan just wants to win a battle here and there then we have indeed fooled ourselves.  Satan is on a seek-and-destroy mission all the time!  Taking me out was not going to satiate him.  My advice for all of us when we go through these times that bring us to the point of giving up: we ain't got time for that.  Take some time to mourn and rally those prayer warriors around you (to whom I contribute a large part of my recovery), but keep it moving.

Pastor Bobbie says, "keep your face to the wind." Or as our good friend Zac Efron would say, "Get'cha head in the game".  

I'm honestly just astonished at the healing power of Christ and couldn't keep my gratitude or excitement to myself.  My prayer is that you would be some kind of encouraged by the revelation from my worst week ever and that your experiences would lead you into a deeper love of Christ.  God doesn't save His grace and healing for massive events; He is willing and able to intervene on our behalf anytime we call His name.  Demons run and flee at His name ("The Great I AM") so claim it, friend.  Claim it.  Even when your words fail you your heart will cry out.

Be encouraged.

Fiji time: No hurry. No worry.

Bula bula, friends!

Kendall and I are just back from Fiji and had the most amazing time.  It was really 5 days in absolute paradise.  A few days ago we were in bathing suits and now (back in Sydney) we're in beanies...I'm in denial.

I'm not sure I can adequately describe how amazing our holiday was.  I mean, yes, you can imagine how relaxing it was to be in Fiji on a small island of maybe 70 people.  But, at the risk of sounding super "spiro", God opened my eyes to the power of His residue. 

Seeing God in a new way is always the best part of any experience.

Always.

After arriving at our host's house, Coco and I walked to the local market to buy a few things (Fiji water, of course) and we came across what looked like a pick-up volleyball game across the street.  Naturally, both of us being volleyball enthusiasts we went to check it out.  Turns out it was the Nadi Championship team...so we sat on the bench and played with some local kids.  

We didn't get to speak to the players or play at all, but they invited us into their team huddle as we left.  They spoke in Fijian so we have no idea what was said except for one sentence that shocked us:

"We're going to pray in Fijian."

Yeah.

That's cool.

We didn't say a thing about us being Christian.  Neither one of us was wearing some lame "I love Jesus" shirt. And we weren't carrying our Bibles. And yet, they invited us in their circle and prayed.

There you go.

It was a beautiful surprise.

After that moment Coco and I decided we wouldn't be reserved about our relationships with Christ (i.e. reading the Bible in public, talking about Bible college, etc). The only reason we would have is to refrain from making anyone feel uncomfortable.  It wasn't much of a discussion at all; we were on the same page, we just needed to verbally confirm.  I believe that moment set us right in the middle of being a part of something extraordinary over the next 4 days.

The next morning we arrived our Beachcomber Island aka home for the rest of our trip.  Aesthetically the place is a dream: crystal clear water, light breeze, warm sunshine, beach bungalows, lush palm and coconut trees, etc.  Everything you expect to be on an island plus the added bonus of a Fijian welcome committee :) 

We were taken to our private bure, directed to our hammocks, changed into our bathing suits and headed to start working on our tans. 

That night we ruled the dance floor.  For a solid 10 minutes it was just Coco and I on the dance floor, but man, we owned the night!

We started every morning with personal time with God after watching the sunrise together.  

Every day we met new staff; we made a point to get to know them and remember their names.  The second day we were able to redo their chalkboard where they have the details about tours, spa treatments, and the day's activities.  It wasn't easy to read and we love to do typography stuff so it was a win-win.  While we were drawing a lot of the staff came up to us and talked to us.  I think it was really powerful for people to see something being done without anything in return; we weren't getting paid, no compensation, we just wanted to help.  We were invited to staff meeting the next morning! 

And then the coolest thing: as we were finishing up, two of the girls on staff were chatting in Fijian and then one (Sally) asked us, "Are you Bure 18?"  To which we responded "yes", and then she replied with a smile on her face, "you're Christians, aren't you?"

WHAT?! 

She had seen our Bibles and apparently mentioned it to some of her friends.

Amazing.

We didn't even say anything, she associated our actions with our beliefs.

THAT' is what it's about.

THAT is how people should recognise us (John 13:35).

I'm still blown away.

Sally showed us the island chapel and invited us to staff devotion...at 4am. Of course, we went.

Seemingly little things like that kept happening.  They're not little.  They're sweet. Sweet and potent.  Over the past 2 years I've been immersed in this amazing environment of Hillsong college: a spiritual epicentre, if you will.  But it's not normal or common.  

In a place known as "the party island" where people get drunk and things that consequentially follow, here were two young girls doing something different.

Being different.

Godly character always makes you stand out.

The people who became our friends are the highlight of my trip.

What God did for us, in us, between us is the highlight.

Everything else is just icing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My season here is coming to a close.  I leave in just over a month.  That gives me the collywobbles (it's a real word) on so many levels.  I'm not as much afraid as I am...wandering.  There's a lot of unknowns about going home, but what is known is foundational and will keep me moving forward.  For example, what I'll actually be doing is unknown, but I know I'm ruined for the ordinary so I won't settle into a life mundane.

So much has changed since being here. I'm so grateful for it all! But a few things have stayed the same in essence (i.e. certain wants and desires), but have changed in outworking.

And some things have just stayed the same.

Every way you put it, I'm not the same person I was when I came and there's still much to be done.

When I leave here I won't be uprooted; I will be replanted.  

Hillsong isn't the soil. 

I'm not rooted in Hillsong. 

Christ is the soil.

In Him I am rooted.

Change is coming...but I'll be chilling in denial/deliberate ignorance for a little bit longer :)

Did you have a nap today?

Sleep.

Rest.

It’s interesting how important it is to a good defence.  As I’m currently in a state of extreme sleepiness I better understand how sleep deprevation can be used as torture.

Don’t worry: I’m no where near torture status.

But it’s interesting, n'est pas?

In Psalm 4:8 David says "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.“  Later in Psalm 23 he says, "He leads me by still waters...”  

Beautiful.

There’s so many great things about God: kindness, faithfulness, justice, everlasting love, and as I’ve come to discover, His gentle ways of preparing me for battle.

Have you ever noticed how much more difficult it is to make wise decisions when you’re tired or exhausted? 

No? 

Just me, I guess.

When I’m tired it’s harder for me to keep my ever-wandering mind from going down “rabbit trails” or spinning off to things that don’t need to be entertained. 

For example, before I got in the shower today I got a text from a friend.  A very simple, clear, no hidden meanings text.  I know all those things are true.  But while shampooing I couldn’t stop my mind from trying to find the hidden meaning and subtext of that simple message…oddly enough about a nap.  

I had to audibly tell myself to stop it.

And that’s just something simple.

Now take one of the lies floating around in my mind and it can be really dangerous territory.

Exhaustion, or weariness, is a passive weapon of the enemy.

I'm convinced.

A tired warrior is a weak warrior.

I believe David was very strategic about the order of his words in Psalm 23.  Notice how he first mentions lying by green pastures and still waters before walking through the darkest valley and evil. 

He knew. 

David understood the importance of being rested.

We should emphasise more about why rest is important for us, beyond being still with God (which itself is an amazing reason).   Rest is a defence mechanism God knows we’ll most likely ignore or try to “push through” when it can really serve us well.

Hello. Hence the Sabbath.

"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27

So friends, as you go throughout this week and schedule meetings, coffee dates, workouts, etc, don't forget to block out time for rest.  you need it.  your friends need you to have it. and as far as the Bible is concerned, it's not up for discussion.

Shalom.

 

'Tis the [watermelon] Season!

Hello, friends!
Tidings of comfort and joy to you.

A lot has been going on pre, during, and post holiday season.  The biggest thing was my sister's visit! There's plenty to talk about my I'll highlight my favourite (now) memories:

Lex coming to visit for Christmas was so special.  We did so much while she was here; it was really fun living as a tourist.  We started things off with going up to Mt Coolum, Queensland to visit the Australia Zoo aka the Crocodile Hunter's Zoo.
A few weeks before we found this amazing family on Airbnb.  We had so much fun and felt so welcome even though we were with them less than 2 days.  From there we went to the zoo and had a blast! It was quite warm, but not unbearable.
We pet kangaroos.
We held a koala (Ellen).
Lex won an animal imitation contest.
And saw so many native Aussie animals (cassowaries, dingos, etc)

  

     

our Mt Coolum family!

Then we came back and started living the dream in Sydney!
We went to beaches (Manly, Maroubra and Coogee) and swam in some of Australia's beautiful water.  It's still very surreal to swim in crystal clear water, but it was even better to see her experience it.  Lex doesn't normally enjoy just chilling at the beach and relaxing, but she did a great job and stuck it out for my sake :)

Then we had Christmas, which was so special.  I had to work from 11-5 so we woke up early-ish and Lex made us french toast which we ate while watching our favourite Christmas movie, Muppet Christmas Carol.  I went to work and when I came home she made us Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner while we watched some Disney Christmas short films. 

It was really special.  A Christmas day to remember for sure :) 

 
For the rest of the (too short) time, we hit the Sydney hot spots: Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Botanical Gardens, aquarium, Madame Toussaud's, etc.

 

 

The grand finale of the trip was a dessert night up in the 360 Bar, a rotating restaurant in the tallest building in Sydney.  We got dressed up in some new attire (her dress and my shoes) and had a really sweet time together.  We chatted about life, played some silly memory games, and reminisced over the dream we had been living the past 13 days.  She's really quite special; so smart, incredibly capable, hilariously adorable, and an all around babe.

Sissy, I know you'll read this so this bit is especially for you:

You are incredible! 

I'm convinced that if you actually realised how extraordinarily talented and gifted you are you could do anything!  There's so much more to you than just random facts, corny jokes, medical knowledge, and cute stubby toes :) 

 Don't be afraid to learn new things; teachability is one of the greatest qualities anyone can have.  Being teachable doesn't mean you're dumb, it means your wise enough to keep learning :) 

Don't waste time "warming up" to people, new and old.  Just go for it!

Your spirit is too precious to keep from others.  

Keep telling "terrible" jokes and laughing at them; your laughter invites us in to your life.  It is warm, and sometimes all it takes to draw people out is a little warmth :)

You're a great big sister and I love you.

Sincerely.

I've now commenced my final semester at Hillsong and man, is it crazy.  It's crazy to think the end is near; not quite in sight, but approaching.  God has been so kind in reaffirming His timing and has wholly-whelmed me with His peace.  I'm taking it all in.  Keeping my eyes open.  Staying focused.  Being fully present where you are is something I don't think you can ever master, but I'm doing my best.  The next season, stage, job, opportunity, move, etc will come naturally whether I'm looking for it or not so why miss where I am now?!

Plus, there's still more of Australia to see before I leave!