i Norge

I am currently sitting in Amdahl, looking at the sea. There is sun today, and we spent some time just sitting in the sun, soaking it in. I went part way up the mountain with the kids this morning, and enjoyed the beautiful view of the fjord:

Yesterday, I went with the Ødegaards on a rainy walk to another fjord, over some lovely countryside

I look forward to seeing what Saturday and Sunday of this holy Easter week hold for me.

L'abri Fellowship

        Last Friday, the 18th, Rachel and I went on an adventure; we got to have a taste of the L'abri Fellowship! In early afternoon, we boarded a train bound for Liss, England. Liss is a quaint little town, with only one public house:

          From Liss we took a path through the wood,

and then a windy, semi-treacherous road to Greatham where L'abri is located. We came upon the ruin of an old church,

then right around the corner was L'abri!
           When we entered through the main door, there was a fire in the fireplace and people reading while sitting on nearby chairs and couches. It was just how I had picture L'abri. It reminded me of both the Summit in Colorado, and of Villa Morgen, where the Rivendell classes stay in Florence during studies. I was ecstatic to be at the place that had so influenced my former teachers, the Pearceys. I even found two of Nancy's books on one of the shelves.
           The grounds of L'abri are quite lovely. They are keeping up a proper English garden, with a fountain and a big lawn.

There is also a chapel or prayer building that is quite cozy, and I'm sure has had many wonderful meetings and times of good fellowship.

         After exploring the grounds, and after a meal at the Greatham Inn, (which was also exactly what I would imagine an English pub to be like) there were tea and snacks for all before the lecture at 20:00. Andrew Fellows, a professor at Cambridge, spoke about apologetics. 

         It was a whirlwind talk, covering lots of ground quickly, but it was very helpful in knowing what to look for in other worldviews, as well as what must be known about your own before you can convince someone else of its validity. We must know the categories of our worldview. For instance, there is a Creator, and there is the creation; the Kingdom of Heaven, and the kingdom of darkness; truth, and untruth. These are categories of antithesis that must not be confused with each other. This is vital to having a biblical worldview. That is a small part of what he talked about.

          Fellow's talk reminded me very much of the Summit and Rivendell. I am so thankful for my time at both, and grateful that I could now get a taste something that had a big impact on both of those places, probably in more ways than I realize.

         After the lecture, a kind woman who works at L'abri drove us the 2 miles back to the Liss train station, and we were on our way back into London. And that was our adventure at L'abri, where I hope to go back to again some day for a longer stay.

St Patrick's Day

Being able to sit first class was quite wonderful. I was served with actual glasses and real silverware, and then there was the dessert tray. And of course, being able to fully stretch out to sleep is pretty nice.

From the airport, I took the underground into the city and to my friend Rachel's apartment. I explored the area while she had class, seeing St Paul's Cathedral, the River Thames, and even the ruins of a Roman wall from 200 AD.

Rachel and I got savory pies for dinner! And being St Patrick's day, we looked for some live Irish music. We found some, but the pub was so crowded, so we didn't stay for long. We soon hit the hay, and after 10 hours of sleep, I'm still dragging a bit. Even a 4 hour time change can take its toll.

Next stop, London

As I sit here waiting for my flight to London, I contemplate the possibility of being placed Up Front; First class, to those less accustomed than Delta employees. I am excited by the possibility, having not yet had the privilege.  

I'm flying standby, thanks to my loving, brand new brother-in-law, so I must start by saying a sincere and excited thank you to him. 😆🙌🏻

London is my first stop on this venture. There I will stay with a friend whom I know from Baltimore, and we will explore cobble stone streets, sip on tea and coffee, and hopefully hear an informative lecture at L'abri (http://www.labri.org/england/lecture.html)!!

Next I'll be off to Norway. I plan to exhaust, but not exceed, the allowance of my visitors visa, which is 90 days. I hope to hike, learn Hardanger fiddle tunes, as well as do some babysitting, all while striving to learn Norwegian in Haugesund's dialect.

For those of you who've heard about my hope to volunteer at a kibbutz in Israel (http://yad8.com), that dream is currently on hold. It is still a possibility for the future, but at this time I am focusing on my time in Norway with family. Feel free to pray for wisdom as I make decisions for my next steps.

Thanks for reading, and check back for updates!