BACK and then gone and then BACK

                            This is a Picture of me in latvia....its a cold country ok.


If not sleeping was a sport (which I’m pretty sure it is somewhere) then l am on track to win a gold medal. After a very long flight and then a very, very long train ride, l arrived back in the land of the Nords. It was a really nice and relaxed homecoming. What l did not enjoy trying to stay awake ‘til the night to try and get my sleep pattern back on track but a girls gotta do what a girl has gotta do.

While the homecoming was nice and relaxed, warm it wasn’t. Turned out that the power cord that goes to my trailer house was caked with about 5 inches of solid ice and somewhere in that mess was a rip in the cord, giving me a chilled ice box of a home. So now l find myself living inside, which I’m sure my mother is happy about, and I gotta say I’m enjoying the comforts of having a sink right outside the door...ohhh the little things.

It was not a long stay in Norway though but a rather busy one as we prepared to head off to Latvia. We started by loading a semi-truck with tons and tons and tons of clothes and food and even a random piano that someone donated. Upon arriving in Latvia we joined over 250 other people from 12 different nations. We were all sharing the floor of a gym hall for sleeping and prepping the donations.



I cannot even start to tell you of the amazing time l had. All together we packed up and handed out over 1000 food bags and served about 2000 people with clothes, all in a matter of 4 days. It was extremely busy and tiring to the bone. It was one of those trips that mussels that you didn’t even know you had sore.

I came out of it thinking that this is what l want to do with the rest of my life. It is rare that you find yourself working on something and then you get to see the results of that work so fast. Honestly it was one of the best experiences of my life. Since I don’t have room for much more in this post, et me share a few keywords that all lead to stories I wish I could tell; 103 year old woman, Pasta Queen, Orange Work Shorts Cape and Latvians drink ALOT of coffee.

I wish l had the time to sit down with each one of you and convince you to come with me next year to Latvia, cause it will change your life. We are back in Norway now in full swing again trying to get this darn DTS ready for outreach. They head out soon. Maybe by then the ice will melt and I can get the power back to my trailer.

Snow and Stuff and Snow

Right now I am sitting in Fayetteville Arkansas, in a coffee shop, while looking at the snow outside thinking “man this place feels a lot like Norway”. I think almost everyone in the world loves to be home but there is a difference between being at home and being stuck at home. Right now I am a little stuck, at least I am stuck ‘til my application for a new passport goes through. 


I had a wonderful Christmas with my family (minus the major travel delays) and a great New Years dancing around with my good friends. While I am in America l am trying to make the best of it (I mean I am pretty sure the second l landed l was in the drive thru of the glorious taco bell MMMmMmmM can’t get enough of that stuff.) Last week Dad and I drove down to Texas and time with more of my amazing family. It’s been so wonderful to be around my church family and my friends as well, but I can’t wait to get back to Norway.


 God has been providing everything l need while I am back in the states, but there are still some challenges. I am trying to visit everyone l can while l have my time here, but lets keep praying hard that the darn passport gets here a bit quicker. I hope everyone has a good Christmas and god bless.

AN AMERICAN HOLIDAY IN NORWAY

l think back on the Thanksgivings spent at home and how l used to think "man that took allot of work" and "GGAAA I’ve been in the kitchen for so long". 

Well that was nothing compared to cooking a meal for 60 people in a country that does not cater to the original Thanksgiving type meals or the holiday in general. Let’s just say 7 turkeys, 3 massive pies, 2 catering trays of stuffing, 2 huge green bean casseroles and 2 days of prepping, cooking and cleaning later it was finished. For some people attending the meal it was the 1st time they had ever had thanksgiving food and or been around the holiday. In spite of all the work (or maybe because of it) it was fun to watch the Norwegians oggle the green beans with slight suspicion but go on to try it, eyes lighting up with a  look that said “YUMMMMMM!!!!!”. 

l cant say that l didn’t miss my family on this day but cooking in the kitchen with the other handful of Americans living here and bringing out steaming pots and pans of food was a new experience and really fun. Thanks to everyone who sent stuff to make it happen. We could not have done it without you.

But after the the meal there was no weekend of football and naps. We were quickly invaded a team of 22 Danish kids, ages 12-15, who came to Skien and took the place over as part of a Mission Adventures program. They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving either. 

Hope thanksgiving was great for all of you. 

hope

SNOW TIME

Howdy Hello Hi

Well its snowed. I know what your thinking "Duhhh, its Norway and it snows and its cold and its full of snow". Well you would be right but let’s just say a certain someone was not ready for said snow. 

In spite of the increasing cold slowly decreasing sun shine,  there has been plenty of activity to keep the spirits high. I’ve been spending allot of time in the music studio (which is really taking off). We have started recording songs for many people on base all the while learning tons about how to use the equipment, some of it is quite challenging. 

I’m not saying its easy being so far away from home,family and friends but working here gives you the time the really work on the things that God has put on your heart. Thank you guys for all your support and prayers. 

hope

THIS MIGHT GET LOUD...

THE DTS HAS STARED AND THE FLOOD GATES OF THE BASE ARE OPEN! It was Wednesday when all the students poured in and man there are a lot of them. It is really different not being a student and being on “this side” of ministry. The base is bursting at the seams but yours truly is “lucky” enough to have a nice little trailer out in the back where she can enjoy peace and quite (except for the loud dance music booming from across the way which can be ignored. Sometimes). 

It’s nice to be here but its a change, and with any change comes worries and concerns but at the same time a fruit is growing. Its all going to be good and thank you all for your messages and prayers. l hope all is well back in your world. Nothing slows down here, I’m off to Sweden for a week-long conference.

Have a good one,

Hope

THE COLD IS CALLING...

Even archeologist sent to the frozen arctic to study frozen things leave the frozenness after awhile and head of the beach not wanting to think about the day they will have to go back and face the bitter cold of an arctic winter. 

I, on the other hand, can’t wait to try out my snow boots and parka.

Why might you ask? ‘Cause a Discipleship Training School does not end when you graduate. Instead, it prepares you with the tools to “build a house” and then says “go build it”. I want to put this last year of invaluable, life changing experiences to work right away. 

You might have guessed by now, but my plan is to go back to serve with YWAM Skien in Norway, and soon. I have thought prayed and talked about many options, but really feel this is where God wants my to go. We all sit and wait for God to send a giant rock from heaven with the words GO HERE or GO THERE but for me there was no rock, just a peace. 

As excited as I am, I know that this next year is going to be hard. Not just a little hard, but the kind of hard that you hide under your bed from. I would stay under the bed if it was not for the One True God holding my hand as I crawl out from under it. 

What’s it going to take to get me back over to the land of fish-in-a-tube? Lot’s of hard work, incredible friends and family and serious divine intervention. 

I am required to have 4500 Kroner (about $700 USD) in monthly support plus about $4000 USD to cover airfare and a bunch of other stuff I need to get set up. 

I only have a few weeks before I am supposed to be back in Norway so I am working any and every job I can, sending letters and asking everyone I know to consider being a part of this incredible opportunity. If you want to help out, you can donate through fb at “Thirty jobs for Hope Ray” or CLICK HERE

Tak!

9 MONTHS FEELS LIKE 2 DAYS...

9 months? Honestly? Its’ really been 9 month?  At times its’ felt likeyears but now that it is coming to the end it seems like l just stepped off the plane and realized that l could not read any of the signs around me. Everyone came back safe and changed from all the outreaches. I am no exception. It has been one tough year and there is no way l could have done it without my friends here, friends back home and a God you insists on helping me whenever He can, no matter how hard at times I resist.

Norway in the summer is the prettiest place l have ever been and days spent playing volleyball at cabins are not wasted l can tell you that much. Thank you all for praying and supporting me. l cant even explain how this year has impacted my life.

But I hope to someday to try. 

Hope.