Bergen, Norway

We flew from Dublin to Bergen, Norway-one of the more populated cities on the west coast of Norway.  This was the men's restroom in the airport... classy, eh?

 

This was our one city of true "couch surfing".  Couch surfing is an actual website, similar to Facebook, where you have profiles etc. and find people living in the cities you are visiting and ask to stay on their couch.  For free.

This is the house... ahem... mansion we ended up couch surfing at in Askoy, right outside Bergen.

I wish I could share all of the details of how this came about, but basically, we ended up staying with about 15 other travelers in this "manor" that a 27 year old Norwegian had just bought a month prior for a few million dollars.  What. Inthe. World.  

We spent our one and only full day in Bergen venturing up the funicular to Mt. Floyen and wandering around the Wharf-a UNESCO World Heritage site.

At the top of Mt. Floyen

 

This is part of the wharf.  Notice how the buildings are starting to lean.

I love this photo.  And that's no filter.

This Starbucks had just opened a few weeks before we arrived.  A regular "fun" drink is around $21.

Can't forget our new Portuguese friend, Hector, who we met whilst couch surfing.

Fun Norwegian fact for you:  Did you know if you split all of Norway's money evenly between all of their citizens, each person would have 1 million dollars?

NEXT UP: Norway, Part II

Let's start with Ireland

So way back in January, the day the dreaded Ice Storm took over the south... my friend Holly Houston and I barely squeaked out of the country to head on our 6 week European adventure!  Once we got to D.C., flights were being cancelled all over the US, so thankfully we were re-routed quickly through London and eventually landed in Dublin, Ireland.

Here are some fun stats from our trip:

-6 weeks total, 42 nights, 10 different countries
-Out of 42 nights, we only paid for 10 nights of accommodations  #boom
-We each had a large backpack with about 7 full outfits we rotated.  As well as a lot of winter gear  =)
-Once on the continent we flew twice, took ten train rides with a Eurail Global Pass, & took one exciting mega bus ride via the Chunnel from Brussels, Belgium to London, England.
-And the best part, we came in under budget!  (We have a full, detailed spreadsheet if you would ever like to plan such an adventure. Two type A personalities cannot survive without such order!)

I'm going to take the next few blog posts to document some fun photos and trip stories from our adventure-even though it is about 6 months late.  Better late than never!

Dublin, Ireland
Our first two nights we spent in our one, and only, hostel.  (Which had a great name!)  We stayed in an all girl room with a beautiful girl from Malaysia and 3 exchange students from China.  Trying to sleep to at least 6 am is a feat, especially with blow dryers going strong by 5:30 am.  Seriously, girls?

Because of the quick flight change, our bags were lost the first day, but we did eventually receive them.  While in Dublin we visited Trinity College, attended an Evensong service (which was so refreshing for my soul!), journeyed through the rainy town, and of course... took a quick tour of the Guinness Factory.  

I love how you can see the old Castle wall with the modern buildings behind it.  Old and new together.

We were SO cold! And always bundled up!

Even though I don't necessarily know a lot about Guinness, 

it was so fascinating to see how it was all made.  

NEXT UP:  Norway

Live It Out

I’ve been home from Cambodia about eight months now, which included a short 6-week adventure to Europe, so technically… I’ve only been home six and a half months.   In the eyes of most missionaries or expats, my re-entry has still been short, so I’m trying to give myself some grace.

I have moments when I feel myself blending in rather well in America, and other times I want to cry and curl up in a ball and never leave my house. 

I see parents feel pressure to buy their children the most expensive shoes or newest tech device, often because they want their child to fit in or not hear their child’s complaints each and every evening.  Sometimes, I don’t blame them…. and other times, I want to scream “WHOOOOO CARREEESSSSSS?!?!?!?!?!?” NONE OF THIS STUFF MATTERS!!!!!!!”

I see people who try to restrain from eating out so often to save money because of their own personal convictions, but their friends pick on them and tell them they’re not social enough.

I know people who won’t buy the newest car or iPhone available, and then I see others question that decision because they claim “it’s not safe” to have such an old car, or “everyone has iPhones… they make your job easier.”

I can see it now.

I understand it better.

Not everyone is a shallow, excessive consumer that we claim him or her to be.  Maybe they just don’t want to hear opinions from everybody else on how they’re choosing to live their life, so they choose to just fit in.  It’s so exhausting.

These are issues in life that fall into the category of personal convictions, and are often rather good, Christ-centered convictions. 

And you know what’s crazy?  It’s other Christians who don’t allow these people to live up to them.   I’m not here to tell you each and every personal conviction I have because that’s not the point, but I know that I have spent much time in prayer and sat through agonizing moments with the Lord to figure that out.  And if that’s what my fellow brother or sister in Christ has done also, then I’m going to let them live it out.  

I’m not going to tell them to “lighten up”… or “everybody has one and it’s fine”… or “it’s not that big of a deal.” 

It IS a big deal. 

I live in such tension after returning from overseas that I can’t help but be uncomfortable each and every day whilst questioning my motives and wondering if how I am choosing to live my life is honoring Christ in the best way. 

I read this last night in Barefoot Church by Brandon Hatmaker (...and I almost hopped out of bed and shouted it from my dark rooftop):

"Can we ever have our cake and eat it, too? Many say no... so we choose one as a priority and give to the other whatever's left.  It's easier to choose one or the other, yet Scripture never releases us from either.  Our journey is not about finding a place where we no longer have to struggle to balance this.  According to the Bible, the goal is not to live without the struggle; the goal is to find God and deny ourselves throughout the struggle."

Sometimes we need to allow people to change.  We need to let the Lord work in them.  Many are desperate for it and as the church of Christ, we must allow it.

May we accept this struggle every day.  And find God in it.  

The Real World

“Don’t go cryin’ to your mama

Cause you’re on your own in the real world”

These lyrics have been floating around the radio stations for several weeks now, with Paramore putting out another catchy song.  Each time it comes on the radio I listen for more understanding of the lyrics, and although I think I understand their message, that phrase- “the real world”- continues to settle wrong with me.

I remember hearing those words when I was in elementary school…”Oh just wait until you get into the REAL world!”  Or my favorite… “Welcome to the REAL world!” usually on the heels of something bad happening in life, or facing a conflict of some sort. 

If you would like to see me either a: shoot arrows from my eyeballs or b: practice the grand skill of holding my tongue with the best poker face around, please say this around me. 

An eight year old’s real world is different from a 15 year old’s real world as well as a thirty year old’s real world.  And may I never consider myself so educated or misunderstood that I desire to belittle the severity of pain going on in someone else’s life-no matter the age.

That’s why this phrase is unsettling to me. 

You know what the real world is like for an 8 year old? 

Learning to read and write well.  Knowing your multiplication tables.  Learning how to make friends at school.  Understanding how to follow rules and know what adults are asking of us.  Being loved healthily.  That IS their real world.  And personally, I don’t want them to experience the realness of adult life yet.

And you know what is real for a 16 year old? 

Fitting in.  Figuring out their emotions and spirituality in a time of great hormonal change.  Learning about the rest of the world and how to be an influence, not just BE influenced.  Parents divorcing.  Grandparents dying.  As far as I’m concerned, this is as REAL as it gets. 

And then I can’t help but think of children and teens in other parts of the world who face war, hunger, abuse and terror when they walk out into their streets.  Their real world is surviving from day to day on a bag of rice and avoiding missiles.  Some of us will never have a real world quite like theirs.  I’m sure there are times they would like to welcome YOU to their real world.

I only want to guide children and students to understand better the world they are currently living in and continue to explore others as well.  I never want to downplay their situation or make them feel as if their problems aren’t real.  Do they often need perspective?  Yes.  But a dose of perspective with a little empathy is often the best mix… and might I add, sounds rather characteristic of Jesus also.  Just sayin’.

It also spurs me on to remember that no matter the ease or severity of our own real world, we are never to do it alone.  Not in insolation or figuring it out ourselves, but rather in community where we carry each others burdens and learn also how to cast our cares upon Jesus.  Pitching this cliché at others shuts them down and causes them to not want to be transparent… which I, personally, vehemently fight for.

As adults, if we choose to connect with children and teens at these vital ages and teach them how to navigate their 8 and 12 and 15 year old real world problems, then I believe we can be confident in knowing when they reach adulthood … aka THE REAL WORLD… they will be aware of their situation as well as others, and walk that journey with grace and empathy. 

Fallen Stars

I watched a movie the other day that contained the usual, euphoric ending of a man coming to the realization of his lackluster life and empty sense of love and intimacy, as well as the fruitless feeling of working a long, strenuous job and making endless money that he didn’t know what to do with. 

He met a woman who brought out the best in him so of course, in good Hollywood fashion, he left his current girlfriend, job, and city… and chose to take his money to travel the world and go on an adventure.

The last scene is him getting on an airplane with his new found love and venturing off into the skies. 

And then the credits rolled and the music played.

And the TV turned black.

And I sat there.  And stared at the screen.

“What happens next?”

What about when he runs out of money and his “adventure” is done and he comes back home and life has gone on without him and people don’t know who he is and he has no idea where to “re-enter”?

Not exactly the intention of Hollywood I’m sure, but I couldn’t help but go there mentally.

The stars fell out of my eyes about 3 months into living in Cambodia, and the truth eventually set in about that journey.  But the truth is what made that experience so fantastic, so I’ll gladly take the fallen stars.

And lets just say, returning home, I actually never had any stars in my eyes to begin with, unless I thought about the white runny cheese from Tres Hermanos or my comfortable mattress I hadn’t slept on in two years. But those desires only last but a moment when the rest of the "real" stuff slaps you in the face and puts you on your knees.  

Although this transition has allowed for a painful 6 months, I have come to realize that I feel no permanency or grand connection to any city, state, or country.  And for that I am grateful. 

I know I’m uncomfortable now because nowhere on this Earth is my home.  I am restless and confused and frustrated and stretched every day as I dig into what the Lord wants for me.  And I suppose it’s that tension that makes me keep digging. 

Our Western culture teaches us to focus on the beautiful times of life and live them to the fullest.  But the more I learn about Christ, the more I see how we learn of Him in the midst of our own suffering and his ability to remind us that he is present at such times.  And not just spiritually present, but often so palpable that we can feel him dripping from our tears. 

Tears I never want to exchange.

Same Same, But Different

 The term “saving face” is used often in the Eastern world, as it is said to describe many Asian countries.  Conflict is not dealt with.  Harmony over truth often prevails so both sides can win.  It seems wrong and frustrating and us Westerners point our wiggling finger at those who choose to save face and we can’t seem to understand the good of it.

While working in Cambodia, the idea of saving face interrupts my daily life frequently.  It drives me crazy.  A quick visit across the ocean does you no good to see the depth as to which it exists, but living here and dealing with it in a work setting will make you want to pull your hair out. 

When I think of my Western upbringing and the many cultural traits we are taught through our environments, I face the frustrating issues of entitlement and pride. 

Pride has become my own personal buzz word the past few years, mainly because I truly believe the Lord was choosing to reveal things to me that I had never seen before: about myself and others.  Each time of prayer I was asking God to beat the pride out of me and often the answers to prayers such as that come with very ugly, yet necessary responses.  I was also asking God to give me wisdom in situations, specifically when dealing with others.

Pride is a toxic disease that eats us from the inside out and distorts our definition of truth.  It makes us believe things that are not true: about others and ourselves.  It twists and perverts even the Gospel.  It can make us be dishonest and encourage us to not be vulnerable with those who we love the most. 

And you know what else it does? 

It makes us save face.

We walk into church with our pretty little outfits and shiny shoes hoping to look put together when our hearts are crumbling inside.

We drive nice cars to convince everyone else we have money.

We lie and cover up personal situations because we want everyone else to think our family is whole and complete and not dysfunctional.

We overspend and rack up our credit card bills to buy the things that we think will make us happy and fill a hole in our heart, when in reality there is a much deeper root we should be dealing with. 

We gossip and slander others because we are jealous or choose not to empathize with them in their difficulties because don’t they know?  “Others have it worse than them.”  That would just be too much work.  And who wants to make that change? 

We save face. Every. Day.

Call it what you may, but the East and West are both desiring the same outcome: I don't want you to really know the truth. 

But what about those who choose to be vulnerable… and honest… and transparent?  What about those who share their personal pains and burdens and attempt not to save face?  What about those who are choosing to overcome the fear of worrying about whether or not others think they have it all together? 

What do you do with that?

You listen.  You keep your mouth shut.  You don’t judge.  And you humble yourself to allow God to give you the discernment you need to say the right things-under His authority.  If we want to destroy pride and saving face here on this earth, then we must do the part of allowing others to be honest about their difficulties without throwing them under the bus.  We become the true church community and carry each other's burdens.  We weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. No wonder people choose to save face all the time, because we never give them the opportunity to be real.

Don’t ask me to share my deepest darkest secrets with you if you intend on bashing me to others.  We have to choose vulnerability and empathy over pride.   May I repeat something we have heard so many times: Pride comes before a fall.

Watch your step.

Shapes and Sizes

I have about four months left in Cambodia before I move on to the next chapter in my life… as to which at the moment I have no idea what that is.  But I’m not worried.

What I am worried about is that I believe I will feel like an alien in my own land. 

One of my PCL colleagues says you come to a foreign land as a circle… in a land of squares.  You never quite fit.  You don’t understand their cultural ways but you make it work and get by.  You might even become a messy blob for a while and then eventually you start to make shape again. 

And then, before you know it, your shape has morphed and you are a functional blend between the two worlds.  You have now become a triangle.  You are no longer fully an American “circle” but definitely not a full Cambodian “square” either.   You are a new shape.  You look different and the purpose you serve is different.

But I might forever be a triangle.  And I will return back to my very circle America and still be a triangle.  So I won’t fit there either.  I can never rid myself of my new shape nor do I think I actually should.  It was a lot of bending and reshaping and down right painful changing that led me to become this new triangle.

I envision my little triangle self, trying to fit in with all of the circles.  I envision the pain and the misunderstanding and the confusion that might come about in different situations.  I don’t get them… and they don’t get me.  The circles will want me to become a circle again and I just can’t do it.  I won’t know how.

And you know what… I grieve this.  I sit here with deep pain in the fact that I may not understand everyone anymore, and even more disheartening, that no one will understand me.  I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, but in a rather bluntly honest way.  I fear loneliness will overtake my new little triangle heart.

 For the next four months, my prayer is that grace, mercy, love, compassion and understanding will be like a river out of my mouth.  And might I also pray that it will be given to me in return when others become frustrated with my new ideas or explanations.   May we offer it to one another in return because truthfully, we are all on this journey together but we have each taken paths.  A righteous path is headed towards Christ but the way in which we have navigated it can be quite different.

If I cannot venture on this journey with my fellow loved ones, those who know the Lord and those who do not, then I am no Christ follower at all.  I am just a selfish, arrogant, prideful human who believes the navigation of my path to righteousness is the only way to go. 

So here’s to you… all of you circles, squares, and triangles.  Lets walk the path together.  We may look different, but we’re all just a bunch of funky shapes serving a purpose only we can serve.