Hej! It's hard to believe our time in Sweden is coming to an end :( It's been a wonderful couple weeks, but it will definitely be good to be home. Here's a quick overview of what's happened over the last couple days.
Friday
Friday was a more relaxed day. We got to sleep in, and the late morning/early afternoon we spent shopping and sightseeing in central Stockholm. It is such a beautiful city! In the late afternoon, we met with David and Laura Moench and Eric Haney to have orientation for Make Musik Stockholm, which happened on Saturday (see below for more info on that.) We also spent some time praying with and for them. In the evening, we did a little more sightseeing in Gamla Stan (the Old City) and had dinner with Tord and Martha.
Saturday
Make Musik Stockholm day! Eric Haney, who is helping with a church in Stockholm, is also a music person and is involved in the Stockholm music scene. One thing that happens every year on Sweden's national day is a music festival where any kind of musician is welcome to come and play music on the streets of Stockholm. One way that we are able to help Eric out is by volunteering at this event. So all day, we were either helping musicians set up and play and keep on time, or wandering around taking pictures of everything (Madeline's job, our excellent photographer.) While the day was super exhausting, it was also thoroughly enjoyable to experience the music of Stockholm!
Sunday
Our last full day in Sweden! This morning we worshipped at Rinkeby International Church (which we had visited earlier in the week to pray with the pastor and a few others.) It definitely lived up to its name, as we worshipped in Swedish, Spanish, Arabic, English, and Italian and heard from a missionary couple who works in Mozambique. Although the congregation was small, they have a zeal and passion for the Lord and it was a sweet time to be with them. We had lunch with Tord and Martha, spent some time praying with them, packed up our stuff, and are now at an airport hotel near Arlanda Airport (Stockholm's airport, about 45 minutes out of the city.) We have an early flight tomorrow morning (thus we are here.) Please pray for a safe and restful journey home. See you all very soon!
~Tait
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Friday, June 5, 2015
Wednesday and Thursday
Greetings once again! The last couple of days we have had a very busy schedule. It's been a whirlwind of meeting people, fellowshipping, and praying. While it's been a very good time and full of energy, it is also somewhat exhausting.
Wednesday
Wednesday morning, we went to the north part of Stockholm to meet with the pastor, Markus Sand, and some members of the church at Rinkeby. Rinkeby is a very diverse and dense section of Stockholm. In one square kilometer, there are around 15,000 people at about 90% from immigrant backgrounds. It has a very high Somali population and so is in many ways similar to parts of Minneapolis. Our team had met with Markus last year, so it was exciting to hear updates of successes and challenges since last year, and to pray together for a fruitful future. After we ate lunch with Markus and the others, it was on to our next stop; a church in south Stockholm at Bredäng. This church is also placed in a very multi-ethnic community and so faces many challenges (and blessings!) similar to those Rinkeby experiences. It was a sweet time to Fika and pray for wisdom and guidance on how to operate in a diverse and secular culture, and for the continued growth of the Church. The evening we spent with Tord and Martha Larsson in their home.
Thursday
On Thursday we visited the University city of Uppsala and spent the day with the Agape (Cru) staff there. In the morning, we had Fika, talked, and prayed with most of the team (six of the eight who are in Uppsala were there.) After a delicious lunch, we split up into four groups. One group (Marci, Kristi, and Karin) went on a prayer walk through Uppsala, visiting some of the historical sites in the city. Another group (Aron and Tait) had a discussion time about God and Science with a couple of students from Uppsala. A third group (Rachel and Madeline) tagged along to a meeting at a coffee shop with a few other Uppsala students. And the last group (Paul and Carol) met with Barrett Harkins (the national campus director for Agape Sweden) to discuss team development and leadership.
I'll update you on what we did today tomorrow :) Thank you for all your prayer support and please continue to pray for health and rest over the last few days of the project. Some of us are beginning to wear out, and we still have much to do!
~Tait
Wednesday
Wednesday morning, we went to the north part of Stockholm to meet with the pastor, Markus Sand, and some members of the church at Rinkeby. Rinkeby is a very diverse and dense section of Stockholm. In one square kilometer, there are around 15,000 people at about 90% from immigrant backgrounds. It has a very high Somali population and so is in many ways similar to parts of Minneapolis. Our team had met with Markus last year, so it was exciting to hear updates of successes and challenges since last year, and to pray together for a fruitful future. After we ate lunch with Markus and the others, it was on to our next stop; a church in south Stockholm at Bredäng. This church is also placed in a very multi-ethnic community and so faces many challenges (and blessings!) similar to those Rinkeby experiences. It was a sweet time to Fika and pray for wisdom and guidance on how to operate in a diverse and secular culture, and for the continued growth of the Church. The evening we spent with Tord and Martha Larsson in their home.
Thursday
On Thursday we visited the University city of Uppsala and spent the day with the Agape (Cru) staff there. In the morning, we had Fika, talked, and prayed with most of the team (six of the eight who are in Uppsala were there.) After a delicious lunch, we split up into four groups. One group (Marci, Kristi, and Karin) went on a prayer walk through Uppsala, visiting some of the historical sites in the city. Another group (Aron and Tait) had a discussion time about God and Science with a couple of students from Uppsala. A third group (Rachel and Madeline) tagged along to a meeting at a coffee shop with a few other Uppsala students. And the last group (Paul and Carol) met with Barrett Harkins (the national campus director for Agape Sweden) to discuss team development and leadership.
I'll update you on what we did today tomorrow :) Thank you for all your prayer support and please continue to pray for health and rest over the last few days of the project. Some of us are beginning to wear out, and we still have much to do!
~Tait
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
May 31 - June 3
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
The last few days...
Hello there! Apologies for the lack of communication the last few days. I neglected to give an update our final night in Gothenburg, and our Internet connection at our last stay was somewhat shaky. Hopefully I can sufficiently catch you up on what we've been up to.
Saturday
On Saturday we took a trip to Vallersvik, about an hour south of Gothenburg. Vallersvik was the location of the first immersion baptism in Sweden in 1848. In a local church, we heard about the history of Vallersvik and the Swedish baptist movement. We also got to travel out to the point where the actual baptism took place right on the ocean shore. It was a beautiful place with a rich history and it was quite special to learn more about it. Later on Saturday, we prayer-walked through Gothenburg at various busy locations throughout the city. It was a privilege to see some of the culture and history of Gothenburg, and to be able to pray for its people, that they may come to know Christ.
Sunday
Sunday morning we worshipped in Tabernaklet. It is a true pleasure and honor to worship beside brothers and sisters in Christ from around the world. After our post-service fika (click here if you've never heard of fika), we bid farewell to our hotel in Gothenburg and began driving in our van to our next destination, the Torchbearers school/retreat camp at Holsbybrunn. Torchbearers is an international Bible school that focuses on teaching students to live Christ-like lives with 26 centers around the world. (more info here) Sunday night, we settled in to our dorms and took a brief tour of the facility.
Monday
After breakfast Monday morning, we had a time of learning and praying with many of the staff at Holsby. It was a very sweet interaction hearing each other's stories, praying for a fruitful future for the ministries at Holsby, and for any personal requests that people had. In the afternoon, we got to experience some of the things the school has to offer, such as the giant swing and beautiful forest walking area. In the evening, our photographer Madeline provided a family photo shoot for several of the staff families at Holsby. We also got to watch a video about the history of the Torchbearers schools and the incredible string of events that took place to lead to their existence.
Tuesday
Today was mostly a travel day. We left Holsby in the morning, had lunch and shopped in the candy-producing city of Gränna, and arrived in Stockholm this evening to settle into our hotel and have supper with Tord and Martha Larsson and one of their children, Victoria. The Larsson's are with Agape/Cru here in Stockholm, and we'll have many interactions with them throughout this week.
Apologies for the extremely long catchup post! Hopefully you made it this far reading :) We really appreciate your prayers thus far, and please continue to pray for health and rest so that we may be a blessing to those we come in contact with.
~Tait
Saturday
On Saturday we took a trip to Vallersvik, about an hour south of Gothenburg. Vallersvik was the location of the first immersion baptism in Sweden in 1848. In a local church, we heard about the history of Vallersvik and the Swedish baptist movement. We also got to travel out to the point where the actual baptism took place right on the ocean shore. It was a beautiful place with a rich history and it was quite special to learn more about it. Later on Saturday, we prayer-walked through Gothenburg at various busy locations throughout the city. It was a privilege to see some of the culture and history of Gothenburg, and to be able to pray for its people, that they may come to know Christ.
Sunday
Sunday morning we worshipped in Tabernaklet. It is a true pleasure and honor to worship beside brothers and sisters in Christ from around the world. After our post-service fika (click here if you've never heard of fika), we bid farewell to our hotel in Gothenburg and began driving in our van to our next destination, the Torchbearers school/retreat camp at Holsbybrunn. Torchbearers is an international Bible school that focuses on teaching students to live Christ-like lives with 26 centers around the world. (more info here) Sunday night, we settled in to our dorms and took a brief tour of the facility.
Monday
After breakfast Monday morning, we had a time of learning and praying with many of the staff at Holsby. It was a very sweet interaction hearing each other's stories, praying for a fruitful future for the ministries at Holsby, and for any personal requests that people had. In the afternoon, we got to experience some of the things the school has to offer, such as the giant swing and beautiful forest walking area. In the evening, our photographer Madeline provided a family photo shoot for several of the staff families at Holsby. We also got to watch a video about the history of the Torchbearers schools and the incredible string of events that took place to lead to their existence.
Tuesday
Today was mostly a travel day. We left Holsby in the morning, had lunch and shopped in the candy-producing city of Gränna, and arrived in Stockholm this evening to settle into our hotel and have supper with Tord and Martha Larsson and one of their children, Victoria. The Larsson's are with Agape/Cru here in Stockholm, and we'll have many interactions with them throughout this week.
Apologies for the extremely long catchup post! Hopefully you made it this far reading :) We really appreciate your prayers thus far, and please continue to pray for health and rest so that we may be a blessing to those we come in contact with.
~Tait
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)