Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
More from Jönköping
My, so much to say I almost don´t know where to begin!
My stay in Jönköping continues to go really well! I have been working really hard at the language and am picking up more and more Swedish every day! Yesterday I even went 2 hours without speaking any English - only Swedish! I did the same today for a while as well - it´s such good practice and really helps me learn!
I also was able to go to language school a few times last week! I love being able to sit in the classes! Lots of good practice - and homework! This week I will, Lord willing, be going to class Wednesday morning for 4 hours and Thursday afternoon into evening for 7 hours. I´m looking forward to the classes!
I have also been working hard at getting to know my way around! I´m getting more and more comfortable with the buses :) This is very encouraging! They are a lot less intimidating now! I can get from my friends house into town and back very easily now - no getting lost in far off no-man´s-land! Today I even explored around the downtown area a lot more - took a couple of other buses around, found out what bus stop is good to get off at for church, etc.
I have also very much enjoyed the fellowship with the church family here! They are all so very dear to me and I count it a privilege to call them my friends! I so look forward to serving here with them full time!
I have also enjoyed being involved with the music in the church while I´ve been here. Thanks to the kind gifts of several churches, we were able to purchase a portable keyboard to be used in the Sunday service! It has been such a blessing to be able to use that - along with the guitars - in the services! It´s just like a mini-orchestra! And it has been fun hearing the old hymns in the Swedish language - you get a whole new look at them! And I love the hymns of Lina Sandell, who was Swedish! (Day by Day, Children of the Heavenly Father, etc)
I´ve also enjoyed spending time with my friend´s boys! I´ve watched them for her several nights and it´s fun being able to practice my Swedish with them! They are so patient with me, and they help me learn more and more! It certainly is interesting, though! It can really be a challenge to watch them when you can´t speak with them very well - and we´ve certainly had some adventures! :D It´s been fun!
I´ve also made some other friends as well! There is a couple who own a little juice/smoothie shop in the area mall. The husband is from MN originally and he married a Swede. I´ve met both of them and they are very kind! I´ve gone back a few times and they remember me every time (probably my bad Swedish!!!). It has been nice talking some with them!
I´ve also met a few new friends in language school. It´s really fun to meet and visit with new people - and in language school there are people from all over the world! It´s pretty exciting!
Well, that´s about all for now! There is just too much to tell! It has been such a truly wonderful time!
I just keep praising God for this great opportunity! I love it here - I love the Swedish people - and I can´t wait to be here again! Lord willing, that will be in January! Please keep praying!
I´ll post more later!
My stay in Jönköping continues to go really well! I have been working really hard at the language and am picking up more and more Swedish every day! Yesterday I even went 2 hours without speaking any English - only Swedish! I did the same today for a while as well - it´s such good practice and really helps me learn!
I also was able to go to language school a few times last week! I love being able to sit in the classes! Lots of good practice - and homework! This week I will, Lord willing, be going to class Wednesday morning for 4 hours and Thursday afternoon into evening for 7 hours. I´m looking forward to the classes!
I have also been working hard at getting to know my way around! I´m getting more and more comfortable with the buses :) This is very encouraging! They are a lot less intimidating now! I can get from my friends house into town and back very easily now - no getting lost in far off no-man´s-land! Today I even explored around the downtown area a lot more - took a couple of other buses around, found out what bus stop is good to get off at for church, etc.
I have also very much enjoyed the fellowship with the church family here! They are all so very dear to me and I count it a privilege to call them my friends! I so look forward to serving here with them full time!
I have also enjoyed being involved with the music in the church while I´ve been here. Thanks to the kind gifts of several churches, we were able to purchase a portable keyboard to be used in the Sunday service! It has been such a blessing to be able to use that - along with the guitars - in the services! It´s just like a mini-orchestra! And it has been fun hearing the old hymns in the Swedish language - you get a whole new look at them! And I love the hymns of Lina Sandell, who was Swedish! (Day by Day, Children of the Heavenly Father, etc)
I´ve also enjoyed spending time with my friend´s boys! I´ve watched them for her several nights and it´s fun being able to practice my Swedish with them! They are so patient with me, and they help me learn more and more! It certainly is interesting, though! It can really be a challenge to watch them when you can´t speak with them very well - and we´ve certainly had some adventures! :D It´s been fun!
I´ve also made some other friends as well! There is a couple who own a little juice/smoothie shop in the area mall. The husband is from MN originally and he married a Swede. I´ve met both of them and they are very kind! I´ve gone back a few times and they remember me every time (probably my bad Swedish!!!). It has been nice talking some with them!
I´ve also met a few new friends in language school. It´s really fun to meet and visit with new people - and in language school there are people from all over the world! It´s pretty exciting!
Well, that´s about all for now! There is just too much to tell! It has been such a truly wonderful time!
I just keep praising God for this great opportunity! I love it here - I love the Swedish people - and I can´t wait to be here again! Lord willing, that will be in January! Please keep praying!
I´ll post more later!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Jönköping
Well, I´ve been in Sweden for several days now, so I thought I should get another update out!
My train trip to Jönköping went well - for the most part! I didn´t have any trouble switching trains, but shortly after the second switch the train sort of stopped on the tracks and an announcement played over the speakers. I didn´t really understand it since it was all in Swedish, so I asked the lady in front of me what had been said. She said there was a problem on the tracks ahead or something like that and that we would be stopping in a town nearby and switching over to buses to get us the rest of the way to Jönköping. So we stopped in the town of Habo and got off. I almost left my computer on the train! Praise the Lord for helping me remember to get it! That would have been bad!
I got on the bus and rode it into Jönköping. Thankfully, the bus station is right next to the train station, so I went over there to wait for my ride. I was a little over half an hour late, but it could have been a lot worse!
I´ve enjoyed my time in Jönköping thus far! I´m staying with a friend, and it has been so good being able to spend time with her and her kids again!
I got to help chop wood yesterday morning. Lotta and I went to help Ron Neely at his farm. They´re getting wood ready for winter. It was my first time to chop wood and I really enjoyed it! I like to swing the ax and watch the wood split! Very cool!
I also watched Lotta´s boys yesterday afternoon after they got back from school. That was fun - but certainly a challenge! It´s a lot harder to babysit when you don´t know their language very much! But it was lots of good practice for me and it worked out fine!
The boys asked if we could walk down to the store and get a pizza for supper, and I was just so happy I could understand him that I said yes! So we went to the store - I walked, the boys biked! We got pizza - and ice cream! and headed back. Then I had to figure out the oven - more fun! Celsius and Fahrenheit are definitely different!
When the pizza was ready a couple of the boys´ friends came to the door. So I let them come in for pizza - it was a regular party!
And of course in the middle of it all a kid came to the door selling stuff out of a magazine. More Swedish practice!
After all that, Ron Neely came and picked us all up to go to prayer meeting last night!
Prayer meeting was great! It was nice to see more of my friends again! I feel so blessed to be able to be here with them this month! And I really enjoyed the prayer time - most prayed in Swedish, a couple (including myself) prayed in English. But I loved to listen to the prayers! I loved to hear what God is doing here - what God is doing in and through people. I´m so excited to be able to be a part of this ministry!
Today I decided to be brave and take the bus into town :) I made it to A6, the mall where my friend works. It also has a place to buy bus cards.
So I got a monthly card, which means I can use the bus as much as I want for the next month without having to pay in cash every time I get on the bus. I just scan my card. That should make it easier for me to learn my way around! But it is definitely going to take some practice! It´s such a foreign system to me since I´ve always lived in small towns and never really took buses. But I´m ready to learn! So I´ll just keep at it!
I was just thankful to make it back to my friends´ house! That was the bus trip I got so lost on last year! Thankfully I made it this time - without ending up in the middle of nowhere! I think I have that part figured out now! So that´s encouraging :)
Well, that´s really all for now! I´ll have more later - and I´ll try to get some pics taken and posted as well!
Have a great day - thanks for your prayers!
My train trip to Jönköping went well - for the most part! I didn´t have any trouble switching trains, but shortly after the second switch the train sort of stopped on the tracks and an announcement played over the speakers. I didn´t really understand it since it was all in Swedish, so I asked the lady in front of me what had been said. She said there was a problem on the tracks ahead or something like that and that we would be stopping in a town nearby and switching over to buses to get us the rest of the way to Jönköping. So we stopped in the town of Habo and got off. I almost left my computer on the train! Praise the Lord for helping me remember to get it! That would have been bad!
I got on the bus and rode it into Jönköping. Thankfully, the bus station is right next to the train station, so I went over there to wait for my ride. I was a little over half an hour late, but it could have been a lot worse!
I´ve enjoyed my time in Jönköping thus far! I´m staying with a friend, and it has been so good being able to spend time with her and her kids again!
I got to help chop wood yesterday morning. Lotta and I went to help Ron Neely at his farm. They´re getting wood ready for winter. It was my first time to chop wood and I really enjoyed it! I like to swing the ax and watch the wood split! Very cool!
I also watched Lotta´s boys yesterday afternoon after they got back from school. That was fun - but certainly a challenge! It´s a lot harder to babysit when you don´t know their language very much! But it was lots of good practice for me and it worked out fine!
The boys asked if we could walk down to the store and get a pizza for supper, and I was just so happy I could understand him that I said yes! So we went to the store - I walked, the boys biked! We got pizza - and ice cream! and headed back. Then I had to figure out the oven - more fun! Celsius and Fahrenheit are definitely different!
When the pizza was ready a couple of the boys´ friends came to the door. So I let them come in for pizza - it was a regular party!
And of course in the middle of it all a kid came to the door selling stuff out of a magazine. More Swedish practice!
After all that, Ron Neely came and picked us all up to go to prayer meeting last night!
Prayer meeting was great! It was nice to see more of my friends again! I feel so blessed to be able to be here with them this month! And I really enjoyed the prayer time - most prayed in Swedish, a couple (including myself) prayed in English. But I loved to listen to the prayers! I loved to hear what God is doing here - what God is doing in and through people. I´m so excited to be able to be a part of this ministry!
Today I decided to be brave and take the bus into town :) I made it to A6, the mall where my friend works. It also has a place to buy bus cards.
So I got a monthly card, which means I can use the bus as much as I want for the next month without having to pay in cash every time I get on the bus. I just scan my card. That should make it easier for me to learn my way around! But it is definitely going to take some practice! It´s such a foreign system to me since I´ve always lived in small towns and never really took buses. But I´m ready to learn! So I´ll just keep at it!
I was just thankful to make it back to my friends´ house! That was the bus trip I got so lost on last year! Thankfully I made it this time - without ending up in the middle of nowhere! I think I have that part figured out now! So that´s encouraging :)
Well, that´s really all for now! I´ll have more later - and I´ll try to get some pics taken and posted as well!
Have a great day - thanks for your prayers!
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