Summer holidays (at least for those of us in Europe) have come and gone and a new season of work has started!
We are jumping into start up days with our base and have already had 1 week of staff training with all the other DTS’s in Norway! This year was special as we joined together with Laget (A christian organisation reaching out to students in schools in Norway) and had most of our training together! It was special to see the unity that was being formed and to see two different organisations come together with the same goal, to see Jesus glorified and people saved was really special to be a part of!While we have lots we could share about, we felt that God was really highlighting our «WHY» behind what we do and that we should share that with you as we enter into a new season of DTS.The biggest reason behind why we’ve chosen this lifestyle is that our hearts really long to see others experience God’s love, to be transformed inside and out, like how we’ve experienced it ourselves. We want to see God’s name be lifted high, that He would be the first and foremost reason for all that we do!
Our «why» is because we want it to be all about Him! And that for us is in this season is expressed through our job in YWAM.
We know it’s not a «normal» way of living and that it can confuse some people but for us our hearts come alive here.
«The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.»
Frederick Buechner We get to see all generations be met with God’s love through the discipleship schools. We work with them for 6 months and feel so privileged to see glimpses into what God’s doing in their hearts! We see transformation around us, not only in the schools but also in the nations we visit through our 2 month outreach teams.
Another part of our «WHY» is because we see a lack of discipleship happening around the world in churches and christian communities, people can’t grow in their spiritual life (in the way we are supposed) just from 2hrs on a Sunday! The body of Christ and future generations desperately need discipleship so we can truly reflect our Father’s image to the world around us!We believe we are ALL called to live a «mission’s» lifestyle, whether it’s in a doctor’s office, as a carpenter, working in a supermarket, being a stay-at-home parent or being a part of YWAM or some other christian organisation. We are all together in this calling, it’s just expressed differently.
For us, it looks like YWAM and DTS’s right now and that’s what we wanted to share with you.
The «WHY» behind what we do is soooo important, we encourage you to check your «why» behind your life, is it aligned with God’s call on your life?We love you guys, and wherever and whatever He has us doing, let’s live to see His name be glorified in all we do!

It’s not long now til we meet our precious little boy, Emanuel.
We are sharing his name as we’ve actually known who this little guy was going to be for the last 9 years!
In 2014 while we were on a School of Evangelism in Australia, we were fasting as a school through Ramadan and praying for the Muslims. Gøran and I had just started dating and it was my shift on prayer. I suddenly got a very clear vision of a little baby and behind him was Gøran and then I heard «Emanuel, God with us and I will be with him» then I woke up.
So for the last 9 years I’ve carried this picture with me and knew that somehow, sometime, Emanuel would come into our lives. Even through the heavy period with Chronic Fatigue where I had basically given up all possibility of having kids because of my health there was always a little question in my heart saying «But what about the promise God gave me about this little boy».When we found out we were having a baby, I knew it just had to be Emanuel, it had to be a boy. And it was!
So we have chosen to say his name and share who he is already, since we’ve in a way already carried him for the last 9 years and we are just so excited to meet this little guy!!!

PRAYER POINTS

If you would like to stand with us in prayer that would be incredible! We’ve written down some points in our lives where we need it but we would also love for you to send us an email with ways we can be standing with you in prayer! As the body of Christ we need each other! So please, let us know how we can be there for you in this season as well!

~ Protection over Laura and Emanuel through the birth and for an incredible birth experience

~ Unity in the staff group as we start up and learn how to work together as a team

~ Wisdom for how this next season of becoming parents should/will look like for us

If you haven’t already seen it on Facebook then we want to share it fresh here that yes, we are expecting a little baby boy this September! The due date is the day the next DTS starts, 22nd September… so super fun timing but God has a plan in it all so we aren’t stressed!
We’ve felt so lead by God through this season of choosing to start trying and trusting Him with my (Laura) health and believing for complete healing in and through the process. We know that He’s so close, leading us through this so we have peace to «step out of the boat» and take this step of faith, something we had almost completely ridden off due to my health. We are so grateful for this chance and are excited to meet this little guy!!! I’m currently 24 weeks and feeling him move a lot! Pregnancy is beautiful and we are both really enjoying this time.

Praying over the nations in South Africa

These awesome people lead DTS’s in different countries all over the world!

Visiting one of the local churches in Turkey

Some of our sweet friends in Turkey that we used to be on a team with! It was so special to see them all again!
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THE SEND KRISTIANSAND

The Send has become a movement around the world but especially here in Norway where we are calling young people to go ALL IN for Jesus and out of a passive/lukewarm life. It’s about sending people out to impact the places they are already in; schools, work, neighborhoods, missions etc.
We got to be a part of seeing over 60 people give their lives to Jesus and over 100 declare that they would be willing to go to the missions field if God called them.

RECAPS

– I (Laura) got my Norwegian driving license yesterday!!!
After going through all the mandatory requirements I finally got to take the test and passed with flying colours!!! It’s such a testimony to my healing process as well! 1 year ago I could not drive at all due to the chronic fatigue so this is such a HUGE victory and I’m over the moon I got it before little bubby joins us!!

– LAURA IS A NORWEGIAN CITIZEN!!!
Yes… that’s correct! Dual citizenship baby!!! My application got approved in late January this year and I have now received my passport and it’s all finalized!! Such a blessing to have all the visa stuff sorted out after 6 years of working through it!

PRAYER POINTS

– For Laura to be fully healed from Chronic Fatigue and that the pelvic pain she is experiencing due to pregnancy would stop as well.

– The Send Stavanger (another city in Norway) is happening in 2 weeks and we will be joining. Please join us in prayer for the team organizing it and that lots of people would be met by Jesus and choose to go ALL IN for Him!!

– We are praying about potentially moving, as we need more space with the baby coming and Laura’s brother has also been living with us. We’d appreciate prayers for wisdom and guidance through this process and that doors would open up for the perfect place! Or peace to stay where we are for now 🙂 🙂

So much has happened in this past month and it was definitely time for an update!

Since our last email, the DTS has ended and we’ve closed the chapter on yet another school!
God did such amazing things in the hearts of the students and there’s such incredible stories of healings and miracles from outreach.. every year we are just in awe of all God does!
He is truly moving in the nations and is touching the hearts of people everywhere! It’s incredible to get to partner with Him to see lives transformed through the obedience of the students, staff and us!

Here are a few short testimonies of things the students have experienced!

Tanzania: 
«Before outreach I felt God say to me that I would see baptisms take place on outreach. However 7 weeks into outreach we had not seen any baptisms so I got pretty frustrated and thought «maybe it won’t happen».
A little while later we were out on the streets evangelising and I was playing guitar while others spoke to people around us. Suddenly Gøran runs up to me and says «Some of these guys want to get baptized!»
I was excited but was thinking… «Ah it’s Africa.. things don’t always happen here even though people say it will» so I doubted it would happen. But then a few days later, there we were, standing at the local YWAM base, around a hole they had dug in the ground and put a tarp in, filled it with water and we got to baptize these 3 guys that had given their lives to the Lord!!!!»
When He speaks, He is faithful to see it through!!!

South Asia: 
«Our team was ministering and praying for people and some were praying for a girl that was both mute and deaf in her left ear. They prayed for a long time and the girl noticed a little bit of change. They moved on and continued to pray for others but God really put this girl on my heart and I felt that He wasn’t finished with her yet.
I went over to her and prayed for her for the next 30 minutes!! Her ear fully opened up and she started to speak!! She was completely healed!!!»

Tanzania: 
I’m not really the type of person who finds it easy to start conversations up in evangelism or to share the gosepl so I wasn’t really thinking I would do this on outreach. But one day we were out doing evangelism in the local marketplace and I started to share the gospel to this man we met. I didn’t realise it but as I was sharing a crowd was gathering around and were also listening. The man gave his life to Jesus and then more people started to come and give their lives to Jesus! They told me that they didn’t have any money to offer me but I shared that you don’t need to pay, the gospel message is free! Salvation through Jesus is free!
Then man that first gave his life to Jesus started sharing the message he had just heard with 2 others right after!»

South East Asia: 
» One evening we decided spontaneously to attend a youth gathering, and after the meeting was finished a young girl approached me and asked to speak with me privately. She said that she was not a follower of Christ but did pray once in a while, so the day before she had prayed and asked God for westerners to come to church so that she could openly speak about something that she had been struggling with. So she began to tell me how having sex outside of marriage in Indonesia was now illegal in the country, but she was spending a lot of time sleeping around with her boyfriend and some other friends and she really enjoyed it, but was conflicted about it and if it was separating her from ever having a relationship with God. But she could not discuss it with anyone because she would be punished in one way or another. So for the first time she was able to ask questions and talk freely about what was going on in her life and asked for advice. I had the opportunity to speak life into the situation, and to tell her that she never had to be afraid to come to Jesus when she was ready, that he wouldn’t shame her for what she had done, but that he would receive her as she is. She was not ready this night to receive Jesus, but she left sooo encouraged with the knowledge that it was possible to be set free from this. And it was such a blessing that God brought us there this night to be available for this girl»

These are just a few of the amazing testimonies some of the students and staff experienced on outreach! Others saw legs grow out, lame people walk for the first time, people received a passion to share the gospel, they saw personal healing and breakthroughs, got to encourage people to start reading the bible again and they saw many, many people give their lives to Jesus!!!

This is the amazing team that Gøran has been leading this previous school with! Synnøve, Viktor and Karina. All beautiful people that love Jesus and have a passion to see people discipled and sent to the nations!

QUICK UPDATES

– After the school ended we had some time off, so we were blessed to spend a few days at Gøran’s uncles cabin. We got to show my brother Luke the cabin life of Norway, hot dogs while skiing and practice some snowboarding!
ALSO… Praise report!! I (Laura) was actually able to join a skiing trip and take two trips down the mountain snowboarding… It was such a victory point for my health!!! 

– Today Gøran headed off to South Africa. He’ll be there for around 5 days at an International Gathering for DTS leaders worldwide. After that he’ll travel to Turkey to connect with some friends there and scout out potential future connections for ministry and team trips.

-Gøran and the team have also started planning the next DTS in September. It’s exciting to start dreaming with God and seeing what His heart is for this next school! Even though it’s the same teaching and often the same teachers each school is still so unique and God always wants to do something new/fresh in each DTS.

PRAYER POINTS

– Safe travels for Gøran and for favour with the connections and people he meets! For open doors into Turkey and clear direction!

– For my brother Luke that he’d be able to find good community here!

– That our hearts would continue to be more and more hungry for more of God and to see His presence poured out in and through our lives!

FUN UPDATES