Christmastime is here

Well, I didn't go to the job interview on Monday.  I checked up on all the jobs Bankers' Life had, and they all involved sales or recruiting -- two things I'm terribly horrible at doing.  It wouldn't have been a benefit to me or the company, so it wouldn't have been a wise use of my time.  But I did set up appointments to meet with 2 temp agencies next week, so hopefully, I'll be working some temp jobs and eventually get hired on to a full-time, well paid job :D  I'm still a firm believer in that God knows what He's doing, but it is easy to get discouraged in the job hunt.  I'm applying for all these great jobs, but no one is "biting."  It's the same with everyone, unfortunately.  The more and more I talk to people, the more and more I realize it isn't just me, it's this economy and everyone wanting all the same jobs... But God knows best...

Tonight I was at a church Christmas dinner / party.  We had a WONDERFUL time -- good food, great conversation, and fun gift exchange (though no one really "stole" any gifts!  lol)  We had the best table too -- Bob (from Ireland), my mom, dad, sister, Vince, and Jason; we had non-stop laughter the ENTIRE evening... oh man... like the craziest things we did in high school, our least favorite foods, and all manner of silly stories.  I was so glad I was able to be there and connect with all kinds of people; it's usually really difficult on Sundays because things are so busy, so it was nice to sit down and chat with people and reconnect.

Well, tomorrow I'm playing on the worship team... or at least I think so!  Should be fun.  Last Sunday, our church put our worship band on a float and participated in the local Christmas parade, and we won first place in our category!  Video to come.

I should get to bed now...  early morning tomorrow morning!

Job Interview Jitters

Tomorrow is my job interview, and I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.  It is with a company called "Bankers Life," and they offer life insurance and other services to senior adults.  They said there were sales positions and management positions... I'm not too confident in sales and would never take a job in sales because that's NOT my passion.  But I could be interested in management.  In any case, they asked me to come in for an interview tomorrow, and I thought since they called me, it would be nice just to see what kinds of positions are available, and what they're looking for.  It never hurts to try, and besides which, it's something to do...

Then I'll be meeting with my pastors tomorrow before the interview to talk about my future involvement in the church.  I'm looking forward to meeting with them and seeing where I fit into the big pictures.  I'm really excited to be back at my home church and serving together with the people I love so much -- my church family.  They really are a great group of people, and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful support group in them.

Well, that's that... on to getting things ready for the Christmas parade my church will be in this Sunday (I'll be playing piano on the float) and getting everything ready for my sponsor thank you dinner next Monday.

Gretchen

Life is good...

Life is good, and God is good... I have a car coming my way and a job interview on Wednesday at 1:00. (I just found out about that one tonight!) Not too sure about the job, but at least it is a start!

Now, it's time to get ready for bed... good night!

Changing gears

I'm doing well, but I'm changing gears... it's like I'm still trying to land from being in Norway for so many years. I'm trying to find my bearings and to learn how to live life all over again with my time here in the States. My room has been complete chaos the last week with trying to put everything away (and get rid of some truly OLD stuff to make room for my new things -- and I thought all of that was OVER!) -- definitely not up to "Gretchen Standards." And then I've had to make some MAJOR shopping trips the last 2 days to get all the basics to start up again -- everything from clothes to toothpaste to a new watch! And even then I still haven't purchased everything I need; I'm constantly remembering things I forgot to buy. And then I just had to buy a new cell phone (with extremely high rates compared to Norway!) because my Norwegian one has decided to suddenly stop working altogether. Then I'm trying to find my place again in my family and with my friends and my home church. And then there's a job and the American working life all over again... And my devotional life is also in the midst of change right now too! I'm reading from a devotional book right now and spending more time in prayer, and just trying to let everything adjust and settle down before I decide on a new devotional plan...

So many things are changing right now, and I'm glad I'm not working right now. I'm looking for jobs actively, but I'm taking it easy and trusting that God will provide a job at the time when I'm ready. All I can say is that everything is changing right now, and I'm not pushing myself too hard in anything right now. I need to take time to adjust and cool down and process. I know things will be difficult these coming weeks, and I will need my friends so desperately. I will need to just talk and PRAY with them and just release all my thoughts and feelings inside. It will be a big, jumbled mess for awhile.

Yet, I know more than anything that it was a good time to come home. God is up to something good. My family needs me. My church needs me. I need to be in LA with lots of sunshine! God is good... I'm sure my ramblings will continue on for many weeks, but ahhhh, it feels so good to get this all out right now. mmmm

I'm home

Well, yesterday, I came home. The flights went by without a hitch, and my boxes came through safe and sound without anything missing, though a ribbon for one of my sweaters and one of my scarves managed to almost fall out of the one of the handholds on the box. I'm so surprised they stayed in there! LOL

It's so weird to be back in LA, and this be my home again after Norway being my home for so many years. I don't think it has quite hit me yet that I've moved home! I've been unpacking and trying to get my room in working order because I can't stand it being messy. I'm trying to figure out where everything should go and actually getting rid of stuff I don't need anymore here. I thought I was entirely done with the purging process in leaving Norway, but oh no, it is still going on. There are quite a few things I still need to get rid of here before I can fit everything I brought back from Norway into my room! LOL Oh well, at least I have some time this week to get it all done. I've decided to take off the rest of this week and start looking for jobs again next week. Everyone in Norway was so generous to both Tylene and I when we left, that I won't need to worry about getting a job right away. Of course, I'll be looking, but I have more than enough to get started here and survive at least the first month or so until I land a good job. :) That's exciting to me.

Otherwise, things are going well. It's super warm here -- just like a Norwegian summer and sunny -- a nice change when we had rain non-stop for one month in Kristiansand. I do miss everyone in Norway, and I know that it will take some adjustment to get back into the American culture. But I will be back to Norway for a wedding in the summer and am already looking forward to it.

Keep me in your prayers if you happen to read this. I will need them a bunch as I get ready to jump into the American culture again.

Until next time,

Gretchen

2 more days...

2 more days, and I'm ready to go now. I've been a constant ball of emotions the last 3 days, and I'm just exhausted from saying "goodbye." It's all been so wonderful the goodbyes from everyone, and our going away party last night was WONDERFUL -- fun and sad all at the same time. We are truly loved by such a wonderful church and group of people here...

Tylene leaves tomorrow :( And then I say "goodbye" some more... and then early on Wednesday, I travel home. I'm excited :)

3 more days

It's 3 more days until I travel home; things are winding down so fast. Tylene and I were antsy and excited to get home, but now we feel a bit numb. We've finally realized that we're going to be leaving without coming back for a long while... :(

We have our going away party at the church today; what a tearful night it will be! The tears are already starting to flow with people saying their last goodbyes and last visits and famous last words. It should be a wonderful night, and we don't know quite what to expect or who to expect to come, but surprises are always a little bit necessary here and there.

Pray for us today -- that it would be a wonderful time full of fun and memories of good times and of God's peace in this decision to come home. It's going to be one LONG day.

Gretchen

Why I'm Going Home, in a Nutshell

The Lord spoke to me in 2007 that there would be a significant change happening in my life at the end of 2009. I wasn't too sure what it was, but I patiently waited on the Lord until He gave me clarification. It wasn't until the end of 2008 the Lord spoke to me strongly and clearly about moving back to Los Angeles, taking what I've learned in Norway back to the States. The States needs a touch of the Lord too -- now more than ever! This He spoke to me with the same level of intensity and urgency He spoke in coming to Norway. (For those of you who know the story of me coming to Norway, you will remember it took quite a bit of time for me to obey the Lord before accepting the call to go to Norway.) This time around, I knew the clear voice of the Lord and decided to listen right away. The Lord began to provide confirmation almost immediately, and it was then I knew I needed to communicate to my friends and family in Norway that I would be moving home.

So it was exactly one year ago, I publicly announced the decision to move. While stepping out in faith and communicating God's word to me, it took a couple of months before the Lord was able to convince my heart that this was the right decision because I love Norway, I love Europe, and it has been nothing but a joy and a blessing to serve John Henry and the staff here in Norway and all of my brothers and sisters in the Foursquare family worldwide. While being home for Christmas last year, I received even more confirmation through prophetic words confirming my move (from people who didn't even know that I had made the decision to move home) and also through an incredible sense of the Lord's peace and joy to move back while I was home. This was a marked contrast to previous visits home -- while I enjoyed myself I was extremely eager to get back to Norway. This time, my heart had changed, and I longed to stay in LA -- a change only the Lord could have brought about! His peace continues to guide this decision and becomes stronger every day that passes.

Yet at the same time, it will be very sad to leave everything and everyone behind in Norway, because it has been such a fantastic season in life full of incredible ministry and amazing friendships; I don't know how it could be better! But I do know and have seen that where we are obedient, God is able to bring about greater things in and through our lives, and I am expectant this new season will be incredible as well!

When I move home, I plan to live with my family and am actively seeking a job so that I can get back up on my feet again financially, buy a car, and eventually move out to my own place :) I also plan on serving in my church in my free-time. This is a bit different after serving the church full-time for close to ten years, but I am excited to be a missionary for Jesus in my workplace and home country.

Thank you for all your love and support the past six years. Without you, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to serve in Norway!

Hvorfor jeg skal hjem i et nøtteskal

Herren talte til meg in 2007 at det ville være en stor forandring i mitt liv slutten av 2009. Jeg var ikke helt sikker hva det betydde, men jeg ventet på klarhet fra Herren. Det var ikke før slutten av 2008 at Herren talte til meg veldig sterk om å flytte tilbake til USA, og at jeg måtte ta det jeg hadde lært her i Norge tilbake til USA. Statene trenger et glimt av himmelen óg – mer enn før! Dette talte han til meg med den samme intensiteten og inntrengende følelsen han hadde brukt for å kalle meg til Norge. (For de som kjenner historien bak mitt kall til Norge, ville dere huske at det tok meg en del til før jeg lydte Herren). Denne gangen, visste jeg at det var Herrens røst og bestemte meg for å lyde Ham med en gang. Herren ga meg bekreftelse nesten med en gang, og det var da jeg kjente at jeg måtte kommunisere til min familie og venner i Norge at jeg skulle flytte hjem.

Det var et år siden da jeg offentliggjorde denne bestemmelsen. Mens jeg gikk i tro og kommuniserte hva Guds ord var til meg, tok det meg et par måneder før jeg ble helt overbevisst at det var riktig, fordi jeg elsker Norge, jeg elsker Europa, og det har vært en stor glede og velsignelse til å tjene John Henry og staben her og alle mine ”søsken” i Foursquare verden rundt. I fjor, mens jeg var hjemme til jul, fikk jeg enda mere bekreftelser gjennom profetiske ord (fra folk som hadde ingen peiling at jeg hadde bestemt meg for å flytte) og gjennom en utrolig følelse av Guds fred og glede i å flytte hjem. Det var et merket forskjell fra forrige besøk i Los Angeles (før hadde jeg lengtet etter å være i Norge selv om jeg hadde en god tid i USA.) Denne gangen, hadde hjertet mitt forandret seg, og jeg lengtet etter å være i LA – en forandring bare Gud kunne har gjort! Hans fred fortsetter å veilede hele prosessen og blir sterkere for hver en dag som går.

Samtidig, kommer det til å være trist å reise fra dere alle i Norge. Det har vært en utrolig periode i mitt liv fyllt med tjeneste og gode og dype vennskap; jeg vet ikke om det kunne har vært bedre en dette! Men en ting jeg vet og har sett at når vi lyder Gud, er det mulig for ham å gjøre ende flere ting inni og gjennom oss. Jeg forventer at den kommende periode blir utrolig óg!

Når jeg flytter, skal jeg bo med min familie ei stund og skal søker etter en jobb så at jeg er i god stand med økonomien igjen så at jeg kan kjøpe en bil, og etter hvert flytte til min egen plass. Jeg planlegger også om å tjene i hjemmenigheten min på en frivillig basis. Det er litt annerledes for meg etter at jeg har tjent i menigheten i en hel tids stilling i nesten 10 år, men jeg er spent om å være et misjonær for Jesus i min arbeidsplass og mitt hjemland.

Takk for deres vennskap og støtte de siste 6 årene. Uten dere hadde det vært helt umulig for meg å være i Norge!

Feeling better...

But ugh... I'm stressed! I missed a lot of time this week, and I'm excited and nervous about coming home, and I'm stressed about getting everything done before I move... God keeps reassuring me that everything will get done, and that I have more than enough time; it's just that I'm thinking about all the last minute stuff that has to be done. I'm really glad I got so much done up until now, or else I would be sick from stress. Ugh...

I'm still a bit under the weather, so I decided to not go anywhere today. I need to kick this virus before this coming week, so I can place all my energy into people and last minute preparations to leave. It'll be here before you know it! 18 days and counting...

Blogging again... a new chapter in my life

So, I decided to start blogging again... not that I really haven't been blogging before on my home website or on my Xanga years ago. Then, of course, there's Facebook, but all of the posts are short and not in depth, and do I really want 400 "friends" seeing everything I think and feel all the time? Granted, there are a whole lot more people that could see this blog, but the chances are very slim, and I want only those who really know me to be able to glimpse into my daily world, without people "staring down" my every move...

I've missed blogging. I've missed being able to pour out my heart and my daily thoughts. It's been a long time -- a really long time. I love to write, and I love reading what I write. It causes me to reflect and think about all the good times of the past and in doing so prepares me for the future. Funny concept, huh?

I leave Norway in two and a half weeks. It's bittersweet for sure. I never thought I would be leaving after being here for almost 6 years, but God has called me back home. I can't deny it, and He has given me such peace about it all. A year ago, I wouldn't have even thought about moving back to LA, so I know it is God who has changed my heart and prepared me for what is next. It will be sad to leave all I love here, but I know that God is bring about yet another incredible season in my life. I am greatly anticipating all He has for me. God is good!

When I'm back in LA, I'm going to be looking for a job and buying a car. Highly practical things to do, but I really feel this is what God has called me to for the moment. Also, I want to serve in my home church. I want to give back all they have invested in me these past years while I've been in Norway. And I know God can work through me as a missionary wherever I go, so I know His hand is upon me in this process of moving back home.

I've already been looking for jobs, and I am hopeful. Even with the tough economic times lately, there are still jobs in administration -- tons of them! I am just praying for a job with a good salary, that I can get to easily (because I have no car), where I thrive with my work and co-workers, with good benefits, and good vacation time. I will, after all, be traveling back to Norway next year to attend a good friend's wedding. Date and time are still to be determined, but I am set on coming back for the wedding. It is one I would never dare miss!

Oh... so many things still yet to do and prepare and get ready to go. I've been sick all week and not much has gotten done. This has been an incredibly inconvenient time to be sick, let me tell you, three weeks before I go. I am extremely grateful that I got as much as possible done over the past few months. Stress is almost non-existent, and I keep chugging along, getting things done. Soon, everything will be over, but until then, I strive to get things done with the little energy I do have being sick this week.

Well, this post turned out to be longer than I expected, but it feels good to pour out my heart and emotions and life stories again in a blog... hopefully this will happen more often. It's a good release and a good place for me to keep writing.

Until next time,

Gretchen