Blessed girl

Mmmm... my heart is smiling. I'm a blessed girl. What an amazing first Christmas with my husband in Ethiopia! Actually, it's my second year celebrating in Ethiopia but nonetheless, nothing compares. The Swedes celebrate the 24th(I think it's just because they can't wait one more day for the presents) and I of course celebrate the 25th... so it's been two days of Christmas celebration here on Africa's Horn!!

Sam and I were up at 2am, 3am, 3:30am... and so on... on Thursday morning. We felt like little kids trying to wait to unwrap our gifts to each other. My man blesses my life in every way!!!! Tack alskling!

Me and my hero...

Then I fixed breakfast for the team(Yes mom! I didn't burn the kitchen down either!), gave a car to Katrine(old taxi car from the 60's... for the team actually, but it was fun surprising her with the roar of it's engine cruising into our compound), spent the day watching movies, playing games and cooking Swedish Christmas dinner. Still getting used to traditional Swedish holiday food... orange and black caviar on boiled eggs, raw fish in a jar, salty candy... hmmm...

In the evening we ate sugar cookies mailed from my mama and daddy in USA and opened a plethora of gifts! I love my family here!

I also became a new aunt!! My big sis had her 4th baby on Christmas Eve... Levi Danger Robinson! 1 girl, 3 boys... O how I'm longing for you!!!!

Little Levi.. love you!

Called home to America today!!! I'm always in tears when I hang up the phone.. I have the best family on earth. It's freezing rain in Youngstown today. Nice. My dad's fixing his annual Oyster stew(yuck) which means the house smells and mom will eat cereal or pbj for dinner.. haha.

Me and my baby brother!

My mama :)

Me and daddy on the sailboat this summer...

Thank you Jesus for coming to earth... You are everything. Creator, Lover, Healer, Savior, King, Lion, Wisdom, Power, Joy, Promise, Covenant, Hope, Peace, Life, Light... Love you with my life!

Merry Christmas from Ethiopia!

Sandwiched by week-ends!

Let me tell you about the greatest place on the planet… seriously. A place where Bible school students learn to testify and live the life of servant hood in the aisles of the Christ’s body. A place where worship is so free that the beats from the keyboard thump through the dusty streets of Shewaber… drawing crowds of every sort. A place where street guys, still smelling of kat and cheep beer, gather on the furthest benches from the stage… desiring truth and power from my God. A place where prostitutes, shoe-less orphans, business men, armed military men and Oromo women wrapped in a plethora of colorful scarves gather in search of the power of the cross and a relationship with the creator and lover of the universe.

It’s my Harar Church of Joy.

It’s only the middle of the week… but I’m anxious… sitting between two weekends, sandwiched in the middle of two Sunday meetings. I’m longing for the people of Ethiopia to file into church again!

This last Sunday was mighty. Worship was electrifying. It was almost impossible not to jump, dance, shout and clap with the Mesmor. Then our magnificent first class of pioneer Bible students took the stage for the revealing of their first drama… “This Blood”. I was in tears watching Teshome covered in fake blood, crying out from the cross like Jesus did over 2000 years ago. I was in even more tears when he rose from the dead and his persecutors began praising him with radical hearts. Wow wow. Then 8 magnificent students received their diplomas with eight of the biggest smiles in Africa. I was in more tears…

Then my hero, my love, my inspiration, my everything took the platform and preached one of the most anointed messages I’ve heard. “Jesus the Miracle God!” What a mighty word!! In a land of mohammed-worshipers and idol-lovers, declaring the power of a miracle-working and LIVING God is indescribable.

Today… my new disciple Adrianna (baptized just 1 ½ weeks ago) filled out her application for the next Bible school class! Now we’ve found ourselves on the quest for new students… on the quest for class number 2. A quest for signs, miracles, laid-down lovers, missionaries and radical Ethiopians to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth!!!

Highlights this week:

-Mohammed and Ashagre are now taking Swedish lessons because they think I’m secretly studying in the nights. Apparently I know more than them… our base is now such a lovely mix of English, Amerinja, Orominja, Swedish, Spanish, Somali… I said one sentence to Samuel last week in FOUR different languages and didn’t even notice!

-We baptized THREE new disciples! Hallelujah!

-Sent a Christmas package to my family in America! Customs at the Post office (a man who loves to scream and called himself “Ethiopian dogmatic orthodox”.. whatever that means) searched through everything and only removed two items! Regardless, we had a lot of laughs in the process!

They made me put tape on "Merry Christmas" but "We love you from Africa!" was okay!

-Actually, it's been a week of Christmas packages for everyone!

Erik and Philip smiling huge for their Norwegian and Swedish chocolate!

-Got a Christmas package from my family! Customs (same man) tried to confiscate my mom’s homemade cookies!! I refused. My mom and dad baked 40 huge family-secret-recipe-Christmas-sugar cookies for me, sam and the team! I think we’ll eat these cookies in heaven…

Can you see me in heaven now??

-Also got amazing “Winter wonderland” and “Chocolate Cherry” flavored coffee from the café I worked at in USA… Peaberrys! Mmmmm… coffee coffee coffee…

-Maja and Katish took me and sam out for lunch at my favorite restaurant!

-Passed my Amheric-grammar exam with 15/16 points… not bad.

-We had a Christmas-themed team night… set up the tree, lights galore, ate cookies and Swedish candy, danced to Christmas classics, stuck snowflakes to the windows… it’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Me and Naphtali creating a masterpiece!

-Ended our last night of Bible School by laying our hands on the students, prophesying and commissioning them to run with Holy Spirit! Powerful!

-Had a huge thunderstorm with hail and lightning… in which Samuel, Philip and Katish decided to shower(shampoo, conditioner… the whole works) in! Hilarious!

-Had the honor of preaching "Intimacy with God" in our women's house church... I'm madly in love with our disciples! The woman I baptized last week is already evangelizing and in love with the life she shares with Holy Spirit!

-Okay so practically ALL of December is a Swedish holiday(and they laughed at me for having Thanksgiving twice!!)... Maja and Katish prepared an incredible breakfast at 6am today for the team. It's the 3rd Sunday of Advent and Lucia! Candles, soft peppercake, fruit..mmm!

-The Bible Students had an outreach yesterday, under the huge muslim mosque! They were responsible for dramas, testimonies, preaching, praying salvation... everything. I've never felt so proud! people were saved!!

-Getting ready for Church of Joy this morning!!! We are having the graduation ceremony of our first Bible School class!! They will also be doing a drama and testifying about their outreach yesterday.

Time for church now! Ciao!

I'm hungry

Yesterday morning I had the honor of baptizing one of my new disciples!! Andriani.. what a beautiful woman. She was raised in an orphanage and has the most tender spirit of simple childlike-faith.. like a sponge.. just ready to soak God up fully . When I was walking her home, after we laid hands on her and prayed for Holy Spirit fire to fill her up, she told me "I feel like so many heavy things have just fallen off of me!" Hallelujah!! She has been clothed in Christ!

She also joined our women's house church for the first time last night where Maja preached a powerful word about FAITH. The anointing was thick in the atmosphere. I'm in love with the Word of God and simply melt when I see it transforming the lives of the women of Ethiopia. They are my treasures in life.

This morning in Harar Church of Joy.. Pastor Mohammed preached a powerful message about who Jesus is. Four people prayed the prayer of salvation!! Sunday mornings are like a party in Shewaber!

I'm hungry for salvations.. salvations.. salvations.. baptizm in water and Holy Spirit.. new Bible school students... ahhhh... it's overwhelming. So anxious to begin 2010 in prayer in fasting, seeking God's heart for Ethiopia and chasing His kingdom on earth!

This afternoon my incredible husband and I took a walk to the walled city. We met a muslim scientist who invited us into his traditional Harari home for a visit. What an honor! We sat on decorative carpets, he served us Fanta.. I was in love. This is life. The greatest life. I was born for the field..

Me and my love in the walled city... Jugul!