USA shelf

I have been living in Sweden for one year... and never have I seen this. Today in the grocery store, Samuel noticed American flags in front of one shelf. Yes, the American food section. I must say, it was a sad sad thing. Beef Jerky, Mac 'n cheese, peanut butter jars, Reese cups, BBQ sauce, icing in a can, butterfingers, Arizona green tea, popcorn seasoning, Bubbalicious bubble gum... nothing healthy at all! I did pick up a box of mac 'n cheese... strange but yes, that is one thing I occasionally crave. But everything else.... I have not thought about them once since I left my homeland 3 years ago! Where were the steaks? The big burgers? Apple pies? Turkey? What has the reputation of American kitchens come to??

Happy Thursday!

Sleeping is something I don't have time for. It's just a little detail to my days! To much to do!! I was up super-duper early this morning... after an evening of filming yesterday :) We are preparing lots of missions videos to show in the states! Thanks Björlings for all your help! (I think we mostly recorded bloopers!)

After fixing an XL mug of coffee, I scanned through some emails, checked the news on Al Jazeera, read the Swedish news (Sweden got a new princess this morning!), and researched cameras for my future upgrade :) Next, it's on to video-editing and brochure-finishing. Samuel finished working yesterday, so I'm sure we'll do some reading and strolling together too :)

Happy Thursday!

Only in the USA

One week from now... we'll be in the air again. Heading East to the United States! We are so excited to spend time in Youngstown with our incredible family and church :) Samuel hasn't had the opportunity to spend so much time in the States... just a week or two each year... so we have so much on our list of things to discover!

Root Beer Float (it's a kind of soda and ice cream)

Only in America:

1. Enormous stores overflowing with anything and everything you could think of...
2.  Road trips with the windows down and country music on the radio... 
3. Root-beer floats (has nothing to do with alcohol)
4. Coupons
5. Waitresses who call you "sweetheart" or "darlin" when they take your order...
6. You drive everywhere... people think something's wrong if you're walking...
7. Iced tea
8. Squirrels
9. School busses
10. American football and baseball
11. PB&J
12. "Wuz up?"
13. Cheddar cheese
14. Cowboys 
15. Roller-skating

... I will continue adding to this list, I'm sure.

Bizarre Foods in Harar, Ethiopia

Mmmm... home sweet home! I found this episode of Bizarre Foods today on Youtube when I was looking up Harar stuff! Warmed my heart. Welcome to the land and the city of my life :) AND I led the Hyena Man "Mulu-Geta" to salvation one and a half years ago! His sister is one of my dearest friends :) You'll see him later in the clip...

Beauty

Valentine

I love valentines day. Always have. I loved all those little cartoon cards you fill out in elementary school, the heart covered pj's and candy from my mama, those little heart candies with silly pickup lines on the front.... love it!

3 years ago on valentines day... Samuel gave me a necklace and we held hands for the first time :) I'm such a sucker for love :) This year he had flowers delivered home to me while he was working.... I've been as sick as a dog since we came home from Africa last week. Started as a cold and then somehow moved to my poor tummy. But.. Thank you Samuel! Let's celebrate all week since we didn't get to do all we planned yesterday! Puss! You are the valentine of my life!

Green pastures and a creative God!

Wow.. I got hit hard with another killer cold the day we returned to Sweden from Ethiopia. It's been an intense winter of travels for the Strandbergs. I finished up studying in October, we back-packed through Northern India November and December, returned to our desert homeland of Ethiopia in January/February... and now we're in Sweden for 3 weeks until venturing West to the United States. Looking forward for refreshment in Youngstown before the real journey of our lives begins in the summer! Back to South Asia and all the millions and millions of people I'm in love with!!!

I took this picture while trying to sleep on a shaky top-bunk of a 14 hour train ride in India. Surrounded by baggage, listening to worship and using my Bible as a pillow :) I was so exhausted but was being reminded that God always fills my heart with peace and joy and makes me a home to lie down in whenever I need it :) I love the power and simplicity of Psalm 23 and have been reading it a lot lately!

You know, I love how creative God is. He's always up to a new thing! There is no chance of becoming religious or traditional when you're really close to Papa's heart... because He is the definition of creation, new things and rebirth! Lately I've been reminding myself not to fall into the boxed-in mindsets of how things have been accomplished in the past. Everyone likes to tell everyone else how to, or not to do things. That's just not how Jesus works though! If HE says it... He will accomplish it! And in a new and wonderful way which is usually opposite of anything we thought up on our own. The Bible says that HIS ways are HIGHER than our ways..... how dare we think we've got it all figured out. I don't want to place myself ahead of Him by saying things like "I don't think I can do it like that", "this won't work", "no one has ever done it this way before".... no, I want to put it allll out there and let God simply sculpt what He wants. All the while though, the simplicity of the Gospel is the foundation that creativity grows from. It's a beautiful truth.

Yep.. this is the season I seem to be in right now.... being led in green pastures by still waters... and creative storyboards in God's Kingdom!! 

Proud parents

What a blast this trip to Ethiopia has been! I have a gagillion photos and wonderful things to share with you!! Sorry I have not been able to update my blog these 2 weeks... Not so good internet :(

The best part of Harar, Ethiopia (and every part of the world for that matter) is always, always the people. Now my heart is so filled up with dear African family and my arms are so sore from holding lots and lots of kids! Harar was completely the same as we left it one year ago and at the same time, completely different. The markets are just as vibrant and adventurous, the injera just as sour and fluffy... But the Harar Church of Joy was even greater and more wonderful than ever! Samuel and I feel like proud parents. I guess you could say that our first born was a pioneer church in Africa and now it has grown and outshined our expectations. We love you so dearly Ashagre, Selam, Mohammed, Zenabwa, disciples, youth group, house churches.... We have bled and sweat and cried and lived and laughed with you and will always continue to life your arms as you chase the unreached on the Horn of Africa!!

Here are a few photo favs from Istanbul to tide you over until we get home in a few hours....

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Location:Istanbul, Turkey