not enough kilometers, Chemnitz, Germany
well, a breakdown on the German Autobahn is classic.... so we experienced that one. here we are, in a city we´ve never heard off and weren´t planning on going to. Not sure for how long. Many calls to insurance. Hunting for net cafe. No youth hostels in the city (one 20 minutes outside)... and to our horror couchsurfing.com exists no more.
Watch this space, I´m sure there will be stories to tell about this one!
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
old school, new prayers
about 1100 kilometers, Lucka, Germany
Scott and Misty + their 2 kids are just wonderful people. We caught up with them in Wittenberg (the city Luther was working in) and it was great to meet people doing a similar thing to us. They're out with there vw-camper van (named 'Harry') for unlimited time touring Europe, asking God why he wants them to do this... :) Cool how God is using them. Just to see their hearts and longings has been a blessing.
Wittenberg... The city where the reformation started. After a night a bit outside the city (all four of us sleeping in the same van, Krister nearly got killed by evil mosquitos) we went to all different places in the city where Luther was studying, working, hung out etc. Krister even spotted the MGL (Martin Luther Gym). In the church where Luther held his first sermon, after nailing up the 95 theses at the bigger churchs gate, we found an old silent room perfect for prayer. We prayed for a new reformation. We prayed for a sometimes broken and divided Christianity to be healed. We prayed for God to move in Germany again.
We were planning to go to Dresten to meet Markus and the rest of the 24-7 prayer community there. But Markus was at his parents place in the small village of Lucka, so we (Harry and Mr. Blues) went there to pick him up....we thought. When we arrived to their place it was a BBQ going on with all his family. Such great hospitality! We ate so much good german food and wished we had at least three extra stomaches. After chilling by their outdoor firestove we were all ready for a good nights sleep. Beautiful.
Today Markus took us to an old schoolbuilding in the town next to Lucka where they want to start the Transit course in September (see 24-7prayer.com). They don't know yet if they will get the building or not but it seems to be the most perfect place for doing the Transit thing!! We were all standing on the top floor of the house, telling God that we want that old house to be theirs, to be a place that He can use.
It felt really cool to be there...at the beginning of something big...
God is moving.
And so are we. We're off Hernhutt. Yeehaa!
Scott and Misty + their 2 kids are just wonderful people. We caught up with them in Wittenberg (the city Luther was working in) and it was great to meet people doing a similar thing to us. They're out with there vw-camper van (named 'Harry') for unlimited time touring Europe, asking God why he wants them to do this... :) Cool how God is using them. Just to see their hearts and longings has been a blessing.
Wittenberg... The city where the reformation started. After a night a bit outside the city (all four of us sleeping in the same van, Krister nearly got killed by evil mosquitos) we went to all different places in the city where Luther was studying, working, hung out etc. Krister even spotted the MGL (Martin Luther Gym). In the church where Luther held his first sermon, after nailing up the 95 theses at the bigger churchs gate, we found an old silent room perfect for prayer. We prayed for a new reformation. We prayed for a sometimes broken and divided Christianity to be healed. We prayed for God to move in Germany again.
We were planning to go to Dresten to meet Markus and the rest of the 24-7 prayer community there. But Markus was at his parents place in the small village of Lucka, so we (Harry and Mr. Blues) went there to pick him up....we thought. When we arrived to their place it was a BBQ going on with all his family. Such great hospitality! We ate so much good german food and wished we had at least three extra stomaches. After chilling by their outdoor firestove we were all ready for a good nights sleep. Beautiful.
Today Markus took us to an old schoolbuilding in the town next to Lucka where they want to start the Transit course in September (see 24-7prayer.com). They don't know yet if they will get the building or not but it seems to be the most perfect place for doing the Transit thing!! We were all standing on the top floor of the house, telling God that we want that old house to be theirs, to be a place that He can use.
It felt really cool to be there...at the beginning of something big...
God is moving.
And so are we. We're off Hernhutt. Yeehaa!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
and we're off
We've had a brilliant time with the homezone community here. Had a bit of German hospitality yesterday... Eva and I went to buy food for a last meal together. We got to the front of the line to pay and realized that they didn't take visa and we didn't have enough Euros... the cashier spoke to us in German about where to find an ATM, and another lady in the line translated. Another man who was in front of us even offered to drive Eva to the nearby bank, chatting to her in German the whole time! Oil is changed in the van and today we're off to meet some other travellers, Scot and Misty and to check out Luther's hometown...
Monday, June 26, 2006
Gemeinschaft
# 762 kilometers, Genthin, Germany
Tyskland är ett trevligt land. Vi har varit här i tre dagar nu(känns som en vecka)och njutit av tysk korv och goda människor. Vi kom hit, till Genthin, sent fredag kväll. Hans (var vän som varit utbytesstudent i Sverige) tog emot oss i sin kyrka efter ett ungdomsmöte. Utan att veta om eller när vi skulle komma hade han förberett för oss. Vi har bott i ett slags kollektiv som heter D3Homezone i Genthin. Genthin är en jätteliten stad utanför Berlin. Vi har hängt med Hans vänner, med en familj som bor här i huset och hemma hos Hans. Det har varit fina dagar. Det är verkligen kul att fa träffa Hans, hans familj och vänner och se hur han har det här.
I fredags när vi akte fran färjan till Genthin stannade vi till i Brandenburg och tankade, full tank för första gangen! Vi körde vidare till Lidl för att köpa lite mat(det känns mkt bättre att köpa tysk mat i Tyskland!). Där upptäckte vi att det droppade rejält underifran bilen. Det visade sig vara ett ganska stort hal pa toppen av bensintanken. Det gar bra att köra med bilen, men det är inte det säkraste att köra runt med en läckande tank. Sa just nu haller vi pa att leta efter en billig tank nagonstans i Tyskland. Det känns ganska spännande för oss alla fyra att ta hand om en bil, en bil som ska ta oss ganska langt!
Nästa destination är fortfarande obestämd, men vi känner att vi vill röra pa oss snart.
Eva on Resas account.
Tyskland är ett trevligt land. Vi har varit här i tre dagar nu(känns som en vecka)och njutit av tysk korv och goda människor. Vi kom hit, till Genthin, sent fredag kväll. Hans (var vän som varit utbytesstudent i Sverige) tog emot oss i sin kyrka efter ett ungdomsmöte. Utan att veta om eller när vi skulle komma hade han förberett för oss. Vi har bott i ett slags kollektiv som heter D3Homezone i Genthin. Genthin är en jätteliten stad utanför Berlin. Vi har hängt med Hans vänner, med en familj som bor här i huset och hemma hos Hans. Det har varit fina dagar. Det är verkligen kul att fa träffa Hans, hans familj och vänner och se hur han har det här.
I fredags när vi akte fran färjan till Genthin stannade vi till i Brandenburg och tankade, full tank för första gangen! Vi körde vidare till Lidl för att köpa lite mat(det känns mkt bättre att köpa tysk mat i Tyskland!). Där upptäckte vi att det droppade rejält underifran bilen. Det visade sig vara ett ganska stort hal pa toppen av bensintanken. Det gar bra att köra med bilen, men det är inte det säkraste att köra runt med en läckande tank. Sa just nu haller vi pa att leta efter en billig tank nagonstans i Tyskland. Det känns ganska spännande för oss alla fyra att ta hand om en bil, en bil som ska ta oss ganska langt!
Nästa destination är fortfarande obestämd, men vi känner att vi vill röra pa oss snart.
Eva on Resas account.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Starting Off, the South of Sweden
318.2 kilometers, Staffanstorp Sweden
What an adventure! We made it down to Sävsjö, where the van was. A friend gave us and all of our things and our four new tires a ride the whole way down. Then, instead of collecting gas money as we agreed she bought us some groceries, about half of which we still have. We didn't have enough money to pay the mechanic as it cost a lot to buy a refurbished engine, put it in and fix a few other things so that Mr. Blues could pass his inspection. We left Stockholm a few thousand Swedish kronor short of what we owed but it is working itself out and so far we have lacked neither gas nor food.
Because we had to pay the mechanic in cash and it was after banking hours, we had to wait until the next day. Where do we spend the night? A phone call later we are eating sausages and watching football (England still hasn't beat us since 1968...) at our housemate's uncles's place. We spent the night (of course, in his caravan) and wake up the next morning to a beautiful breakfast (homebaked bread, grapes, cheese, porridge...) and a blessing from his parents. He then gave us a ride into town and got us a time for the inspection that would make Mr. Blues all legal...
The van worked, but was in a less than tidy state. But what to do when the rain was pouring down? We remembered that friends Resa and Krister had met in Cambodia lived in Växjö, so we called them and ended up being fed and tucked into bed (after receiving Bibles to give away from their mother). Sleep was especially welcome, as we just had spent five hours scrubbing, cleaning and organizing the van. It was great to share stories and catch up on Daniel and Frida's lives (Frida is beautifully pregnant with twins!).
Finally we were on the road. But where to? The more we drove south, the clearer the picture became clear that Germany is where we're heading. At 03:15 AM we are boarding a boat to Sassnitz in the north-east of Deutchland. With our free time we stopped off to visit our housemate Linda's parents (to continue our tour of her relatives homes) here. They've been great! Her dad helped us install our van safe (bolted into the frame) and we had an amazing meal. Hospitality and praying was very appreciated. After all, it was Linda and her mom who actually went to look at Mr. Blues and bought him in the first place. Soon we'll be on a ferry! Must go, they're calling us down for tea and sandwiches before leaving!
The journey continues...
What an adventure! We made it down to Sävsjö, where the van was. A friend gave us and all of our things and our four new tires a ride the whole way down. Then, instead of collecting gas money as we agreed she bought us some groceries, about half of which we still have. We didn't have enough money to pay the mechanic as it cost a lot to buy a refurbished engine, put it in and fix a few other things so that Mr. Blues could pass his inspection. We left Stockholm a few thousand Swedish kronor short of what we owed but it is working itself out and so far we have lacked neither gas nor food.
Because we had to pay the mechanic in cash and it was after banking hours, we had to wait until the next day. Where do we spend the night? A phone call later we are eating sausages and watching football (England still hasn't beat us since 1968...) at our housemate's uncles's place. We spent the night (of course, in his caravan) and wake up the next morning to a beautiful breakfast (homebaked bread, grapes, cheese, porridge...) and a blessing from his parents. He then gave us a ride into town and got us a time for the inspection that would make Mr. Blues all legal...
The van worked, but was in a less than tidy state. But what to do when the rain was pouring down? We remembered that friends Resa and Krister had met in Cambodia lived in Växjö, so we called them and ended up being fed and tucked into bed (after receiving Bibles to give away from their mother). Sleep was especially welcome, as we just had spent five hours scrubbing, cleaning and organizing the van. It was great to share stories and catch up on Daniel and Frida's lives (Frida is beautifully pregnant with twins!).
Finally we were on the road. But where to? The more we drove south, the clearer the picture became clear that Germany is where we're heading. At 03:15 AM we are boarding a boat to Sassnitz in the north-east of Deutchland. With our free time we stopped off to visit our housemate Linda's parents (to continue our tour of her relatives homes) here. They've been great! Her dad helped us install our van safe (bolted into the frame) and we had an amazing meal. Hospitality and praying was very appreciated. After all, it was Linda and her mom who actually went to look at Mr. Blues and bought him in the first place. Soon we'll be on a ferry! Must go, they're calling us down for tea and sandwiches before leaving! The journey continues...
Monday, June 19, 2006
It Is Time
So in the morning, we're off...
For the last two years me and Krister have been dreaming about doing God stuff out of a van. A lot of thought put into that one, so buy me a hot chocolate and I'll give you the whole schpiel. You can imagine the surprise when we told two friends this over a lovely dinner at Eva's and they had been thinking along the same lines.
Our transportation is Mr. Blues, an '88 VW Transporter, decked out with a double bed, sink, table, small fridge and plenty of small gadgets that make a lifeless vehicle into a hopefully cozy place to spend a lot of time. It feels as if we know Mr. Blues, but we have still never seen him. See, we bought him in the south of Sweden for a cheap sum, and knew when we bought him that he had to be fixed up. After three different friend-of-a-friend mechanics had looked at him, our housemate offered to drive it up to STHLM. It got half way.
So then he sat in a garage in a little town called Sävsjö ("No problem, halfway is better than nothing") where the mechanic said both the cylinders were leaking and it would cost more to fix them than to buy a new van ("Really? Nah, it will work out"). The mechanic just happens to have had a friend with a newly refurbished engine for a 1/4 of what it would usually cost ("Hmm. That means we won't have much money for the actual trip... doesn't matter, God has our backs covered"). So yesterday the engine was installed. Tommorrow the new tires and then Mr. Blues can pass his inspection so that we can drive legally ("It will be fine!").
Strangely enough, we four haven't been very worried about the whole thing. It's been annoying, but it has been ok. Is it naive? For sure! Foolish? Probably! At the same time it just feels right. We had hoped to paint Mr. Blues and sort out the inside before leaving, but now it isn't happening. Yet we had felt that this trip would be an organic one, and now it has to be. Painting bits and pieces of him and fixing up the van as we go. We don't have much money, we don't have much of an idea what we're doing and we are in way over our heads.
This has potential to be the best time of our lives.
For the last two years me and Krister have been dreaming about doing God stuff out of a van. A lot of thought put into that one, so buy me a hot chocolate and I'll give you the whole schpiel. You can imagine the surprise when we told two friends this over a lovely dinner at Eva's and they had been thinking along the same lines.
Our transportation is Mr. Blues, an '88 VW Transporter, decked out with a double bed, sink, table, small fridge and plenty of small gadgets that make a lifeless vehicle into a hopefully cozy place to spend a lot of time. It feels as if we know Mr. Blues, but we have still never seen him. See, we bought him in the south of Sweden for a cheap sum, and knew when we bought him that he had to be fixed up. After three different friend-of-a-friend mechanics had looked at him, our housemate offered to drive it up to STHLM. It got half way.
So then he sat in a garage in a little town called Sävsjö ("No problem, halfway is better than nothing") where the mechanic said both the cylinders were leaking and it would cost more to fix them than to buy a new van ("Really? Nah, it will work out"). The mechanic just happens to have had a friend with a newly refurbished engine for a 1/4 of what it would usually cost ("Hmm. That means we won't have much money for the actual trip... doesn't matter, God has our backs covered"). So yesterday the engine was installed. Tommorrow the new tires and then Mr. Blues can pass his inspection so that we can drive legally ("It will be fine!").
Strangely enough, we four haven't been very worried about the whole thing. It's been annoying, but it has been ok. Is it naive? For sure! Foolish? Probably! At the same time it just feels right. We had hoped to paint Mr. Blues and sort out the inside before leaving, but now it isn't happening. Yet we had felt that this trip would be an organic one, and now it has to be. Painting bits and pieces of him and fixing up the van as we go. We don't have much money, we don't have much of an idea what we're doing and we are in way over our heads.
This has potential to be the best time of our lives.
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