so how is europe ?

Summing up.

2008-06-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

5764,6 kilometers, Sollentuna (home!), Sweden

We are finally home after 27 days of traveling, visiting, praying and exploring. Traveling wears you out, emotionally as well as physically. Strange how sitting in a car, only moving your right ankle and fore-arms exhaust you. Out of shape I guess...

It was great meeting Marcus and Mia in Falun after not seeing them for about four years. We had much too little time to really catch up, but it was great to reconnect after such a long time. After a nice breakfast in their impeccably designed apartment, we hit the road again.
Found a hitchhiker called Gabriel, who was going to a school reuniun at a "folkhögskola" in Biskops-Arnö, a beautifully located school on an island outside of Stockholm. He showed us around the place as he reminisced about his days at school. A really good guy with lots of stories.

People like Gabriel sum up our trip. There simply are a lot of really beautiful people in this twisted world. People like our friends in Broby that try to incorporate the values of 24-7 in their community and among the local kids. Like our crazy friends in Denmark who invite us as if we were part of the family and work out community in both a 24-7 and YWAM context at once. Like our friends in Neubrandenburg who are willing to stay for as long as it takes to build Gods Kingdom in the forgotten and marginalized parts of empire. Like our salvation army friends in Riga who have a rhythm of prayer as a foundation for the innumerable things they do. Like our friends in Helsinki who try to invest more locally. Like our friends in Pyhäranta who want to live out life together during the summer, listening to God and learning as they go along. Like Sinikka in Oulu, who longs for a true expression of community in her town, and has become a good friend. And many more, not to mention Misty, Scot, Mimi and Evan, who have shared life with us for a large part of the journey, and have been with us through both the good and the less good.

As we have met all these people as well as explored all these places it just seems blatant that God is at work all around the Baltic Sea. As we have traveled, we have added our prayers to the many others prayed over this corner of the world, connecting the dots somewhat and having a blast while doing it. As I don't have Evan's ability to make and unmake invisible things, I can't verify the two first items, but we really did have a blast. Blues worked great, we met friends, we traveled, saw places, people and things I've never seen before, we recieved plenty, gave quite a bit, lived simply, saw God provide again and again. What else could we ask? For now, the only thing that springs to mind is a good nights sleep before jetting off to Croatia 5 AM tomorrow morning.

A big "Thank You" to all of you who have prayed, read the blog and have had us over. You rock!

Change of plans

2008-06-25T15:43:00.001-07:00

About 5600 kilometers, Falun, Sweden

God came through again. As we woke up yesterday we get a text from my dad saying he has put some money into our account, making it possible for us to go home (leaving Blues by the road and hitching home would be an interesting, but not very desirable end of the journey).

Halfway home we decide that we aren't quite ready to go home just yet, and realize that friends we haven't met for ages, Marcus and Mia, live just 80 km from where we are heading. After a quick call, we head to Falun. It has been really nice catching up a bit and sharing diverse stories, as well as watching Germany barely beat Turkey in the Semifinals. I would have loved Turkey in the finals, and they put up a good fight, but to no avail.

Tomorrow we head head home for real (we think). Just to re-pack, clean our clothes and leave for Croatia, where we celebrate dad's birthday with our family. This trip has been amazing, and our travels have been a period of intensive learning. Being mobile is great, and God has been more than faithful (who would have guessed?), but there is something about coming home that... I don't know. There is just something very special about it.
Thanks for following our journey.

Finally in Sweden

2008-06-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

5102 kilometers, Härnösand, Sweden

No matter how much we love traveling, there is a certain something about walking into a shop and being able to read all the signs, or saying hello to people, knowing they will answer you in the same language. Welcome back to Sweden.

We left Sinikka's place all bubbly. It was just one of those meetings where there is a certain connection, which is especially interesting as we hardly knew each other before meeting. I love gatherings and events where you meet a lot of people at once to share stories. But sitting in a kitchen over a cup of tea beats any gathering hands down. After we shared journies, prayed and ate we walked away feeling that we had made a new friend, knowing that we had given and taken in equal measures. Lovely.

We were sad to leave, but felt that our days left were running thin. Stayed the night on Seskarö, one of the northen most island in the baltic sea. Finding a place to spend the night after a pray on the shore proved to be more difficult than we thought. 2400 kilos of Mr.Blues proved to be an easy target for the soft sand, leavin the tires deeply embedded in the stuff. Luckily we had experience from last years adventures in Latvia, teaching us to place the car-mats under the tires. After a mere 20 minutes of digging, emotional self-control and prayer, Blues was free from the clutches of the sand. Instead of sand we fought mosquitoes the rest of the night.

Next night was one of extensive driving, all the way to the south of Umeå, where we spent the night. This morning we both woke up feeling rather blah, for unknown reasons. We kept heading south until we came to Höga Kusten, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We climbed Skuleberget, a daring and exhausting venture, which wiped away all blah-ness. Just a powerful experience, standing on a cliff, 285 meters above sea level, knowing that water once was lapping at our feet. With the ice-age 3 kilometers of ice covered the land, pressing it down with its weight. Now the land has risen with amazing speed. If you haven't been there, please visit soon.

After that we were warmly welcomed by the Arenanders, my sister in law's parents. Clas even drove us around town, showing us the sights, including a lesson in tree recognition. Resa has alredy gone to bed, and I'm just about to join here in a minute. A short art exhibition tomorrow before we finish our journey in Stockholm tomorrow afternoon. If a miracle occurs, that is, as we just put our last money in the tank which by no means is enough to get us home. However... I'm not worried.
Motto of 2008: "It will work out. It always does"

the longest day's drive

2008-06-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

4308 kilometers, Oulu, Finland

Here I am in Oulu feeling both sleepy and expectant. It was a long days drive from Pyhäranta. A nice hour long stop in Vaasa for a yummy lunch in an overgrown field, prayed some big prayers and off we went again, only to pick up a hitchhiker and make a new friend. People don't hitchhike very often in Finland, I can imagine, and when they do they are bound to be interesting. I liked listening to stories of Alin's journeys and was glad we had picked him up when it started to pour down with rain shortly afterwards and continued like that for an hour. We cooked dinner about 20km outside of Oulu and had interesting conversations. He told us that sometimes he gets a feeling when someone stops to give him a ride that he shouldn't get in the car, and sometimes he doesn't. He said that people often think he is crazy, but actually I understood him quite well.

I'm not really sure what the point of the journey would be without God, or even with life in general. I'm reminded again in so many ways today that God is always with us and speaking. We just need to tune in and listen.

It is refreshing to be here at Sinnika's place. She has a gorgeous apartment which feels very homey and has given us her bed for the night. We had one of those conversations over fika which leave you slightly energized and encouraged and more aware of God around you. And that was before we prayed.

I'm off to bed, as it looks like it is another early morning tomorrow. Thanks for following our travels.

Pleasure spiked with pain

2008-06-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

3688 kilometers, Pyhäranta, Finland

Arrived safe and sound in Pyhäranta (Holy Beach) without any major incidents. Dropped by Lahti to visit Petra who utterly spoiled us with delicious food (which was quite expected). Driving took a bit longer than expected, but finally we arrived at the address we thought was correct, but assumed we has got it all wrong, as the "house" turned out to be a huge mansion-like residence right on the water. We tentatively walk up to the house and ring the bell, almost expecting a butler to ask us for the purpose of our visit. Instead we are greeted with hugs and ice-cream. Beats any butler I've ever met.

Our friends are exploring communal living for the summer and mix work, meals and prayer in an interesting mix. They are usually around 10, but tonight we have a midsummer celebration, expecting around 40 people to show up. We even sent some hand-made invitations to some folks from the local elderly home, so we may even be more than that.

So far we've just been resting, pretty much doing nothing but reading, eating, praying, eating, rowing out to an island, having saunas, eating and swimming. Bliss.

However, this morning, we were rudely shaken out of this bliss, as Misty and Scot's son Evan (4 years old) woke up sick, and soon was didn't respond to any exterior stimulation at all. Here is where the Finns impress me. Within 10 minutes of our phone-call the ambulance as well as the local rescue patrol arrive (remember, we are in the sticks). They decide they need advice from a doctor, so after another ten minutes a helicopter (not kidding!) flies in with a doctor who does some further tests. 7 people all in all. Turns out Evan had really low blood sugar for some reason (as I know a thing or two about that, I should have been able to read the symptoms), and after a shot of glucagon he was doing better. Because we have no idea why this happened, they are bringing him to the hospital in Turku for observation and further tests. During all of this we have been praying and have been quite worried, so if you are the praying kind, please pray for protection and clear answers for the Bowers.

However, we are sure everything will turn out OK in the end (God has it sorted. If anything, he has proved that to us this trip). The only thing that saddens us is that we won't be able to say a proper goodbye to Misty and Evan if they stay at the hospital over night, as we need to head up alone to Oulo early tomorrow. Misty and Scot are heading over to Sweden early next week, but all that depends on what the test results are. More later.

To Finland and Beyond...

2008-06-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

3256, Helsinki, Finland

After a brilliant stay in Estonia, staying at the historical sity of Happsalu, and visiting sparkling Tallin we jetted on to Helsinki. A friend of us through 24-7 met us and took wonderful care of us. getting us a place to stay, taking us out to food, making sure just everything worked. I can't stress enough the joy of a warm bed... Mmmm.... Sleep in.... Mmmm. We have been quite cold lately. We have again been blessed with friendship and economy. We hooked up with wonderful Laura and Vilja for a rainy day in Helsinki, catching up, sharing stories, dreams, and communion in Helsinki Central station.

Today we are treated to what I expect to be a lavish lunch in Lahti, where we visit our excellent friend Petra, and then moving on to the "Holy Beach" where we are meeting a community and perhaps spend midsummer.
Thanks for prayers.

global church

2008-06-14T00:05:00.000-07:00

check out scot and misty's blog (link to the right) for updates on what happened in poland and what God is doing with the situation.

Latvian latitude

2008-06-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

2734 kilometers, Riga, Latvia

This is the second time Resa and I visit Riga. I was surprised to feel so at home in a city. Funny how that works. We just came back from exploring Riga, praying a bit and meeting up with a friend from Sally Army doing some 24-7 stuff. Stories are a great source of inspiration. Love how something as seemingly mundane as christian life all of a sudden becomes a breathing conspiracy, shaking power structures and exhaling life into the abandoned part of empire. Or so methinks anyway.

Also, these last few days have been an overwhelming example of the global church. Misty and Scot, who we travel with, were robbed of a lot of stuff the other day. Now, they have been offered all kinds of stuff from all corners of the earth. GPS, PSP for the kids, Ipods, money, laptops... All top of the line stuff, just because they are loved and people (like us) believe in what they are doing. I'm amazed and confounded. It is like in the book of Job, where God gives back tenfold of what was taken away. It is in poverty that we find God and learn to trust. But he also seems to bless us with phyical stuff sometimes. In a case like this: in excess. 10 points for church.

Rigan respect

2008-06-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

2734 kilometers, Riga, Latvia

We have finally arrived in Riga, which pretty much is halfway on our journey back to Stockholm. Haven't had much access to Internet, so updating has been slow.

It was sad to leave Ralf, Basti and Kaddi in the Neubrandenburg community, as well as Tabea who traveled eight hours just to hang out with us for a few days (and generously helping us fund our journey). However we learned a lot there. We have learned that using playstation Songstar with your morning voice is quite embarrising. I learned that going "all in" on Texas hold em on a pair of nines is a bad idea. I learned that German's are belivers in a hearty breakfast, which I love immensly.

We prayed with our friends in the area they are hoping to live soon: a poor and neglected part of Neubrandenburg. Was really inspiring to hear their dreams, their determination to seem them fulfilled, and their long term perspective. Really had a sense of potential around all that, and looking forward to see where they end up.

When crossing over to Poland our luck turned. At our first campsite, we woke up to see Blues' front window spray painted by some punk kid. *sigh* Happily it came off without too much trouble. The next day we stayed at a fancy four star camp site (never been to one of those, so we had to try it, using some money the Neubrandenburg gang generously tithed to us) and when we woke up, someone had broken into Misty and Scot's car and nicked their laptop, ipod, nice camera, their kids toys, wallet, and other stuff. Great start of the day. Sweden beating Greece 2-0 cheered me up a bit. No effect on the Bower's mood, however, as England didn't even make the Euro cup. Lot of talk, no action is all I have to say to that. Best league in the world, no results when it comes to the crunch.

Dispite this we all manage to move on and feeling that God hadn't forsaken us after all, we whizzed on to Lithuania. Yesterday we visited the hill of crosses, which is a hill of tens of thousands of crosses which was a rallying point of lithuanian resistance during the sovjet era. At one point the KGB had spies their daily, and at one point burnt a whole bunch of crosses. Had a bit of a pray their, realizing that the fight against oppression isn't over, but it now is of a different kind, asking God to raise up freedom fighters again. Good.

Today we traveled in to Riga, all feeling a tad travel-weary. However, sitting in Mr. Blues, having a few beers (Resa drinking an odd cherry-choco-cider i'm quite suspicious of) makes all things better. A day of rest and exploration of Riga awaits tomorrow.

Socializing in Deutchland

2008-06-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

1404 kilometers, Neubrandenburg, Germany

Was sad to leave our friends in Svendborg, but another part of me was yearning to hit the road again. It doesn't feel anywhere close to a week of traveling. Time surely flies.

When traveling, there is a lot of sitting around, and excercise... well it is not the main occupation, which is why it has been really good to do some manual labour so far. Both helping out building a wall in what is to become a prayerroom in a cellar in Broby, and building a patio in Svendborg. However, the side effects make themselves known the day after. Trying to get out of bed after laying bricks on your hands and knees for six hours is quite a challange. Even today, two days after, I walk like a cowboy... which is why a day of rest is a very good idea.

Arrived in Nuebrandenburg yesterday evening, after a very early start from Denmark (finishing off the last details of my bachelor essay until 2AM and waking at 6.30. Not a good combination). We were warmly welcomed by Ralph and friends in their community outside Neubrandenburg, who happened to have a party that night. We definately haven't been lacking in good food. Good things just got better when our friend Tabea traveled 8 hours to hang out with us, and Misty and Scot + offspring arrived. Misty, Scot, Mimi and Evan are accompanying us all the way to outside of Tampere in Finland. Together is better than alone.

Today has been a day of chill, food and rollarcoasters (every village should have one!). Currently planning the next section of our journey to Poland after a visit and some prayer in the central parts of town...

Words of today: "Ich nicht sprechen deutch" (an insult to the German language, I know)

a bustling home

2008-06-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

about 11000 kilometers, Svendborg, Denmark

Today we woke up in Denmark at the home of our friends Frank and Mirjam. It was a brilliant day spent with five YWAM students on their DTS, full of serious weeding in the garden, laying down bricks for a nice-sized patio, a smorgåsbord lunch, some well-needed and delicious barbeque finished off with ice cream cones.

It's been a delight to be with Mirjam and Frank. Their three girls are really smart and fun to be around. I can only hope that when Krister and I have kids that they come out so well. Mirjam and Frank have shared their home and their lives with us, not fawning over us as guests. Instead we fell right into the rhythm here. It was nice to help out with practical work as well. It is also nice to feel at home.

Afterwards we were able to see the rebahilitation center that the students live and help out in. It was impressive and seemed to be perfectly suited to their needs. A complete answer to prayer. Complete with a greenhouse, a gorgeous garden and some nice sheep.

Tomorrow aftera nice long drive and two ferries later, Neubradenburg here we come!

quick note

2008-06-04T03:18:00.000-07:00

Just a quick one.

We sadly left Broby and our friends yesterday. We've had a great time, and realy felt encoraged about what God is up to there. Ask us about ti when we meet you next.
Instead of whizzing over to Denmark, we decided to have a more leisurly day, and just drove the short stretch to Malmö where we were to meet our friend Helena. As it turns out, she was to be home by 7pm, so we spend some tme by a lake close to her house, reading, and watching a downloaded episode of Lost (what a thriller! How dare they!). It turns out that there is trouble with a print job she needs to make in Copenhagen. Then, there is another problem. Then her train is stuck... All in all, we sit freezing in her garden until 22:15. She apologizes, makes us tea, and all is fine again.

Today we head to meet some friends in Denmark...

From Uskavi to Broby

2008-06-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

741 kilometers, Broby, Sweden

We're finally off. Blues passed his inspection with a full days margin before we left. It definatly wasn't cheap, but now the rear brakes, the right back wheel and half the exhaust system are repaired.
The first part of the journey contained a visit to what I believe to be the most fun wedding I've ever been to. Next to my own, I might add. The night before we left was one of panic. Trying to finish essays, changing water in both aquariums, packing, cleaning, e-mailing, charging batteries... It was a mess, ending in a mere 4 hours of sleep before heading to Uskavi. Matilda and Johan were fantastic and beautiful. The day long wedding, from 11 in the morning, to 11 at night was at the most beautiful place by the water. Brilliant. They even set us up for the night in a little cabin we could have for ourselves, with a fridge packed with all kinds of breads, youghurts, milks and juices we can bring on our trip. All organic. Excellent for out tight budget. .. correct that: non existent budget.

Heading off after a leisurly morning, we headed for Broby, in Skåne, where we arrived yesterday (Sunday). A small 24-7 community is developing there, who we love dearly. Get this: three of them share a salary (actaully get paid!), live in a huge house with amazing possibilities, are connected to the local lutheran congregation which is totally supportive of what they are doing and pray six hours a day (two hours each) in a caravan. When we arrive, we walk in on a barbeque that Malin, Christian and David (the Broby gang) are having with 5 of the local kids, that come by quite often just to hang out. They were leading a confirmation camp a few weeks a go, and have since then developed some good relationships with the kids. To say the least, they rock.

Today has been spent trying to give Blues an oil change. Focus on the word trying, as it by no means was easy and needed some serious creativity. After that, we have carried and traveled and heaved to build a wall in what is to be a prayerroom in the cellar. Fun to do some manual labor after sitting in a car all day.

Tomorrow we leave for Denmark, where we are hooking up with some friends.
Wish us faith.

Östersjön runt / Around the Baltic Sea

2008-05-27T05:59:00.000-07:00

0 kilometers, Stockholm, Sweden

We're gearing up to go on the next adventure, this time a trip around the Baltic Sea. Mr. Blues is being repaired and plans are being made. It will be a fast-moving trip, about 25 days, leaving from our friend Matilda's wedding on June 1st and arriving back in Stockholm June 26.

We're not planning a 'mission' trip, but wanted to spend time praying, listening to God, hanging out with those we travel with and visit and demonstrating Kingdom stuff wherever we go. We'll probably have some kind of rhythm of prayer while we travel to keep us centered on Jesus. Living simply. No big agenda, lots of space to be blown around by God.

Our friends Scot and Misty are also coming with their wonderful kids, their vehicle and a tent. We still may have a few places in cars if you would like to join us for all or part of the journey.

Our preliminary route map is to the right. If you are somewhere along it, please let us know as we'd love to visit our 24-7 friend and other along the way. We'd love to hear from you.

latvia and lithuania

2007-07-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

back at home
here are some pictures resa and krister took on the trip
hope you enjoy!

Back home at last. Many thoughts.

2007-07-31T08:31:00.002-07:00

1800km exactly, Sollentuna, Sweden

This morning we finally arrived home after eleven days of traveling and meeting people. As we literally fell over the threshold of our apartment, we are met by our friend Henrik who not only has cleaned our flat, but also baked us a smörgåstårta. Thank you God for good friends.

It feels good to be home. Our trip through Latvia and Lithuania feels finished in every aspect of the word. There are no lose ends. We did everything we were supposed to do. A good feeling.

Resa and I weren't really sure what to do with the last two days of our trip. We decided to take it easy, so from Jurmala we traveled up the west side of the gulf of Riga. Driving along we kept seeing cars pulled over by the side of the road. Curiosity won, and we pulled over as well to find out what this was all about. What we found was a forest of blueberry bushes. We filled a plastic bag as quickly as we could and dodged vicious mosquitoes left right and center.

We spent the night on a peninsula by Engure overlooking the gulf of Riga. We had some well-needed time to just relax and reflect, and for me, to look at the sunset with a cigar in one hand, a beer in the other and a beautiful woman by my side. Bliss.

The next morning we traveled up to, Kolka, at the peak of the west coast. We walked down the beach and stood at the very tip of the country and turned our backs towards the sea and prayed inwardly, for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and Russia, that God would raise these nations up and be all God has ment for them to be and for them to find their true identity (among other things). We then turned around (facing Sweden) and prayed for the Nordic countries and that bridges would be built between these nations. Quite heavy stuff.

We found a nice spot to camp right by the beech for the night in Kaltene. The following day was a rainy but generally uneventful, as we boarded the M/S Regina Baltica to Stockholm.

This trip has been great and... well "varied" is the best word I can find that fits. Everything from getting a feel for Riga while walking around the city and looking at its art and people, to praying on roof-tops and playing with kids in Ruzina, as well as connecting with salvation army people looking to connect with 24-7 and meeting Tom in Vilnius who wants to see a rhythm of 24-1's and a genuine Lithuanian expression of church. So many things, and so little time. It seems God is sending us out to connect the dots of what God is doing around the nations of northern Europe.While the vision is still blurry, the picture is clearer than ever. Exciting times lie ahead.

Off Roading and Beyond

2007-07-28T05:08:00.000-07:00

1426 kilometers, Jurmala, Latvia
Since Vilnius, recovering from food poisoning and leaving our new friend Tom, we traveled through Lithuania and spent the night in the forest (after never being able to find the coast.... cities can be hard to drive in when there is a lack of signs) we crossed into Latvia again and headed north along the west coast to Ventspils.

What adventures we had yesterday! We took Blues on a little off-roading adventure to find the sea and a lighthouse that was marked in our atlas. We couldn't believe that the roads were even on the map, as some were just dirt/sand and at times we wondered if Blues would make it through to the next town. Just before the road gets better, and despite Petra's excellent driving, Blues gets stuck in the sand. We dig and find logs to try and create some traction in the middle of a swarm of mosquitoes, we push and pray but to no avail. Then two vans seem to be headed our way, but they see us stuck and turn around. We hadn't even seem a house in ages... then a lady comes by walking her bike and Petra has a chat with her in her best Latvian. Suddenly two German ladies who had their bikes on top of their small four door car came driving by. We had seen them at the lighthouse and they saw us stuck and stopped. They offered helpful suggestions like taking more weight out of the van and using the rubber floor mats under our rear tires to get traction in the sand. It took a few tries and we were all pushing as hard as we could, but finally Blues started moving and left a pile of our backpacks in the sand as he made it onto the slightly better road. We thanked the German ladies profusely and there were hugs all around. We decided it was best to stay together until the next town, where we exchanged email addresses with our new friends who were definitely an answer to prayer!

After a night by a beautiful lake, an amazing dinner and a slow starting but comfortable campfires we headed to Jurmala this morning where we dropped Petra and Brett at the train station. They head home today. Was sad to see them go as this trip has been quite an adventure. One more day and then we're on a ferry home to Stockholm. This is a trip I won't easily forget.

Vilnius

2007-07-26T02:26:00.000-07:00

unknown, Vilnius, Lithuania

We are currently sitting in our newly made friend Tom's apartment in central Vilnius. Because of lack of internet access we haven't been able to blog, so this will be a very short run-down. After a 4 hour drive we arrived in this little village (550 inhabitants) outside of Rezekne where we met the rest of the team. Levi is a random man who runs this former cafeteria now turned into a prayer-discipleship-gathering place. We dumped all of our clothes and toys we brought there and they were graciously received. Had a great time, and much more to tell about that visit, but no time at the moment.

A 5 hour journey to Vilnius followed (now a smaller group of Resa, myself, Petra and Brett) in Mr Blues (who has been doing a surprisingly good job so far). We hooked up with Tom, a random contact, who has been giving us endless cups of tea and bucket loads of hospitality. accidentally he pointed us in the wrong direction when it came to parking, so when I went to check on Mr. Blues this morning it had a wheel-lock and a sticker on the window. 100 lits later the lock is off. Ouch. Tom was very apologetic, but after another round of tea we forgave him. This evening we are heading to the coast. Wish us luck!

Leaving Riga

2007-07-23T00:15:00.000-07:00

28 kilometers, Riga, Latvia

after a few really interesting days in Riga we finally met our fellow travelers last night. Three finnish girls and an Australian had to melt in the Latvian sun while i tried to navigate the endless one-way streets of downtown Riga. Twice did parking guards destroy my humble attempts at parking. After some confusion (Krister: "I'm waiting at the front of the bus station". Everyone else: "No, we are at the front of the bus station, where are you?") we finally united for icecream and stories. The evening ended with a sampling of the local brew and Resa having the most unforgettable hot chocolate you can imagine. If you want to get her talking ask her about Latvian hot chocolate.

Today we leave for the little town of Ruzina where we will unload blues (packed to the brim with clothes, toys, games, medicine and bibles) at a children's home. As much as we have liked Riga it will be good to move on to other parts of the country. It will also be sad to leave the family we have been staying with. They have taught us so much about Latvia, Riga and themselves. We have fallen in love with their two kids and their cat (who we considered smuggling back to Sweden).

So off we go.

First night out

2007-07-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

25,8 kilometers, Riga, Latvia

The last week has probably been one of the more stressful ones in my life. Never has it been so difficult to leave a country, and never has so many things just not worked. But somehow it did. I guess God wanted us here after all. And Blues is still running...

The ferry over was just what Resa and I needed to wind down and relax. We were met at the port by Reinis, our couchsurfing host for the next two nights. He has been teaching us alot about Rigas history and the legends surrounding the place. This place has more than meets the eye. A depth I have rarely seen, and that I cannot define (and a good thing that is). So i'm excited to be here. And quite tired from tromping around old town and the "museum of the occupation of latvia" Meeting a contact tommorow by the freedom monument. That has lots of potential, don't you think?

And we're off again!

2007-07-19T01:16:00.000-07:00

0 kilometers, stockholm, sweden
For the third summer in a row we are off, this time by van and ferry over to Riga where the journey begins. Riga is where we'll all meet... Brett from Australia via Finland, Petra from Turku, Anne Maria and Terje from Norway and me and Krister from Stockholm.

We'll be visiting a children's home with lots of things to leave with them that others have given in our various countries. We'll also be going to a prayer house and then traveling around Lithuania seeing what God is up to.

Watch this space!

We're back!!!

2006-07-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

over 4000 kilometers, Sollentuna, Sweden

We are back in Sweden. It wasn't without some sadness we unpacked Mr. Blues and left the 8 or so square meters we have called home the last month. And not without some happy confusion. This trip didn't turn out at all like I thought.

In the beginning I simply thought this would be a kind of mission trip from 24-7 Prayer in Sweden, where God would lead us to places and people and we would be God to them. And yes, that was part of it, but only a small sliver of the entire picture. In terms of being a mission team, we were a failure. We didn't have a single "God conversation" with anyone as a matter of fact. We ended up not being a mission team, and not going for a vacation. We were just "other". It seemed more like real life, but in a mobile way. Having a rhythm of prayer, food, sleep, time for self and others, listening to God and what he wants for different places while traveling is by no means simple, but still this was one of the most important things we learnt from the journey. And the other result of this journey is faith. God has not failed us yet.

Everytime we were out of money (remember that we started the journey with only about 2000 SEK in our pockets) it somehow worked out. Either buy gifts from our lovely parents, or from more salary than we expected, or by accomodation or food just being sorted for us. Mr. Blues broke down 4 times (one time not blogged about yet. Maybe later). The first time we were devastated (turned out great and we met cool Ana and Marco in Germany). The second time was bad (we got richly blessed by Pavel and friends in Czech Rep). The third time was alright (van is fixed and we get spoiled by Regina in Slovakia). The forth time we just laughed (and get van fixed at low price and food + entertainment from polish family). God is faithful, and he can do anything. Even take care of four bewildered kids traveling through Europe showing them what life could be like if we let Him.

This blog has only showed glimpses of our travels. You are always welcome to our houses if you wish to hear a more full story over big cups of tea.
Big thank you's to all of you who have prayed. You were a vital part of it, and we are deeply thankful.
Peace and blessings on all of your journeys, whether they be on the outside or the inside.

2006-07-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

Krakow, Poland
Just a quick one to let you know we're here. Walked around town today. The cathedral is amazing. Johan and Eva tried on some cool leather shoes, ate gyros, prayed and listened to a Latin American concert.
Heading up north again tomorrow. Planning on being in Stockholm on the 18th, so maybe we'll see you then.

In Krakow

2006-07-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

3504 kilometers, Krakow, Poland

God is amazing. Just when money is gone, all our accounts are emptied, and the gas-meter on the tank is pointing on red, we find out that Johan is getting his salary earlier than expected and it is more than we thought. Brilliant. That means that Johan and Eva are spending the night in a hostel tonight, while Resa and Krister (me) spend the night in the van. Just had a shower, and I'
m telling you... When you haven't washed your hair for about a week, a shower is very welcome...

So we have a had a mad and fast journey north the last few days. Spent a night beside a graveyard in Timasoara in Romania, another night by a gas station in an unknown town in Hungary, and last night we slept by a trickling stream behind the tourist bureaue in Zakopanje, by the outrageously beautiful Tatra mountains. We have kept our rhythm of praying twice a day.
Was going to post more, but the lady running the hostel said I can't use the computer any more, so someone else will finish this off.
Cheeers.

all for 65 Euro cents...

2006-07-12T04:46:00.000-07:00

lots of kilometers, Timisoara, Romania
We've started the journey home and here I am at a very nice mall in Romania using free internet. We've been living in the van for days now without using a camping place and I'd really love a shower. We made it here at about 3am after a pretty funny situation, but first, Belgrade...

I loved being back there. The bustle of Republic Square, the beloved cafe Plato, the friendly helpful people (it was said last night that more people speak English to us in Serbia than in Germany), Kalemagdon and the beautiful view at sunset as a city comes alive at night. We sat up there and prayed big prayers for Belgrade. Knowing God has so much more for that place. Then we slept in the city. Cooking many meals in the van as we are on a serious budget. Cafe Plato was our only splurge and even with the heat we didn't buy water, filling our many large bottles from the drinking fountain on the lagre shopping street.

The second day we went into the new part of the city and prayed a bit more, had a picnic outside of Genex and then walked around the apartments Krister and I helped to clean up last July. We headed back into town, filled the bottles again (it was and still is seriously hot) and headed off. Deciding where to go was hard. We'd love to go down to Croatia and even Italy, or up and explore Poland or to Dresden to visit friends living there and Misty and Scott. The possiblilites are endless, but with a non-existent budget and one dwindling bank account still with money in, we decided to head up north. Maybe take a ferry from Gdansk right up to Nynashamn. Expect news on a homecoming celebration in future posts...

The best story from the past couple of days has to be at the border crossing. We didn't cross at a large border as we were avoiding the large road tax Serbia has. It was about 1:30am when we left Serbia. The border patrol were fun and checked our passports, doing the roll call and seeing each of our faces. Then after a few minutes they okay us and we drive over into Romania. The sign says to drive 5 km/hr. A man comes running out of a booth and asks Johans name. Johan gives him the name and he says, "Two Euro." He didn't speak English and it took a while to understand that this was for a piece of paper which our van needed in Romania. The problem was we didn't have two Euros. We could also pay in Serbian Dinars but the last our our Serbian money went into our gas tank, right to the very last Dinar. So with only 1 euro and 35 cents he wasn't very impressed. We had to turn around and drive back into Serbia. At 1:30am and without a bankomat/atm in sight we got in line for the Serbia entry. The lady who had just inspected us came and talked to us. She said there was an exchange place and got permission from another border control on the enrty side for us to walk into Serbia and try to exchange our little money for one Euro or even 65 cents. Johan and I tried the booth with 25 SEK, a few Czech coins and some Hungarian Forints, but all were in coins. The booth wouldn't exchange coins, only paper money which we didn't have in any currency. Same story at the next booth but a second nicer guys tried to help us, but the man behind the counter refused coins. We went back to the border police and explained the situation. They tried to collect a Euro for us between themselves but didn't have any. Here it is 2am and we're tired and stuck between countries. The idea of heading back into Serbia wasn't ideal. The border guard called another guys over. We explained to him. Then he called another guy over. They talked among themselves. It went on this way for about 15 or 20 minutes. Then one man told Johan, "Come!" and they walked back to the second booth. The border control guard talked to the nicer of the two guys and he took a book and wrote something in it, then he handed the border police 5 Euros. They walked out and this was then handed to Johan who wasn't allowed to repay this. "Serbian people are good people," was the man's reply. Indeed they are! So, we went back to the disgruntled man with our Euros and here we are in Romania after a good nights sleep in Mr. Blues. You have to love random God-provision and the beautiful people it can come through.

In Budapest

2006-07-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

not sure how many kilometers, Budapest, Hungary
So we arrived yesterday evening after driving from beautiful Slovakia. Because we realized that we had missed the 4th of July, we had a belated American party, with Jambalaya as well as grilling corn on the cob and sausage. A feast! It is amazing what you can do with such sparse resources. We are becoming quite good at living in tight spaces, and we are not sick of each other yet (I am speaking for myself at least...) Spent some time talking to a Polish guy living in Sweden. He got us quite excited about the Balkans, so we will see what happens in that area.

Today has been spent walking around Budapest, trying to feel it out just a bit, and hoping to see where and how God wants to put his thumbprint on it. Hoping to hook up with Gabriella, our Hungarian friend tonight. Hoping that works out...
Love to all of you back home!

Barinka beautiful nature and people

2006-07-07T01:30:00.000-07:00

1854 kilometers, Barinka, Slovakia
Bratislava is beautiful. I really enjoyed walking around it´s old streets. Because we spent the night in the van, with no shower access, we really wanted to go to a place where we could shower and chill out. We found the only campsite around Bratislava, Zlaté Piesky. As it was a national holiday that day the campsite was crowded with people, drinking beer (wich is cheaper than water) and hanging out. It was not what we were longing for, but we got some rest.

We had found a really interesting place in a brochure. It was old ruins on a hill not far from Bratislava, so the next day we decided to go there and pray. It took us a while to leave the campsite. When we came to Barinka, the beautiful village where the path to the ruins starts, we stopped for a quick lunch in the shadow of a tree.

Ready for the mountain we drove up to where we thought the path started. The lack of signs made us end up in another place, on someone's property and our car didn´t want to start, again. So again, the problems in our car made us meet people we wouldn´t have met otherwise. Regina, Kevin and their labrador retreiver George live next to where Mr. Blues had his rest. Regina and her neighbour (who owned the property where we were) helped us to call mechanics who fixed a burnt cable which probably was the cause for the van's difficulties starting, and maybe it will fix the beeping (the oil lamp likes to buzz even though the oil level is always fine) as well!! They fixed it right there, for free...

The woman who owned the property wanted us to leave our car there when we went up to the ruins, she thought that would be safer than having it in the village. So we went up the hills, through a fairytale forest, to the ruins with a extremely beautiful view and presence.

When we came back to our van, Regina met us and offered for us to stay in her and Kevin´s beautiful house. They are great, open and beautiful people. We´ve just had a great breakfast with Regina.

Now we are planning to go to Budapest, but if the trip will continue like this we´ll probably end up somewhere else! Thanks!

Through the Czech Republic...

2006-07-05T03:05:00.000-07:00

about 1700 km Bratislava, Slovakia
It has been a crazy journey so far, and so much to tell in one small post.
In short, we moved on from Chemnitz, after making new friends with Ana and Marco and being spoiled by Anas amazing cooking, we left for the Czech Republic. Soon after we cross the border we started to smell burning, so we pull over.The tires are steaming, and the brakes are not what they are supposed to be. Feeling very down in the dumps (Not again!!!) Resa tries to find a bathroom, when a guy comes running out of a shop wondering what she is looking for. He became a friend. Pavel leads her to a toilet and then does the following:
* Helps us find a cool campsite for the night complete with lake, nice bathrooms and showers and mini golf!
* Gets his mechanic friend to fix our brakes, and finds out that there was some problem with the cylinders, which he fixes, explaining the high fuel usage and the thunk-thunk while shifting gears.
* Picks us up and drives around Chomolov to find a Bankomat for us.
* Invites us to his place for a barbecue with his friends, mostly from the Czech Army.
* Lets us use his house (gives us the keys and everything) for the night before we leave.
We later found out that in addition to his four jobs, (owning a pub, running and ISP, owning an internet cafe and another job) Pavel is also a videographer for skzdiving jumps.

We made it through the Prague traffic without stopping and were hungry by the time we got to Brno. Krister brilliantly drives us through the city center and through a richer neighborhood. Just outside the Brno city limits we found a dirt road going up an amazing hill. We tested Mr. Blues off-roading abilities and found him quite capable. We stopped the van and cooked our dinner just on the edge of an amazing wheat field on top of rolling hills. Beautifully done God. The sunset was nice and while cooking we could see a hot air balloon and two people parachuting in the distance.

We continued on after dinner, even though it would have been nice to wake up in that field. We made the Slovakien border at about 11pm. We stop the engine while they check passports and Mr. Blues is overheated and could not be started. So, Krister and Resa get out and then with Eva push Mr. Blues over the border. Classic!!

Mr. Blues was fine 10 or 15 minutes later and with it being so late we stopped in a parking lot outside a motel in Malacky. Now we are in Bratislava. Keep reading for more adventures with Mr. Blues.

2006-07-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

chemnitz, germany

just a short blog as time in internet café is drawing to an end.
Johan is sick, but slowly getting better. God has provided again, as a girl in the pension we have been staying at while Mr. Blues has been fixed offered us to stay in her apartment, which saved us 50 euros. We are now officially broke, but we feel God urging us to move on, so we are. Heading down to czeck republic today if nothing changes. Mr Blues is fixed. Feels good to be moving again.
Thank you for prayer. Our love goes out to all readers of this! We love you all!

broke down Blues

2006-06-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

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!

old school, new prayers

2006-06-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

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!

and we're off

2006-06-27T01:23:00.000-07:00

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...

Gemeinschaft

2006-06-26T03:07:00.000-07:00

# 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.

Starting Off, the South of Sweden

2006-06-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

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...

It Is Time

2006-06-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

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.

The end is near. The end has come. The end has now passed.

2005-08-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

Some of you might now have stopped reading this blog, as the Central Europe Mobile Team now officially has come to an end. Quite sad really.

It has to be noted that this blog only have given tidbits of everything that happened during our journey. Conversations were had. Jokes played. Tears shed. Prayers prayed. Many which never made it to the blog.

Myself and Resa are slowly making our way home to Sweden and are currently sitting in a church office in Frankfurt. Humbly attempting to sum up some of the highlights of our trip.

*A thing that didn't hit me until the end of our time was that we never disagreed with what we heard from God. In every city we went to, we listened to God to see what He wanted for the place at this time so that we could pray into it. We were 7 quite different people, but we always heard the same things.
* I learned to pray big prayers. I remember standing by the river in Dresden after a reggae festival with people sitting all around in the grass, drinking and having a good time. How often am I not intimidated to pray prayers such as "God. Redeem youth culture in this city." How often is that prayer I speak with my mouth not connected with belief in my heart that God actually can do it. That night the connection was made. Now on a journey heading towards big prayers (which I guess leads to living a life a bit bigger as well).
* God told us to do things. To follow up the (sometimes) unseen affects of prayers with practical action is great. That involved giving flowers to strangers in Dresden. Hamburgers to homeless guys in Vienna and cleaning up playgrounds and basketball courts in Belgrade. Reminds me that prayer is so much more than just words.

So those are a few of my post-missiontrip-thoughts and highlights. Sitting by lake Ada, soaking up the sun on our last day in Belgrade, having our debrief, I realized something. No matter how hard this trip has been in many ways, and how tiring it is to always be on the road (or tracks in our case), my dream is to make the essence of this mission trip a lifestyle. A life of prayer, journey and community. And I realized I'll miss these guys.
Stopping now before I get too mushy...

Revelations of God

2005-07-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys

We are now in Belgrade, which is Q-Q-Quality. I'm bowled over by God. Me and Jon were having a few revelations today that i thought i might share with you:

There's a limit to how much you can truly believe theology like "Its God's story and we are just part of it, he uses us, its not about seeing things its about planting seeds and building, God works in mysterious ways, his spirit transcends from us as we travel from place to place etc." We try as hard as we can to believe this, but somehow there is always that part of you that is not quite convinced. But now i have seen God, i have experienced all these things, We've been in places that are raw and where perhaps seeds haven't been sewn into the cities, and we've felt their pain and hurt, and interceeded for them from that hurt, and we are now in a place that has had a 24-7 team here on short term missions for 4 years, and there is a hardcore evangelical called Radovan pioneering a church here, and you can feel (and i mean feel in your gut!) the work that God is doing here, and how much spiritual building has been going on here already, how barriers have been broken and powers brought down through hours of prayer, its awesome stuff and for me a kind of 'coming of age' discovery. You kinda say to yourself "Hey, this is actually true!". A teacher of mine at GSA (Guildford School of Acting, mine and Chris' college) has talked before about how knowledge is a practical thing, its not reading books and memorising information, its methods and teachings which have been proved through your own actions, theorising is different to knowledge and understanding, see 1 John. I can now say 100% that this is true, and if you want to know more about your faith, if you want to see God move, if you want to feel his heartbeat for friends, cities etc, live mission. Mission should be at the heart of our faith, and of course, at the heart of Mission is worship for our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

All Love and Thanks for your prayers and support,

Christopher

Last Stop: Belgrade

2005-07-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hello!

we have now arrived in Belgrade after a hot night train from Budapest. We are quite tired but looking forward to our time in the city building with prayer and however else God wants to use us.

We were met by some of the belgrade team (www.20six.co.uk/belgrade) and are going to spend time with them today chilling, praying, singing, sharing stories - basically having a laugh. Tonight we will go to see Partizan Belgrade in a Champions League qualifier which is exciting.

Its been really exciting to hear of the work the team here have been doing and seeing how the Belgrade teams have been building over the last 3/4 years. We will see the team off in the early hours of tomorrow morning and have the baton passed on to us. Even though we are only here for a few days i feel we can have some really signicant building. Not sure whether it will be mainly praying, sowing into relationships or social action i think we have an important role here.

The main worry i think is that because we are so close to the end, it is the final straight, that our minds and hearts will be back at home with the troubles or good things that are going on back there. I really hope we can really engage with the city. We will have a day off tomorrow to spend in the city and the team will be able to feel the vibes of the city.

Thanks for support and prayers

jon

Newsflash: Half naked 24-7 team member caught in Karaoke Bar

2005-07-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

This is my first post on this intergalactic entity they call a blog and I have to say I'm finding it quite a thrill. We are in Budapest, which is awesome! So beautiful and such a free city with real identity and an ownership of itself, unlike the unforntunate Prague and Vienna, who we felt had been prostituted to the destruction of Tourism machines and commercial super-companies. I know business is business, but I for one, Chris for two and the others for seven do not expect to see a Tescos in the middle of the golden city of Prague.

I'm finding this mission a challenge in every way, spiritually mentally and emotionally, and with all this pressure building up there had to be something to release it all. Friends, Family, Followers, last night I committed a henious sin, almost too terrible to mention. I embarked, and it makes me cry to say it, upon the dirty and illegitimate game of Karaoke. It was only when I was swirling my shirt around my head and hanging myself with the mike lead that I realised the exhileration of this pillar of Britain, and began to enjoy it! The song was Pink Floyd's incredible 'Hey You' from 'The Wall' and i am proud to say, was performed in the Alan Partridge stylee. It must be said that the Hungarian audience remained bemused and uneffected (and slightly concerned about my mental fitness) but for the few brits present I'm sure it was an inspiration performance which they certainly will never forget. We have the video evidence to prove it.

This is our fifth stop, the last being Belgrade on Wednesday, and we are all feeling the fatigue of the trip, especially after the low point of Vienna, but the Lord has been gracious with his spirit and empassioned us a new here in Budapest, continued prayer on this subject would be much appreciated though. We are eager to build in these cities and not to visit, and although we are not working all the time, God is, and whenever we make ourselves available he uses us, whether we can see it or not is another matter, but i guess that is what faith is for. This is God's story not ours, thank goodness, and its awesome to be used in such a radical way.

On a personal note, I feel that with Mission as my focus my faith is coming into perspective. I am reading the bible in a way i haven't for a long time, our faith is being tested, challenged and applied every day, and I am more aware of God's heart for the world, that there is so many people he wants to reach if only we are willing to be used. God wants us to live to the maximum, he has huge visions, he is never satisfied with the 'alright' or 'most of our effort', he lives in the fast lane, and that excites me. Many problems i experience at GSA are evaporating as Mission becomes my focus, and ultimately, Worshipping my Father, and proclaiming the name of Jesus all over Europe. I've been reading Pete Greig's 'The Vision and the Vow' which i would heartily recommend, which has inspired and challenged me greatly.

Thank you all so much for your support and prayers which are so powerful. Goodnight and Amen.

Chris, aka Brethren John (the thin one)

Being haunted by hostels!

2005-07-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hi!

Yes the lonely ghost of Vienna... To me his accent sounded rather British, almost like a Yorkshireman...

After staying in the third hostel in a row I decided to post a few words about our hostel experiences.

Our little hearts are still longing to return to the amazingly funky Travellers' Hostel in Prague. Imagine a place where all the wonderfully weird, arty kids hang out and you get the picture...
Where else can you find lockers which are painted in screaming reds, greens and yellows; where else do you wake up at 5.30am because somebody in the bar area is playing the "Greatest Hits of the Early 90ies" (think Ace of Base...) on full volume and where else could you smuggle all your homeless friends in and offer them one of the empty beds, without anyone really noticing.

Oh beloved Travellers' Hostel! It might have seemed weird to people that we travel around Europe praying for its cities but in this place we were certainly not the only ones with an interesting story.

We talked to many, many people, trying to prove that Christians can be fun, certainly making our point by drinking beer with them and playing endless hours of chess..

And Chris (the fat one) singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at the breakfast table made certainly not just me almost cry into my cornflakes. Our guys' amazing voices surely moved a few hearts.

The hostel in Vienna was as different from our first hostel experience as you can get. While the hostel in Prague was beautifully creative and vibrant this place gave you the impression that you had to leave your soul and creativity at the reception desk. Colourless, organised, family-friendly...

But I also have to mention that my German soul loved the cleanliness and efficiency, with which this place was run. People had to be at the breakfast table on time (That will teach them German/Austrian punctuality! Ha!) and the showers finally had dividers.

Now we are in Budapest in our third (and last) hostel, which reminds me a bit of a doll house. It's almost as if we stepped into a scene of "Alice in Wonderland". Those cute lockers and apple green coloured beds... We have to see what the evening will bring. Hopefully we can connect here better with the backpacking community than in Vienna.

So I hope the lonely ghost of Vienna will sleep well although I have the strange feeling that he may have taken a train and moved south to haunt another hostel... (especially after coming face to face with a very uncooperative door).

Sleep well everyone!

hungry in hungary

2005-07-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

Here we are in budapest. We arrived around lunch time today and we were very hungry (in hungary) after having breakfast at 8am in Vienna. (That's twice I've used that pun, I'm ever so sorry. I shalln't do it again)
Our visit to Vienna was the shortest we've had since our trip began and so it was more difficult to find the passion for the place in just over a day. We did however meet someone very special there. He was lonely and at first a little shy but the Lonely Ghost of Vienna soon became a close friend. He walked the hostel floors each evening... The hostel was rather different from our hostel in Prague. Much more family friendly which was good in a way but not so good in others.
The city was certainly very beautiful but it was hard to know what to pray in a city that felt like it was sleeping. The creativity was certainly there but it felt dry in some ways, without spirit. A city that on the surface has everything but not so much within. A city that needs a soul. (the lonely ghost of Vienna needs some friends)
Now in Budapest we have the excitement back again and after a long day of travel and waiting we're ready to get going again. We have found another cool hostel and have hooked up with a Brazilian called Sylvia which is cool. It seems to be another hostel in which we are likely to meet other travellers and hang out with them (which I think was what was lacking in the last place) It has a club/bar/restaurant (that only sells sandwiches) downstairs and so it promises to be an exciting few days. It also has a laundrette which is good cause I need to clean my clothes. I'll go and do that now. Thanks for reading.

chris signed in as jon

Prague...

2005-07-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Our last evening in Prague tonight. Quite sad, because its been really great.

The first evening was spent having some well needed rest after the travel from Dresden. Some of us spent the night playing chess with people at the hostel, which was good fun except for Chris (the fat one, not the thin one). The day after we were still a bit tired, but sat ourselves in a park and prayed and felt out the city. We all spread out and rejoined at the hostel that night where we played foosball and chess at the hostel, and had a great time playing guitar and singing with some guys until the wee hours. Had some good chats with people.

Today we continued our practice of praying and having communion at places we feel are important. We went to Prague Castle, on Charles Bridge, and finally in the middle of the Old Town Square. There we sang songs to God while sitting in a circle on the ground. We got some weird looks and a guy just kept watching us as we prayed. But God liked it...

Tomorrow we're heading of to Vienna, Austria. Fun.

Simone We really do love Germany!

2005-07-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

Writing on our day off from an internet cafe in Prague. We have had a great few days.

The last day of Copenhagen we spent taking communion in different places around the city; Ny Havn, Christiania and the main square Kongens Nytorv remembering Jesus blood was poured out for those places.
We then left for Malmo in Sweden to get an overnight train into Berlin. It turned out there was only 5 overnight places on the train and we needed 7. It got a bit worrying although we were told it might be likely we could get on the train.. We prayed a bit and then the ticket guy appeared, just before we got there two other guys went and snatched up the last two tickets. We were totally set for Krister and Resa to have to go back to Copenhagen and yet God in his grace managed to get us all on the train eventually! One guy said he wasnt gonna go on the train and the ticket guy eventually conceded to let two share a bed! Happy Days. So we all got on. I was in a fab dorm with 5 other Spanish girls who were great! Had the interesting experience of the train going on a ferry for about 4 hours. So we got to go out about 11pm onto this luxury ferry and sit out on deck.

Had a great time in Dresden in one cool apartment with Markus and Andrea Laegel. They totally opened up their place to us. Very cool record collection and one interesting pink room! We got to pray there for Andreas school where she works, for the blood of Jesus to become real to the people of Dresden. One night some of us went to the River Elbe to pray and some went to a festival of plays, which was really beautiful mixing circus style stuff and drama. Amongst other things it involved getting thrown up out of armchairs, created by the guy who runs this place. haha ! It was a great chance to pray for people to rise up in those areas that would be Christians. That Christians would be the top of their field. We took communion in quite a few of those places as well as the park and the old city, and prayed Isaiah 61 for those areas. We took the bit about beauty being given instead of ashes quite literally and gave out flowers on the street to some suprised people. There was such a youth culture there that I believe God wants to pour out his healing.

Markus took us to Hernhut, where Count Zinzerdorf lived and where the famous 100 year prayer meeting took place where some of this 24-7 stuff came out of. Very cool to see and to go to a Jesus Freak church at night.

Phew thats quite a lot thinking about it! Now we have arrived in Prague in what promises to be a very interesting hostel experience. Its a school that turns into a hostel during the Summer, for 4pounds a night we get a bunk bed, some crazy painted lockers to put our stuff in and a breakfast in the morning, not bad! Quite looking forward to it, we have been well and truly pampered so far which had been really fab and we have enjoyed so much good hospitality but it will also be cool to meet some backpackers and meet other traveller people. They seem to have a lot of interesting stories!

Thats about it. God is lookin after us. He is a great God!

Enter the country of mad-hatters: Welcome to Christiania!

2005-07-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we left our lovely Danish apartment to pray for one of Copenhagens alternative places: Christiania.
In the 70's homeless people and political activists decided to start their own "country" in the middle of Copenhagen, creating Christiania, which has its own flag, is self-governing and in general tries to offer an alternative world, where people are free to live however they feel is best. Colourful buildings are situated next to little huts with tiny gardens; people sit at the mainroad, drinking beer, smoking weed and chatting; mothers in colourful hippy clothes push buggies along leafy paths and traders sell clothes and jewellery, which have all kinds of spiritual symbols printed on them.

Although we loved this place, its idealism and the hunger for spirituality and community it represents, we sat down and prayed that Jesus might redeem it, that he might take all the obvious creativity and vision and let it be used for his glory. Like in every "alternative" place you can find here seeds of God's goodness but also signs of drug abuse, pick 'n mix spirituality and disillusionment.

We prayerwalked through the streets (or rather paths) of Christiania and decided that we would come back today and have communion in the centre of this "country".

We rested, a homeless man came to chat to us and funnily enough gave Chris 20 DKr. and finally we had some Turkish food.

In the evening we sat next to Copenhagen's canals, surrounded by boats, pubs, tourists and "fire jugglers" and played some Christian songs on our guitar.
While walking along the streets and playing the guitar other people joined us, starting to sing Evergreens written by Sting and U2 with more or less sober voices.
Some of our guys finally went to the pub with them, telling them that they were Christians on a mission to pray for Copenhagen, which our new found companions just did not want to believe. They probably did not think of Christians as fun people, who would sing songs at the top of their voices in the middle of the night and sit down to enjoy a little beer.

God bless you, dear reader!

Day two in the team house (Copenhagen)

2005-07-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

At Transmission we were encouraged to have some specific aims for the team and for the individuals in the team. We spent some time praying and thinking and decided that we did want to step out in faith, in boldness, out of our comfort zones. We will pray every morning as a team first thing before breakfast and commit to not only taking opportunities but to seek to carve out openings to pray for people, to talk to people. We will remind ourselves of this commitment and of the promises of God. We will hold each other accountable to this. We also have an aim to come back from the trip having fallen more in love with Jesus.

It was decided to take it easy in Copenhagen. To start daily rhythms of prayer and worship and to work out the dynamics within the team. After arriving yesterday we had some rest and then spent time in prayer with the aid of a city map and a local (who we are staying with). We are really hoping to be a blessing to the girls that are hosting us and being so hospitable.

We then went into the city to soak it in, to pray and to try to hear from God so that we could pray strategically over the next day or two. There were a few places that we feel that God highlighted to us as key areas to pray so we will do that today and then take communion at each place as a team on Friday to claim the truth of the sacrifice of Jesus in each place.

On the way back we bumped into a danish guy who we then went for a drink with. We told him that we were there to pray for the city which he didn't believe at first. We had good conversation but it was hard as he is a long way from God and is not having a great time with life. He didn't want us to pray for him (although we did on the way home anyway). We did find out some interesting facts about the city and people.

Copenhagen literally "buy harbour" or "market harbour". Christs name is all over the city (from the name Christian) with an area called Christianhavn (Christian harbour) and places such as Christiania (which is one of the key places we will pray). We pray that the name of Jesus will be a buzz word around the city. There is a very good community feel in the city and people will stick up for one another in the face of injustice (in their eyes the police for example) but they are a people of resistance now and historically. We pray that will become steadfastness for Christ.

We come to the city as friends, with hope and love.

In Copenhagen

2005-07-13T04:26:00.000-07:00

Sitting in an apartment in Copenhagen, looking back at how we got here.

Transmission has come and gone. A great experience, plenty of great people, many lessons learned (hopefully) and lots of fun. But now we have left the comfortable bubble and stepped into the brilliantly amazing playground called Central Europe. There are six planned stops on our journey: Copenhagen, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and finally Belgrade.

Its quite the eclectic group we have. Introductions are in order: Jon, Chris + Chris from Guildford, Simone from Germany (studying in London), Steph from Belfast (also studying in London) and Resa from the USA (but living in Sweden) and Krister (married to Resa and living in Sweden). In my opinion a fab bunch of people.

Day one of the 24-7 Central Europe Mobile Team has entailed getting up at the ungodly hour of 2:45 AM to get on a coach to Stansted airport. Somehow in our semi-comotose state we managed to get on the right plane, the right train and the right bus, and into the right house. We are now staying with our contacts who have hooked us up with a great apartment (internet access! Yay!). Right now we are landing and getting our bearings in the city. Trying to figure out what God wants us to do and how we can serve this city the best in the days to come.
More later.