Grab a cup of tea and get ready for a good update... Dance class by CJ with the Norwegians at Word In Motion. Norwegians Everywhere Apparently March is Norwegian Month for us. There's a particular School in Norway that runs programs for young adults to participate in between High School and University that keeps popping up along our path: - Andreas’ friend from Bible School is staff in the Sports Program. - Andreas’ cousins have participated in various programs at the school. - One of the school’s directors has YWAM Kona ties, and the entire school visits Kona annually. - The school even runs a dance program that visited Ad Deum while we were living in Houston! Needless to say, we were thrilled to cross paths once again this month! We were contacted by the Director of the Dance Program - Ragnhild, asking if we would help during a trip to Los Angeles she would be leading the dance program on.  The team of 11 rented a place near Santa Monica.  We were their indirect hosts, helping them drive around the big city, giving a dance workshop, facilitating a worship/teaching/prayer time, and helping them find groceries in our HUGE American stores.   Small Decisions The team had just come from Mexico where they worked with a Safe House for Sex Trafficked victims & built a home for a homeless family through Homes of Hope.  (Also while in LA they visited Dream Center - a powerful LA ministry to the homeless and community). When we lead a teaching time we really felt God highlighting to them being bold in Christ in the midst of a generation & culture that usually just says “whatever” and simply sucks in all the happenings around - good or bad.  We encouraged having the strength to say no to sex before marriage, being a voice for righteousness, not getting stuck in a lifestyle of the culture, even breaking ties with bad influences and making ties with Godly role models.  We encouraged making even small decisions for righteousness such as choosing not to buy certain magazines or not to listen to certain types of music.  Small, simple decisions and the powerful tool of prayer can lead to big changes.  We believe not only big changes in our personal lives but in our society.  We believe it could even possibly turn a culture away from the ruts it's dug for itself that has allowed Sex Trafficking to become a norm (not right, but an evil norm) on our societies clock.  To turn away from these “norms” that have become so just because we’re all too scared to be bold in Christ for His Righteousness.  To make changes in the small ways and the big.  It is small changes that seem to be the most difficult at times, yet it is the small choices of our personal lives that shine through on the larger scale shaping the culture of our society. It was such a blessing to be apart of the teams time here in LA, and share in what God is doing. Highlights

pilates on the beach With 11 willing Norwegians who were eager to get moving, I was able to give a pilates class on the beach next to their house.   hosting Apart from indirectly hosting the Norwegians, roughly 50 people showed up at our house one Saturday this month, as Jordan & our house played host to a Benefit Concert for two ministries, one in Guatemala and one in Romania.   http://www.steppingstonemissions.org/ http://www.hopeoflifeintl.org/

national anthem The Norwegian School - Hedmarktoppen - had several of their programs pass through Los Angeles & Mexico before all meeting up in Kona, HI.  While in LA several of the groups were invited...and maybe a little forced ;) to sing the Norwegian National Anthem on stage at the Dream Center church - Angeles Temple.