Project Update and Stockholm

Hello again! Sorry it's been so long, things are busy here in Sweden. Last week was our first full week of ministry, and we were exhausted within the first couple of days. Lucky for us though, things were slower the last two days because Swedes were celebrating (ironically) Christ's Ascension Day. They actually sort of laugh when we ask about the holiday, because they know it's really ironic for a nation that doesn't believe God exists would still have a holiday like that. It's definitely not something that is centered around Christ anymore, and it breaks our hearts.

Ministry has been hard but good. Basically, Swedes are very different than most of the people you will run across in the Bible belt. No one is afraid to tell you, "There is no God" or "Nothing happens after we die, humans made God up as a coping mechanism." It's hard to hear that, but it's actually helpful that they don't claim to be Christians. At least they're being honest with themselves and with us. At home at USC, everyone will tell you that they're Christian, no matter how they live. Here, they know they aren't, but they don't want to be either. It has to be such a sad state to be in; I asked a girl that I met what she wanted out of her life since she thought her life was all that she had, and her answer was, "I just want to feel happy about what I did with my life. I'd like to be satisfied." There's a chance that we'll meet again for fika this coming week, and I hope that God will soon reveal to her that He's the only full satisfaction we can ever attain. Pray for her and several others I should be meeting with this week. Pray that God would give me the words to speak and the boldness to speak them. Also, we're still trying to meet as many students as we can, so pray that we would be lead to open ears and softened hearts, and that God might place someone in our path that would lead even more to Christ. We're looking for the woman at the well.

This picture is from a government building I believe, from the "old town" of Stockholm which was founded in the 1200s. It was so beautiful inside, but I got yelled at for taking pictures, so you won't get to see the exquisite hall that was behind those doors. Maybe someday if I'm ever a professional photographer they'll let me in? ...Eh, you might want to go check it out for yourself.

Stockholm was a great city though. We spent all of Saturday there, hitting up the Viking Museum, the 5 H&M's (yes, FIVE.), and a Pizza Hut with chandeliers...they do it differently in Sweden. I ate a pretzel from a vendor instead of Pizza Hut because I don't pay 80 crowns for bad pizza, no sir. My delicious pretzel was 20 crowns, and the only other purchase in Stockholm was a postcard. Daddy, you'd be so proud : ) Mom, not so much! haha.

But the best part of the trip was definitely the Absolut Ice Bar... it's made entirely of ice! Even the glasses we drank out of! It was really cool (dad pun!). We had a lot of fun in the huge eskimo parkas they gave us, posing with all the ice. I'll probably post pictures of that at some point. We didn't stay long, reservations are only for 40 minutes, and at first I thought that was kind of lame. But when you're in a room below freezing in sandals, you don't want to stay much longer. If you're ever in Stockholm and the Ice Hotel has already melted, hit up the Ice Bar. It's definitely the next best thing.

Today we went to Domkrykan, one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe, and worshiped with their congregation. It was entirely in Swedish, but I recognized "How Great Thou Art"...which made me feel more at home than a lot of churches at home that only sing the new, cool, hip praise songs. Nothing beats the old hymnals guys, sorry. Other than that, I didn't pick up on much of the service. Last week the church we attended had headsets with an English translator so I imagine we'll go back there next week. Hopefully a woman from Trinidad that I met last week will also come, she's been looking for a place to worship in English for awhile now and God just randomly dropped Amber and me right in her path one day last week. Her name is Ruth and she'll be studying here for 2 more years, so pray that she'll find a place in a church family here in Uppsala.

I hate to cut this short but it's very late here in Sweden, it's almost 2am so the sun will be rising here in about an hour and a half to two hours... (still haven't gotten used to that). Hopefully I can post some more over the next couple of days! Love and miss you all--Remember SVERIGE in your prayers : )

Mindy<><