Thankfulness

The past week or so thankfulness has been abounding out of my soul. I awake thankful, and continue to walk through my day thankful. It's a wonderful place to be in.
I'm thankful for the Christmas tree my husband and I had an adventure finding and cutting down, the first one he'd cut down himself before.
Our Christmas flower, the Red Lion Amaryllis, daily roars out it's beauty every time I glance at it.
People at home have so generously shipped the precious ingredients needed to make the Christmas desserts my mom and I always make, Hello Dolly Bars and peanut butter bon bons. This has brought more of home into me and our new home, truly a priceless gift to my soul.
Others have provided wood for our stove, gifts, encouraging emails and cards, and the means to buy each other Christmas gifts, thank you, all of you.
I must express it again...Thankfulness has been abounding out of my soul. I awake thankful, and continue to walk through my day thankful. It's a wonderful place to be in...

Our Studio

I realized we never posted pictures of our home. Here is our tiny, cute, studio apartment with an amazing view. M&M's place is the third level of the Ålesund YWAM base. Things look a bit different now since we've since inherited some other furniture and such, such as the ugly but comfortable lazy boy chair which Mitchell just loves...You get the idea...

December m&m News

PLUMBLINE: Plumbline teaching: This week is a time of examining our life’s ‘wall,’ and seeing if the personality ‘bricks’ forming that wall, and therefor the way we react to and live our life, are in line with the way God hoped. It is a time of truth, revelation, and forgiveness. There was a sharing time on the last day of teaching. Fallowing is a testimony shared by one of the students: “While we were in our group, a Messianic Jewish girl from Israel was sharing about things she had been through. There was a lot of personal rejection in her life but she also shared stories about the cultural rejection that the Jewish people are confronted with, including a story of two of her friends who had been killed by muslim terrorists. It was tough to hear but very healing for her. When the opportunity came, one of the Norwegian leaders felt the need to share how Norwegians, during the war, had turned over many Jews to the Nazis, and he knelt before her and asked for her forgiveness on behalf of Norway. It was very powerful and it opened the door for something I will never forget. After he was finished, a German couple stood up and walked to her, and then another German guy followed them. I had forgotten they were there for some reason, and with only the action of them standing and walking to her,the atmosphere in the room changed dramatically. What happened next was quite possibly the most powerful spiritual warfare I had ever experienced. As those three Germans knelt before this Jewish girl and asked for her forgiveness on behalf of their forefathers, it was like a bomb went off in front of us. It felt as if I was physically hit in the chest and I don’t think I would have been able to handle seeing into the spiritual realm the battle going on around us. I wept with them for several minutes, in awe of the power of forgiveness and humility.” -Shane from Hawaii Isn’t this what we should be living for? Relationships are the focus of this life, and to truly form them we need to fallow the ultimate example that God gave us; Intimacy, forgiveness, and love. Thank you Jesus!

Loving The Neighbors... Meeting a DTS student they tell me, “He said, ‘It was still warm so I didn’t even have to make dinner.’ He was so happy and said nobody has done something like that in the over 40 years he has lived in that house. He would like you to come over this evening...” She was speaking of the elderly man, Knut, who’s doorstep the two girls on my neighborhood practical evangelism group made and took an apple pie to. Tuesday afternoons the three of us spend praying for God to show us a recipe and a house in the neighborhood to take it to. It has been a delight to bake things and bless and meet the people in the houses we previously simply walked by. We accepted Knut’s invitation and met him at his Norwegian built, white house. A piano, which we exchanged songs on later that evening, greeted us at the entrance, along with the apple cake he made for us - The apples being from his own trees. As he guided us through his home I took in the smell of antique wood, appreciated the just budding Christmas Cactuses lining his living room, and listened to the stories behind art, objects, and the pictures of his wife he lost 19 years ago. He talked and talked, we could barely get a word in. That didn’t matter through, it was just a joy to listen to him, and surely just what he needed. We agreed to come again the fallowing week for tea and to give him the recipe for the apple pie. I look forward to future times with Knut, exchanging goodies and listening ears for stories and piano playing.

Our time has been full of things such as teaching and learning, dance shows, wiring and plumbing, song writing and concerts, mentoring students, putting up the weekly memory verse around the base, and appreciating life. Thank you over and over for your love and prayers, they are being answered. We appreciate our loved ones (you!) very, very much! We’re wishing you a love-filled, relaxed season. Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Pictures from top to bottom:
Mitch and Me, Me 29 Weeks Pregnant, Rose from Holland and me with Knut's pie, students (Felix-Fedor from Germany & Anders from Norway) learning a song in the hallway, Tango performance, the Dance Track, Mitch playing in a cafe concert.

21 Weeks

Welcoming Wilderness Hike

We began this year's Discipleship Training School with a wilderness hike to, as staff, welcome and bond with the students. I'm so thankful we were blessed with nice weather or else I'm not sure I would've been able to share in this special event. We had two days of hiking in teams. These teams being filled with people representing over 9 different nations. These last two points of coarse means many interesting team-building games and unique fellowship. It is this bonding that provides an opening between the students and us staff to be able to help with the growth they have come here seeking, and I am so thankful for that. We are so excited to share in this unique fellowship for the next 9 months, teaching and serving each other. 'Tromping' came to mind as I descended the beautiful creation this last day.

Tromping

Tromping over, up, down, and over
Rolling boulders carpeted with bearberries
Rejoicing red blueberry bushes spark the earth, treating us with their fruits
Bumpy baby toads dance about
Together we tromp over, up, down, and over

Tromping over, up, down, and over
The river gently wrestles along
Moss stars illuminate her stones
Cleansing water freely taken inside us
Together we tromp over, up, down, and over

Tromping over, up, down, and over
Bumpy, baby toads dance about
We push on in fellowship
The River gently wrestles along
Together we tromp over, up, down, and over



Team-building games :O).

Back In Norway

We have been in Norway since the 5th of August. It started out busy with a YWAM Norway conference and staff training in another town. We attended and helped run the conference. We ran the cafe's and were in charge of running the sound at all the meetings and such. It was a lot of work, especially being jet lagged, but we got to attend most of the meetings too which were really, really good. The staff training was well, training :). We learned about things like time management, maximizing classroom learning, etc. This training made me think about aspects I hadn't thought about before, and had many good tips. It also helped me to see more of how much work this year will be with all that our job description entail, however I'm so excited for it!
After a week of all that we finally got to come home to Aalesund! We have a studio apartment which is the third level of the base, where all the DTS students live. It's been really good to set up home (including baby stuff :) ). We have had a few off days to settle in, and tomorrow we start working.

Home for July

We're home for July, happy seeing family and friends. We'll be seeing those people, and working on finding people who would like to join us in what we're doing by supporting us financially. That is, in case you haven't heard, because we return to Norway in August to work voluntarily as staff at the base we did our Discipleship Training School this last year. 

I've included a picture from one of the last ministry opportunities we had before coming home. As a base we put up an encouraging little show full of music, dance, art, and drama to take to some elderly homes in the area of our base in Norway. It was so special to see their faces light up with a smile, and tap their toes and hands to the music. Some who were too old (90's and over a 100 even) to really talk hummed and such to some of the hymes we sang. It was such a inspiring experience. In the picture I'm with a lady who was a midwife in the Congo for many years. That was neat meeting her, she's one I hope to go back to visit and talk to more when we're back in Aalesund.

Enjoy the sun and what fills you with joy!

Ethiopia Outreach

We're back from Ethiopia!
Here are a few pictures. If you would like to see more pictures or didn't get our email updates we sent while we were there and would like to read them, email me and let me know. Better yet, lets set up a date for this Summer and we can tell and show you in person!
Warning: I get supper excited in the video, prepare yourself. :)
If you want to see pictures from the other outreach teams you can on www.creativedts.no

Prophetic Project

The Dance Track leaders made a numbered list of all the students in the school. Us Dance Track students then chose a number. We weren't told the name of the person that number represented. We were given the assignment to pray and ask God for a prophetic word for that mystery person. The Video Track then filmed our dance for us. At the presentation of the video was the first time any of us found out who the video was for. Mine turned out to be for Gudrid who is on the Music Track, and afterward she told me that the video spoke to her about her music and the way she feels about it. This project was lots of fun. And it was so cool to make something in collaboration with my husband -nd God of course :)!

Dance:Mallorie Kirsch
Music:Mitchell Kirsch
Video: Xie Jia (Miuky)

Ethiopia or Bust!

We're off in 2 days! Ethiopia here we come! A team member will be keeping a blog during our trip: www.ethiopiaoutreachteam.blogspot.com, so you can check that out when you feel. Please keep us in your prayers. Here are some prayer suggestions: Unity, clear communication, safety, health...etc.! :). Here are the names of our teammates (from left to right, top to bottom): Alex (who's hugging, 'the Holy Ghost' :), from Ghana), Mitch, Arnbjørg (Norway), Mal, Alicia (Tennessee), Ingibjørg (Iceland), Anna (Minnesota), and Maria (Russia). We have a wonderful team! And thank you again for the prayers, they make such a difference, and it's simply so comforting to know people back home are praying for us.

God is a Generous God!

WOW! Mitch and I are in total amazement! As of February 19th we owed $6200 for our outreach to Ethiopia, plus $615 for immunizations, plus $115 for travel insurance. As of today our new total owed out of everything is $1,630! Last Wednesday we had an offering night here at the base that gave the opportunity to give to those lacking money for outreach. And since then anonymous people here at the base and in Norway have been giving to us. Almost everyday we find another envelope in our mailbox.
I think the greatest thing out of it all is the lesson that it's all out of our strength. Although we worked hard before we came and have been contacting people while we've been here, God has shown us that even if things don't work out completely by our own ways, they do by his. He knows what we need, when we need it, and he'll give it!
Thank you to those of you who have given financially and prayerfully! We still owe the $1630 but we're still going to Ethiopia, and we know it will come.

80's Party!

Happy Birthday to Mitchell! Happy Birthday to Mitchell! Happy Birthday to Mitchell! Happy 21st Birthday to Him! We had an 80's dance party to celebrate all the February birthdays, and oh what great blackmail pictures came out of it! :). Fortunately for those in those pictures, but unfortunately for you, I haven't included those pictures. But here are some others!