Just. Because.

So I wonder, as we re-open the Swedish Mosaics blog, if it’s worth keeping a blog…I mean, do people really have time to read this?  Well, apparently 100 or so of you have time to check on this every month, so for now, it’s still a great tool for us to keep updating about life and ministry as it happens in Malmö ~ beyond what we share in other ways of keeping in touch with those who love us and pray for us!

 

When we posted yesterday about reopening the blog, we realized that it will necessarily look different with the kinds of updates that we can share.  At least in this current phase of the Covid pandemic and its’ ongoing restrictions in life.  But we’re eager to continue sharing the journey of how God provides ~ even in the midst of a pandemic.  And perhaps especially in the midst of a pandemic.

 

In the post labeled “Re-opening the Swedish Mosaics blog”, we finished by sharing a photo of on the road leading to…..

That photo was taken in October 2020, when we were on a week-long retreat in a cabin up north in Sweden, working hard to restore our spirits that had become weary living in a foreign land in the middle of a pandemic. We found time to read, appreciate God’s creativity in His nature (I mean, who ever knew there were so many different varieties of mushrooms??!), do some cross stitch (Barb’s passionate hobby), read Scripture passages that spoke to us about God’s faithfulness.

Let it be said....I had landed in cross stitch heaven!  Warm fire just feet away from my feet, a cross stitch Advent calendar to finish in my lap, regular installments of coffee or tea within my reach ~

My other sweet cross stitch heaven place....getting to start a new project.  This one:  I Jesu Namn ~ the old Swedish prayer that many of our grandparents taught us to pray..."In Jesus name, to the table we go.  Bless, o God, this food we receive.  To you the honor, who gives us grace, so then we receive the food in Jesus name."

Enjoying a walk along a river in a coastal town...lunch was also quite good here as well!

 

All of this quiet and restoration was sadly interrupted one day when we received a phone call saying that we would need to leave Sweden in order to continue our application process to work into the future here in Malmö.  Quick.  Make some phone calls.  Send some emails.  Get back home.  Talk to our teammates.  Talk to our landlords.  Talk to our friend who was living with us at the time.  What is God doing?

We got home quickly.  Trying to get some yard work done, I broke out in tears when I looked at all the work that needed to be done in our shed alone....and what happens, God, if we need to move everything out of the house in less than 2 weeks??  Hence, my tears...

It was a quick trip to Stockholm on Monday for a meeting, an international conference on Tuesday that we helped to host at our local ministry partner ~

So encouraged to participate in the Exponential Conference across Europe ~ being faithful in our little corner of Sweden is all that God asks us to be.

Celebrating our pastor Albin's birthday 2 nights before we left...it sure felt good to have people in the house, even with corona restrictions, to hang out and do the fredagsmys thing and celebrate this dude who is becoming so important in our lives personally and in the ministry at Wesleykyrkan!

 

We left 10 days later, and for a couple of people who had been living in the freedom of not having to wear masks, wearing masks for 24+ hours through 4 airports and 3 flights to get us back to Minneapolis was a bit of culture shock.  Barb’s lips were raw for days when we first arrived because of all the chaffing from the masks.  

Documenting the journey ~ in case there were any questions of whether or not we really left the European Union (EU) and re-entered the USA....Paris Charles de Gaulle was our first transfer ~ oui oui madame!

The first elevator ride....04.30 (that's 4:30am folks) we put our masks on and headed over to the Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen to begin the 24 hours of masks and airports and airplanes and being around people that were not in our safety bubble...

Jeremiah 29:7  Pray for the peace and prosperity, (seek the welfare), of the city that I have exiled you to (deported you to) ~ this verse became a favorite as we landed in Minneapolis, Steve's home town, with this beautiful balcony view of the city's downtown district

Feeling the love of so many who prepared meals and bought groceries for us to sustain us while we quarantined for 2 weeks

So many multiple expressions of love and welcome ~ välkommen ~ greeted us!

Quarantine self-care...we were told (by several Minnesota nurses!) that we could go out for walks even if we were in quarantine...as long as we were faithful about wearing masks as well!

Special gift was that there were some fall leaves in full color on the trees when we first got home...or at least "home" being the land of our passports.

 

But wait a minute….this post is about Just.  Because.

It’s really about our great God, who has a Father’s heart, who loves us, and chose to protect us through 4 airports, 3 flights, got us to a safe place where we could quarantine for 2 weeks.

 

Just.  Because.  He.  Loves.  Us!

 

Let that sink in, friend who is reading this blog post!

 

God provides ~ in so many ways that we could never even imagine.  Safety in travel.  A place to quarantine.  Time with family.  Immigration officials who were kind and clear, though firm,  about what we needed to do.

 

Just. Because.