As we write today, we have hopped back over the ocean and
have landed, since 21 January, in Malmö Sweden once again. Oh what joy!
Our next post will be about getting back, being welcomed by our
neighbors, our church, our Swedish friends and our New Swedish friends as well.
But first, here’s another tribute to Home Assignment 2022…one that
is going down into the books. We came, we laughed, we cried, we did what we came to do, and now it's time to get back to the land where God has mysteriously called us to for His service and Kingdom building work in this season. Here goes.....enjoy!
 |
Starting our missionary presentations in Maple Grove, MN seemed appropriate ~ they have been faithful supporters throughout many years. We shared with the adult study group and then with the kids....can you guess who we were talking to here with the balloons??!!
|
 |
So...one starts with such grandiose ideas...let's take a picture of every church that we visit, right? We started out well at Harvest Ridge Covenant in Kansas....June 2022
|
 |
We felt a bit like we were back home in Sweden when the ECC in Lindsborg KS chose this song and sang the first verse in Swedish during worship...somehow, Malmö and Sweden didn't feel so far away. Lindsborg KS, by the way, is noted as the Swedish capital of Kansas!
|
 |
| So...it was summer, June, in Kansas...what else do you do when midsommar comes around? Dance around the maypole, of course! We didn't dance, but were fascinated by all the dancers and traditional songs and maypole festivities in Stromsburg, Nebraska! |
|
|
 |
Fast forward to December, where we were able to celebrate a Luciatåg (that's the Swedish for the Lucia festival with the Lucia girl and her attendants) in Chicago, just down the street from where we were living at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. BONUS: we went back for a Julmässa (Christmas worship service) in Swedish two weeks later. Steve recognized directly that the Swedish priest who was leading the service had the accent that we are so familiar with in our region, Skåne. We went up afterwards and sure enough, not only was she from Skåne (southernmost Sweden), she was even from Malmö, our beloved city. Very cool!
|
 |
And if one Julmässa (Christmas worship service) and one Lucia tåg weren't enough for the month of December, we also enjoyed the Behold the Wonder Christmas concert in Indiana with Barb's family and another Julfest (Christmas part) in two places: Seattle, WA and Iron Mountain, MI. Beginning to feel like it's soon time to head back to Sweden!!!
|
 |
Remember that amazing Buick that took us around in 2011? Well, even if you don't remember that, this car was our constant companion for 6 months. Sooo thankful for "The Nomad" ~ the Buick's appropriate name that we gave it in October up in northern MN (as in north enough that we could yell over the river into Canada!) Felt a bit like nomads for so many weeks and months in this season ~ yet God was so faithful and always was there providing exactly what we needed, exactly when we needed it!
|
 |
We feel like this is a super appropriate way to end this blogpost and this season of home assignment and gathering with ministry partners, family and friends in the US. What is God needing us to return to in Malmö? Not what are we expecting to return to, or what is the church wanting us to return to, but reframing the question: What do you need to return to?
|
|
Comments
Post a Comment