International Festival of Cultures

Saturday night we had a great event at church: The International Festival of Cultures. As we have over 50 nations represented in our congregation and as we've figured out how to enjoy our diversity while being rooted in the unity of Christ, we decided to have an event where people could showcase their culture through their food and dress. We were also motivated in part by wanting to have a celebration this autumn as a way of giving thanks to God for the gift of our new facility. This was our first big event in the newly renovated space and it was a wonderful success!Children from Ethiopia, Indonesia and Uganda
Our Jubilee choir getting ready to sing!

People bring the most amazing food to our potlucks. No lime jello or tater tot hot dish on this table! The sights, the smells, the smak (taste in Swedish! I needed an 's' word!) truly represented the bounty of the earth and the amazing palette of flavor that God has given us to enjoy. Our folks know how to cook and over 250 hungry people couldn't wait to dig in to the delights.

It's always a joy to see people dressed in clothes that come from their homelands. Some wear native dress on Sundays, but most find that they have conformed to the western world in which they live and work. I can always see a special gleam in people's eyes when they are dressed in finery from their country. A sense of pride and joy emerges when they are invited to show off the beauty that comes uniquely from their homeland.Incredible India

Two youth took the request to wear clothes from their homeland to heart. The young woman is half Korean/half Danish. She's wearing a dress from Korea that belongs to her mother. Jack, the half Australian/half Swede, showed up in a wet suit! It was hilarious and quite the hit of the evening! The range of fabric and color from all of the corners of the world are a delight to behold.The Eritreans displaying their lovely clothing.
Two Americans!

We had planned to have a variety of music throughout the night but early on in the evening, our choir director hijacked the night! He asked the pastors to come forward and sit in three chairs that had been placed in front of the choir. From there, the chair of our church proceeded to invite a couple of people to come and honor us with a custom from their country. A man from India approached holding 3 beautiful shawls. He then shared how the practice of garlanding someone is used to honor people in India. He then asked each one of us to stand and proceeded to drape the fabric over our shoulders while utterly words of thanksgiving for our ministry. I have no photographs of this moment as I was living it! It was deeply moving and very humbling. Then a fellow American approached and also said incredibly kind words to all 3 of us as we sat there in front of our beloved congregation. He then offered beautiful baskets full of amazing goodies that had been assembled by his dear wife. Her thoughtful handprint was written all over the items. We were blown away by this expression of love and gratitude. We were utterly surprised, which was very fun to begin with, and then deeply touched by the deep sense of joy and gratitude our congregation showed us. We all felt so humbled. We feel so deeply that the gift is ours that we actually get to pastor this bunch. To think that they love us as much a we love them is indeed a sweet gift.

We did manage to get control of the program again! The singing, dancing and laughter that ensued warmed my soul. Our youth group singing a song they learned at a recent youth conference they attended in Berlin, Germany
A group of women leading us in a hilarious hands on song!

The International Festival of Cultures was actually a festival of God's love and grace being poured into our lives. May the blessing continue. Amen.

Halloween and All Saints' Day

Halloween is not the same deal here in Sweden as is it in America. It has imported some of the stuff, mostly the scary and ghoulish stuff and most Swedes think of Halloween as a season as opposed to a day, so Halloween decorations and parties will continue to happen beyond today. I find it annoying as Halloween is not my favorite thing. I'm all for the dressing up, the fun parties and the trick or treating. But Halloween has been corrupted to do harm to children in so many ways that it's just hard to get excited about that. And it's interesting, when it's not swirling around you in every store, the tendency is just to simply forget about it.
I will say however that I do miss being able to see children in their costumes. I would love to have some sweet ones stop by tonight and ask for a piece of candy. I love dressing up in costumes and think it's a really fun part of the tradition.
Here in Sweden, the tradition of this weekend is actually to acknowledge All Saints' Day, which is tomorrow, November 1. Halloween is actually All Saints' Eve and the connections to the dead are how many of the bizarre and scary Halloween activities got started in the first place. But here in Sweden, people use today to reflect upon loved ones who have passed on. They go the cemetery and leave candles and wreaths and remember. By late afternoon it is quite beautiful as dusk sets in and candles flicker across the yards. I myself have never been one to visit the cemetery on this day and since I'm not feeling so hot and since we have an event at church later, it is unlikely that today will be my day to do so.
So today I am enjoying the posts of my friends' children on Facebook in their costumes, chuckling at how much candy they will haul in tonight, wondering if they are like me, who hoarded my candy and parceled it out over several weeks, or more like my brother, who pretty much ate it all as soon as he could and then tried to steal more from me! And I'm also thinking about those who died in the past year and what a significant day of grief and remembering this is for the many who lost beloved friends and family in the past year.

Down and Out

I've been plowed under this week with a bad cough, severe sinus congestion, fatigue and a general overall sense of feeling lousy. It all came on Tuesday evening and it's now Saturday afternoon and I'm still pretty sub-par. It is discouraging because for once I actually submitted to being ill and made a conscious decision to stay in bed all day Wednesday and Thursday, canceling appointments and moving other commitments around. By Friday I had to get up and address a couple of things and in so doing found myself exhausted and feeling worse than ever by the early afternoon. I haven't felt this lousy for such an extended period of time for a long time. I don't think it's the swine flu as I have not had a fever but whatever it is, it's unpleasant.
We have a big event at church tonight, A Festival of Cultures, that we've been planning for for quite some time. We've asked people to bring a dish from their native land and to also wear clothing that reflects that culture. Our church potlucks are not your ordinary potlucks. We enjoy restaurant quality food that reflects the amazing palette the world's flavors have to offer. Sadly, because I've been down all week I haven't had any energy to think about table decorations or extra touches. The clothing and the food will speak for itself, but it's amazing how narrow your world becomes when you have no energy. I was glad I got to the store to get plates, cutlery, and cups.
Additionally I feel bad because Doug ends up having to take care of Tanner by himself. I've tried to take Tanner out first thing in the morning because that's the one outing that Doug really hates, but I have not had the strength to think about taking him on his long walk. Doug does the long walk more than I do but sometimes it's nice to get a break from it. This week he has had no choice. I just can't sustain the energy.
Today I am devoted to resting until 5.00 p.m. when I need to go over to church to get set up for tonight. I may have to miss some of the program that follows the dinner, assessing my energy level. I was able to get my sermon completed but I need my voice to hold up through two services tomorrow.
One irony is that my sermon tomorrow is on being healthy in a physical way. We are doing a sermon series right now on Vital Signs for living looking at our schedules, our bodies, our finances and our spiritual life. It's been rather interesting to ponder how being vibrant and healthy really helps us to serve God in a much better manner while being confined to my bed. One's vigor for life definitely diminishes when you don't feel good.
I suppose the only positive thing to come out of this little hiatus is that it has shown me that slowing down can happen without ruining your life. I had a whole list of things to do this week and almost none of them happened. The world did not end and catastrophe has not ensued. Tonight's dinner and program will be wonderful even if the dinner part will be more simple than I had hoped. I will likely be exhausted after church tomorrow but I did take lots of time to think about my sermon and consider what I'd like to say. It has given me some perspective on taking an intentional "sick" day once in awhile...to slow things down, to ponder what it means to be less active, to lie quietly in bed with the simple purpose of resting.
For now, I am looking forward to greater health. And I am committed to figuring out ways to live more healthfully...better eating, more exercise, more balance, etc. We'll see if I return to my less structured ways once I feel good again. But at least this week away from the normal rhythm of life has shown me how much I value being able to have a rhythm.

Sardinia Part V: Turning 49 and the End of our Vacation

I turned 49 while we were in Alghero. As a joke, when I made the reservation, I wrote in the comment box, "Monday is my wife's birthday. Anything you could do to help make it special would be greatly appreciated. Thanks." I was thinking that perhaps they'd give us a nice room, an upgrade or something like that. No such luck. We ended up in a lousy room with the worst terrace in the place. Oh well. But the sweet older Italian woman who ran the place did go to the local florist and arrange for a vase full of gorgeous flowers to be put in our room. Of course, Doug ended up paying for them and we couldn't bring them home, but it was still lovely!
I wasn't so excited about my birthday this time around. 49 feels awful. I believe that 50 will be a breeze but 49 bothered me. Doug was very, very sweet all day and I consoled myself by eating gelato on the city walls. Do I look like I'm almost 50? At least I have a handsome husband!
The sunset on the evening of my birthday was breathtakingly beautiful and that was the best present I could've hoped for...being able to sit in the setting sun on a beach in Italy with my sweetie. It just doesn't get better than that. So, I survived the passing of the calendar on my day of birth once again and now I'm trying to live fully into the next half century of life.
We ran into the funniest sight on our last evening in town. A large group of Asian brides and grooms were doing a photo shoot on the old city walls! We think it must've been a magazine or bridal wear promotional. Or it was a big group wedding. But a Tuesday night? Probably a promotion. They all looked quite smart decked out in their wedding finery!
We continued to eat pizza in Alghero because we just found it too good to be true. The last place we had dinner was outside of the old city, again, a local joint and we enjoyed some fun with waiter as we watched Who Wants to be a Millionaire in Italian seeking to first understand the question and then come up with the right answer. We had little success but enjoyed the local banter!
Our final two days in Sardinia proved to be amazing. The wind was too strong to sit on the beach the day before we left but we could hunker down poolside and enjoy the heat of the sun since the wind was blocked. It was great to sit in the sun and feel its warmth penetrating my skin. I was taking on a small sun tan by now so that made me feel better as well. I was reading My Life in France by Julia Child at the time and found it to be moving, funny, delightful and wonderful. It was the perfect read for a vacation.
On our final day, we checked out of the hotel and had the day to kill as our flight didn't leave until 7.00 p.m. We drove to another beach, parked the car and decided to walk along the coast. It was actually hot! We found a little place that rented beach chairs, had showers and a snack bar and decided that this was the only way for us to kill this day. So finally, on our last day, we got to lie in the sun on the beach! We even took a dip in the sea making our Italian beach holiday complete!
Those final 4 hours in the sunshine really helped erase the disappointment that we felt earlier in the week. Sardinia is a lovely place with great views and beautiful beaches. Alghero was a surprisingly wonderful little city and all in all, we were happy for our little getaway.

Sardinia Part IV: Alghero

Given the lack of warmth and things to do in the more remote areas of Sardinia, we decided that for our final two night we’d head to the big city of Alghero. We were pleasantly surprised by the charming old town, city walls and impressive marina. We saw this house and could immediately see ourselves enjoying living there!

We also saw the world's smallest car!Upon arrival, it seemed as if our luck had changed and the sun was shining brightly and the thermometer was rising. We dropped out stuff at our not so great hotel with a lousy terrace and dashed out to the beach, which was only a 5 minute walk from out hotel. It was great for about a half hour and then the wind began to blow and the temperature dropped. We just couldn't catch a break on the weather! We dashed back inside and decided to go and explore the old city. The sun came out once again and we enjoyed a beautiful evening. In fact, the evening sunshine was so warm that we actually thought we might be able to take a dip. So we dashed back to the hotel, changed our clothes one more time and ran out to the beach. Unfortunately, the wind was up again and the air temperature was just chilly enough to keep us out of the water! Even so, the setting sun over the water was reminiscent of my days sitting on Newport Beach in California watching the sun come down over the water. We sat on the sand for a good while and enjoyed the beauty of the changing sky as another day ended.

Having eaten 4 course meals the previous 2 nights, we decided that pizza and a cold beer were a good idea. We trekked back into the old city, avoided the overly touristy restaurants and found a local pizza joint that served up great food! It wasn't nearly as cold as it had been in the mountains and we were cautiously optimistic that the following day would provide an opportunity to be out in the sunshine!

Sardinia Part III: Sant Antonia de Gallura

Doug had found this little country inn on the internet and it looked cozy enough. One of the draws was that it offered a half board option for very little more money. We figured, well, if we are going to be cold, we might as well have good food! This was an adorable place and again, if we’d had even a little heat the pool surroundings would’ve been a wonderful place to unwind. We took some walks and some drives. The low point however was a raging hail storm that hit on Sunday afternoon. We wondered if we’d ever be warm. At least our the heater in our room worked. Fortunately, I had brought my computer and we were able to get online here as well play DVD’s. On a whim, I had packed season 2 of the American television show, 30Rock which we find hilarious, along with two movies: Mamma Mia and Amazing Grace. We consoled ourselves on that chilly Sunday afternoon by drinking red wine and watching Mamma Mia with the heat cranked up high in our room. It wasn’t exactly sunbathing but it was very relaxing and we enjoyed the snuggly afternoon it provided for us. The 4 course meals in the evening were lovely with the pasta course being our favorite. The second night they served Panocotta for dessert and it was absolutely delicious. All in all, it was a lovely stay at the cozy inn nestled in the Sardinian mountains. It was very cold however and our little getaway to warmth was not looking good.

Sardinia Part II: Beautiful Beaches and Great Views

Ok...so the weather wasn't fully cooperating but on Friday morning we decided to go have a look at these gorgeous beaches. They did not disappoint. Sugary white sand and crystal clear water beckoned. But the cloud cover and the air temperature were not encouraging a dip in the sea. We explored the coastline taking in the beauty and by midday the sun was warm and the clouds were diminishing. We decided that we'd go back to the hotel, put on our swimsuits and try to spend the afternoon in the sun. The wind was still up and once we got back to the hotel we realized that the pool deck was enclosed and warm so we spent a couple of hours lounging by the icy waters of the swimming pool. At least we got to read and nap in the warm sun and have a feeling of being on vacation in a beachy community! The evening remained clear and beautiful so we returned to the seaside to watch the setting sun dance on the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. While walking on the beach we saw a diver come up with a fresh squid. Fried calamari on a plate looks much more appealing than this critter from the sea. At that moment I wasn't so disappointed that I didn't get a chance to swim there!We decided to take a little drive before dinner and discovered an amazing view. It was such a treat to turn a corner and have this come into view.Hunger was setting in so we took off for Mama Latina's, a restaurant that had been recommended by our hotel and one of the few that was actually open.
The restaurant didn't open until 7.00 so we found a little place with a terrace overlooking a most beautiful stretch of coastline and enjoyed an aperitif while watching the setting sun. It was a wonderful time of relaxing and soaking in one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. The golf course on this side of the island is something to behold. It was great to see it from above and Doug definitely would've enjoyed trying his luck. Cost was a bit over the top and he would've had to have rented clubs so we simply enjoyed it from afar.
Dinner at Mama Latina's did not disappoint. We split a pizza and then I indulged in Ravioli and Doug ate Fetticcine with vegetables and Parmesan. Delicioso!
This ended up being one of our favorite days. Beautiful views, warm sun, great food. Hard to ask for anything more. OK, 10-15 degrees warmer would've been great but I was thankful for the chance to enjoy clear, sunny skies and sit out in my swimsuit (even it was poolside and not on the beach) for a couple of hours!