20 Years Ago

I haven't written much on the blog of late...guess life has been just a bit to mundane to muster the energy to write about something! But today is July 28, 2018 and it made me think about July 28, 1998. 20 years ago today we moved to Stockholm, Sweden!

Many happy moments shared in Sweden

It's hard to imagine that 2 decades have gone by since that initial move overseas. We were so young...a mere 37 and 38 years old.

We were kids when we moved to Sweden!

Neither of us had been senior pastors of a church but I had been the campus pastor at North Park and Doug had been the interim senior pastor at the church where he had been an associate for 7 years so we were ready to step into more responsibility and leadership. But still...looking back, I realize that the church took a bit of a chance on us, green as we were! But the beautiful thing about our going to Immanuel at such a young age and then staying on for almost 17 years, is that we and the church grew up side by side. The church was very gracious with us, allowing us to try new things, use our creative energy, and make mistakes! We learned just about everything we've ever known about ministry and life in the caring embrace of the beautiful congregation of Immanuel International.

Celebrating Advent and Christmas at Immanuel was always a highlight

That congregation has kind of ruined us for life as far as churches go. It's a bar set way too high but we are so thankful that we were privileged to lead and be a part of that place for so many years. Friendships that we formed during those years are friendships that are sealed on our hearts. We don't get to see those dear folks very often but thanks to social media and Facetime and Skype, we do get to check in once awhile. That said, I also know that years and years could pass by without contact and our shared history in Sweden would immediately draw us near to one another again.
There is no way to recount the highlights of 20 years but here are some memorable moments.
-We moved our first dog, Lucy, overseas and she spent several years enjoying Sweden with us after surviving a 4 month quarantine.
-We got Tanner, our Swedish born lab, 4 months after Lucy died. He was a huge part of the heart and soul of our life there. What a fabulous companion.
-We owned 2 boats while in Sweden...one a complete junker that at least helped us get a prime marina spot and the fabulous Finnmaster...

The boat that we enjoyed countless hours on, sharing with friends, exploring the fabulous Stockholm Archipelago.

Tanner and I both loved swimming in the Baltic even though it was usually freezing cold!

-We attended the International Pastors Conference every single year that we lived there, with the exception of the one I missed when my mom died. That group remains a mainstay of support, collegiality and friendship for us even to this day.
-We suffered loss during these years, most notable: Doug's 2 sisters, my brother, my mom and dad, our dear friend Ethel Magoye who helped us forge the Uganda project we worked on, and dear Bali, the mentally ill man who graced our congregation. Peace to the memory of them all.
-We endured the dark winters and enjoyed the long summer nights. I can honestly say that while the snowy winters were initially always beautiful and more fun to walk the dog in, I do not miss the short days one bit. I can long for the amazing summer nights in Stockholm but now that I live where sunshine is pretty much guaranteed most of the time, it isn't as hard to live without that long light.

Summer nights

-We became Swedish citizens ensuring our right to live and work in Europe forever. What a gift.

The entry to our apartment

-We lived in the most beautiful city apartment and retain amazing memories of meals shared around our table, parties held to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, church events, holidays, both Swedish and American, and friendship.

Our cozy kitchen

Home office

Our living room. I loved this apartment.

Oh if those walls could talk, what a story of friendship, love and life would emerge. 

Our beautiful dining room. So may meals shared around that table with loved ones from around the world.

-We dressed up a lot...

We were always up for dressing up!

Like the king and queen of Sweden, as crazy characters for our Vacation Bible School program known as Wacky Wednesdays, for parties and halloween.
-We loved deeply and were deeply loved in return.

People ask us if we miss it. That's hard to answer. I miss some things. Other things not so much. I miss the people. I miss the church. I miss living near the people and places I love so much. Mostly I'm just so grateful that those years were ours to enjoy. We grew so much. We learned so much. Our horizons were broadened in meaningful and necessary ways. 

20 years ago today I departed on a jet plane from Chicago O'Hare airport into a vast unknown. There were tears. There was sadness. But there was great anticipation about the new life we were going to forge ahead with. We'd signed a 3 year contract and suddenly 16.5 years zipped by. But in the meantime, my heart became full with friends who became family, people who made places memorable, experiences that I will never forget, and a church that will always be the gold standard for congregational life for me. I savour the memories with gratitude in my heart. 

The Incredible Joy of Confirmation Weekend

This past weekend we were privileged yet again to celebrate with 10 young people the culmination of their journey through our Confirmation program.  These 10 have spent the past 8 months learning about God's word, deepening their understanding of the Christian faith, coming to a clearer sense of what it means to belong to the family of God also called the church and determining for themselves where they are in their own personal journey of faith.  Our tradition is to gather on Saturday night for a family time where each of the students must either share the faith journey paper that they have written or talk about a significant experience that has made an impact on them during the Confirmation process.  All 10 of them were just magnificent.  The depth of their understanding, the clear articulation of what they've learned, how God is shaping them, and evidence that they desire to keep growing closer to Jesus and embracing more fully what it means to be a Christian in our world was amazing.  These kids have learned a lot over this year and in the process also bless the pastors along the way! 
The students also have to recite the Apostles' Creed from memory.  They do this on Saturday night and in church on Sunday.  They did well.  It was a proud moment!
Each of the pastors shared a bit too from their experience of the year.  This year has been a bit special because the kids came together in a unique way.  All walls and barriers dropped, they embraced one another and left no one out.  It was pretty great to come together with them and see how they treated one another, to experience their eagerness in learning, to interact with their young and curious minds around matters of faith.  This is one of the best aspects of my profession!  On Saturday we eat really good cake too as we celebrate with great joy the accomplishments of our Confirmands.

Vanity moment: The way my dress is sitting, my stomach looks HUGE.  OK, I could lose a few but this is a distortion!

We return on Sunday morning for our Confirmation worship service.  The students wear the traditional white robes, process in and share in the service.  Two of the Confirmands read scripture and three brave ones shared their faith journey.  This is manna from heaven...bread for the journey.  Nothing encourages a church family more than hearing how God is at work in the lives of their young people.  We swapped sanctuaries with the Swedish group so we could use the big sanctuary and have the organ for this special Sunday.  It was great fun to participate in this service.  The kids did well with reciting the creed and they confirmed their faith in Jesus in front of the entire congregation.  The most touching aspect of our service is when the parents join the students near the end of the service and lay hands on their kid as the pastors pray for each student individually.  It is moving to see the parents surround their children with love, visible and symbolic and continue to offer them heartfelt support.  The service ends and the students recess out of the sanctuary with their parents by their side.  It is a moment of great joy for all involved.
We have completed yet another Confirmation year!  So many commented on what a great day Confirmation Sunday represents.  I could not agree more...it is indeed a favorite of Pastor Jodi's.