God Jul 🎄
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
It's hard to believe that I've already been in Norway for 6 months. This time next year I'll be back in the US, sipping my hot cocoa and listening to Bing Crosby's Christmas album. Where does the time go?
Last you heard from me, I was living in Tromsø, way up in the arctic circle. I was able to catch the first few days of mørketid (the dark time) up north before being reassigned down south to Fredrikstad. Tromsø and Fredrikstad are night and day different...literally! We have about 6 hours of sunlight here as opposed to the 0 we had in Tromsø. It's also not a tourist destination, so the city is much quieter. The giant mountains and glaciers of the north have been replaced with rolling green hills and farmland. It has been fun to see the contrast!
Before leaving Tromsø, I had the opportunity to fly up to an arctic island called Svalbard to visit some members of our church that live there. Svalbard is basically an arctic tundra. It's about as far north in the world as you can go. It was neat to spend a couple days with our members there and to experience how cold and isolated it is in some parts of the world. It was neat to see how they have been able to spread hope and the light of Christ with their neighbors and friends that are so isolated.
I was definitely sad to leave Tromsø and the many friends and connections I've made there, but it has been fun to get to know Fredrikstad and the people here as well. I have no doubt that this is exactly where God needs me to be right now!
Christmastime in Fredrikstad has been absolutely magical! The members of our congregation here have taken such good care of the missionaries serving in the area. They all came together to make sure we had presents to open Christmas morning, as well as homes to visit for Christmas dinners. Because of that, I've been able to try a lot of traditional Norwegian Christmas food! Some favorites have been ribbe (a sort of pork roast) and riskrem (similar to rice pudding but better). I've also enjoyed learning traditional Norwegian Christmas songs and helping with the music in our church services. It has also been fun spending time with the other missionaries in the area and getting to know them. We've made several trips into Oslo to visit the Christmas market there and to do ice skating and sweater shopping etc.
My favorite part of the Christmas season is seeing the light and love that everyone is willing to share. Christ is the focal point of the Christmas season for most Norwegians, which has been neat to see. There would be no Christmas if there was no Christ, nor would we have reason to celebrate if He hadn't come to atone for our sins and our imperfections and provide a way for us to repent and make it back to the presence of our loving Father in Heaven. I can think of no better way to spend this Christmas than loving and serving God's children and helping them feel the light and love of Christ in their lives.
I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas! And don't forget to set some inspired New Year's Resolutions this week. It's going to be a great year!
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. You can reply to this email or go to ayleeandersen.com and contact me there. Thank you for being on this journey with me and for all your support and encouragement!
