Sommarøya

The beauty of the islands about an hour outside Tromsø is striking! The water is almost turqoise, the mountains covered in white snow and the sun shining from the clear blue sky... God's beauty surrounded us, and everywhere we looked there was another amazing aspect of it.

It was so good to come back to Magnus Haraune's house in Sommarøya and get to stay there for a while this time.

Tuesday night we joined the youth club and had such a blast with the youth there! We got to share about Jesus, play a couple of songs, and then we had some really good conversations. It was also intresting that most of them were musicians so we invited them to come for a music night that weekend to teach them more songs to play for Jesus!

The next thing happening was the worship night Friday in the Baptist Church. We also gathered in the church Saturday, where Henriette was teaching on prayer and encouraging the congregation to stand together and persevere in prayer.

We met again with the youth Saturday night, and had a fun time of playing together and teaching them a new song. We loved building relationships with them, and we really wanted to invest some more time in them, so we decided to do the same thing Sunday night with a new song.

One thing we keep coming across in the North of Norway with the youth is a need of encouragement for purpose in their life. It can be so difficult to stand alone as a Christian as a young person. Some stand alone in their schools but also in their families. It was a special time to see the hunger in these youth for purpose and meaning to their lives. They were so open to know more about having a relationship with God and what that looks like and how much God cares for them. We believe this village is such a treasure chest of possiblities with these youth. They are gold! There is such great opportunity for the generations to stand together and support what God is doing here.

Sunday morning we lead worship as Mary Elizabeth preached in the Baptist Church reminding us all how precious is the sacrifice that Jesus gave and how the way we live our lives reflect the value of His presence and we should be a light to the world bringing Him the reward of His sacrifice. We really feel that Sommarøya is a special place, and that God is doing something. It is time to stand up and shine!

- Jannicke