Stepping out

When an eagle is preparing a nest in which it’s young ones will live, it usually places first a layer of thorns before it places some several layers of grass to ensure a comfortable place of growing for the eaglets. Over time, however, there comes a time when the eaglet must move out of the nest to learn how to fly.  At this point, the soft cushioning of grass is removed and the prickly thorns revealed so as to motivate in a prickly way the eaglet to move out and learn a special skill that is going to be useful to it as long as it lives: flying. So without moving out, no new skill will be leant.

For a few weeks now since arriving in Norway, we have been at Hald learning a lot on cross-cultural exchanges and now the time has come time to go develop our practical skills further out of the nest. The prickly thorn of leaving is here and so this Friday, my teammate, Grace, and I leave Hald for Trondheim  via Kristiansand and Oslo where we will be working with LAGET (Pronounced Lah gey), an organization that works with students in Universities and High schools to encourage them to live for Christ and to make Him known at universities and colleges in Norway.

I feel both excited and fearful. Excited because this is the real chance to test the knowledge gained about the Norwegian cross-cultural experience and more importantly, to live and work in Norway as I share and learn. The fear is quite natural because I know not what lies in Trondheim. It feels like a fish being moved from familiar waters to other waters. All in all, I look forward to this entire six month experience and I hope to make the most of it. I have purposed to go, learn and become as the Hald motto encourages us. And before we go, remember this:

We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!
We go not forth alone against the foe;
Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.