Babysitting

I`m taking care of my sisters kids.
I don`t whether to smile or cry?!

Don`t get me wrong. They`re awesome kids, and I love them a lot..
But they won`t stop argue :S Both with me, and among them selves.
What to do, what to do, what to do....?

Last week

It`s the last week at Hald.
I`ve spent two years here. Pretty much my whole life has been about this School.

I`m gonna work a bit through out the summer. But..
I`m not ready to for this to end. It has gone to fast. I`m not ready :S


But this school has given me a direction in life. I know what to do. I know what to fight for. I know that I will never walk alone. I know I will find my Calcutta. I know my way..

I will fight for a better world! I will never stop. I can`t.. I mean; Take a look around. And don`t just look.. SEE. There are SO many people and situations that seems hopeless. Not just in the "3rd" world, but in Norway as well.
I wan`t to fight against the societies and cultures that abuse the world and its goods. I want to work against the fact that my well being, and my HIGH standards in life, makes life so much worse for people I know around the world. People that I call my friends. People I miss. My living, makes their life worse.
How can I stand on the side line, and do nothing.

People. That DOES NOT WORK.

Hald has given me direction in life. I believe that God has had a good deal to do with this as well.
But my life has gotten a bigger purpose to it. To serve God, by serving the people around me, with what they need.

This is my INCREDIBLE journey. My name is Eirik AND Sing. I have a life and a purpose. I`m on a journey. For those who read. Please, taggle along. Stay in my life, as friends and family. Take part in it!


Eirik/Sing

En dag av en annen verden

This is my life.. For now

After 6 months alone in Mandal, I`ve now gotten some company :D
The students have come back, and everything is where it should be!
It`s so cool to see how the students/my friends have grown the last months.. No matter what people might say; If it were up to me, every norwegian youth would have travelled the world for at least 6 months. And they would have to do more than just backpacking!
There are so much we can learn..

My parents are helping a man in Narva, Estonia. He runs a daycare/children center, for kids who live on the street, or have trouble with alcoholic parents. There are a lot of poverty in that city (Narva), and the youth/children are those who struggles the most.
In the end of May, hopefully, me and my father will go down there to visit them.
I`ve talked to Mikasa, the org. that makes volleyballs for the international leagues. They have sponsorded us with some volleyballs. We also hope to get some more sports equipment, so that we can give the kids something to do.

I look so much forward to go to Narva, to see the work being done there.

Jah

The man in this video talks about relativism and religion in a very good way.

Holida

I`ve got to say.. the start of the winter holiday has been awesome!!!

I came home yesterday evening.. And from that time, I`ve only been at my sisters place, watching Heroes with my twin brother, relaxing and chillin´.. Soo, it`s all good :D

Holidays are awesome, specially with the snow that`s falling outside now. Man!!! :D

Musikk :D

This weekend I was in Bergen.
I was working, holding a stand at a conference called Impuls. Btw, that was really good stuff :D

But after getting to know ( a little bit) the members of the worship band, and listening to their cd and music, I really got inspired to play guitar again :D
And now, this evening, I attended the youth meeting here in Mandal, called 13/19.
After the service, me and the band did some jamming :D

In honor of guitar and music, I will now show you my guitar :D
Enjoy!!





Songs I`m learning these days:
- Jack Johnson - Banana Pancakes
- Beatles - Blackbird
- John mayer - Why Georgia

TMF

Jeg er på Impuls i Trondheim..
Her har jeg truffet en gjeng gode mennesker, som var svært aktive deltagere under forårets TMF.
Jeg vil beære dem, ved å legge ut deres kamprop, som de med stor margin, vant telttunkonkurranse med..
Her er det, nyt det!!

"Vi e flest, vi e best, vi har fart, vi har bart. Har reist langt, vi bor trangt. Alle vi e trøndere, men 5 e fra et skap. Tunet vårt e plettfritt, du finner ikke skrap. Mælka fortæres, Gud æres, tmf uten trøndere, er som Norge uten bønder. D2 e best, hver kveld e det fest, med skinnvest."

Ære være Trøndere.. SHØ!!

Haiti

Just to let you know..

After the earthquake in Haiti, 130000 people have died.

Did you know, that more people die, in Africa alone, EVERY MONTH.

I think it is really good that people help, give money and their time when something so exstreme happens.

I only wish that people would do the same every day, every month, every year. Becuase something SO exstreme is happening, now, today, always.. And yet, people don`t seem to care!!

I don`t understand!

Talk about inspiration!!!!

Holidays

Btw guys..

I have a really long easter holiday, as well as a long winter holiday.
Aaaand, I wanna go to the mountains. Anybody care to join me?

Travelling

Alwrighty thennnn!
I`m travelling again.
Soon I`ll be leaving for Lima, Peru.

It`s been some months now since I was abroad, and I really miss it. The exitement, the long hours, the tasty food! Ah, and I look so much forward to see south America. It`ll be prrretty good!
And, not at least, I really look forward to seing the guys from Hald again. I`ve gotta say, life in Mandal isn`t the same without them!

And btw, my spanish sucks. It`ll be interesting!! Comprende?

Gone!

Okey...
I`m EXTREMELY restless.
Infield is over, det last people just walked out the door. I`m sitting behind, alone, with all the impressions and thoughts. The last week has been amazing!
To feel so bad now, after the students have left, scares me. Just imagine how it`s going to be when they leave for their home countries to the summer. haff..

Infield from me perspective:
Bible class.
Swimming
Pizza
Ligretto tournament
Friends
Being sick
Praise & Prayer
More friends
Ice skates
Cold weather
Hald

In other words.. Infield, as an ettåring, not as participant, has been GREAT :D
In one week, I`ll go to Peru.. Imagine how that`s going to be!

Btw, Jack Johnson - Upside down, comes from my speakers.. it prrrretty nice!!
The sun`s shining in Mandal, and there - 15 degrees :D

Life is goooood ^^

24 special hours.

The last 24 hours have been of the most special, challenging, strange, confuseing and interessting time of my life..

Infield for the south students have started with a boom. Last night we saw a movie called: Live, and Become. (For those who don`t know, it is from this movie Hald International Senter has gotten its slogan; Go-Learn-Become).
Agnar introdused the movie as handling about poverty, racism, identity and religion. He was absolutely right. Without any doubt, I would say that this is deffinetily one of the BEST films I have ever seen.

Today, Harald is having teaching about poverty. In of the sessions, he showed a speach which Bono, the lead singer in U2, gave in Washington, under the invitation by former president, George W Bush. Bono talks about Charity and Justice... What are they, and can they iradicate poverty?!
After the speach, the south students here at Hald started reflecting and discussing around the terms: Charity, Justice, Peace, Poverty...
Sitting on the sideline, with the impression from yesterdays movie, still hanging over my head, twisting, turning and molding around in my head, and getting the opportunity to listen to what the students had to say.. I`ve got to say, I was blown away.
Charity can not iradicate poverty, only justice can. But justice can not be fullfilled withouth peace. But what is Charity? What is justice? WHAT IS POVERTY?
Some really big questions were disgussed, few answers were given, more questions raised, leaving me confused, impressed, inspired and much more..

If it were up to me.. Each and every leader and journalist in Norway, would sit on the sideline, hearing that discussion, so that they could see that when it comes to poverty, I believe that there is no one that are more capable of express and discuss the true nature of poverty, than those who have seen it, experienced it, grown up, surrounded by it..
But then.. What is poverty??

Helt ok

I`m sitting in the office at Hald.
I`m reading in a magazin from NMS Agder.
I`m reading stories about Laos.
I`m reading about girls, 6 and 9 years old, being left by their parents, but who have found Jesus.

Odd Nordstoga and Sissel Kyrkjebø`s song; jul, jul, strålande jul sings from the computer.
My body is in Norway, but my heart is in Lao.
I` m reading about the people that I know so well.
I`m reading about the prayer meeting at 5.30 am, which I used to attend.


I miss Lao, and I probably spent 6 of the best months in my life there.
Only regret is that I didn`t use the opportunity, whilst being there, well enough.

FRP

Earlier this fall, we had an election of state in Norway. FRP came very close to winning, something that in itself is scary (my opinion). Today VG writes an article about something a member of FRP said about Prince Haakons trip to Africa.
I quote: "Da kronprins Haakon var i Botswana nylig, la han ut bilder på Facebook. Frp-politiker Roger Madsen mente kronprinsen ikke bør besøke afrikanske land - fordi det bare finnes halvaper der."

It`s in norwegian, but what is says, is that the prince shouldn`t travel to africa, because there are only halfapes/halfmonkeys down there.
The man has the right to have his own opinions, but still...
How is it POSSIBLE to say something like that. How dumb... can you get?!


I LOVE it that Prince Haakon and Princess Mette Marit are travelling around the world, fighting poverty. The Prince has said it himself, our times biggest challenge is poverty.
I admire the royal family in Norway. How they stand up, acknowledging aid and fighting poverty as something that works!!
Look at NMS and their work in Lao. Since they started working in Lao, many schools have been build and restored. A lot of wells have been build, giving women a opportunity to get water without walking for hours.
Grownup people have learned to read and write, which they use to learn more about growing and runing a farm.
AID WORKS. We need to help our neighbours, also those on Norway in need.
What we DON`T need, is people calling africans halfmonkeys.

Don`t come here and call my friends halfmonkeys!!!!!!!

Kirk Franklin

All I say is; Concert with Kirk Franklin
So humble, so focused, so real, so true. He gave God the honour from the first second. What else can I do, then admire and join in that praise.
Btw, Afroamericans have the most awesome attitude :D I love it :D
Watch the vidoe. On of the best songs, made by Kirk Franklin

Hei og hopp, vesten er en flopp

Last weekend I attended a confrence called Global Leadership Summit.
During the summit I heard about an organisation called Kiva.
Kiva works with microfinance, and the way they do it is remarcable. They are partners with existing organisations that does microfinance, and the way Kiva work is that they provide lenders to the organisations, and the organisations find people who need small loans to start a small business to provide themselves at their families.

If you go to Kivas website www.kiva.org, you can provide a person with a small loan. You search between 183 countries and 200 000 people, and look at their stories. They tell their story through Kiva and the partner organisation. And if you find out that this is a person you want to help, then you can loan them some money. And on the same web site you also check up on the loan you gave, to find out how much they have payed back to you. The money you provide goes straight to the loaner, and the money gets payed straight back to you. 98,5 %of the money being lend out, gets payed back.

This organisation is one of the best I have ever heard of. Check it out, and be amazed!

Btw, did you know that almost all the money in the norwegian budget, marked for Aid, is not really marked for aid. they are meant for emergenzy fundings. And did you know that immigrants in Norway work, earn money, and send more money home to their families every year, than the norwegian aid budget. How sick is that!! Norway as a state should give more to the pour!!
Amen!

A church in change

Watch this inteview with Bono, from GLS 2006. He really smacks the church on the backhand.
BUT.. Take a look at the third video, from GLS 2009.
Here he talks about a church that has changed. The global church has acknowledged its responsability to fight poverty!! Churches all over the world has gathered millions upon millions to fight poverty. A church in USA gathered on christmas day at once over 500 000 dollar, as a pure gift to fight povery!!
Since 2006, 2 million africans have gotten medical treatment for HIV/AIDS. The fight is on!!