The road trip

Jeg sidder her med så meget taknemmlighed i hjertet. Har lige holdt afskedsfest. TÆnk at have så mange dejlige mennesker i sit liv! Tak til alle. Billeder kommer måske senere, når jeg er på min egegn computer igen.
Men nu vil jeg bare sige, at jacob og jeg kører afsted lørdag morgen 8:30. gennem Tyskeland til Schweiz. Bed gerne for en sikker tur. Knus Dorthe

SItting here with so much greatfulness in my heart. I just had my farewell party. How wonderful to have so many wonderful people in my life!!! Thanks to you all! Pictures might hit this blog at a later state. Rigth now I just want to say that Jacob and I are beginning our trip to Switzerland Saturday morning 8:30 through Germany. Please pray for a safe trip. Love, Dorthe

Verdens bedste netværksgruppe - The world's best house group

I tirsdags holdt min netværksgruppe fra kirken afskedshyggeaften for mig, og jeg var ganske overvældet. De havde lavet lagkager og pyntet op. De holdt hver og en taler for mig. De havde lavet en bibelquiz til mig (som faktisk lige er min form for underholdning). De bad for mig og stillede mange spørgsmål om min fremtid i Schweiz. Og så havde de købt den mest fantastiske gave til mig. Lige noget, jeg ønskede mig uden at have sagt det til nogen: Et års abonnement på et dansk dameblad (og andre ting).

Jeg kommer til at savne jer alle sammen i netværksgruppen! Vores fællesskab har været ustyrlig ærligt og kærligt. Vi har altid delt virkelig dybe ting med hinanden og set mange vilde bønnesvar i årenes løb. TAK! Og tak fordi I har lovet, at jeg fortsat kan dele bønneemner med jer! Det vil jeg helt sikkert benytte mig af!

Tuesday night my house group from church had made a farewell night for me and I was really overwhelmed. They had made special Danish cakes for me and decorated the house. Each and everyone of them had a little speach for me. They had made a Bible quiz for me (just my sense of entertainment, actually). They prayed for me and asked tons of questions about my future. And then they had bought the most wonderful gift: A years subscription on a nice Danish magazine for women plus some other things. This was actually a really desire I had had but had not shared with anyone.

I will really miss you all! Our fellowship has been extremely honest and caring. We have always shared really deep stuff with each other and have seen many amazing answers to prayers throughout the years. THANKS! And also thanks that you have said I can continue to send you prayer requests. I will most definately use that opportunity.

Udsendelse - Comissioning Service

Nå, men oven på den oplevelse (se sidste blogspot) var alt, hvad jeg havde lyst til resten af dagen at tale om Danmarks børn og deres behov. I stedet var det blevet tid til at tale om Europas børn, børnemedarbejdere og om mig selv! Det var min sidste gudstjeneste i København, hvor jeg skulle fortælle lidt om min fremtid i kirken og blive bedt for, førend jeg drager fra gårde.

Tak til København Vineyard og folk fra Evangelisk Børnemission. Det var en dejlig dag med en masse farvel'ler!

Well, after that experience (check out the previous blogspot) all I wanted to do for the rest of the day was to talk about the needs of the children of Denmark. But instead it was time to talk about the children of Europe, the children's workers of Europe and about me! It was time for my comissioning service in my church where they officially sent me out and prayed for me before the big road trip on Satuday!

Thanks to everyone for making this day special to me!

En buket blomster - A bouquet of flowers

Igår fik jeg et opkald fra et børneklubbarn: "Mig og mine søstre kan ikke komme til din afskedsfest for børneklubben og B'Tweens, og det er vi ret kede af." Åh ja, så var gode råd dyre. Det endte med at vi mødtes og spiste frokostpizza idag.

Og Mette, Mie og Majbrit dukkede op med en buket blomster, som de SELV havde betalt. Jeg er vist aldrig blevet så rørt over blomster før!

Mie fortalte mig, at hun har en masse billeder af os hængende derhjemme på væggen, og Mette fortalte, at hun har sat et billede af mig i sin medaljon, som hun har om halsen. Jeg var ganske overvældet (er det stadig) og havde mest af alt lyst til at blive i Danmark efter de beskeder.

Men afsted må jeg, så min bøn er, at der må være nogle andre kristne, som børnene i Humlebæk må kunne sætte i deres medaljon.

Yesterday I got a call from a Good News Club child, 'My sisters and I can't come to your farewell party for the Good News Club and Junior Youth Challenge and we are quite sad about that!'

Well, well well, we had to do something about that so today we met for pizza.

Mette, Mie and Majbrit showed up with a bouquet of flowers that they had paid for THEMSELVES. I think I have never been so toughted by flowers before.

Mie told me that she has a bunch of pictures of us on her wall and Mette told me that she has put a picture of me in her locket that she wears around the neck. I was really overwhelmed by that (still am...) and just wanted to stay in Denmark for ever.

But I have to go, so my prayer is that there will be some other Christians in the town of Humlebæk that the children can put in their locket.

Et andet besøg til Schweiz - Another visit to Switzerland

I den mere vemodige boldgade (check sidste blogspot), så har jeg også et brev fra min mors sidste besøg i Schweiz. Hun skriver i 1996:

"Når man sidder og kigger på alle de forskellige, også vores lærere som er fra Irland, så priser man Gud for, at han har kaldet unge og ældre til at rejse forskellige steder hen og tjene ham.

Og så tænker jeg på mine egne børn, at de måske en dag er til velsignelse et eller andet mystisk sted, hvor andre mennesker kan følge med i deres oplevelser! Det er jo både underligt og dejligt at tænke på. Men jeg bliver alligevel ved med at bede for, at I alle må blive brugt i Herrens tjeneste. ... Jeg håber I en dag kommer herned. Men det ved kun Gud."

On the more melancholic note (check my last blogspot), I also have a letter from my mum's last visit to Switzerland. In 1996 she is writting me:

'When I sit and look at all these different people, including our teachers from Ireland, I praise God for calling young and older people to travel to different places and serve Him. And then I think about my own children, that maybe one day they will be a blessing and travel to some strange place and other people will read about their experiences! It is both weird and wonderful to think about. But I keep on praying that you all will be used in the Lord's service. ... I hope you will come to Kilchzimmer one day. But that is something only God knows about.'

Mit første besøg i Schweiz - My first visit to Switzerland

For nylig fandt jeg nogle breve, som min mor har skrevet i Schweiz til min mormor, mens mine forældre gik på den skole i Schweiz, som jeg nu skal ned og lede. Det er da sjovt! Knapt så sjovt er det at læse diverse sandheder om sig selv i disse breve... Læs selv:

Søndag 6/7 1975: "Vil du hjælpe os med at bede for Dorthe. Vi kan ikke magte hende. Hun er mægtig sød til at sove [det er jeg faktisk stadig] ... Men hun er frygtelig ved måltiderne. Hun vil intet spise, og hun hyler og skaber sig, så vi skammer os frygteligt. Alle de andre børn spiser alt, hvad de får, og sidder stille hele tiden."

Ja, ja. Jeg vil bare sige, at jeg lover at opføre mig bedre denne gang!

Recently I found some letter that my mum wrote from Switzerland to my grandmother while my parents took the course at our Leadership Training Institute that I will now be working at. That's funny, isn't it? However, it is less funny that I have had to face some truths about myself that I didn't know about. Read for yourself:

Sunday 6. July 1975: 'Will you help us pray for Dorthe. We cannot handle her. She is really good at sleeping [I still am, actually] ... But she is terrible at the meals. She doesn't want to eat anything and she is whining and fussing so that we are so ashamed. All the other children eat everything that is served and is sitting still all the time.'

Well, well, what can I say? I promise to behave better this time!

Så fedt vemod - So cool melancholy

Idag kom Ida, Elisabeth og Maria på besøg på kontoret. De kommer til at danne grundstammen i vores nye team for TTC (Teens To Children). Maj hænger lidt ved og hjælper frem til påske, jeg kommer hjem og er med på outreachs, og Hanne kører derudad i Jylland, så helt alene er de nu ikke.

Lidt vemodigt var det dog at pakke alle mine TTC-ting sammen og give dem til Ida.

Men meget fedt -totalt coolt og trygt - var det at give sit hjertebarn videre til så dejlige og kompetente mennesker.

Ida kommer til at lede TTC, og som det fremgår af billedet øverst, bærer hun børnenes sag tæt på sit hjerte ;-)

Today Ida, Maria and Elisabeth came to visit us at the office. They will be the core leaders of our new team for TTC (Teens To Children). Maj will also hang in there until Easter, I will return and help on outreaches and Hanne is doing it full speed in Jutland too, so the new ones are not left all by themselfes.

But I have to admit that it was with a lot a melancholy that I packed all my TTC-things for Ida yesterday.

But it was so great - and oh so cool - to hand my most beloved ministry over to so competent people.

Ida will be leading TTC and as you can see on the picture above she keeps the children close to her heart ;-)

Flyttebil igen igen - Van for moving once again

Argggg!!!! I denne uge har vi gået rundt og troet, at vi havde skaffet en billig flyttebil og så finder vi ud af i dag - 1½ uge inden afrejse - at der er et forsikringsproblem!!! Vi har nu fundet et "billigt" udlejningsfirma, men det er stadig DYRT. Hvis vi ikke har fundet anden løsning inden på fredag, så må vi booke den.

Argggg!!! We thought we had got a hold of a really cheap van to use for my move to Switzerland but then today - 1½ week before departure - we learned that there was an insurance problem. We have now found a "cheap" renting compagny but it is still a lot of money. If we have not found another solution by Friday we must book this van.

Et godt grin - sooo funny

Har lige haft mig et rigtig godt grin. Jeg var ved at rydde op i nogle papirer (den står på sortering af hele mit liv i disse dage...) og faldt over et papir med overskriften: "Hvad jeg forventer mig af 1989/hele livet". Det var nu meget interessant læsning og godt at se, at jeg åbenbart har opnået faktisk næsten alle mine teenagedrømme. Og så stod der så pludselig: "Min helt store drøm er at komme til Schweiz og være med i en kristen dramagruppe." OK, man må le (eller græde). Måske kan jeg lokke nogle af mine fremtidige kolleger med på et eller andet, så også denne drøm kan blive opfyldt...

Have just had such a funny moment. I was sorting some papers (it seems like my whole life is sorting these days) and I found a paper saying, 'My expectations for 1989/the rest of my life'. With interest I started reading and it was good to see that I have accomplished most of my teenage dreams. But then suddenly towards the end of the paper I had written, 'My uttermost dream is to go to Switzerland and do Christian dramatising'. Well, well, well. Is any of my future colleagues reading this?? And do you have a suggestion so that I/we can accomplish this old dream of mine???

Badekar - bath tub

Kom hjem i eftermiddags og havde bare sådan lyst til et karbad, men ja, den slags er ikke rigtig tilgængeligt her på mit 1½ kvadratmeter københavnerbadeværelse. Men så gik det op for mig, at om to uger har jeg et badekar i Schweiz. Og der er tonsvis af bjergvand, som man bare kan bruge løs af uden at få dårlig samvittighed!!!!

Came home this afternoon and was longing for a bath but my 1½ square meter bathroom doesn't really provide such luxury. We settle with showers. But then it dawned on me: In two weeks time I will have a bath tub in Switzerland! Including tons upon tons of free mountain water which runs so plentiful that noone has a bad concience using it (as we always have in Denmark).

Skumring i Dyrehaven - Twilight in the forest

Gik en skumringstur her til aften i Dyrehaven sammen med en af mine venner. Og så mødte vi pludselig en stor flok hjorte (se billederne). Det var helt fantastisk. De fleste stod stille og gloede. Nogle gik også forbi os, men det mest fantastiske var, at det åbenbart var blevet sæson for de store kampe mellem hannerne. Kun 50 meter fra os så vi han tørne mod han, gevir mod gevir. Og når en kamp var vundet skulle der jo brøles, så alle de andre hjorte (ikke mindst hunnerne) var klar over, hvem der sejrherren. Der var meget aggresivitet i luften, og jeg stod i konstant frygt for, at den skulle gå ud over os (hvad ved jeg om hjortekampe?), men vi kom hjem i god behold.

Today I went for a twilight walk together with a friend in a big forest close to Copenhagen. And suddenly we met a lot of deers. (See the pictures.) It was magnificant! Most of them stood still and watched us but some also walked pass us quite casually. But the most fantastic experience was that apperently it was the season for the male deers to fight. So only 50 metres from us male was crashing into male, antlers against antlers. And when a fight was won then the male was roaring so that noone (especially not the female deers) would doubt who was the winner. There were a lot of aggresivity in the air and I was in constant fear that we would be some of the victims (what do I know about deer fights?) but we got home save and sound.

Et møjforkælet Guds barn - A rotten spoiled child of God

Jeg føler mig bare så velsignet. Gud har på så mange måder vist mig de sidste uge, hvor meget han elsker mig. Og i så mange praktiske situationer har han givet mig lige det, jeg havde brug for. Jeg føler mig møjforkælet!

I feel so blessed. In so many ways the past weeks God has shown me how much He loves me. And in so many practicals ways He has given me exactly what I needed. I feel rotten spoiled!

Opdatering på flytteforvirring - Update on the moving situation

Alt i orden med arbejdstilladelse o. lign.
Min bror Jacob og jeg kører til Schweiz 29-30/9.
Der er stadig ikke nogen afklaring med bibelskole, men måske en lysning i horisonten.
Mangler en kassevogn til at køre alle mine ting derned.
Og så har jeg ryddet mit loft igår og idag. Jeg kan undres over, hvor meget skrammel, man får samlet sammen på seks år.

Everything is settled regarding work permit and the like.
My brother Jacob and I will drive to Switzerland 29.-30. of September.
There is still no solution regarding Bible School but maybe a brigtening in the horisont.
Need a big van to drive the stuff and myself down in.
And then I have cleared my attic yesterday and today. Can't get over how much uneccesary stuff it it possible to get in 6 years.

Hygge med M & M - Good times with M & M

I lørdags havde jeg en rigtig hyggelig dag med mine små søskende Miriam (7) og Marcus (5). Vi var i svømmehal, på Mc Donalds, i Fætter BR og derhjemme. Dejligt med en masse tid sammen her få uger, førend jeg rejser.

Børn har deres helt egen logik - her er et eksempel. Sidst på eftermiddagen sad Marcus og jeg og samlede noget legetøj. Marcus sad og kiggede i posen med skruer, og jeg sagde: "Kan du lige give mig den store grå skrue og den... øh... dims..., der passer til." "Dårlig forklaring", tænkte jeg, men Marcus rakte mig den rigtige dims, og jeg måtte naturligvis spørge, hvordan det var lykkedes ham at forstå min forklaring. "Det var den eneste ting, der lignede en dims", svarede han. Og ja... det var faktisk rigtigt!

This Saturday I spend a really nice day together with my youngest siblings, Miriam (7) and Marcus (5). We went to the swimming bath, Mc Donalds, a toy store and also spend time at home. It was very nice to spend a whole day together here a few weeks before I leave Denmark.

And children have their own kind of logic. Here is an example: Late in the afternoon Marcus and I was putting a piece of toy together. He was looking in the bags with all the screws in and I said, 'Could you please hand me the big grey screw and ... ehmm... the little .... thingy emmm... that fits it?' 'What a lousy explanation', I thought but Marcus handed me the right pieces. 'How on earth did you find the right piece for that screw?', I asked. 'It was the only piece that looked like a thingy', he replied. And actually.... he was right.

Drømte mig en drøm - I had a dream

I nat drømte jeg en mærkelig drøm... Jeg gik på et opfriskningskursus i standarddans (schweizere er ret vilde med standarddans), men pludselig blev kurset forvandlet til min børneklub, og pludselig kom en af de høje herrer fra EB Europa ind i billedet. (Jeg ved ikke, om han kom pga standarddansen eller børneklubben.) Jeg fortalte ham om mine frustrationer med at finde en online bibelskole, og han sagde: "Jamen, jeg kan da hjælpe dig! Se her! Check denne web-adresse ud!" Og så viste han mig en webadresse.

Herefter vågnede jeg. Først tænkte jeg ikke mere på det, men så tænkte jeg: "Hvad nu hvis...". Jeg tændte computeren og tastede webadressen ind.... Og kom frem til en hjemmeside, der solgte løbesko. Og hvad er så meningen med det? (Udover at jeg faktisk burde købe et par nye løbesko...)

Last night I had the funniest dream. First I was at a refreshers course in ballroom dancing. (Apparently the swizz people looove ballroom dancing so I want to take that up again, by the way.) Then the course turned into my Good News Club and then one of the big leaders in CEF Europe came into the dream. (I don't know if he came for the ballroom dancing or the Good News Club.) Well, I took the opportunity to tell him about my difficulties of finding a good online Bible course and he said, 'Well, no problem. I can help you. Look this internet address up!'

Then I woke up and first thought nothing of it, but then I started thinking, 'What if???' So I turned on the computer and looked up the address... And it turned out to be a page that sells running shoes... So... What the meaning??? (Except, I actually need new running shoes...)

Fredfyldt forvirring - Peaceful confusion

Der er en del forvirrende ting i mit liv lige nu:

- Jeg skulle på bibelskole september-december men det blev aflyst, så nu må jeg tage mine bibelstudier online.
- Jeg har først arbejdstilladelse i Schweiz fra januar men har udlejet min lejlighed fra oktober.
- Jeg kan ikke finde et bibelstudie online, som giver mig det, jeg har brug for.
- Jeg har ansøgt om at komme på et kort lederkursus i Ungarn i starten af oktober, men har ikke fået svar.

Alt i alt: Temmelig meget kaos!
Vil sætte pris på jeres forbøn for, at Guds løsning må træde i værk.

There seems to be a lot of confusing things in my life at the moment:

- I should have been to Bible School in September but it was cancelled so now I have to do my Bible studies online instead.
- I only have work permit in Switzerland from January but I have rented out my apartment from October.
- I can't find an online Bible course that fits my needs.
- I have applied to a short leadership course in Hungary in October but have not got a reply.

Altogether: A lot of chaos!
I would really appriciate your prayers for God's solutions to take place!

Så fik vi Lea tilbage! - Finally we got Lea back!

I morges brød jeg mit ferie-løfte: Ikke at sætte vækkeuret i alle mine tre ugers ferie. Men som sagt: I morges MÅTTE jeg bare bryde det, for min gode veninde Lea skulle lande i lufthavnen efter et år i Sudan som læge. Hvor er det godt at have hende tilbage i god behold! Hun lignede sig selv, men mon ikke der alligevel er noget, der er forandret efter et år i et borgerkrigshærget land?

Jeg glæder mig til at tale mere med dig, Lea og byder gerne på en brunch, så snart du er "landet" rigtigt.

This morning I broke my holiday resolution: Not to set my alarm clock for my entire 3 weeks holiday. But today I had to set it because my wonderful friend Lea was returning from Sudan and we wanted to meet her in the airport. She has spend a year there working as a doctor. How good it is to have her back in one piece. She looked like her good old self but I guess that some things have changed after being in a country that are in the middle of a civil war.

I look forward to spend more time with you again, Lea, and would love to invite you out for a brunch whenever you are ready!

Det er den slags matematik, vi ka' li! - That's the math we like!

Igår mødte jeg et gammelt børneklub-barn, der nu er blevet teenager. Hun fortalte, at hun havde fortalt sin lille kusine om at tro, og at kusinen med det samme havde taget imod Jesus.

Der er nogen, der har sagt, at når man fortæller børn om Jesus, så starter man en gange-tabel, fordi de fortæller det videre og videre.

Og selv om jeg engang var en passioneret matematiklærer, så vil jeg nu sige, at det er denne slags matematik, jeg især elsker!

Yesterday I met an old Good News Club child. She is now in her teens. She told me that she had told her little cousin about her faith and the cousin had received Christ immidiately.

Someone once said that when you reach children you start a multiplication proces because they continue to tell others about Christ.

And even if I once was a very passionated math-teacher I must say that THIS is the kind of mathematic, I looove!

Buholo går til filmen - Buholo makes it to the movies

Jeg har mange tossede veninder, men Buholo slår dem alle!

Og i forgårs lykkedes det hende at få mig overtalt til at medvirke i en kortfilm, som hun igår skulle lave for at deltage i en film-konkurrence i København. På en eller anden måde endte jeg med hovedrollen og kom i mange mærkelige situationer igår - kan dog desværre ikke røbe noget, da konkurrencen stadig kører.

Håber, at du vinder, Buholo. Men jeg har altså ikke tid til at tage med dig til Holywood - jeg skal snart til Schweiz!

I have many crazy friends but Buholo beats them all!

Thursday she persuated me to act in a short movie that she was making Friday for a competition that is taking place at the moment in Copenhagen. Somehow I ended up as the main character and suddenly saw myself in many strange situations yesterday - but I can't reveal anything since the competition is still running.

I hope you win, Buholo. But I can't join you in Holywood - I am soon moving to Switzerland!

En rørende aften - A touching evening

Bare lige et lille minde fra sommerlejren, som stadig sidder i mig.

Den sidste aften skulle vi som alle aftener have aftenandagt med lovsang for de store børn. Det var Ida, der skulle lede aftenen, men få minutter inden start, kommer hun i fuld fart over til mig og siger, at jeg må overtage aftenen, da der er en lille pige, der har låst sig inde på toilettet og græder. Jeg går ind og finder lovsangsgruppen, som venter på besked om, hvad de skal spille. Det overlader jeg trygt til dem at finde ud af, og aftenen går igang.

Og nu kommer det smukke: Som aftenen går, bliver det de unge ledere mellem 14-18 år, der styrer aftenen. To finder sange, en holder andagt, en anden styrer lovsangen som om han ikke havde bestilt andet det sidste år, et par stykker rådgiver børn, nogle synes, at det er tid til et eftermøde. Og det hele foregår i en gudgiven ro. Og jeg læner mig trygt tilbage og ser det hele ske. Her står alle disse dejlige teenagere og tjener Gud. Jeg har kendt dem alle, siden de var børn. Jeg har tjent Gud sammen med dem på Teens To Children, og nu står de her og styrer det hele.
I bagklogskabens lys tænker jeg, at det havde været mere logisk, at jeg havde hjulpet pigen på toilettet og Ida havde ledt mødet som planlagt. Men jeg tror, at Gud havde denne oplevelse i baghånden til mig. Det var en dejlig måde at sige farvel til min sidste børnelejr, inden jeg snart rejser til Schweiz.

Just a wee memory from camp last week that I can't forget.

It was the last evening and time for the last devotional meeting for the older children. Ida was supposed to lead the whole thing but a few minutes before, she hurried up to me and told me to take over the meeting since she had to help a little girl that had locked herself into one of the toilets.
I went into the hall only to realize that the worship team were waiting for Ida to tell them which songs to sing. I handed over that responsibility to them!

And then the beautiful thing started to happen in front of my eyes. All those young helpers at camp, age 14-18 took over! Some found songs, another had a devotion, two counselled children, one was leading the worship like he had been doing so for years and so on. And I could just lean back and watch it all! How wonderful to watch all these young people whom I have known since they were children. We have all served together at Teens To Children too and now they were ready to take over.

Looking back on the whole evening I think it would have made more sense if I had fixed the toilet problem and Ida had been leading the evening as planned but I think this was a special gift from God to me. Because it was such a wonderful ending to my last summer camp in Denmark before soon leaving to go to Switzerland.