Update from the Andersen’s

Hello friends! 

It’s been a while since our last update, and with very good reason.
On 19th September our little Emanuel Andersen came into the world!
Weighing 4000g and 49cm long! Our perfect little boy.
So… we’ve been a little busy figuring out parenthood haha

The birth itself went very well however afterwards I (Laura) lost 2.2litres of blood due to the uterus not contracting. I had to be operated on and ended up staying in the hospital a total of 5 days. Despite all the extra complications we are so grateful it went well in the end and that I’m slowly getting stronger.
It has meant though that my recovery time has been a lot longer, due to my energy already being reduced from before birth as well.
Even though its challenging healthwise we are loving parenthood, Emanuel is just the most beautiful little boy, he sleeps well, eats lots and loves cuddles! We are trying to soak in all the newborn moments and love on him as much as we can! He is now 7 weeks old and growing fast, we are learning so much each day and adjusting to the new rhythms of life!

DTS
The DTS has also started and is also 7 weeks into lecture phase!!
God is moving as always! They are hungry for more of Him and are really going after it! During Holy Spirit week many people received the gift of tongues and were filled with the Holy Spirit! We had 7 students/staff get baptized a few weeks ago and there’s been several healings! One of our staff had chronic pain in her back and knees for the last 5 years and got instantly healed in a meeting!

TRAVEL UPDATE

In January we are planning to go visit all of our family in Australia and introduce them to Emanuel!
And from Australia we are going to travel to Albania to do a pastoral visit to follow up one of the DTS outreach teams!

Tickets right now are around 50,000kr or $7,000 AUD for us 3.
We are currently lacking 15,000 kr or $2,000 AUD.

We want to take the opportunity to ask you to pray about helping us with a financial gift to get us to Australia and Albania. If you’d like to give the information is below!

Vipps: 92304452
Konto: 30602251973
Paypalandersen.goran@gmail.com

Either way, we’d appreciate all the prayer for financial provision, safe travels and that Emanuel is a good traveler just like his parents 😉

 

Oppdatering fra Bolivia!

Update from the Andersen’s

Hello friends!

Summer holidays (at least for those of us in Europe) have come and gone and a new season of work has started!
We are jumping into start up days with our base and have already had 1 week of staff training with all the other DTS’s in Norway! This year was special as we joined together with Laget (A christian organisation reaching out to students in schools in Norway) and had most of our training together! It was special to see the unity that was being formed and to see two different organisations come together with the same goal, to see Jesus glorified and people saved was really special to be a part of!While we have lots we could share about, we felt that God was really highlighting our «WHY» behind what we do and that we should share that with you as we enter into a new season of DTS.The biggest reason behind why we’ve chosen this lifestyle is that our hearts really long to see others experience God’s love, to be transformed inside and out, like how we’ve experienced it ourselves. We want to see God’s name be lifted high, that He would be the first and foremost reason for all that we do!
Our «why» is because we want it to be all about Him! And that for us is in this season is expressed through our job in YWAM.
We know it’s not a «normal» way of living and that it can confuse some people but for us our hearts come alive here.
«The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.»
Frederick Buechner 
We get to see all generations be met with God’s love through the discipleship schools. We work with them for 6 months and feel so privileged to see glimpses into what God’s doing in their hearts! We see transformation around us, not only in the schools but also in the nations we visit through our 2 month outreach teams.
Another part of our «WHY» is because we see a lack of discipleship happening around the world in churches and christian communities, people can’t grow in their spiritual life (in the way we are supposed) just from 2hrs on a Sunday! The body of Christ and future generations desperately need discipleship so we can truly reflect our Father’s image to the world around us!We believe we are ALL called to live a «mission’s» lifestyle, whether it’s in a doctor’s office, as a carpenter, working in a supermarket, being a stay-at-home parent or being a part of YWAM or some other christian organisation. We are all together in this calling, it’s just expressed differently.
For us, it looks like YWAM and DTS’s right now and that’s what we wanted to share with you.
The «WHY» behind what we do is soooo important, we encourage you to check your «why» behind your life, is it aligned with God’s call on your life?

We love you guys, and wherever and whatever He has us doing, let’s live to see His name be glorified in all we do!

» Then Jesus came to them and said, «All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.»
– Matthew 28:18-20 



1 month left! 

It’s not long now til we meet our precious little boy, Emanuel.
We are sharing his name as we’ve actually known who this little guy was going to be for the last 9 years!
In 2014 while we were on a School of Evangelism in Australia, we were fasting as a school through Ramadan and praying for the Muslims. Gøran and I had just started dating and it was my shift on prayer. I suddenly got a very clear vision of a little baby and behind him was Gøran and then I heard «Emanuel, God with us and I will be with him» then I woke up.
So for the last 9 years I’ve carried this picture with me and knew that somehow, sometime, Emanuel would come into our lives. Even through the heavy period with Chronic Fatigue where I had basically given up all possibility of having kids because of my health there was always a little question in my heart saying «But what about the promise God gave me about this little boy».When we found out we were having a baby, I knew it just had to be Emanuel, it had to be a boy. And it was!
So we have chosen to say his name and share who he is already, since we’ve in a way already carried him for the last 9 years and we are just so excited to meet this little guy!!!

PRAYER POINTS

If you would like to stand with us in prayer that would be incredible! We’ve written down some points in our lives where we need it but we would also love for you to send us an email with ways we can be standing with you in prayer! As the body of Christ we need each other! So please, let us know how we can be there for you in this season as well!

~ Protection over Laura and Emanuel through the birth and for an incredible birth experience

~ Unity in the staff group as we start up and learn how to work together as a team

~ Wisdom for how this next season of becoming parents should/will look like for us

Nytt fra Nord-Thailand – Juni 2023

Update from the Andersen´s

WE’RE PREGNANT!!!

If you haven’t already seen it on Facebook then we want to share it fresh here that yes, we are expecting a little baby boy this September! The due date is the day the next DTS starts, 22nd September… so super fun timing but God has a plan in it all so we aren’t stressed!
We’ve felt so lead by God through this season of choosing to start trying and trusting Him with my (Laura) health and believing for complete healing in and through the process. We know that He’s so close, leading us through this so we have peace to «step out of the boat» and take this step of faith, something we had almost completely ridden off due to my health. We are so grateful for this chance and are excited to meet this little guy!!! I’m currently 24 weeks and feeling him move a lot! Pregnancy is beautiful and we are both really enjoying this time.

I (Gøran) was in South africa and Turkey in March/April.

South Africa
I got invited to a international DTS gathering where we came together to seek God, have fellowship with many other DTS leaders from all around the world and to start dreaming about what God has for the future!

Turkey
I felt God lead me to do a scouting trip to the city in Turkey that we used to live in. I really felt He started to stir up some dreams in my heart so there will be more to come on this!! 🙂

Praying over the nations in South Africa
These awesome people lead DTS’s in different countries all over the world!
Visiting one of the local churches in Turkey
Some of our sweet friends in Turkey that we used to be on a team with! It was so special to see them all again!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE SEND KRISTIANSAND

The Send has become a movement around the world but especially here in Norway where we are calling young people to go ALL IN for Jesus and out of a passive/lukewarm life. It’s about sending people out to impact the places they are already in; schools, work, neighborhoods, missions etc.
We got to be a part of seeing over 60 people give their lives to Jesus and over 100 declare that they would be willing to go to the missions field if God called them.

RECAPS

– I (Laura) got my Norwegian driving license yesterday!!!
After going through all the mandatory requirements I finally got to take the test and passed with flying colours!!! It’s such a testimony to my healing process as well! 1 year ago I could not drive at all due to the chronic fatigue so this is such a HUGE victory and I’m over the moon I got it before little bubby joins us!!

– LAURA IS A NORWEGIAN CITIZEN!!!
Yes… that’s correct! Dual citizenship baby!!! My application got approved in late January this year and I have now received my passport and it’s all finalized!! Such a blessing to have all the visa stuff sorted out after 6 years of working through it!

PRAYER POINTS

– For Laura to be fully healed from Chronic Fatigue and that the pelvic pain she is experiencing due to pregnancy would stop as well.

– The Send Stavanger (another city in Norway) is happening in 2 weeks and we will be joining. Please join us in prayer for the team organizing it and that lots of people would be met by Jesus and choose to go ALL IN for Him!!

– We are praying about potentially moving, as we need more space with the baby coming and Laura’s brother has also been living with us. We’d appreciate prayers for wisdom and guidance through this process and that doors would open up for the perfect place! Or peace to stay where we are for now 🙂 🙂

Oppdatering fra Bolivia

Vulkan i Arken

 

Da regntiden begynte i januar, ble også mygg et problem, med tilfeller av dengue t.o.m i 2600 m.o.h.  Myggen som har dengue er i utgangspunktet en tropeart, men det ser ut til at nye, mer resistente arter  utvikler seg. Da coronapandemien brøt ut i 2020, ble vi i tillegg rammet dengue-epidemi, hovedsakelig i  Santa Cruz og tropeområder i Cochabamba fylke. I år var epidemien enda verre, med over 14 000 som ble  smittet, overfylte sykehus, de fleste pasientene var barn.  

I regntiden er det viktig å ikke ha bøtter, kar, bildekk, o.l., stående ute, da de samler vann og forårsaker  storformering av mygg. Vi hadde 4-5 bildekk til overs fra parkprosjektet vårt. Dekkene vi hadde liggende  måtte bli brukt snarlig …, og vi hadde en god idé !!! Bildekkene skulle bli til VULKAN! (idéer er sjelden mangelvare i Arken …, det eneste vi av og til er i mangel av er resurser til å utføre alle de  gode idéene …). Av naturlige årsaker ble det fortgang i vulkanen. 

 

 

En del av parken, som vi begynte å jobbe med i fjorårets
vinterferie (juli 2022) er satt av til dinosaurer; vår egen
lille Jurassic Park! Vi fikk noen flotte dinosaurer i julegave.
Guttene har plantet «forhistoriske planter» rundt
sandkassen i dinosaurområdet. Plantene er egentlig helt
vanlige planter, som vokser rundt forbi på barnehjemmet
(bananplanter, sukkulenter, etc.), men straks de slår rot
rundt dinosaurene, ser de veldig forhistoriske ut. Enhver
Jurassic Park med respekt for seg selv bør ha minst én
vulkan (om mulig flere!). I tillegg til bildekkene hadde vi
litt sement, sand og gips til overs fra muren og
baderomsoppussing. Det var bare å sette i gang. Det er
fryktelig tungt å blande sement for hånd, men vi har
mange sterke tenåringer, som fikk bruke energien på
dette. Martin, som er en kunstnersjel, jobbet ekstra
flittig. Han blir alltid inspirert når det er snakk om å lage
skulpturer av diverse slag.

 

Syste Nytt fra Kjøkkenhagen

Vi begynte som vanlig å gjøre kjøkkenhagen klar i september (vår i Bolivia).
Oktober og november er det alltid hektisk i skolesammenheng, da det er
siste innspurt på skoleåret, med utstillinger, avslutningseksamener, etc. Det
er først når sommerferien begynner i desember at vi får tid til å ta et
skippertak i kjøkkenhagen. Vi startet opp med tomater, paprika, bladbete
(chard) og okra. Disse vokser raskt, noe som oppmuntrer guttene til å jobbe
i kjøkkenhagen. Beimar bestemte seg for å lage sin egen kjøkkenhage nede
ved snekkerverkstedet (bak parkprosjektet), hvor han sådde mais.
Det gikk ikke lenge før okraen
spratt opp av jorden, og klatret
opp etter vegger og gjerder.
Den tok nesten overhånd, og ga
god avling.
Tomatene vokste raskt, men så
snart de begynte å få frukt, kom
det utøy på plantene. Det skjer
hvert år. Hvis vi ikke finner noen
naturlige måter å bli kvitt midd
og lignende, tror jeg neppe vi
kommer til å satse på tomater
til neste år.
Vi er kun amatører, og har mye
å lære. I fjor prøvde vi å bli kvitt
maur med kanel og kaffe; det
hjalp noe. I år prøvde vi oss
med nellik, og det ga meget
gode resultater. Mauren liker definitivt
ikke nellik.
Paprikaen vokste og vokste, den ble både
høy og frodig. Sterke stilker, flotte blader,
men så langt har det blitt skuffende lite
paprika.

 

Bladbetene derimot er fantastiske.
Mens vi ventet på paprikaen og maisen,
bestemte vi oss for å utvide kjøkkenhagen og
prøve oss på noe nytt; blomkål og brokkoli!
El Paso er kjent for å være et godt område for mais, og vi har
tidligere hatt gode resultater. Men i år var avlingen helt
mislykket. Kanskje like greit for Beimar at han har hatt
lørdagsskole siden februar, og har derfor ikke hatt tid til å sørge
over maisen. 2023 var tydeligvis kålets år; både blomkål og
brokkoli vokste seg gedigne og ga flotte avlinger.
Barn er ofte lite begeistret for
hverken blomkål, brokkoli eller
andre typer kål. Tips: kok dem
med laurbær; det tar bort den
rare lukten og gir kålet en søt
og fyldig smak. Guttene i
Arken synes det smaker
fortreffelig.

Update from the Andersen´s

 

Hey friends!

So much has happened in this past month and it was definitely time for an update!

Since our last email, the DTS has ended and we’ve closed the chapter on yet another school!
God did such amazing things in the hearts of the students and there’s such incredible stories of healings and miracles from outreach.. every year we are just in awe of all God does!
He is truly moving in the nations and is touching the hearts of people everywhere! It’s incredible to get to partner with Him to see lives transformed through the obedience of the students, staff and us!

Here are a few short testimonies of things the students have experienced!

Tanzania: 
«Before outreach I felt God say to me that I would see baptisms take place on outreach. However 7 weeks into outreach we had not seen any baptisms so I got pretty frustrated and thought «maybe it won’t happen».
A little while later we were out on the streets evangelising and I was playing guitar while others spoke to people around us. Suddenly Gøran runs up to me and says «Some of these guys want to get baptized!»
I was excited but was thinking… «Ah it’s Africa.. things don’t always happen here even though people say it will» so I doubted it would happen. But then a few days later, there we were, standing at the local YWAM base, around a hole they had dug in the ground and put a tarp in, filled it with water and we got to baptize these 3 guys that had given their lives to the Lord!!!!»
When He speaks, He is faithful to see it through!!!

South Asia: 
«Our team was ministering and praying for people and some were praying for a girl that was both mute and deaf in her left ear. They prayed for a long time and the girl noticed a little bit of change. They moved on and continued to pray for others but God really put this girl on my heart and I felt that He wasn’t finished with her yet.
I went over to her and prayed for her for the next 30 minutes!! Her ear fully opened up and she started to speak!! She was completely healed!!!»

Tanzania: 
I’m not really the type of person who finds it easy to start conversations up in evangelism or to share the gosepl so I wasn’t really thinking I would do this on outreach. But one day we were out doing evangelism in the local marketplace and I started to share the gospel to this man we met. I didn’t realise it but as I was sharing a crowd was gathering around and were also listening. The man gave his life to Jesus and then more people started to come and give their lives to Jesus! They told me that they didn’t have any money to offer me but I shared that you don’t need to pay, the gospel message is free! Salvation through Jesus is free!
Then man that first gave his life to Jesus started sharing the message he had just heard with 2 others right after!»

South East Asia: 
» One evening we decided spontaneously to attend a youth gathering, and after the meeting was finished a young girl approached me and asked to speak with me privately. She said that she was not a follower of Christ but did pray once in a while, so the day before she had prayed and asked God for westerners to come to church so that she could openly speak about something that she had been struggling with. So she began to tell me how having sex outside of marriage in Indonesia was now illegal in the country, but she was spending a lot of time sleeping around with her boyfriend and some other friends and she really enjoyed it, but was conflicted about it and if it was separating her from ever having a relationship with God. But she could not discuss it with anyone because she would be punished in one way or another. So for the first time she was able to ask questions and talk freely about what was going on in her life and asked for advice. I had the opportunity to speak life into the situation, and to tell her that she never had to be afraid to come to Jesus when she was ready, that he wouldn’t shame her for what she had done, but that he would receive her as she is. She was not ready this night to receive Jesus, but she left sooo encouraged with the knowledge that it was possible to be set free from this. And it was such a blessing that God brought us there this night to be available for this girl»

These are just a few of the amazing testimonies some of the students and staff experienced on outreach! Others saw legs grow out, lame people walk for the first time, people received a passion to share the gospel, they saw personal healing and breakthroughs, got to encourage people to start reading the bible again and they saw many, many people give their lives to Jesus!!!

This is the amazing team that Gøran has been leading this previous school with! Synnøve, Viktor and Karina. All beautiful people that love Jesus and have a passion to see people discipled and sent to the nations!

QUICK UPDATES

– After the school ended we had some time off, so we were blessed to spend a few days at Gøran’s uncles cabin. We got to show my brother Luke the cabin life of Norway, hot dogs while skiing and practice some snowboarding!
ALSO… Praise report!! I (Laura) was actually able to join a skiing trip and take two trips down the mountain snowboarding… It was such a victory point for my health!!! 

– Today Gøran headed off to South Africa. He’ll be there for around 5 days at an International Gathering for DTS leaders worldwide. After that he’ll travel to Turkey to connect with some friends there and scout out potential future connections for ministry and team trips.

-Gøran and the team have also started planning the next DTS in September. It’s exciting to start dreaming with God and seeing what His heart is for this next school! Even though it’s the same teaching and often the same teachers each school is still so unique and God always wants to do something new/fresh in each DTS.

PRAYER POINTS

– Safe travels for Gøran and for favour with the connections and people he meets! For open doors into Turkey and clear direction!

– For my brother Luke that he’d be able to find good community here!

– That our hearts would continue to be more and more hungry for more of God and to see His presence poured out in and through our lives!

Update from the Andersen’s

Hey Friends!

These past 2 months have flown by and it’s definitely time for an update! We’ve been so blessed to have been a part of so many fun things and we can’t wait to share them with you! Since it’s been a lot we’ll split it into 2 sections: Thailand and Tanzania!

It’ll be a tad long but that’s mostly because of the photos! So hang in there, it’s a good one! 

THAILAND
On the 24th Jan we flew over to Thailand to visit one of our outreach teams. We had one on one conversations with all the members of the team and we were able to encourage them in their ministry  and to really chase after all they wanted to see in the last month of their outreach! We joined most of the ministries they were a part of and got to meet lots of local people, refugees, do practical work and even visit some villages around the area we were staying! God moved in the hearts of the team, people were saved and miracles happened!

40 people gave their lives to Jesus!
We went to a Burmese tribal group called «Karen» people. We got to give food to them and also I (Gøran) got to share the gospel with all of them! About 40 people gave their lives to Jesus and many of them got healed of different infirmities in their bodies!

I think a huge highlight for us as a couple was that I (Laura) was actually well enough to join the trip and be present while we were there. It’s been such a long time since we’ve been able to do a «mission’s trip» together and it was really encouraging for both of our hearts and made us realise again how MUCH we LOVE doing this kind of work and being out in the nations! It’s so life-giving for us and it was a really beautiful time for us as a couple to finally do it together again!

Here’s so fun pics of our time there <3

By some crazy chance we got to meet up with Amy in Bangkok! We all did our DTS and SOE together almost 10 years ago!!

Some of the team and Gøran helped run a youth seminar for some local Burmese youth over 3 days! They said they were so encouraged to see the youth’s hunger grow and to be there to pray and talk with them.

________________________________________________________________________________________
TANZANIA

Less than 24hrs after we arrived home from Thailand, Gøran was back on a plane headed to Tanzi!! This was a whole different outreach experience than Thailand as the team was going to a lot more rural places and often had to drive minimum 3hrs to get to surrounding villages! They stayed in a village which was 8hrs away from the YWAM base in Arusha for about 1 week in tents! God did so many incredible things through the team there as well, healings, salvations, baptisms!! The two weeks I was in Tanzania, one of the staff told me that we had seen over 100 people saved and many of them healed!

Testimony of Salvations:
During evangelism in the city of Arusha I met a bunch of motorcycle taxi drivers and started sharing the gospel with them. Two of them were muslims and several of them were christian by tradition. After sharing the gospel and talking to them, 4 of them wanted to give their lives to Jesus, one of the muslims was quite interested but he was also a little reluctant at the same time. One of the guys got so happy that he took off his watch and gave it to me, and I was so reluctant to take it, but culturally I had to! The following Sunday the team got to baptize three of these guys!!

This woman was one of two wives to her husband and wasn’t treated properly so her and her children were very malnourished. She ended up giving her life to Jesus and we were able to bless her family with lots of food parcels! And now she is a new member of the church we worked alongside.

Kaka Daniel (Brother Daniel) is a 30 year DTS school leader just like me! He was the host for the outreach team we sent and we connected really well and he’s become my African brother! Please pray for him and his family as they live completely by faith, trusting God to provide all their needs!

 

 

JESUSFESTIVALEN 2023

Hjertelig velkommen til Jesusfestivalen 2023!

Den skal være i Betania Kristiansand, Elvegata 10.

Mer informasjon kan du finne på  https://jesusfest.no

 

 

Update from the Andersen’s

Hey friends!

Happy New Year!!
Hope you’re all enjoying the first few weeks of 2023 and feel fresh vision and excitement for the year ahead!
We’ve had an exciting start to the year as we got to send out our 4 DTS outreach teams: Indonesia, Thailand, Tanzania and to South Asia where they have now been for about 3 weeks!
Gøran and I are super excited because tomorrow we will be jumping on a plane to Thailand to visit one of the teams there! We call it a «Pastoral Visit» which includes having one-on-one chats with all the members in the team and with the leaders to make sure everyone is doing well and that they are connecting as a team. We will be joining the team in all the ministry they are a part of and basically just love on and encourage them and the people they are working with!

We will be there roughly 2 weeks, we fly back to Kristiansand and then Gøran will have 12hrs at home before he flies to Tanzania to visit another team there.
So we’ve got a very fun month ahead of us!!

Please join us in prayer for the teams:
– Unity in the teams
– God’s heart for the people
– Faith for the impossible
– Protection from the schemes of the enemy

We’ve added in some testimonies from some of the teams below! It’s always so encouraging to hear about what God is doing in the nations!


TESTIMONY

60 YEARS OLD AND LAME FOR LIFE, WALKS FOR THE FIRST TIME

On a day off in Tanzania the team was at a place which was prodominatly muslim and they came across an elderly woman at the age of sixty who had been born lame so she was sitting in a wheelchair. She was muslim but they still asked if they could pray for her and she said yes.
Instantly the most miracoulus thing happened, just like Peter and John in front of the temple with the lame man, she got up and started to walk!! For the first time in her life! She gave her life to Jesus and said that when she gets home, she will throw away her hijab. A crowd started to form around them so the team started sharing the gospel and praying for people and they saw 2 more healings and 3 muslims gave their lives to Jesus! Ahh it’s just insane!! Thank you Jesus!!

FUN UPDATES
  • Laura’s brother (Luke) will be moving from Australia to live with us at the end of February!
  • On the 24th Jan we will celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary!
  • Laura is starting the process of getting her Norwegian driver’s license. So please pray that her health continues to get better so that this goes smoothly and quickly!
  • Gøran is helping to renovate the DTS office at the base so this past week he’s built a wall and will be putting down new flooring today! We’ll add pics of it when the office is finished… maybe the next update.