Norway+Denmark =Norwark
- Jordan Spencer
- Sep 6, 2022
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 15, 2022
This picture was taken of our amazing “Norwark” team as we said our goodbyes to the ranch - The goal: “reach out”!
Outreach Success... 💯 🙌🏻
We were extremely blessed to get to lead these four families from across the globe for 8 weeks of Holy Spirit ordained goodness in Norway and Denmark. We saw people come to the Lord, we saw people get connected to churches, we saw people receive encouragement, and we saw the wind of hope enter the sails of many brothers and sisters in Christ as they serve the Lord in their local ministries.
During our time of outreach, we heard people saying things like, “I can’t believe that you would come here to our country.”, and “It’s so encouraging that you came here because our westernized, first-world nation needs God too.” - I have to say that statement proved more true than we realized when we embarked on this journey. What we began to sense is that many of the individuals we encountered in these two "wealthy" nations are seeing that something ( or someone ) is missing from their lives. They are searching for something more real than what their personal comforts and possessions can offer. Our team's presence in their two nations was an encouragement and a rejuvenation for many. We experienced God awakening people into a new revelation of what it means to serve Him as individuals, as couples, and families. His calling for them is way more actionable and attainable than they had realized. If we, a bunch of families can “Go” as Jesus clearly asks us to do in the Gospels, with our spouses, and our children, and all that entails - THEY CAN "GO" TOO.
Our first location: Skien, Norway
As some of you may already know, we were blessed to be able to stay at a Ukranian Refugee camp for the five weeks that we were in Norway. We lived with 30 to 40 refugees who have been displaced due to the war in their country. We got to be present in their current struggle. We were able to befriend them as they navigated the system of either integrating into the nation of Norway or maneuvering toward a more permanent situation elsewhere.
At first, our team struggled relating with the Ukrainians. Overcoming the language barrier and finding the cracks in their social and emotional defenses proved difficult. But, the Holy Spirit helped us find ways to shine His love into the situation and light up the darkness. Over our time residing there, (and with a little help from Google translate 😂) we made some very good friends with some of the beautiful, Ukranian people. We also met an amazing family of Ukranian evangelists who we were able to do ministry with during our time there (picture below).
They, along with another Ukranian family, invited our team to go visit another refugee camp in the neighboring city of Porsgrunn. We went and shared the gospel through personal testimonies and a drama that our team had put together. We were blessed to witness four Ukranian women come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. The following week we went back and another Ukranian woman rededicated her life to the Lord.
- PRAISE BREAK!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Worthy are You Lamb of God!!! Your sacrifice made a way!!!😁🙌🏻
( Kira will be posting a blog in the coming weeks specifically to share Alex and Angelica’s story of how God made a way for their family to go to Norway. It is an amazing story of our God who cares about the details! )
In addition to the refugee ministry that we were blessed to be involved in, the Holy Spirit made a way for us to connect and partner with a local house church called DNA. It was made up of a great group of Norwegians who have a heart for the Lord and want to be a part of making a lasting impact in their community and nation. One of the more involved ways that we worked with DNA was in co-hosting a “mini-VBS” in the mornings. Three days a week (over the course of three weeks) we bicicyled to a local riverside park near the city center where we gathered and sang songs, played games, and shared stories from the Bible with local Norwegian families.
We had many different people come and go over the three week time frame. We weren't certain how effective our efforts were until some people from DNA testified to us that through this endeavor, they were able to connect multiple families and individuals to their home church.
Some other impactful ways that we partnered with DNA was through intercessory prayer and street evangelism.
During intercession, we had some very powerful times of spiritual unity for their church, region, and nation… and we were blessed to hold it in one of the oldest Churches in Norway (built in May of 1153AD 😳). A place where the prayers of God’s people have been going up to the throne of the Lord for centuries. 😁🙌🏻
SO GOOD!
God adores our adoration!
Other opportunities that our team had:
We spent time street evangelizing (these were some of our favorite moments in Norway)
We volunteered at “The Send”, an event that we believe is one of the greatest missional activation initiatives of our time. We volunteered by taking care of all the trash in the arena during the event.
We lead worship, shared testimonies, and prayed with two other local churches in Skien.
We held three “mini-DTS” courses at the YWAM Skien base covering: “Friendship with Jesus”, “Identity”, and “Biblical Worldview”.
We built a brand new Garden House at the refugee camp.
We planned recreational events for the Ukrainians to help distract them, if only for a little while, from their current situation ( i.e. fishing trip, horse back riding, English classes, cooking/baking/sushi, game nights…)
(There will be pics of many of these things in the gallery at the bottom.)
...annnddd for the Grand Finale!!! We wrapped our time up in Norway with a big American / Norwegian / Ukranian BBQ and Karaoke night. 😂 🎤 🎶 IT WAS SUCH A BLESSING!
TO DANE-LAND
After the first five amazing weeks in Norway came to an end, we flew from Oslo to Billund airport in Denmark and met with our, now very good friends, Anders and Sabina Pederson ( picture below ).
Anders and Sabina were excellent hosts! They personally moved their whole family out of their house for a week so that we would have a place to stay - just to give you an idea of what kind of people they are. Our time in Denmark with them was primarily a time of intercession, worship, and encouragement.
Anders and Sabina are “Family DTS” alumni who have been given a word from the Lord to pioneer a new YWAM Base near their current home in Denmark, on the island of Fyn. They have faith that the Lord is going to provide them with a location and funds. They are simply waiting on the Lord and praying for His will to be done - And our team got the privilege of joining them in that effort of appealing to our Father in Heaven to provide all that is necessary in His time.
Beyond intercession we also had the opportunity to serve in their local community. One of our favorite days was when we were able to serve a family from their church by clearing out their attic, cleaning up the landscaping around their house, and praying for them. The father of that family had his leg amputated from the knee down only three weeks prior to our arrival at their home. It was a humbling experience as he has always been one to serve others. We were very, very blessed to be there that day. Another one of our favorite days was when we had the opportunity to visit a low income housing complex where we shared the Gospel message and witnessed four, thirteen year old, Syrian boys give their lives to Jesus.
- PRAISE BREAK! 😁🙌🏻 Hallelujah! Holy, Holy, Holy, are you Lord God Almighty; Who was, and is, and is to come!
Our last week of ministry in Denmark was at a YWAM Christian Family Camp. Our team of families got to spend a week serving, ministering, and worshipping with many families from all around Denmark as well as many families from other European and Scandinavian nations that were there.
IT WAS INCREDIBLE!
- the team especially loved the “stick bread” 🤤
(picture below).
Kira and I were blessed to get to serve with the worship ministry at the camp all week. Our team led an intercessory prayer room in the afternoons that was breaking chains and declaring deliverance and healing to many who came for prayer. Two of our team members really "washed the feet" of every man, woman, and child at the camp by serving in the kitchen and food service arena all week. They put in A LOT of hours and so we want to say a special THANK YOU to Jenn Foy and Jasmine Koh for being such servant hearted sisters in Christ.
I shouldn’t say this because when you’re on outreach you should never say that you had a “favorite week" (because each week is great and God moves in many ways every week ) BUT… if Kira and I had a “favorite week”, which of course we did not, but if we did, this week would have been it. And not just because we got to spend every morning and evening singing, playing, and worshiping God, but because we really felt the sense of encouragement, connectivity, and unity of community that came from being with the GLOBAL CHURCH. It was one of the best examples that we have ever experienced where the Body of Christ was working together to build one another up by simply being God's children and ministering to Him by loving one another well and therefore being ministered to by God. IT WAS SOOO GOOD! (Shout out to Silas and the worship team for being SO hungry for the real deal - there was no performing. Just pure loving! 🤟🏻)
That’s a Wrap!
Well, we are back in Mexico now and all the student families are long gone. Over the last 5 1/2 months. we experienced such beautiful times with them and with God that we will never forget. And actually, we made an Ebineezer ( a stack of rocks, like Samuel and Joshua did in the scriptures ) for each team to remember all that God has done, because we don’t ever want to forget. We had people write a word or two on the rocks to help trigger a memory of the specific testimonies that each stone signifies. It was a great way to wrap up our first Family Discipleship Training School here at Rancho Abierto!
Now we are praying for every family’s transition into the next adventure that God has for them as well as this new season and rhythm that God has our family entering into. I am working around the Ranch on many maintenance projects and Kira is back to homeschooling our girls. We are spending time with each other and God and will be heading home to New York over the Holiday Season. We are SUPER STOKED about that!! We can’t thank God enough for what He has done over the past year since we left for Kona, Hi. (We also can’t believe that was only a year ago 😳. It feels like it’s been at least 3 🤪.) We want to thank you all for joining us on this adventure and we praise God for each and everyone one of you who have been tracking along with our Spencer fam as we light up the dark with the love and light of Jesus Christ!
Our prayer for you, is that you will forever kneel before His throne praising Him for His grace, and mercy, and His steadfast love that endures forever!
Be blessed and be a blessing!
Love,
The Spencer Family
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