Category: Travelling
The last two weeks of January meant that mission work looked mostly like pulling network cables through tight spots in an old ship. I was aboard the YWAM Ships vessel “Liberty”, which was in dry dock. That meant she was out of the water, getting…
A Discipleship Training School consists of a lecture phase (3 months) and an outreach phase (2+ months). It is truly is a school of the heart, rather than the mind, and by now most students have gained a lot of insight in who they are:…
It has been quite a while since we posted here and truly a lot has happened. Most recent was us staffing the Medical DTS, a program at the University of the Nations, Hawaii, also known as YWAM Kona. We got to know the many students,…
Some time ago I was in Chandigarh, India. I had a few days of meetings, just before Diwali: the feast of lights. It’s a bit like our Christmas, except of course it’s different. I also got to spend time with a fellow Ywammer, which was…
We’ve come to realize that we don’t have enough time to experience all we do, then process and talk through things together, correcting and giving feedback, and then to also word it all in a nice blog post for the world – and you! –…
Disse 2 herlige unger, som er 10 og 13, håper at noen har lyst å bli med oss til Hawaii i januar for å gjøre skolearbeid med dem, ha masse gøy, og selvfølgelig… spise shave-ice ;-) Vi skal ha 3 nye måneder på YWAM basen…
We got back in Norway just about a week ago. Some of the things we definitely had to adjust to again were: * time (we’re ready for bed around dinner time and up early – this doesn’t sound like us at all,…
As you probably know by now, we’re in Poipet, helping out at the YWAM base here. In the past 2 years the team here has built up a great base and lots of connections with neighbors and Khmer people all over the city. They have…
Those of you who know our family, know that we are so fortunate to still have our own company back home, so even though we’re are out travelling and volunteering in missions, we still have some income, which pays for what we do and a…
Nobody operates in a vacuum. People have gone before you, and people will come after you. There is only one ‘first cause’ and so even inventors stand on the shoulders of us ‘lesser mortals’. This post is to thank people and it is also to…
Men nå blir de stående disse tre: tro, håp og kjærlighet. Men størst blant dem er kjærligheten. Du har sikkert hørt denne teksten en gang. Den har blitt brukt, misbrukt, overbrukt og latt være å bli brukt. Idag fikk den en ny mening.
This is Dany. She is the owner of a cozy coffee cafe just around the corner called “Dream Coffee”. She’s a neighbor who speaks English really well. She even understands Chinese – which is likely true, I will take her word for it.
So we took at trip by night to check out the casino district of Poipet. It’s a colorful place, only partly because of all the neon light. Night markets are a thing in Cambodia and I am still not used to the concept. It’s an…
Monday morning at 10am we were ready packed waiting for our taxi driver to bring us to Poipet. Unfortunately he was waiting by the wrong building further down the road, which we didn’t find out until around 11am, so it took a while before we…
Bounce bounce bounce Sunday was our last day in Bangkok and since it was unsure what the weather was going to do, we first had lunch again at the Terminal 21 shopping mall and ended up taking the sky train to Phrom Phong station, which…
Our view by day and by night, what a blessing! We rented a small apartment through airbnb and just love love love the view and the location. We’re very close to the skytrain and a big mall with food court, and very close to…
Asia har bydd på mange nye opplevelser allerede for alle våre sanser. På godt og vondt pleier man vel si, men egentlig er det kun på godt sålangt. Vi oppdager sider av våre vaner som vi aldri ville tenkt på, men siden vi nå er…
Yes yes…. this western (no, not western as in cowboys and such, just… you know, from the west) family has now arrived in the east, the land of the homo SLURPians (in other words… noodles slurping Asians!). I’ve really looked forward to travelling to Asia,…
Aloha from Hawai’i Many people have been waiting for this. We’re sorry it has taken a while and that your patience was tested, but we will now finally let the world know what next step God has put on our hearts. God bless!
I love how much fun our ships base DTS’s make the reveal of the outreach teams! Here’s a little explanation about DTS and outreach. A DTS (discipleship training school) consists of 2 phases: lecture phase and outreach phase. During lecture phase they have weekly topics…
When God told us to go to Hawai’i, He didn’t say why and for how long, He only told us to go. As you all know: we went. We’ve been in Hawai’i, staffing with YWAM for more than 3 months now. A new DTS quarter…
Seriously. We hope your Christmas time is a happy time. May you be merry throughout the entire 2017!
Excuses excuses… I surely could use some, for saying why I haven’t been updating this blog for quite a while…. but I won’t. Let’s just leave it with: finally another message from the van Vliet family! Since a few weeks, our 2 eldest kids are…
Time is money, and money is power, and … etc. Fun to ponder when things won’t work.
“Brother? Hey brother!” The woman calls me as I walk down Likana Lane. I hardly listen because I’m trying to find a parking spot for our car, and she’s clearly a person without a home – actually one without flipflops even.
That’s what – I think – I felt like a bit, these last days. This is the second time we celebrated Thanksgiving in the US of A, and the depth of the event is evading me. Thankfulness is a great thing – I had to…
Today was a day with meetings sharing vision for the Pacific islands, getting a virtual instance on Amazon AWS in shape for OpenVBX, helping out in the kitchen ánd serving homeless people at the yearly Thanksgiving luncheon that was organized here, getting unwilling printers in…
A few days ago, the kids (both of them – but starting off with Bente) started having pain in their ears. I tried some home remedies to see if the pain would go away, but it didn’t help much unfortunately :-( We’re lucky to have…
Last Saturday was Family Fun Day here at Port YWAM! And fun it was most definite!! Finally a picture blog, as we have so many fun pics of this day. Activities: Arts and Crafts, very serious business. There were coloring sheets, crayons, paper, scissors, stickers…
Count your blessings, name them one by one Count your blessings, see what God has done This week hasn’t been the easiest, but in the midst of the challenges we have seen an amazing amount of blessings, and I also feel it was the best…
Some of you might be wondering what we’re doing here in Hawaii. Some of you who maybe don’t know us that well might think we’re into surfing, like to swim with dolphins, want to get a tan or were just tired of working and needed…
Du har kanskje fått med deg noen nyheter om orkanen Matthew, men med så mange andre relevante saker på forsidene til VG og Dagbladet kan det godt ha gått hus forbi deg. For mange familier på Haiti gjorde orkanen ikke det.
Last weekend was the annual Ironman World Championship, right here in Kona Hawaii, with the start and finish right in front of our doorstep. The race started at 6.35, but the noise started way earlier, so the kids thought it had started and came to…
Slowly we’re getting settled in and overcoming our jetlag. Last night was the first night we actually pretty much slept through the whole night. We went to bed around 9 (kids a bit earlier) and woke up at 5.30. Not bad, considering that this actually…
Day 1 is behind us and was quite the ride. We arrived in Kona at 6pm Sunday evening, Hawaiian time, which is 6am Monday morning back home in Norway. We left Schiphol Airport (Netherlands) at 10am Sunday morning, so it was a long travel. We…
Just had a short phone conversation with one of my very best friends. We obviously hadn’t met or talked for way too long – and Norwegian vacations easily add to that. Somehow we managed to not tell him – and perhaps you as well –…
Today is Friday! But still school aww, but guess what tomorrow no school yay! I have a song about Friday here it goes: Its Friday Friday everyone upp on Friday everybody is looking for another napkin partyi’n party’in hey party’in party’in hey everybody’s looking for…
Just recently the Heart for Children Foundation Ghana has started to expand the daycare with a separate room for children with a disability. Since then, 3 children have been accepted, 2 girls (Blessing and Edna) and 1 boy (Isaac). 2 ladies (the mother of one…
How to play Animal Jam. Tips: best on ipad or tablet. 1. First go on app store and install Animal Jam 2. Go play it when its done. 3. First u are a guest jammer 4. Make an account. 5. Design yourself how u want….
Ghana has both a government system and a chieftancy system. Solo has told us a lot about how the chieftancy system works and it’s really interesting. Most towns have their own chief. The chief, who is adressed as Nana – meaning grandfather – is chosen…
Last week we have visited a village called Adepena. We heard from Solo that the people of this village have been praying for clean water for years. They have asked Solo for possibilities to get a water pump many years ago, but Solo couldn’t promise…
HHeia, det e mandag hør man-dag haha. Så på fredag da flyttet jipp t Ålgård! Det betyr at de kanskje ligger ganske nærme oss, å mamma sa at eg Kan besøke ham etter skole hvor tid eg vill! Eg savner ham kjempe mye. Men eg…
Hi memo, ‘Sighs’ I really want to play with the kids but…….. I cant its still 06:55 and I woke up at 06:04 I think and started to play with my kitten and her name is gonna be mittens isn’t that cute for a kitten…
Hei…… jeg gidde ikkje å sei Heia mer…… det e fordi eg lekte med jentene på daycare men når jeg fant boby min baby kylling da tok jeg ham og da kom alle på daycare det e syyyykt mange og eg var i et tre…
Today me, my brother, mom, and my grandparents are gonna go to a HOTEL where it is a SWIMMING POOL and it is in GHANA! Im soo exited to go there. And the fiirst time we were there we just ate POPCORN! And we got…
Hi memo. Today the sun is shining bright. So it was a little disaster today, I had the jam and I didn’t hurry up so krister my brother tried to take the jam but I took it back and then I tried to give it…
Once there was a rooster, he was the master of his flock of hens and had a good live in the little village of Aduonya. One day, some strange white people came to visit his village. He was just eating some corn and looked up…
Today, my father, Solo, Herbert and I visited Aduonya, a very small village about an hour drive from Nsoatre. Most trees along the road were burned down, so everything was black, but every now and then there was a little oasis of green. In rain…
Tuesday, february 2nd, Bodil, Gabriel, Eskil, Solo and I drove to Kwabenakuma, a little village which got clean drinking water and a clinic thanks to the Heart for Children foundation. Only a few years ago, this unreached village had no clean water. Many pregnant women…
I have school today and I always need to write a blog on memo. And today its FRIDAY YAY. Tomorrow its no school at all YIPPY!!!! And after tomorrow its home chirch. And always when we are with our grandparents me and my brother Krister…
The Animal Jam story begins or adveture begins… Hi Diary memo today ill tell u about Animal Jam its gonna be very fun! Ok lets start up with me. The first time I played AJ then I saw peck! Oh and I designed myself and…
Today the orphans were home all day, so lots of time to play. In the morning they first had to do some chores like sweeping floors, do laundry etc. Our kids helped Herbert water some of grandma and grandpa’s trees ;-) But the afternoon was funtime!…
It’s so easy for our kids to find someone to play with, with the orphanage next door. The orphans like to hang out on our veranda, so whenever our kids set foot outside, there are kids to play with. The playground is right behind the…
Already our second day here. The kids made new friends already, we met up with old friends again and we’ve been to Sunyani (closest city) for shopping some equipment, groceries etc. The house we’re living in is huge, it would fit at least 2 more…
We safely arrived in Ghana and are now at the Paloma hotel in Accra. The rooms are huuuge, we would all 10 fit in here if we wanted, but for now it’s just me and the 2 youngest while the others have other rooms. The flight…
So, we’re all packed for our new adventure. Our eldest daughter was home with us tonight, and as it got later and closer to the point of her going back to her apartment, this ‘I don’t want to leave anymore ‘- feeling started to get…
So, visa x 5, quite the challenge so it seemed. The Ghanaian embassy seemed to be getting modern, having changed their system of applying for a visa from filling in a form by hand at the embassy, doing an interview and 3 days later going…
We’ll go to Ghana for a while sometime soon, which means we all have to get our shots. Yellow fever, Hep A+B, Meningitis — scary diseases for sure, but physical health is paramount. It also triggered some thoughts about my virtual security. I go from…
… and 2016 is around the corner, which means it’s not that long until our trip to Ghana! I just realized today that I might as well start packing, because we’re not using our summer clothes here anyway ;-) Hope you all had a nice,…
Today I ordered the vaccinations for the kids. Herbert and I already have everything needed, but the kids need the Yellow Feber, Hep A and B, and meningococ shots. It’s not going to be easy, because our teen Eskil has a severe needle fobia 😞…
We have news :-) Last week we booked our tickets. We’re going to Ghana for 2 months and taking 3 of our 4 children with us! Whoohooo exited! Herbert and I have been in Ghana before, but for the kids it’s going to be a totally…
Som regel tar jeg med for mye, men ikke denne gangen. Det er masse plass i Bingel Am sin #barnehagebag som er kjempeflott som reisebag. Det er lett å ha den på ryggen, f.eks. Så nå har jeg til og med plass til overs, og…
Hearing God’ voice In week 2 of our DTS in Kona, Donna Jordan taught about hearing God’s voice. It’s amazing when the infinite God who created the universe, also is the personal God who reaches out for me in love, and cares about me. Jesus talks…
Angaur is a very very small place. In total, some 100 people live here, which means the population is declining very fast (january 2014). The island itself is a beautiful place, but after the last typhoon, two years ago, many trees were toppled, houses destroyed,…
We now have another pet. According to Matt it has approx. 36 hours of life left. At the most, he adds, but that is easy to find out. Time will tell. We will see, but it seems baby monkeys have a limited “use before” date….
Disclaimer: This story is not for the faint hearted! Or at least.. well, you know, it’s fun anyway, so go ahead, but put your smily-glasses on! :-D
January first, 2014. A new year and we were among the first to experience it. Palau’s timezone is way ahead of Europe, and of Hawaii. Palauan local time 7 am meant it was still 2013 back home. Strange. Today, we were supposed to leave for…
Today we’re having a day off with the family. We promised the kids a day with dolphins, that is to say: the sea creatures, and not The Dolphins TM. When planning to go out on a trip like that, or any trip with the sun…
After a full season with beautiful weather every day (thank you, state of Hawaii!), I anticipated Palau would offer even better weather, with an ocean breeze. Instead it offers rain. More rain. And more rain. And even more rain. Not entirely true, because today, when…
Palau has one prison with both male and female inmates. At the moment there is only one female inmate, which is vey difficult for her. The inmates have a ‘storyboard’ thing going on: a traditional way of storytelling where they carve images in wood, paint…
Honolulu. Sunday, December 15th 2013. It’s 21.41 now, which means in just a few hours it will be December 16th. Nothing special. However, it’ll be December 17th in Palau by then. In just a few hours, too, we’ll be boarding a plane to Taiwan, and…
Less than a month to go and things are still hugely interesting here. Not ‘even more so’, but on a different level. This week’s teaching is done by the amazing (drumroll…) Joseph Avakian. Yes, in a Christian environment it’s often not considered proper to call…
Wow, only 1 month left and we’ll be on our way to our outreach in Palau. Crazy to think how fast our time here in Hawaii is flying by :-( Our last weeks have been packed with teaching, activities, but also illness unfortunately. Both Herbert,…
The Belief Tree is a simple model that identifies the unseen assumptions we operate with in our lives. Let’s see if I can get down the basics of it in 5 minutes WITH you remembering something useful about it (let me know if that worked,…
Are you ready to hear about the miracle God did in my life? OK… here’s my story (the long version ;-) ) : Yesterday, Oct 31st 2013, started out rough. Herbert and I had a little disagreement, really nothing big, but I felt that because…
Today we had the parent-teacher meetings at the Foundation School, the kids’ school. We had all 4 in a row, so ‘ran’ from 1 to another. Here are the teacher’s comments: Bente: Strong-willed (oh, really?), but sooooo funny. Very social, playing with all kids, above…
Always something fun and practical going on with the guys from JusticeWater.org: Today we looked at the procedure of how to create a tippy tap.Kr
Wow, time is flying – and I don’t want it to, because I don’t want our time here to come to an end :-( We are now almost at the end of week 3. The first week was mainly about getting to know each other,…
We’ve had our first week of school – and it was great! This first week was mainly about us students, who are we? Introduction week. We got to know our 60 fellow students quite a bit more, and they are a great bunch of people…
It’s been a week since we arrived in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i. We have been welcomed by the staff, into our new Ohana (which means ‘family’). The Ohana is all students of our class and the staff and all kids that came with their parents. We spend…
“People from the south of Norway can be really mean: they lie to you in your face and then laugh at you,” somebody said to explain the difficulty she had with understanding irony.
Monday 16th we went on a trip to Big Bear Lake – for us (coming from Norway) the lake itself was not as interesting as the desert road leading to this lake and village. Following road 18 from Apple Valley to Big Bear Lake we…
Staying that close to route 66, we just HAD to drive part of it ofcourse :-) Today, 18th of September, we took a trip up north to Calico Ghost Town, following the route 66 up to Barstow. It took us about 1 hour. Driving with…
Sist lørdag besøkte vi en happening med fokus på dåp, hos Turning Point Church i Victorville. Mye musikalsk talent, mye is, og mange (65!) som ble døpt.
Idag har vært en fin dag. Vi har badet i bassenget, sett litt tv, lekt med hunden, slappet av og spist is. Jeg fikk også være litt på Skype med noen av vennene mine, men det var ikke alt for lenge for det er en…
Hello world! As some people maybe know, we are in California right now, and if you didn’t, then you know now! We came tuesday, and we are staying here about two weeks. I was very fancied by the size of things here, as it’s the…
1. In Ghana people need to have a warm meal 3 times a day, because they work harder. 2. Eating chicken bones is healthy for you, it gives your body calcium which makes you stronger. 3. A good friend has heart problems and difficulty breathing…
Thursday July 14th – a trip to a plantation. Since Herbert is in the coffee- and cacao business, it is very interesting to talk to the workers at the cacao plantation, see the process and take some pictures. Through a very muddy bush road we…
A quiet day, or so we thought. Sunday. No specific plans, just ‘hanging out’ on our veranda, playing with the kids, reading a bit… But Sunday in Ghana means church, and church means SOUNDCHECK at 7am :-) Since our house is right next to the…
Friday July 1st at 8pm we arrive at the airport in Accra, Ghana. We pass the waiting crowd and look forward to get out of the warm airport and into the fresh air. That was before we looked up and realized we already were outside!!…
A dutch expression for someone stressing too much is a «stresskip» – translated: «stress chicken». A good example is…. me! I stress to much, because I often want to keep controll, organize everything and get everything right. Making my life much more difficult than it…
Together with some of my friends, I have been visiting London. No husbands, no kids, just a couple of days with the girls! We had a great time together! Some of the highlights: Musical “We will rock you”, afternoon tea @ the Savoy, nice lunches…
That basically sums up our 3 day trip to Oslo this week! For our new Dutch passports, we needed to travel to the embassy in Oslo… yep, whole family! Since last year, they can’t ‘do’ passports anymore @ the consulates around the country, so all…
Yesterday Krister suddenly asked me: “Mom, when is Jesus coming back?” “Ehm… I don’t know darling. Why? Do you want Him to?” Krister: “Yes, we should give Him a call”. I then told him that he could talk to Jesus if he wants to, it’s…
Me var i et aquarium og så fikk me vite litt om Bermuda og me så skilpadder i aquariumet, så så me en kengeru-unge med mora og så så me flamingo og de kranglet. Me så 4 kjempestore skilpadder. Idag skal me øve på å…
Vi var på stranden igår og koste oss veldig. Det var litt kaldt vann, men det gikk bra. Idag skal vi reise over sjøen til Freeport Bahamas og kl11.30 må vi øve på å ha på redningsvest og gå i båtene. Jeg gleder meg litt…
After have been here for a couple of days, we’re starting to get used to life on board. The kids know their way around now, so we don’t have to be afraid they really get lost ;-) Marthe and I have already been working in…
Dear friends and family, We arrived safely in Bermuda! Yesterday, thursday, we left from Schiphol airport in Holland to London Gatwick. Our plane was supposed to leave at 11.55, but left finally at about 13.30. Arrival in London around 13.30 local time ;-) (around 1…