Christmas 2014 Dear friends, It is now again time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Last year I did not write to you. But in 2014 I plan to do so. I will therefore start writing, while Ruth, a friend (Erna Emming) and I in November are on a tour to National Parks in the sunny and warm California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Most of the days hire in the Southern Wild West we have blue sky with temperatures between 69–76F (20–25C). But when we were up in the mountains we had very low temperatures. And when we were north of San Francisco, we had a half day with rain. But we have also had days with temperatures from 77F and up to 92F (26-33C). We are just now celebrating Thanksgiving with good friends from the well known Saddleback-church, near LA. (Temp. 84F = 28C). I have known Marry and Jim Skov since I was on a study-tour to the US. in 1999. This year I first visit Saddleback, and at a meeting there I was introduced. So after it was finished, Marry and Jim came and talked to me and invited me to stay with them. And after that time Ruth and I have visit them many times, and so have several other Danes. In many ways we now feel like, that we are a part of their family. It is nice to be together with them, to see other friends from Saddleback, and to hear what goes on in their lives, in their church and in the international Purpose Driven-work. In Saddleback there have been many changes. In the last 2-3 years Saddleback has planted churches in Hong Kong, Manila, Berlin and a city in South America. Those 4 churches are now so strong, that they can stand on their own feet. Saddleback will therefore now out from Rwanda, where they have been working for more than 10 years, through the so called Peace Plan, work hard on reaching all African countries. In June 2013 Ruth and I was celebrating our 135 yeas birthday (65 & 70). We had a big garden-party with a lot of guests. It is good to invite guests home, because you then get something done in the house and in the garden. The whole house was remolded and painted by professional people, and I started working in the garden 3 month before the celebration of our birthdays. I was digging up old bushes, planting new, making a little lake we can sit at, setting up fountains, painting my house in the garden (storeroom for garden tools etc. + hobby room) and putting several tons small black stones around the house and around the little lake. In 2013 we did not travel so much. We did however in November go to Minor Asia in Turkey, where we went in the footprints of the apostle Paul. It gave us something to think of. There were namely, when the NT. was written in Minor Asia 7 great living churches. They were planted by Paul and his team. But the only things of them, who were left in 2013, were buildings. And in some of the places there were not even that. In the Bible we can see, what Jesus said to those churches 50 years after, they were planted. One Sunday the risen Lord reviled himself to the old apostle John and gave him words, he should give to those 7 churches. He was at that time between 90 and 100 years old, and was living close to God at the island Patmos. We can read in Rev. 1 – 3, how this old man got a message from our Lord to all 7 churches. The churches heard the word of Jesus. But did the churches act upon it??? In my opinion they did not, and this is the reason, that we in this aria of Turkey were the 7 churches were working, to-day only find dead stones, but no living churches. In the last 3 years our Church has been busy building a new Church-Centre. But in the beginning of November 2014 we had the Grand Opening. So very soon all the 2500 2m is ready to be used for culture, sport, music, celebrations, fairs, seminars, church etc. Here are some facts of the centre: - It has 8 rooms & 2 halls, who can be rented - In them can be from 30 – 500 seated - A big and a small kitchen can be used - There are arias inside & outside for eating - The owner of the centre is our Church - The Church will use the centre 1/3 of the time - Other can rent and use it 2/3 of the time - Funds, the City Hall & private has supported us - Members and others have given labor and money - Power and heat come from free green energy - The centre has a value of 5. Mil. US $ - The Church has used part of the center for a year - We will now pray and work for, that it will be rented out - But we will also pray and work for, that the church will use it. This Christmas all our family comes home to us the 24th and the 25th. So all the 3 ½ grandchildren + their mom’s and dad´s will be hire in our home. The ½ grandchild is a little girl, who in Copenhagen is due at April 2015. (Carina and Søren). They will together with Annabel be in the Northern part of Denmark from the 23-26/12, so we will also look forward to that. Our two grandchildren Patrick and Lucas are playing at lot of handball and soccer. They are doing fine in school. Annabel has just gone from nursery to kindergarten. So they all get older. And so are their parents. It is just Ruth and me, who still are the same. We hope that you all will have a good time together with family and friends this Christmas. If you would like to see pictures from our garden, house, tour to Minor Asisa, the tour to the US., building the centre, Grand Opening etc., then just follow us on Face Book. If you come by, then come and see us. But please drop us a line or give us a call on iPhone, Skype or on the normal phone. Merry Christmas and God bless you! Ruth and Henning RUTH & HENNING OLSEN Taars Moellegade 19 DK-9830 Taars, Denmark Phone Ruth: +45-3022-6838 Phone Henning: +45-2153-8490 Free Skype: ruthoghenningolsen Call free on FaceTime E-mail: [email protected]
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 20:35:39 +0000
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