RoFMI Trip Report to Norway - December 2009

Anyone who thinks that getting up at 03:45a.m. to get to an airport at 05:00a.m. in order to catch a flight leaving at 06:45a.m. is fun, needs serious counseling. Some person with a very strange sense of humour (me!!) had booked us onto a flight leaving at an unearthly hour just to save a few pounds. So it was that four cheerfully bleary-eyed travelers piled hats and bags into a taxi at 4:30 in order to head for Norway on a cold December morning. Trust me - that driver was well worth the tip – bless him.

I have to start here by saying that, as the nature of our trips is changing, so the reporting and journals like this are becoming more difficult. It was easy when we visited - went to well organised meetings, and came away again. Now, however, the meetings are becoming far more personal and therefore more difficult to report. The bare bones of this trip are simple. Arrived Oslo Rygge Airport at about 10.00 on Wednesday 2nd December. Had meetings Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and came home on the Saturday 10:20 flight arriving safe and sound back at Stansted at about 11:30. It’s not so much the meetings that were important – it’s much more the truth that God never wastes our time on these trips and it’s the lives that He used us to touch that are of far greater importance than “just another meeting”. It’s not just the meetings, it’s the little incidents along the way – some of which were so important to someone that the details will never again see the light of day. So let me try to get some semblance of interest into this for you.

From the airport, our wonderful host and partner in Norway, Robin Christiansen, whisked four of us – Peter (our beloved leader), Jean & John, and me, Chris – to his parents house in Frederikstad where Peter & I were royally housed for the whole trip. Jean & John went on to a lady called Anita, who with her family, entertained them. After a rest and some lunch for all of us, we travelled about 90 minutes to a place called Frogner and a chicken farm North of Oslo, where we met the farmer Bjorn and some of his family, their 7000+ chickens and the family dog. We were there for about 2 hours and let us simply say that we were allowed to bless them greatly through both words of knowledge and confirming prophecy. After prayer and some hot soup, we left for Frederikstad once again.

As if the farm experience was not blessing enough, when we got back ‘home’ Peter received a phone call just as we were all about to have dinner. It was important so he took the call from a friend and pastor in the Gypsy Church. He had recently returned from Romania where previous prophecy was fulfilled to the great joy of everyone there. However, there was another important prophecy fulfilled there too. A 36 year old mother of 6 children was taken to hospital where she subsequently died. This is confirmed by the fact that the procedure for admitting a dead person to the mortuary requires the issue of a death certificate. The family, all 6 children, went along to the mortuary and asked if they could pray for their mother. The doctor was very sympathetic but said that he was sorry that they had lost their mother but he would arrange counseling etc for them all. The children persisted with their request to pray for their mother because, as they poignantly put it, “We want our mother and we need to pray for her.” The doctor agreed but pointed out that the woman had been dead and in the mortuary for 9 hours. The children prayed and their mother was restored to life and full health before their eyes – and to the complete astonishment of the medical fraternity. Hallelujah \o/

On Thursday, we again travelled about 90 minutes to a Bible School in, or rather just outside a place called Vestfold where they have some 20-odd mostly residential students training for various ministries. We spent quite a long time with many of the students who, despite being Pentecostal, had never been exposed to our type of ministry before but who were, nevertheless once again greatly blessed. I think it would not be an exaggeration to say that for some of them, the fire of the Holy Spirit fell for the first time and they were extraordinarily blessed. We spent a lot of time with each of them and everyone received prayer before we left, rejoicing once again in the goodness of God. The School director exchanged email addresses with us before we left and said that we would be welcome there again when we return in January. Just one wee incident – while at the school we recounted the history of the RoFMI ministry and were asked the question – “So how did you get into Norway?” (meaning how did we get our first contact in Norway). The clever answer came back (to the huge amusement of the students) – “Ryanair”.

We returned home to Reidun & ‘Wrags’ (Robins parents) where they had prepared a full traditional Norwegian Christmas meal for us. Wonderful – no other comment will even begin to describe it.

Friday was an easy day and we drove the 50 minutes into Sweden – something we have all wanted for some time. We went to a supermarket where prices are apparently much lower than in Norway. Sweden & Norway are separated at this Southerly point by a fairly wide wooded gorge with a river flowing through it. There are two bridges – the old bridge and the new one – both toll bridges of course but there is no need for passports and only selective customs activity so we were able to bring back all the chocolate etc with no problem. However, we wanted to pray over Sweden so we stopped right next to the old bridge on the way back. We prayed there for Sweden and Norway and we received quite a lot of revelatory knowledge about various spirits including a suicide spirit resident on the bridge which we were able to come against. We anointed the ground where we prayed and took some remarkable photographs. It was quite late and quite dark but when we reviewed the photos it might as well have been midday and sunny – everything was so clear. It was only the lights on the toll station by the bridge which revealed the true hour at which the photos were taken.

In the evening, we heard about a local, very well known, Gospel artist who was in need of a word from the Lord. Peter received a word for him which he rated as so important that, if the man could not meet us this trip, then Peter said he would fly over there just to meet with him and tell him the Word from God. Confirmation of its importance came when Peter shared just a very small part of the word with us and we all simultaneously felt the touch of the Holy Spirit on us in confirmation. As it turned out the additional trip will not be needed as the man drove from Oslo to meet us then drove back again afterwards. He and Peter spent about an hour together and we heard later that he was so excited by their conversation that he spent over an hour on the phone to the pastor who introduced us on his way back to Oslo !!

Following this, we all had a meal and fellowship with Anita and some of her friends. Once again, the words of knowledge and prophecy flowed for the people we met and all of them were touched including one guy who is not (yet) a committed Christian.

So what is the conclusion after this trip. Well, based on our own experiences and the reactions of all those we met with, Scandinavia is indeed ripe and ready for revival. There is a hunger there which, very sadly, the local church does not seem able or is unwilling/almost scared to satisfy. Many of the things we experience as a matter of course or even as daily events in our ministry are almost alien to those we meet. There is neither the expectation nor the faith for them. However, there is a hunger which cannot be described and which, when the experience is sampled, there is a great rise in both faith and expectation levels.

Peter is off to Brussels next week then we are taking a break til January 7th (Denmark) and 21st (Norway) and we know there are many queuing up to have us fellowship and or minister in their meetings. As Peter said on the way home – 2009 has been the year of opening doors. 2010 will be the year of going through the open doors.

Yes Lord – AMEN & amen.