Let's Start From The Beginning: Part Five

God dag venner! (Good day friends!)
Quick Note: If you're just joining me in this crazy tale of events, let me make things a little less confusing by pointing you to 
Let's Start From The Beginning: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four. 
I hope this clears things up a bit...  Now, on with the show!

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I shook my head.  “No, no Becky.  They’re not Norwegian.  You only think that because you just spent an entire week with Norwegians.  Stop seeing things,” I convinced myself as I sat at the gate in Philadelphia waiting for my flight to Orlando, somewhat gawking at the small group of very Scandinavian looking people sitting right in front of me.  [I do believe this is where I left you all in my tale of “Why Norway.”  Now, get ready for the final installment of this staggering tale!]


I started looking more closely at these people’s clothes... Yes, quite Scandinavian in style.  Then their faces... Every one of them had light blue eyes; again, quite Scandinavian.  Then what they were holding in their hands... Magazines definitely not written in English.  In fact, they looked quite similar to Norwegian...  No.  No?


That’s when one of the women in the group, a woman with a teenage boy on one side of her, and a teenager girl on the other (presumably her children), finally turned to me (me?!), and asked me something in Norwegian.  She spoke so fast that all I understood was “Young Life.”  I must admit, I felt quite the fool, as I was practically staring at them all as I was studying them, so this woman probably felt obligated to say something to me.  But why hadn’t she spoken to me in English?  Then I realized, my shirt read ‘Norge’; my shirt was written in Norwegian!  And I have blonde hair & blue eyes.  Of course she assumed I was Norwegian!


I sheepishly responded, “Um, I’m sorry... I know all of this [gesturing to myself] looks very convincing, but I am not actually Norwegian.  And all I understood from you was ‘Young Life.’”


The woman looked back at me a little shocked (probably with the same expression she received from me) and said again, this time in English, “Do you do Young Life in Norway?”


Huh? Come again?  I was so stunned by the way this woman asked about Young Life, because it wasn’t the new kind of inquiry, when people are asking “What is Young Life?” but it was a familiar question, one where she evidently had heard of the organization, and was merely wanting to know if I did YL in Norway.


“Um... Noooo... Well, not yet anyway. I mean, I’m going to! In fact, I just spent a week at Lake Champion with the YL Norway crew for camp,” I replied as I tried my best to stay in my seat, as all I wanted to do at that moment was jump up and hug these strangers for knowing about YL Norge.


“Yes, well, my son here was supposed to be on that Young Life trip. One of his friends went with everyone, but he was unable to, as we already had this trip to Orlando planned. You see, we’re from Stavanger.”


::mind blown::


I seriously don’t know how I continued a conversation after this point, because it was just so implausible to me that these Norwegians, these Norwegians, were who I ended up sitting next to! I continued to talk to this woman, and found out that it was two families that were going on a two week trip to Orlando. They were incredibly sweet (as you will find most Norwegians and Scandinavians to be) and they patiently answered all of my questions about Stavanger. I never wanted to leave these people, and so, as we began to board the plane, I told Jesus, “Dude, if you love me, you’ll have me sitting next to these families.” Yes, indeed, I did silently pray that. Which is probably why I didn’t end up sitting anywhere near them. Ha.


Turned out, they were sitting at the front of this jumbo jet, and I was sitting near the rear. As I boarded and made myself comfortable in the middle seat, between a woman and a man, I decided to call my friend Kayla, because I just couldn’t hold in this unbelievable adventure anymore. I described in rushed detail the past 1.5 hours, with the YL kid, the Oslo sign, and these two families. I just had to tell someone! And, well, I’m so glad I did, because, funnily enough, God wasn’t quite done surprising me yet. As I hung up the phone, put my seat & tray table were in their upright and locked positions, and checked that my seat belt was secure, the man to my right turned to me and said, “Du snakker Norsk?”


‘Do you speak Norwegian?’


Do I what?!!? What is going on here?!


“Noooo....! Do you!?” I practically squealed.


“Yes. I come from Norway,” he responded with his slight Norwegian accent (that I will never be able to reproduce, no matter how hard I try-- Sorry Joel.)


I’m not sure how I stayed conscious after this comment. I never would have thought I could handle so many staggering events in such a short duration. It was one adrenaline rush after another. My heart felt as though it couldn’t grow any larger, and that was such a wonderful feeling. This man continued to explain that he was from outside Oslo, going to Orlando to visit his son who worked at a Norwegian restaurant in Epcot. I wanted to hug him; I wanted to hug everyone!


I was thankful for a long flight to sit and consider everything that had just happened to me. I replayed each scenario in my head, memorizing the conversations, feelings, and thoughts. And I’m happy to say, I was no longer vexed with God for not answering my specific prayers about whether to go to Norway or do MYCM. I realized, contentedly, that this was a much better way to have prayers answered. I’m almost certain, that even if God had spoken to me the night before, I would have convinced myself that it wasn’t actually His voice, but my own, that was trying to guide me. I likely would have felt guilty and unsure about any decision I made.


In this way, this extremely external confirmation of the choice I made the previous night, I was absolutely incapable of doubting the message God was sending. I was overjoyed not only with His confirmation & affirmation of my desire to go to Norway with Young Life, but also with His indelible display of an answered prayer.  God’s message could not have been any clearer, thus, I am on my way to Norway.


The past months have not been empty of the Lord’s providence and signs of His desire for me to move to Norway, as He continues to send small (and sometimes large!) reminders of this call on my life. I have met so many wondrous people through this fundraising process, and I am excited for the many more that have yet to step into my path. I hope these posts have helped answer the question of “Why Norway,” and that you have gleaned something from these encounters of what God can do! I do not share these stories to impress you, but to show how impressed I am with God. So, now, I have a question for you, dear reader.


Would you like to join me on this journey, this adventure, this calling? Would you like to see Norwegian teenagers, parents, families, and communities impacted by the work of Young Life and most importantly by the work of Jesus? If so, I’d love to hear from you. You can find more information on how to support this ministry by checking out the info on the right of this post, listed under “How To Support.” Or you can always talk to me directly, which would be just fine by me.


If you’ve read this story in its entirety, then thanks and congratulations! Now I can bring you all to the current status of this crazy process, so be sure to stop by again soon to hear more on what’s happening nowadays.


As always,
Keep on loving. Keep on living.

Let's Start From The Beginning: Part Four

We’ve all experienced it. Those stressful moments in the airport when you’re unsure if you’re going to make your flight.  You’re in the security line, stuck behind the person with the lace-up boots, five laptops, the giant bottle of shampoo, and the pocketknife they forgot was in their backpack.  All you want to do is run straight through the metal detector, daring the TSA people to chase you down as you fly through the boarding gate and into your itty-bitty seat with the pretzel crumbs stuck in the seatbelt and the airline magazine with all the sudoku puzzles already solved.  Sometimes we are at fault for these stresses, as we left packing to the very last minute or couldn’t pull ourselves away from the goodbye hugs. But there are times when the realities of intersecting lives keeps us from arriving at the airport in a timely manner, as was portrayed in my last “Why Norway” post. Now folks, here you have it, the next installment of this journey of journeys. 


As I ran inside the miniature airport, I was so relieved to find that their security area was so small and with only one other person in front of me. I inwardly cheered that I didn’t have to fear the unorganized traveler that could potentially delay me further.  Until I realized, that unorganized traveler was me.  Or, well, only sort of.  I shoved my things into the x-ray machine, removed all metal articles, slid off my shoes, and leaped through the metal detector. As I emerged from the other side, I noticed the conveyor belt had stopped... with my backpack still inside. The TSA lady asked if that was my bag, pulled it from the machine, and proceeded to rifle through it, looking for whatever suspicious item they feared I might be smuggling onto my plane leaving this minuscule New York airport. I was practically jumping through the roof as I was SO late for my flight, and I shared this fact with the TSA woman, right as an announcement blared across the airport speakers stating that my flight was in its final boarding process and would be leaving immediately. ARG! Thankfully, this wonderful woman stopped looking through my bag, picked up the phone, and called my gate notifying them that I was in the airport and would be joining them shortly. Thank you JESUS! Turns out the “suspicious item” was my copy of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers that was turned at such an angle that caused alarm.  I have NO idea what they saw on that screen to confused a potentially dangerous item with a paperback book, but she rearranged the novel, ran my bag through the x-ray one more time, and then cheered me on through the airport.


Off I ran. Of course my gate would be the very end gate, so even though the airport was small, I still had to run for what seemed like an eternity.  I halted as the gate attendant took my ticket, ushered me inside, practically slammed the gate door behind me, and I moseyed on down to the plane.  I just kept saying, “Thank you Lord.  Thank you LORD!” as I walked up the steps to board the aircraft.  And then I turned the corner to see all 30 people staring at me as I entered.  Oh dear.  Yes, it is my fault you were all waiting.  Yes, I am sweating profusely as I just ran the equivalent to a 400-yard dash with a backpack & a small suitcase. I gingerly slid into my seat, rather flushed and embarrassed, and the plane nearly instantly began to push back.  Phew.  At least I made it.


As I began to sort myself out and regain a normal breathing pattern, I finally noticed my seat neighbor.  He was a teenage boy, and he kept slyly looking at me from the corner of his eye. Oh no. Do I have something on my face? I know I must look a mess after all the bus, taxi & security fiascos.  As I was pulling out my book from my bag, finally he said, “Hey, do you do Young Life?”  Woah.  That one caught me off guard.  


“Yes, I do,” I said as I smiled back at him. 


“I noticed your watch, bag, and shirt as you sat down, that’s why I asked.”


You see, I was wearing this $5, neon green, rubber watch from the camp store, which happened to be emblazoned with the YL logo, the aforementioned purple polar bear YL Norge shirt given to me at the beginning of the week, along with a plastic bag from the YL store, filled with yummy snacks. 


I explained to him that I had just come from a week at Lake Champion and asked how he knew about the organization.  Turned out he was a sophomore in high school, just out in New York visiting his dad for two weeks, and was returning to Washington, where he & his mom live, along with his “awesome” Young Life leader.  He shared how he was so bummed, because he missed out on camp that summer due to his trip to New York, along with the fact that he had a big black cast on his arm from a skate-boarding injury.  I remember, right as he was in the middle of his story, thinking, “Jesus, you are freaking hilarious & brilliant.  Thank you for putting this kid in the seat next to me, where I get to hear about how much he loves his Young Life leader and what an impact YL has made on his life.”  We chatted the entire flight, and I exited the plane practically beaming with joy from the encounter.  


As we parted at the gate, I was almost a little sad that I wouldn’t get to share the rest of my journey with this young man and his amazing spirit. (If only, at this point, I knew what was in store for me still!)  I then moseyed on over to the flight information screens, looking for my gate to Orlando.  Now, I was flying through Philadelphia, which is an international airport, and so I was wonderfully surprised when my eyes did not first land on the word Orlando, but instead on Oslo, which was listed directly under my destination.  Oslo?  As in the capital of Norway, Oslo? That can’t be...!  I was so delighted by this, that I even took a picture of it on my phone, knowing it could not be just a coincidence.  I even pondered what it would take to just jump on that flight instead of my own to Florida, wanting to start my work in Norway ASAP!


Dreaming about the possibility of pulling a Bond or Bourne move to get on that Oslo flight, I headed to my gate, and as I arrived, was shocked by the number of people seated there, waiting for the plane.  And then I remembered it was the dead of summer--the highest peak of the tourist season in Florida.  As I scanned the crowd for even a slice of an empty seat, I finally found one in the very back corner.  I rolled my suitcase over there, plopped down, pulled all of my YL advertised self and stuff near me, as not to be spilling out into the overcrowded seating area, and finally looked around.  There was a business man sitting to my right, some young women to my left, and in front of me, there was a large group of what appeared to be very Norwegian people.  


Who were these people?  Were they Norwegians? Were they Americans? Where did they come from?  These details, and MORE, will be divulged to you in the next, and final, installment of this incredible story.


As always, thanks for reading, and stop by again soon!!


Until next time,
Keep on loving. Keep on living.

Sweet Home to the Wild West

Some of you are already aware, but those of you who are not, I recently made a great 1,300 mile trek across the greater part of the United States as I moved from Madison, Alabama to Colorado Springs, Colorado.  This might come as a surprise to some, but let me assure you, this was all part of the plan of getting to Norway.  


You see, as my time drew to a close of living and raising support in Sweet Home Alabama, I was preparing to move back to the great Rocky Mountains in order to spend time focusing on fundraising in the state where I was first introduced to Young Life, first introduced to a real relationship with Jesus, and to spend time with my family. Also, my family said they were willing to house and feed me for a nominal fee: $Free.99. I mean, who can pass up that kind of bargain!? Not to mention, I felt that this was really what the Lord was calling me to do and the timing was just perfect, as the family I had spent an incredible year with was moving to New Jersey, and obviously would no longer be able to house me (Though, they did offer to let me move with them! What an remarkably kind and humbling offer!) 


So, at the end of August/beginning of September, I said my weepy-eyed farewells, had a going-away type function full of all things Norwegian (you can see some pictures of the awesome event below, and even more [plus some fun moving pics!] if you click here), then packed up a big ol' Penske truck and headed across six states over three days.

Teaching these folks about YL Norge!

These fine friends got to dive for salmiakk buried in flour.
Nothing like some true-blue YL fun!

Do you know where Stavanger is?

Fun friends. . . And a photo-bombing pastor.

Can I fit all the Thew kids in my suitcase?

I have been in the great state of ColoRADo for about a month now and am finally getting settled again and charging into full-on fundraising mode.  Now, I know that they warned us that transitioning is hard (and goodness I've experienced my fair share of that recently), but this past year has been one for the books.  And the adventure's not even half-over!  But thankfully, I'm doing my best to take full advantage of my unknown allotted time here and diving head first into community, my family and learning more and more about Norway (thanks Sons of Norway!).  


So, if you are reading this and you  or someone you know might be interested in hearing about Young Life, Norway, or Young Life IN Norway, and what can be done to help me get to Stavanger to begin working with teenagers, please don't hesitate to contact me or forward on my information.  Because, as much as I love the Centennial State and my beloved family, I'm so ready to get to Norway and I would love it if people would join me in this mission and adventure to share Jesus with Norwegian teenagers!


Now, please enjoy this phenomenal, minute-long film I made about my trip from Sweet Home Alabama to the Wild West.  





Until next time,
Keep on loving. Keep on living.

Let's Start From The Beginning: Part Three

Welp.  I must say, I am extraordinarily bad at keeping this blog updated.  It has been too long since it has delighted you with my sensational wit, tear-jerking sentiments, and awe-inspiring adventures . . . Or, at least with a quick jot about what’s going on in my fundraising ventures.  And for that, I apologize.  There is no real excuse, aside from a few months of true transformation on behalf of life events and God’s hand.  I hope to unravel some of these experiences over the next couple of weeks, as I have truly had some eye-opening escapades.

But for now, I will continue the hair raising tale of “Why Norway” with the third installment about my exploits in deciding to head over to the land of the vikings.

I last left you on the giant bed, where I was praying about whether to go forward with YL Norge or MCYM, and where I made the decision to follow my heart to Norway.  Now, I had counted on God affirming my decision by either closing doors and making it clear that Norway was not the place for me, or showing up and letting me know that I had made the correct decision.  I’m so glad I can count on such a reliable and outstanding God, because He totally rocked my world in ratifying my choice in Norway.

The morning after committing to YL Norway, I was so excited to talk to Kate & Thor about my decision, but I wasn’t able to find either of them until later that afternoon.  I spent most of my morning with my new friends David & Kristin Lilleheim (David’s the YL Norge Committee Chair), feeling like I was about to burst with this information about my selection, when finally, I was able to catch Thor for a couple minutes.  I shared with him my heart, why and how I settled on Norway, and finally said, “I want to come to Norway.” It was such a thrilling moment, when it passed from my own personal resolve, to a shared beginning of a new journey.

That afternoon, Thor shared with the rest of the Adult Guests, leaders and YLers that I would begin raising money to move to Norway and work with Young Life.  It was such a strange sensation and new state of being.  I had made a monumental resolution for my life.  Now, all I had to do was watch for God’s blessing on this, hoping that in the weeks and months to come, I would be validated in my selection.  Little did I know, God didn’t want to wait months, or even weeks.  He was already working.

Only a few hours after taking the last group pictures, saying my farewells to my new and amazing friends with whom I had spent a wonderful week lost in translation and growing in relationships, and arranging my last minute travel necessities, I was in the camp van, on my way to the bus station.  Now, I had chosen the very last possible bus in order to make it to the airport on time, because I had not wanted to waste any amount of hours I could be spending with my new friends.  I knew this was a risky call, but it was something I was willing to chance.  If you’re reading this, and you’ve ever had the opportunity to be around me in times of chaos and stress, you might think this was a somewhat unwise commitment, as I tend to become a little frazzled when I have to handle too many things at once. 

So, there I was sitting on bus number one, on my way to bus number two, which would then lead to a short taxi ride, followed by a quick small plane trip, ending with a jumbo jet jaunt to Orlando, where I was meeting my family for a mini family reunion.  I mean, that leaves practically no room for anything to go wrong. . . right?  Ha.

As I was watching the passing New York scenery outside bus number one’s windows, I realized that we were running a bit behind schedule.  Okay, that’s fine, I can handle a little pressure.  We made it to my transfer station, I exited the bus, and walked into what can really only be described as a scary horror movie gone wrong bus stop, which wasn’t even really a bus stop, and more like an eerie Plexiglased, 800 number plastered, crackling dry walled room, the size of a small bedroom.  I don’t even recall there being any chairs inside.  Naturally, I chose to wait outside, where I could see any approaching busses which I would happily board with no hesitation.  And there I stood. . . waiting . . .  and waiting . . . Overhearing angry and short questions, in English and Spanish, about when the bus was supposed to arrive, as it was already nearly 30 minutes late.  I was not panicking. I was choosing to trust that the Lord had this allllll under control.  I was not fretting, I was not holding back pacing footsteps, I was not going to call the airline to tell them I was running late and try to convince them to hold the flight.

Finally, the bus arrived with a sarcastic applause from the other waiting passengers and many tired sighs.  We boarded, the bus jolted into its next leg, and everyone settled into their seats.  I was now cutting my room for error time to about a five minute window.  Oh dear.  This is when the fervent praying began.  Prayer for calmness over something I could not control, prayer for no other delays, prayer for the plane being late so I wouldn’t end up running to my gate, etc.  We finally arrived at my final bus stop, where I was supposed to have a taxi waiting for me, but, as you could guess, it was not there.  I then waited what seemed like an eternity for my cab driver to show, and when he finally did, he informed me that he just had to pick up a friend real quick, and then he would take me to the airport.  Um, excuse me?  What?  Dude, I just explained to you that I am about to miss my flight, and I’m in quite the hurry.  But no, he had to pick up his friend in town and then drop him off at his work place.  I was stupefied. I mean, just speechless.  What do you do in that situation?  How should I or could I have acted differently to express to him my acute need to get to my flight on time?  

Did I make my flight on time?  What becomes of this frazzled young woman just trying to make it to sunny Florida? You’ll have to wait until the next chapter in this hair-raising tale to learn the fate of this story’s heroine.  

Stop by in a few days to hear a more up-to-date update about my life and the fundraising process as I journey towards Norway.

As always, thanks for reading!

Until next time, 

Keep on loving.  Keep on living.

The Norway Massacre, Christianity & Healing

I read this great article from John Taylor today.
While it touches on only a few of the emotions and troubles of the entire situation, I think he writes with a sincere heart and great truth.

Please take a look.

The Norway Massacre, Christianity & Healing

b.

Norway Prayer Alert: Blasts and Gun Attack in Norway; 7 Dead

My heart is confused and hurting for those affected in today's horrible events. Please keep Norway in your prayers!

Blasts and Gun Attack in Norway; 7 Dead

By ELISA MALA and J. DAVID GOODMAN

OSLO — Powerful explosions shook central Oslo on Friday afternoon, blowing out the windows of several government buildings, including one housing the office of the Norwegian prime minister. The state television broadcaster, citing the police, said seven people were killed and at least 15 injured; a spokeswoman for the prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, said he was “safe and not hurt.”

Published: July 22, 2011

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SCANPIX, via Associated Press

Deadly explosions shattered windows on Friday at the government headquarters in Oslo, which includes the prime minister’s office. A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said he was safe.

Related

• The Lede Blog: Video of Oslo Explosion Aftermath (July 22, 2011)

The New York Times

Readers’ Comments

"I have friends who are stationed on the youth camp. A friend says she's hiding in a closet. Some of the teenagers have started swimming from the island. Right now I am so scared. Everything has changed in just a few hours. "

Sara, Oslo

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Shortly after the explosions, which appeared to be a bomb attack, a man dressed as a police officer opened fire on a summer camp for young members of the governing Labor Party on the island of Utoya about 25 miles northwest of the city, and wounded at least five, a Norwegian security official said.

“The situation’s gone from bad to worse,” said Runar Kvernen, spokesman for the National Police Directorate under the Ministry of Justice and Police, adding that most of the children at the camp were 15 and 16 years old. There were initial reports that Mr. Stoltenberg was scheduled to attend a meeting at the camp.

As fear spread through the capital, the police moved to lock down a wide area of the city center, where the streets were already nearly deserted.

The attacks appeared to be part of a coordinated assault on the ordinarily peaceful Scandinavian nation, as images of the damaged government buildings called to mind past terror attacks in Beirut or Baghdad or Oklahoma City.

Though the police did not immediately connect the explosions with terrorism, the mangled wreckage of a car could be seen in front of the main government building, flipped on its side, damaged so badly that its make and color were not apparent, and a large area of sidewalk pavement was completely blown away. Reports in local media said that officials were assuming it was a deliberate bombing.

A terror group, Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, or the Helpers of the Global Jihad, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, according to Will McCants, a terrorism analyst at C.N.A., a research institute that studies terrorism. The message said the attack was a response to Norwegian forces’ presence in Afghanistan and to unspecified insults to the Prophet Muhammad. “We have warned since the Stockholm raid of more operations,” the group said, according to Mr. McCants’ translation, apparently referring to a bombing in Sweden in December 2010. “What you see is only the beginning, and there is more to come.” The claim could not be confirmed.

Norway is a member of the NATO alliance and has a small fighting contingent in Afghanistan. It was one of several countries named by Ayman al-Zawahri, the leader of Al Qaeda, as potential targets for attack. In 2006, Norwegian newspapers reprinted Danish cartoons that angered Muslims by lampooning Muhammad. Norway has also historically been a frequent participant inpeacekeeping missions and a host for diplomatic talks, including the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee of the Norwegian Parliament.

Muslim leaders in Norway swiftly condemned the attacks. “This is our homeland, this is my homeland; I condemn these attacks and the Islamic Council of Norway condemns these attacks, whoever is behind them,” said Mehtab Afsar, secretary general of the Islamic Council of Norway.

Norwegian news media, citing the police, said the shooting suspect at the camp had been arrested.

Witnesses on the island told Norwegian television that the man identified himself as a police officer when he entered the camp. “He said it was a routine check in connection with the terror attack in Oslo,” one witness told VG Nett, the Web site of a national newspaper.

Bjorn Jarle Roberg-Larsen, a Labor Party member who had telephone contact with teenagers on the island, said: “Kids have started to swim in a panic, and Utoya is far from the mainland. Others are hiding. Those I spoke with don’t want to talk more. They’re scared to death.” The island is about one-third of a mile from shore at its closest point, and has no bridge to the mainland.

In Oslo, stunned office workers and civil servants in the vicinity of the bombed buildings said that at least two explosions were heard in quick succession, as the sound of the blasts echoed across the city. Giant clouds of light-colored smoke rose hundreds of feet into the air over the city as a fire burned in one of the damaged structures, a six-story office building that houses the oil ministry.

The police said the initial explosion occurred at around 3:20 p.m. local time. “We think there was more than one blast,” Mr. Kvernen said. He said he could not confirm the number of casualties.

The force of the explosion blew out nearly every window in the 17-story office building across the street from the oil ministry, and the street and plaza areas on each side were strewn with glass and debris. The police said they were on heightened alert as they combed through the debris in search of clues.

“This is very serious,” Mr. Stoltenberg told the Norwegian broadcaster TV2 by telephone, but he said it was still too early to call the blast a terror attack.

At about the time of his television appearance, Norwegian media reported that the police had also sealed off the offices of the broadcaster after a suspicious package was discovered there.

The explosions, which ripped through the cluster of modern office buildings around the Einar Gerhardsens plaza, occurred at a time when many Norwegians were on vacation and many more had left their offices early for the weekend.

Mr. Stoltenberg’s office is on the 16th floor of the tallest building in the area, a towering rectangular block whose facade and lower floors were damaged by the explosions. The Justice Ministry also has its offices in the building.

Helge Skinnes, a spokesman for the prime minister’s office, was in the building at the time of the explosions and was still at the site when reached by telephone Friday afternoon. “We have a crisis situation,” Mr. Skinnes said, declining to comment further.

Norwegian authorities said they believed a number of tourists were in the central district and around the main government buildings at the time of the explosion, but that it was not otherwise crowded. “Luckily it’s very empty,” said Stale Sandberg, who works in the directorate for family, youth and children affairs, a few blocks down the street from the prime minister’s office.

At the site of the explosion, the police evacuated and roped off the area as tension mixed with shaken fascination. People milled around the area, some snapping photos of the destruction. Store windows were blown out for several blocks around.

Earlier this month, Norwegian prosecutors filed a terrorism charge against Mullah Krekar, the Iraqi-born founder of the Kurdish Islamist group Ansar al-Islam, who is accused of making death threats against the head of Norway’s Conservative Party, Erna Solberg. Mr. Krekar co-founded Ansar al-Islam in 2001, but said a year later that he no longer led the group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and United Nations.

Norwegian authorities have previously ordered his expulsion from the country, but the process was suspended amid concerns that he would face the death penalty in his home country.

A threat assessment released in March by the Norwegian police said that though support for extremist Islamic terrorism was not widespread, “activity in certain communities” meant that the threat level would be heightened in 2011. “Some extreme Islamists currently appear to be more globally oriented,” the report said, “and it is primarily this group who could present a direct threat to Norway in the year ahead.”

The report also added that Norwegian businesses and high-profile figures were likely to be targets. Three Norwegian men were arrested in July 2010 on suspicion of terrorism and were said to be a terrorist “node” in a larger global network, American counterterrorism officials said at the time.

After the explosions, the city filled with an unfamiliar sense of vulnerability Friday. “We heard two loud bangs and then we saw this yellow smoke coming from the government buildings,” said Jeppe Bucher, 18, who works on a ferry boat less than a mile from the bomb site. “There was construction around there, so we thought it was a building being torn down.”

He added, “Of course I’m scared, because Norway is such a neutral country.”

Elisa Mala reported from Oslo, and J. David Goodman from New York. Reporting was contributed by Souad Mekhennet, Ravi Somaiya and Matthew Saltmarsh from London, and Katrin Bennhold from Paris.

YL Norge June 2011 Update

Hi friends!


I'm back with news about me & my journey to work with YL Norge! Check out the video for a very exciting... ahem... video.


Young Life Norge - June 2011 Video Update from Becky Anderson on Vimeo.