Aubrey in Ålesund

end of june special.

2011-06-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

This week I'm offering free worldwide shipping on all orders from my etsy shop. Please check it out! And keep your eye out for new posters and prints coming soon.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/aubreywebbdesign?ref=si_shop

etsy shop

2011-06-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

the beatitudes posters I designed about a month ago are now in my etsy shop so you can buy them from anywhere in the world! Check it out here etsy shop

fresh start.

2011-05-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

I'm bored now. time for a fresh start and a new blog.

stalk me here: http://aubreywebb.tumblr.com/

last days

2011-05-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

I only have a week left here in Ålesund, and two weeks in Norway. It's sad but exciting at the same time. I'm so excited to be back in the states where everything is "normal" and there are some nice people there and chicken nuggets cost $1 rather than $15. But in other news, we had a pannekakes party. yum yum. boy I'm sure gonna miss these ladies. I wish I could take them all home with me. waaaaaaahh. I'm not sure what I'll do with out them... I really need to go pick up some more 19 year old friends.

European things

2011-05-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 17th of May. Not such a big deal in the States, but in Norway people dress up like this:

Then they have one of these:

Then everyone eats ice cream and bbq's all in celebration of the beautiful land of norway and it's independence from the rotten swedes and danes. It was pretty wonderful, despite the fact that I was sick and it rained all day.

In other news, last sunday was the eurovision contest. It's this awesomely horrible competition between all the countries in Europe. Every one's really cheesy and dramatic and there's boy bands galore. The winners were Azerbajan a country I've never even heard of), and I'm still unsure what they were singing due to their broken english. You can watch it here:

And.. I wasn't sure if I should do this, but whatever. My wonderful friend Sadie helped me make this video for Phil. After one year of dating it's my declaration of love to him. Enjoy!

que es amor?

2011-04-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of updates from Mexico! Our ability to use the internet has been limited. Last week we arrived in Tijuana after a 29 hour bus ride from Mazatlan. It actually went by pretty quickly except the 6 or 7 times when we had to get out of the bus in order for it to be searched for drugs. It's not so fun to be woken up at 3 in the morning by a mexican police officer. We arrived in Mexico with a warm welcome from Carlo's family. I was actually really surprised by how nice and clean Tijuana looks compared to the southern parts of Mexico we've been in. It's such a huge contrast from seeing it by driving through California. It looks nothing like I remember it. We actually feel very safe here. Although there is danger here, it's obviously hyped up a lot on the news. There is a spiritual battle going on here, but I think that just makes it more evident how God is at work here. God is fighting for the people here an He is winning. We have already seen people accept Christ and miracles happen. I think the greatest miracle God is doing is love. It's already been a huge theme in our time here. Last Thursday I preached to a group of young people at the church. I spent all day working on a teaching about missions but as soon as I got to the church I could tell God was about to do something. Right before I went up to preach God changed my plans. I ended up sharing my testimony and preaching about God's love and grace. We were all so aware of the Lord's presence in the room. The worship band was worshipping from their hearts and Kelly ended up doing some worship dancing which she had never done before. We were all amazed by God's power and how everything just clicked. He spoke to many hearts that night and we had the opportunity to minister and pray for many teens and young adults. The next day we held an event at a mall called "what is love" It was centered around music and testimonies about God's love. We'll be holding 5 of these events while we're here in TJ and each one will be a bit different with elements of music, dance, and fine art. Those of us who weren't on stage spent time evangelizing and praying for people. Many people were changed that day! I felt like God had asked me to make a drawing for a woman and share with her how beautiful she was. She was really touched and said no one had ever told her that. The next day we were at an orphanage and There was a really shy little girl who was hanging around me a lot. I started talking to her I told her that she was really beautiful. When i said that she put her head down and looked really sad. I asked her if she knew she was beautiful and she said no with tears in her eyes. It broke my heart. This beautiful little 5 year old orphan had never been told she was beautiful. I felt that God was giving me a mission to tell people how beautiful and special they are. On sunday we had another event in a park. I made some drawings to give to people so that I could share with them how beautiful they are. I began asking God who they were for, but I didn't get an answer. Some little girls came up to me and I tried talking to them but we had a hard time communicating in spanish, so i asked them if they wanted to color with me. They were happy with that so I drew them some pictures and wrote "eres muy bonita!" on the back. Their eyes lit up when they saw that. I continued to ask God who my drawings were for while more kids kept coming to me. I eventually decided to give a drawing to a woman who was sitting by herself. She didn't have much of a reaction from it and I felt a little discouraged. After that like 5 more little girls came and colored with me and I made drawings for all of them. They loved them so much that their friends would come over and ask for one. That's when I realized that God was bringing me these children to tell them that they were beautiful and spend time with them. They all loved the concert and I felt like we were there that day for those children. Some people in the team were disappointed because a lot of people left and there wasn't as much enthusiasm as there was at the mall, but I was reminded of how God cares so much for even those little children, that they're just as important as the adults! I thought that was pretty awesome. This week we've visited an orphanage and have been preparing for our next events this Saturday and Sunday. Tomorrow we'll be doing some street evangelism. It's hard to believe that we have less than 2 weeks left here! But God still has a lot of work to do! Please pray for strength, endurance, and lots of love to share in our final weeks here. Gracias amigos!

update from Colima!

2011-03-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I just wanted to give you an update from Mexico! Our whole team is loving it here in Colima. The weather is very warm and a nice change from Norway, and the food is amazing! That's also a nice change from Norway! We've met so many warm and hospitable people here in Mexico, we feel very blessed by the church, Groupo Amor here in Colima and our contact people Mauricio and Diana. They treat us very well. Our first day off was spent at an amazing restaurant on the beach where we ate and swam all day! And we've been invited to many wonderful homes for delicious meals and great fellowship. Our first full week of working was spend running activities at two different orphanages. The kids were so awesome and fun! We loved spending time there. This weekend we led a youth meeting at the church where I taught about God's calling with about 50 teens and in the evening we participated in a children's ministry in the park that the church runs every saturday. We've also been doing random things like praying for families, painting, and having concerts (the musicians in our group at least).

On Sunday we went to a very nice home for dinner. It was a huge modern style home in a very rich neighborhood. The entrance is guarded by security and there's huge trees that block the view of the homes. But right across the street from the entrance there was a little shack that someone was living in and we felt really heavy from the extreme contrast. We decided to go buy some food and take it to the person who was living there. The boys got out of the car to talk to the man and the girls stayed in the car to pray, even though we could still hear everything they were saying. Turns out the man who lived there was a security guard who was working for the school and he had to change jobs because he had had 3 surgery's on his leg in the past month. We prayed for him that his leg would be healed and he said that his leg got really warm and then he said it felt better! We're believing that He was healed and won't have to have any more surgeries.

This week we're painting a mural at the church, having another concert at the gallery, and teaching another workshop on creative missions to the young adults in the church.I have to go now, but I miss you all very much and thank you for your prayers!

hasta luego

Abril

Adios!

2011-03-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

We're leaving for Mexico in less than 8 hours! ahhhhhhh!

blessed to be a blessing.

2011-02-22T07:12:00.000-08:00

This is a phrase we've been hearing over and over in our teaching the past few weeks. Sunday was my birthday, and it seems my friends have really taken an effort to live this theory out. I have never been so spoiled: parties. cakes. cards. presents galore. Just remember that these are DTS students that don't have any money. Yet they still went to great lengths to make my birthday so special. It all started on Friday. Sadie and I had a little combined party with some of the staff girls. We ate junk food for hours and they all gave me the sweetest cards and a couple gifts. On Saturday Silvia took some of us to the art studio and then up to the lookout at night over the city of Aalesund. It was beautiful and the moon was huge! These pictures hardly do it justice. After that we all turned into werewolves.

On Sunday I was woken up by Caroline with breakfast in bed! After that I went over to Gabby's house where I got another amazing breakfast of banana pancakes, eggs, coffee, and oranges and then I got to relax and use her awesome bathtub. At supper I got a cake and a card signed by everyone at the base.

Usually your roommates plan your birthday here, but mine were gone since it was winter break. This means I got 2 birthdays! On Monday when I woke up at 7 to do my morning chore my roommate Anne Marthe told me that someone else was going to do it for me! Then she made me a french press with Starbucks coffee (The coffee we usually have tastes like dirt) For lunch they got me McDonald's. After dinner they did my dinner dishes for me (the worst chore ever, that I get to have this week) Then they surprised me with a brownie cake! Just when I thought the spoiling was over they gave me an envelope with the exact amount of money that I needed to finish paying for my DTS! I was so excited I actually made myself dizzy and had to sit down. God is good.

My point in all of this is not to brag about what an awesome birthday I had, but to show how simple blessings can make someone feel so special. These friends didn't have to do anything for my birthday, but so many people went above and beyond to make me feel special. They have truly learned how to be generous. They have inspired me to be more generous. They have learned what it is to be a blessing. And of course I'm not forgetting about my friends and family at home who also sent me love on my birthday! I am a very blessed girl...now I hope I can pass it one to someone else!

What do you get with 4 Norwegians, 2 Mexicans, 2 Americans, 1 Canadian, and 1 Dutchie?

2011-02-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

TEAM MEXICO!

hmm.

2011-02-13T14:13:00.001-08:00

"The enemy is not afraid of us praying, as long as we're not praying what the Father wants" -Jonathan Helser

I can tell it's gonna be a good day.

2011-02-12T05:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was so sunny and beautiful! It's been a long time since i actually felt the sun on my face. We went to the art studio and I just sat on the floor by the window and it was glorious. Our assignment yesterday was to make something new out of something old. I found a beautiful tablecloth and decided to make a skirt out of it. I like to sew by hand, which is impractical, but there's also something so personal and beautiful about the process. Must be the fine artist in me.

next weekend is winter break. It's also my birthday. I think I'm going to spend some time preparing for Mexico. Brushing up on my Spanish, maybe do some drawing to display at the gallery in Colima, and researching ideas for my official job title as "fun coordinator". I'm also going to learn how to make things out of paper (aka oragami). Our leaders thought it would be a good thing to share with the children in the orphanages. If you know anything simple to make, please pass it along my way!

23 days until Mexico!

how can you support missions?

2011-02-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

Pray: for missionaries, intercede for a specific country, pray for unreached people groups who have no access to the gospel, etc.
Council others
Spread awareness
Help mobilize
Be generous (with time and money)
Sponsor through finances
Use your talents to raise money (concerts, events, sell art work, dinners, auctions, etc.)
Invest in the kingdom
Run a business and give the surplus

Facilitate for others to go
Short term teams
Be wiling let your kids go

Go
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/3 of the world's money is held by Christians. The number one reason missionaries come home is because of lack of funding.

0.5% of all offerings go to work among unreached people groups (Countries with most unreached people: India Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bangaladesh)

make a difference!

PTL

2011-02-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for financial blessings. First of all, thanks to my Mom for buying me a plane ticket home! I fly from Oslo to seattle on June 7th. Secondly, thank you to the US government for the $270 tax return that I will receive next week(and thanks Dad for doing my taxes!). yay! I'm so close to having the school paid off. Only about $500 to go now (it would have been less, but the exchange rate has gotten worse, so pray for that!)

need a designer?

2011-02-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

(i miss this)

www.aubreywebbdesign.com

letter from the bad guy

2011-02-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Remember that creative project I mentioned a few weeks ago? Well here's the letter that goes along with the cage sculpture we made. It's modeled after the screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis.

My dearest Jr. Deceiver,

I must congratulate you on your continued diligence to this most important war of disconnection. You have done a wonderful job so far in keeping people at odds with each other and drawing them into our trap. Although the Enemy has undoubtedly more strength then we, I fee l our race to draw people apart is on a steady increase.

Your installation of the Jantelov (a law in Norway) has done miraculous wonders for our side. It has caused a wave of generational dysfunction, convincing the men and women of Norway that they are of little or no value to the world. It has taken form like an invisible plague, infesting their minds so deeply. We now have parents teaching their children for us, that the best value is to keep quiet, cut off all ideas of self worth and stay as a ghost in the background. These beliefs are a great tool in our pursuit for separation. The humans think they have nothing to offer and therefore no reason to contribute and connect. Continue to press into this most ingenious virus. Rot their minds with voices of doubt, too busy to hear the Truth of the unmatchable worth He has given each one of them, which we only have the power to twist.

The business of living, lucky for us, has become just that: busy. So often you find the creatures running this way and that. Good! Loneliness can so often be found in this sort. Constantly scurrying to meet eternal deadlines they are caught up in their own abilities; making it, doing it, surviving on their own. Keep them believing weakness is the sin, that they themselves are powerful, and that they don’t need anyone else. And be sure to bring up doubt when He plants seeds of His strength and power. It’s most favorable for our side if we can just keep them too busy to notice His greatness at all! Ah yes, what great victory we can have!

When they do have a bit of what they call ‘free time’ make sure you emphasize the toll of their busy week and their need to be alone. But take care; while an empty head can be filled with trash, it also leaves room for our Enemy to speak and be heard. Fortunately for us, you need only to distract them with a single one of the million things they have filled their lives with: a trashy magazine, the World Wide Web, or the television where they will sit for hours, goggling at “reality”. This is a great opportunity to send in comparison and bathe the little vermin in self-pity driving them into further isolation. Point out how she doesn’t have golden locks like hers, how his six pack refers more to a bag of roles then chiseled abs and if they only worked harder and had more money, they could be just like those people.

But if on the other had He reminds them of their innate need to connect with a real person, which He has the power to do above anything we may prevent, and they manage to squeak in a dinner date or weekend hangout with friends, I suggest the application of these simple ploys to keep their mind fixated on alone-ness. For one, you can fill their mind with a frenzy of worries. Along with comparison as mentioned above, insecurity is a great friend of ours. You can highlight the stupid thing they said, or the fact that they picked a horrible shirt to wear that makes them look fat and oh my what their friends must me thinking about them. Yes, they really are the small and pathetic. Or on the contrary, you can stroke their pride. Point out the nasty state of that mans teeth, the horrible fashion of that girl who thinks she’s so cool and the lowly furnishings of a shaggy house containing even more pitiful conversation. Use their verbal skills to cut into friends with sarcasm and arrogant remarks. In this way, you can knock out two birds with one stone. You have the ability to make your subject believe he deserves far higher quality friends than this and that he’s better off alone. His spiteful words can in turn reinforce his targets own insecurity: he really is as bad or worse then he thought.

However the path is fashioned, whether by too much noise or not enough, once you massage the pain of living and coax them into the cage, make sure to point out the comforts of being alone. Although a portion of them will inevitably be longing for further contact and relationship, strike on past hurts like a knife into warm butter. Such wounds remind the being that even though they feel disconnected, being alone is much safer then risking further injury and deeper scares. Not only do they avoid injury, they are liberated from the limitations they believe others put on them. You can then have the sheep believing the trap is a morphed nest of freedom: free from disappointment, free from complying with others demands, and free from meeting others needs. Note that one doesn’t have to appear alone, as a loner would, to feel alone. The social butterfly can feel the sting of loneliness just the same amidst a room full of her busy friends. Be attuned to the individuals state of mind more then their physical alone-ness.

Once these are clearly established, your job of enforcing what has become in their mind, a desirable comfy habit, is all the easier. The sex drive, most favorably exhibited in the one night stand, is one of my favorite cycles! Conditions have already been arranged in our favor: a world flooded with sexuality, ‘everybody’s doing it’, and, especially in the younger ones, an animal-like drive to pursue pleasure. Encounters such as these let the pitiful human think they are connecting with another on a ‘deeper’ level when in reality it is a not even a hint of what their Father has planned for them. But if you can keep them in the dark and catch their souls when they once again become weak with insecurity and longing for something more, you can convince them next time, always next time, it will be enough.

Oh, how easy our work has become! They can practically do it themselves! I can’t for the life of me understand the un-dieing love our Enemy has for His beings, but keep in mind He has wired them to discover it if they choose to open the door. This is why our work is so important. To the untrained human eye, our Enemy is hard to see, so we must put weight on the importance of physicality. Being alone, feeling alone, that’s where we want them, where they are most vulnerable and weak. From the very beginning He designed them to be in relationship with Himself and others, so we must do our best to taint, mutilate, and abolish all possibility of such relationships. If we do our work wisely, and install the right conditions, it can breed and fester like black mold on the human heart. And no one wants to hang out with smelly black mold. So keep up the good work!

Yours truly,

Master Deceiver

Living from the heart.

2011-02-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hei Hei

Sorry I haven't been so motivate to blog lately. Here's another update: Last week our teacher was Ken Helser from North Carolina. You may have heard of his son, Jonathan Helser. He's a worship leader from the states. Ken is just the sweetest old man who lives a life of servanthood better than anyone I have ever met. During one of the teaching sessions I spilled my tea on the floor and he stopped teaching and insisted that I let him clean it up for me! After meals he was always taking everyone's dishes and helping clean up. He is so in love with his wife that he's been married to for 40 years and he love's to talk about his children and grandchildren. Their ministry in North Carolina is called "A place for the heart" He truly has a heart bursting with love for others. The reason he's like this is because He's allowed his heart to truly become one with God's heart. He kept telling us all week how he would love for us to have the life he has. It was so inspiring. here's just a few of Ken's wise words that I wrote down in my notes:

-We don't always get what we want, but because God the father loves us, he gives us what we need.

-Anything that does not flow out of a heart of worship comes from the flesh. Worship is giving my whole self to God for Him to enjoy.

-You cannot understand yourself, by yourself.

-Our greatest weapon against the devil is rest "When we work, God rests. When we rest, God works" rest=trust

-would you want someone else to be you? If not then the words coming out of your mouth don't have any power.

there were so many other wonderful things that he taught us, but most of all what he taught us was to learn with our hearts. To not just store information in our mind, but to really learn it in our hearts by doing something about it. To take action! So, that's what I'm trying to do right now.This week was really life changing for me. I'm still wrestling with a lot of things that I learned about myself and God. A lot of things in my life came into the light. But that's what I'm here for and God is continually reminding me how precious this time is and how blessed I am to have this experience.

*This week we're learning about missions, next week evangelism, then winter break from the 17-20, creative week, outreach prep week, then outreach! That means we only have four weeks until we leave for mexico! I'm nervous and excited all at the same time. please pray for our safety, good health, and God's strength and provision as we travel and serve. And especially that my skin and eyeballs won't boil once I meet the sun again.

update.

2011-01-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

I realized that I'm long overdue for a post, so here's a quick update... My first week back after the break was spent at the Grimerud base near Hamar, where everyone had been for the worker's gathering (i skipped out) We had a few days of teaching there on prayer and fasting and we had the opportunity to fast for a day and participate in their 24/7 prayer room. It was a really great time to refocus and find peace. I really longed for more time with the Lord after those days.

This past week was our creative project week. At the beginning of the week we were told that we would be having an exhibition in May with the theme of "loneliness" since Norway has one of the highest rates of "lonely people" in the world. So we all got in groups and worked on projects all week. My group ended up creating a sculpture that loosly resembles a bird cage made of wire, string, and branches. It's large enough that you can actually crawl in it. We also wrote a letter based on the screw tape letters by C.S. lewis and on the outside of the cage we pinned photos of groups of people where one person was cut out on each and glued to the floor of the cage. I'll put up photos soon! Another group made this video. It's pretty awesome I'd say. check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1kBL5OMXkY

Next week we're going back to Elnesvaagen for another mini outreach, and this time we get to go to schools and teach art/ hang out with kids!

Fundraising has gone well lately, and I finally sold my laptop! I only have $650 to go now. Photos are still for sale if you'd like to help: http://aubreywebbdesign.dotphoto.com/CPListAlbums.asp

and now for the most exciting news.... outreach!
We've finally found out more information about what we'll be doing in Mexico. This schedule is still very tentative, but here's what it may look like: On March 7th (happy birthday Phil!) we fly to Mexico City and find a way to get to Colima. We'll spend three weeks helping at Mauricio's gallery in Colima and help him start up a cafe there. Then we'll spend one week in Guadalajara at a home for street kids (I'm very excited for this!) Next we may possibly spend around 5 days in Cuidad Obregon (not sure yet what we would do there). Then we plan on spending around 3 weeks in Tiajuana where we will hopefully be helping at some orphanages and at an after school arts program in Tecate (http://studiodelcreador.org) after that we have to find a way back to Mexico City! I'm so so so excited about everything we'll be doing. I'm practically counting down the days until we leave Norway, which is pretty easy when we only have 6 hour days...

Adios!

photo sale

2011-01-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

For My last fundraising effort I've set up this website to sell my photographs. Check it out and please buy one (or two?) ! I still need to raise about $900 and this payment is already a month late so I need the money asap. Any photos that you order are sent directly to you by this company. After printing costs I'll make about $30 for each photo ordered.
ready.set.go.

http://aubreywebbdesign.dotphoto.com/CPListAlbums.asp

I wonder...

2010-12-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

"The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world. In this long vigil he often has to vary his methods of stimulation; but in this long vigil he is also himself striving against a continual tendency to sleep." -Marc Chagall

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed." -Albert Einstein

This week I'm learning to find my sense of wonder and awe again. Just trying to appreciate this amazing creative God I love and allow him to inspire me.

agua.

2010-12-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

Today during my "artist date" with myself I was looking to be inspired by something and I ended up watching this documentary about the crazy and mysterious life of water. It's pretty interesting and gave me a lot to think about. If you have an hour to spare I recommend it. find it here

Creative Week.

2010-12-02T03:34:00.000-08:00

This creative week we've been doing something that I have had a love/hate relationship with for the past 4 years: Graphic Design. After graduating last spring with a degree in it I didn't think I wanted anything to do with it anymore. This week I actually enjoyed it though! I've had so much fun working on it again that I even updated my website and added new work and photograpy. You can view it here: www.aubreywebbdesign.com and the most exciting part is that I got hired to design a logo by a company in the states! So now I feel inspired and I have work to do!

(and I'm always open to more clients)

here's one of the projects we did this week. A dvd case for "The Art Ambulance"

And tomorrow we'll be screenprinting. I designed this to screenprint...

preview.

2010-11-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

Some Photos of the Gallery/ Cafe where we'll be working in Mexico

and the surrounding area of Colima!

outreach announcement!

2010-11-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today I am especially thankful because this morning we learned where we are going on our outreach From March 7 to May 1. I am going to......Mexico! A little ironic, I know. When we were asked to write down our top three choices I felt like God wanted me to put Mexico down, but of course I thought it would be more exciting to go to Austria or France so I put Mexico as my third choice. But God still got his way :) When I found out I was actually really excited. I feel like he has been preparing my heart to go there and I even feel like he's been giving me a heart for the spanish people and culture. I am really excited for the work we'll be doing there too. We will be spending a lot of time in Colima where we'll be working with a cafe and art gallery ministry. It is run by Mauricio Palacio and his wife. He was the first teacher we had during creative week this year and they are amazing. I'm really excited to learn more from them and see their ministry first hand. We'll also be traveling to other parts of mexico (still undecided but probably Guadalajara) and hopefully be woking in orphanages and with the homeless. It will be so nice to be in a warm country where they have food with taste, and did i mention we'll be near the ocean! Once again i realize how spoiled I am. There are 10 people on our team and two are actually from mexico, which will be very helpful. I am hoping to brush up on my spanish before I go! 5 are from Europe and it's really fun to see their excitement to go to this exotic country! And then there are 2 americans (myself included) and 1 canadian. I would love your prayers in the next few months as I prepare to go. It's going to be an amazing and challenging time, I already know that.

love from Norge.

HELP!

2010-11-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

So, I'm going to do this again at the risk of looking really desperate,

My last payment to YWAM is due on December 1st and I am still in need of $2,500 I know it sounds crazy, but if there's anything I've learned so far it's that God is BIG and he can do anything! And to be honest I am really excited to see a miracle happen here! So, If anything in you makes you feel like you want to help me out here, I will love you so much! (Just kidding, I will love you even if you don't give me money!) I have to admit, I really hate asking for money, but I think God is always asking us to do things we really don't want to do. Luckily he always knows whats best :)

Now for a few photos...

they said this dts was 9 months right?

just kidding! My small group decided to dress up as frazzled pregnant women last week. Pretty convincing huh?

Almost all of the girls decided to sign the 3 week "no makeup pact" haha, it's been very liberating!

explore journal.

2010-11-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

where I...explore

catch up time.

2010-11-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while since I've posted on here. Sorry about that. Here's what you missed...

First there was love feast, basically an awesome party that the staff put on for us with the theme of Robin hood. I had to dress us as a warthog which I think really suited me.
..........................................................

During creative week we worked on sculptures and installations in groups. Here's the outside of ours, haha. You can't really understand it without standing inside it. sorry.

........................................

Last week the fine art track went on our first mini-outreach to a small town called Elnesvågen. We stayed at a church there and did many different things. We planned 3 services; one for the teens, one for young adults, and one for the regular Sunday congregation. We also did things around town including: speaking at a high school and junior high, teaching at a kindergarten, and handing out free coffee downtown. It was such an amazing time of being challenged and working together as a team. We learned a lot about each other and each other's stories and this made such a difference as we worked together throughout the week. It was so cool to have God help us out with all our planning and preparations through prayer and to see how he unified all of us through that. One of the most exciting things that happened was on Friday when we arrived at the high school. When we arrived at the room where we were supposed to speak to the high schoolers, but no one showed up. Instead we decided to move out into the hallway where they were all eating lunch! So we went and stood at the bottom of the stairs, told everyone to listen up and one of our girls, Caroline, shared her testimony right there. It was really awesome to see these high schooler actually focused on what she was telling them about God! It was like they were actually grasping the depth of what she was saying. Another highlight was getting to pray for a homeless Romanian woman that I met while we were handing out coffee downtown. She didn't speak english very well, but once Silvia and I started praying with her she began crying. It broke my heart. Right after that we met a group of teenagers and had a much different experience. One boy was so excited to talk about Texas and how he liked to go there to shoot things. We didn't give away much coffee, but at least we met some interesting people! The week ended with a spontaneous traditional Norwegian sunday dinner of Meatballs, sausage, potatoes, carrots, and brownies at one of the family's home that we met at the church. I came away from the week feeling more blessed than I ever expected!

on the ferry to Molde

poor guy. Our only boy.

the beautiful Norge sunsets

My painting during worship

the town of Molde

some friday treats!

2010-10-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

photo source: http://sadiearneson.blogspot.com/

YWAM Aalesund

This post is just a few random things that I'd like to share with you. The first photo is with our teacher from this past week, Mark Wahlberg. Just kidding! He's actually Mark Wahlberg's Norwegian twin, Lars Olav! He spoke about the Word of God (aka the Bible) and it was probably my favorite week of teaching so far. The second photo is from Sweden and it is our entire base with Loren and Darlene Cunningham, the founders of YWAM. The third bit of news I don't have photos for, but today we found out that the outreach destinations for the spring are India, France, Mexico, and Austria(+some of eastern Europe like hungry or slovakia). I'll find out which country I go to in a few weeks, so be praying!(my first choice is Austria+E.U.)

Ciao!

I hate to do this, but....

2010-10-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,
I just wanted to give an update on my financial situation for the year. So far I have raised $6,000 of the $9,000 I needed for the year including Airfare, school/living expenses, and most of all my outreach cost. Many of you have already blessed me by donating money, and I am so grateful for the sacrifices you have made. But the reality is, I still need $3,000 by December. I am believing the Lord for this amount, since he has assured me over and over that he is taking care of it. But I just wanted to remind all of you again that I have this need, and If the Lord puts it on your heart to help me out, I would very much appreciate it! I wish I could share some details with you of where my outreach will be and how I'll be serving there, but unfortunately I still don't know...the announcement should be coming very soon I hope!

If you want to give you can do so either through the paypal link on the right or by sending it to:

Aubrey Webb
c/o Debra Newberry
623 E. 11th St
Weiser, Id 83672

You can also support me by hiring me for a design job! here's the link to my portfolio: www.aubreywebbdesign.com

And If you've been following my blog I'd love to hear from you! Please leave comments or email me! aubwebb@gmail.com

Tusen Takk!

first day on the job

2010-10-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

Today I got to work at the cafe in town, Lyspunktet. It is my community service assignment, and I just love it. It's such a warm, cozy place. They have amazing coffee, baked treats and food. A few of the things I got to sample today were the vegan chocolate muffins, maple syrup and chocolate chip muffins, a mango milkshake, carrot cake made with fresh carrots, and a chicken quesadilla to take home for dinner. Oh and I had my first Coke since I've been here! It was the best food I've had so far in Norway. I learned how to make milkshakes, Super sundaes, do dishes, and serve orders. The worst part was when customers would ask me questions and I just laughed nervously at them and explained in english how I didn't speak Norwegian. Oh well, I'm getting used to that. It was just great to work in a practical way, doing something other than chores and feeling like I have a job. And I even made 12 kroner in tips! (that's $2) yesssss.

snow what.

2010-10-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Today was the first snow in Ålesund. Fall is officially over here, and I wasn't too happy about that. I guess I just wasn't prepared for the cold weather yet. I didn't even bring an adequate coat. I've been really grumpy the past few days, and I think it's because of the weather. For some reason I haven't been able to accept the fact that I'm living in NORWAY and it gets COLD. But this morning I was sitting in the dining room during my quiet time and as I stared out the window I couldn't believe that beauty that lay before me. I felt like I was staring at a huge painting, it was almost surreal. And then I realized how blessed I am to be living in such a gorgeous country, with such a gorgeous view. I just need to suck it up and face the snow. Maybe even embrace it (well, maybe after mom sends me a warmer coat) I'm trying to learn a lesson in contentment these days.

creative week numero uno

2010-10-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

For our first creative week we've been painting with Mauricio, an artist who runs a gallery in Mexico. It's great to finally be in the studio and spending some time in town. Here's an exclusive v.i.p. preview of what we've been doing...

the studio, in the balcony of a 18th century church

figure paintings

we were asked to make a painting with the theme of "faith" We had one day to think of a concept and one day to paint. Here's what I did...

first layer

second step, add stained glass

the finished product.

Not bad for one day I guess. I think I am pleased.

detail

Arts Gathering etc.

2010-10-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a whirlwind of craziness. First we had Francois Botes here from England to teach us about the prophetic, lots of praying an preparing for Arts gathering, Arts gathering, little sleep, lots of learning, lots of fun. Here's a mini overview. The following photos were swiped from my friend Sadie's blog. Thanks Sadie!

this is me singing "livin on a prayer" by bon jovi while our choir, the hallelujah southern baptist gospel choir backs me up

photos 2 & 3: Arts gathering! Speakers, musicians, dancers, and artists from all over the world came to our very own Aalesund to worship God through the arts. Such a fun time and so good to learn more about my own calling as an artist.

the lovely alida garpestead! My amazingly talented singer friend was asked to sing with Andrew Ehrenzeller during worship. She is a total rock star.

wandering around Aalesund.

hanging out by the water.

først uke

2010-10-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

Our first "real week" of the dts was incredibly amazing, fun, exhausting, emotional and challenging. Our teacher for the week was David McDaniel an American from Japan. He leads a dts in Japan and he was so so funny! He has a huge heart for our dts and it's actually the only one he still teaches at. He talked about God's character in a way that was so eye opening and challenging. One of my favorite phrases that he used was "get out of Bible study mode" It's so true how we can read the Bible and never really get what's happening. I feel like so many truths were revealed to me in stories that I've heard my whole life. David took the time to really get to know us and see the areas in our lives where we struggled. He and I talked about perfection and Art and he really helped me to see where I was putting too much pressure on myself and caring to much about what everyone else thought about my work. On Friday we had our first "creative Friday" and I really tried to create without expectation or pressure and it was so wonderful and for the first time I was really able to completely enjoy myself! It was such a great feeling! For our first assignment we drew a number and each number represented someone in the art track (but we didn't know who). We had to pray that God would show us what to make for that person and from there we had complete freedom. It was so cool how everyone got something. On Monday we're going to present them to each other and then see how God speaks to them through the art, I'm so excited! Our studio is downtown Alesund in the balcony of an old church that was used for revival in the 1900's. It was so beautiful and inspirational. I'm so excited to work there this year. On Saturday one of the staff, Emelie offered to take whoever wanted to join on a hike. Only 5 of us went. We went to this beautiful place by the sea with a light house and a bunch of colorful houses. I was so happy that I went, even though I had been sick all week and was exhausted afterwards. It was worth it to see another beautiful part of this country.

Well, this week Francois Botes will be here from South Africa to teach about the Prophetic and the end of the week is arts gathering! I'm so excited! You can go here to learn more about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoG6yaeXGv8

peace & blessin's

Aubs

swedish fish.

2010-10-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

Last week just about everyone from the base loaded up the vans for the 13 hour drive to Restenas, Sweden. The occassion was YWAM's 50th anniversary for the nordic and baltic nations including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, and maybe a couple more that i can't remember. There were a lot of sessions where we learned about what YWAM has done in the last 50 years, what they're doing now, and where God is taking them in the future. I have to admit that it was a little difficult for me to sit through, being that I had only been a part of YWAM for 1 week. God still got my attention. It's incredible the work that this organization does. First of all, no one gets paid. tens of thousands of full time missionaries relying on God to take care of all their finances. What an incredible test of faith. In one of the meetings we took an offering for the base where the event was held and raised 1 million swedish krone (about $150,000) To pay off thier property debt. This is in a room of about 400-500 people who don't get an "income". It was just an incredible faith builder for me. The fact that I still need $3,000 by January no longer worries me. It's embarrassing how sometimes I forget that the creator of the universe takes care of me.

Ok, to be honest it's been a week since I started to write this post and I'm having a hard time finishing it so I'll just wrap up by saying Sweden was an adventure but I was so happy when we returned to Alesund. It's beginning to feel like home :)

bad photos.

2010-09-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

I made a lens for my canon rebel from a holga camera. Yesterday I went on a walk to the norwegian sea to test it out. The results weren't really that great, but with some editing they turned out kinda cool. Here are a few of them...

a lighting store.

birds.

rain on the water.

the sea

torture is...

2010-09-18T04:20:00.001-07:00

living 5 blocks from H&M and knowing you can't buy anything there.
also...the fact that chocolate costs about 4 bucks a pop.

First days.

2010-09-18T04:10:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm sitting in the dining room with candles lit and large windows in front of me with a beautiful picture of the clouds looming over the mountain. I love everything about this place. From the moment I got here it's felt like home. Yesterday we got a small tour of Ålesund including a trip to the famous viewpoint,Aksla, a hill that overlooks the city. Pause for photos...

As you can see, the view was incredible. While we were there we also got to learn a bit of history of the town, which was a truly incredible story. In 1904 there was a fire that burned down the entire town except for the house of "one righteous man". Ask me about it if you'd like to hear more :) We then were able to walk down the hill to the town and right to a cafe run by ywam called Lyspunket. It was very cozy, or kooshling as the Norwegians call it.

Today we had our first day of teaching. This morning we learned a little bit about the prophetic and then we got to meet in our tracks for the first time. We learned that we will get to participate in two exhibitions throughout the year and learn from teacher from all over the world. I'm also pretty excited about of our studio space because it's down in the center of town! (this would be a 2 hour walk from the base) So it's nice that we'll have many opportunities to spend time downtown. It's been great getting to know so many people from different cultures. The Norwegians are especially fun because I get to learn more about their culture. Here a just a few random facts I've learned from them:

Engagement rings are worn on the right hand and are usually gold bands
Minimum wage in Norway is about $20 an hour
It's cheaper to fly to the U.S. to buy a mac than to buy one in Norway.
Starbucks isn't allowed in Norwaybecause they don't want competition for the local cafe's
People don't go out for coffee much anyways because it's so expensive( about $6 a cup) they usually just have it in their homes.

One more thing, I leave for Sweden on Tuesday for YWAM's 50th celebration! All the bases from Scandinavia will be there as well as the founder's of YWAM! I feel so spoiled. This will be a wonderful time of worship together and celebrationg the accomplishments of YWAM of the past 50 years.

Until next time,
Jeg elsker dag
Aubrey

photos!

2010-09-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Not really the best shots, but here are some photos from my walk today!

"youth with a mission"

home.

my address

2010-09-13T00:46:00.000-07:00

for all my wonderful pen pals out there :)

Ungdom i oppdrag
Aubrey Webb
Åsemulvegen 5
N-6018 Ålesund
Norway

I have arrived!

2010-09-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

I'm here! After 4 flights and about 30 hours I was half dead, but I made it to my new home. This was the worst traveling experience I have ever had. It started at around 5am on september 10th after sleeping for 2 hours that night. Jessica and Katie got up along with me to make me breakfeast and say good bye! they are the sweetest (and Ariel i love you too even though you stayed in bed, I would've done the same :) Phillip drove me to the airport and after clearing up some problems (no thanks to cheaptickets.com) I had to weed 20 lbs of stuff out of my incredibly overpacked suitcase. Some things I had to leave behind: conditioner, bodywash, watercolor pencils, goldfish crackers, sweatpants, downy wrinkle release, hairdryer... obviously nothing I can't live without, although I should probably buy some soap. At around 7:30 I boarded my plane for Chicago carrying a huge backpack, pillow, and purse (yes I pushed the limits on the carry on rule) When I got on the plane I couldn't even lift my backpack to put it in the overhead compartment. This is when I knew I was in trouble. I slept the entire flight and when I got to Chicago I had a really fun time finding my next gate. After going through security again and finding my gate I was found out there were no restaurants inside the international terminal and had to eat trail mix for lunch.

While waiting for my flight I opened the package that katie sent me off with and It included a beautiful copy of Jane Eyre and a personalized survival guide of norway that she made me. I then started crying for the first of many times. I realized all of the wonderful loving people I was leaving behind for this mysterious new journey. I began praying for the Lord to give me strength for the rest of my journey. I seriously just wanted to turn around and go home at this point. I talked to Phil for the last time before my flight left and cried all the way through take off. I think the older couple sitting next to me felt sorry for me and they were really nice to me for the rest of the flight. I only slept about 1 hour of the 8 I was on the plane. They served us cold tomato and cheese sandwiches for breakfast so I guess that woke me up.

When I got to the airport in Stockholm I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the most incredible airport I have ever been to, like a glorified version of Ikea. That definitely helped me feel comfortable. I sat down in a chair that I think i saw in an art museum once and tried to sleep but failed. The flight to Oslo was about 45 minutes and the normally complimentary drinks cost about $5 usd! I got to Oslo feeling like I was about to pass out. I picked up my bags and went through customs. When checking in my bags again the man at the counter took pity on me and let me check my backpack for half price, only $40. Best $40 I've ever spent. I bought a $5 orange juice and still felt sick and realized I hadn't eaten anything since the cold breakfast sandwich on the flight from Chicago. I bought the cheapest thing I could find, a $20 baguette sandwich and water. I forced myself to eat half of the sandwich but really had no appetite. I fell asleep as soon as I boarded my flight to Alesund and slept the entire way. I woke up right as we descended through the clouds and felt like I was waking up into a dream. What I saw out the window was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed in my life. I thought I died and woke up in heaven!

While picking up my luggage, I met up with 3 other girls headed to the same place as me and somehow we missed the last bus of the evening. We tried calling the base but couldn't get ahold of anyone. We got kicked out of the airport because it closed. The man closing up called a taxi for us and we stood outside in the darkness and the rain of a completely silent airport for about 20 minutes. We began to feel worried so we prayed for safety and shortly after a "maxitaxi" arrived. $100 later we arrived at the base to some of the wonderful staff member. They fed us cereal and showed us our rooms. I'm living with 2 other girls, one from canada one from norway. They are both in the fine art track with me. They both share a bunk bed and somehow I scored the loft area all to myself! I am very happy about that. I slept for about twelve hours last night and woke up for lunch. There are so many wonderful people here that I am so excited to get to know! We have the opening tonight at 9 and everyone will have arrived by then. I am so excited for the upcoming weeks. A couple things we get to do are a wilderness hike/camping trip in Alesund and the YWAM 50th anniversary celebration in Sweden! Thank you all for your prayers. I really fell like the worst is over. I just have to get over my jet lag and culture shock now. Oh, and my homesickness!

movin' on

2010-09-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

In less than 3 days I'll be movin' on. First of all, for those of you who don't really know what's going on in my life, here's the spiel...

For the next 9 month's I'll be attending The Creative DTS In Alesund, Norway. This is a YWAM prophetic school of the arts that focuses on training students in listening to the Lord’s voice, creating together with Him, and communicating through various art forms. The goal of this program is to make room for developing the creative abilities and giftings God has given people.

A few of the things I'll be learning there are...

To know and to make known God's original intention with the arts.
To teach and train the student to know God, hear His voice and create together with Him.
To be a prophet at this time in history and communicate God’s purposes through various art forms.
To build a Biblical foundation that enables the student to carry their creative giftings.
To help the student improve as an artist in performance and communication. - To develop a good attitude as an artist and practice excellence.
To be a worshiper of God.

In addition to the DTS (discipleship training school) curriculum, the DTS will include creative weeks (I'll be doing the fine art track), mini outreaches on the west coast of Norway for 2 weeks during the year, and a two month outreach to another country (still unknown)

If you would like to learn more about this school you can go here: www.creativedts.no

anyways, enough about that. Here's the beautiful town of Alesund where I'll be living..

I am just so excited and blessed to have this opportunity. I know the Lord has called me to this place for a reason and I can't wait to see what he has in store for me this year. I love that I will get to continue to follow my passion of art as I grow closer to the Lord and learn more about his calling for me as an artist. I know that there will be hard times ahead... jet lag, culture shock, homesickness and who knows what my outreach will bring, but i am just so thankful for God's promise that he will be by my side through all of it. I am just so thankful for those of you who have been a part of this with me and have been generous already through prayers and financial support. I welcome both. If you would still like to donate to my fund, you may do so in the side bar of this blog, just click on the "donate" button. You may also send checks or cash to 623 E. 11th st. Weiser, ID 83672. I still need to raise about $2,000 of the total $9,000 that I need in order to pay for training, room and board, and outreach costs.

Thank you for following my adventures and for supporting me with your thoughts and prayers.

I love you all. May you be blessed.

Aubrey