The taxi driver who took us to our hotel in Washington, D.C.   early Wednesday evening, local time,  said these heartwarming words several times.  I do feel like coming home to my second country after 4 years of separation.  We share this tiny travel "report" of praise with you, and I hope to submit a separate one in Danish to my Scandinavian friends who may not be too minded for English "stories".

The flight on Wednesday from Copenhagen to Washington, D.C., was delayed, so we didn´t make the connecting flight that day to Seattle, but never mind.  One night in the capital was  okay and even exciting (new people to talk to), and my thoughts also went to The White House where I would have liked to drop by to take part in their weekly Bible study.   We didn´t meet Trump nor other celebrities, but felt the warmth of many spontaneous, friendly encounters with black and white people who with joyful interest received my new, beautiful "gospel card" with the heading "America, I love you!".

Before our "take off" to Seattle Thursday morning we had a lot of time in the terminal where among other thing I got contact with an elderly couple from West Virginia, at my own age, and they gladly expressed a wholehearted agreement with the simple gospel message of my card.  We had a very good fellowship where we shared a lot of things of the Lord, and at a certain point I was bold enough to sing for them my last song written on the flight from Copenhagen. 

At last we made it by bus (a so called shuttle) from Seattle to Yakima where we were warmly welcomed  by our daughter, Liza,  her good husband, Ian, and their three adorable girls, Amelia (11) Anna (9), and Rebecca (6) and, not to forget, their little, well disciplined dog, Romeo, that immediately wanted our company and invited us to play with it.

What really gripped my heart was the fellowship around the dinner table.  The daily program or "house order" is, after the meal,  the sharing with one another the "high" and the low" of the day, a "praise" and special prayer requests.  A passage from the Bible was read and then followed joyful singing accompanied by Ian´s  guitar I was more than amazed to see how vividly the children took part in it all.  All three children are minded for music and their piano is a very important "plus item".  I myself feel little and the Lord so great, and I praise Him that such a family still exists in a world of so much evil and immoral dirt. Our daughter is now a radiant witness of God´s grace after hard trials of her breast cancer and its unpleasent treatments.

 I also feel very "little" when it comes to the idiomatic fluency of the language, and I encouraged the kids to help me speak like they do.  I like to say with the Danish comedian, Victor Borge, when his heavy Danish accent was noticed, "Well, after all, it´s not my language, I only loaned it!"  I immediately  learned a new word, "pillow fight", which I and also the dog took part in.  Here is no room for dull, religious legalism (although the house has its rules), and the air is full a healthy laughter all the time, the lack of which there is no real freedom.  Comp. Ps. 126:2.

2 days before we left DK it was such a joy and encouragement to see a young Iranian (34), single, accept the good news of the gospel.  Aming is his name (I probably don´t spell it correctly).  I hastened to buy an Iranian Bible and a New Testament to him.  What an incentive to our "exploits" in America.  Spiritual children are as precious as our grandchildren, are´nt they?

But enough for  now.  Unfortunately the air is very polluted by a rain of ashes coming from one of those big forest fires in this part of the country, and this year it´s really bad, I´m told.

It can´t be concealed any longer, that we are now old people, my wife and I, and the strenuous journey plus some bodily frailties were tough on our feeble nerves, and yet the Lord was so good and overruled it all with His shining smile. 

This word I was reminded of the night before we left Denmark is:  "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace!" (Ex 14:14)  - a relevant battle cry right now.

More later maybe.

Yours because of Him and His grace,

Jørn