Our children are growing up and have become small individuals with a more apparent personality. After spending 4 weeks in Sweden with friends and family they were back into speaking mostly Swedish. We were surprised to see how quickly they adjusted back to speaking English, being in a tropical climate and eating Fijian food again. I’ll describe a typical morning to you, to show you a little of what they are like…
We are on our way to have devotions at the YWAM-base. The sun is rising and there is still some fog left in the air. Linn is walking next to me and I can feel her little hand in mine. She’s wearing her favourite hat and with much passion singing a song that she’s just created. She seems totally undisturbed of the people we meet. Happy and peaceful, content in the way that is so typical for Linn. In front of me Jonathan is walking next to Fredrik, very busy checking out everything he sees. Cars, buses, non-stressed Fijians and of course every little crack and bug that he sees on the pavement. His whitish-blond curly hair is shining in the sun when he’s trying to look in every direction at the same time… Stumbles on his feet occasionally and is pulled up at the last moment by his experienced father.

Linn has just turned 4 (end of September – very important!). She’s really found a home now as we’ve moved to our own apartment (June 1st). Here she can walk in and out as she wants, ride her bike out in the yard, wave and shout “Bula” to people that passes by. She can button and unbutton her clothes and get dressed herself. Counts to 20+ in both Swedish and English, speaks English with her brother and Swedish with us. Likes to read books to her younger brother (whom is not able to check how accurate she’s reading…)

Five favourites: singing songs (especially her “home-made”), hats, backpacks (containing a multitude of little things she has packed thoroughly), ice cream/Coke and gifts/surprises.
Four terrible: having to stay at home when Mom or Dad is going out on adventures, being covered by hugs and kisses, pulled in her hair or pinched in her cheek by strangers on the street, having to finish her food before eating ice-cream or not being allowed to choose her own clothes (“sweetheart, we have to hurry up now”).

Linn is an extremely helpful young lady. She keeps an eye on her younger brother when they are out playing in the garden (something that is much appreciated by her parents since he has a tendency to come up with not so wise things sometimes!). She likes to assist on our medical clinics, often pays the fee to the bus driver or salesman at the market. Loves to give everyone a treat and buy ice-cream with her own money when we go for a swim at the local pool (money that she is given by strangers on the street only because she is so cute!). All this she does with great enthusiasm and preferably while singing. If she gets to help folding laundry in the evening (after Jonathan has gone to bed) you will see her making little leaps of joy. She will put her clothes in tidy piles and with diligence take them to her wardrobe. As a matter of fact, she keeps better track of her clothes than Daddy do! J

Jonathan (turned 2 on July 31st) is picking up new words every day and is a great fan of his older sister! Shouts “come” and “this” instead of “kom/titta” as little Swedish boys normally do. His policy is to “do things the fun way”, that is if there is such a way… Otherwise you can just as well not do it… J Some examples of what’s fun: to push his potty back and forth on the bathroom floor, to paint walls and furniture with crayons etc, etc… He’s no troublemaker by any means but simply demands a little more attention compared to what §his sister did at the same age. Every time he becomes quiet for more than 45 seconds we start to wonder if he has just fallen asleep or if he’s up to something.

Five favourites: everything that Linn does, being scratched on his back before he goes to sleep (he loves all kind of physical contact - especially hugging – it’s definitely his love-language!), airplanes, animals of all kind and his “che-chop” (flip-flops).

Four terrible: having to wait (in general), to be out-runned by his sister, to be corrected by his parents and finally to go shopping (like his father)…

Jonathan is an extravert (we think), who loves to be around people and is always charming everyone in a room. It’s easy to read what mood he is in and he quickly goes from tears to laughter! He’s at the moment busy potty-training and has stopped taking naps, so it often happens that he falls asleep over dinner…

Being able to spend lots of time outdoors with lovely people is a great blessing. Especially when you've got children. That Fiji appears to be a country without dangerous snakes, spiders or malaria is a great advantage. God is truly good!