I awake on July 18 with a text that you never want to receive from an airline.

“Your flight has been delayed. You will miss your connecting flight. You are rebooked on the next flight to your destination.”

The computer’s automatic rebooking system doesn’t always work, so I had to call Delta and let them know our situation. Our original flight path was BNA-JFK-ARN (Stockholm). Easy peasy. Now, we have to go BNA-ATL-CDG-ARN.

More than three flights in a day is not a good day. lol We sat on the runway in ATL for four hours waiting on the weather to cooperate. So now the international flight goes from 8 hours to 12. We get to CDG, which is the worst airport in the world in my humble opinion, and Microsoft has shut down which causes literal chaos. Not to mention the high level security already at CDG because of the Olympics. CDG was packed with people who all had delayed or cancelled flights. Meanwhile, our original route from JFK-ARN left on time and peacefully.

I’d like to tell you that I had the peace of God the entire time, but I did not. I was stressed, I was frustrated most of the day. I was not sure if we would make it to Stockholm, but we did. We made it, but our luggage did not. We created a report for the airline to find it and ship it to us, and hoped for the best. Sometimes, days like that happen. It’s out of our control. We just have to make the most we can out of it!

After finally making it to Sweden, we met up with our hosts. Some friends that serve with Greater Europe Mission invited us to come and see the culture they have lived in for decades. Sweden has been a bucket list country in the back of my mind for a while, and I was excited to get to see it with Lynna. We just wanted to learn about the spiritual climate of the country and learn the reason why many American’s envy Swedes for their way of life, healthcare, efficiency, personality.

The first lesson in Swedish culture we experienced was “Fika”. Fika is a daily rhythm in Sweden. It’s a time to gather, eat delicious desserts, drink coffee or tea, and simply catch up with friends. In some businesses, Fika is required by law everyday. Basically the government says, “You must take a break throughout your day. Connect with people. Talk about life. And enjoy the little things.”

We loved that perspective and later came to find out that Swedes are the least stressed people group in the world when it comes to being in the workplace.

Lynna and I are eager to bring that practice into our home. Fika is a way of life. Slow down, connect with ones you love, enjoy good food, and don’t take life so seriously all the time. Life is more than work. One thing I have learned about a bunch of different European cultures is that they work hard and play hard.

We like to live our lives that way. We don’t have fancy clothes, we drive old cars, live an a simple apartment, and budget like crazy. We work hard for our lives and for the kingdom, and the world is our playground. What a blessed life this is.

The bank behind the famous story that coined the term “Stockholm Syndrome”.

Our friend and host, Ray, took us on a tour of Stockholm. We learned the history of the city firsthand from a local. We paused at this stop and Ray shared the story behind the phrase “Stockholm Syndrome”.

One thing about Swedes, is that they can be extremely passive and avoidant of conflict with one another. This came to life in the Fall of 1974 when a bank heist erupted. A group of robbers took hostages and kept them inside the bank for four days.

The robbers were in a standoff with the police and eventually gave up. When time for justice came, the hostages sided with the robbers! They explained to the police that the robbers were “very kind” and “treated us fairly.” “Do not hurt them!” they exclaimed. Some women of the group of hostages even wrote the robbers letters while they were in prison!

On our last stop on the tour, we prayed inside of a thriving church in the center of Stockholm. Ray had nothing but great things to say about this church. They care for the homeless extremely well, their doors are always open when people need a meal, a place to sleep, or a prayer from a church member. Ray shared his perspective on the spiritual climate of Sweden. We learned about the brokenness of Stockholm and began to pray.

As we prayed I realized something. Stockholm has allowed the enemy of God to convince them that he is their friend and that he has their best interest in mind. They are convinced that God does not know what justice really is. God doesn’t know what is best for them in their life. God’s words are just tradition and not the way of life. Many would rather live in the lies and comfort that they are safe with the enemy. When in reality the enemy doesn’t, and did not ever, have their best interest in mind.

Sweden itself has Stockholm syndrome. Europe has Stockholm syndrome.

Our time comes to a close in Sweden. Our luggage finally arrives 12 hours before we leave to go to Greece for our next stop with Ten2 Project debrief. We got to purchase some new clothes while in Sweden, so losing luggage can give you an excuse to buy a new wardrobe on the dime of the airline!

This time, our flights are smooth and all luggage arrives in Thessaloniki.

We meet up with 70 young adults and a handful of GEM staff to help these Ten2ers process their summer. It really does not get old. We get to hear about the life change that happened, and see first hand how God worked in the lives of these believers in their mid twenties.

We also take them through places where Christianity sparked in Europe. We take them to ancient Philippi and bring Acts 16 to life. We visit the waters where Lydia, the first believer in Europe, was baptized. We cast the vision to these young adults and say, “You have given your summer away, what would it look like to give your life away to God’s kingdom. You already have through salvation, now lets make it an adventure for His glory!”

I got to lead worship for the sessions again, and teach one session on “Dying to Self.” My prayer for these participants is for them to take what they learned this summer and use it to help the world know Jesus.

Lynna and I both spend a lot of face to face intentional time in one on ones with the participants, and helping them process through the hard parts and the joyful parts of their summers. We also talk with them about how to practically walk back into their contexts well. This is a joy for us to get to do!

Some stories I got to hear this week…

“There was a troubled kid at the camp we worked in Spain. We were patient with him and realized that he was a trouble maker because he didnt get love and attention that he needed at home. We shared the gospel with him over and over again and he ended up submitting his life to Christ. We got to give him a bible.”
“There were a group of girls in Doncaster, UK that immediately connected well with us. The missionaries of the area had been laying a great foundation of the love of Jesus for these girls. At the end of the summer, they accepted Christ, and we got to baptize each of them before we left.”
“The day before we arrived to Romania, the missionaries told us that the government approved them to build their church. It had taken over 10 years to make progress with the mayor to begin construction. It wasn’t a coincidence that we arrived the day before construction began. We got to build a church this summer. Over 30 kids came to an event in the community with their parents. The church had never seen more than 5 kids at a kids club. God is doing amazing things in Romania.”
“We saw people come to Christ this summer in Sunderland.”
“Festival Teesside saw over 1400 decisions for Christ. That is unheard of in Northern UK. Believers from all over the world were involved and will continue to pour into these new believers through Alpha courses."
“When I arrived in Europe, I really wanted to be seen by everyone. After a summer of scrubbing floors, doing dishes, and playing the background, I learned that a servant doesn’t need to be seen. I am God’s servant, and I do not always need to be seen. I can play the background and grow God’s kingdom.”

The leaders of the teams we sent all over Europe. 20 something year olds stepping into leadership, making mistakes, learning, growing, relying on Christ through it all!

This was the best summer with Ten2 we have ever had. Period. This group was eager to serve. I did not hear a single petty complaint once. This gives me hope for the future of our faith in the states and in Europe! God is calling and people are obediently saying, “Yes, Lord.”

This does not mean that there were not struggles. Participants face heavy spiritual warfare, sickness, fatigue, culture shock, and even danger to their lives. We hope and wish against all these things for them, but sometimes, it’s inevitable.

Nevertheless, this group handled these struggles well. Dependence on the Lord and on each other was evident in the way they interacted with one another, the way they engaged in worship, the way they prayed for each other and the nations they were serving in.

We believe that the Ten2 Project is a catalyst for change in Europe. It’s a catalyst to spark awakening in a continent that cannot statistically reach itself. God has graciously chosen us for this work. We will continue to say yes because God continues to remain faithful to His work.