An Unusual Start in Scandinavia
Imagine the impact of a Pais team living among students in a boarding school… Well, that’s how Pais has started to pioneer in Scandinavia. Sociologists refer to the religious environment of Scandinavia as “secular heaven.” While the countries in this region consistently rank within the top 10 happiest, they also rank on top when it comes to consumption of antidepressants and alcohol among youth.
The Danish Boarding Schools concept creates opportunities for us to see a variety of circumstances among youth. Many of them just want to have the fun experience of enjoying life and investing in themselves, to be independent, and to live in deep friendships. But, an equal number of young people go there because they “need” to. Living in a boarding school allows us to have great opportunities to invest in students slowly but safely, to create a culture of love and acceptance at schools, to be reachable, and to build trust with students and teachers. We’ve met many young people coming from very broken families, some suffering from drug addictions (which began as early as age 10), some being depressed or having anxiety, and some suffering from eating disorders…just totally broken and in need of Jesus!
By God’s grace we have seen growth in the spiritual culture of the school and we have seen God moving hearts to reveal himself in different ways. Some students have begun attending Alpha Courses, receiving prayer, and visiting the church with us. You might see those fruits a little later than in usual schools, but then once they start to pop out, they will spread and be strongly anchored in a greater promise. Boarding schools are a big family. And just imagine one day, christian leaders influencing each boarding school in Scandinavia!
Highlights:
Last month we visited our National directors at the Faroe Islands for three weeks. We were able to set a good foundation for the start of this NEW Pais Nation. We went into multiple schools, doing lunch clubs, language classes, sharing testimonies and giving an insight into what Pais is going to do on the Faroe Islands. It was amazing to see how many kids actually joined and interacted with our program and how we could pray for people and see breakthroughs in schools.
During our stay we were hosted in City Church Torshavn and primarily ministered to preteens. We could see God working in heavenly ways as this younger generation was filled by the Holy Spirit while we learned how we can bring heaven on earth and listen to God’s voice. But we did not only stay with City Church, we went to multiple other churches (and there are a lot on the Faroe Islands) and shared testimonies. We’ve seen a greater longing for God’s love, an amazing interaction and connection between different churches, and many open doors for God’s work on the Faroe Islands.
Future of Pais Scandinavia:
After two good years with our first-ever boarding school in Denmark, we will have a break from working together with them. With a look to the future, we will start collaborating with another boarding school down in the south of Denmark as well as a boarding school in the Faroe Islands, and we will have a regular team on the Faroe Islands going into different schools. We look so much forward to keep impacting the young generation of Scandinavia!
What is Scandinavia?
Is a group of countries in northern Europe that includes Denmark, Faroe Islands, Norway, and Sweden, sometimes also Finland and Iceland.
Here are some random facts:
- •The flags of the countries share similar off-center cross design known as the Nordic cross.
- •Paul Zuckerman, a sociologist that has studied religion in Scandinavia says that this region is like “secular heaven”.
- •The World Happiness Report declared that the countries in this region have all been in the top 10 happiest countries since 2013, but they’re also at the top when it comes to consumption of antidepressants, and alcohol problems in youth.
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