Jesus People Europe
Well, things have gotten a little better since my last post. I'm able to hold on to more, and eating and breathing out of my mouth has become more normal. Have even learned to use the legs, and some simple words. (Evidently, I've got a great vocabulary for typing- I just have difficulty saying the same words out loud.) My favorite is "All Gone!" when I'm done with my food.
Found a dolly the other day. We were in the store, me and my mom, I saw this bin of these really great blue dolls. I really wanted one, so I reached out and grabbed it, saying, "My dolly." My mom looked aghast, and tried to encourage me in appropriate gender norms by pointing out the teddy bears next to the dolly bin. But I insisted. "No! My dolly!" So we ended up getting the dolly, and my mom went without lunch so we could afford it.
My mom's been hard at work. Evidently more than one kid can come out of her. I've got a little brother, Seth. He's fun. He's my very best friend.
But something traumatic as well. My mom says it's time to give up my dummy (American: pacifier) now that Seth is here. I've gotten really attached to it though, so it's hard. However, my mom told me the squirrel babies needed one, and I want to help them out more. So we're off to leave it under a tree for the squirrel babies.
Oh- I didn't mention. I used the British word because we're in England! Actually, we've been touring all around the Continent, and been based in England. Russ Griggs invited us over. Our old group, Jesus People Milwaukee, split into four groups: one stayed there in Milwaukee, one toured the US (and later will become the tent ministry Christ is the Answer), one went to Europe, and one eventually settled in Chicago, becoming Jesus People USA. My dad wanted to kind of spread the wealth, and John Herrin wanted to leave with a group of people and start his own thing with JePUSA. So my dad decided to just go ahead and bless that, and send them out.
The Full Gospel Businessmen had invited us over to Finland and Sweden for a couple weeks, and paid our way, but my mom decided she really liked Europe far too much, so we stayed longer. Now the Full Gospel Businessmen don't like us so much. My dad preached for awhile in the Stone Church, Temppeliaukiokirko, a church hollowed within the ground, and covered in stone. My grandfather, Jon Palosaari, would translate for him. (My grandfather came over from the Old Country when he was about six.)
After the Businessmen were no longer helping us we didn't have any money to support us. A really kind guy who'd been working with my dad, Leo Mueller, helped us out in Finland. He seems like the kind of guy who might extravagantly help me
twenty years from now when I'm stranded in Finland after missing a plane flight, after not seeing my parents for twenty years, but just because of the past relationship with them.
We went down to Germany after that and lived in a brothel while the band Sheep, which started in Milwaukee, plays at the local airforce base. We didn't stay there long though. We moved into the house of a Nazi sympathizer, and spent the time witnessing to him. Sheep's come out with a
couple albums- self-titled Sheep and Jesus-Rock Karitsat- a Finnish-English mix when we stayed for 6 months in Finland. You can hear "O Happy Day" in Finnish if you scroll down to Sheep on the previous link.
But we kept on bleeding money, and ended up with just enough to buy some fries and mayonnaise to go on top. That very evening we got home and there was this telegram, that had gotten to us, I don't know how, since no one knew where we were really. This guy, Kenneth Frampton, thought it was time for England to have a Christian rock musical, so he invited my parents over, and my mom came up with the idea for Lonesome Stone, which my dad's put together. I think it's the first Christian rock musical. He and
others were concerned, as their children had joined that same Children of God I mentioned earlier- they wanted to show Europe that there was such a thing as orthodox revival-filled Christianity. We've been touring everywhere with the musical- and my dad's happy, 'cause he's back in the theatre, which he was in for about a decade.
That's about it. Oh, my dad started this festival with Ken Frampton, Greenbelt. He has this idea that it will become the largest Christian rock festival in the world. We'll have to see.
Found a dolly the other day. We were in the store, me and my mom, I saw this bin of these really great blue dolls. I really wanted one, so I reached out and grabbed it, saying, "My dolly." My mom looked aghast, and tried to encourage me in appropriate gender norms by pointing out the teddy bears next to the dolly bin. But I insisted. "No! My dolly!" So we ended up getting the dolly, and my mom went without lunch so we could afford it.
My mom's been hard at work. Evidently more than one kid can come out of her. I've got a little brother, Seth. He's fun. He's my very best friend.
But something traumatic as well. My mom says it's time to give up my dummy (American: pacifier) now that Seth is here. I've gotten really attached to it though, so it's hard. However, my mom told me the squirrel babies needed one, and I want to help them out more. So we're off to leave it under a tree for the squirrel babies.
Oh- I didn't mention. I used the British word because we're in England! Actually, we've been touring all around the Continent, and been based in England. Russ Griggs invited us over. Our old group, Jesus People Milwaukee, split into four groups: one stayed there in Milwaukee, one toured the US (and later will become the tent ministry Christ is the Answer), one went to Europe, and one eventually settled in Chicago, becoming Jesus People USA. My dad wanted to kind of spread the wealth, and John Herrin wanted to leave with a group of people and start his own thing with JePUSA. So my dad decided to just go ahead and bless that, and send them out.
The Full Gospel Businessmen had invited us over to Finland and Sweden for a couple weeks, and paid our way, but my mom decided she really liked Europe far too much, so we stayed longer. Now the Full Gospel Businessmen don't like us so much. My dad preached for awhile in the Stone Church, Temppeliaukiokirko, a church hollowed within the ground, and covered in stone. My grandfather, Jon Palosaari, would translate for him. (My grandfather came over from the Old Country when he was about six.)
After the Businessmen were no longer helping us we didn't have any money to support us. A really kind guy who'd been working with my dad, Leo Mueller, helped us out in Finland. He seems like the kind of guy who might extravagantly help me
twenty years from now when I'm stranded in Finland after missing a plane flight, after not seeing my parents for twenty years, but just because of the past relationship with them.We went down to Germany after that and lived in a brothel while the band Sheep, which started in Milwaukee, plays at the local airforce base. We didn't stay there long though. We moved into the house of a Nazi sympathizer, and spent the time witnessing to him. Sheep's come out with a
couple albums- self-titled Sheep and Jesus-Rock Karitsat- a Finnish-English mix when we stayed for 6 months in Finland. You can hear "O Happy Day" in Finnish if you scroll down to Sheep on the previous link.But we kept on bleeding money, and ended up with just enough to buy some fries and mayonnaise to go on top. That very evening we got home and there was this telegram, that had gotten to us, I don't know how, since no one knew where we were really. This guy, Kenneth Frampton, thought it was time for England to have a Christian rock musical, so he invited my parents over, and my mom came up with the idea for Lonesome Stone, which my dad's put together. I think it's the first Christian rock musical. He and
others were concerned, as their children had joined that same Children of God I mentioned earlier- they wanted to show Europe that there was such a thing as orthodox revival-filled Christianity. We've been touring everywhere with the musical- and my dad's happy, 'cause he's back in the theatre, which he was in for about a decade.That's about it. Oh, my dad started this festival with Ken Frampton, Greenbelt. He has this idea that it will become the largest Christian rock festival in the world. We'll have to see.
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