From Islands to Home: A Season of Reflection and Gratitude

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! 

The past few months have been rich and full. They have included time for reflection and debriefing in Vanuatu, a meaningful (and slightly flu-interrupted) regional conference in Tonga. There has been unexpected rest in rainy weather, joyful reunions with friends in Australia and Norway, and finally a blessed Christmas season with family. In short: months filled with travel, laughter, quiet moments – and deep gratitude.

Time in Vanuatu — Reflection & Debrief

I spent the beginning of November in Vanuatu. Since our official "time off" is in December, November became a time for our Keep Safe team — and our whole YWAM base — to look back on the year that has passed. It was a chance to slow down, process, pray together, and reflect on all that God has done. Those shared moments of debriefing, prayer, and rest were grounding and refreshing.

Tonga – Conference, Rain, and Sickness

From Vanuatu, I traveled with three others to Tonga to attend a YWAM Pacific Collaboration conference. For Esther (my Keep Safe colleague), this was her first international trip — an adventure marked by laughter and amazement over escalators and electric hand dryers!

Leaders and teams from across the Pacific — including Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, PNG, and Micronesia — gathered to seek God together and consider the future of mission work in the region. It was especially meaningful to show Esther that YWAM extends far beyond our base in Vanuatu, and to watch her be encouraged, poured into, and inspired with new vision.

Unfortunately, I came down with the flu and a high fever during the conference, which meant I wasn't able to attend everything as I had hoped. Still, the sessions I did participate in were powerful and impactful. A central theme throughout the gathering was unity — the reminder that God's work in the Pacific is not carried by one nation alone, but by many standing together as one family.

After the conference, I had planned a few extra days of vacation in Tonga with a colleague. However, the weather had other plans. With heavy rain and strong wind, we spent most of our time indoors — because let's be honest, on a tropical island, there isn't much to do if you can't hit the beach! On top of that, the whole island faced a fuel shortage, so we couldn't rent a car or explore as we had hoped.

Still, that downtime turned out to be a gift in disguise. After being sick, the quiet days gave me much-needed rest, space to recover, and time to regain my strength. Even when plans change, I'm thankful for how God meets us right where we are — sometimes through stillness and rest rather than activity.

Homeward Bound — Australia & Norway 

After Tonga, I began my journey home to Norway to celebrate Christmas — my first visit home in a year and a half. Along the way, I had brief stops in Australia and Trondheim, where I was able to reconnect with dear friends, before finally landing in Bergen.

Christmas was full of family time and celebrations. We celebrated the holiday, my dad's 60th birthday, and my sister-in-law's 30th. I got to spend precious time with my nieces and nephew — and being an aunt truly brings me great joy. Not being able to watch them grow up closely is one of the harder sacrifices of living in Vanuatu, but I'm so grateful for the moments I do get.

New Year's Eve was spent with dear friends, laughter, and gratitude. While December may not have been the most restful month, it was incredibly life-giving. I also had the joy of meeting many of you who read this newsletter — those who support me in prayer and financially. Meeting you face-to-face was such an honor. I truly feel that I am not alone in this work.

A Look Back at 2025 — and the Road Ahead

In January, I will spend a month at YWAM Grimerud, the base that sends me out. While there, I'll be part of Brave Love Norway — a women's movement within YWAM that equips girls across generations to find their identity in Jesus and live in freedom, with a heart to make Jesus known in society and among the nations. At the same time, I'll receive spiritual refreshment and investment for the work ahead.

Even though I'm very grateful to be here in Norway, my heart also longs back to Vanuatu — the heat, the humidity, the lack of personal "space," and even the quirky challenges that push me to creativity and dependence on God. A place that once felt intimidating has become home in a deep and beautiful way, and I know that only God could create that feeling. I'm so thankful that I chose to walk in faith when God called me to Vanuatu. I can't imagine all I would have missed if I had said no — the experiences that strengthened my faith, the transformed lives, and the moments of deep learning.

I clearly see God's fingerprints when I look back at 2025 — in protection, provision, rest, and the fruit of the work. I have lacked nothing. God has been faithful.

In early February, I'll return to Vanuatu for a new season in the field. I'm looking forward to what's ahead, while deeply grateful for this time of refreshment, fellowship, and investment.

Thank you — truly — to each of you who stand with me. It means more than you know.

With warm greetings — even from cold Norway,
Marte Skutlaberg ❄️