Sisters from Canada
Sisters from Canada the newest members to the Vision Norway team
The sisters Mercedes Marie (21) and Trinity Celeste (20) Stautland are from Canada, and employees of Vision Norway and Vision Sweden, respectively. With these two in place, 11 nations are represented on the list of employees in the Vision Norway team. The two sisters from Canada have varied work assignments; from text work to technical tasks in the control room. But the most important thing for both of them is to work towards a common goal – to spread the gospel.
“It is absolutely incredible to experience people getting saved,” says the younger of the two, Trinity, from her whereabouts in Gothenburg. “We have a Norwegian father, so for me it is also important to know our national background,” adds the elder, Mercedes, quickly from Mjøndalen.
First employees from North America
There are already employees from a number of places around the world in Vision Norway’s team; including Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. After the two sisters arrived in Norway a few weeks ago, North America is also on the list. With Mercedes and Trinity on staff, there are now a total of 11 nationalities represented in the workforce at Vision Norway. “And the Stautland sisters will be the first from North America,” says TV manager at Vision Norway, Gawdat Mtrious.
One in each country
For Mercedes, both Vision Norway and Scandinavia are a recent experience, but it is not for Trinity. She’s been here before. In 2019, she contributed as a volunteer in Vision Norway. This time, however, she is working with Vision Sweden and specifically in Gothenburg.
“It fits perfectly, because at the same time I take a three-year bachelor’s degree at a university in Gothenburg with emphasis on several of the creative aspects which I also use in my job at Vision Sweden; such as photography and creative design. “So I will be here for a while,” says Trinity.
Trained pilot – works with text
At the same time, Mercedes is located in the office of Vision Norway in Mjøndalen. Her mother tongue such as English comes in handy here. In the first instance, it is the websites of Vision Heaven – Vision Norway’s English-language sister channel – that are in focus.
“I am actually a trained pilot, so the tasks I am delegated with, writing articles and other texts, fall somewhat outside my area of expertise. But I will do my best to make it work,” says a positive-minded Mercedes. She says that the workplace provides well-being. At the same time, the office is probably located a couple of thousand feet below what she prefers, because the plans are still to take to the skies in the future. “But first I will stay here [Vision Norway] during this summer. Then we’ll see what’s the next stop. So far, I’m not sure if it will be the United States or the home country Canada that will be my future home base, but time will tell. I trust that God will place me where I belong,” says Mercedes.
Trinity Stautland
Come here through your father’s network
But how it is that two Canadian girls find their way to Scandinavia and Vision Norway, it is obvious to wonder. Here they both have a long story to tell, so we’ll take it briefly:
The Stautland sisters say that their Norwegian father, originally from Tønsberg, was traveling in North America many years ago. At the time, he worked for a Christian theater. It did not take long, or many performances, before he met their mother. Since then, he has been living in Canada. Today he runs a Christian media company, and it is through this network of contacts that he entered into a dialogue with Vision Norway’s TV manager, Gawdat Mtrious. After that, it did not take long before they discussed his daughters working in Vision Norway.