Grant Aaseng from «Alt for Norge» back in Norway

Grant Luther Aaseng and his wife Ruth, née Bretheim, received family tree charts from Norsk Slektshistorisk Forening (the Norwegian Genealogical Society).

The Aaseng family: Grant, Kris, Marit and Ruth.

I wrote about the reality show «Alt for Norge» («All for Norway») in connection with the first episode which was broadcasted on TVNorge on 8 April 2010. Ten Norwegan-Americans were invited to Norway to determine which member of the group was «the most Norwegian». The winner would eventually meet his or her Norwegian relatives for a family reunion as well as receive 50.000 US dollars.

One of the participants was pastor Grant Luther Aaseng, whose ancestors come from among others Fron, Numedal, Haus and Sogndal. He was eliminated from the show in episode 6, which was broadcasted in Norway on Thursday 20 May 2010.

Norsk Slektshistorisk Forening, the Norwegian Genealogical Society (NSF), invited the pastor and his family to come to Norway to meet their relatives, and last Wednesday they arrived for a hectic, but surely exciting, 6 days' stay. They have among others met family in Heidal and in Biri, where some of the ancestors of Grant Aaseng's wife Ruth came from. Tonight the Aaseng family came to the library and office of NSF for coffee and waffles and a meeting with committee members of NSF and the other genealogical society, DIS Norge and with family living in the Oslo area as well as members of the production company Monster.

The Norwegian Genealogical Society provided Grant and Ruth with their family tree charts, which members of the NSF committee had worked on the last few weeks prior to their arrival. The Aasengs leave for the United States on Tuesday 1 June.

The final episode of «Alt for Norge» will be broadcasted on 3 June. The finalists are Matthew Lovik (Santa Cruz, CA/Stord, Hordaland county), Maia Surace (Chicago, IL/Austre Moland, Aust-Agder), Doug Miner (Seattle, WA/Helleland, Rogaland) and Clinton Admire (Fort Worth, TX/Haugesund, Rogaland).

Here are some links to various articles about the TV show and Aaseng family's visit (most of them in Norwegian) as well as information about pastor Aaseng:

• Alt for Norge (TVNorge)
• Shalom Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Minnesota
• Grant Aaseng's public Facebook page
  
• «Alt for Norge» («All for Norway») (Dag T. Hoelseth's blog 8 April 2010)
  
• Populær slektsjakt (GD.no 13 April 2010
• «Alt for Norge»-deltakar i Heidal: - Ein draum har vorte oppfylt (GD.no 28 May 2010)
• Alt for Norges Grant Aaseng kommer til Norge (Genealogi.no (NSF) 25 May 2010)
• Grant Aaseng fra «Alt for Norge» på Norgesbesøk (Genit 29 May 2010)
• Bilder fra Alt for Norge Grant Aasengs norgesbesøk i mai 2010 (Genealogi.no (NSF) 28-31 May 2010)