Good Bye; People and things

After 5 years in Chiang Mai it`s time to say Good Bye. On Monday we will go to Sweden for 13 month. Once, in Bangladesh, we tried to avoid all these difficult Good Byes. But when our coworkers found this out that we were leaving, it became panic.
No, it`s better to learn to have good Good Byes, and also to have good Welcomes. Even if we have done this many times, still there are much more to learn how to best “take off” and to best “Land”. Many feelings, questions and worries wants so come in and be big burdens.
But, still it is valuable and good for us, as mission workers, to now and than say Good Bye to people and to things. The truth is: We will do well without many Good-to-have-things”. And the nationals will grow while we are away. Ingvar

Thank You God and ..... many wonderful friends.

Thank You so much for your contribution to a very blessed 60th birthday. I appreciate more and more: LIFE, God`s goodness and ….. you all wonderful dear friends.

A very special Thank You to my dear wife Anna. She is wonderful and worthy of a double blessing. I am very happy. Ingvar

Celebrating Ingvar's 60 years

Today is Ingvar's 60th Birthday. Many emails and greetings from many nations are dropping in.

We are again reminded about how vulnerable life is and we celebrate the grace of life God has given. Ingvar says he is 1 year and 3 months old (after the near fatal accident).

Happy Birthday Ingvar!

Love Anna

Pray, Listen, Bless Thailand

All countries go, from time to time, through different kind of crisis. What can we, ordinary people do - at a time such as this? We too can first be frustrated and loose heart, but ….. better not to. Let`s encourage each other:

1. Not to stop PRAYING for the Leaders. We are the people of prayer. One main big prayer request is that the leaders now find solutions.

2. Not to stop LISTENING to the once that feel their voice has not been heard. We can listen to the oppressed, to the weak, to …. yes to all, so they feel we care and do something about it.

3. Not to stop BLESSING. We Bless – in Greek Eulogia = good/well words. There are bad things around, and we can see & agree on them, but it’s more powerful when we see & agree with the good. We believe good has power to overcome the bad.

A word "for a time such as this" is from Acts 6:5a: "And the saying pleased the whole multitude....." Ingvar

''A time to keep and a time to throw away''

''To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven, says the Preacher in Eccl. 3:1

We missionaries are privileged to have the seasons to throw away come more frequently than for others. Well we can take it as a burden, a missionary-pain, or we can choose to see it as a positive thing.

We are forced to do what many might do for their parents only when they have passed away. In that case we are helping our kids removing some of our clutter before time is up. For families like us who have roots in many places, our home becomes the house of transition for the clutter after High School to College, or between college and a job or from one nation to another. The Salwar kamizes for the visits to Nepal, or the High School yearbooks before they know where to settle. Today we are digging deep into some hidden away drums, with transition-clutter. I didn't even know they existed. Mariam wrote on skype: 'I sympathize-sneeze' with you. So next week when the city is quenching the heat with the crazy splashing of water ''Songkhran festival'' we will be in the midst of our season to throw.

Then there are treasures like ''holy journals'' and worship-music, They are ''the keeps'' you don't want to keep in Thailand and not in Sweden so we carry them back and forth, back and forth, and that is a substantial pile!

All for now in a very hot Chiang Mai.

Love Anna

Easter Greetings 2010

We wish you
a meaningful
Easter 2010
The Easter message is needed today as we look for a Resurrection Power that works in there, but also out – in the daily life.
We shared some good words the 17th March (on this blog) by Bijoy K. from India:
"In God's Kingdom, true spirituality is complete, only when practiced in community."
Jesus died for us on the terrible cross and resurrected with a wonderful victory – all in the midst of the people. Easter greetings from Ingvar & Anna