A Good God and maaaaany friends

We are blessed with many friend, colleagues and visitors. We see them as sisters and brothers.

  We need God more

and

we need each other more.

We had a good time last week in Bangkok meeting several people. We could inspire each other. Certainly there are a lot of tough job doing urban church planting, but pioneer work is always exciting. It was difficult stop talking about it.

We went home to Chiang Mai with night bus. There are now many good coaches and I could sleep. Coming back to Chiang Mai I had a Well Board Meeting.

On Friday we had Owe A. over to us. Nice to meet him, he attended a conf in the city. He is a good encourager. Heart to heart.

But I forgot to take a picture of Owe, so I took out a T-skirt that we had on his and Effa`s farewell and I took a picture on that T-skirt. Wish him all the best now at our Mission Theological Seminary in Sweden. Although he is 69, he is still going strong and is happy to serve God and people

Last Friday we had attended a house group here in Chiang Mai, which inaugarated a new home. Encouraging and we saw that the the Kingdom of God is spreading to new Thai homes in new suburbs.

Last Saturday we were blessed by 11-12 Thais visiting our home for several hours. They seemed very happy. This was no ordinary church service, but they wanted to learn to bake special rolls we call Semlor. They called them: Salapao Sweden. (Riceballs with filling). A very new believer was participating.

We are now also starting to get many good friends in Ubon.

The sad news is that there are many dead in Savar. Bangladesh. A 8 storey building with 5 garment factories, 1 bank and 300 shops collapsed. In the building were 3,000 people. More than 370 have been found dead and 900 are still missing. We cry with Bangladesh right now. Pray for this country.

We saw a little video on how electric power works. It`s the same with the Power of God. We need to be in touch with the ground, life, reality, the grassroots, the broken and the wounded. Then something happened. The power of God will not hurt us but bless us and ..... even these young people were happy in the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=kFLT0H0yWKU

Have a great week. Ingvar

Servants and not masters......

We have the pleasure of having a precious Indian brother visiting us.

The accent, the 'fragrance' of naphtaline-balls, the relaxed conversations and all the  memories of our years and visits in India is 'filling' the house.

But also the drawing from experience in churchplanting and cross cultural ministry including hearing the mistakes we as guestworkers do on the field. We talk about Kingdom culture or Jesus culture, coming as servants and not masters..........Thank God for the Body of Christ! Help us Lord to work side by side with humility and respect, serving with the mindset of Jesus. John 13:13-17

Love

Anna

Spriritual leadership.... multiplied.

Do I dare to stand up as a Spiritual Leader here and now? Or .... it is safer to be partly a spiritual leader but mostly a leader with "higher" worldly status?


For 3 days ago I met a good Indian brother, who has started a growing Church here in Chiang Mai. Pastor N. really has a spiritual dimension in his ministry and….that is truly contagious. I went home very blessed from the conversation with him. My question was: Will people also be blessed and encouraged in the same way after meeting me?

Today I received a FB message: "Thank you! You know Ingvar, I get so happy every time you talk about my mother, thank you!" Yes her mother was a missionary who taught us at Mission Institute 1978. And she made .... deep impact on me.

The truth is that I have gained so much from others. Do I also dare to stand up as a spiritual leader and equip others .... that equips others ... that equips others….

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Tim 2:2

This is something much more than just being a good Leader or a Leader with Charisma. We should be Spiritual leaders with Charisma, who are training others to be and to do the same thing. Amen, let`s do it!  Ingvar

Give and Receive blessings

I love to see life with both a broad and a narrow perspective ... at the same time. I want to have with me both the low: the grassroots - reality and the high: overall view - reality. The heavenly and the earthly.

For 22 years ago, we met Steve and his wife in northern Laos. For 3 days ago I met Steve again and we are now both “sold out” for church planting in Thailand and ... across the river. We had a very creative and rewarding conversation. 

At the time for my going I suggested: Let`s pray together! Steve's immediate reaction was: I love to be blessed by the Fredriksson’s. I was happy and we had a good prayer/blessing time together. He gave me so much church planting inspiration. I left him .... more blessed than when I went to him. Heaven had spoken to us.

Glad to have Mariam, Mika and Jakob here. Phil has come today but will attend first a conference a few days.

I am these days sorting file and documents. It`s not my most enjoyable work in life. But, I am  thankful and exited for all that we have been involved in the last 22 years.

Today, at 15:00 there is a funeral in Karachi, Pakistan after Pastor Javed Ruby. He was born 13 May 1955. Began working with PPCP 16 January 1980. His wife name is Nasreen.

Pastor Samuel G. in Karachi encourages us: Please pray for us all and for the Lord's presence during all the ceremony.

Yes we will. Ingvar

Pastor Javed Ruby, no more with us.

                                  
Yesterday night I received a phone call from Karachi in Pakistan with the news that Pastor Javed Ruby on Sunday afternoon went to be with the Lord. I had to write to Pastor Samuel G. and ask him if I have misunderstood this all. He responded:

With great burden I have to confirm with you that our beloved Rev. Dr. Javed Ruby passed away on Easter Sunday at 4 pm. Before he died, he had conducted the Easter Service in Shireen Jinnah Colony, and after eating lunch was sitting in a member's house. He felt a pain in his chest and laid down on the bed he was sitting. He passed out and was taken to a hospital where he died.

His children are in Finland and tentatively will be arriving here by the end of this week. Their family is waiting for their arrival to hold the funeral.

Please pray for the grieving family that the Lord Jesus Christ will comfort them in this difficult time.

For many years we have worked closely with Pastor Javed. I have many times, over the years, travelled with Pastor Javed to various PPCP congregations and been greatly blessed to work with him. He has interpreted for us often to Urdu.

                                         

Pastor Ruby visited InterAct Regional Office in Asia, InterAct Partner Conference in Asia and InterAct Churches in Sweden.

Javed have had the last 5-6 years heart problems and he needed to take rest frequently.

You can contact the family through Pastor Samuel George (PPCP) ppcop2000@yahoo.com

I must say I appreciate these our dear National brothers and sisters who are and has invested themselves into serving God and people so wholeheartedly. Despite of all the difficult problems around them. I appreciate them tremendously. They are and have been our (and most of all) God's faithful people. Let us now embrace family Ruby in our prayers.

Ingvar