Have a blessed 2021

We look back on a very good year with growth in Streams of Grace Church, CHILD SAFE and UBON MUSIC CAFE. Thank you all who have been cooperating in differant ways. We are now moving into 2021. 

As you understand, we are very grateful that since 2013 we are one-place missionaries in the pioneer area of ​​Ubon-Pakse and not travel missionaries in different lands of Asia. 

Many are calling the year 2020 The Different Year. The "normal" became for us all, in differant way, the New Normal, which we can not control.

We missionaries are often facing many difficulties. We are constantly facing challenges, which we must solve with God's help. And God is an expert in crisis management.

Many people prefer to forget 2020 and dream of a better 2021. But remember…. so many in our world have stopped dreaming of a better future. They have given up…. and just trying to have food in their stomach and to make time go by.  

                        

                

Dear friends, let us not try to forget 2020 as soon as possible. Let us use what we have learned and dependence on God that we have received. We have seen: 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though ...... Psalms 46: 1-3

Thank you for 2020 and let us 2021, share to people around us The Living HOPE… which is available for us all even in times of crisis,

We are grateful for health and strength.

God Bless Ingvar(Fred) and Anna

Have a blessed Christmas 2020

Klick here for our Side-by-Side Christmas Letter 2020

2 very blessed weeks

We have had 2 very interesting weeks. On Sunday the 6^th Dec we had baptism. On Sunday the 13^th Dec we celebrated Stream of Grace Church 2 years, plus the Christmas celebration.

Child Safe and Ubon Music Café …. is active and helping many in need.

Have a blessed Advent 2020.

Ingvar (Fred) 

Streams of Grace.... with steps forward.

When we worked in Chiang Mai (with 8% Christians) we noticed that much of the foundation of the Christian faith was laid in the Church and also in the community. This helps the new Christians.

But that is certainly not the case here in Ubon-Pakse with 0.2% Christians including Catholics. Many basic biblical truths are missing, which take time to grow under  God's direction.

We have lately had several who has became believers and wanted to be baptized. But when the baptism approached yesterday the 6th of December some ... wanted to wait. It will also be a spiritual battle.

It is a fact here that many from a Buddhist background never feel good enough. But the truth is, we can never be righteous enough with all our good works. Grace is our only salvation.

During the week we built a baptismal tank on the roof of the Church.

And yesterday there were 3 who took the step to be baptized. It was a great time of joy.

         Click here to watch a 3.26 long video.

Have a blessed week

Ingvar (Fred)

......even more.

For 3 days ago I stopped by at a Cafe here in Ubon. I just sat down and these words came very clear to me. I quickly wrote them down on a napkin:

When all are looking for Jesus let us shine Him out to the people .... even more today.

Ingvar (Fred)

MISSION... a blessing for the senders and the recievers.

You did not choose Me,

but I chose you and appointed you

that you should go and bear fruit,

and that your fruit should remain,

that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

John 15:16

Mission is not my good idea. No I am sent by Jesus and by the Body of Christ the Church. I am His ambassador. Therefore, when difficulties comes up the most important is that we are standing firm with Jesus in the center? Not me. An ambassador never thinks he or she can make it by herself or himself.    

We are reaching out in MISSIONS to pioneer areas and unreached areas. And when Jesus is the Centre, we have victories.

Jesus said:

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

                           

Do not give up dear brothers and sisters home in “Christian" countries. Let living and active Mission inspire you. People are crying out for light, for the Good News. We are Ambassadors reaching into new dark areas with the Kingdom of God.

Let Mission bless you.

Ingvar (Fred) 

                         

11 weeks in Ubon and in Sweden.

After 9 weeks in Sweden and 2 weeks in quarantine in Bangkok, I now very happy to came home to Ubon again. Good to meet Anna and our wonderful coworkers again. They really work hard with great love for God and for people. 

Thank you for your prayers for us these 11 weeks.

The time for me in Sweden was very good together with relatives & friends, with congregations & Second Hand, also with individuals & families. I was encouraged to meet many of you in Sweden.

Felt like many in Sweden this Covid-19 time were discouraged. Last summer we had a wonderful Conference summer like no other. And this summer was completely different. But grace and the presence of God is the same. Bigger than any sickness.

We missionaries often work in difficult hard and new circumstances. But in everything we have seen that God has new strength and new power for us. We have a living HOPE. 

God Bless Ingvar (Fred)

Short Up-date

After many documents, 3 negative COVID-19 tests and 14 days in quarantine in a room in Bangkok, I will come out into the Thai society on Tuesday morning the 27th Oct 2020.

I am very happy I can go home to Anna in Ubon Tuesday afternoon. And also able to meet all coworkers there again.

Thank you all for praying for me. JESUS has been with me every second of these 14 days.

Ingvar(Fred)

The Aim is not ..... but .....

1973 our first travel to Asia 1973 was very differant. We travelled one month overland in a Thames Trader Truck from Belgium to India.

Now Oct 2020 the travel for me to Asia was also very differant. Even though I have visa, workpermit and re-entry permit I needed an extra permission: CoE (= Certificate of Entry) from the Thai Embassy i Stockholm, needed 2 health certificates and to travel on an expencive special Thai repatriation flight. Repatriation = returning to their own country.                                                                          

The flight attendents on the Thai flight had protection cloths.                                             

And at Bangkok airport there were 5-6 checking points by many officials all in protection cloths. 

Now I have to stay in a quarantine room 14 days without meeting a person. After these 14 days I can go out and continue to travel to Anna in Ubon. The aim of this strict controll is to stop all Covid-19 at the borders. Inside the country we can move freely, with face masks. 

We are well and have many open doors of ministry in Isaan and Laos. But we feel extreamly sad for all local people both in Laos and in Thailand who now have very little work and struggling to survive. They have little or no money for food or for children`s schooling. Teenagers are asked to go out and work. 

The projects right now is helping many, not to give up. The word Innovation came to us very clear in the beginning of 2020. Now is time to stand with the local people to find new ways to have income. The tourism can be late to pick up again, or never come back up to the same level.  2019 Thailand had 39.8 million tourists.

                                                     2019 Laos had 4,6 million tourists. 

Even if travelling can be interesting let us never never in Missions forget that:  

God Bless You.

Ingvar (Fred)

New Calling to the Church with it`s Mission

Being invited to a fresh meal is always a blessing. Also to a good spiritual meal. This Sunday in Ed, (where I was born) this word came to me as new fresh food from God himself. I heard again the calling: 2 Cor 10: 15-18 

Wonderful Calling to the Church with its Mission
15…we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere,	Growing here
16 to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you,	So.. beyond with Pioneer preaching
and not to boast in another man's sphere of accomplishment.	Not stealing others success
17 But "he who glories, let him glory in the Lord."	Glory to God
18 For not he who commends himself is approved, . but whom the Lordcommends.	The Lord is my leader

These days, you can lock yourself up because of fear of others and become more-than-usual selfish. Lose your joy, more-than-usual. And become more lonely than-ever.

Now is the time for the CHURCH with it`s MISSION to be more shining God`s Glory than-usual.

I met a Christian businessman the other day. He really “infected” me with a big dose of hope and enthusiasm. I also saw that the other business-people around him were also filled with GOING now. They did not say: After Corona all will be good.  

Several CHURCHES and MISSIONS are now looking for a new way of working. Karin in Kvarnsveden now 90 years old is still a great blessing for us and many. She said last weekend when we talked about Church with it`s Mission: We must be one step ahead.

So dear friends, even these days of Corona pandemic let not the circumstances rule over you. And when next crisis comes we can be prepared even better by: Be steps ahead. Right? God's Holy Spirit wants to lead us before, during and after all crises.

Ingvar(Fred)

                                 My brother Rune and I in Ed 20 Sept 2020.

Be Blessed ---- and bless others

We can all feel we have differant kind of problems, but I feel very blessed comparison to many people that are constantly struggling .... down there, feeling they have hit the bottom. 

Outside they look OK, they do their job, but inside they have given up. 

Remember dear friend, JESUS is down there with you on the bottom.               

This truth has blessed me after a very good weekend in 3 churches and 2 homes. I am now on my way home to Bleket.

Ingvar(Fred) 

One-place-pioneer-missionary

I am now in Sweden 2 months. Anna is in Ubon-Pakse. After much prayer we felt this was God`s will for us these two months. Missing Anna and the friends in Ubon-Pakse, but happy to meet our children with families and churches, organisations and friends. Many are longing for fellowship and encouragment.   

We were happy to be Travelling Missionaries for many years serve God and people in 9 Asian countries, but October 2013 God led us to be one-place-pioneer missionaries living and working in the unreached area of Isaan (Thailand) and southern Laos. This area is indeed a pioneer area:                                       

I see these Corona days that people in Churches, missions and organisations have different ways of dealings.   

Some people STOP ..... and give up.

Some People WAIT .... to see what will happen.

Some people GO .... but still respect regulations. They find ways 

to continue, to develope and to become even more equipped. 

Yes, Jesus is there (Emmanuel) also in times of problem. When we hit the bottom... JESUS is there. 

The 3 men in Daniel 3:21 were bound and thrown into the fire. The Counselors of the King said (v 25): I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire. They walked around not bound, together with JESUS.  

                                 

                   1. God is working. Doing mighty things.

                   2. We are His witness. Telling what He is doing.

                   3. With Gods gift and tools we can also work.  

A very good song is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsypFJ5mNw0

Church and Mission workers, welcome to the Pioneer area of Ubon-Pakse which has 3,2 million people. The bigger area is Isaan-Laos with 30 million people.  

                       

 Ingvar (Fred)

Sweden 2 months

Yearly we have the plan to spend 2 months in Sweden to meet relatives, Churches and differant organisations. This year was hard to know how to to this. After much prayer we decided that I will go to Sweden and Anna will stay in Ubon and go later. The reason was that it is now expensive and complicated to return to Thailand.

I came 5 aug to Sweden and will stay to 7th Oct.     

                                              

I felt strongly God calling me to share HOPE and not to give up. Many are full of fear these days. 

                                                              

                                        

But God is greater and He can make us stronger throught this time of testing.

God Bless you.

Ingvar (Fred)