100% GRACE the whole life

I needed 100% grace to become Christians. And I could not by good deeds or Merit making qualify myself to start my walk with JESUS. 

So from the beginning we are helpless and need 100% Grace, but over time we can start feeling we are becoming good people. We also become so educated so we start to believe that we can fix all problems around by ourselves. Without the grace of God and without other people.

No no no … we need 100% Grace throughout our whole life. Even as Missionaries, Pastors and other church and mission leaders we must begin in grace, walk in grace, and end in grace. Even in our family life ... we can not lose the grace along the way.

                            

We were lost, about to perish, but thanks to grace, we became King's sons and daughters. And throughout life, despite our education and despite of our titles, we need 100% Grace ..... so we can end well.

Ingvar (Fred)

Don`t give up MISSION....

.... it is God`s idea. Today I want to encourage you. Don`t give up MISSION. 

                                                

To be involved in MISSION is a blessing:

A. For The Receivers. Those who walk in the darkness…. will see the light breaking in. A grandmother came to us with her granddaughter who was abused. (Now the perpetrator is in prison). She and her granddaughter came very scared. I wished her God's ความสงบสุข = Peace and she is a Thai but responded: What is ความสงบสุข = Peace? One Thai explained for her what God`s Peace is. She left us after 3 weeks.... full of God`s Peace.

Often I think: 

B. For The Senders A blessing for those believers who cannot go, but can pray, send others and can send money. Anna and I felt God`s leading 1972 just when we got married to sponsor a child in India. It blessed us. Be a blessed Sender. Without Senders we are lost.

C. For The Goers. Yes Mission is a blessing for us who are going…. to new Pioneer areas. We see many Missionaries coming and going. To coming as a family with school children to a pioneer area is hard. How can my children go to school? Many are struggling with: How to start a church? Which method is fruitful in this place? And for some, Mission is hard because we want to be close to our grandchildren. We understand all these hardships.

Ubon-Pakse is a pioneer area with very few Christians. And most Churches are very small.

D. For the once we train. Most ecouraging with MISSION is that it is is contagious. The local nationals also get the calling and are blessed. So they bless others, who bless others.... This we see happening right from the beginning in a new place. Also here.

 

Today ….. the cry from UBON-PAKSE is: don’t give up MISSIONS. Ingvar (Fred)

Multiply grandmother Inez

                                               
The date: October 13th stirred my thoughts this morning about my mother, our children's grandmother Inez. She would be 95 years old today if she was alive. 

A brave woman I could write a whole book about. I still meet people in Sweden who are happy to testify what she meant to them, especially when they were young. After all, it wasn't just her own grandchildren who captured her heart. It was especially the vulnerable. She even got paid from the municipality to be a supporting grandmother for a period, to single mothers with toddlers.

I would like to multiply her here in Isaan. It is the grandmothers who take care of the growing generation. Often without the support of those who brought them into this world.
If we are to build the ruins after many generations of fragmentation and destruction, then we must bring them on the train too.

Here in Ubon-Pakse are we teaching and challenging the children, teachers, village leaders but must also bring the grandmothers along. We have understood that if we can bring them as a united front then we have more chance to see change, a reformation of how we value the children and break the vicious cycle of abuse and human trafficking.

Very grateful for my mother. She was a great example for me. 
Anna.

The Power of Gods`s Word + my testimony

                                       

As a new Christian, a new pastor and a new missionary…. everything is first so exciting, and we are attracted by the fantastic new ministry with God. Even if the new circumstances are tough, we still see everything wonderful, so beautiful and we see the mighty hand of God.

Over time, we can fall into becoming “Home Blind”. The Christian life, the church, the mission field and also our families can become  - not so blessed any more. We can be 100% Christian and preach 100% the Word`s God, but …. we have lost our good news, our own testimony. We are still 100% biblical but the World does not become our personal Living testimony any more.

As the new Christian, Acts 4:20 spoke to me very strong:  ^“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

The last months I have been greatly touch by seeing the unity of the power of God`s Word and the power of our personal Testimony. If I believe all in the Bible but have no living testimony … well the question is if I am only doing religion? The world is indeed fed up with dead religion.

We now feel in Ubon-Pakse that ……  ^“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

We find that life as a missionary is more exciting now than when we first started in India and Bangladesh. We ourselves see and hear amazing things, but the most amazing thing is to see how our dear friends and coworkers are blooming. With God everything is new and exciting .... my whole life. Ingvar

Official Inauguration of Child Safe Foundation in Thailand.

Yesterday we had an very exiting day. It was the official opening ceremony of Child Safe Communities Foundation in Thailand. (= Monitee). Child Safe started January 2015 as a project under SPM but now the registration as a local Foundation was signed by the government 2nd of July 2019.

Representation from Police & Border Police, representative from Social Welfare, their shelter, several Churches, organisation and other individuals were present.

Our team did a wonderful job amidst other normal activities and floodrelief as well.

The activities in Thailand and Laos are the same but this means more cooperation with the government. This is a challenge. Some pictures from yesterday.

Our goal is to impact the roots of the society in Isaan and southern parts of Laos and to see the parents choosing to live with their children. And strengthen the childrens rights of safety. Educating them their rights to say NO. To prevent sexual exploation and trafficking.
Now we can do much more. 

Very grateful and proud of the staff God has brought to us.

Forward
To come down to the local people in need.                                     

I will come through STRONGER.

Too many times we think we have the education and the capacity to figure out by ourselves what is good and what is bad. And many times we have the strength to save ourselves from the evil/bad things in life.

                                   

But…. when circumstances are bad, like now in the Ubon-Pakse flood we understand that we can not understand all. So:

• we cry for help
• God helps us. He sends us the helper, The Holy Spirit that can lead us on the right way inspite of the circumstances. 
• And we can go through the problem. 

“Yet… will I rejoice in the Lord
I will take joy in God of my salvation. Hab 3:18

Yes I will come through stronger. 

Right now we are very thankful that our area Anna and I are living in here in Ubon is not flooded. Also our Community (Training) Center is not flooded. 

And Praise God all our dear coworkers are on dry ground. 

But many we are working with are under difficulties so we visit children, teenagers, families, church members and others that are suffering. We are standing with them in these days of hardship.

Today we had a Pastors Prayer meeting at the River Mun. It was powerful.

                                     

                               

                                   

                                                                                      

Thank you for standing with us.....also when the people around us suffer.

Ingvar (Fred)

As long as I am breathing and .....

One truth is for sure. God`s Agape Love is bigger than my problems and is also big enought for every day of my life. 

Even  ... and as long as others are breathing. God: "Let them also not give up with others around them". 

Words are formed by our breathing out. Let´s speak out a lot of good words = blessings over people in great need. They have failed but  .... after meeting Jesus they too can also bless others. Woow.  

Have a blessed week.    Ingvar(Fred)