2020 - a year of Mercy

I saw a New Year's greeting from Sebastian Stakset, that I said AMEN to:

Happy New Year! 

2020 is the year of Mercy. A year in which the Church stops looking inward and instead opens its doors and hearts and looks outward to the broken world that needs to meet God's love. 

Yes, 2020 is a year of Mercy for people here in Isaan and Laos. People that are struggling and need God's love. Mercy Ministry here is indeed a Pioneer work for people who have lost their value. And people that are broken needs time to be build up by God's and people`s Agape love.

2 songs that are singing in me:

No Longer slave to fear   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k
Way Maker                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHoGEDQQ67o

Have a blessed Mercy Year 2020 together with people struggling.  God is a Way Maker also for them. 

Another good "way" song is:  
                                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsMAXhc0QTs

God, we thank you that this year of 2020 ...... we can, by your mercy, both inside and outside have a new song .... on our path of life. Also everyone broken.

2020

Thank you all for fellowship and cooperation during 2019. 

Be greatly blessed 

Ingvat(Fred) and Anna

Christmas Day 2019

In The Church with it`s Mission we never need do be lonely .... even if our family or our relatives are not around me. This Christmas Anna is with our children and grandchildren in Sweden up to 8th January 2020. But .... I am surely not at all feeling lonely here in Ubon-Pakse. We have had 4 Christmas celebrations right in the community and the 1 year celebration of the Church.

                                      Under a tree in the suburb Tha Bor

Inside The Community (Training) Center

Outside one home in the suburb of Baan Pla Duk.

Yesterday on a street ín the suburb of Warin. 

In these 4 places the Gospel was presented in an loving and very clear way. We have a wonderful team of co-workers who really shows God's love to the people.

In Warin last night, a middle aged lady said after the gathering: "I didn't know that JESUS ​​was born on Christmas".

Yes we truly see that; The harvest is ripe.

Christmas Day greetings 2019 from The Pioneer Work in Ubon-Pakse.

Christmas Letter 2019

Dear friends

Please find Side-By-Side Christmas Letter 2019    Click Here 

God Bless

Streams of Grace 1 Year.

We have had a very good Fri-Sat-Sun with the 1st Birthday of the Church Streams of Grace. Ajarn Saweang and his wife from Prachuap was a great blessing. 

We are still meeting in The Community (Training) Centre, but ... pray with us that we will very soon find a better place of Worship.

                                 

                            

                                          

12/12

Today 12/12 is a special day for us.

This day 1974 we left the Missionaries Evert and Svea Eriksson in Gorakhpur, India to go to Bangladesh by train and by bus. When we came to Dhaka we heard the sad news that Chris and Hillevi Begg had died in a car accident in Yugoslavian. It was a very special feeling to stay 4 months in their bedroom in Kiljee Road, Mohammedpur, Dhaka.

This day 2018 the new Church: Streams of Grace here Ubon was established. We are happy to have a 1 year Celebration this weekend. We rejoice and so are thankful for all who stand with us in this pioneer work.

Also Hebr 12:12 ... speaks every Dec 12. 

Renew Your Spiritual Vitality

12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,

Ingvar (Fred)

Christmas: the birthday of Santa Claus or..... ?

Yesterday we were 12-13 people who went to a suburb of Ubon called Tha Bor and had a outdoor Christmas celebrations. Tha Bor was much affected during the flood this fall. Most people had to flee from their homes. They need material help, but many are poor, sick and discouraged. We have helped but the reconstruction is going slow.

                                                                                                                                          

                             

They say, "You are the only ones who came and helped us". And they are so grateful.

More than 95 people came last night. While everything was being prepared, Anna and I walked around among the homes. Their stories are terrible. And when we said: Can we pray for you? They said: What is prayer? Who is Jesus? What is peace? The reason of this was not because we used wrong language.

Most people think that Christmas is the birthday of Santa Claus. And that Christianity is another religion with additional rules and more "must". Now is time to tell them: The meaning of Christmas, about Jesus and about the Gospel of Grace.

 

In everything it is easy for us all to be caught up inside an institution, inside the Church and even inside a Mission Centre. But Jesus tells us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations ...... and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

It seemed like most of these 95 people yesterday got the good news about Jesus, salvation and grace, for the first time. The next step is now to build disciples. 

Ingvar (Fred)