Development

                                                            First: 

       Have a blessed Advent and Christmas time 2021.

When the Covit-19 hit Ubon we could see everywhere this signboard. 

According to my observation:

• The educated people in the city working in the Government, Banks, Hospitals, bigger shops, factories +++ did not stay at home. They continued: Business-as-usual. Some had hard time but ... they worked even harder.   
• The Non-educated people, children and old people, specially i the villages obeyed and got very fearful. Many stopped working and had to take loans to have food on the table. Now to stop letting fear rule - is hard. 

On the 1st Nov 2021 we moved the Child Safe Centre from Soi 11 Chayakun Road near the Ubon Music Café and the Church. This is an upgrading and development of the work in many ways.

Teenagers and adults have help to move the Center and ,,, now the wall is painted so the whole community sees that children/teenagers need security. All this so that we may be better and better out in the midst of the people… in their world. The people we work with live in a terrible world, so they need all the support they can get, so as not to give up. The pressure now in the pandemic is harder than usual for children aged 14-16 to leave school, take bad jobs and support the family financially.

Now the schools are slowly opening up, but many younger students live in fear of becoming infected. A mother told me that her son goes to school but in his class of 40 students only 5 of them attends.

Older students aged 15-17 live in fear that they will now not pass the tests. A girl tried to take her own life. A boy has to go to the hospital because he had severe stress symptoms. Got medication for panic anxiety.

       

           

We are happy for our wonderful staff who do everything they can, from their hearts. On Monday (on their day off) several of them were out helping children/teenagers in crisis. One boy could not breathe and one of our staff quickly took him to 2 hospitals. Several factors caused his panic. Now he feels better.

I will put in some pictures.

Ingvar(Fred)

Lockdown - Lockup

It is easy to ”Lock Down” a society. Just put fear into the people and they will stay home, full of fear.   

But to ”Lock Up” a society is hard. After 1½ year it is not easy to be free from fear. Many places of work including schools are now opening up here in Thailand and Laos, but .... it is hard to adjust to the new normal. Many fear-factors are still in the minds.

People are coming to the Church, the Music Café and to Child Safe and are full of fear. Some had to come back from south Thailand and Bangkok to Isaan with a new family, and how do they adjust with the old family? And after 18 months of hardship, with increased loans many feel hopeless.

Some see no other solution than that children stop studying and start working? 

People are now coming and asking for help from us and God. What can we do?  

        

Some teens and also adults now need a big position of

                                         You have value.

                                         You have a future.

                                        You can make it.

                                        DO NOT GIVE UP.

Lock Up is much harder han Lock Down. At least for the poor and uneducated people. Now many can start moving around, but with many more loans than before Covid-19 come.

Pray for Isaan and Laos

Ingvar(Fred)

Join us... and be blessed.

                                                                                  

We are praising God for the Worship, God`s word through Anna and the Church Fellowship yesterday. Even if you do not speak Thai/Lao join us on Fridays 18:30 (Thai time) and Sundays 10:30 (Thai Time). 

• We are Open, Simple and Spontaneous. This makes The Holy Spirit happy among us. You too.
• We are happy to bless you from Streams of Grace Church Ubon. 

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

Yes..... Klick here to join the worship and hear Anna. 

Have a blessed week.

Ingvar (Fred)

"for such a time as this".

Very happy to have Anna home in Ubon after she was 14½ weeks home in Sweden. The 6th Dec to the 23rd Feb I will have 11½ weeks home in Sweden. This is the best solution for the work here in Ubon-Pakse and for our time in Sweden "for such a time as this". Hope to meet you.

Ingvar(Fred)

My sharing – according to what?

•                        

This is not to grade performances. Not to put evaluation on how the worship and sharing during the service is being done. Yes, we all should improve our public speaking and singing as much as possible, but the main matter is that I am in the River sharing from my heart my personal testimony.

After I wrote the book "You walk - I work" it has become more and more clear to me that it is not about  producing a good speech. Not to give a TED talk.  

I think we can put public ministering into 2 categories:     

• Sharing facts, good thoughts and biblical truth. We are theologically correct.
• Sharing my personal testimony how God is working in and around me. Applying the Word of God into ordinary living.   

We are all having the treasure in our earthen vessels, but if the vessels becomes Nr 1 … the preaching will be boring. Only when I am part of God's movement, my sharing becomes exiting. And we can bear a lot of fruit.

The style is not the key. To be politically correct and "churchy" correct is not the main issue. Where is the LIFE?

I am so happy to see how we in Streams of Grace Church Ubon have different people sharing with different styles in worship, testimony and preaching.

Lately, I must say, I feel I myself is in the river…. and become exited to flow in Gods flow over Ubon-Pakse.

• Before the preaching: I am walking with God in my preparation … and He works in me. Specially during the worship before preaching. That time makes the heaven Open.
• During the preaching: I experience that the river is flowing and …. God has something to say to everyone of us.
• After preaching: The flow is still available. Even if people don't say anything ….. the living word gives blessing today on Monday, yes many days.  

Worship with us. Klick on: Live Streams of Grace Church Facebook.

The River is flowing Ingvar (Fred)