Lund

Today we met with Agape campus ministry leaders and staff at Lund University.  This group is part of the same organization as the group of campus leaders we met with at Uppsala University last Friday.   In the morning, we met with Lindsey, who is a long-term leader who has been working in Lund for several years for Agape.  She shared with us how the year has gone for her and for the organization in Lund.  This was a relatively successful year for the group.  They saw a great increase in the number of men involved in the group.  This effort to get more males involved was led by a couple of the staff members, who worked within a particular "dormitory" on campus, where a few Christians already lived.  They were able to get many more involved.  This was an answered prayer from the previous year.  There has been great participation overall for the Lund group, with about 50 (!)  students at their final bible study of the year.

Lindsey spent part of the school year back in the United States; she had several significant personal issues during her time there, including deaths of a grandmother and a best friend; health issues; and financial issues related to the unpredictability of Swedish tax authorities.  She is happy to be back in Sweden (as of April).  Specific prayer requests she raised included: many of the current staff are leaving and new staff will be joining (please pray for team unity and the ability to get by with fewer staff than last year); there will not be any male staff members this year (pray that male student leaders will step up to fill this void for the year);  visa for Lindsey (pray that she will receive an extension, which will allow her to stay in the country; this is generally a slow, unpredictable, and frustrating process in Sweden);

Lindsey (L) sharing with us prior to a time of prayer at the church where their groups meet during the week.  Caroline, Kristi, and Darcy are at right.

After our time with Lindsey, we met with Ryan and Courtney, who are part of the campus staff for this most recent school year, and are both returning to the United States soon.  Ryan will be continuing to work for Cru at Duke University starting in the fall; Courtney will be attending graduate school at Drexel University to get a degree in counseling.  Specific prayers raised by Ryan and Courtney included:  that next year's staff will have a great deal of energy and strength to continue the momentum from this year (again, knowing that there will be fewer staff); pray for the staff members returning to the U.S. without a particular plan in place (pray that they will find their next path in their lives); pray for student leadership to increase next year; several short-term staffers are joining this year (pray that they would learn the culture quickly and that they would dive into their work in the Fall).

Ryan (L) and Courtney (R) during our lunch and time of prayer.  Paul is at lower left.

After our time with Ryan and Courtney, we met in small groups with several of the Agape staff to pray for them individually.  Here our group is waiting for these students to arrive outside of the Lund Cathedral. 

Group from Left to Right:  Paul, Carol, Karin, Kristi, Caroline, Lily, and Darcy (I am the one running  the camera...)

This is front of the Lund Cathedral (Lund Domkyrka).  This is one of the oldest churches in Sweden and Scandinavia.  The cathedral was built in the 12th century, with a consecration date of 1145.

Yes, I am on the trip also,  Here I am outside one of the main administrative buildings on campus. The origins of the university are traced to the year 1425, when it was affiliated with the cathedral.  The University in its current form was founded in 1666 and is now spread over a wide area of the city.  Approximately 40,000 students attend the university.

Sweden is a technologically advanced country.  In our (very basic) hotel in Lund, we use an iPad to dispense our orange juice or apple juice into a glass.  I think I saw this on Star Trek...

Bredäng (Stockholm area)

On Sunday, we started the day with worship at Bredäng church, which is the home church of Tord and Martha Larsson.  Bredäng is a pentecostal church with a dynamic and faithful pastor, Joachim Davidson.  The worship services there are unique, in that they are attended by people from a very diverse range of cultures and languages.  To best serve the many immigrants and refugees in the area, this church provides translation of the entire service, including the sermon, (which is presented in Swedish) into English, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic, in real time as the service is proceeding.  We were able to witness a baptism of a young woman and also to share in holy communion at this service.  The service also included very worshipful and moving hymns and music.

After the service we had a brief time of fellowship with other attenders, and then we went to a lunch with Tord and Martha and Pastor Davidson and his wife Karin.  After this we were invited to Tord and Martha's house for a time of coffee, dessert, fellowship, and prayer.  Prayer items that Pastor Davidson expressed included:  praise for Muslim refugees that have come to Sweden, become Christians, and then have returned to their home countries (such as Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan), places where it would be difficult or impossible to send missionaries; pray that more immigrants in Sweden would be saved; the liberal theology in Sweden is starting creep into more churches (pray that it would not have an impact on the pentecostal or evangelical churches); the youth minister (Gabriela) is leaving their church for overseas missions (pray that a good replacement for her would be found); because of growth in the church, the church leaders are trying to decide if they should expand the current property or look at other alternatives (pray for wise decisions here).

In the late afternoon, we left on our long road trip to Lund, in the southern part of the country.  We would have left Stockholm less late in the afternoon, if we didn't have to get a headlamp replaced in the van.  This time was not lost, however, as it provided the opportunity for some of the group to have a great spiritual discussion with the front desk clerk at the hotel we were leaving.

Pastor Davidson preaching at the church.  His sermon was on keeping yourself humble before God (using the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying as his main scripture)

 Fellowship at the Bredäng church after the service.  Carol from our team is at right.

 Paul Lindberg speaking with Pastor Davidson and Karin at Lunch.  Martha Larson and Karin Lindberg are in the background.

 Karin and Pastor Davidson during our fellowship and prayer time at the Larsson's home.

Skärholmen/Enskede (Stockholm area)

On Friday, our team had traveled to the Stockholm area to stay for two days and nights, lodging in the suburb of Skärholmen.

Today (Saturday) is now officially the hottest day this year in Sweden, with temperatures around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (over 25 degrees Celsius) here in Stockholm.  We made two house calls in the heat of the day.  First, we first visited the home of Tord and Martha (Agape leadership) for a time of discussion, prayer, and lunch; then, in the afternoon, we traveled by subway to the home of Eric and Anissa (professional musicians and worship team leaders at a church in Stockholm) for a time of conversation and prayer over coffee and homemade treats.

At Tord and Martha's home, we were able to catch up briefly with them on their work, but it was primarily a time of fellowship with them, and with Andres and Joanna.  We were also able to meet with Ludmilla and Kristina.  Ludmilla is joining the staff of Agape to provide financial and accounting services for the organization.  Kristina is a member of the Bredäng church, a local pentecostal congregation where Tord and Martha are also active members.  During our time of discussion, Ludmilla shared with us her personal story of loss and salvation.  She has lived in Russia, Costa Rica, and Sweden.  She shared many difficult details of: growing up; her husbands and relationships; her children; abuse and escape from it, and many other events.  Her story included how she came to believe in Jesus after having dreams and visions as a youth, and through her work at a church doing translation for the services.   Her moving story of her belief in Jesus, and how it changed her life, was captivating.  Kristina also shared her story of her personal salvation with us.  She is originally from Finland, but has been living in Sweden for most of her adult life.  

Ludmilla (center) with Kristina behind the flowers.  Darcy and Carol from our team are at left.  We are on the patio at Tord and Martha's house prior to lunch.

Kristina (at left) with Darcy, Lily, and Kristi from our team.  The day was sunny and hot, unusual for Sweden, where air conditioning is rare.

Tord in the kitchen at his home.  A wonderful traditional Swedish meal was provided to our team, as well as to the large gathering of friends and family.

Two subway rides took us from Skärholmen to the Enskede area of Stockholm, where we were welcomed into the home of Eric and Anissa (and where we also got to meet their three boys).  We have met Eric and Anissa several times in previous mission projects to Sweden.  They are a pair of accomplished musicians who are sharing their gifts and talents with the music scene in Stockholm and also leading worship at a local church in the city of Stockholm.  During our discussion, they shared with us how important our prayers for them have been over the last year.  They noted how they have received many answers to prayers and have been very blessed by having a group of people at our church specifically praying for them.  Their wide ranging interests (writing music, performing music, running Stockholm's Groove (a website devoted to showcasing local musical talent), contributing to the worship at their church) provided an interesting background to our conversations.   All of their work, formal and informal, is infused with sharing the message of the Gospel with people.  Their approach is to form many personal relationships in the community and to share whenever possible the message of salvation through Jesus.  

Prayer requests from them include: Eric is working on several musical compositions highlighting "Stories of Hope" from the bible (he welcomes prayer for his efforts to create these pieces); an open pre-school that they run at their church is finishing for the school year, and they have many unbelieving people who bring their children there (pray that they would hear the Gospel message); there is also a "Language Cafe" at their church, where many immigrants and refugees gather to have coffee and work on their Swedish language skills (pray for these families, that they would be able to navigate the society and that they would learn about Jesus from this venue...many of them are from Muslim backgrounds); the Stockholm's Groove organization (pray that the many musicians they encounter would be open to having spiritual discussions and have open hearts for the Gospel); strength and endurance for Eric and Anissa in all their work, especially in their roles as parents of three young boys.

 Eric (at right) with Karin, Paul and Carol from our team.  Their home was an answered prayer this year, as they had to leave an apartment in Stockholm during their time back in the United States.  They moved here in January and have permission from the owner to rent as long as they like; this is amazing, as finding housing is a very challenging and frustrating adventure in the Stockholm area.

Anissa (center, with her oldest son behind her).  Darcy (L) and Lily (R) are from our team.  It was very enjoyable to spend the afternoon with their whole family in their home, making for a sweet time of fellowship and prayer.

Uppsala

After arriving in Sweden over several days this week, our team gathered in Uppsala, a city filled with history.  It is notable as the site of the cathedral where Sweden's kings had their coronation ceremonies and also the location of one of Europe's oldest universities.  We met today with the Agape Campus Ministry group, which works on both the Uppsala University and Västerås University campuses (Agape is the Swedish name for the Cru ministry organization).  The leaders we met included Aaron and Whitney.  We also had the opportunity to meet two students, Anna-Karin and Wilma, who have been a part of Agape's ministry in Uppsala over the last couple years.  We had a time of singing, sharing from the leaders and the students about recent work and activities of Agape, and a time to pray for this team.  It was interesting, and somewhat disheartening, to hear how difficult it is to be a Swedish teenager or young adult who is a Christian, because of the potential to be ignored or dismissed by friends.  After our meeting we were joined by Aaron's wife Kristen (also part of Agape) and their new baby, August, and we shared a meal together with the two teams.  Specific prayer requests for this group include:  raising up more student leaders at both campuses; new ideas to make bible studies relevant for the students; finding more ways for Christians and non-Christians to interact on campus; praise for a number of Afghan students who have become Christians; battling against spiritual darkness that seems to descend at the end of the school year, even though it is light in the sky almost all the time;  strength for Aaron and Kristen as they figure out how to be parents of their newborn.

Aaron sharing during our meeting in the morning.

 Agape student members Anna-Karin (L) and Wilma (R), with Carol from our group in the middle.

 Agape team (L to R): Kristen, Anna-Karin, Whitney, and Wilma, and Aaron in the back.

Aaron and Kristen and baby August at our lunch.