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.