Here comes a little summary of a couple of fantastic weeks!!!
Background: Håkan has travelled to Kenya for over 10 years, where he has primarily trained leaders, often together with Dave Richards, from England. I was in Nairobi for a women’s conference 8 years ago, and that was the beginning of our travelling every year or so to Kenya.
The vision of taking along youth in teams to see and help teach was something God spoke to me about a long time ago. Now we’ve gone with teams to Tunisia, China and made several trips to Kenya.
”We carry on – you go!” said Håkan from his hospital bed when I asked what we should do about our trip to Kenya.
Our destination, this time, was the church in Umoja (a suburb of Nairobi), their school, children’s and youth work, and worship services on Sunday; they have three services in a row, with about 3000-3500 people in each.
We also helped out a few days in Mukuru, a slum area which has existed for over 35 years. A congregation has started there in the middle of the slum, with a school, church, girls’ home, and a clinic. It was great to see all our youth get into the work and leave a little of their hearts there. We had with us 18,000 crowns for the work in the slum, which is enough for a lot of food and medicine down there.
We have visited the Salvation Army’s orphanage every time we’ve been in Nairobi. There are 67 orphans there, and wonderful leaders, who give their lives for the children. They are like a big family. We had stuffed animals, footballs and a bunch of good things for all the kids, and even 18,000 crowns which they will use to buy Christmas presents for the kids and have a real Christmas party with a little extra good food. Previously, we’ve paid for school bags, shoes, and school uniforms for all the kids, so they could all go to school.
After our hard work, we went willingly on to Mombasa, where we stayed by the Indian Ocean, rested a little, and tried to take in everything we’d experienced. On Sunday, we took part in the service at a church there in Mombasa, with song, dance, testimonies and preaching. To be able to come there and see what God has done since we were there last, was totally amazing. Thank you, Lord, for what you’ve done and are doing in Mombasa!
On a free Saturday, we went to Lake Nakuru, a national park, a three-hour drive from Nairobi. There we met Africa’s awesome animals, in their natural surroundings. That’s a day we’ll carry with us for a long time.
We are so thankful for the trip to Kenya, everything we’ve experienced, everything we’ve learned, everything we’ve been able to give. A big “Thanks” to the church in Umoja, who took such good care of us, gave us rice and chicken, and to all our old friends and the new friends we’ve made.
We concluded our trip to Kenya by going to Nairobi’s oldest park and praying for the country. Janne Sääf got a Bible verse which we shared and prayed from: ”The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land…” (Psalm 125:3)
If you want to follow along and see a little of our trip, click on the links to the videos, under ”Kenya 2009” to the right.
Thank God for a wonderful trip!
Thank God for all the great youth who were with us!
Thank God for everything we got to help with!
Thank God for your protection during the trip!
Thank God that we can continue to pray for Kenya!
God bless you all!
Gunilla
Monday 23 November 2009
Sunday 15 November 2009
An historic Sunday!
Now things are falling into place! Håkan is at home and has found a daily rhythm that works for him, home health, and the family living at home.
Four times a day, personnel from home health come and help him in the morning and evening, but also give eyedrops and lunch, when the rest of us are in school and at work.
A nurse comes once a day for Håkan’s shot, and helps with his bath and changing his bandages every third day, so that the skin gets a thorough overhaul, so no infection sets in.
Håkan gets smeared with lotion twice a day to keep his skin soft and smoothe. We see a definite improvement all over his body.
Last Sunday, on Father’s Day, when Paul and Lena Forsén were at Fristaden, Håkan went together with Harry to the Sunday morning service, for the first time since the fire. Everyone stood up and a loooong, spontaneous applaud broke out, with many tearful eyes.
It was so fitting, of course, that ”the father of Fristaden” came on Father’s Day, and that when Paul spoke about ”God as Your Daddy”, Håkan got the idea that the leaders should stand at the front and minister to people, and in the end, go around and give ”daddy hugs” and bless the whole church. Thank the Lord!
Then it felt like Håkan was present again, with his prophetic anointing and father’s role in the church. Very powerful!
It’s so great to stand beside him and be happy about life! That which was so normal earlier is now a subject for rejoicing, and we’re so grateful to God that Håkan is home again.
Thank you, Lord, for your grace and your great faithfulness to us!
The operation went well, but this week and next week there will be more trips to Sahlgrenska, so please continue to pray for Håkan’s hands and eyes! God hears prayer!
Thanks for all your love…love back to you all!
God bless!
Hugs,
Gunilla
Four times a day, personnel from home health come and help him in the morning and evening, but also give eyedrops and lunch, when the rest of us are in school and at work.
A nurse comes once a day for Håkan’s shot, and helps with his bath and changing his bandages every third day, so that the skin gets a thorough overhaul, so no infection sets in.
Håkan gets smeared with lotion twice a day to keep his skin soft and smoothe. We see a definite improvement all over his body.
Last Sunday, on Father’s Day, when Paul and Lena Forsén were at Fristaden, Håkan went together with Harry to the Sunday morning service, for the first time since the fire. Everyone stood up and a loooong, spontaneous applaud broke out, with many tearful eyes.
It was so fitting, of course, that ”the father of Fristaden” came on Father’s Day, and that when Paul spoke about ”God as Your Daddy”, Håkan got the idea that the leaders should stand at the front and minister to people, and in the end, go around and give ”daddy hugs” and bless the whole church. Thank the Lord!
Then it felt like Håkan was present again, with his prophetic anointing and father’s role in the church. Very powerful!
It’s so great to stand beside him and be happy about life! That which was so normal earlier is now a subject for rejoicing, and we’re so grateful to God that Håkan is home again.
Thank you, Lord, for your grace and your great faithfulness to us!
The operation went well, but this week and next week there will be more trips to Sahlgrenska, so please continue to pray for Håkan’s hands and eyes! God hears prayer!
Thanks for all your love…love back to you all!
God bless!
Hugs,
Gunilla
Sunday 8 November 2009
Home again!
Now we’re home again, and Håkan is home for good! The time in the hospital is over. Of course, there will be follow-up visits, rehabilitation and operations down the road. Imagine, it’s been over 8 months since the fire, and now we’re at the point where my husband can be at home, walk around, sit down, stand up, lie down on the bed, get up from the bed, go to the bathroom, and eat cut-up food by himself. This is so great that I want to shout, “Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord!”
You who have followed us on this long, 8-month journey, probably understand my thankfulness, for every little step in the right direction which makes all this possible. Nothing is too small or too great for our God. “Thank you, Lord!”
Every decision which has been made and all care that Håkan has received, through doctors and medical staff, have made it possible for Håkan to be as good as he is now. A big “Thanks” to you all! God bless you all!
All of you who have supported us through prayers, thoughts, tears, letters, email, the blog, caring, acts of love, clothes, food, fixing up our new home, smiles, nice words, hugs, money, flowers, furniture, books… The list could be longer, but I just want to say, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
The factors that contribute to quick healing, a doctor told Håkan this summer, are:
* Coming quickly to the hospital for treatment.
* Good medical staff.
* High motivation in the patient.
* A broad circle of social contacts.
* A strong faith in God.
All these have contributed to Håkan’s speedy recovery.
When I preached in Nairobi, for a packed church of 3,500 people, I asked how many wanted to pray for Håkan and the eyelid operation he would have that week. 3,500 hands went up, and then I saw even more that God’s care for us, and all the care and prayers from people, are a big part of Håkan’s speedy recovery. Thank you, brothers and sisters, all around the world, who have prayed for us! God bless you all! ”Thank you, Lord!”
“Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art!”
More about the trip to Kenya is coming later...
Bless you!
Hugs,
Gunilla
You who have followed us on this long, 8-month journey, probably understand my thankfulness, for every little step in the right direction which makes all this possible. Nothing is too small or too great for our God. “Thank you, Lord!”
Every decision which has been made and all care that Håkan has received, through doctors and medical staff, have made it possible for Håkan to be as good as he is now. A big “Thanks” to you all! God bless you all!
All of you who have supported us through prayers, thoughts, tears, letters, email, the blog, caring, acts of love, clothes, food, fixing up our new home, smiles, nice words, hugs, money, flowers, furniture, books… The list could be longer, but I just want to say, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
The factors that contribute to quick healing, a doctor told Håkan this summer, are:
* Coming quickly to the hospital for treatment.
* Good medical staff.
* High motivation in the patient.
* A broad circle of social contacts.
* A strong faith in God.
All these have contributed to Håkan’s speedy recovery.
When I preached in Nairobi, for a packed church of 3,500 people, I asked how many wanted to pray for Håkan and the eyelid operation he would have that week. 3,500 hands went up, and then I saw even more that God’s care for us, and all the care and prayers from people, are a big part of Håkan’s speedy recovery. Thank you, brothers and sisters, all around the world, who have prayed for us! God bless you all! ”Thank you, Lord!”
“Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art!”
More about the trip to Kenya is coming later...
Bless you!
Hugs,
Gunilla
Wednesday 4 November 2009
Heavenly dynamics
Anita Barker Andersen writes:
This past Sunday, I was to preach at Fristaden, and the text from Revelation 22 was about heaven. The thought came to me that I should have a “conversational preaching” together with Håkan. He had the text read for him over the telephone, and a little later that day, we visited him at the short-term care facility and recorded his comments. It was so nice to (almost) have a worship service together with Håkan again. Following is the Bible text and his reflections, which also can be heard (in Swedish) from the Swedish blog.
Heavenly dynamics
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” Rev. 22:1-5
Cast your anchor a long way in
When I heard these verses being read for me, I began to think about the fact that my soul has an anchor, and that anchor must be cast behind the curtain, into the Holy of Holies (Heb. 6:19). What that really says, is that my deepest attitudes and priorities should be so much, much further ahead than the present – than right now, what I’m thinking about just now, the material needs I have, or the material security that I have acquired. My security doesn’t lie in the material. My security doesn’t lie in the humanistic. My security doesn’t lie in what people can do. My security lies in God!
We are blessed
This also speaks to me about precisely the thing Paul writes about in several places, that we are blessed ”in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing” (Eph. 1:3), and when I know that I have access to that, I know that I am both spiritually blessed, saved, and I will be saved, and I can also receive healing from the Lord because I have my eyes fixed on something so much, much further ahead of the reality I see right now.
My security lies in God
It’s a big mistake to only concentrate on the material, to only concentrate on the security that we Swedes are experts on. Security doesn’t lie there. Security lies in God, and security lies in the eternal, and the eternal is the Kingdom of God. So the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are really the same things, and we can acquaint ourselves even now with that which God wants to give us in His Kingdom. This also makes it possible for us to go through various trials and difficulties with our eyes fixed on Jesus in the eternal, and “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Ps. 23:4)
Discover the whole reality
So, this really isn’t an escape from reality, but it is a living part of reality that only the Christian has discovered, or the one who seeks Him is able to discover. So, heaven is such an important part of reality, and it’s there that we get motivation to be able to stand, but also motivation to win others for God, and motivation to be sanctified by Him ourselves.
Look after your place
Then there is also a risk that we become so occupied with the present and the material, with the way of thinking and being of our times, and that we pile up everything possible, so that we can miss – yes, even here – the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms. It can even be so that we don’t just miss out on them here, but also in eternity. So see to it – you can see to it – that you can already today be secure, and that you are a child of God, and that your place in eternity is there. You shall not miss out on that place!
Håkan Gniste
This past Sunday, I was to preach at Fristaden, and the text from Revelation 22 was about heaven. The thought came to me that I should have a “conversational preaching” together with Håkan. He had the text read for him over the telephone, and a little later that day, we visited him at the short-term care facility and recorded his comments. It was so nice to (almost) have a worship service together with Håkan again. Following is the Bible text and his reflections, which also can be heard (in Swedish) from the Swedish blog.
Heavenly dynamics
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” Rev. 22:1-5
Cast your anchor a long way in
When I heard these verses being read for me, I began to think about the fact that my soul has an anchor, and that anchor must be cast behind the curtain, into the Holy of Holies (Heb. 6:19). What that really says, is that my deepest attitudes and priorities should be so much, much further ahead than the present – than right now, what I’m thinking about just now, the material needs I have, or the material security that I have acquired. My security doesn’t lie in the material. My security doesn’t lie in the humanistic. My security doesn’t lie in what people can do. My security lies in God!
We are blessed
This also speaks to me about precisely the thing Paul writes about in several places, that we are blessed ”in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing” (Eph. 1:3), and when I know that I have access to that, I know that I am both spiritually blessed, saved, and I will be saved, and I can also receive healing from the Lord because I have my eyes fixed on something so much, much further ahead of the reality I see right now.
My security lies in God
It’s a big mistake to only concentrate on the material, to only concentrate on the security that we Swedes are experts on. Security doesn’t lie there. Security lies in God, and security lies in the eternal, and the eternal is the Kingdom of God. So the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are really the same things, and we can acquaint ourselves even now with that which God wants to give us in His Kingdom. This also makes it possible for us to go through various trials and difficulties with our eyes fixed on Jesus in the eternal, and “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Ps. 23:4)
Discover the whole reality
So, this really isn’t an escape from reality, but it is a living part of reality that only the Christian has discovered, or the one who seeks Him is able to discover. So, heaven is such an important part of reality, and it’s there that we get motivation to be able to stand, but also motivation to win others for God, and motivation to be sanctified by Him ourselves.
Look after your place
Then there is also a risk that we become so occupied with the present and the material, with the way of thinking and being of our times, and that we pile up everything possible, so that we can miss – yes, even here – the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms. It can even be so that we don’t just miss out on them here, but also in eternity. So see to it – you can see to it – that you can already today be secure, and that you are a child of God, and that your place in eternity is there. You shall not miss out on that place!
Håkan Gniste
Monday 2 November 2009
Meat patties with onions!
Now while Gunilla has been in Kenya, we’ve had the pleasure of visiting with Håkan a little extra. On Sunday (25/10), Håkan came to our house together with Bella and Jan G. We ate meat patties with onions and mushrooms, and enjoyed being together, in front of the fire place. Håkan and Dan, who were in a their best teasing mood, kept stoking the fire in the fire place, and said, “We’ll have to put another log on the fire”, while the rest of us were sweating and cried, “Stop stoking the fire!” (especially us ladies over 50), but they just laughed and added another log.
On Thursday evening (29/10), we drove to Josefina in Trollhättan, for a belated birthday celebration, and ate a wonderful dinner together. We drank coffee and ate newly baked cookies, and read aloud an article from the local newspaper about a gospel concert which the churches in Trollhättan had had together, and for which Josefina sang a solo. Then Josefina and Pappa Håkan had one of those real “music-chat-and-listening-moments”, which only music people can have.
On Saturday, I drove over and picked up Håkan from the short-term care facility to eat lunch at home with us again. We had garlic marinated chicken, and Håkan ate drumsticks with his hands for the first time since the fire. “There you go, Gunilla! If you’d been home, you could have had a garlic kiss from Håkan!” When it was time for coffee, Håkan had a visit from Harry and Gun-Britt Andersson from The Word of Life in Uppsala. It was a time for an emotional reunion, conversation and deep prayer fellowship. Before they started on their return trip to Uppsala, Dan took them by the house.
At the keyboard in gratitude
Sister-in-law Lotta and brother-in-law Dan
On Thursday evening (29/10), we drove to Josefina in Trollhättan, for a belated birthday celebration, and ate a wonderful dinner together. We drank coffee and ate newly baked cookies, and read aloud an article from the local newspaper about a gospel concert which the churches in Trollhättan had had together, and for which Josefina sang a solo. Then Josefina and Pappa Håkan had one of those real “music-chat-and-listening-moments”, which only music people can have.
On Saturday, I drove over and picked up Håkan from the short-term care facility to eat lunch at home with us again. We had garlic marinated chicken, and Håkan ate drumsticks with his hands for the first time since the fire. “There you go, Gunilla! If you’d been home, you could have had a garlic kiss from Håkan!” When it was time for coffee, Håkan had a visit from Harry and Gun-Britt Andersson from The Word of Life in Uppsala. It was a time for an emotional reunion, conversation and deep prayer fellowship. Before they started on their return trip to Uppsala, Dan took them by the house.
At the keyboard in gratitude
Sister-in-law Lotta and brother-in-law Dan
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