The tears come with joy and thanksgiving. Thank you, Lord!
Imagine that we, the whole family, are alive and can celebrate Christmas together.
Imagine that Håkan is doing so well that we could go to Fristaden on Christmas Eve, with all the beautiful Christmas songs, Christmas music, and a wonderful Christmas play, ”Saffron and Raisins”. It was great, with lots of laughs.
Imagine that we, together, can meet friends on Christmas Eve, and all the youth who are home for Christmas – lots of hugs.
Imagine that we, after that, could travel to Småland with the family to celebrate Christmas together with Rebecca, Johan, Alice and Angelina.
Imagine that Håkan is doing so well that he could travel with us and be a part of “the Gniste Christmas”, with everything that involves: big family, food, many presents and kids and grandkids.
Imagine that Home Health in Jönköping was willing to come morning and evening to care for Håkan, and that we could stay with Håkan’s sister, Margaretha, and her husband, Kenneth.
I met a woman at Willys in Uddevalla, in the middle of shopping for ”Fellowship at Christmas” at Fristaden, the day after Christmas, when 70-80 lonely derelicts come, year after year. At the same time, Neeta had a cart for the purchase of ”food bags” for the needy, which we hand out every year. Right in the middle of those fully loaded shopping carts, a woman came up to me and asked how things were going for us and for Håkan. When I told her the present situation, she said that it hadn’t gone a single day since the fire without her thinking about us.
There I stood in the middle of Willys, Christmas shopping, and got so touched by people’s goodness, by the care and love of an ordinary woman from Uddevalla toward us. It was too much, so tears of thanksgiving ran.
I want to wish all of you who have stood by us, in love and prayers, a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and THANK YOU for all your love!
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Is. 9:6
Imagine that in that name, we have everything we need…the name of Jesus.
God’s peace and blessing!
Christmas hugs,
Gunilla
Friday 25 December 2009
Wednesday 9 December 2009
Thankful in Christ
Dear brothers and sisters!
Now I’m home, but I’m still weak and need a lot of help from the community health nurses who visit our home 3-4 times a day. Gunilla is, of course, such a support, and a source of love and strength. Being away from each other such a long time - 225 days - we need your prayers for being and working together in the family and the Kingdom. My special needs are the healing of my hands and my sight. There are only a few sores left and my skin is in the healing process.
I have contact with quite a few brothers and sisters, and I'm very happy about the loving care I've received from all of you, and the reports I’m hearing. Your visits, emails, cards, text messages, etc have encouraged me so much. I'm so thankful for all the prayers from all over Sweden and the whole world. In Uddevalla, this has helped to unite the body of Christ. You never know when I'll come back in full strength, but we will continue to pray that my sores will heal quickly. I'm hoping to join the race again, in due time.
I'm attending leadership meetings and some of the public meetings at church, especially Sunday mornings. There will be many dear and emotional reunions similar to the first Sunday morning meeting on Fathers' Day at Fristaden in Uddevalla. Our friend, Paul Forsén, taught about "God as Our Daddy", and at the end, Janne Sääf asked me to share something. I shared, "The church is a family and needs a leadership. The leaders are the fathers of the family, and they can't force their authority upon the church, but in the long run, they can be trusted as fathers, advisors, encouragers, coaches, and so on." I asked the elders to go out in the congregation and give the people who wanted it a fatherly blessing. A large percent of the ones who got blessed started to cry. The first meeting I attended was in some ways hard for me, but in so many other ways, a great blessing, and so many of the sisters and brothers have had their hearts touched by this journey.
The outreach to Kenya, led by Janne and Gunilla, meant a lot to the team of youth. It's fantastic how our sisters and brothers in Africa live and work for the Lord, and it was moving to see the pictures of the team out working in the Nairobi slums.
Now we’re looking forward to the Christmas holidays when we’ll gather as a family and invite others.
Many thanks for your prayer support and gifts!
Thankful in Christ,
Håkan
Now I’m home, but I’m still weak and need a lot of help from the community health nurses who visit our home 3-4 times a day. Gunilla is, of course, such a support, and a source of love and strength. Being away from each other such a long time - 225 days - we need your prayers for being and working together in the family and the Kingdom. My special needs are the healing of my hands and my sight. There are only a few sores left and my skin is in the healing process.
I have contact with quite a few brothers and sisters, and I'm very happy about the loving care I've received from all of you, and the reports I’m hearing. Your visits, emails, cards, text messages, etc have encouraged me so much. I'm so thankful for all the prayers from all over Sweden and the whole world. In Uddevalla, this has helped to unite the body of Christ. You never know when I'll come back in full strength, but we will continue to pray that my sores will heal quickly. I'm hoping to join the race again, in due time.
I'm attending leadership meetings and some of the public meetings at church, especially Sunday mornings. There will be many dear and emotional reunions similar to the first Sunday morning meeting on Fathers' Day at Fristaden in Uddevalla. Our friend, Paul Forsén, taught about "God as Our Daddy", and at the end, Janne Sääf asked me to share something. I shared, "The church is a family and needs a leadership. The leaders are the fathers of the family, and they can't force their authority upon the church, but in the long run, they can be trusted as fathers, advisors, encouragers, coaches, and so on." I asked the elders to go out in the congregation and give the people who wanted it a fatherly blessing. A large percent of the ones who got blessed started to cry. The first meeting I attended was in some ways hard for me, but in so many other ways, a great blessing, and so many of the sisters and brothers have had their hearts touched by this journey.
The outreach to Kenya, led by Janne and Gunilla, meant a lot to the team of youth. It's fantastic how our sisters and brothers in Africa live and work for the Lord, and it was moving to see the pictures of the team out working in the Nairobi slums.
Now we’re looking forward to the Christmas holidays when we’ll gather as a family and invite others.
Many thanks for your prayer support and gifts!
Thankful in Christ,
Håkan
Tuesday 1 December 2009
Everyday life goes on…
Morning business…
Håkan is visited by home-help, who take care of him, his shot, washing, smearing him with lotion, dressing him, and giving him breakfast.
Håkan gets eyedrops every other hour. If we aren’t home, home-help comes and gives him eyedrops.
Lunchtime...
Home-help comes and warms the plate of food I’ve prepared in the microwave, the days we aren’t at home. After that, Håkan tries to rest a little, before getting the next round of eyedrops.
Everyday life goes on…like…
Hand therapy...Trying out new hand splints…Prayer at Fristaden…Occupational therapy…Physical therapy…Walks…Church services…Eye operations…Sahlgrenska hospital…Pastors’ meetings…Eye doctor…Home-help…Bible on CD…Transportation to appointments…Reading aloud…Followup visits…Hand surgeon…Visits from friends…Relatives…Church members…Pharmacy…Doctors’ visits…Being in God’s presence…Family…Text messaging…Exercising…Rosenhäll…The house…The social insurance…etc.
Everyday life goes on…
When we come home, we eat together, and enjoy the fact that life goes on, thankful that we have each other, and that Håkan is getting better and better all the time. A BIG THANKS to God and health care services.
Evening business…
In the evening, home-help comes again – time for the evening duties and a new round of smearing with lotion. When Håkan is ready to go to bed, I get to put on his hand splints, eye ointment and eyeshields, before we say “Good night” to each other.
Håkan has my bed and I lie on the sofa, in the living room, and enjoy having my husband home. He lies like a king, on his back, and receives new energy for a new day, with new opportunities to continue to train.
And then it’s morning again. I take off Håkan’s eyeshields and greet my husband “Good morning!” I take off the hand splints so Håkan can do his hand exercises before home-help rings at the door…etc.
“Now it’s a new day, with new possibilities. Now it’s a new day. Morning has dawned… Yesterday is gone. I reach for what lies ahead… God, I want to give this day to you.”
Everyday life goes on…for Håkan…and for the Gniste family.
Thanks for continuing to think about us and pray for us. We have a long road ahead of us, but with God’s help and Håkan’s stubbornness and much prayer, we’ll manage this. You are an important part of this miracle, which is in our midst now.
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:13
God bless you all!
Warm hugs,
Gunilla
Håkan is visited by home-help, who take care of him, his shot, washing, smearing him with lotion, dressing him, and giving him breakfast.
Håkan gets eyedrops every other hour. If we aren’t home, home-help comes and gives him eyedrops.
Lunchtime...
Home-help comes and warms the plate of food I’ve prepared in the microwave, the days we aren’t at home. After that, Håkan tries to rest a little, before getting the next round of eyedrops.
Everyday life goes on…like…
Hand therapy...Trying out new hand splints…Prayer at Fristaden…Occupational therapy…Physical therapy…Walks…Church services…Eye operations…Sahlgrenska hospital…Pastors’ meetings…Eye doctor…Home-help…Bible on CD…Transportation to appointments…Reading aloud…Followup visits…Hand surgeon…Visits from friends…Relatives…Church members…Pharmacy…Doctors’ visits…Being in God’s presence…Family…Text messaging…Exercising…Rosenhäll…The house…The social insurance…etc.
Everyday life goes on…
When we come home, we eat together, and enjoy the fact that life goes on, thankful that we have each other, and that Håkan is getting better and better all the time. A BIG THANKS to God and health care services.
Evening business…
In the evening, home-help comes again – time for the evening duties and a new round of smearing with lotion. When Håkan is ready to go to bed, I get to put on his hand splints, eye ointment and eyeshields, before we say “Good night” to each other.
Håkan has my bed and I lie on the sofa, in the living room, and enjoy having my husband home. He lies like a king, on his back, and receives new energy for a new day, with new opportunities to continue to train.
And then it’s morning again. I take off Håkan’s eyeshields and greet my husband “Good morning!” I take off the hand splints so Håkan can do his hand exercises before home-help rings at the door…etc.
“Now it’s a new day, with new possibilities. Now it’s a new day. Morning has dawned… Yesterday is gone. I reach for what lies ahead… God, I want to give this day to you.”
Everyday life goes on…for Håkan…and for the Gniste family.
Thanks for continuing to think about us and pray for us. We have a long road ahead of us, but with God’s help and Håkan’s stubbornness and much prayer, we’ll manage this. You are an important part of this miracle, which is in our midst now.
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:13
God bless you all!
Warm hugs,
Gunilla
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