Sunday, December 31, 2006

rehab

A survey was done in Russia that determined that our program in Perm is the most effective alcohol/drug rehabilitation center in Russia. This provided them with an additional 9000 dollars to help with their expenses.
We got word of this just after we had sent 3000 dollars to help them put a heating system in the main center.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006


The rehab center in Krasnokamsk. The Herald of Faith helped them buy it, and now they are making major improvements.
We treat about 120 people every 3 months in the various rehab centers in Perm Oblast.


Keyboard player in Seroburalsk


This is in Yekaterinburg, Russia in November, 2006. I was in Russia for 3 weeks with Dale Collins.

Friday, June 09, 2006

One of my Russian friends

Tanya has studied English for 4 years, and she always comes to me speaking some English. She and her father Alexei (the pastor in Ekaterinburg) went with me on the train to Perm. This picture is taken on the river at Perm Posted by Picasa

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Bluebirds



The mother has a mouth full of mealworms. The father is feeding the birds inside the nest box. There were five of them.

Ingrid cleaned out the nest when the babies flew. The birds seem to have started building another nest, so we might have some more.

Monday, May 01, 2006

More from Russia

I finished up on the eastern side of the Urals and came back to Perm today, Monday. I was in Ekaterinburg, Polevskoy, Talitsa, and Artemovsky. It went well. I was really visiting old friends. But I figured out that I had used 8 interpreters in the two plus weeks of ministry here.
Today we met with leaders in the church, and probably produced more change than all the teaching.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Russia

Steve and I have been here in Perm for a week now, and are pretty much over our jetlag. We have around 40 people coming to the teaching every night, though not the same people every night. It's an experiment in finding practical ways to help train their people in a rapidly growing church.
I was in a town called Kudymkar on Monday and Tuesday of this week, teaching on the Cross. The church there is less than a year old, but we had 15 people each of the two nights, and I taught for about 3 hours a night. The town is about 120 miles away, a 3 hour drive.
I visited their rehabilitation center, the third one I have visited on this trip. The churches start with the rehab centers, and then develop the church structures.
The weather is pretty gray. There are still patches of snow on the ground. Winter wheat is starting to turn green, but that is about the only green thing you see. All this while they are having beautiful spring weather at home!
Bruce Watson came yesterday, and will stay here in Perm while I go to Ekaterinburg.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Ingrid and Peder

We brought our old car to North Carolina for Peder and Melissa to have. This was Ingrid's farewell to her faithful friend (the Volvo!). We had it for 10 years. Posted by Picasa

Monday, March 27, 2006

visiting in March 06

Ingrid, Luke, and Katrina on a ferry in North Carolina












Luke














Howard and Betty Mattsson-Boze at their bed & breakfast in Beaver Falls, PA












Gus (He doesn't like when his grandfather calls him that), better known as Steffan.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

New Car


Today we will go and pick up an 02 Volvo Cross Country. Our old one (a 95 with 280,000 miles) will go to our son Peder.
It kind of reminds me of a time in Argentina when a friend exchanged a 62 Falcon for a 71 Peugeot. This was in about 1994! We kept putting water in the radiator as we drove down the road in his new car.
Our new one has only 37000 miles and is Volvo certified.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Clinic in Honduras

Majken Broby, my father's cousin, worked with the Congregational Churches to establish a holistic work in Rivera Hernandez, near San Pedro Sula, Honduras. This building is the clinic she built. It is led by Josue Hernandez, whom she helped send through medical school.
I was there together with John Carson, the missions coordinator for the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, and Johannes Alsbo, the leader of the Swedish mission, Barn i Nod.
We are grateful for the great work that Majken did. The church is also moving along very well, and there were about 300 people there on the Sunday evening that John spoke.
My nephew, Joel Mattsson-Boze was with me on the trip. We were in Olanchito, La Ceiba, and then on the Miskito coast in Cusuna with the Garifuna pastors. After that we were in several churches in the San Pedro Sula area. Joel is pastor of an Alliance church in Fremont, California.
Bob Kallem, from the Minneapolis area, was also with me on the latter part of the trip. He is an experienced teacher and pastor, and spent 18 years in Brazil as a missionary with the Alliance. He had been with a group led by Dave Seehusen that worked on several construction projects.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Nimule, Sudan


Alice and Moses solemnized their marriage while I was in Sudan. This was the first Protestant wedding ever in Nimule. Moses has never been seen happier, and the dancing went on for about 40 minutes!

Honduras

I'm leaving Thursday for Honduras. I'll be in Saba, Olanchito, and La Ceiba on the weekend.
Then I'll go to Cosuna, a Garifuna village on the coast, to meet with pastors on Monday to Wednesday.
After that I'll be in the San Pedro Sula area for about 10 days, preaching in various churches.
It's interesting in that I'll be in conferences for 3 denominations as well as the teaching for the Garifuna pastors.
I'll be away for about three weeks.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Marstrand

I found this nice picture from Marstrand, the island where my father was born in Sweden. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

California

I'll be in San Diego Jan 24-28 along with Ingrid at the AGIF convention. On Friday morning they have asked me to present the work of the Herald of Faith.

Monday, January 16, 2006
















Evah is a midwife working with the American Refugee Committee in Sudan. We gave her some birthpacks that she will use to reward women who come in for prenatal screening.
The other picture is Charles Okongo's family. His wife, Caroline, and Joe, Charity Ingrid, and Emmanuel. They are on the Nile River at Murchison Falls National Park.


Student in Nimule examining a short concordance that Steve Fitzpatrick donated. The books were a gift from Nelson publishers.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Sudan

In Sudan we taught 25 pastors for 4 days and set up a program for 4 days of teaching every two months through the year. At the end of the year we will issue a certificate to those who attend all the sessions. We will do this with African teachers.
It was quite hot in the afternoons, and it seemed that my attention span was about 5 minutes. I did my teaching in the mornings. The African guys had more discussion, and that seemed to keep people alert on the hot afternoons.
Charles Okongo, Fred Latim, and Kenneth Gong were with me.