from the swedish bible belt to a famed biologist's former stomping grounds

(jönköping is a pleasant city on a lake)

Monday night, the 23rd of February, Koala and I arrived in Jönköping, Sweden.

First of all, I must clarify the pronunciation of this city. I think the most accurate way I can describe this with American English spelling is to say: Yonshepping.

After the difficulties we had in Stockholm with trying to make connections, it was such a relief to arrive in a place where we already had previous friendship established. Our friend Bella, who we knew previously from YWAM in Kona, Hawaii, has been studying in Jönköping for the last couple years. We were excited to find that she had been able to set up quite a few different events with both public high schools, and some of the churches in the area. For our week spent in Jönköping, we were able to share in three public high schools, and four churches.

(sofia kyrkjan, where we shared with a small discussion group)

Public High schools always prove to be a good challenge. In these places, we were certainly given restrictions on how much we can actually talk about our faith, but it challenges us to translate the gospel into more common forms of speech. Every time we share in one of these settings, it becomes clear how practical the gospel of Jesus can be. For example: we were able to talk with a Media focus high school (most of the high schools in Scandinavia seem to have some sort of focus.)

One of the things God put on my heart to discuss was truth. I believe with my whole heart that if people in the media (whether it be news television, newspapers, radio, design, etc.) were to be searching for the ultimate truth in any topic or issue, they would be brought face to face with a need for solutions, and these solutions ultimately will be found in the infinite wisdom and knowledge that is found in Christ (Colossians 2:3). We discussed a bit how if they are willing to portray the truth of an issue, even if it is hard for people to hear, even if it makes some people uncomfortable, the whole-truth they communicate will stand out, even when it is compared with a host of well-prepared half-truths.

(ali-john, who we met at the local train station. he's originally from gambia.)

Whether we’re sharing in churches or schools, often people will ask us, “What can I do to help these people (those affected by the abuse of sex and/or money)” It’s a good question.

I am challenged because I can’t give people a direct plan to end human trafficking in the next five years (or some other concrete date.) This becomes an interesting issue in that we see it is something that we have to be willing to engage with in the way we live life. It is not just something we can donate money to, and it is not just something for which we can boycott a product or a company. It seems like this issue requires a bit more of an engaged response. And for myself this is a challenge.

We’ve talked to churches that are concerned about human trafficking and prostitution. Many churches want to establish ministries to deal with these problems, and to bring the women, children and men who have been affected into places of healing from the abuse that they have endured/given. This, however, is not so easy as just walking out to the streets and beginning “ministry.” If people are to leave lives of prostitution behind to build fresh, healthy lives, they are going to need new places – havens - where they begin something new. It would be hard for change to take root if we only love people for a couple hours only to let them return to their “night jobs” – but change can begin to take root when we see that life and ministry aren’t two different things.

And I hope this is not taken as a hypercritical diatribe. It is something I struggle with myself. How to I prevent my life and my faith from being two separate things? I’m learning to become convinced that being a follower of Christ must induce a tangible difference in the state of our world.

(johannes, johan, and koala on what is arguably the longest bench in all of europe.)

(some photos on display at pingst kyrkjan)

(uppsala is a university town, with a lot of bicycles)

(there are also a lot of canals in uppsala)

(dom kyrkjan)

Tuesday, March third, Koala and I waved goodbye to Jönköping and traveled by train to the city of Uppsala, which is a bit less than an hour north of Stockholm. Uppsala is also the hometown of the founder of binomial nomenclature, Carolus Linnaeus. Here, Bella also helped to arrange for us to share in three high schools, and a young adult group in a church. It felt to be a very productive time, and we received positive feedback from many of the students – it is evident that many young people are concerned for the state of our world, and this to me is an encouragement.

As we shared Wednesday evening with the college aged group in a church, God directed me to a verse, which I found to be edifying as we continue on the journey of learning to walk out the practicalities of Jesus –following. I Peter 1:3 says,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

In accepting forgiveness of our sins through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the God who created the planet earth (and all of it’s surrounding accessories) gathers us towards His hope that is a moving reality. This hope to me lies partly in knowing that a hope in Christ is not one that is static or stationary, but rather one that is kinetic and transportable, jumping up and down.

We often feel dry, but it is refreshment, rehydration even, to come across scripture that speaks so directly to what we’ve been in need of. So, we continue to share about need in the world, and we continue to share about hope – though now we are pleased to keep in mind that the hope is moving.

a flower in my lapel / a daisy in your hand

Arriving in Amsterdam, I was stuck by the biting cold wind, and soon after this, I was struck with the problems and issues I quickly begun to hear about: I heard about the red light district, the “coffee” shops, and many of the other precarious activities that take place, and I was overwhelmed, and baffled as to how I would interact with such a place. (Amsterdam really is a normal city in many ways, but being new to the city, much of what I heard was negative).

Our times in class in Amsterdam were spent learning about international relations from a Christian perspective, and we then spent some time doing a broad overview of world history since the time of Christ. The broad overview of world history was very interesting in that as you look back on the main issues, conflicts, and problems in those times, God was doing something new in the hearts of His people. Revivals were birthed, missions movements went out into new areas of the world, societies were changed – at every point where society began to seem threatened, God countered this by raising up movements that were marked by the characteristics of His heart. I love seeing how God would be working for the good of humanity on such an Epic scale.

As many of you may know, God put the idea of some people’s hearts in our school to go into the red light district of the city, and hand out flowers to the prostitutes in the area, as well as anyone else who seemed in need of appreciation. When we first began to follow through with this, most of us were a bit nervous, as we weren’t sure how the people would respond, but it is evident that your prayers covered us during the time. With the flowers, we attached short messages, which basically just said something about God’s love and value in the peoples’ lives. The girls to whom we gave flowers were very appreciative, and we never had anyone reject our offer of flowers. It was interesting the whole time we were giving out flowers, I felt a clear peace and safety over the whole situation, and I fully believe that this was God going before us at our every step.




With this, I saw something that went beyond just prostitution, and beyond just the red light district of Amsterdam. I saw an openness to appreciation and love – an openness that would surely extend to just about every situation imaginable. Prostitutes are not the only people in the world who long to know true love and appreciation; many people in the most “normal” of situations surely feel as though they are dying on the inside, because the fact that they do not know of the God that died for them to understand His love.



Point is, more flowers need to be handed out (if you desire to continue putting things in terms of flowers). Everyone in the world is in need of the realization that they are loved by the creator of the universe, and He longs to speak that to them in whatever situation they are in. Love exists even before they have turned their face to Him.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:8, NKJV)

He didn’t wait until we were good enough. He died (and rose again) so that we could understand. He didn’t wait for us to come out of the “bad parts of town” to begin loving us; He went boldly into those areas, and showed us first hand the value we have in His eyes. All the while, He completely disregarded that fact that He would be associated with the sin that was all around us.







Seeing love, in a real, practical, tangible way, people have reason to change. Do we too often jump to fix their sin before they have reason to leave a life of sin? In the Bible, it seems as though people understood their own sin, but perhaps they did not have a reason to leave that sin behind until they saw that in Christ they were valued. With the issues of blatant sin, we can’t afford to just write those things as the blatant sins that they are; obviously certain activities are sinful, but what does it look like to love people in those situations in a way that will call them out of those lifestyles and into a realization of what true life can be? And just as well, the same goes for people whose sin is not blatant - everyone is in need of a similar redemption [for all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, whether we can see it with our eyes or not]. Perhaps if we began to show people the care, concern, and love of Christ in their lives, they will then have a legitimate reason to leave behind their former garments of filth in exchange for the pure white robes that God intends for them.



Walking along the canal my last night in Amsterdam, I was struck with the beauty of our God. From my time in Amsterdam I see that God is not overwhelmed with our problems and the sicknesses that plague our societies (even when they are a bright red fluorescent light that is shining in your face.) Rather, He is one who will walk within those plagues to show us all the more about His grace. Wherever I go there will be some way shape of form in which He is moving, no matter how initially overwhelmed I may feel.

…

Currently, I write to you from Paris. We have about a week to make our way down to Malaga, Spain, and so this week I will be in Paris, seeing some new sights, and working on some photography assignments. I am here with my friends Naphtalie and April, and thankfully God has blessed us with places to stay while we’re here. I'm looking forward to finding the ways that God has made Himself apparent in this place.

hope in blood

Most of us have heard something about AIDS in Africa. There are numbers. There are percentages. There are opinions. But more than numbers and statistics, line charts and pie graphs, there are real people who are affected by a disease that is just as equally real.

The following are stories from a few of the families we were able to spend some time with while in Addis Ababa during the month of March. Their stories are hard, but for most of the people, they have found an enduring strength in Jesus that has brought them through the hardest of times.

orphans:antiretroviralmedication:CD4count:viralload:practicionerinitiate...
dHIVcounselingandtesting:healtheducation:stigma



Depressing? Not necessarily. It seemed to me that the hope of Christ was somehow expressing itself in the lives of each of these individuals and their families. They may continue to be infected by HIV, but for a majority of these people, the love of Christ has brought the hope of something beyond a disease.

The families we visited are part of a local church program that supports some of the poorest of the poor in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. This program cares for many families, mostly non-Christians, who would otherwise have great difficulty in acquiring their basic living necessities. These families are being given monthly support to provide for school fees, hygiene products, blankets, and some food. The church also makes a point of visiting the families in their homes and praying with them. Of these families, we spent time with some of the ones that had in some way been affected by HIV. All of these people live in very trying circumstances, but it is a comfort to know that the church is reaching out to them is practical ways.

By all means, AIDS is still an issue in our world, and it will continue to be an issue in the years to come. But beyond statistics and numbers that would seem at first glance to be disheartening, there are also stories of people who have found life in what we as humans would call impossible circumstances. This challenged my faith in that I see that I am in relationship with a God who is not challenged by the seemingly concrete things like percentages and infection rates. This God, who loves us, gives us reason to hope even when the “facts” tell us otherwise.

trusting in God to make hope

Amariche Demoshe, 36, is the single mother of seven children – six girls, and one boy. And she is infected with HIV.

Her Children:

Arsema: 18
Alem: 17
Rahel: 13
Sarah: 9
Esubalew (HIV+): 7
Yordanos: 4.5
Deborah: 6 months

Amariche was born in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, but her family immediately moved with her to the countryside in the southern part of the country. She stayed there until she was 18 years old, when she came back to Addis Ababa to attend school. She completed her schooling through grade six, and then made the decision to join the Ethiopian National Army, where she fought in Asmara Eritrea for about seven years.

Since returning from fighting in the war, Amariche was able to start a family, though her husband has since died. Amariche herself isn’t quite sure where she acquired HIV, though she believes she may have contracted it while caring for others who were infected.

(Amariche puts her antiretroviral medication back into her purse.)

Two years ago, Amariche put her faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of her sins and the hope of new life beyond the one she is living. Even beyond this hope, Amariche has experienced physical rejuvenation through Christ’s work in her life. At one point Amariche weighed only 70 pounds, and her CD4 count was only 135 (the CD4 count is basically a measurement of the cells in the blood that fight diseases and infection; anything below 200 is considered to be AIDS.) More recently, her weight has improved to a healthier amount, and her CD4 count has increased to 610. Amariche has been taking Anti-Retroviral Treatments (ART’s) that are made available to her free of cost by the Ethiopian Government, but when asked what increased her CD4 count, she said that overall, it is prayer. Amariche said through translation:

Every sickness is not a curse from God. If you believe, and pray to God, God will hear you and respond to your prayer. You have to trust in God to make hope.

Amariche and her children are currently living in a home that is smaller than most of our own bedrooms. They had no access to a home of their own, so the hospital where Amariche is being treated allowed her and her family to construct a shelter on their property. The shelter is very rugged, as it is made up of plastic tarps, rope, tin, pieces of wood, and a thin piece of cloth for a front door. They keep the family out of a majority of the elements, but the conditions certainly don’t seem adequate for one who is trying to build up a healthy immune system, especially with the often quite biting cold nights in Addis Ababa.

(Yordanos (4.5) and Rahel (13) stand in the door of their home.)

(Sarah (9) prepares a lunch for the family and their visitors.)

(Amariche and her children earn much of their living through making table and bed clothes. Even the children help to sew them.)

Amariche continues to live, conscious of her need to be sustained by her Savior, all the while seeing evidence of His working hope into her ever so difficult circumstances. He has not abandoned her. He has not left her. He rather, continues to hold Amariche and the family she supports in the center of His embrace, and in the palm of His sovereign hand.

Some Prayer Requests from Amariche:

1. Being homeless. If the hospital needs the space she has built her family’s temporary residence on, her family will be forced to live on the street. Pray for the provision of a house, and the other practical needs such as nutritional foods and school supplies.
2. Even though challenged by HIV, she says, “I should like to be in front of my God every time.” Pray that she may experience the life and continual rejuvenation that is found in the presence of God.

dark room/ shiny cross

Tigist is 27 years old and HIV Positive. Her name means patience.

Etasesn is 45 years old and HIV Positive. She is the mother of Tigist.

Tigist is the oldest of four children. In 2003, she tested her blood and found that she was HIV positive. She thinks she acquired HIV at a younger age through sexual intercourse with a boyfriend. She was then bedridden for two years, as there was no access to free Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) at that time. At one point, her CD4 count was down to just 1, but through prayer, and access to the free ART’s, her CD4 count is now above 500 and she is able to live an active life, working as much as she can to help generate even a small bit of income for her family (I later asked a nurse at a clinic in the area about such a drastic transition, and the nurse spoke of how such a happening could only be a miracle). Tigist now often teaches others about the realities of HIV, and has even shared about the socio-economic effects the disease on her life over national television.

(Tigist's younger sister, Magdes enjoys the company of their family's cat)

(nutritious foods like spinach are very helpful for those on ART)

It is possible that Etasesn acquired HIV through caring for Tigist when Tigist was bedridden. Etasesn is mute, but she will quite often make hand motions and smile widely to communicate her happiness and thankfulness to God, or her appreciation for having you visit her in her home. Her CD4 count is above 400, but is not taking any ART as she is bedridden, and an active lifestyle is necessary for the ART’s to function properly. Etasesn is cared for faithfully by Tigist and the rest of the children, and also by her husband, Hailu, whose name means, “Power of God.” Hailu continues to faithfully care for and support his wife, but he has yet to come to a personal faith in Jesus.

Tigist accepted Jesus through one of the former directors of a church program in the area, who would come to pray with her two days a week. Before accepting Christ, Tigist recalls a very disturbed life with no peace of mind. Since accepting Jesus as her personal Savior, she speaks of how she became healthy and received peace of mind. Sitting in her naturally lit living space, Tigist sang aloud with her friends, Pastor Esayas, and Sheba, from the local church:

Jesus is the joy of my heart. I’m living in this world my Your name.

(Tigist and Sheba, the counselor for the church's community outreach program)

Prayer requests from Tigist and Etasesn:

1. Improved Health.
2. Ethiopian Economy. When going through ART, it is necessary to have a well balanced diet including a lot of protein-rich foods. The price of these foods though has gone up in cost. In the past few years, it is not uncommon for certain costs to have risen over 100% of their normal cost.
3. Family members to come to Christ. Hailu, Etasesn’s husband has not yet accepted Christ, but they believe he is close.