On the Norwegian mountains

Last year we spent the fall strengthening the brothers and sisters in Sweden and Norway, while taking with us a family with an apostolic calling. The Lord sent them to learn from what we do, so it was an honor to have them with us!

The journey was very rich in experiences, and we learned more than what we could give. The lesson was mainly that apostolic work, either planting a new community (like Paul did) or shaping an existing one (like Peter, John, Barnabas, Silas, and others did) needs time and integration. We experienced many intense experiences, some gratifying, and other painful.

There was, in that journey, while in a little village on the mountains, a Lutheran brother who was following his convictions with a very upright heart. At a barbecue, we got the chance to share with him what Scriptures say about the new birth. He battled with the idea of adult baptism, but we just let him read the Scriptures and meditate on it. That evening he asked us to baptize him. Next morning, at a freezing temperature (literally), he was baptized outside in a bath.

Nevertheless, he had never experienced a living church experience with born-again brothers. The house groups there were also seeking and striving to get there, but that’s a story I can’t share right now. Let’s just say that the topic of new birth through repentance, faith, adult water baptism, and the baptism in the Holy Spirit, was sort of taboo among many of them due to cultural issues. Traditions and religion put a lot of pressure on them. So this brother’s new life started with difficulty.

Trying to help milk the Norwegian cows… first and last time ever, I hope!

We left a bit more than a week later, and his battle began. However, thanks to technology, I have been able to keep in touch with him. We hold long phone calls, and he has grown a lot in very short time, from a baby to a strong youngster in faith. He did a PTS in the TLR base in Denmark, which connected him to many new brothers and sisters and gave him a strong evangelism foundation. The constant communication, his industrious personality, and fiery zeal for the truth has made him and his wife very strong disciples.

They are now traveling around Norway and Denmark equipping brothers and sisters in evangelism, and they are growing towards disciple-making lifestyles at home. The Lord has also been using them as a catalytic element in their own community, and it is amazing to see their growth and the fruit of their walk so far.

Keep them in your prayers!