Change of plans...

The first word we teach our missionary cadets is: FLEXIBEL. The quicker that word becomes a part of your system the easier life becomes.

Yesterday at the airport they could not find tickets for Michael and Josefina. So after much strife I canceled my flight as well and stayed here in Tanzania with the fam.



Lucas was all ready to go! But I think he is enjoying the extra bonus day at the pool as well...



Not sure yet when we can go home. I have asked them to put us on the same flight home and they are still working on it.

C u soon again!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 5:20 AM

Day off turned sour...

Yesterday the entire team had a day off and went on a safari to Tarangire National Park. They all saw many animals and Martina took the two oldest kids and tagged along. I did get to see the Mountain as they refer to it here:





I spent the day in bed with Lucas. I had a fever during the night and felt awful all day. Today life is coming back to me...

We are heading home today. Will get to Pittsburgh late tomorrow! Thanks for praying for us while here in Tanzania!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 7:30 AM

Another festival has come to an end

So it's Monday and yet another festival, the Kilimanjaro Signs & Wonders Festival, has come to an end. The town of Same will never be the same again. God has transformed the region.

It has not rain like this year for the past 6-8 years and wells have been drilled to bring physical water to the Pare people.
And then of course the GOSPEL has been preached to hungry people. We have tried to sum up this festival:

Around 2,800 salvations both in the streets and at the festival.

Around 800 baptized in the Holy Spirit and FIRE. In the pouring rain I night add. A beautiful site.

Crippled arms have begun to move - blind eyes now see - deaf ears can hear sound - cancer has left - the mute now speak - and many many more wonderful healings by King Jesus!

Wow, wow, wow!

Pictures will follow as I can connect my laptop to the Internet.

Tomorrow we are heading on a safari. Praying to God that we WILL SEE animals.

C u soon!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 1:57 PM

Miracles ...

Last night was a miracle night. Jesus showed up and kissed the festival. I just want to share one miracle story with you this morning.





A mother came to the festival with her three boys. When they arrived the boys were mute. But our King Jesus entered the stage and He loosed their tongues so that they for their first time made some noice and the crowd went crazy as they tried to form words on the platform.

King Jesus is wonderful.

Go to missionsos.com for video updates from the festival.

C u soon again!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 11:42 PM

Internet issues, new recruits and heights

I have been unable to blog for some days due to very limited Internet access. Today a fresh try...




On Friday the team from Pittsburgh arrived and yes that did include my queen and wonderful kids. So good to see them again. But they had had an adventurous journey and it began in Pittsburgh. At the airport they had no ticket for Lucas and at their final layover in Nairobi there were no boarding passes for the two oldest kids. But they DID make it (not their bags though).

Sunday morning started with building platform, then back to camp to dress up to go preach...



Michael then helped with building the platform and speaker towers while the team had an outreach close by...









I love working high up!

Then the team from Sweden arrived last night. We are now almost at full strength.

C u soon again!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 12:46 AM

Undercover heroes ...

In Mission SOS we have been blessed with many many good people. There are those that are seen all the time and often stand on the barricades and are the ones that are central to the work. They are all important to the ministry.

But today I want to take the opportunity to brag on one of our undercover heroes. We have so many that are not seen but without them the work would crumble.

As I was returning from Nepal one of our missionaries to Ethiopia, Katrine emailed me asking if I needed some help in TZ prior to the team coming. I replied that I most likely would. She then responded that she would meet up at the airport in TZ.

Katrine is one of our heroes. It took her seven days with a bus to go from Harar, Ethiopia to Arusha, TZ. Three of those she spent at the border between ET and Kenya - it had rained so much that the roads had collapsed. The guard post cleared out a room for her to sleep in until the roads reopened. When they did, Katrine climbed into a Land Rover and rode for 25 hours straight.
She was standing at the airport with a big smile as I came out.



Not a word of complaint. Always a big smile and the words "chigger yellum" meaning no problem. She pays for everything all the time and stands there with a cold soda or water to serve. She said goodbye to all of us yesterday by buying watermelon - what a treat!

She left this morning so that she can make it back to the base before the others leave to come and be a part of the festival team here in Same, TZ.

Thank God for people like Katrine. We need more people in the Kingdom like her.

C U soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 1:58 AM

First time ...

Today the students from the School of Leadership were able to do their first outreaches in TZ. Always great fun and the reason that we live and breathe.






Soccer was a great tool in gathering people. Two in the team went two on two and the people cheered. Then one of our missionaries to Ethiopia, Anna-Karin, stepped up to preach her first outreach message. Several hands went up. Anna-Karin typically ends up behind the sound gear. But today she wrote history peaching among the Pare people.



So proud of all of them. They have all grown this year and to see what God has for them is so wonderful.

C U soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 1:07 PM

Tomorrow We Take off for Africa!

Tomorrow we leave Pittsburgh and fly to Same, Tanzania! Peter has already been there a little more than a week, so it will be wonderful to be together as a family again. Going on mission trips as a family is so great! I have never regretted that we bring our kids into sometimes very remote areas, where there's no water, electricity, we sleep on the ground sometimes on our air mattrasses under a thin mosquito-net :). Sounds frightening to some, but it is sooooooooo much fun! And the adventure part is just the little bonus really.

The real reward is to see thousands of precious men and women, young adults and senior citizens run into the arms of Jesus! To see the blind woman gaze into the lights beacuse Jesus has just opened her eyes and the light is so strong, or the little girl, unable to walk because of Polio take her first steps on thin spagetti-legs after Jesus has touched her body... To be out with our Bible School students in the villages and see them dance, do drama, preach and testify and realize how much God has done in their lives over the last year is incredible! I wish I could take all of you, my wonderful friends with me on one of these trips - it changes you forever!

Lucas - getting ready for the trip!

This time we have so many kids from the SOS families with us that our Childrens Pastor in SOS Church Stockholm is arranging a kids festival too! Michael and Josefina are practising dance and preparing what they want to say to the children in Same. I am so proud of them! So looking forward to this trip - Africa is so special to me, there is no continent that touches my heart like just Africa!

Sweet toddler years, ha ha!

/Martina

Published: By: The Almqvists - 7:13 PM

Bore holes & joy

This afternoon we were able to visit two of the bore sites in the Same district. The first completed well is in a place called Kisiwani. The well is now visited by up to 1,000 people daily. The area around the well is now fruitful and crops have begun to grow around it. We saw the windmill from a distance. An hour's drive from Same town.

9 kilometers further down the road we found the drill team from Majitech in Njiro. Here they have had some trouble. There was to much mud and a two day drill has taken over two weeks. They are almost done and will hand over to the team that will build the windmill.

Enjoy some pictures from the site at dusk.









When I talked to the main engineer he showed me how they check for water. Every two meters they take a sample and check for dampness. Very interesting. At both these sites they found water at 100 meters.





To see the joy in the faces of the people at these sites is priceless. Thank you all at Allison Park Church that have given towards the well project. Next week we will send teams that will bring the living water that last through eternity: Jesus Christ.

Thank you Pastor Jeff and all at APC for standing with us in Mission SOS in bringing the Good News to all corners of the Globe. We love you so much.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 1:37 PM

Map making

Today we met two Americans that are here in TZ through the Peace Corps. Talk about commitment: they sign up for two years. Then they are trained in-country for 9 or 10 weeks before they move to "their" village for the rest of the time. One of them is a Quacker and the other used to be a Christian. I got to share the gospel with him over a cup of coffee. He was not ready today. Said he believed more in man than in God. But he is real close...

Now: having dinner with the students from the School of Leadership. Great fun with great people.






Earlier today: we drove through the town and drew a map. We also took some measurements at the festival site and drew it up on my laptop.

Tomorrow we hope to begin to visit all the bore sites and maybe begin to do some outreach as well.

C U soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Published: By: The Almqvists - 12:51 PM

Salvations in Same

This morning one of the students at the School of Leadership at Mission SOS in Stockholm Sweden, Christopher, preached the word and four people responded to the altar call for salvation.



Christopher continue to invited people for baptism in the Holy Spirit and they were clothed with fire and power from on high.



The service ended in powerful worship after we had prayed for the sick as well. 3 hours later we all felt good after a great powerful service.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 1:31 PM

Day three in TZ

Last night I arrived in Same town. I spent the first 36 hours in Moshi crunching the festival budget with Bishop Shoo. Always great fun.

Last night the students from our School of Leadership in Stockholm arrived to Same as well

This morning they had a taste of a day on my life. We had a great committee meeting that lasted only 4 hours. Everyones mood was great and we all left feeling that we own this event.

I later took the team to the festival ground as well as to the compound where most of the team will be staying beginning this weekend.



Right now - dinner with the team. We are having ugali and beef stew. Life is great.

C u soon again!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 12:19 PM