Live! On Air - Radio Shalom

Today I was scheduled to be interviewed on the most popular radio channel in the Port-au-Prince area of Haiti. They were doing a call in show with some prize and while they people were gearing up to call in we were live on air...


Radio Shalom is a Christian radio station that at the moment has the most listeners. They are very popular in Port-au-Prince. And given the low literacy rate that we were acutely made aware of yesterday, using the radio is the best tool in creating awareness for this event.

Otherwise, Pastor Hudson and myself have been working with customs today and tomorrow we will head to the DR/Haiti border to clear container no 1. PRAY for God's favor!



In the mean time my pre team of two, Marcus Urso and Gunnar-André Lund have been reading up on sound manuals in preparation for the arrival of the gear. We have been going through different scenarios and started up the different softwares that will monitor and run the system... Learning by trying is the fastest school.


Port-au-Prince is a bustling city with lots of activity around the clock it seems like. Driving around the city today we saw piles of rubble where there used to be houses. In some places whole city blocks lay in ruins... In other places UN personnel were clearing sites and loading smashed concrete unto waiting trucks... The rebuilding of Port-au-Prince starts with removing all the rubble and tearing down the partly destroyed houses and structures that still partly stand. Once everything is gone, then the actual rebuilding can commence...


Also, as we were driving around town today, in every place that used to be an open area we now saw tent camps set up - be it a park, or just an open field, or even along side main roads - tents, tents and more tents. At the airport we saw big trucks clearing customs loaded with new tents that will be distributed to people that lost everything.


Every family in the Port-au-Prince region was affected by this disaster - officially 250,000 people died during the quake - but many more died in the hospitals or due to lack of care... No one knows the actual number. Over 2 million people lived in the main area where the quake hit. Many of these people are now displaced around the whole country with nothing left.

It is time for Haiti to receive the Gospel of Hope! Jesus Christ is their hope in glory! Believe with me for a great breakthrough among these people!

Until next time... Published: By: The Almqvists - 8:07 PM

On the Ground in Haiti

When we arrived yesterday, our bags did not. Travel these days... There is not much that you can do about it...

First day in Haiti has been a good one. We drove to the festival ground to begin planning the layout of things. The site is part of a camp for displaced people, people who lost everything in the earthquake. They are from almost all tiers of life and different backgrounds - some are well educated and others have never been to school. Yet now they share this - that they lost everything and are now living in a tent camp. The authorities have begun to erect small houses that they can move into but it is going very slow.


This process has brought some challenges for us. The main area where the festival was to be held is now a construction zone - they are building houses. Now you cannot be mad and angry at them for building theses houses ... they are desperately needed for the people. But we on the other hand need a large open area. So we walked around the camp today without finding anything. Just before leaving we talked to one of the officials and he got in our car and took us deeper into the camp where there was an open area that can hold 40,000 - 50,000 people. PERFECT.


In this camp there are 7,000 families living and when I asked the normal size of a Haitian family the answer was 5-6 children. Doing the math, we see that we now have a base of around 50,000 people to draw from. These people do nothing. They just roam around. It is time for them to hear the good news of a risen savior - Jesus loves them so.


As we were walking around the camp we saw 5 guys in our around their twenties looking at one of our posters. They were talking to each other. Pastor Hudson walked up to them and asked them what they were talking about. Their reply was simple: we cannot vote for this man because we do not know him. They were referring to the man on the poster, Johannes Amritzer, and the upcoming presidential election at the end of November. What was this about? None of the five could read what the poster said. They had never been to school. So Pastor Hudson talked to them asking if they had heard the speaker cars announce the upcoming festival and they all said yes of course and now understood who the man on the poster was.


I do not think that we have been in a place this urban before where the literacy rate is so extremely low... No wonder that the country is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere... They need education. They need hope. They need a Savior. Let's give them Jesus!

Continue to pray for me as we prepare the ground. Published: By: The Almqvists - 5:50 PM

Festival next to Refugee Camp

Yesterday Gunnar Andre Lund from Norway came to visit. He is on his way to Haiti together with Peter and Marcus Urso tomorrow morning. I am so excited about this festival, even though the airlines will not allow me to fly now, so I can't go, I am very excited and have high expectations on what the Lord will do...

The team of about 60 people are very prepared, prayed through and I know they will do so great. The team exists of people from SOS Church Stockholm Sweden, Norway, Allison Park Church, Pittsburgh PA, Calvary Temple Worship Center, Modesto CA and Morningstar Fellowship, Bechellsville PA.

The festival will take place right next to this refugee camp, where about 7000 families live.

Our goal for this festival is to serve the people of Port Au Prince, wash their feet, present the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our prayer is to see thousands run into the arms of Jesus and be saved. We are praying for miracles to take place, strong healings, deliverances from Voodoo and evil sprits, baptisms in the Holy Spirit and for the Joy of the Lord to be spread and cover this city that is hurting so bad. Will you pray with us? Will you stand in faith together with us for this to happen? Jesus loves the people of Haiti and He is ready!

/Martina

Published: By: The Almqvists - 7:50 PM

From Ghana to Haiti

This morning I lead prayer school at the MCM Ministry School, we prayed for the festival that will take place in Haiti just a couple of months from now. Great prayer and wonderful students!

The stage and rigg

As we were praying it kinda dawned on me how faithful God is! When He speaks about something and gives a vision of something He really comes through all the way to the end. I am thinking of SOS Portable Festival Equipment right now... In 2005 the Holy Spirit spoke to a Norwegian engineer in a little town in northern Ghana called Bolgatanga. He gave him a vision of this particular project that we have chosen to call the Portable Festival Equipment. The engineer, Kennet Thorsland saw the entire thing before his eyes and together with a team of engineers and workers they have built and worked and worked - for more than 5 years!!! There were times that we doubted if this would ever happen, due to many different reasons, but this was and is, a God thing! So, now as I am writing, the containers with stage, sound, lighting and everything neccessary to reach a large crowd are on its way across the Atlantic to Haiti.

Kennet together with his family

God knew this would take place, He never gave up on this, because it was ordained by Him! Kennet and his crew never gave up either, they used their God-given skills to put this together and now it will be used to reach thousands of people in the city Port Au Prince!

Pray for this festival with us! We need your support in prayer!

/Martina

Published: By: The Almqvists - 9:22 PM

Fourth morning in Pakistan

Yes it felt like coming home when I landed at Lahore International Airport early on Wednesday morning. Pakistan still has a big place in my heart. This is my country too.

At the airport I was met by a Major in the Pakistani army and he has hosted me since. What a great and humble man Major Ashar is.

I like the way the man thinks. The first place he took me to was a field that easily can hold 100,000+ people in the crowd. That was his first suggestion when it came to venues. It is still the best option. Wow! I sense God's hand over this trip in a special way.

Pakistan is at a crucial place in many ways. There us a dire need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be preached to the people. At the same time the people at large are tired of the constant war that is being waged against the tribal fundamentals and the war on terror. But they see no way out of the tunnel that they are in. God is their only hope.



It is time to bring the good news of a risen savior to them. I believe that we can be an instrument in giving them hope in the midst of their despair.

People that are hit by tragedy in any form are more open to listen. When all their hope is washed away in a second and they find no answers to their why? What a great opportunity to preached hope and salvation to them.

Continue to pray for me as I continue on my scouting trip in Pakistan...

They even gave me a personal bodyguard... How about that!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Published: By: The Almqvists - 5:13 AM

Only Found in Pittsburgh!

When we were driving out to the airport today to drop Peter off for his 2 week trip to Pakistan we saw something totally awesome! As we all know, fotball season starts now and if you live in Pittsburgh there's really only ONE team to cheer for :) - right? Well, this man certainly got that one right!

An entire Steelers team glued to the top of his car - I just love it!!!

/Martina

Published: By: The Almqvists - 3:17 PM

From One Great Event to Another!

We just came home from an awesome celebration in our mother church in Stockholm, SOS Church. SOS Church celebrated one year and what a celebration it was!!! World Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke was our guest of honor and preached on the Sunday service downtown Stockholm. We are overwhelmed by God's grace and favor, this man of God has prayed with more people to salvation than anyone in history, just imagine that he chose to come to our church!!! Thank you precious Jesus! The entire weekend was great, but to see people running to the altar to give their life to Jesus right in the center of our capital city was so wonderful. So many were healed in their bodies, this was truly the absolute best way to celebrate one year as a church!

Jesus healed the sick!

After the service on Sunday we rushed out, drove to Tommy and Ylva's house, closed our suitcases (hoping that everything was in it) :) and drove to the airport. Spent the night at the airport in Helsinki and then got on our plane back home to Pittsburgh!

Yeah! Our new MCM students!!!

Yesterday was another amazing day. MCM Ministry School started with 22 new students! Wonderful people that are eager to learn, be filled and used by the Holy Spirit! What a great week! Life with God truly is an adventure!

/Martina

Published: By: The Almqvists - 4:47 PM

MCM Ministry School

They are finally here. The new recruits have come to town and today is orientation day. 22 have been accepted and 20 are here today.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Published: By: The Almqvists - 11:03 AM