What will you do?

...as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. 
2 Peter 3:12a 

There are many signs that we are living in the End Times and that the return of Jesus is near, but have you REALLY realized and grasped that you can actually speed His coming? Do you understand how mighty that is? Wow!

No one knows the time or day, that is very clear, but we can sense that it's close...
Just as you can sense the when spring is coming after winter (even if it looks dark in Sweden now) we can know that summer is around the corner.
How do we know? Well, through little signs. The air is warmer, days longer, buds are showing on the trees and flowers start to bloom. We don't know the exact day or time, but we KNOW, we can SENSE that it is NEAR! 

We cannot speed the coming of either winter or summer, but we CAN actually speed up the return of Jesus!

How? By letting the SIGNS OF THE TIME happen quicker.
What or signs or sign can we then affect?

I don't want anyone to declare war against Canada now just because you have read that "people will raise up against people" or burn anyone's harvest just because it says "there will be famine in one place after the other". 

I cannot go through ALL the signs of the End Times here, but will cut to the chase and speak about the ONR sign that we can actually do affect:
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 
Matt 24:14 

So, how do we speed up the return of Jesus? BY PREACHING FOR YET ANOTHER PEOPLE GROUP! The good news about Jesus has to be ESTABLISHED in every people group, tribe and language; then the heavens will open up and Jesus come back to this earth! 

Jesus is ready, He's been waiting for 2000 years! We, His people, His disciples and His body just have to finish the Great Commission that He gave us; to reach ALL people groups with the gospel! 

I'm in! What will you do?

Ps. Click HERE for information on unreached people groups. HERE to apply to our school in Stockholm, Sweden, HERE in Pittsburgh PA and HERE in Modesto, CA!

My Best Friend!

I have the best life ever! Just imagine that I get to live with and be married to my very best friend!
Sometimes I try to imagine what my life would be like if I had not met my Stephanie, but every time I try that my mind just ends up seeing things very blend and ends in a catastrophe...

We have been married for seven and a half years. Amazing! What we dreamt of when we became a couple 10 years ago is today our life. What we didn't know then was that the US was a part of that dream...
My wife never stops to impress me, she teaches me new things every day! She has grown so much since we decided to say yes to the calling and move to the US. 
She is my missionary hero! 

My super-wife, who, without a doiubt paid a huge prize when she left all her friends and family to move to a new culture across the world. She sold everything she had, burned all bridges to walk on water together with me. It worked... Stuff, status, titles and money means nothing to us. There is nothing we cannot do or leave to reach the unreached... And we are ready to do it again the day Jesus calls.

Stephanie supports and help our daughter Novali who faces a new culture, school, language and LOTS of homework every day! She is a super-mom to our three kids and make them feel secure, seen and loved.

She has created a peaceful and beautiful home with an almost non-existing budget. Garage and yard sales and flee markets are searched through every week to find beautiful items for our home! She builds, fixes and creates! We are standing in faith for our finances every month and she just comes up with so many smart ideas and solutions to make our budget work, and also how we can make more money... Early mornings with the kids, and late nights with business ideas... That's my girl! (I am hoing and believing that something will be released soon, keep your eyes open!)

I am transparent and sensitive together with Stephanie. We laught a lot together here in the States. Cry together sometimes. Dream a lot. Live by faith and love life! We are praying that God will give our kids lots of friends, and that we will be a part of releasing a new mission wave from the US... 

She is my heart and very best friend! Together we will give our lives for the unreached! 

So, you who are thinking that the kids, Stephanie and I are living a life of luxury in CA; come visit! My wife's title is "a warm, loving, caring woman of God, super-mom and missionary-hero..." Not luxury wife...

Love you Stephanie!

The Elvelyck's in American Culture

After almost 2 months in CA things are starting to land in the Elvelyck family. Our home is decorated, we are still waiting for my books to arrive in a couple of weeks.
I am of course amazed of all the large cultural differences that there are between Europe and the US, but also between CA and other states that I've visited.

I've started to see things in another light, things that were black and white for me before, and we are becoming more and more American...:) 

For example; Denzel had his first baseball training this past Saturday! So much fun, that had not happened in Sweden...
And another; We were looking to buy a grill at a sale the other week. Looking for a good enough "Swedish size" grill, Swede like I am. The problem is that it DOESN'T EXIST! 
American think; why make the grill half the size when we can make it so much bigger for just another $20? Then we can grill more burgers at the same time! So the grill is twice as large for half the amount of money we would have paid in Sweden :). Just gotta love it! 

Over all you could say that comfort is important here. If you are travelling, wear COMFORTABLE clothes! A Swede thinks; you are about to travel, clothe in STYLE :). So the American is comfortable in his sweatpants on the plane while the Swede (me!) is sweating in their skinny jeans. We'll see when I will land in the best of two worlds ;).
Why buy one liter milk when I can buy one gallon (3.8 liters)? Then you don't have to go to the store as often...
Etc...

The glas is more often half full here than at home in Sweden... 

We just have to try to avoid what's destructive in the comfortable life style; two liters of coke costs just $1... It's cheaper to buy fast food than make a healthy meal at home etc...

Even the bigger questions like politics, history, patriotism and a few strange laws become less strange after speaking to an American in his every day life. A greater understanding and respect is born in me and I become less black and white. Very interesting! 
Still, I would like to see the politicians focus more on public transportation and national modern railroads and trains. Everyone would win a lot on that... As for now, public transportation has low status in the country and everyone is forced to have two cars... That would rarely happen in Sweden, where you can get almost anywhere all the time in GOOD public transportations.

The weather is getting warmer and warmer, we've had over 70 degrees for a few days now. Lovely! We'll see if I think it's as lovely when it's over 100 degrees in the summer ;). (I promise that I won't complain though Sweden!) 

Well, I just wanted to give a short update from this beautiful land. Say what you want about the American people, but they whine very little, work very hard, see very few problems, and many opportunities. I love them!

Tanga; Here we come!

This week I met with the team that will be going to Tanga, Tanzania from The House Modesto for the first time! We will be going this summer and the countdown has begun for another miracle-party among the unreached on the East Coast of Africa... 

Peter Almqvist have had team gatherings with people from Pennsylvania and Arizona and soon he'll meet with a team from Floria as well. Walter Zuniga is preparing the team that will be flying in from Sweden and Norway and I will meet with the team from Austin, Texas in April. We will be a monster team! 

I remember the first time when I traveled all they way down to Malmö, southern Sweden (about a 3 hour drive from my home) to attend my first team gathering. We were going to Ranchi in India 2000. How exciting it was! We prayed for the unreached, talked about Hinduism and how to lead someone to the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Even going through the vaccination info was exciting :).

Tuesday night I met with 25 people that signed up to go to Tanga, Tanzania in July. That is 100% more than last year from Modesto! My goal is to double that number every year... Next year we'll be 50, then 100... 200... 400... 800+... I want every member of The House, Modesto to experience missions work among the unreached... 

We are dreaming and praying for thousands of people to be saved in Tanga in July... We are crying out to God for blind eyes to be opened, tumors to disappear and crippled to walk!
If you are not able to go yourself this summer, pray and fast together with us!

We will be fasting: April 9-11 and May 21-23. 
We will pray around the clock: April 13 and May 25. 

Let's do it!

A Miserable City?

The American magazine Forbes lists 10 of the most miserable cities to live in every year in the US. I stumbled over this info via the Swedish Newspapers website svd.se two weeks ago and to my surprise I discovered that Modesto, the city I live in, is ranked no 5, not a real honorable number.

Economists and scientists are looking at things like unemployment, foreclosures, housing market, taxes and criminal activity. The worst is Michigan after this years crisis in the car industry. But up there amongst large cities like Detroit and Chicago IL is "little" Modesto as well.

150 years ago, Modesto was a 'modest' place where gold miners would stop to rest, have a drink in the little saloon and maybe get lucky with a prostitute. If you look at a map, Modesto is located right between the bigger cities Fresno and Sacramento. A perfect place to rest tired gold-miner-legs. The city has grown steadily and is the home of over 200,000 people today. 

Modesto is today known for its agriculture and produce. The largest almond-plantation in the US (maybe in the world?) is located here. It's stunningly beautiful now, you drive mile after mile passing plantations with perfectly planted almond trees in bloom.
Stephanie, my wife, said the other day that if we would to get married again we would do it in an ally of old, crooked blooming almond trees. 

There are even lots of cows and milk farms. That makes me happy! It reminds me of the little place I come from, Järsnäs, where I grew up, but this is a lot bigger. It smells like cow sometimes, and I enjoy it ;). The milk is fresh and tastes great; a difference from other places in the US where the milk sometimes has a weird taste...
At the same time as the country side is right in the outskirts of the city, you have att the necessities inside the city; including a large Barnes and Noble :).

So, back to Forbes and the 5th most miserable city in the US... 

How would you react? A terrible place to live at and have my kids grow up? A constant fear of criminal activity and misery? A high price to pay? Well, maybe...
Let me tell you how I think: 

THANK YOU GOD that you did not call me and my family to a place where everything works so well that there is nothing to improve or anyone to help! THANK YOU Forbes for confirming that we moved to the right place and that the calling will just root itself even more in our hearts! Imagine to be at a place where we in present time will see GOD change a city! There is no other belief in my heart than just that... 

So, Forbes, I am looking forward to see that list again in a few years; BBC, CNN, and NY Times: Get ready to visit Modesto CA, USA to do that documentary about how a city turned around; all because of God's grace and because people dared give themselves to it... 

Modesto will be known for one thing in the future; the city that sends out the most missionaries percentage wise than any other city in the world! 
Just wait and see...

What are you doing?

I feel that it's buring on the inside as I am writing this. The the flame that God lit 16 years ago when I was saved has gotten oxygen and is burning stronger and clearer than ever before! 

Do you know that there are around 2,800,000,000 people that belong to people groups that have NEVER heard of Jesus yet?
You and I have heard so many times; maybe you lift your hands in worship in your church every Sunday while enjoying the presence of God. Maybe you are genuinly grateful to have close friends at church, cook for them, play games, see your favorite TV-show together, discuss the celebrity culture and share receipts. Maybe you even meet sometimes to pray or have Bible study where you talk about eschatology, pre-adamitic creation or the book of Job.

While you are doing this, living in a nice town house or a modernly decorated apartment, while the espresso is almost ready and your toast is getting warm and tasty; while you are thinking of how blessed you are with good friends, that you just found THAT shirt on sale and how glad you are for your gym-membership.
At that same time a Nepali man is tormented by evil spirits, a Somali 12-year old girl is bleeeding, her body shaking in pain from the blade that just her during female mutilation, a bedouin is lokking up at the stars wondering if there's a God who listens and a teenager in the slums of Colcatta is cutting herself, chewing on the drugs while thinking that life is hopeless.

Who will get out of that comfort zone and take the Nepali man, the Somali girl and Indian by the hand? Who will look into their eyes and love them? Who will fight for them? Who will share the love of God and the powerful, life changing gospel of Jesus with them? 

My heart isn't hard or judging towards anyone, please don't misunderstand me! I believe that God let's us enjoy our blessings and our rich lives. But, my heart is bleeding and crying over these people! And the fact that so few Christians are willing to do something...
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations..."

I have cried this weekend, closed my eyes and seen the unreached, heard their SOS signals in the darkness again. The calling is clearer than ever before.
I am praying humbly, but boldly, that God would give me, or someone else, anyone, a powerful Apostolic and prophetic voice that will shake Christianity and a slumbering generation. I am prying to God to be part of releasing a new, young generation, adveturers that don't care about the latest trend or most hipp stuff, but want to go on adventures. A new mission-wave that will fill the earth with God's adventurers, backpackers for Jesus!

You have a passport, you have a backpack; arise young, strong people and become part of something bigger than yourself. Bigger than anything else on earth; God's dream to reach the unreached! 

If you live in the US; contact me. Come to Modesto CA, be trained and challenged to be sent out! If you live in Europe; go to SOS Church Stockholm, Sweden, there you can catch the fire!

You are more than what you have become! You are a history maker and a world shaker!

Lovely weekend!

Like I told you earlier we have got the joy of having Johannes Amritzer visiting here in CA the entire weekend, it has been amazing! 

Johannes has preached at The House Modesto, he spoke about The Prayer of Faith, and great faith was released over the church! Many were instantly healed and at least one deaf ear was opened!

On Monday he met all my students at our Internship. He simply shared his testimony of when he was saved and how he was called to preach for the unreached. The Spirit of God was very present and a longing to reach the unreached with the gospel was birthed in many hearts... 

From there we went straight to Monday Night Prayer, our prayer meeting at the church. Around 1,500 people come to pray wildly and passionately. Usually we pray for 1.5 hour, but this week the meeting lasted for 3.5 hours! 
I took about 100 people with me to a separate room and prayed with them to the baptism of the Holy Spirit - lovely! Young and old were clothed in the power of God and started to speak in tongues! I never grow tired of that! 

Johannes and I have had many cups of coffee in the sun between all the different gatherings, we've eaten lots of wings and talked about everything you can think of; motorcycles, the future, history, the importance of dying to oneself, the price that has to be paid if you want to achieve something, sprit-soul-body, unreached people groups, Sweden, prayer, USA, a new missions wave, and about a thousand other things... 

I love to spend time with you Johannes! I become refreshed and rejuvenated!

Are You Dominating?

In the Old Testament, God's manifested presence and absolute splendour lived in and on the Arc of the Covenant. The Arc of the Covenant was a large gold-covered wooden box that God had instructed Moses to build. (Known from Indiana Jones I, if not from the Bible;). The Arc follwed the people of Israel when they wandered in the desert, on their way to the promised land, it follwed them into battles against mighty enemies, it was placed in the inner room in the tabernacle, and then later in the same place in the temple.

The intersting thing about the Arc was that because it was the carrier of the glory and presence of God; it dominated every place it came to. When the Arc was in a room it dominated that room! Everyone was submitted to the presence of God. When it was carried out into a battle; it dominated the battle throigh the power of God. When it was not cared for in a proper way, people fell down dead by its foot, it was holy and required holiness.

The Good News are... 

We are not living according to the rules and regulations of the Old Testament anymore, but something BETTER has come through Jesus (Hebr 8:6). We have been set free and partake of everything that God has! 


The Arc does not exist anymore; despite what Indiana Jones says in his first movie! I am aware that there are Christians and Jewish archeologists that spend their entire lives searching for the Arc; but I am personally convinced that they will never find it. And even if they would, it would only bring a historical and archeological worth; not a dimension of God's presence...

Why? 

Well, now the Bible says that "your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you" (1 Cor 6:19).
The word temple is the Greek word naos; and means the inner room at the temple in Jerusalem; the room where the Arc is!

YOU and I are carriers of the manifested Presence and Absolute Splendour of God today! You ARE the Arc in the Old Testament! 
The Arc was built of wood, covered by gold and full of God's presence and splendour!
You are a human, but covered by the righteousness of Jesus and full of His Holy Spirit! 

That means that you are holy and that you should DOMINATE where you go forth! Not in a proud or rude way, but with peace and security, knowing that where you go, the righteousness and glory of God will go forth and that the authority of Jesus is in you! You have NOTHING to be ashamed of! There is NO REASON to be quiet! You need to be more convinced of what you carry than the President of the United States is of his task in this world! You will go forth with a different kind of authority and power, deeply rooted in love. 

Lift your eyes and Own your school, your workplace, your city and the room where you are! Make room for God's love, power, presence and authority and let it freely flow through you! Then... people will meet God and become changed by Him... 
Start dominating!