It is with a wonderful feeling in my heart I am writing today. God has moved in my life in a way that I never could have expected. To be in full time ministry is not the easiest task in life. Evangelism and Preaching the Gospel cost money and since I am still such a young believer and I still have things from my past following me finances has been and is still a problem in my daily life. For six years I have travelled around giving my testimony, preached the Gospel and I have been singing my songs the Lord has blessed me with. I always have said that I am not created for a normal day job. Since Jesus met me on my death bed in February 2007, when the doctors gave me no hope to survive a fire burns in my heart. This is a fire that gave me a vision and a future and it is all about being the husband and father I never been before but also to preach the Gospel. First I thought I will preach around in my own area but it did not take long before God opened up the doors. In 2008 I received a prophetic message from an older sister in the Lord. She told me to think big and she saw nets casted out all around the world. The knots in the nets were connections and the more knaots, the more connections and the more connections we will also get more fish. It is all about reaching souls for Jesus.
Last week I was down. We had no money. Some of the missionary trips I have made the last year has costed more than what they brought in. Don't get me wrong. I am not for the money, I am for souls and what I do I don't do for the money BUT there is a need of money to do the work I do. It is only because of some supporters I have been able to do what I have been doing the last years. Last week I made a decision to lay down all traveling unless someone is backing it up. That way I also know that it is from God. This year I have done trips in USA, England and Germany. These are trips I will continue with as I have been blessed during these trips and I have been able to pay my bills when I returned back home. When I am on the road my home is still running and every day cost money. So, last week wednesday I asked for prayers at our church and said me and my family needs a miracle. It did not take a long time before God answered the prayer and the same night Pastor Tommy Lilja, founder and leader of PTL Ministries called me and told me that he wanted me to start working more together with him. I thought this was funny as the timing was right. Earlier the day I had seen me do work with a shovel and I did not like it. I saw myself as a salesman in a store as well and I did not like it. I said, no God, I want to serve you!
This led to that I flew from Vasa, Finland to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last Monday. Tuesday I started to work beside Pastor Tommy while he was there setting up future crusades. For four days we met with Pastors and Leaders involved in the crusades as well as we met with the Ethiopian PTL Crew and Crusaders. My first trip to Africa together with Pastor Tommy was in September last year when we had a PTL Crusade in Lusaka, Zambia. On the way back me and Bertil Dolfen from PTL Ministries stopped by in Addis Ababa and visited the PTL Orphanage. Thats when I saw Addis Ababa for the first time and it broke my heart. We saw a boy at the orphanage that did not speak, he did not smile and he had been through some serious and horrible things in his early life. We prayed for him and since then me and my wife has supported him. Now I got to visit the orphanage again and I was so happy when the little boy looked like a totally new creation. He spoke, he smiled and he was happy.
Addis Ababa is not a nice place if you ask me. For people who never visited the third world it is hard to describe with words, you have to see it and smell it yourself. Children from the age of three years living on the streets, eating with the dogs. So much misery and so much pain. This is the reason why PTL is doing what they are doing around the world and I am thankful to be part of this work. Right now it looks like I am going to work more alongside Pastor Tommy in the future and that means that I have to lay down some of my own agenda. I will give up all other traveling that I have done for years now. Some of the projects we started I will continue with. I will continue to visit prisons and schools in Finland and Sweden when the time is right. Mission America will continue but only twice a year, in November and in March. I will definitely be back in the UK and in Germany as there is no doubt that God opened up those doors. How everything is going to be set up in the future is still open but right now I am just blessed to be able to do what I am doing and blessed to be part of PTL Ministries. I will mostly work with PTL Global TV as PTL Ministries Media Production Manager. I am not for titles but that is what I am going to work with as PTL Global TV is growing and in the future we are going to send in even more countries. The programs is all about Jesus so when people see the program they can get faith. Thats why the programs are called "Watch and Believe".
Some people think that missionaries goes out on a holiday when they go out. I can tell you from my own experience from Addis Ababa last Friday that it is not a semester at all, it is not holiday. Without a passion for the lost you wound not play jeopardy with your own life. We are going to environments where Christians are hated. Last Friday on the way to our Vision Casting Program for the Addis Leaders our car was attacked by muslims. One of them almost managed to jump into the car through the drivers window and all of a sudden our car was surrounded with hundreds of screaming muslims. I do not know what happened or what solved the problem but I know that God was with us as we got out without any injuries, only some damage on the car. We are ready to give our lives to reach the lost. We are plundering hell and populating heaven.
I left Addis Ababa at 01.15 AM Saturday morning (in the middle of the night) and I arrived in Helsinki, Finland at noon yesterday. My son Sebastian had drove down to pick me up at the airport and on the way back home to Vasa I was invited to share my life and sing my songs at an event in Parola. It was a great event. I did not really know where I was going but when I saw that it was a NON Christian happening with lots of people I was not tired anymore. I have my testimony and played some music and most of the people listening where non believers. Some of them came to talk after I was done. We arrived at home in Vasa around 9PM and then I realized that I was tired. I had been up for 39 hours and I did not have any problem sleeping last night. Watch the video report from the trip HERE!
Next week I will be preaching for the first time in our own church and I see that as a great privilege. Next weekend me and my daughter Jennifer are heading out on the road with the motorcycle. I am invited to attend ICHTYS MC:s 30 years anniversary in Skellefteå, Sweden and to me the most important thing is to do this trip together with my daugther. It will be the first trip we do together ever. As I earlier mentioned I want to take care of my family today. All those years I lived in the world I was never present. God has also brought great restoration in the relationships with my children. For example my son drove 900 kilometers yesterday when he picked me up. When I was his age I would most likely never done that for my dad or mom even if that would have been the least I could have done for them who have been with me all my life. Now my daughter wants to come with me and this is breaking my heart so it hurts, but it hurts in a wonderful way as God is good!
There will be some great time with the family this summer but from end of July the rest of the year will be busy. We are doing another two week trip to Sweden. I am going with Pastor Tommy and PTL on a crusade to Zambia in August. I fly home from there the day before our 20 years anniversary as I am NOT going to miss that day. My wife has been and is one of my biggest inspiration and I love her very much. The day after our anniversary I am flying to Michigan and Canada for two weeks. I am back in Finland September 10th and the 19th I am flying to the UK. I am back from UK end of the month and I have some meetings in Finland in October before it is time to do the six week trip from Vasa to USA for Mission America with a stop in Sölvesborg, Sweden for a conference at Pastor Tommys church. The future is busy but I love life right now. I am happy, I have peace, I have love and I get to do what I love to do! Nothing I could do in my own strength and that is just another testimony about how God can use anyone. When we are in Christ we are more than over comers. We are walking in the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.
In Christ!
Pontus
The purpose of PJB ministries is to fulfill the great commission of Jesus Christ by taking the message of salvation to all peoples of the world. PJB Ministries is taking the Gospel about Jesus Christ to the needy people. PJB Ministries works with the outcast, the people who are nothing worth in the eyes of the world but precious in the eyes of God!
In addition, the ministry seeks to actively inspire and equip the body of Christ for evangelism through meetings at churches, conferences and through the Life in Him world wide TV program with true life stories and testimonies!
Frank Mangs Center who is a big part of our work have opened up a new account for this ministry and we are now looking for people who would like to partner with us monthly. At least I would ask you all to pray for our work and for the harvest of 2012. You can read more about being a partner in finnish or swedish by clicking HERE.
You can also do a direct donation to PJB-Ministries by bank transfer with the following information:
Aktia Savingsbank,Palosaarentie 88, 65200 Vasa, Finland
Account number: 497011-28558
IBAN: FI8949701120008558 / BIC- / SWIFT: HELSFIHH
To walk through these open doors we need YOUR help! First of all we would like to ask you to pray for our missions that we really will get to sow the seeds but also that we will see a harvest.
To walk through these open doors we also need funds and by partnering with us YOU can be part of the work we do for the Kingdom of God. We are now entering into a new year. Last year was successful and I had the honor and privilege to do 133 different meetings / attendances in seven different countries. I have high expectations for 2013 but we need your help. Together we can make a difference!
