Family serves God

Bulgaria, Tuesday March 9th 2010

"I'm so happy, so very happy. I'm finally baptised!". The words come from Vanja, a mother of six living in a poor gypsy area outside Velingrad. Three of her teenage daughters were baptised together with her.

Janco and Monika with Vanja and her daughters.

Janco, pastor in Signs & Wonders Church Velingrad, met Petjo, the father in the family, for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Except for him, more than half the family has now been baptised in water.

This Sunday, they brought several new friends to the Sunday service. Vanja and Petjo say eagerly: "Now we invite people to our home, we read the bible to them and pray. We gather them every Wednesday and Friday. It's so good to do something for God!".


Mission SOS Balkan

Daniel Elvelyck visits the US!

Tuesday March 2nd 2010

During the last couple of weeks Daniel Elvelyck visited the sister school of SOS Mission Bible College in Pittsburgh PA, MCM Ministry School. The school is a cooperation between Mission SOS and Allison Park Church.

"It has been so much fun getting to know the students and to teach eschatology and church history. When I arrived in Pittsburgh, the city had its worst snow storm in years. One day we had to close the school and another day half the students weren't able to come, so we improvised - we streamed the teaching online for them to be able to "join" us anyway."

One of the Sundays Daniel preached at Element Church, one of Allison Park Church's church plants. He also taught at one the men's bible study groups at APC's Wednesday Group Nite.


Nina Anderson
Mission SOS

Visiting one of Harar Church of Joy's House Churches

Ethiopia, Saturday February 27th 2010

Finally we are there, slightly short breathed with muddy shoes and feet. We open the door to the small room that belongs to one of our current Bible School students, and sit down on the mattress on the floor. There is Ethiopian worship flowing from the loudspeakers of an old cassette recorder and the room is full of incense and the smell of freshly boiled tea.

Together with us is even the owner of the little house, 4 new saved and new baptized guys and a not yet saved young girl. Together we sit there, all eight of us on the floor and on the little bed in the room, laughing and mixing all kinds of languages. After having tea and something to eat, we praise Jesus and then our pastor and co-worker Ashagre shares the Word. After a while of teaching, we talk a little, share prayer subjects and then we start praying. The evening is drawing to its end and we finish the tea and the rest of the bread before we get up, hug everyone goodbye and everyone disappear in different directions into the dark African night.

It is in houses like these that we see new people bow their knees and say their first prayer to their creator. It's in houses like this one that we see people get baptized in the Holy Spirit, get their lives changed and experience the real love and peace given by Jesus. It's in houses like this that we see future Bible School students, missionaries and pastors being born.

There is no better place and there is nothing more beautiful than when you as a missionary get to sit there on the old mattress and see Mohammed sitting in the corner with his eyes closed, whispering together with his newfound Jesus.

This is life!

Maja Larsson
Mission SOS
Horn of Africa

Visit by Walter Zuniga

Bulgaria, Wednesday February 24th 2010

This Sunday Walter Zuniga, pastor of SOS Church Stockholm preached here in Signs & Wonders Church Velingrad. The church was packed with people and many were there for the first time. Zuniga preached that the Kingdom of God is in you, prayed for sick and four people prayed a prayer of salvation for the first time.

Gala Alexandrova, missionary at the base, describes the Sunday meeting: "It was a really strong meeting, you could tell that people got filled with faith and power. You could really feel the presence of the Holy Spirit."
One of the women that got saved is a muslim and was there for the first time: "Before the meeting I just wanted to attend once to see what it was all about. But now I will definitely come again!" she said before she went home.

With all our heart, Signs & Wonders Church thank SOS Church Stockholm for the honor of having Walter with us for a whole week!

The Missionaries
Mission SOS Balkan

Mission SOS goes TV!

Friday February 19th 2010

During the last couple of weeks our Media Department at Mission SOS has been working hard to prepare and realize tapings for a TV production that is about to be launched. Samuel Willkander is Mission SOS' Media Director and heads up the work with the TV production.

Samuel Willkander

-The TV shows that are being taped focuses on interviews, with a host interviewing two, sometimes three guests. Every show is then finished by a seven minute long greeting from the host, where he speaks about something that's close to his heart.

-In the future we want to make complete productions from our festivals from around the world, but we will need more resources to be able to realize that. The more the TV ministry grows, the more positive synergy effects we will have. It will enable us to tape video greetings to our partner churches from all over the world as well as short movies for our church services, promos for upcoming events and much more.

Daniel Elvelyck

Host for the show is Daniel Elvelyck, the National Coordinator for SOS Sweden. Elvelyck travels all over Sweden and the world and preaches to churches and unreached people groups. He is a teacher at several Bible schools and also the Dean of students at SOS Mission Bible College.

There are many wonderful things that have happened to Willkander and his media crew. He shares:

-Mission SOS has been offered to send a TV show on a Swedish Christian channel called Kanal 10 and a Norwegian channel called Vision Norge. We have previously worked with TV with smaller productions, but after the launch of SOS Church Stockholm we were asked if we wanted to begin sending programs. Naturally we gladly accepted these offers. Almost simultaneously, a sponsor donated $7000 for TV equipment to help us get started. Naturally more finances are needed for us to be able to do what we dream about, but we are up and running!

Two half-hour programs have already been taped and hard work goes into editing the raw material, to create a theme song and music, etc. An exact date when the first TV show is supposed to be aired is not set, but the goal is in a month or so:

-Our goal is for the first program to air in mid-March or at the end of March, and then continue to send half hour programs every other week. Daniel will be hosting the program, but there will be new guests on every show; new saved, people who work with Mission SOS, Bible School students, among others.

Stories about every day miracles and adventures are promised in the show called God's Adventurers and will also be shown on Mission SOS' website. The TV shows will be taped on a consecutive basis and hopefully some of the programs airing this spring will be taped in the far South. Willkander continues:

-We are working towards taping two segments of God's Adventurers from Tanzania where we will be holding a festival this May. It is not yet completely set, but if we succeed, we will have interviews and really fresh miracle stories- maybe with Mount Kilimanjaro as backdrop!

Jens Charlieson
Mission SOS

She read the koran but today she is reading the Bible!

Bulgaria, Friday February 12th 2010

We took our Bible, passed it to Avishe and asked her to read. With a clear voice she read the first verses, but when she understood what the words meant her voice became low. She was absorbed and continued to read much more verses than we had told her.
We let her go on, enjoyed to watch a newly saved woman, living in a Muslim village and having a Muslim culture, hungry reading the Bible.

After some minutes she looked up, told us that the Bible we gave to her is at her work. As soon as she has finished her tasks she grabs her Bible. Sometimes she reads out loud for her colleague. Avishe do not understand everything in the Bible but she loves its message. Little embarrassed she admits that sometimes she use the Children's´ Bible, it is easier to understand.

Before she read the Koran, but today it is just the Bible that nails her. The Word of God has changed her life!


Emelie Berndtsson
Mission SOS Balkan

Jeff Leake visits SOS Church

Friday February 12th 2010

Pastor Jeff Leake

SOS Church had the great privilege of having Pastor Jeff Leake from Allison Park Church, Pittsburgh, PA on a weeklong visit. He is a pastor's pastor and a shepherd who truly radiates the love of God. On the leadership luncheon on Sunday, the leaders got to enjoy his faith filled teaching on the early church in the book of Acts. He highlighted some traits in the church in Anthioch where Barnabas was the pastor: it was multicultural, raw, purposeful, focused on missions, and had leaders that couldn't be placed in a box. The luncheon was ended with strong prayer for Stockholm.

Anna, Jonatan and Jackson Kvist. Emma and Andreas Gustafsson

Our Sunday Celebration got a head start with SOS Church's first child dedication. Our youth pastor's couple, Anna and Jonatan Kvist's little Jackson was prayed over and dedicated to the Lord.

Pastor Jeff Leake preached a liberating message about Jesus who came to unlock the cages that hold people captive. We can declare freedom in our families, in our own lives as well as in our children's lives. We free ourselves by faith, in the name of Jesus, before we see or feel it.

Lisa Edlund
Mission SOS

The Latino wave hits SOS Church!

Friday February 12th 2010

Last Saturday SOS Church held the first All Nations Café for 2010! This time we had a Latino party and Walter Zuniga was the host for the evening. The evening included Spanish songs, tasty pupusas as well as Walter's tailor made salsa lesson for the night! He made everyone feel like a true Latino! Among over 120 visitors there were people from countries such as Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria and Swizerland…

Walter Zuniga's salsa lesson

During the evening, Dora Mendoza shared her story about how Jesus changed her life from poverty and misery to a fulfilling life with family and friends. The evening was finished by her husband Jorge who led the people in a simple, but strong worship song of thanksgiving to Jesus. Many people felt the sweet presence of Jesus for the very first time. This is what it's all about!

Walter Zuniga interviews Dora Mendoza

We are already looking forward to the next All Nations Café night in April, with an African theme!

Nina Anderson
Mission SOS

Mini Festival in Harar

Ethiopia, Wednesday February 10th 2010

Daniel preaching in the traditional Oromo-skirt

During last week Harar Church of Joy had Daniel Elvelyck visiting from Sweden. Daniel is one of the leaders of Mission SOS International and the Director of SOS Missions Bible School in Stockholm.

Daniel had two days together with our bible school students, teaching them on the subject of the Blood Covenant. After the first day the students were in awe. At the end of the second day many sat with tears in their eyes as the pieces came together and they saw a whole new dimension of what God has done for us. It is amazing when revelation hit people!

For the weekend we had a Mini-Festival in Church of Joy. We announced it with flyers, posters and loudspeaker cars and many got to hear the salvation message for the first time. 17 people gave their lives to Jesus and sick were healed. One girl had suffered from stomach problems for a long time. When coming back to church the night after she had been prayed for, she was glowing with enthusiasm, explaining that there was no more pain, Jesus had taken it!

Pray with us for many more salvation and healing miracles in the months ahead.

Katrine Drevon
Mission SOS
Horn of Africa

A Day of Victory in SOS Church Stockholm

Friday February 5th 2010

Four heroes have buried their old lives and had a new start this Sunday at SOS Church Stockholm!

Who could imagine that friendship between young kids in a Swedish school could lead to salvation and baptism?! As Busaba and Susann's sons met in school no one could guess that Busaba and her mother would give their lives to Jesus a little later. Coming from a Muslim background Busaba's mum converted from Islam to Buddhism, but still could not find the help she was looking for.

When following Susann and her family to church after a desperate prayer to God, she finally found the peace and love she always longed for! She and her daughter got baptized last Sunday!
Busaba's dream is now to share Jesus to her people.

Janet, a lady in her 60's has been spending time seeking a deeper meaning in her life. First she visited one of our house churches, and then she came to the Sunday service where she gave her life to Jesus. Only a week later she was baptized in water! That same day she said: "Today I want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit also!" This thirst, and child-like faith is amazing, it's exactly the right attitude! We need more people like you Janet!

Usha came all the way from India where she had heard about Jesus through our Indian missions base; however, she had never accepted Jesus in her heart. But when she came to one of our Sunday services with Lucila, a Bible School student, she decided to give her life to Jesus. Two weeks later she buried her old life and has now began a brand new adventure together with Jesus.

From Thailand to Sweden passing by India, the gospel is making a difference in people's lives and is reaching more and more unreached downtown Stockholm!
You are more than welcome to join us on Sundays at 4pm at Warfvingesväg 26!

Marie-Jo Bulundwe
SOS Mission Bible College