I and my son Benjamin had the great privilege to travel to Ethiopia to participate in an evangelistic campaign held by Joshuacampaign.se in the city of Fincha in the end of January this year. It has been a long time dream for me to be a part of such an event since I first read Dr TL Osbourne’s book ‘the secret of soul winning’ and ‘heal the sick’ nearly 30 years ago. And now was the time!
I took along with me my 2nd son Benjamin and both of totally loved it! It was the first time in Africa for both of us but most probably not the last.
We had an awesome time together with a team from both US and Denmark as well as the Ethiopians. The whole impression of Ethiopia was overwhelming in many ways as I guess all first time Africa traveler’s experience. The immense amount of people, their happy faces in the midst of quite grim circumstances they live in made an impression deep within.
For me personally it was a very important trip in many ways. First Per and Abbi are great friends and examples of people not being let down by hardships of life, both from within and without so to say. I really admire the excellent spirit and integrity they both have in their lives. It was really refreshing and I really want to honor two true heroes of faith. Secondly I saw an enormous missionfield, needs without no end. Honestly I have been through a rough time in my life and ministry, left with a deep feeling of not being needed anymore. After 20 years of intense ministry returning back to what is supposed to be home I end up in ‘no mans land’ not knowing who I am and how I am supposed to behave. Being taught and trained not to in anyway promote oneself left in an emotional abyss of a passivized state of mind not having a clue of what to do and behave. Personal initiative being looked upon with suspicion of ‘wanting to build something own’. I had in a way ended up under the tree of self-pity like Elijah and that is not the way forward with Jesus, I know that.
While in Ethiopia I felt and experienced a touch of the Holy Spirit, an encouragement hard to describe, to rise and walk to a place the Lord is leading me to. Get out of self-pity and blame shifting! And I did!
The Lord gave me word for 2014 and that was ‘Comeback year’. I really felt the week in Ethiopia as the beginning of a comeback. Igniting the mission’s fire and the calling to go to the ends of the world! I heard the voice of late Dr Hurston when he looked me in the eyes a few years before he went to be with the Lord and said, ‘Mats-Jan, you can always Go because Jesus said it 2000 years ago, you never have to ask for permission because its already commanded and therefore its always right to Go into all the world to preach the gospel, it just can’t be wrong!’
We are in a great need of missionaries. Books and TV is good but surely not enough! The power of the gospel is in the Incarnation, the Word became flesh, manifested among us. We need a new generation of bold, fearless, strong, anointed missionaries to go into all the World to preach the Gospel, that was the conclusion when I saw all the great need in Africa and I realized my task the next 10-15 years!
Thank you Per and Abbi for your love and hospitality! God bless You!
Mats-Jan
