Jim and Lynn Jarman  
National Directors Sweden - Converge 
European Strategic Partners Team - ReachGlobal 
Church Multiplication Catalysts - New Life Network Sweden 
Newsletter #16 - April - June, 2017

 
Glad Sommar från Sverige! 
Happy Summer from Sweden! 
 
        We have great joy serving God in Sweden!   We are confident we are where God has called us, doing what God has asked us to do.  There are many opportunities for the Gospel in Scandinavia - and
the need is great!  We work with amazing Christian leaders who serve Christ tirelessly - with
abundant faith and hope that God will touch their nation once again.
        In the midst of the beauty that is all around us in Sweden - there is also an underlying tension.  Hundreds of thousand of refugees have come here seeking a new home.  Russia continues to play war games in the Baltic.  Säpo - Sweden's security police - believes there are between 2-3000 Islamist extremists in the nation.  Portions of neighborhoods have been categorized as "especially vulnerable", "risk", or "vulnerable".   Several of our pastors and leaders live in these areas.  One of our network sites is in the same neighborhood as one of the most radical mosques in Europe. 
       Serving Christ always carries with it a risk in the midst of the joy.  There is nothing you would rather do.  But you also know it requires all you are and have.
        We truly believe that Sweden is poised for an awakening and we are honored to be called to serve here. 
         And we could not be doing what God has called us to do without you.  You are part of a team that believes in us and in what God wants to do in Sweden.  Thank you for all you do for us.      
 
Your friends,
Jim and Lynn     
The Goodness of God  
 
" The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
James 5:16 
 
Here is our journey during April, May, and June. 

John van Dinther - senior and founding pastor of the New Life Network leads with boldness and courage.  He is a true visionary with a deep heart to see Sweden restored to Christ.  The New Life Network is Sweden's only multicultural, multi-site movement - and it is influencing the future of the church in Europe.  Translating for John is Gunilla Bäcks, professor at Johannelunds Theology School.
    
In late April, we had a team of over 20 pastors, district ministers, and church leaders from Converge and the Conservative Baptist Association visit Stockholm.  Here Bill Ankerberg - Converge's Nordic Baltic Initiative Director - and his wife Arlie test out a tub for sale at New Life's second hand store - Ge för Livet - Give for Life.        

We love our church sites.  Fridhemskyrkan - on the island of Kungsholmen - meets to celebrate the love of God.  Kungsholmen is a strategic district near the city center of Stockholm and less than 1/3 of 1%  of the population attend a church of any kind.       
 
This Spring was a time for family as well.  We spent 3 weeks in April on home leave visiting our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and Lynn's brother and mom.  In May, our daughter, Kim, visited us in Stockholm.  We introduced her to fika at one of Stockholm's oldest fika houses in Gamla Stan.  
 
The island of Sodermalm - just south of city center - has several wonderful overlooks of Stockholm.  This is a great place for us to sit and pray for God to touch the hearts of many in Sweden once again.  Would you pray with us? 

We were blessed by a visit from Paul and Karin Lindberg and the prayer team from Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis.  Paul works for AgapeSweden (CRU) and his team of intercessors is praying for us every month.  This means the world to us. 
   
In early June, we had a 24 hour site pastors' retreat about an hour outside of Stockholm.  These three women are amazing site leaders - Andrea Keller from New Life Mission Road, Sandra Palm from New Life Sollentuna, and Isabelle Arnfjell from New Life Västerås.  The New Life Network is blessed with some of the finest leaders we have seen anywhere.

At our retreat, we prayed, encouraged, and blessed each other as we strategized together about the direction God is taking our Network.  Pastors from all seven New Life Network sites were present.  God is on the move in Sweden. 
 
New Life's second hand store - Ge för Livet - Give for Life - helps to fund our social ministry that reaches out to refugees and the poor.  Sweden has generously opened her borders to so many in need.  As you can see, Jim tries to do his part (LOL).  Now if only Lake Malaren was a little bit warmer. 
 
When is the 4th of July not on the 4th of July?  Here in Sweden - where many people are on vacation in July and the USA embassy wants to throw a party.  On June 16th, Jim celebrated Independence Day with our friend Jacob Rudenstrand, Deputy Director of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance (Svenska Evangeliska Alliansen). 
 

Late May means high school graduation.  In Sweden, instead of a board cap - the students wear a sea captain's hat with their name embroidered on the front.  Deborah Barker has Swedish and British passports and will study animation at university in the UK.  God has given New Life spiritually mature youth with deep hearts for Christ.

In addition to coaching site pastors, we are honored to walk alongside a site's leadership team as well.  Here are the leaders from New Life Sollentuna at their end of the year salmon barbeque.  Later that evening, the ministry time together was simply amazing.   
 
Rui de Sousa - site pastor at New Life Hässelby - and translator Elin Bothén - lead the service at Hässelby and exhort the people to not take a summer break from God.  Our site pastors are doing fine work.  Almost all have jobs to support themselves, families to care for - and yet they still give 100% to the Gospel and church planting.  

In  June, the Evangelical Free Church of Sweden (EFK - InterAct) had their annual summer conference.  New Life's Pastor John spoke to several thousand people at the midsommar service on loving Jesus extravagantly - like Mary did when she poured oil on Jesus feet.  The front was filled as people responded to the call for prayer.   

At midsommer, we had over 18 hours of daylight and 6 hours of twilight - no nighttime.  Here is the view outside our apartment window at 11:15 pm.  In August, we will move just down the street - our third move in two years.  Such is life in Stockholm - the fastest growing city in Europe.  Our new home is a 2 year rental - and securing it was nothing short of a miracle. 

Would you pray for Sweden?  That God would restore the nation to Himself?  That hearts would be hungry to know God?  That the name of Jesus would be famous?  That the winds of God's Spirit would blow on the land?  The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective. 
 
 

Please continue to pray for us!

Thank God for answered prayer for our housing.   
We needed to move this summer as the owner of our apartment is returning to Sweden.  There are over 500,000 people in queue for an apartment in Stockholm - and God gave us a 2 year lease on a nice place in our same neighborhood.  Everybody is asking:  "How did this happen?"  

Please pray for our finances - and thank him for providing. 
We have a shortfall in our monthly funding  
but God is miraculously providing through our partners.

Pray for the New Life Network summer leadership day and weekend church camp in August.  Between 4-500 are expected from all 7 sites at the camp and 80-100 leaders at the leadership day. 
 
Please pray for us as we coach our church planters and site leaders and as we help the network plan for what God wants to do this fall. 
 
 
  
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please click on our name below and go to our profile page. 
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Thank you for remembering us and Sweden!

Jim and Lynn

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The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound,  
but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

John 3:8