This past year has been one of changes and uncertainties in our lives, but it has also overwhelmingly been one of blessings.  We can see God’s hand so clearly in the place He has us, it is hard to doubt the plans He has for us!  Just these past months alone we have had so many opportunities to share about the work that God is doing among the Buru people, we have shared with a Slavic church, an Batak group, a girl scout troop, and of course with many Americans! Greg even had the opportunity to teach two classes at William Jessup University, a local Christian college.

We are still uncertain about what our future holds.  The doctors have told us that we should not take Caleb to an area with malaria until he is at least 10 years old.  This means we are in the process of looking for a different ministry that we can do in the meantime.  We are still very committed to the Buru church and are heartbroken that we can’t be there right now, we are also very hopeful that we can return there someday and continue helping in the work there. Please pray that the Lord will give us clear direction in where He would have us these next 5 years.

This coming Thursday we are heading up north through Oregon and Washington, we will be visiting friends and supporters, sharing in churches and sharing at a missions conference.  Please pray for traveling mercies, and that God will use us to further His kingdom.  We have been so blessed this past week to see how the Lord has provided our needs for this trip.  It is so humbling to see how God uses all different ways and means to meet our needs, and that He loves us enough to be concerned with them!

Greg made it to, and home from, our region safely.  He got the needed Exit/Re-entry Permit stamped in his passport, and was even able to get back to us a few weeks early.  There were a few tense days when he had to travel into an area where there has been unrest, but PRAISE THE LORD, HE kept Greg safe.

Caleb has been very healthy. He just had a visit with a cardiologist to check the bi-cuspid valve he has had since birth, and to make sure his heart wasn’t damaged when he was so sick. PRAISE THE LORD, the Doctor said the valve is causing no problems and his heart is healthy.  We don’t even need to have it checked until the next time we are on home assignment, in 5 years!

Hannah, our oldest daughter, has been struggling with anemia since August, when she took medication to eradicate malaria.  Finally, at her last check-up, her hemoglobin was up again, almost into normal range. PRAISE THE LORD

We have been so blessed, in these ways and so many others.

We recently got word from our team in Asia-Pacific and they are continuing to minister to the young church there.  Please pray for them as there are only two families there right now, working in two locations and the work load is very overwhelming.

We appreciate each of you so much and love to hear from you! Thank you for the encouragement, partnership, and prayer that you give!

P.S. If you have facebook we would love to connect with you, our names there are Pam Wiles Berglund and Greg Berglund, Friend us

P.S.S.  Our contact information, Blog link, etc. are now at the top of this email in the maroon strip, just click the link you want.

Well, the day has arrived.  Greg leaves for Asia-Pacific in about 12 hours.  Please pray for safety and traveling mercies for him.  There are many uncertainties surrounding this trip. Violence that has broken out in one of the areas he needs to travel through in order to get to our island.  So, for now, it looks like he will not be able to go into our village this trip.  This is a discouragement to us because he really hoped to be able to visit the Buru people and explain our quick departure to them, as well as gather more translation material.

Pray for wisdom and direction as he and our leadership team make decisions about where he should go to get his government paperwork processed. Another prayer point, we bought his non-refundable ticket before this violence broke out and now that he can’t go into our village he doesn’t really need to be gone a month.  Please pray that we will be able to change his tickets affordably so he can get home sooner.  If that is not possible he will probably spend the extra time in West Kalimantan where his sister and parents are, but it would sure be nice to have him home sooner.

On the Home Front

We are really settling in nicely here in the states.  The kids are so excited to go to church each Sunday, and the Homeschool coop we have joined and other activities the kids are doing are just what they needed.  We are also thoroughly enjoying all the time we are getting with aunts, uncles, cousins, and especially their Nana (my Grandma) who lives less than a mile from us and comes over for dinner once a week.  Caleb is doing very well.  He is running and playing has been very healthy.  He still needs occasional check-ups to check the size of his spleen, but otherwise is very healthy and thriving.  Greg will be looking for a part-time job as soon as he gets back and I am trying to find some babysitting or tutoring opportunities to help make ends meet.  Please pray for the right opportunities to open up for us.

Sharing our Ministry

As soon as Greg gets back we will also start sharing our ministry in other churches in the surrounding areas.  If you know of a church that would like to hear about what God is doing among the Buru people, please let them know we are willing and eager to share.  We can also share at Bible Studies, Small Groups, Schools, Etc.

Thank You!

We are so thankful to each of you for the Prayers, support, and encouragement you give tirelessly.  We appreciate each of you so much.  Please let us know how we can pray for you!

Phone: (916) 239-5326

Contributions:
New Tribes Mission
1000 East First Street
Sanford, FL 32771
(attach note that it is for the ministry of Greg and Pam Berglund)

Thank you so much for your prayers these last months. Caleb is doing great. It turned out the type of malaria he had was actually the vivax strain, he was misdiagnosed both in Singapore and in Sacramento.  This explains why the medication he was given helped for a while, but then he relapsed.  The CDC finally diagnosed it as vivax and he was treated with the proper medication.  Currently all the children are taking a 14 day course of a malaria eradication drug so we won’t have any more relapses while we are home. Caleb is doing well now, he has his appetite back and his fears of heights and new situations seem to be fading slowly.

We are currently in Bozeman, Mt.  We plan to be here until the 29th of August.  After that we will head back to Sacramento and get the kids involved in homeschool co-ops and sports groups, church activities, and music lessons, all the things we can’t give them when we are overseas.  We will try to stay mostly settled during the school year, just taking trips to share in churches and visit friends that are close by so the kids have a sense of stability.  Then in the spring we will take a long trip through Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Wyoming (and perhaps a few other places).  Our contact number is 916-239-5326.  We love to share what God is doing among the Buru people. We can share in churches, Sunday school, Bible studies, Missions conferences and schools so let us know if we can share with your group!

If you would like to partner with us in our ministry donations can still be sent to the following address with a note that it is for the ministry or Greg and Pam Berglund.  Or you can follow the “donate” link at the top of this page. (100% of your donations will go to our ministry)
New Tribes Mission
1000 East First Street
Sanford, Fl. 32771-1478

Praises and Prayer requests;
Praise: We took everyone in for check ups while we were in Sacramento and everyone is doing great health-wise.  Even our cholesterol numbers were great must be all that jungle food we ate!

Prayer Request: Please pray that this will be a great year of spiritual and personal growth for our family

Praise: We have almost everything we need for this coming year in the states, almost all of our school books, and and we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had packed most of our household goods, even things like hangers and laundry baskets.  The only trick is to figure out how to get everything we want to take down to Sacramento in our little trailer.

Prayer Request: Greg will be going back to the village for the month of October, it is a necessary trip because of our government paper work, but also a blessing to be able to go back for a short time after the sudden way we left. Please pray for the finances for the trip, and also for the rest of the family while he is gone.

Praise: Thanks to Greg’s sister, Tracy, our van was in great shape when we got back, and the Lord provided the funds and the people to help us with the few items of maintenance that did need to be done.

Prayer Request: Greg and I will be looking for jobs when we get back to Sacramento, living in the US is expensive and we need to find something to supplement our income but something that still allows us to homeschool, and do the traveling we need to do on the weekends.  (Greg would really like to continue translating too, especially since our church and Carmichael has provided him with an office to work in.)  Please pray that we will both find part-time, flexible jobs that will still allow us to focus on sharing a vision for missions, while still meeting the needs of our family.

We appreciate you so much and have felt such a tremendous outpouring of love these past months. You really have been God’s hands and feet for us, God’s heart actually! We love you!

Love;
Greg, Pam, Nate, Hannah, Grace, Katie, and Caleb Berglund

After off and on fevers since our arrival we decided to bring Caleb to the UC Davis ER on Tuesday night.  To our shock it was discovered that his  Hemoglobin had dropped to around 7 and he has Falciparum Malaria again.  We are not sure how he contracted it again when he tested as negative just last week.  The Doctor said the treatment he received in Singapore should have completely taken care of that.

He has received a blood transfusion and is being treated again for the malaria.  The Doctor thinks his other symptoms are due to the Malaria and not something else.  He also said we should be able to go through with our plans to go to Montana for the month of August.

Please pray for Caleb’s complete recovery.  Continue to pray for us as we settle in here in the states.  We have found housing but will probably need to find jobs, and need to round up school books, clothing, and some household items

Pray for the other kids, they are staying with my sister and she is happy to have them, but they are understandably emotional and upset from the last months of changes and things are not going to be settling down anytime soon.   Greg and I have seen the hand of God throughout this trial, and know from watching Him work throughout our lives that everything is going to work out for our good.  But the kids are just learning this lesson and are worried about what the future holds.

Thank you so much for the overwhelming love and support you have shown us. We have recieved so much help and support, both on the ground and in the from of notes, prayers and gifts to help pay for our unexpected expenses. Our tickets, both from evacuating Caleb and to the States have been completely paid for and we don’t anticipate any more large medical bills as Caleb’s deductible has already been met for the rest of this year.  I promise I am writing thank you notes, but I keep getting interupted by hospital stays

All our love;
Greg, Pam, Nate, Hannah, Grace, Katie and Caleb

Love to all;
Pam for the Berglunds

So we will be arriving in San Fransisco on July 17th, Caleb’s 4th Birthday.  While I wouldn’t have chosen to fly on his birthday it is kind of neat that he will have the longest birthday ever, something like a 40 hour day as we actually arrive in San Fransisco BEFORE we leave Manila (and 17 hours later Caleb asked me if that means the plane will be flying backwards

Greg and the kids arrive here in Singapore tomorrow and we have an empty apartment to stay in for the week.  There are lots of inexpensive things do to with kids in Singapore and I have planned a whirlwind of fun activities to celebrate missed birthdays and being back together again after nearly a month.  We were even given half price tickets to the zoo, which is something we have always wanted to do here.

Health Update

Except for a case of tonsillitis this week Caleb has been doing great.  The Doctor said his liver has returned to normal size (and is protected again by his rib cage) and his spleen is nearly at normal size again.  We are so filled with thank fullness as we look back to how very sick he was just weeks ago.

We have made appointments for the whole family to be tested for malaria while we are here in Singapore, it is something that can lurk in your body for months or years and we want to make sure no one will continue to deal with it’s effects this coming year.

Update on our Plans

We plan to spend about a week in Sacramento after we arrive and then we will head up to Bozeman, Montana for a month.  We would love to get together with all you Bozemanites ( and those nearby) so email us at greg_berglund@ntm.org if you would like us to share in your church, Bible study, etc. or if you just want to get together and catch up.

We are planning to settle in Sacramento for the school year and have been blessed with a mostly furnished house to rent.  We will plan a longer trip to visit family and friends, and to share in churches, in the spring and early summer, and just travel in and around California and the surrounding areas over the school year so that we can get jobs if necessary and the kids can get involved at church and in homeschool co-ops.

Our heartfelt thanks!

We are so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, prayers and support we have received this last month.  Thanks to each of you who took a moment to pray for Caleb, wrote notes of encouragement to us, and gave to help meet our unexpected expenses at this time.  We love and appreciate each of you so much and are thankful that we are partners together in reaching the Buru people for Christ.

In His grace;
Greg and Pam Berglund
Nate (12) Hannah (10) Grace (9) Katie (7) Caleb (3)

AN UPDATE ON OUR HOME ASSIGNMENT PLANS

As we mentioned in our last update, because Caleb still has quite a bit of recovering to do, and needs regular medical care during this next year, we have been advised to take our furlough now instead of next April.  Once again we are seeing the Lord’s hand as we try to make arrangements for tickets, housing, etc.

We have found a place to stay here in Singapore from July 10th until July 23rd.  We are hoping Greg and the kids will be able to fly here and join us on the 10th and then we will be able to travel to the states together on the 23rd.  Pray as we look for reasonably priced, available tickets for those two dates.

We plan to fly into San Fransisco, spend about a week in Sacramento, picking up our van there and then head straight to Bozeman for several weeks.  Then we will make our way back to Sacramento in late August or early September and settle in there for the school year.  We think we have already found a partially furnished 3 bedroom house to rent that will meet our needs perfectly.

Once we are settled in Sacramento we will be planning a more extensive trip (or trips) to visit the people and churches that support and pray for us, If your church, Sunday School, small group, etc. would like us to share about our ministry to the Buru people please let us know and we will be sure to put you on our schedule.

Even though we are still a little shell shocked by the quick change in direction the next year of our lives are taking we are very confident that this is all in our Lord’s plans, and have already seen Him work out so many details, we are confident He is going before us, making our path straight.

Please continue to pray that we will be able to find reasonably priced tickets to get Greg and the kids here and then get us all to San Fransisco.

A special thanks to each of you for the prayers you have prayed, special donations and offerings you have taken, and emails and notes of encouragement you have sent, we are so blessed to have you on our team!

Love;
Greg and Pam Berglund
Nate, Hannah, Grace, Katie, and Caleb

P.S. Please Pray for Greg, he has been having severe stomach cramps and flu-like symptoms for the last several days.  Difficult enough in normal circumstances, this has been very hard while he is trying to take care of the kids on his own and do all that is necessary to prepare for our trip home.

Currently Caleb and Pam are in Singapore staying with another NTM family.  We arrived last Sunday night and were taken straight to the hospital where our AMAZING doctor, a Pediatric Hematologist.  was waiting (at 8 o’clock on a Sunday night) to see him. Caleb has been in the hospital since then and we were finally discharged yesterday.  He had 1 more transfusion here and CT scan.  The official diagnosis is malaria with severe anemia.  His spleen and liver are both enlarged, the liver only slightly but the spleen is the size of an adult spleen.  So far his HGB (Hemoglobin) has dropped after each transfusion and that is what we are watching now, he will go back into the hospital as an inpatient next Wednesday and we will see what his body does between then and now before deciding what the next course of action should be. He is feeling like himself again except that he tires easily and the enlarged spleen is putting pressure on other organs making him want to eat more frequent, smaller meals, use the bathroom more often, etc. He is still pretty emotional and swings from uncontrollable giggles to desperate tears pretty quickly. (but then again so does his mommy:-)

Big change of course ahead

Each of the Doctors on his case have strongly recommended we don’t return to Indonesia in the next year, Caleb has A- blood which is very rare in Indonesia and his enlarged spleen puts him at risk of rupturing it as it not protected by the rib cage.  He needs to be in a place where he can be monitored and has access to A- blood.

We were due for our regular furlough in just 9 months so it has been decided that we will just take our regular furlough early, giving him time to recover.  So our current plan is that Greg and the kids will join us in Singapore before the middle of next month when our Visa’s were due for renewal.  Then we will all head to the states from here.

Prayer Points

We were not expecting our home assignment to come up for several months and have no money set aside for tickets or setting up a household in the states, This is high travel season and we have not been able to find one way tickets for less than $1000/person.  Please pray that we will find reasonable tickets and that this need will be met.

We need housing in the states.  We would like to settle in either Sacramento or Bozeman Mt. and then make trips from there to our supporting churches. If you know of something that is reasonable and available (and possibly furnished) please let us know. We would also be open to renting, buying, or borrowing a travel trailer that we could live in and travel in as well. We already have an Astro van in the states that can pull a lightweight travel trailer. Another possibility is that often different Churches or individuals offer housing to missionaries on home assignment.  If you know of someone that does this in these areas please let us know.

Either Greg or I will need to get a job.  I could take in additional students to homeschool or children to babysit and Greg has worked construction, is great with computers, has installed solar panels in California, and catches on to anything pretty quickly.  It would need to be flexible enough that we could travel to visit our prayer partners and supporting churches when necessary. If you know of someone that is hiring or looking for someone to help in one of these areas please let us know

We also need to start setting up a schedule to share our ministry and a vision for missions with churches, if your church would like us to share please let us know what time frame works for you!  We also love having the opportunities to share at schools, Sunday school and AWANA classes, life groups, missions conferences etc.

To be honest we are a little overwhelmed to go so quickly from our little house in the jungle to all of the sudden heading home with out any planning.  We have shed many tears, but we are also very clearly seeing God’s hand through every step of this journey.  These needs we have seem so impossibly overwhelming to us but we know that with God all things are possible and we have clearly seen his guidance in this direction up to this point.  Please pray!

We appreciate each one of you and the outpouring of love we have received from you at this difficult time!

In His grace;
Greg and Pam Berglund
Nate (12) Hannah (10) Grace (9) Katie (6) Caleb (3)

Greg and the kids are enroute to North Sulawesi and should arrive by the end of the week. They are doing well and we are able to communicate via text message.

Please continue to pray for Caleb’s complete healing. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement, we have been blessed beyond words and have felt every prayer.

Gratefully yours;
Pam for the family