Morgan’s testimony

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Morgan Gelert Phare. I come from Wales. I am co-founder with Magnus Olsson of our humble work: Slottsmissionen. I am an evangelist, this is my principle calling. So why Sweden? Well, I’m glad to say it’s not based on any personal preferences on my part. I am a servant of my heavenly master and it is Him who dictates where I live and what I do. It is one of the choicest privileges of the Christian to both know and walk in the will of God. What a blessing this is!

I was converted to Christ  in Canada 1993. Back in the Spring of 1994 when I was but a six month old babe in Christ, there came a burden from the Holy Spirit to pray for Sweden. I had never been to Sweden at that time and I knew no Swedish people. My only knowledge of Sweden was Abba and Björn Borg. Although I have preached the Gospel in quite a lot of countries and places, there are three principle countries the Lord Jesus placed upon my heart from those earliest days. Firstly Wales, where I was engaged in ministry for a period of 14 years. I shall always retain a special place in my heart for my own nation and I miss her dearly. Secondly, Sweden. Thirdly, Canada which is my spiritual birth place. At such a time when I’m satisfied I’ve fulfilled the will of God in my life concerning Sweden, it will be time to head for Canada. But that’s many years ahead. You can say these three lands are my Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. But the risen Christ then said ‘to the uttermost parts of the earth’ Acts 1:8. I can only say ‘amen’ to that too.

I returned to Wales from Canada in January 1995. Whilst living and working in West Wales in the summer of that year, I visited a little Elim church in Aberystwyth. At the service that day was a young man who preached called Edward Evans. The Lord knit our hearts together immediately. Whilst fellowshipping, he handed me a tape of a Swedish preacher who was called Ulf Ekman. The sermon preached in English was on the great commission. It remains one of a select few sermons that deeply impacted my life. I’ve listened to many messages and been blessed by many different types of preachers. But there are stand out ones for all of us. This was one for me. That call to evangelism and missions was the very pulse of who I am as a Christian.

I had a deep sense immediately that one day I would travel to Sweden to hear this man personally and visit his church. ‎This I did over the new year of 1995/96. It was whilst visiting in Uppsala that I heard there was a Bible school, with lessons in English. I again, felt a strong call to attend. Which I did in September of 1996. I spent nine months studying in Uppsala and it was a blessed time indeed. Following this I returned to Wales to work with the Gospel. My contact with Livets Ord remained close for several years, through till around the beginning of 2001. It was then I listened to two sermons, this time by an old time Pentecostal preacher called B H Clendennen and the better known David Wilkerson. These messages convicted me deeply concerning the prosperity gospel. It marked a great change in my life as a Christian and as a preacher. During my association with Livets Ord those few years I would travel to Sweden 2-3 times a year for conferences. It kept the link with Sweden going.

In the Spring of 2001 I journeyed for the first time to Times Square Church in New York City and then to Beaumont, Texas to a missions conference with the ‘School of Christ’‎ and brother Clendennen. When in Beaumont, the first evening, I heard ‘BH’ call forward to the platform a young man called Ulf Andersson (now Björling). That name sounded Swedish! He was Swedish. I was excited to hear this. I so desparately wanted contact with Sweden again. As it so happened, Ulf was attending with a small group of men from his congregation. I knew immediately that this was the Lord and an important connection. So it has proven to be. In the November of 2001 myself and my wife visited Ljungskile in Bohuslän to visit their church.

For a space of several years between 2006-2008 I would on an annual basis travel to a small cottage in the forest near Ljungskile to seek the Lord. Sometimes for a couple of weeks, at times a month‎ or longer. Some of the most blessed times of my life, to fast and pray and immerse myself in the scriptures. This little stuga (cottage) was rented by a brother in the church called Magnus Olsson. It was around 2008 that I started to fellowship more with him. He kindly invited me to come over and preach/testify in 2009. Around 2011 there started to be rumblings in my spirit that it was approaching time to prepare for moving to Sweden. I had always known as I shared earlier, that this day would come. It was a matter of timing. It was during that year that I took a month to fast and pray in Sweden, but this time with a twist. Instead of staying in the cabin in the woods, I travelled from North to South, East to West in Sweden, visiting town after town. It was intense. A lot of driving and not a lot of sleeping. But I wanted to spy out the land. Get a feel for things.

At the end of 2011 I discussed with Magnus about holding a mission in Sweden during the Summer of 2012. This we planned for and executed. Travelling with a small team in the North and middle of Sweden in 2012. It was time of great blessing. At the end of the mission I was roundly convinced that it was time to plan to move physically to Sweden to work full time with the gospel there. It took us 17 months to finally complete the move, there were many practical matters in Wales that needed to be sorted, too much to say in the scope of this piece. But come February of 2014 we loaded up our humble belongings in the Evangi-van and trailer, along with the children (cats), and headed to Scandinavia. Where we have been since.

So finally after a period of 20 years praying for Sweden I am finally here for a season working in the Gospel. God is good. What a privilege it is to walk with Jesus. He is worthy.