Brother John Elving

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Victoria, BC
Brother John Elving

I am a street minister working with the homeless and people with drug addictions. God bless you. My whole life I struggled with drug addictions.

By the grace of God, I am in my 6 years clean and sober. Now in my 5 years of full-time street ministry. I love the homeless and the addicted.

When I was a teenage runaway I got involved with streetlife, gangs, jail, and homelessness. I graduated from the Teen Challenge drug addictions center and flew to Mexico City. Two years later I graduated with a diploma in Ministry in Spanish. My ministry is focused on the truth found in the Bible taught in all Christian Churches. I was dedicated and baptized in a Pentecostal church. My family has been a part of the Canadian Pentecostal church for three generations.

The good news of the Gospel is forgiveness of sin. The consequence of our sins is hell, a place of torment for eternity. The Father sent his only son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. We accept the gift of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

There are great pastors in your community who want to help you. Contact them and get involved in a local church. We are all one family in Christ Jesus our Lord.

02/17/2026

Still getting over this cold but so happy to be reunited with Buddy the cat 🐾 and heading back outside today for some outreach in the city. ☕🙏

Just wanted to give a quick shout-out and thank you to all my friends who stand with this ministry. Your prayers and support mean more than you know. ❤️

I’ve been off social media videos for about 4–5 days while recovering, but Lord willing I plan to do a livestream today. I’m still a little sniffly, but getting better each day.

Please keep praying as I get back out there to encourage people and share hope. Love you all and grateful for this community. 🙌

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, homelessness, or life on the streets, my website is a free resource and I will do everything I can to help: You can also download my book THE STREET – The BJE Story for free on my website. It is a true story of addiction, homelessness, and redemption by the grace of God.

👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/thestreetbook

If you like to support my work. 👉 http://www.brotherjohnelving.com/donate

02/16/2026

1 more hour of driving and I am reunited with buddy the Cat 🐈

02/15/2026

My Ministry Is Not for Sale

Yesterday I returned money that was sent to me by someone I had recently done an exposure video about. I want to be clear and fair. They never asked me to remove the video, and the message they sent was kind and respectful. There was no hostility in their tone.

However, this is now the second time in my ministry that someone I have publicly challenged for false teaching has sent money afterward.

The first time this happened, the amount was one thousand dollars. When I first saw the transfer come in, I honestly jumped for joy because it arrived at a time when I truly needed it. In that moment it felt like an answer to prayer. But as soon as I realized who it was from, my heart sank. I knew I could not keep it with a clear conscience. I sent the entire amount back the same day. Integrity had to matter more than provision.

I am human. But I made a decision long ago that my ministry would never be influenced by money, no matter the amount or my financial situation.

For the first two years of ministry I received no financial donations at all. I had no newsletters or social media. I lived among the homeless and served seven days a week because I believed God called me to this work. From the beginning I chose to live with a clear conscience, privately and publicly. My life behind the scenes must match what I say in front of a camera.

Before the transfer was sent yesterday, I kindly said please do not send money. I said that if anything was sent, I would return it. When it arrived anyway, I sent it straight back.

I will not receive money from anyone whose teaching I am publicly challenging. Even if given sincerely, it creates the appearance of compromise. I want to remain completely free to speak with a clear conscience. I never want anyone to wonder if finances influence what I say or do not say.

God has always taken care of me, and He always will. Bills are real, but His faithfulness is more real. Money comes and goes. Integrity does not.

My ministry will never be for sale.

If you feel led to support a ministry that seeks to remain uncompromised and accountable, you can do so here:

👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/donate

02/15/2026

Good morning friends. I’m sitting at Tim Hortons this morning and finally feeling a little bit better after this flu tried to take me out. Thank you to everyone who has been praying.

I slept like 12 hours last night!!! I'm still adjusting from the nine hour time zone difference between Sweden and Canada, but I am feeling a little better today.

If you are interested in staying connected and seeing what’s happening in the ministry, you can check out my latest newsletter I sent out this morning:

👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/so/9fPnXlrzR?languageTag=en

02/14/2026

Thank you to everyone who prayed for me today. I truly felt the love and support.

After X-rays, blood work, and tests at the hospital, the doctor says it is not an infection, just a very bad cold. I will be okay with some needed bed rest and lots of fluids. I am very grateful it is nothing more serious and thankful for God’s protection and care.

Honestly, being up for nearly 32 hours and adjusting to the nine hour time difference between Sweden and Vancouver likely made this flu hit much harder. My body is simply exhausted from travel and needs time to recover.

Sometimes in ministry we pour out constantly and then the body reminds us to slow down and rest. I am going to take the next few days to heal, reset, and get my strength back.

Thank you again for every prayer, message, and encouragement. I am very grateful. God is faithful and I know I will be back to full strength soon.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, homelessness, or life on the streets, my website is a free resource and I will do everything I can to help:

You can also download my book THE STREET – The BJE Story for free on my website. It is a true story of addiction, homelessness, and redemption by the grace of God.

👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/thestreetbook

If you like to support my work. 👉 http://www.brotherjohnelving.com/donate

02/14/2026

Friends, I would really appreciate your prayers right now.

I am in the emergency room getting X-rays, blood work, and tests done for possible bronchitis or strep throat. I feel terrible and can hardly breathe. I felt completely healthy through my entire trip in Sweden and Finland, but toward the last few days I started to develop a cough, and now it has become full-blown sickness.

It’s possible I picked something up while doing street outreach and spending time with people living homeless and struggling with addictions in Helsinki. Sometimes this is part of the cost of doing hands-on ministry, but today I am definitely feeling it.

Please pray for a quick diagnosis, healing, and wisdom for the doctors on what to do next. I believe God heals, and I am trusting Him for strength and recovery today. I am also excited to be with my kids today and to see Buddy the cat after being away.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, homelessness, or life on the streets, my website is a free resource and I will do everything I can to help: You can also download my book THE STREET – The BJE Story for free on my website. It is a true story of addiction, homelessness, and redemption by the grace of God.

👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/thestreetbook

If you like to support my work. 👉 http://www.brotherjohnelving.com/donate

02/13/2026

🇨🇦✈️ Coming Home, Canada — Grateful and Ready 🇸🇪❤️

I am now at the airport in Stockholm and feeling great, well rested, and fully adjusted to the nine-hour time difference between Vancouver and Sweden. In about 20 minutes I board my flight to Iceland, then a short two-hour layover before the final flight home to Vancouver to see my daughters and Buddy the cat. My heart is full of gratitude and I am excited to be coming home to Canada 🇨🇦

I leave this beautiful nation of Sweden with a deep love for the Swedish people 🇸🇪 Everywhere I went I encountered kindness, openness, and hearts willing to talk about faith and life. I truly feel a strong connection here. My grandfather immigrated from Sweden and I have many relatives here who still carry our family name. Walking these streets has felt personal and meaningful in a way I cannot fully describe.

I am the first of my grandfather’s grandchildren to return to Sweden. He passed away when I was only six years old, but I do carry a brief and special memory of him. Coming back here feels like honoring my family and our history. I truly believe my grandfather would be very happy knowing I had the opportunity to return to this land and meet our relatives. It has meant more to me than I can put into words ❤️

I carry a real burden for Sweden and continue to pray for a spiritual awakening across this land 🙏 I would love to return one day with my daughters and spend more time here with family and friends. I am especially grateful for my dear friends and family, Mikael and Maria, who opened their home and hearts to me. Your love and hospitality have meant so much 🤝

This trip has also reminded me how urgently Canada and North America need the Gospel 🇨🇦 Seeing the contrast has deepened my commitment to continue reaching those struggling with addiction, homelessness, and spiritual darkness back home. The need is great and I remain willing to go wherever the Lord calls as He provides for this ministry. I will continue preaching the Gospel, supporting families in need, working with churches, and serving through online outreach as well ✝️

Thank you to everyone who supports and prays for this ministry. Your love, encouragement, and generosity make this work possible. I truly love and appreciate each of you ❤️

The best part is that I get to see my daughters soon, go to church with them, and then finally see Buddy the cat when I get home 🐾 My heart is full and grateful.

Sweden, I love you. Canada, I am coming home 🇨🇦✈️

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, homelessness, or life on the streets, my website is a free resource and I will do everything I can to help. You can also download my book THE STREET – The BJE Story for free on my website. It is a true story of addiction, homelessness, and redemption by the grace of God.

👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/thestreetbook

If you would like to support my work: 👉 http://www.brotherjohnelving.com/donate

02/12/2026

Sadly, tonight is my last night in Stockholm, Sweden 🇸🇪

I leave this beautiful nation with a deep love for the Swedish people. Everywhere I went, I met kindness, openness, and hearts willing to talk about faith and life. I truly feel a strong connection here. My grandfather immigrated from Sweden, and I have many relatives here who still carry our family name. Walking these streets has felt personal and meaningful in a way I cannot fully describe.

I am the first of my grandfather’s grandchildren to return to Sweden. He passed away when I was only six years old, but I do carry a brief and special memory of him. Coming back here feels like honoring my family and our history. I truly believe my grandfather would be very happy knowing I had the opportunity to return to this land and meet our relatives. It has meant more to me than I can put into words ❤️

I carry a real burden for Sweden and continue to pray for a spiritual awakening across this land 🙏 I would love to return one day with my daughters and spend more time here with family and friends. I am especially grateful for my dear friends and family, Mikael and Maria, who have opened their home and hearts to me. Your love and hospitality have meant so much 🤝🏽

This trip has also reminded me how urgently Canada and North America need the Gospel 🇨🇦 Seeing the contrast has deepened my commitment to continue reaching those struggling with addiction, homelessness, and spiritual darkness back home. The need is great, and I remain willing to go wherever the Lord calls as He provides for this ministry. I will continue preaching the Gospel, supporting families in need, working with churches, and serving through online outreach as well ✝️

Thank you to everyone who supports and prays for this ministry. Your love, encouragement, and generosity make this work possible. I truly love and appreciate each of you ❤️

The best part is that I get to see my daughters on Saturday, go to church with them, and then finally see Buddy the cat when I get home Sunday night 🐾 My heart is full and grateful.

Sweden, I love you. Canada, I am coming home ✈️

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, homelessness, or life on the streets, my website is a free resource and I will do everything I can to help: You can also download my book THE STREET – The BJE Story for free on my website. It is a true story of addiction, homelessness, and redemption by the grace of God.

👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/thestreetbook

If you like to support my work. 👉 http://www.brotherjohnelving.com/donate

02/11/2026

Last day in Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮

Today I’m walking the streets of Helsinki, praying over this nation and believing God for revival and a deep spiritual awakening across Finland. I’ve been connecting with locals, praying with people, and reaching out to anyone struggling with homelessness, addiction, or loneliness. The love of Jesus crosses every language and culture, and it has been a privilege to share hope here one person at a time.

There is something powerful about standing in a city and quietly interceding for the people, asking God to move again, to heal lives, restore families, and draw hearts back to Him. I truly believe the Lord is not finished with Finland. Seeds are being planted.

Tomorrow I travel back to Stockholm, Sweden for one more night, and then I fly home. I cannot wait to see my daughters again and give them a big hug. And yes, I miss Buddy the cat too.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and supporting this ministry outreach. Your prayers matter. Your support makes it possible for me to go wherever God opens doors, from the streets of Canada to the streets of Europe, sharing the gospel and standing with those who are hurting.

If you would like a copy of my book, it is a free resource available on my website. My prayer is that it encourages anyone who is struggling and reminds you that no one is too far gone for the grace of God.

Http://www.brotherjohnelving.com

Thank you for standing with me in prayer. God is moving.

02/11/2026

Teen Challenge Finland 🇫🇮

Yesterday was an honour and a privilege to spend time with Teen Challenge Finland 🇫🇮

They operate a secondhand store and run many outreach programs in the community, including support for individuals coming out of jail and those in early recovery. They invited me to sit in on one of their recovery and healing group sessions where people shared their personal journeys of recovery. I was also given the opportunity to open the meeting by sharing about my ministry and outreach in Canada 🇨🇦

Everyone spoke Finnish and some spoke a little English, so we used a translator and were able to share a message of hope together 🤝 It was a blessing to listen as individuals spoke honestly about their struggles, victories, and early months of sobriety.

After the meeting, people began asking questions. Heidi, the wife of Niklas, who serve as directors of Teen Challenge Finland, asked me what has kept me clean and sober for eight years. My answer came quickly. A healthy fear of the Lord has kept me walking in repentance and obedience. I was saved through the conviction of my sin and the realization of my true spiritual condition before God. It was the fear of the Lord that first brought me to repentance, and that same fear led me back to the grace of God and the salvation found in Jesus Christ.

I shared the gospel and spoke about the two roads in life. Jesus said there is a wide road that leads to destruction and a narrow road that leads to life. We talked about the value of every soul and how God created each of us for eternity. Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again, and we are saved by grace through faith in Him alone ✝️ Through repentance and faith, we are forgiven and made new.

We also reflected on 1 John 4, that perfect love casts out fear. When we are reconciled to God through Christ, we are no longer under condemnation. Yet Scripture also teaches a reverent fear of the Lord, a holy respect that leads us away from sin and toward a life that honours Him. That reverence has helped guard my life in sobriety and in ministry.

I shared how, through the true gospel of Jesus Christ, we are adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High God. It was a powerful time speaking about redemption with people in early sobriety, some only four or five months sober, others still facing the challenges that come after prison and addiction. I was warmly received and deeply encouraged by what God is doing through Teen Challenge Finland ❤️

Please continue to pray for Teen Challenge Finland and the important work they are doing 🇫🇮 It would be wonderful to see a long term recovery centre grow here one day. Lord willing, I hope to reconnect and serve alongside them again in the future.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, homelessness, or life on the streets, my website is a free resource and I will do everything I can to help. You can also download my book THE STREET – The BJE Story for free:

👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/thestreetbook

Support the work: 👉 http://www.brotherjohnelving.com/donate

02/09/2026

🇫🇮 INTO THE STREETS OF HELSINKI — GOD LED THE WAY 🔥

Today turned into a real step-by-step adventure with God here in Helsinki.

I started my morning praying and asking the Lord to lead me to the right place for street outreach. I don’t know this city. I don’t know the neighborhoods. But I simply asked Him to guide my steps to the people who needed encouragement most.

I walked into a small shop, introduced myself as a Christian pastor who works with people on the streets, and asked a woman behind the counter, “Where is the hardest place in Helsinki for drug addiction and homelessness?”

She looked at me seriously, took a piece of paper, wrote one word down, handed it to me, and said, “Go here if you want to find drug addicts.”

The word was: Sörnäinen.

I later learned that locals know this area historically as one of the main places in Helsinki where many people battling addiction and homelessness gather, and where much of the street outreach and social services are concentrated. So I took that as clear direction. I jumped on the metro and headed straight there.

When I arrived, I immediately saw police nearby and graffiti across the walls. You could feel the weight of the neighborhood. As I walked, I prayed quietly, “Lord, You brought me here. Lead me and protect me.”

Within minutes, I met Thomas.

Thomas was born in Finland but grew up in Spain and speaks Spanish as his main language. I smiled and said to him, “What are the odds that a street pastor from Canada walks the streets of Finland and speaks Spanish, and you speak Spanish too?” We both knew instantly this was a divine appointment.

Thomas became my guide through the streets. He knows many of the homeless because he himself has walked through homelessness. He was extremely hungry, so I took him for pizza. He ate an entire pizza in about five minutes. Afterward he told me he really wanted a haircut. I said, “Let’s go. Today is your day.”

On the way to the barber we met three more people in the subway. I introduced myself as Pastor John, shared the Gospel, and offered prayer. They were holding beers at 10 in the morning and said they were celebrating something, though they never said what. Still, they were very open. Right there in the subway I laid hands on them and prayed. They thanked me and were genuinely touched.

We continued on and got Thomas a haircut. It was expensive by my standards, but it was an investment in dignity and kindness. More than anything, Thomas became an answer to prayer. God provided someone who knew the streets, knew the people, and walked with me through the city like a brother.

At the end of the day it was hard to say goodbye. We hugged and prayed together before parting ways.

Then, as I was walking back to where I’m staying, God wasn’t finished yet. I ran into another evangelical street ministry. We connected immediately. They invited me to their Wednesday night service and they also know the legacy of David Wilkerson and Teen Challenge. It felt like confirmation that the Lord is opening doors here.

Tomorrow I’m meeting with the director of Teen Challenge Finland to see what God is doing and how we can stand together for those battling addiction.

I came to Finland simply willing to go wherever God leads. Today He led me straight into one of the toughest outreach areas of the city and provided protection, connection, and divine appointments every step of the way.

God is moving here in Finland. I’m witnessing it firsthand on the streets.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, homelessness, or life on the streets, my website is a free resource and I will do everything I can to help. You can also download my book THE STREET – The BJE Story for free:

👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/thestreetbook

Support the work: 👉 http://www.brotherjohnelving.com/donate

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Set free at Last

I am an Ex-Con turned street minister. I graduated from Teen Challenge and flew to Mexico City. Two years later I graduated with a diploma in Ministry in Spanish. Now I minister to the most hurting and dangerous people in our society. Runaway at 13 years old. Grew up back alleys of Main Hastings Vancouver Canada. By 22 sentenced to 9 years in prison. I broke every law in the book. Relationships with countless women, addicted to po*******hy, a compulsive gambler, alcoholic, druggie, reprobate, dead beat dad, and more

(But in Calvinism predestined to salvation).

I was the worst of the worst sinners out there. Jesus came into my life and gave me a new life now. Judge me all you want. I am God's kid now.

Bless you. Brother John

Brother John Elving

02/17/2026

02/16/2026

02/15/2026

02/15/2026

02/14/2026

02/14/2026

02/13/2026

02/12/2026

02/11/2026

02/11/2026

02/09/2026

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