neljapäev, detsember 16, 2004
Opening Doors
Yesterday I had another of those interesting but rewarding experiences that show how God is opening doors even when we don't expect it.
I received a call on my mobile phone and the person on the other end said (I'll transliterate it, because I don't know the proper spelling), "das vedanya." I responded, "I don't speak Russian; I only speak English." He said, in the best English he could manage, that he would call back. Now my curiosity was piqued, since this doesn't usually happen. A while later, I got a call from our regional office in Tallinn saying that there is a business owner in Tartu who wanted to donate a large amount of canned goods to The Salvation Army in Tartu to help those in need! I needed to contact him, but was told he only speaks Russian. The majority of people in Tartu speak Estonian and are not fluent in Russian, but fortunately Kerli, the young woman who has translated into Estonian for us, also has a a conversational knowledge of Russian. She was able to speak to the gentleman and found out that he knew of the Army's work in other countries, thought he would like to donate food to help others, and did an Internet search to find out if the Army was working here. So now in the next few days, he will deliver (I don't even have to pick it up!!) a large amount of canned vegetables. This was so out of the blue, my head is still spinning from it.
Fortunately, we have been building relationships with the childrens home and local pastors, so I have no doubt we will be able to find people and places who need this food. And it may also open doors for us to connect with others we have not met yet.
Time and again, God has sent people and resources our way. He clearly has a plan for the Army here!
--Tim
Today we prayed for Evelyn's stepfather, Dick Banks. "Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing." (Ezekiel 47:12)
I received a call on my mobile phone and the person on the other end said (I'll transliterate it, because I don't know the proper spelling), "das vedanya." I responded, "I don't speak Russian; I only speak English." He said, in the best English he could manage, that he would call back. Now my curiosity was piqued, since this doesn't usually happen. A while later, I got a call from our regional office in Tallinn saying that there is a business owner in Tartu who wanted to donate a large amount of canned goods to The Salvation Army in Tartu to help those in need! I needed to contact him, but was told he only speaks Russian. The majority of people in Tartu speak Estonian and are not fluent in Russian, but fortunately Kerli, the young woman who has translated into Estonian for us, also has a a conversational knowledge of Russian. She was able to speak to the gentleman and found out that he knew of the Army's work in other countries, thought he would like to donate food to help others, and did an Internet search to find out if the Army was working here. So now in the next few days, he will deliver (I don't even have to pick it up!!) a large amount of canned vegetables. This was so out of the blue, my head is still spinning from it.
Fortunately, we have been building relationships with the childrens home and local pastors, so I have no doubt we will be able to find people and places who need this food. And it may also open doors for us to connect with others we have not met yet.
Time and again, God has sent people and resources our way. He clearly has a plan for the Army here!
--Tim
Today we prayed for Evelyn's stepfather, Dick Banks. "Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing." (Ezekiel 47:12)
