pühapäev, mai 22, 2005
Mare & Natasha
I did a program at the homeless shelter again tonight. Evelyn wasn't able to go this time, so it was just me and Ermo, but it still went well.
We picked up the older lady who prepares meals for the folks and arrived only to find a crowd waiting outside. The doors hadn't been opened even though it was past the 8:00 p.m. opening time. When they did open the doors, the crowd parted like the Red Sea to let us in first so that we could get set up. The people have a lot of respect for this lady, and so for us by extension.
After singing, prayer and a devotional, they began eating and I had a chance to speak with people. There were quite a few of the folk that I knew from before. One lady I met for the first time was Natasha. She had clearly been drinking for most of the day, and was very chatty. With a smile she said that she thought I shouldn't bring a translator but just speak whatever Estonian I know and not be afraid of making mistakes in my language. She comes from a Russian-speaking family and learned Estonian, and encouraged me that I could do the same. It was sweet of her to say it. A funny scene was when she kept shushing Ermo so that she could get me to speak Estonian and teach me how to speak it.
Our conversations rambled a bit, but at one point she got serious and said that she wished she could stop drinking and asked that I pray for her, which I did. Then she went back to her cheerful talk about learning Estonian. So I ask that you pray for Natasha, who tomorrow may not even remember that she spoke with me. God can free her; please pray that she will be receptive to His revelation in her life this week.
Another woman I talked to has been there every time we've gone. Mare immediately asked where Evelyn was and was disappointed that she was not there. She ended up asking me questions about christening and sinning against the Holy Spirit. She was very serious and feared that she may have done this (I've found others who feel the same). We had a good, deep talk about these things and I found that she had a great knowledge of scripture, although not a clear understanding of it. But we were able to speak honestly about these things, and she is genuinely concerned about the sin in her life. Sadly, she feels the separation from God rather than His love and forgiveness. She asked that I and Evelyn pray for her when I came home, and so I extend that invitation to you. Please pray for Mare, that she will not feel weighed down by the sin in her life, but will be receptive to God's grace and have a real sense of His love for her.
Mare and Natasha are like so many of our homeless friends in America. It's amazing how their personalities are replicated in place after place. But our friend who feeds them here in Tartu paid me a great complement as we left the shelter. She said that she thought people there would feel comfortable going to church at The Salvation Army because we wouldn't be bothered by them. That is our goal here; please pray that we will be faithful in following God's direction to bring it about.
--Tim
We picked up the older lady who prepares meals for the folks and arrived only to find a crowd waiting outside. The doors hadn't been opened even though it was past the 8:00 p.m. opening time. When they did open the doors, the crowd parted like the Red Sea to let us in first so that we could get set up. The people have a lot of respect for this lady, and so for us by extension.
After singing, prayer and a devotional, they began eating and I had a chance to speak with people. There were quite a few of the folk that I knew from before. One lady I met for the first time was Natasha. She had clearly been drinking for most of the day, and was very chatty. With a smile she said that she thought I shouldn't bring a translator but just speak whatever Estonian I know and not be afraid of making mistakes in my language. She comes from a Russian-speaking family and learned Estonian, and encouraged me that I could do the same. It was sweet of her to say it. A funny scene was when she kept shushing Ermo so that she could get me to speak Estonian and teach me how to speak it.
Our conversations rambled a bit, but at one point she got serious and said that she wished she could stop drinking and asked that I pray for her, which I did. Then she went back to her cheerful talk about learning Estonian. So I ask that you pray for Natasha, who tomorrow may not even remember that she spoke with me. God can free her; please pray that she will be receptive to His revelation in her life this week.
Another woman I talked to has been there every time we've gone. Mare immediately asked where Evelyn was and was disappointed that she was not there. She ended up asking me questions about christening and sinning against the Holy Spirit. She was very serious and feared that she may have done this (I've found others who feel the same). We had a good, deep talk about these things and I found that she had a great knowledge of scripture, although not a clear understanding of it. But we were able to speak honestly about these things, and she is genuinely concerned about the sin in her life. Sadly, she feels the separation from God rather than His love and forgiveness. She asked that I and Evelyn pray for her when I came home, and so I extend that invitation to you. Please pray for Mare, that she will not feel weighed down by the sin in her life, but will be receptive to God's grace and have a real sense of His love for her.
Mare and Natasha are like so many of our homeless friends in America. It's amazing how their personalities are replicated in place after place. But our friend who feeds them here in Tartu paid me a great complement as we left the shelter. She said that she thought people there would feel comfortable going to church at The Salvation Army because we wouldn't be bothered by them. That is our goal here; please pray that we will be faithful in following God's direction to bring it about.
--Tim
