kolmapäev, juuni 29, 2005
God Has Been Faithful!
After asking for all of your prayers, I wanted to share about all that happened last week.
It started with me and Chris heading to Finland on Sunday night for a Mission Team trip, the first one that I was completely in charge of. It was a smaller group because we could only take as many as could fit in my van, so we had two leaders, five Estonian kids and two Finnish kids. On Monday, we went to the city of Pori, where we did open air meetings in 80+ degree (f) temperatures. The kids were great, even though they were wilting after the fourth one. But it was a busy street and we had lots of people stop to watch and talk with us. There was even one lady whose little daughter danced along with the kids, and they even followed us to the next open air so she could dance again! We also did a children's program at an Army nursery school, and in the evening did a worship service at the corps. Through it all, the kids did great and really put their training into good use.
We spent the night at a small Army camp on a lake that reminded me of Camp Sebago in Maine. The kids had the chance to swim and cool off after the heat of the day, and I even taught them how to play croquet in the big yard. After the hard day's work, it was no problem getting them to bed on time.
The next day, we went to the Army's camp in Kuru where there were around 30 kids between the ages of 4 and 11. We started by just spending time with the kids and bouncing on the big trampoline they had there. After lunch, we did a program for the kids that included a few of the dramas we have prepared, but the kids enjoyed them so much I kept adding more (and the Mission Team handled the sudden schedule changes with no problem). We also sang with them, did a Bible story and made a craft. After a break for a snack, the camp leader had organized a water war, so the team got right out there with the kids and got soaked with sponges and buckets of water. We ended our time there by teaching the kids the line dance the team does. The kids liked it so much that they kept asking to play another song so that we could keep dancing! I think God used the trip to enrich both us and the children.
We returned to Estonia the Wednesday morning by ferry and then drove back to Tartu, where we jumped into finalizing our plans for the visit of the Salvationist rock band from Iceland. We had to squeeze a lot into that day, because the next two days were holidays, but we had done enough preliminary work that it worked out. It was fun driving around town seeing the posters we had put up on every available fence and phone pole promoting one of the concerts. We felt optimistic. But on Friday, the Jaanipäev holiday, the town was practically empty. It was astonishing that our bustling city could have so few people. But we had been told that this is a big celebration where everyone goes to visit family in the country, build bonfires and drink. Still, that night we had a youth event at Salem Baptist Church, and had over 20 turn out. The band really rocked and even had some of our straight-laced Estonian friends on their feet a few times. It was a great chance to connect with other Christians in town; the youth pastor from Salem even played drums for the band!
The next day, we had an open air meeting in Raekoja Plats (Town Hall Square) where it was sunny and gorgeous. We had lots of people stop and listen, and were able to give out information about the Army and talk to people. I even saw one of the guys we see every time we go to the homeless shelter, and although he was quite bleary-eyed, he still remembered me. We told him to be sure to bring our friends from the shelter to the concert that night.
After the open air, we headed to the Eeden shopping center, where we had a concert on a small stage they have in the middle. It was another good opportunity to meet people and have the band share the Word in song.
Finally, after a quick meal, we headed to the Sadamateater (Harbor Theatre) for the big concert we had been promoting. This was meant to be an evangelistic outreach, and I really wanted to do my best to fill the 300 seats. But the holiday and the nice weather meant there weren't as many people around. We still had over 100, though, which I was thrilled about. Many people even filled out papers with their contact information so that we can let them know about what we are doing in the future. We had a great opportunity to talk with people there and answer the question "Mis on Päästearmee?" (What is The Salvation Army). It was a great end to the band's time with us.
As we were loading up the vans with equipment, the sky suddenly grew dark, a strong wind whipped up and a minute or two later we were drenched with rain. We were so grateful for the wonderful weather we had during the two days and that the bad stuff held off until we were done!
The next morning, we made the two-and-a-half hour drive to Narva (with Mission Team members Masha and Anton catching a ride home with us), where we did the Sunday meeting. It is always a treat to worship with the people there because the officers (who are on homeland furlough for three months) have built a strong fellowship, and we always feel like the people there have welcomed us into their family.
So as you can see, God was faithful through this hectic week. Not everything went perfectly, but even when we had snags (like my translatcancelinging at the last minute), we found that new opportunities always presented themselves. And I was honestly not as stressed about everything as I usually tend to be, which I believe was the direct result of your prayers. They really do sustain us and we are grateful.
Chris and I have another Mission Team trip this weekend (in Finland, again), then the next day our whole family is off to the Army's camp in Loksa, Estonia, where we will be taking part in Junior Soldier/Music Camp. Once that is through, we plan to get into a more regular routine here in Tartu, including Sunday programs. Please keep these things in your prayers as we look ahead. But we do so with confidence, knowing how God brought everything together in the past week--and even the past 11 months!
--Tim
It started with me and Chris heading to Finland on Sunday night for a Mission Team trip, the first one that I was completely in charge of. It was a smaller group because we could only take as many as could fit in my van, so we had two leaders, five Estonian kids and two Finnish kids. On Monday, we went to the city of Pori, where we did open air meetings in 80+ degree (f) temperatures. The kids were great, even though they were wilting after the fourth one. But it was a busy street and we had lots of people stop to watch and talk with us. There was even one lady whose little daughter danced along with the kids, and they even followed us to the next open air so she could dance again! We also did a children's program at an Army nursery school, and in the evening did a worship service at the corps. Through it all, the kids did great and really put their training into good use.
We spent the night at a small Army camp on a lake that reminded me of Camp Sebago in Maine. The kids had the chance to swim and cool off after the heat of the day, and I even taught them how to play croquet in the big yard. After the hard day's work, it was no problem getting them to bed on time.
The next day, we went to the Army's camp in Kuru where there were around 30 kids between the ages of 4 and 11. We started by just spending time with the kids and bouncing on the big trampoline they had there. After lunch, we did a program for the kids that included a few of the dramas we have prepared, but the kids enjoyed them so much I kept adding more (and the Mission Team handled the sudden schedule changes with no problem). We also sang with them, did a Bible story and made a craft. After a break for a snack, the camp leader had organized a water war, so the team got right out there with the kids and got soaked with sponges and buckets of water. We ended our time there by teaching the kids the line dance the team does. The kids liked it so much that they kept asking to play another song so that we could keep dancing! I think God used the trip to enrich both us and the children.
We returned to Estonia the Wednesday morning by ferry and then drove back to Tartu, where we jumped into finalizing our plans for the visit of the Salvationist rock band from Iceland. We had to squeeze a lot into that day, because the next two days were holidays, but we had done enough preliminary work that it worked out. It was fun driving around town seeing the posters we had put up on every available fence and phone pole promoting one of the concerts. We felt optimistic. But on Friday, the Jaanipäev holiday, the town was practically empty. It was astonishing that our bustling city could have so few people. But we had been told that this is a big celebration where everyone goes to visit family in the country, build bonfires and drink. Still, that night we had a youth event at Salem Baptist Church, and had over 20 turn out. The band really rocked and even had some of our straight-laced Estonian friends on their feet a few times. It was a great chance to connect with other Christians in town; the youth pastor from Salem even played drums for the band!
The next day, we had an open air meeting in Raekoja Plats (Town Hall Square) where it was sunny and gorgeous. We had lots of people stop and listen, and were able to give out information about the Army and talk to people. I even saw one of the guys we see every time we go to the homeless shelter, and although he was quite bleary-eyed, he still remembered me. We told him to be sure to bring our friends from the shelter to the concert that night.
After the open air, we headed to the Eeden shopping center, where we had a concert on a small stage they have in the middle. It was another good opportunity to meet people and have the band share the Word in song.
Finally, after a quick meal, we headed to the Sadamateater (Harbor Theatre) for the big concert we had been promoting. This was meant to be an evangelistic outreach, and I really wanted to do my best to fill the 300 seats. But the holiday and the nice weather meant there weren't as many people around. We still had over 100, though, which I was thrilled about. Many people even filled out papers with their contact information so that we can let them know about what we are doing in the future. We had a great opportunity to talk with people there and answer the question "Mis on Päästearmee?" (What is The Salvation Army). It was a great end to the band's time with us.
As we were loading up the vans with equipment, the sky suddenly grew dark, a strong wind whipped up and a minute or two later we were drenched with rain. We were so grateful for the wonderful weather we had during the two days and that the bad stuff held off until we were done!
The next morning, we made the two-and-a-half hour drive to Narva (with Mission Team members Masha and Anton catching a ride home with us), where we did the Sunday meeting. It is always a treat to worship with the people there because the officers (who are on homeland furlough for three months) have built a strong fellowship, and we always feel like the people there have welcomed us into their family.
So as you can see, God was faithful through this hectic week. Not everything went perfectly, but even when we had snags (like my translatcancelinging at the last minute), we found that new opportunities always presented themselves. And I was honestly not as stressed about everything as I usually tend to be, which I believe was the direct result of your prayers. They really do sustain us and we are grateful.
Chris and I have another Mission Team trip this weekend (in Finland, again), then the next day our whole family is off to the Army's camp in Loksa, Estonia, where we will be taking part in Junior Soldier/Music Camp. Once that is through, we plan to get into a more regular routine here in Tartu, including Sunday programs. Please keep these things in your prayers as we look ahead. But we do so with confidence, knowing how God brought everything together in the past week--and even the past 11 months!
--Tim
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Hey guys- way to go. Praise God for how He is working through you to make something eternal out of nothing. It must be a blast!
grace,
Stephen Court
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grace,
Stephen Court
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