It's sad for us that this was our last day in Estonia. We had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel this morning and then took about a 30 minute walk to the Baltic Mission Center. We met with Taavi Hollman for about an hour and had a very helpful discussion about the Methodist Church in Estonia and about the partnership between the Morristown and Aseri Churches. We also got a tour of the seminary, spoke with Meeli the seminary director, and saw the sanctuary used by both the Estonian and Russian speaking congregations.
We said our goodbyes to our team member Susan (the American from Atlanta who is in Estonia for a year), and we already missed her throughout the day and evening. Taavi drove the rest of us to the outdoor historical museum, which has old buildings, houses, barns, and windmills that have been moved from all over Estonia. Many of these are original buildings from the 1800 and 1900s. Workers are in period costumes, and we ate lunch at the "tavern."
The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent in Old Town Tallinn shopping and eating. Unfortunately, it was windy and rainy most of the day, so we arrived back at the hotel tonight quite wet but all in good spirits.
Tomorrow morning we take a ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki, Finland to catch our flight from there (the flight schedules worked out better that way). It's a 2-hour ride by boat on a large ferry, as big as many cruise liners. Then home via Chicago and Knoxville.
We look forward to seeing everybody soon on the home-side of the pond!
Much love,
Team Estonia
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Greetings from Tallinn
Hello from rainy Tallinn. We started out from Voru this morning after another visit with the Kants who stopped by our hotel. The drive north to Tallinn took about three and a half hours, with rain off and on along the way. We met Viktor's son Andre, who helped us to our hotel and then gave him the van we have been using all week. Kristina, from Aseri, has been with us all week, and we said our goodbyes to her this afternoon. She was a tremendous help.
We had a late lunch and spent the late afternoon and evening wandering around the streets of Old Tallinn. It is a beautiful, colorful, and old city. Town Hall was built in 1404. We got a bird's eye view of the city by climbing one of the church's bell tours, went in the Russian Orthodox church, stopped in some shops, and ate dinner at a medieval restaurant.
We ended the evening at the hotel with a time of prayer for Estonia and for those we've met this week.
Tomorrow we head to the Baltic Mission Center at 10:30 to meet with Taavi Hollman, the District Superintendent of Estonia. We will also tour the church and seminary located within the Center.
It's late and we're off to bed....
We had a late lunch and spent the late afternoon and evening wandering around the streets of Old Tallinn. It is a beautiful, colorful, and old city. Town Hall was built in 1404. We got a bird's eye view of the city by climbing one of the church's bell tours, went in the Russian Orthodox church, stopped in some shops, and ate dinner at a medieval restaurant.
We ended the evening at the hotel with a time of prayer for Estonia and for those we've met this week.
Tomorrow we head to the Baltic Mission Center at 10:30 to meet with Taavi Hollman, the District Superintendent of Estonia. We will also tour the church and seminary located within the Center.
It's late and we're off to bed....
Monday, September 12, 2011
Another Great Day
Each day here seems to be led by God. Today's theme was prayer. We left Camp Gideon in the bright sunshine. We prayed before we left that we might be open to what God brings our way. We drove south past lake Pepsi (not the spelling but sounds like it) on our way to Voru to see Kaupo and Thea Kant. We stopped in Tartu for lunch. Tartu was a large university city, Estonian for sure and very hip and trendy. Cafes all around. We visited the UMC there. It was beautifully constructed only 9 years ago. Pastor Priit happened to be at the church and he gave us a tour. We prayed for him and the ministry there in Tartu.
Next we drove south and met Kaupo and Thea Kant. Scott and Kate were in small group with them in Asbury Seminary. It was soooo good to see them. We ate with them for lunch (awesome as usual) then gave a tour of their church under construction. They are people of faith and deeply value prayer. We prayed for Voru church on the building site. We saw all the work of FBSUMC on their mission trip a month ago and how much progress has been made. After Kaupo picked up Tea, pastor of Viitka church south of Voru. This church in Viitka has great God stories that time does not permit me to write. Bottom line, God provided this small rural town with a church, a building, and a ministry to youth. The pastor has so much faith and pastors while still looking for a full time job. We prayed for Viitka church.
We then drove to Russian Border, saw it and prayed. We drove to Latvian border (15min away) and took pictures. We drove to another church south west of voru and heard great stories of how God is working in rural areas. We saw another UMC there and prayed for it. We then went to highest mountain (hill) in Estonia and Baltic Region and prayed for the whole country of Estonia. We closed our evening with Dinner at the Kants. Once again, great stories of how God is working and providing. Thea's father is very ill and we had to leave. Please pray for Rein right now in Tallinn.
We left our extra supplies from Aseri with Kaupo and Thea and their ministry to children and outreach. We closed as a team debriefing the day and in prayer. God has shown me a couple things. First, what we are seeing here is apostolic Christianity. one believer bringing in someone to faith, discipling them, training them and moving out. Kaupo led both people who are serving as pastors in Viitka and other church in southwest to the Lord and later discipled them for ministry. This kind of ministry is slow and does not have large numbers at first, but shows fruit over the years.
Second, I see the value of staying in one area for time. Pastors here don't move, much, they are called to regions. Pastor Viktor in Aseri for 9 years, Pastor Priit in Tartu for 16 yrs (he is only 42), Kaupo in Voru since 1996 (15 yrs). Imagine all leaders of Estonian Methodist church were the size of crusaders sunday school class (40 ish). Imagine them covering a whole country. Their job to advance the church is to grow it by conversions, not to move up the ladder. Many of the pastors are bivocational and have it extremely hard. I realize I have to do a better job in prayer.
Third, seeing five different church locations today including camp Gideon, helps me place Aseri building and ministry needs in larger context. There will be more discussions when coming home on how to best partner with Aseri Church.
Tomorrow off to Tallinn for two days. God Bless you.
Scott for Team
Next we drove south and met Kaupo and Thea Kant. Scott and Kate were in small group with them in Asbury Seminary. It was soooo good to see them. We ate with them for lunch (awesome as usual) then gave a tour of their church under construction. They are people of faith and deeply value prayer. We prayed for Voru church on the building site. We saw all the work of FBSUMC on their mission trip a month ago and how much progress has been made. After Kaupo picked up Tea, pastor of Viitka church south of Voru. This church in Viitka has great God stories that time does not permit me to write. Bottom line, God provided this small rural town with a church, a building, and a ministry to youth. The pastor has so much faith and pastors while still looking for a full time job. We prayed for Viitka church.
We then drove to Russian Border, saw it and prayed. We drove to Latvian border (15min away) and took pictures. We drove to another church south west of voru and heard great stories of how God is working in rural areas. We saw another UMC there and prayed for it. We then went to highest mountain (hill) in Estonia and Baltic Region and prayed for the whole country of Estonia. We closed our evening with Dinner at the Kants. Once again, great stories of how God is working and providing. Thea's father is very ill and we had to leave. Please pray for Rein right now in Tallinn.
We left our extra supplies from Aseri with Kaupo and Thea and their ministry to children and outreach. We closed as a team debriefing the day and in prayer. God has shown me a couple things. First, what we are seeing here is apostolic Christianity. one believer bringing in someone to faith, discipling them, training them and moving out. Kaupo led both people who are serving as pastors in Viitka and other church in southwest to the Lord and later discipled them for ministry. This kind of ministry is slow and does not have large numbers at first, but shows fruit over the years.
Second, I see the value of staying in one area for time. Pastors here don't move, much, they are called to regions. Pastor Viktor in Aseri for 9 years, Pastor Priit in Tartu for 16 yrs (he is only 42), Kaupo in Voru since 1996 (15 yrs). Imagine all leaders of Estonian Methodist church were the size of crusaders sunday school class (40 ish). Imagine them covering a whole country. Their job to advance the church is to grow it by conversions, not to move up the ladder. Many of the pastors are bivocational and have it extremely hard. I realize I have to do a better job in prayer.
Third, seeing five different church locations today including camp Gideon, helps me place Aseri building and ministry needs in larger context. There will be more discussions when coming home on how to best partner with Aseri Church.
Tomorrow off to Tallinn for two days. God Bless you.
Scott for Team
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
It was a great day at Aseri. We started the morning with a relaxed timetable at Camp Gideon, where several of us sat out by the Baltic Sea. It was a good time of personal worship. We left to head to Aseri Church for the worship service starting at noon. This was a special day for the church because it was to celebrate the fall harvest. This is an annual event for churches and families in Estonia to give thanks for the food that God provides. There's no designated day for this celebration, so it's a blessing for us to be here when Aseri Church celebrated. They made a beautiful display of vegetables, fruits, and flowers grown by church members and offered as a thanks offering.
Church is normally two hours in Aseri, and today was no exception; however, we kept going for many hours with a fellowship time. It was a joyous time of worship together. There were many elements to our time there, including singing led by both the church and us and a solo by Scott. Pastor Viktor led a prayer time, including prayer for America because of 9/11. Kate, Rachel, and Jim shared their testimonies, and Jim gave a message from Colossians 2. Scott and Pastor Viktor together led in giving the Lord's supper. It was a great worship service. Even though separated by language and country, we have everything in common in Christ.
Then, following the 2-hour service, we started in on the time for fellowship. The women of the church prepared a feast for us, including lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. There was plenty of delicious food, and no one left hungry. A church from a neighboring town joined us for the meal and began the singing. We sang for the next few hours! It was fantastic and included an accordion, tambourine, guitars, and keyboard at various times. The children got up an recited thanksgiving poems, and several adults read poems and writings. We were sorry we couldn't join in singing the Russian songs with everyone else. Things finally began to wrap up around 6:30 pm, and it was about 7:30 when we left. How often can you say you were at a Sunday church event for 7 hours and loved every minute of it?
Even though we had feasted in the afternoon, we decided we should have a light supper. We went to a hotel and restaurant on the Baltic Sea not far from Camp Gideon. Wow -- it was a nice place with great food and a great location.
We're tired and ready for bed. Tomorrow we're off to the south of the country to the city of Voru.
Church is normally two hours in Aseri, and today was no exception; however, we kept going for many hours with a fellowship time. It was a joyous time of worship together. There were many elements to our time there, including singing led by both the church and us and a solo by Scott. Pastor Viktor led a prayer time, including prayer for America because of 9/11. Kate, Rachel, and Jim shared their testimonies, and Jim gave a message from Colossians 2. Scott and Pastor Viktor together led in giving the Lord's supper. It was a great worship service. Even though separated by language and country, we have everything in common in Christ.
Then, following the 2-hour service, we started in on the time for fellowship. The women of the church prepared a feast for us, including lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. There was plenty of delicious food, and no one left hungry. A church from a neighboring town joined us for the meal and began the singing. We sang for the next few hours! It was fantastic and included an accordion, tambourine, guitars, and keyboard at various times. The children got up an recited thanksgiving poems, and several adults read poems and writings. We were sorry we couldn't join in singing the Russian songs with everyone else. Things finally began to wrap up around 6:30 pm, and it was about 7:30 when we left. How often can you say you were at a Sunday church event for 7 hours and loved every minute of it?
Even though we had feasted in the afternoon, we decided we should have a light supper. We went to a hotel and restaurant on the Baltic Sea not far from Camp Gideon. Wow -- it was a nice place with great food and a great location.
We're tired and ready for bed. Tomorrow we're off to the south of the country to the city of Voru.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Day Three from Aseri
Welcome back. It is at the end of a good day. We had a day camp with the children of the church and community. 10 kids came to join us for a day of fun. Rachel did a great job leading the whole day. Kate led the games with kids and we learned one another's names. Leigh did an awesome job with crafts. The bubble tools Leigh developed were a big hit. Jim and Scott did whatever else was needed and helped with everything else. It was great the Lord blessed us with sunshine and good weather.
Rachel shared throughout the day about how God created the world, sin separated us from God, and Jesus came to restore us to that relationship. Susan shared well how we need to respond to God's gift. We made salvation bracelets to make sure we understand the message and share it.
Kristina and Victoria did a great job leading the kids in song and doing what is necessary. They are great examples of Estonian youth committed to Christ.
We closed the day by going to Ira and Dimitri's house where they have a garden and they cooked out for us and shared their fresh vegetables. Their hospitality has been truly exceptional.
We will share pictures when we get back. It is really hard to do that here. Tomorrow we worship together. Jim will preach and we will share communion celebration. Tomorrow is also their harvest festival. This is the time of year for us like thanksgiving. After church we will have a large eating time and fellowship together. While the Aseri Community has hardships, this church is doing well with their commitment to Christ and reaching out.
We closed the night by going outside and looking at the stars over the Baltic sea. It is a full moon and you can see the stars well from here, even with the full moon. If you read this blog, pray for us as we follow Christ this week.
Rachel shared throughout the day about how God created the world, sin separated us from God, and Jesus came to restore us to that relationship. Susan shared well how we need to respond to God's gift. We made salvation bracelets to make sure we understand the message and share it.
Kristina and Victoria did a great job leading the kids in song and doing what is necessary. They are great examples of Estonian youth committed to Christ.
We closed the day by going to Ira and Dimitri's house where they have a garden and they cooked out for us and shared their fresh vegetables. Their hospitality has been truly exceptional.
We will share pictures when we get back. It is really hard to do that here. Tomorrow we worship together. Jim will preach and we will share communion celebration. Tomorrow is also their harvest festival. This is the time of year for us like thanksgiving. After church we will have a large eating time and fellowship together. While the Aseri Community has hardships, this church is doing well with their commitment to Christ and reaching out.
We closed the night by going outside and looking at the stars over the Baltic sea. It is a full moon and you can see the stars well from here, even with the full moon. If you read this blog, pray for us as we follow Christ this week.
Friday, September 9, 2011
A Full Day in Aseri
Good evening from Estonia! We arrived yesterday with no problems -- sorry we weren't able to get on the internet last night to let you know we made it. We were greeted at the airport by Kristina (from Aseri), Andre (Viktor's son), and Julia (Maksim's wife). We headed out from Tallinn and drove to Aseri, stopping for a late lunch along the way. We got a small tour of the town, had dinner at the church (cooked by Tatiana), and stayed for a nice evening of fellowship. We stayed at a new guesthouse/hotel just out from town along the main road.
Also, last night we gained another team member, an American from Georgia who is living in Estonia for a year. Her name is Susan, and we're glad to have her with us.
This morning began a day full of surprises and adventures! We didn't know what we had in store.
We began by going to Aseri School, the public school in town that is grades 1-12 with 156 total students. As a group, we spoke to three different classes for 45 minutes each about life in America and Tennessee. All the students are studying English and were excited to have Americans to speak with. The school told us we were the first Americans to ever teach classes. It was a treat for us and for them to be there. We were truly their guests and were welcomed graciously with love, lunch in the cafeteria, coffee/tea, and a tour. The school was started in 1905 and maintains a museum about the school and Aseri. It was nice for us to see the heritage of the area and hear stories from two teachers, one of whom had attended Aseri School as a child. An interesting piece of the history is that the original school building is now the Aseri Methodist Church! We were at the school from 9:00am to 1:30pm and had a great exchange with students and teachers.
We then headed to Camp Gideon, about a 30 minute drive from Aseri, where we will be spending the next three nights. This is an amazing place with an amazing story. It is a camp built on the shore of the Baltic Sea, originally built by the Russians in the 1920s or 30s after Russian occupation of Estonia. After the Germans occupied around WWII, it became a retreat for German officers. Then once the Soviets occupied at the end of the war, it became a Red Pioneer camp, a communist indoctrination camp for children. Wow, what a history already! The Methodist Church was able to purchase this abandoned property in the 1990s, and it is now a Christian camp for children and youth from all over the world. Just this summer, we know there were Estonians, Russians, Americans, Brazilians, Israelis, and Australians here. What a transformation from the past history of the camp. God can do amazing things.
Late afternoon, we were due back at the Aseri Church for snacks and to prepare for an evening worship service since we are in town. However, today was a special 'sports day' for the town of Aseri, an annual event where the whole town comes out for a walk/run. They told us to bring shoes and clothes with us for it. Not really knowing what to expect, we asked a few questions beforehand and found out that the run was more than we thought. And in fact, it seemed to keep getting longer the more questions we asked. It turns out it was a 6k race (3.6 miles)! We had already volunteered and gotten our race numbers. Hmmm.... Scott, Rachel, and Jim ran the 6k, and Kate, Leigh, Susan, and our Estonian friends walked a 4k walk. Did I mention it rained on us after we started? Apparently, only serious runners run the 6k, because we Americans were left in the dust (or rather, the clay mud). At home, we would be middle-of-the-pack runners, but here we weren't. Oh well; we were pleased with our times. The walkers had an amazing narrated tour of Aseri as they walked and really enjoyed it.
We came back to the church after the big athletic event for an evening service. It was a joy to see Pastor Viktor again. He had been in Finland for work this week and was just able to join us for the first time this evening. We sang together with the church, and several of us spoke -- Susan and Leigh gave their testimonies, and Scott preached. We fellowshipped and ate dinner at the church afterwards. It was a good evening.
We are now back at Camp Gideon and settled in for the night. It is cool and raining, so the covers will feel good tonight. Tomorrow we are doing a kids day at the church for the children of Aseri. Please pray for our day.
Good night from Estonia.
Jim and Rachel, for the team
Also, last night we gained another team member, an American from Georgia who is living in Estonia for a year. Her name is Susan, and we're glad to have her with us.
This morning began a day full of surprises and adventures! We didn't know what we had in store.
We began by going to Aseri School, the public school in town that is grades 1-12 with 156 total students. As a group, we spoke to three different classes for 45 minutes each about life in America and Tennessee. All the students are studying English and were excited to have Americans to speak with. The school told us we were the first Americans to ever teach classes. It was a treat for us and for them to be there. We were truly their guests and were welcomed graciously with love, lunch in the cafeteria, coffee/tea, and a tour. The school was started in 1905 and maintains a museum about the school and Aseri. It was nice for us to see the heritage of the area and hear stories from two teachers, one of whom had attended Aseri School as a child. An interesting piece of the history is that the original school building is now the Aseri Methodist Church! We were at the school from 9:00am to 1:30pm and had a great exchange with students and teachers.
We then headed to Camp Gideon, about a 30 minute drive from Aseri, where we will be spending the next three nights. This is an amazing place with an amazing story. It is a camp built on the shore of the Baltic Sea, originally built by the Russians in the 1920s or 30s after Russian occupation of Estonia. After the Germans occupied around WWII, it became a retreat for German officers. Then once the Soviets occupied at the end of the war, it became a Red Pioneer camp, a communist indoctrination camp for children. Wow, what a history already! The Methodist Church was able to purchase this abandoned property in the 1990s, and it is now a Christian camp for children and youth from all over the world. Just this summer, we know there were Estonians, Russians, Americans, Brazilians, Israelis, and Australians here. What a transformation from the past history of the camp. God can do amazing things.
Late afternoon, we were due back at the Aseri Church for snacks and to prepare for an evening worship service since we are in town. However, today was a special 'sports day' for the town of Aseri, an annual event where the whole town comes out for a walk/run. They told us to bring shoes and clothes with us for it. Not really knowing what to expect, we asked a few questions beforehand and found out that the run was more than we thought. And in fact, it seemed to keep getting longer the more questions we asked. It turns out it was a 6k race (3.6 miles)! We had already volunteered and gotten our race numbers. Hmmm.... Scott, Rachel, and Jim ran the 6k, and Kate, Leigh, Susan, and our Estonian friends walked a 4k walk. Did I mention it rained on us after we started? Apparently, only serious runners run the 6k, because we Americans were left in the dust (or rather, the clay mud). At home, we would be middle-of-the-pack runners, but here we weren't. Oh well; we were pleased with our times. The walkers had an amazing narrated tour of Aseri as they walked and really enjoyed it.
We came back to the church after the big athletic event for an evening service. It was a joy to see Pastor Viktor again. He had been in Finland for work this week and was just able to join us for the first time this evening. We sang together with the church, and several of us spoke -- Susan and Leigh gave their testimonies, and Scott preached. We fellowshipped and ate dinner at the church afterwards. It was a good evening.
We are now back at Camp Gideon and settled in for the night. It is cool and raining, so the covers will feel good tonight. Tomorrow we are doing a kids day at the church for the children of Aseri. Please pray for our day.
Good night from Estonia.
Jim and Rachel, for the team
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Finland
We have arrived safely in Helsinki, Finland. :) We have a 3 hour layover and then will head to Tallinn (arriving about 12:15pm -- that's 5:15am EST).
We're a little sleep deprived.
Not sure about internet in Estonia once we arrive, but we'll post pictures when possible.
Peace.
We're a little sleep deprived.
Not sure about internet in Estonia once we arrive, but we'll post pictures when possible.
Peace.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tallinn Ho!
What a joy to head to Estonia! The team of 5 - Scott, Kate, Leigh, Jim, and Rachel are on their way!
We are sitting in the Knoxville airport currently ready for our journey. Kate almost had the peanut butter she was bringing as a gift (American PB was requested by some) conficated through the security - but they let her go back and recheck it. She is back with us now and all is well.
We are eating Cinnabon. :)
Peace to all. We'll continue to post as possible - here are a few prayer requests for now:
(1) safe travel
(2) the Estonians' hearts are prepared and there are no 'walls' to break down between the two cultures
(3) our preparation - spiritually, mentally, and physically
(4) great relationships established
(5) God's work to be done
Blessings,
Team Estonia
We are sitting in the Knoxville airport currently ready for our journey. Kate almost had the peanut butter she was bringing as a gift (American PB was requested by some) conficated through the security - but they let her go back and recheck it. She is back with us now and all is well.
We are eating Cinnabon. :)
Peace to all. We'll continue to post as possible - here are a few prayer requests for now:
(1) safe travel
(2) the Estonians' hearts are prepared and there are no 'walls' to break down between the two cultures
(3) our preparation - spiritually, mentally, and physically
(4) great relationships established
(5) God's work to be done
Blessings,
Team Estonia
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