August Update 2022

Love and Freedom. These are the theme words for our start in the book of Galatians. We started this book on August 2nd and completed the first chapter today. These words carry weight and echo God’s gracious gift to us in Jesus Christ. Galatians 5:13 states

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

This freedom that Paul is calling the Galatians to, through the love and merits of Christ, exemplified the call I have for this youth group. These students live in a climate defined by a secular pursuit in how they see living this life. This pursuit calls them to stay within their social norms, do whatever they think makes them happy, and stay out of trouble. While these could qualify as good

things, in some sense, they don’t lead to freedom. The true freedom they need is found in what Christ offers us on the cross. In his sacrificial love, he offers them freedom from themselves, freedom from the pressures of society, and freedom to live life fully in him.

This is a good word for myself and them. I pray it lands on us afresh. I have been blessed to begin teaching the word and meeting with these students. They are a fun bunch, and I am just excited to grow them and grow with them in holiness. We need prayer. This is all new for them: the frequency, the worship, the teaching, and the small groups. As we know, change is sometimes hard and takes time to develop. Pray for patience in our hearts in this process. Please pray that we will be faithful to the word, worship, and fellowship.

Updates

Ministry has officially started. We have our fall semester planned out. We have our events in place. We are roaring and going. One of the interesting things about Finnish summers is that many people go on summer vacation for an extended amount of time. Because of the summer travels, the youth ministry usually takes a break for the summer. So, youth officially started back this fall. We kicked back into this with a back-to-school party and have been meeting weekly since then.

God has been faithful in this process to bring more leaders around to serve the youth. We have served together for three weeks, and it has been sweet. We pray for a unified vision as we begin to set some foundational pieces in the ministry. We have gotten some new students to come to visit, which is exciting. In all, things have started well for the ministry. It has been a sweet blessing to spend quality time with God’s people here in Finland.

Seminary has started, and it is very exciting. We finished our first seminar today, and it flamed a fire and excitement in my heart for this process. It will be a two-year process with lots of reading and writing. I must confess that I am a bit nervous. I have dreamed about doing this for a long time, but actually stepping into it is surreal. Some great brothers are starting this cohort with me, making it less intimidating since I will be able to spend this time growing with them. I am excited about the growth that will come out of this. Please pray for diligent studies on top of everything else I must do.

It is getting COLD already. Wednesday was the last day to wear shorts outside. We are officially into sweater, scarf, and glove season. The days are getting shorter and shorter. Winter is approaching quickly here. My family is looking forward to it. We are stacking up on vitamin D and preparing for the weather.

Our home is now completed, and we have moved in. We are grateful to have a place to call our home. One of the things that we have grown to appreciate is space. The home that we had back in America was 2,100 square feet. Our house here in Finland is 839 square feet. I know, big difference, right? And yet, it is very freeing. We don't have so much space to clean and an efficient amount of possessions. We do not have enough space to have unnecessary things. In other words, we are living a very minimal life. I have to say; it is pretty nice :)

Personal Insight

“Has anyone ever told you that Jesus loves you so much?” This question has been probing my mind lately as I interact with people on the bus, metro, and street. It is a simple question but carries so much weight and meaning. It often becomes a struggle to share your faith, and we can get caught up in being overly theological in our evangelism. This is a question that can be a great conversation starter with Fins. One of the interesting things that happen is that you get to

ask if you are qualified to speak on Christian topics. In other words, people might ask,"do you have the educational credentials to share this knowledge with me?" That is something interesting that I have not experienced in the States. Nevertheless, it makes for an excellent conversation boost to keep them interacting in the talk. There have been numerous occasions where the conversation started but then died out. I am praying for confidence and the right time to continue pursuing people with this question. Please also pray for me in this aim.

Cultural Insight

Heidi and I were at the mall near our home about a week ago. We began to notice the high number of students who were probably 8-9 years old, just hanging out with their friends. It was just mind-blowing how there didn’t seem to be a care in the world. It just almost felt like this was where they belonged. I looked over to Heidi and asked, “are we going to allow our kids to do that?” Her answer was, “I have no idea.”

It is different for me that such a young age group is allowed so much freedom. I could not imagine sending Noah at that age to the Galleria by himself with his friends. That just would not happen in Houston. So, to say the least, it is a cultural change. The safety here is different, and it really takes some getting used to.

Also, here is a Finnish word for you: salmiakki. The direct translation of this word is salty licorice. It is the Finnish people's favorite candy. Everyone eats it, and it is in everything. It is in the candy, it is in the ice cream, it’s in chocolate, it is in some beverages, and It is in some meals. It is an acquired taste, but I am developing it. I look forward to sharing some with you all when you come visit.

#American Woe

Heidi and I bought a closet to install in our home a couple of weeks ago. This closet needed to be picked up from downtown Helsinki. We rented a van to pick this closet up and bring it home. As we got to the van at the rental place, we noticed it was a manual transmission vehicle. Heidi was uncomfortable driving this vehicle, and I hadn't driven a manual car since I was 17. We strolled across the rental vehicles trying to find one that was not manual. That was a failure. So, we ended up taking one of these manual vans. You can imagine how it went for a foreigner who hasn't driven that much in Finland in a vehicle with which he didn't have much experience.

I popped the clutch at least eight times in the two hours of driving the vehicle and had to go into the heavy population area of downtown Helsinki. To say the least, it was an experience that I am okay with never having again :)

Prayer Request

1. The youth

Students and parents are returning from summer holiday. We will have a social gathering party to hang out and get to know one another before school starts back. Please pray that the Lord would unite our hearts together during this time.

2. Seminary

Seminary has started. Please pray that I would start off strong and balance the family/work/school life well.

3. Noah making friends and learning the language

Please pray for Noah’s ability to make friends. He doesn’t speak the language and kids his age do not speak English. This causes some frustrations for him. Please pray for patiences and God’s gracious hand in bringing him some people he can spend time with. He has made one :)

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