Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We give glory to God for the Advent season and remember our Lord Jesus's arrival in Bethlehem. As the season ends, we have taken time to reflect on the Lord's provisions. I am reminded that when the wise men and shepherds saw Jesus in a manger, they remembered. They remembered the stories, the Law, and the promises God had given them for centuries. They recognized the prophet Micah and Isaiah's prophecy of the True king's coming. Seeing this baby, all found its meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.

Similarly, we see that all this year has brought its meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in the excellent plan of the Lord. It is surreal to realize that we have been missionaries in Finland for the past seven months. We are overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness for all the Lord has done this year. This year has been filled with new experiences and adventures. Throughout this year, there has been much change. Ultimately, we can see God's hand moving and working in it all.

While December is often a time when school is out and time off from work, it is the busiest season for pastors. The first part of December was active. This month, from the four weeks of advent to different gatherings and programs, has kept the Byrd family alive. Though alive, it has been a great time of connection. We have spent much time with many people in and outside the church. This has been good for sharing the gospel and our lives with others.

There is great excitement around the youth group. We have found a great rhythm and structure. The students have shown up week in and out. We have had new people experience Jesus through teaching and worship. We ended this semester of ministry with a Christmas party. This was the icing on the cake of this time. These seven months of teaching, equipping and growing these students have significantly paid off. They have built great friendships with one another. Our teens have seen growth in how they live out their faith. There are testimonies of students pouring their time and energy into true dependency on the Lord. Our students have found themselves serving in Sunday school and teaching with an adult! This is all the Lord's work, and we are glad to be part of it.

The next semester has some exciting plans in place. I will take a group of high school boys skiing next week. This will serve as a great discipleship opportunity. I hope to build up these young men to be leaders in the youth group and on their campuses. Our hope for this semester is to start a few Christian Clubs (shout out to FCA and Younglife) on some of the campuses here in Finland. This will provide an excellent avenue for us to reach a broader group of students. We plan to attend some great service opportunities in the city to share our faith with others. Please be praying that this youth group can be a witness to the gospel in Finland.

This second half of December has allowed us time to relax and spend time together as a family. The youth ministry is taking three weeks off for Christmas and New Year. I finished my first semester of seminary and can finally give my eyes and fingers a break from typing ha. It has been great to spend quality time with my wife and kids and get rejuvenated for this next season of ministry.

One of the best things we have done during this time of rejuvenation is downhill sledding. For Christmas, Noah got a great sled. Check it out below!

Christmas is done a bit differently here than in the States. In the States, gifts are open on Christmas morning. I knew my family would run to the tree as soon as we woke up and opened the gifts. I even think of the Grinch movies all displaying children in eager anticipation to wake up and open the presents.

In Finland, gifts are opened on the 24th. Not only are the gifts opened on the 24th, but they are also opened at night. I could not believe this and was caught off guard by it. I think about what this would have been like for me as a kid. I would wake up on the 24th and wait all day before opening the presents. Then, I would only have a couple of hours to play with the gifts before returning to bed.

I prefer the American way, ha. It did give us a great opportunity to talk with our kids about why people give gifts and what Christmas is all about. I don't know how much listening happened though since Noah was eager all day to open them. :)

As I reflect on the last half year that we have been in Finland, one of the biggest culture shocks has been...grocery shopping. I grew up grocery shopping with my mom. As we all know, we can walk into a grocery store and get exactly what we need within minutes, especially if we have a list.

Well, that is different when you are shopping in a foreign country—the announcer in the grocery store talks in Finnish. The grocery aisles labels are Finnish, and the items themselves.. are Finnish. As you can imagine, that makes things more challenging. What should take me five minutes to do ends up being fifteen minutes. I end up walking up and down each aisle until I accidentally find what I am looking for.

AND YET... there are multiple items of the same product 🤦🏽‍♂️ ... let's see what wrong thing I bring home this time (last time I got home tomato sauce instead of chili and taco seasoning instead of enchiladas seasoning)