September Update 2022

Galatians 6:7-10

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸ For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹ And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. ¹⁰ So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

This month, this scripture spoke to me about what we are doing here in Finland. The terms sowing and reaping bring to mind visuals of a farmer. Farmers have to show an unreal amount of consistency and commitment. They have to rise every day to do what is needed to reap a flourishing harvest. The sowing is essential to the reaping. If the season of sowing is missed, the harvest will suffer. The farmer’s sowing will show what is to be harvested later.

This text mentions that one who sows only to their flesh will reap what the flesh offers, showing forth as nothing. A lazy farmer reaps a space harvest. The text also says that one who reaps through the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) will reap what the Spirit offers, which is the place of great harvest. The Spirit is God’s gift to us to produce the crop we were created and willed to. The yield may not show in the way we want it to, but Paul encourages us not to give up because, in due time, the season will come forth of reaping.

Paul brings it back to the main point now: that now is the time to sow. We sow in the goodness (fruit of the Spirit) we give to others. We need to plant into everyone by doing good to them, especially our brothers in sisters in Christ.

The way this is spoke to me boils down to two words: Commitment and Consistency. With youth, planting seeds of gospel truth in their lives flow from a consistency of planting and a commitment to doing week in and week out. It is easy to get busy “sowing to the flesh,” but this is a good reminder that the time to reap is coming. It is also easy to try to make things flashy and whatnot, but those little consistent things we do as God’s ambassadors cause reaping to flourish. Through the Spirit, may we continue to sow seeds of the Spirit to our youth, knowing that He will bring into fruition the will of the Father.

Updates

Things are solidifying in the youth. We have a consistent rhythm to what we do. One neat thing is that we had our Pre Teens (3rd through 6th graders) fall event this month. We took the students to a trampoline house. It was a great time, and I believe built some great friendships. We have the staycation for our teens at the end of October. Please pray for this event!

This month we also had our leaders event. We took the leaders to an escape room for some team-building activity. It was a cool room. It challenged us, but we did escape with 13 minutes to spare. Afterward, we spent time talking through feedback about the youth group. I believe we came away from the day committed and closer than ever. I am looking forward to doing life with these people. I am grateful to people interested in sowing seeds in these students’ lives in Finland.

My sweet Noah is four years old. It is really scary but exciting how time flies. We were just reminiscing about our time when Noah would roam around c3’s shed. Now he is growing in all aspects. He had just completed his football season and now embarking on hockey. We are excited to see how this goes. Pray for no missing teeth, haha.

Lukas is a growing boy at 10 months now. He is sweet and has a smile that will melt your heart, especially the two teeth that have popped in :)

Heidi is doing great! She has a consistent rhythm herself. She has basketball and some fun classes she attends at the church. She is starting a book study with the youth girls on Thursdays as well. Please text her if you have her number. She would love to hear from you all. Pray for her.

We had one of her great friends come and visit us for a week! It was so great just to be blessed with a familiar face. We thank God for her willingness and her great company. We look forward to our next visitor from our church. He will be here for a week. More on that next blog. We are thankful we have space to host people from the states. I wonder, though, are YOU our next visitor :) Pray on it. We would love to have you.

Lastly, we had two youth students get baptized. This was a joyous celebration. These gents are two neat guys, and I am just grateful for God’s calling in their lives. I look forward to seeing them grow and, by God's grace, being part of it. I pray you will join in the celebration of thanking God for calling these two into his family and taking the step to make it public.

Personal Insight

How much has the Trinity had an impact on your faith? On your thoughts? On the decisions you make? In your description of the gospel?

One book I am reading in seminary is called “Trinity, Church, and Mission” By Timothy Tennent. This book has called me to ask myself those same questions posed above. One quote from this book sets the tone for the purpose of those questions:

“mission refers to God's redemptive, historical initiative on behalf of His creation. In contrast, missions refers to all the specific and varied ways in which the church crosses cultural boundaries to reflect the life of the triune God in the world and, through that identity, participates in His mission, celebrating through word and deed the inbreaking of the New Creation."

This is profound to me. A one-liner that helps identify the gist of this is that you cannot have mission(s) without mission. With our God being missional in nature, we must display His Triune missional relationship in how we do missions. Missions are a joyful invitation from the Lord to participate WITH God in his redemptive work. May we learn from the Trinity how to love, sacrifice, and obey. As we study God’s mission the church finds its missions. The Trinity will ultimately shape your faith, thoughts, and gospel description to others. :)

Cultural Insight

Don't you just love a well-delivered story? I just thoroughly enjoy it when someone can tell a story of some event in such a way that I am just lured into what they have to say. I have found that this is key with our Finnish youth. In the states, I could teach God’s words straight from the text, which worked just fine. What I had to realize is that all the youth I have dealt with in Houston has some form of Christian influence or upbringing. They are familiar with that style of learning and biblical narratives.

Here, the students don’t know the bible as well. Finland is secular in roots, even though they have a Lutheran government. The students are not raised in the Word. With that in mind, even biblical stories are hard for them to follow, especially since there is no background knowledge.

What I found is that combining stories that they do know is huge in helping them understand biblical stories. An example is Galatians 2:11-21. I brought in the story of a courtroom to help bring a reference point to the doctrine of justification. With a story of a courtroom case, the students could grasp the concept of justification much easier than just a route explanation. This is just one of those areas of growth that missionaries find themselves in. What I thought I had a grip on needed to be changed. Thanks be to God for this early revelation.

#American Woe

I conversed with the other pastors at the church a couple of Tuesdays ago. While talking, I was also making myself lunch. Most Finns eat a light sandwich for lunch, so I thought I would also partake. One particular thing about most Finns is that they will buy a block of cheese and use a grater to slice some cheese for their sandwich.

As I am talking, I grab the nearest grater to slice me some cheese. To my surprise, the grater was not working. It was slice chunks of cheese rather than a nice thin piece. I was confused and stopped the conversation to ask for help. Immediately they began to laugh, which confused me even more.

Come to find out; I was using a vegetable grater rather than a cheese grater. You might say, “well, you were talking, so maybe you didn’t notice that you grabbed the wrong thing.” Not quite; I honestly just didn’t know the difference, haha. Sigh. I will get it together one of these days :) 🤦🏽‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

Prayers Answered

1. Seminary

Seminary has started off well. I have been able to keep up thus far and seem to be doing well. I have also met some great brothers who help keep me accountable and on track.

2. Noah making friends and learning the language

One of the most exciting things for me daily is asking Noah what the new Finnish word of the day is. For the last couple of weeks, he has come home with a new Finnish phrase or word to share with the family. It has become something Heidi and I cherish and yearn to hear. He has also made some good friends at church and daycare. There has been a couple of times that I went to pick him up from daycare, but he didn't want to leave because he wanted to play with his friends. I just am so happy to hear that from him. Thank you for your prayers. We believe it is because you all are actually praying that these things are happening at this pace.

Prayer Request

1. The youth group structure

I conducted the first parent's meeting last Sunday. There was encouraging feedback and some room for improvement. One of the bigger things is figuring out the structure. Finnish youth is not so different from Houston in extracurricular activities. Sports are really important here and played outside of school (there are no school sports, just academics). With that in mind, it is hard to find a great day to accommodate all of the youth. We need to rethink the structure and how we conduct youth group. Please pray that the Lord would provide wisdom in this area. Big change is always hard. We need the Spirit to guide us.

2. Family Balance

We have been quite busy as a family. We aimed not to commit to too many things, but inevitably failed. We need prayer to continue to prioritize family time and quality time :)

3. Spring Semester

We are beginning to think of the Spring semester. Pray for guidance on outreach events, retreats, trips, etc. Also, we might be going to a camp in Germany called "Teens Street". This would be huge. Would you pray that the Lord would make a way.

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