Ok, so I hate to break the news to you, but this is going to be my last e-mail. Camp Gideon does not have very fast internet. But anyways here is the interesting stuff that happened to me today.
Stephen and I headed on a little adventure to the grocery store. We picked up a few things as well as a little present for Ben Dalton as he arrives tomorrow. It was really chilly this morning and a little bit rainy, but it turned out to be a very nice day.
We jumped on the tram and headed over to our last day at the Lighthouse. Today was a very special day for them because they have three students that are graduating from primary school. So pretty much all morning and afternoon we spent getting ready for a party that we put on for them. It was great and I think that it was a very special tme for them. We stayed at the Lighthouse til about 5 o cock today and headed straight into Old Town. We ate at a very good resteraunt called the Turg (You guessed it, compliments of Sergei). I got a very tasty pork roast. UMMMMM....so good!
Today was one of our friends 23rd birthday. His name is Denis but some of you might know him as Tahiti. He always keeps us laughing. So we headed over to Apteegi and it turns out that it was a surprise party. We played some very fun games and just enjoyed ourselves. We had a very good cherry cake and bread of course. I had a very fun surprise....I think some of you know a guy named Andrei. He is from Finland and is the cousin of Erkii and nephew of Artur. I met him the very first time I was here and ran into him at the party tonight. And it turns out that he is going to camp Gideon this week! I am sooooooo excited!
After the party we headed back to the church with all of our Generation 2 freinds and stopped for some Italian Ice Cream! It was amazing. We got to the church and played jungle pong for about 2 hours. (Jungle Pong is a very intense type of ping pong game played with about 5 players.) It was a very fun night. And some of you might have seen us go and pose for the webcam.
It is very late right now and I am about to head for bed. I have REALLY enjoyed writing these e-mails and hope that you have liked reading them. This has been such a great trip and there is still ONE WEEK left (for some of us)!!!!!! Thank you so much for your prayers, I am so excited to share all of my stories with you guys! I love you all and thank you so much for the continuous encouragement for me on this trip. Pray that God will do amazing things this week at Camp Gideon.
In Him,
Dave
Friday, June 22, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Estonia Lighthouse Update, Wednesday afternoon
Hey Guys,
So today we woke up with a suprise. Stephen could not find his wallet! So he called the credit card company and put his card on hold while he began looking for it. And being the great friend that I am, I rolled over and went back to sleep for an extra 30 minutes. It turns out that it slipped into one of the action packers. But he did find it after about an hour.
We really had nothing to do this morning so we went to the Lghthouse at about 11. We had tea (my favorite) right when we got there. We discussed our plans and it sounds like Stephen and I will be going to Camp Gideon on Friday with the college kids. And guess who is driving???RACHEL!! Ya, very, just imagine a blonde American girl driving in the streets of Estonia in a huge Deisel engine astro van type monster! It will be an experience.
We had a great day of just relaxing with the kids and just getting to know them a little bit better. There are some very sad stories coming from these kids pasts. The Lighthouse is such a great place for these kids to grow in the adolesence years aswell as developing a relationship with Christ.
We left the Lighthouse and went to a GREAT resteraunt. Once again, compliments of Segei. It is called a "pancake" place but I think its more of a crepe type place. I got a crepe stuffed with Bacon and smoked cheese....hmm..hmm.hmmm..TASTY!! It was very good. After dinner with the entire crew, Rachel, Stephen, Emily, and I went to Apteegi (this is what we are calling the Generation 2 House) and we went to a prayer. It was very neat but difficult because after hearing an hour long prayer in Russian while standing up, you just start to notice your legs a little bit more, and then you feel the back get stiff, and then your mind starts to wonder, and before you know it, you forget that you are talking to the creator of the universe. Well maybe I can try it again sometime. Rachel and I went for a little walk around Old Town afterwords and then returned to the BMC. The guys went to pose for the webcams in our "suits" (if you get curious about suits, just ask my dad, he can explain). Lets just say that it was an experience for us, and all the people around us. Not to mention a great way to end the day.
Tomorrow is our last day at the Lighthouse so I want to ask you all to please pray that we can bring Christ's love to them tomorrow and really change some lives.
I love you guys and I am so excited to see you all. We have so many stories so we might have to have a story/dessert night at our house when we return....mom and dad, this is me asking permission???
God Bless You All,
David
So today we woke up with a suprise. Stephen could not find his wallet! So he called the credit card company and put his card on hold while he began looking for it. And being the great friend that I am, I rolled over and went back to sleep for an extra 30 minutes. It turns out that it slipped into one of the action packers. But he did find it after about an hour.
We really had nothing to do this morning so we went to the Lghthouse at about 11. We had tea (my favorite) right when we got there. We discussed our plans and it sounds like Stephen and I will be going to Camp Gideon on Friday with the college kids. And guess who is driving???RACHEL!! Ya, very, just imagine a blonde American girl driving in the streets of Estonia in a huge Deisel engine astro van type monster! It will be an experience.
We had a great day of just relaxing with the kids and just getting to know them a little bit better. There are some very sad stories coming from these kids pasts. The Lighthouse is such a great place for these kids to grow in the adolesence years aswell as developing a relationship with Christ.
We left the Lighthouse and went to a GREAT resteraunt. Once again, compliments of Segei. It is called a "pancake" place but I think its more of a crepe type place. I got a crepe stuffed with Bacon and smoked cheese....hmm..hmm.hmmm..TASTY!! It was very good. After dinner with the entire crew, Rachel, Stephen, Emily, and I went to Apteegi (this is what we are calling the Generation 2 House) and we went to a prayer. It was very neat but difficult because after hearing an hour long prayer in Russian while standing up, you just start to notice your legs a little bit more, and then you feel the back get stiff, and then your mind starts to wonder, and before you know it, you forget that you are talking to the creator of the universe. Well maybe I can try it again sometime. Rachel and I went for a little walk around Old Town afterwords and then returned to the BMC. The guys went to pose for the webcams in our "suits" (if you get curious about suits, just ask my dad, he can explain). Lets just say that it was an experience for us, and all the people around us. Not to mention a great way to end the day.
Tomorrow is our last day at the Lighthouse so I want to ask you all to please pray that we can bring Christ's love to them tomorrow and really change some lives.
I love you guys and I am so excited to see you all. We have so many stories so we might have to have a story/dessert night at our house when we return....mom and dad, this is me asking permission???
God Bless You All,
David
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Quito, Ecuador VIM Update
Two phone calls from our VIM team in Quito, Ecuador. There are some communication problems in the area so they are not able to email us. They are all doing pretty well. Please pray for one of the ladies who is fighting a little intestinal bug and two others that are dealing with colds. Due to the change in altitude, it took a couple of days for everyone to acclimate, but that is all going well now. They’ve been working very hard clearing out several acres in a fruit orchard. And, they have the opportunity to work with a large number of children in Mission Bible School. They will do three more days of MBS on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, where they had been planning on about 120 children. As of yesterday, they have been asked to expect 280 per day. God is amazing!! Thanks for your prayers. They will return Sunday late afternoon.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Estonia Lighthouse Update-Tuesday
Hello all,
Today, like yesterday was a great day. We woke up and had a very interesting Bible study. We talked mostly about the cultural differences between Bible times and our time. Very NEAT!
We headed over to the Lighthouse at about 10 o clock this morning. We were put right to work when we got there. Stephen and I have a big project this week of putting a sealing paste to seal up cracks in the windows because it gets so cold in the house during the winter. We had a delicious lunch which included soup...and a great cake! We played with the kids all afternoon and took them to McDonalds in Old Town to top of the day. Stephen and I decided that our new favorite part of the day is Tea Time. I still don’t know why, but I just look forward to it every single day.
After McDonalds the kids went home and Rachel, Emily, Stephen and I (Chris and Dustin went to Tartu today to do an interview) went to exchange some money, which actually took a really long time and then we headed back to McDonalds to meet up with some friends from Generation 2.
It is Tuesday today, which means pizza night. So Sergei took us on a really long walk to the restaurant called Rosso. It is a very modern, newer part of town. We ate very good pizza. We find that when Sergei chooses the restaurant, we can’t go wrong, plus it’s always cheap. He is pretty handy.
We actually got back to the BMC very early tonight. (7:30) So, we have just been hanging out all night. I’m craving some ice cream so I might run to the gas station next door in a minute. Everything is going great in Estonia. The only annoying thing is me and Stephen are still waiting on our own room. The people were supposed to move out on Friday, then they changed it to today, but still nothing, who knows, we might just be rooming with Dustin and Chris the whole time, which is not bad but it involves a lot of snoring.
I hope all is well with you all, remember to visit Stephen’s blog site to see pictures at www.stephenmission.blogspot.com
God Bless,
Dave
Today, like yesterday was a great day. We woke up and had a very interesting Bible study. We talked mostly about the cultural differences between Bible times and our time. Very NEAT!
We headed over to the Lighthouse at about 10 o clock this morning. We were put right to work when we got there. Stephen and I have a big project this week of putting a sealing paste to seal up cracks in the windows because it gets so cold in the house during the winter. We had a delicious lunch which included soup...and a great cake! We played with the kids all afternoon and took them to McDonalds in Old Town to top of the day. Stephen and I decided that our new favorite part of the day is Tea Time. I still don’t know why, but I just look forward to it every single day.
After McDonalds the kids went home and Rachel, Emily, Stephen and I (Chris and Dustin went to Tartu today to do an interview) went to exchange some money, which actually took a really long time and then we headed back to McDonalds to meet up with some friends from Generation 2.
It is Tuesday today, which means pizza night. So Sergei took us on a really long walk to the restaurant called Rosso. It is a very modern, newer part of town. We ate very good pizza. We find that when Sergei chooses the restaurant, we can’t go wrong, plus it’s always cheap. He is pretty handy.
We actually got back to the BMC very early tonight. (7:30) So, we have just been hanging out all night. I’m craving some ice cream so I might run to the gas station next door in a minute. Everything is going great in Estonia. The only annoying thing is me and Stephen are still waiting on our own room. The people were supposed to move out on Friday, then they changed it to today, but still nothing, who knows, we might just be rooming with Dustin and Chris the whole time, which is not bad but it involves a lot of snoring.
I hope all is well with you all, remember to visit Stephen’s blog site to see pictures at www.stephenmission.blogspot.com
God Bless,
Dave
Estonia Lighthouse Update…Monday night
Hi guys!
Today was so far my favorite day in Estonia. We woke up and went straight to the Lighthouse. We spent the morning playing with the kids and getting to know them. We had a good time drinking tea and enjoying stories. We ate a little bit of lunch and then we began to teach them the puppet show. It was a lot of fun and we had some good laughs. We left about 4 o’ clock and headed to Old Town.
Stephen, me and the college students went to a little pub called St. Patricks and it was amazing! It was a fun pub and I got a great pasta dish. Then Chris and Dustin headed off to do an interview and the four of us went on to the methodist house. This was my favorite part of the day. We had a neat "small group" time and there were about 20 of us. Anton led the group and they decided to interview the "Americans". It was such a great time because we felt that they really got to know us and it was nice for them to know us better rather than just put a name with a face. We played basketball for about an hour afterwords and just got to hang out with the youth group.
Then a few of us went to get some ice cream and to the store. Then we headed back to the BMC. We also learned a few more Russian words today and got a few laughs in trying to pronounce the words.
Well I better go, it looks like Dustin and spinning all the girls on the marble floor and I want a turn. HAHA!
God Bless,
Dave
Today was so far my favorite day in Estonia. We woke up and went straight to the Lighthouse. We spent the morning playing with the kids and getting to know them. We had a good time drinking tea and enjoying stories. We ate a little bit of lunch and then we began to teach them the puppet show. It was a lot of fun and we had some good laughs. We left about 4 o’ clock and headed to Old Town.
Stephen, me and the college students went to a little pub called St. Patricks and it was amazing! It was a fun pub and I got a great pasta dish. Then Chris and Dustin headed off to do an interview and the four of us went on to the methodist house. This was my favorite part of the day. We had a neat "small group" time and there were about 20 of us. Anton led the group and they decided to interview the "Americans". It was such a great time because we felt that they really got to know us and it was nice for them to know us better rather than just put a name with a face. We played basketball for about an hour afterwords and just got to hang out with the youth group.
Then a few of us went to get some ice cream and to the store. Then we headed back to the BMC. We also learned a few more Russian words today and got a few laughs in trying to pronounce the words.
Well I better go, it looks like Dustin and spinning all the girls on the marble floor and I want a turn. HAHA!
God Bless,
Dave
Quito, Ecuador VIM Update
The team is doing great in Quito, Ecuador. They arrived safely. They have seen over 250 kids in Mission Bible School thus far. There has been a little altitude adjustment for some of the team, but they are adjusting.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Estonia Lighthouse VIM team Update Monday morning…
We have rain again today (check the current weather in Tallinn, Estonia), actually a mist this morning. I am sending this from the Lighthouse. We are getting started here with the music and art project and I am not sure what else. We had a wonderful time yesterday. Mall took us to the TV tower and it was incredible. This is where the Russian tanks and army turned back and Estonia attained their independence. We had a beautiful lunch there 21 floors up. Even in the rain, the view was spectacular.
We are learning a lot and it is hard to take all of it in at times. We attended the service yesterday at the mission center and were all introduced and welcomed. Cynthia and I knew two of the songs and sang along in English. We had a very good interpreter.
Blessings from Tallin,
Beth
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Hi everyone,
Well sorry I didn’t update yesterday...I was exhausted so I went to bed early!'
Yesterday we went to the Estonian church service at the Baltic Mission Center. It was similar to the 11:00 o’ clock sanctuary service at Asbury. There were probably about 100-200 people at the service and there was a great sermon give by Olav (spelling) and I do not want to even try to spell his last name. He is a very cool man. Stephen and I talked to him after the service and it turns out that he is a huge part of the survival of the Methodist Church in Estonia. (Mom and Dad I can’t believe you haven’t told me this!) But while the soviets were still in control of Estonia they tried to completely wipe out the church. But Olav stood for the Methodist Church here and did underground services and actually got kids to come to Sunday school on Sundays by inviting them to his house and telling people that it was a birthday party. This was one of the first times I have talked to him and he is an incredible person!
After church we met up with Mal (I’m not sure if I spelled her name correctly) and she took us to the radio\TV tower just on the outskirts of Tallinn. It is a very significant building because it is where Estonia gained their independence. The soviets wanted to destroy the tower because it was where the Estonians broadcasted all of their news. So the people of Estonia gathered on the lawns of the tower and connected hands and began singing and praying. The soviet tanks continued to charge directly at the people that were surrounding the tower, very suddenly the tanks just stopped! They turned around and went home!!!! The people continued to pray and sing while celebrating! To this day, no one knows why the tanks turned away....I’d like to think that it was a MIRACLE!!! So we went into the tower (21 stories high) and just looked at the beautiful scenery of Estonia. We actually got to eat lunch in the tower and it was delicious!!!! (rather expensive though) The building was circular with windows on all walls so we could see out over all of Tallinn!
We got back to the BMC around 3 and had a very relaxing afternoon! A few of us went to the store and picked up some food. We found a new delicious snack.....cheese sticks with marinara. It was Cynthia’s birthday so we went to an authentic Estonian restaurant! It was good food, but being with the WHOLE group was a lot of fun. We got back to the BMC around 9 o’ clock and many of us went right to bed!
It was an all around very fun day. We got a chance to really see why Estonia is such a conservative country. It was a very neat day and it was great to be able to relax for a little while. I think tomorrow we will begin our work at the Lighthouse and be able to spend time with the people there.
God Bless and I will do my best to update tomorrow,
In Him,
David
We are learning a lot and it is hard to take all of it in at times. We attended the service yesterday at the mission center and were all introduced and welcomed. Cynthia and I knew two of the songs and sang along in English. We had a very good interpreter.
Blessings from Tallin,
Beth
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi everyone,
Well sorry I didn’t update yesterday...I was exhausted so I went to bed early!'
Yesterday we went to the Estonian church service at the Baltic Mission Center. It was similar to the 11:00 o’ clock sanctuary service at Asbury. There were probably about 100-200 people at the service and there was a great sermon give by Olav (spelling) and I do not want to even try to spell his last name. He is a very cool man. Stephen and I talked to him after the service and it turns out that he is a huge part of the survival of the Methodist Church in Estonia. (Mom and Dad I can’t believe you haven’t told me this!) But while the soviets were still in control of Estonia they tried to completely wipe out the church. But Olav stood for the Methodist Church here and did underground services and actually got kids to come to Sunday school on Sundays by inviting them to his house and telling people that it was a birthday party. This was one of the first times I have talked to him and he is an incredible person!
After church we met up with Mal (I’m not sure if I spelled her name correctly) and she took us to the radio\TV tower just on the outskirts of Tallinn. It is a very significant building because it is where Estonia gained their independence. The soviets wanted to destroy the tower because it was where the Estonians broadcasted all of their news. So the people of Estonia gathered on the lawns of the tower and connected hands and began singing and praying. The soviet tanks continued to charge directly at the people that were surrounding the tower, very suddenly the tanks just stopped! They turned around and went home!!!! The people continued to pray and sing while celebrating! To this day, no one knows why the tanks turned away....I’d like to think that it was a MIRACLE!!! So we went into the tower (21 stories high) and just looked at the beautiful scenery of Estonia. We actually got to eat lunch in the tower and it was delicious!!!! (rather expensive though) The building was circular with windows on all walls so we could see out over all of Tallinn!
We got back to the BMC around 3 and had a very relaxing afternoon! A few of us went to the store and picked up some food. We found a new delicious snack.....cheese sticks with marinara. It was Cynthia’s birthday so we went to an authentic Estonian restaurant! It was good food, but being with the WHOLE group was a lot of fun. We got back to the BMC around 9 o’ clock and many of us went right to bed!
It was an all around very fun day. We got a chance to really see why Estonia is such a conservative country. It was a very neat day and it was great to be able to relax for a little while. I think tomorrow we will begin our work at the Lighthouse and be able to spend time with the people there.
God Bless and I will do my best to update tomorrow,
In Him,
David
Caspian Team Sunday morning update
Everyone has arrived safely. They had a good first day in Baku...Went to church, saw the Foxworths, did some touring, had a nice dinner. They were off to bed early. Leaving for Ginga early Monday morning Baku time for 5 hour drive. Looking forward to seeing all their friends there and doing their work. I'll keep you updated as I hear from them.
Claudia
Claudia
Update from Beth & David
We had a great time today at the Open Air Museum. It is a center depicting historical lifestyle of Estonia. We saw Estonian folk dancing and our group participated. I have it on video. We had lunch there and then returned to Old Town for more sight seeing and shopping at the market on the square. Tomorrow we will attend church at the Baltic Center and Mall tells us we will have lunch in the TV tower. We had another beautiful weather day and have had a great time getting to know each other and Mall. I will try to get some pictures sent when the ones in the know return to the center. We are headed to dinner now. We have eaten our way through the city and certainly have enjoyed it.Blessings,
Beth McCalman
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Hello everyone,
TODAY HAS BEEN GREAT!!!!!
This morning we got to sleep in till 10 a.m! It was very nice to get well rested. We went to the Estonia outdoor museum today and it was a PERFECT day to be outside. The museum was great....we learned a lot about the old Estonian culture and even got to dance as part of a skit that the people put on. (Yes the girl I danced with was very pretty!) We had a delicious lunch at the museum that consisted of soup, veggies, potatos, and a pork roast.We spent a lot of the day in Old Town, Tallinn where there was beautiful weather. We walked up to Toompea, the upper city, and looked out over all of Tallinn. We also went to a coffee shop and just relaxed for about an hour. We had a great time!!!
Last night we went to a great worship service at the Generation2 building. The music was great as well as a great message from Anton*, a good friend from last year. We played basketball for a couple hours after the service. On the way home we had to stop for ice cream at the American Embassy...aka McDonalds. We saw a man skiing, yes skiing, down the streets of Old Town in a womens bathing suit. It was a beautiful sight....NOT!!! We got a pretty good laugh of it though. We stayed up really late,or I guess you could say early, and played Jungle Pong with a new friend we met from Illinois named Jason, very cool guy.Tonight we plan on eating at the grocery store and plan to lay low. I'm sure that Stephen and I will try to meet up with the college students and hopefully hang out with the Generation 2 youth group.
If you would like to hear more about the trip and see a few pictures (don't worry the half naked skiing man will not be shown) then Stephen Pittman has created a blog for this trip. The website is http://www.blogger.com/www.stephenmission.blogspot.com You can comment on the trip at this website or I would love for you to e-mail me. I miss you all and have some great stories already...and I have only been gone 3 days!!!!!
God Bless,
David Read
Friday, June 15, 2007
Estonia Lighthouse Update, Friday morning
I am mailing from the Lighthouse. We made it to Tallin yesterday afternoon with no complications. Our flights were all on time and smooth. We were able to spend a couple of hours walking around Stockholm while on our layover there. We rode the bullet train into town. All of our luggage arrived with us which was definitely a relief. We were met at the airport by Mall and the college team and they got us to the mission center and helped us get into our rooms. The kids walked us to the bank to exchange currency and took us to the buffet they have found. Very good food. We all slept well and have toured the Lighthouse this morning and had some lunch here. Some of us are preparing to tour the city. It was rainy and cool when we arrived and cloudy and windy this morning, but has turned into a beautiful afternoon. We will write more later.
Blessings,
Beth McCalman
Blessings,
Beth McCalman
Tallinn Update from Dick Read
Hi Everyone,
We arrived in a rainy Tallinn around 4 p.m. yesterday. All of the students here came to pick us up at the airport along with Mal. It was really great to see everyones faces and they were very excited about our arrival.
We had a six hour layover in Stoãkholm yesterday so we took the train into town. It was very cool, the train traveled at over 100 mph and was VERY smooth. The city was beautiful. It was cold and rainy but we still enjoyed it very much. We got to go into old town and see the palace and just enjoyed the experience. (Not to mention all the very pretty blonde girls!)
Last night we went to a small restaurant in the supermarket. It was very tasty and it was great to catch up with all of the college students. A young girl from Generation 2 (the Youth Group from Baltic Mission Center) had her birthday party last night so a few of us went to the Methodist house to celebrate with her. It was so nice getting to see lots of my old friends at he party. We went back to the church about 10:30 p.m. and it was RAINY!!
This morning we are at the Lighthouse and just hanging out with the kids. The sun recently came out and we are going to go eat in Old Town this afternoon as well as sight seeing.
I am looking forward to tonight because Rachel and Emily are singing at the Generation 2 worship service. And for those of you that know them you know that they are no Celine Dion. It is going to be GREAT!!
All is well here and we are all very excited to be here. I hope to hear from you all and i will write again in the next couple of days.
God Bless,
David Read
We arrived in a rainy Tallinn around 4 p.m. yesterday. All of the students here came to pick us up at the airport along with Mal. It was really great to see everyones faces and they were very excited about our arrival.
We had a six hour layover in Stoãkholm yesterday so we took the train into town. It was very cool, the train traveled at over 100 mph and was VERY smooth. The city was beautiful. It was cold and rainy but we still enjoyed it very much. We got to go into old town and see the palace and just enjoyed the experience. (Not to mention all the very pretty blonde girls!)
Last night we went to a small restaurant in the supermarket. It was very tasty and it was great to catch up with all of the college students. A young girl from Generation 2 (the Youth Group from Baltic Mission Center) had her birthday party last night so a few of us went to the Methodist house to celebrate with her. It was so nice getting to see lots of my old friends at he party. We went back to the church about 10:30 p.m. and it was RAINY!!
This morning we are at the Lighthouse and just hanging out with the kids. The sun recently came out and we are going to go eat in Old Town this afternoon as well as sight seeing.
I am looking forward to tonight because Rachel and Emily are singing at the Generation 2 worship service. And for those of you that know them you know that they are no Celine Dion. It is going to be GREAT!!
All is well here and we are all very excited to be here. I hope to hear from you all and i will write again in the next couple of days.
God Bless,
David Read
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Estonia Report from our College Students
Hello Everybody!
We have arrived safely in Estonia and have been here for about 5 days now. This is the first time that we have had any down time since our arrival. We have a had a very busy past few days, but we are having a wonderful time!
Our first day in Estonia was a little rough on all four of us, the jet lag was pretty intense and it was cold and rainy, but we were just so thankful to be here! Once we arrived we ate lunch with Robert and Amy, Robert is one of the Pastor's at the Baltic Mission Center and Amy is his wife from Tulsa, and helped around the BMC preparing for the 100 Celebration of Methodism. It was a good way to keep us awake. The next day the four of us,Dustin, Emily, Chris and I, were the welcoming committee for all the people coming to the celebration. We sat at the Hotel Viru for 9 hours welcoming people. It was really neat! There were Bishops and Superintendents from South Korea, Norway, Estonia, Russia, America and a few other places. It was really exciting to get to talk to them and hear about different ways that Methodism and Christianity are influencing the world. The celebration was out on this beautiful island called Kuurasaree. It was wonderful to worship God with people from all over the world, to hear their passion for bringing God to the nations and to celebrate their history.It was a great learning experience and was also very encouraging. The boys are shooting a documentary while we are here and got some wonderful footage while we were out on the island. We returned to Tallinn, the capital, late Saturday night and went back to our guest house and went to bed. On Sunday we woke up and and went to church. The service was very special, because the Russian and Estonian congregation were combined, which does not usually happen, so the service was spoken in Russian, Estonian, and in English. It was really neat. Sunday afternoon we went to the Zoo with the youth group from the Baltic Mission Center and we had a blast! It`s really neat to get to know these people on a more personal level and to actually get to hang out with them! Tom Harrison and Mary Ann Smith also arrived yesterday, but we have not really seen a lot of them yet besides getting ice cream with Tom last night!
Thank you all so much for your prayers! Continue praying for opportunities to share Jesus with people and for deep relationships while we are here. Sorry if this was a boring e-mail, but there was a lot to share! God is doing some amazing things here in Estonia and we are so excited to be seeing first hand!
In Him,
Rachel Read
We have arrived safely in Estonia and have been here for about 5 days now. This is the first time that we have had any down time since our arrival. We have a had a very busy past few days, but we are having a wonderful time!
Our first day in Estonia was a little rough on all four of us, the jet lag was pretty intense and it was cold and rainy, but we were just so thankful to be here! Once we arrived we ate lunch with Robert and Amy, Robert is one of the Pastor's at the Baltic Mission Center and Amy is his wife from Tulsa, and helped around the BMC preparing for the 100 Celebration of Methodism. It was a good way to keep us awake. The next day the four of us,Dustin, Emily, Chris and I, were the welcoming committee for all the people coming to the celebration. We sat at the Hotel Viru for 9 hours welcoming people. It was really neat! There were Bishops and Superintendents from South Korea, Norway, Estonia, Russia, America and a few other places. It was really exciting to get to talk to them and hear about different ways that Methodism and Christianity are influencing the world. The celebration was out on this beautiful island called Kuurasaree. It was wonderful to worship God with people from all over the world, to hear their passion for bringing God to the nations and to celebrate their history.It was a great learning experience and was also very encouraging. The boys are shooting a documentary while we are here and got some wonderful footage while we were out on the island. We returned to Tallinn, the capital, late Saturday night and went back to our guest house and went to bed. On Sunday we woke up and and went to church. The service was very special, because the Russian and Estonian congregation were combined, which does not usually happen, so the service was spoken in Russian, Estonian, and in English. It was really neat. Sunday afternoon we went to the Zoo with the youth group from the Baltic Mission Center and we had a blast! It`s really neat to get to know these people on a more personal level and to actually get to hang out with them! Tom Harrison and Mary Ann Smith also arrived yesterday, but we have not really seen a lot of them yet besides getting ice cream with Tom last night!
Thank you all so much for your prayers! Continue praying for opportunities to share Jesus with people and for deep relationships while we are here. Sorry if this was a boring e-mail, but there was a lot to share! God is doing some amazing things here in Estonia and we are so excited to be seeing first hand!
In Him,
Rachel Read
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