December 2022 Prayer Requests

Dear Friends of Estonia!

I wish you all a wonderful Advent season as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and look to His return in the future! May this season be blessed and full of God’s presence for you and your loved ones!

Also, thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers!

Please pray for the Christmas season, as there will be many special events and opportunities for churches to present the Good News about the Savior. Please pray that people’s hearts would be opened and many would come to know the Lord.

Please pray for wisdom and guidance for many decisions and plans for the church’s future.

Please pray for the war in Ukraine to end and for the work with the refugees.

We are rejoicing over the improved working environment. The rector’s office became more people focused with a yellow sofa, a rug, a new desk, and an office chair. Pray that we can keep the momentum. Pray that we may progress in our desire to improve the teacher’s room and front office through renovations and changes in furnishings. We are also thankful for technological improvements in the main classroom, added student electrical outlets, etc. Small things are a cause for joy.

We ask for prayer for this year’s final study session next week and our upcoming Seminary Christmas party for faculty, staff, and students. Our Seminary has a tradition of supporting a charitable project at Christmas. This year we want to support Ukrainian theological education. The donations collected during December will be forwarded to the Overseas Council Europe at the beginning of the New Year. In support of theological education in Ukraine. We hope to raise at least 1,000 euros for their aid.

We are grateful for your prayers and pray that God will bless all of you with a very Merry Christmas!

November has been very busy, and I am thankful for that.
Soon after returning from Nashville, I headed toward Basel, Switzerland, for the Central Conference session of Central and Southern Europe, where the conference elected a new bishop, Dr. Stefan Zürcher. I have known him for many years, and believe he has gifts and graces from God to provide leadership to this vast range of countries and cultures. Bishop Patrick Streiff, who has been in this office for 17 years, retired.

The week after that, I was in the Central Conference session in Germany. Both large meetings allowed me to connect with many old friends across Europe and build new relationships. I am very grateful for the opportunity to experience this wonderful connection across wide area and many countries.

I look forward to the more peaceful time in December and thank God for the outlook to spend more time with Meeli and meet all our children and grandchildren during Christmas time.

Always thankful for this fellowship of prayer with you!

Dear praying friends! Blessed Advent time and coming Christmas!

Praise God for time in November

Continuously people who disappeared during Covid are returning to worship services
Also, new young people are coming to youth ministry. We all need strength to go further.
Tea, a church board member, is a psychologist and counsels families in the church. A lot of children are participating in reading-course, which is now also in the church.

One couple from Ukraine continuously attending Võru church.

We had a blessed time with a prayer seminar in Lahti with the Aldersgate team. It was good to share together fellowship and prayers.

Prayers for December

• that the Lord will open hearts and give opportunities to share the Good News,
• financial situation, as with the Ukrainian war, most of the costs have been raised almost 2 times
• Youth and children ministry growth
• Common Christmas party with all four churches
• The orphanage, where Thea works – several children are very open to Gospel and there is a Christian event on 17th December
• Youth camp in Saaremaa Dec 30-Jan 2nd

Dear praying friends! Blessed Advent time and coming Christmas!

Praise God for time in November

Continuously people who disappeared during Covid are returning to worship services
Also, new young people are coming to youth ministry. We all need strength to go further.
Tea, a church board member, is a psychologist and counsels families in the church. A lot of children are participating in reading-course, which is now also in the church.

One couple from Ukraine continuously attending Võru church.

We had a blessed time with a prayer seminar in Lahti with the Aldersgate team. It was good to share together fellowship and prayers.

Prayers for December

• that the Lord will open hearts and give opportunities to share the Good News,
• financial situation, as with the Ukrainian war, most of the costs have been raised almost 2 times
• Youth and children ministry growth
• Common Christmas party with all four churches
• The orphanage, where Thea works – several children are very open to Gospel and there is a Christian event on 17th December
• Youth camp in Saaremaa Dec 30-Jan 2nd

Dear friends
We thank God for everyone that helped us with moving. It was much more stressful and took more time than we initially planned. We still have some things waiting to be unpacked. The center’s doors have always stayed open for children, so we’re struggling to find enough time for everything. Please pray for us to have the strength to handle all the challenges. We thank God that Teri DeWendt from Asbury UMC offered her help and came to Estonia. We ask for a blessing for the time she is in Estonia.

One day after we were able to move the last things from the old rental rooms and hand over the keys, I received a phone call from the doctor at the hospital that my dear father’s health had worsened. God allowed me and my two sisters to visit him in the hospital before the Lord called him home. We know he is in a much better place, but it is still hard on a human level when a loved one passes away. I thank everyone who prayed for our family during this time, and thank you for your condolences.

We ask you to pray for the upcoming Christmas holidays so that the Christmas message can touch children’s hearts.

Have a blessed advent time,