February 2021 Prayer Requests

Dear Friends of Estonia,

I hope this letter finds you well and healthy in these complicated times!
I want to thank God that we are able to keep churches open in Estonia and we can serve people. The mission of the church goes on and there is a lot of work to do, though a lot of it is over the internet nowadays.

A little over a week ago we had a good webinar about how to deal with the different crises in life and it was well-received. We want to keep providing these digital opportunities that will help and bless people in the church and beyond.

The new church planting team keeps meeting and making preparations to launch a new Methodist church this year.

We had a good meeting with mission-minded people about the future of our mission work and we are actively preparing for the Summer Conference. We pray that the COVID-19 will not stop this work and once the situation gets better, we will be able to implement a lot of our plans to further the Kingdom of God. So please keep all of these areas in your prayers.

I also want to thank you for your prayers for a woman with COVID that I asked to pray for. Her situation, which was very critical at one point, is stable now and she is recovering well.

Thank you for your prayers and God bless you all!

Please pray for the seminary as we begin our February sessions. The sessions will all be done remotely due to limitations on gathering together.

Praise God that we have had the resources and technologies necessary to deliver a high-quality education online this year. While it is still far easier and preferable for our students to learn in person, we have been blessed to have generous donors, a knowledgeable technology person, able teachers and translators, and understanding students. It is not easy, but everything is far smoother and better than it was last year. We are still learning, but we have gained much knowledge through this experience!

Prayer for the country of Estonian. Recently, a new political coalition was formed, and a new Prime Minister installed. The previous government had a good and respectful relationship with the church. We pray this sort of relationship continues under the new government.

In January we had two birthdays- mine and one of the most faithful church members who turned 75! As well the church building has been in our hands for 82 years. Praise God!

In February I will be in Ethiopia. In fact, I am writing the message on the aircraft. The mission trip, which was supposed to be last spring as my missional practice, is happening now. Pray for the team, there are four of us, that we might be the extension of God’s hand and pray for protection.

Pray for my church as well. Eivin is there to oversee the renovation of the floor in the main hall. Praise God for we are now able to start the work!

Thank you for your faithful prayer fellowship with us!

About the green card – I am grateful to God and to Harry Turner that Harry connected me to a lawyer who is very experienced with this matter. So I have a very good supporter next to me to guide me through difficult waters. No decisions have been made yet and only a couple of months are left which may bring challenges of a different sort. Please continue to pray for this very important matter.

I am grateful for the health and wellbeing of my wider family and myself.

I am in prayer for wisdom to make the best decisions regarding the plans and scheduled events in 2021.

Dear friends! Many blessings and strength to you all – the US is in our prayers intensively. We have been troubled and prayerful with you – may the Lord guide us all during these days. The friendships matter so much!

Thanks:
Current events have made us search and pray stronger. Some good new initiatives and internet gatherings have happened.

Prayers:

• Estonian new government and the families – family politics
• Youth and children ministry development – wisdom to disciple youth in current circumstances
• Aldersgate prayer-seminar in zoom
• Võru food-banc, the leaders´ health, the work-load is growing that the leaders have strength and health to continue

Preparation for summer:
Next week gathering in Tilsi. The Miller family from Jõhvi will share their story, pray that the gospel will touch some broken children.

Pray for our youth confirmation course. It will start on 7th of February. Beginning in Zoom, but we hope that we should continue with real life meetings. Pray, that all participants grow in faith and will finish this course also.

Pray for our seminary student Kristina, who is going on a mission in Ethiopia. That this time is a blessing for local people and she will be safe.

Pray for normal life returning also, in Estonia and all around the world.

Estonian speaking youth work

• We are working on the Youth strategic plan as a team. May God lead us and give us heavenly wisdom and vision.
• We a planning new teen’s work start in UMC Reeküla. May God bless our trip and team there.
• I ask God’s presence as we are reading altogether the book “The Christian Atheist“ by Craig Groeschel (spiritual growth).
• The Youth Committee is working on how to encourage and empower local youth leaders.
• We all need God’s wisdom to continue our youth work in the COVID-19 situation.

UMC Räpina

• Our son Benjamin (a young athlete) has problems with his ankle. He needs God’s help and directions.
• Funding for the next phase of construction is currently lacking
  • Iron construction $ 9,500
  • Demolition, support, floor casting preparation $ 5,000
• Let’s pray that God will lead the team and bring out more people to continue with our new church building project.

Please pray for the school where Livia teaches. The Coronavirus situation is putting serious stress on the teachers and leadership. Pray for clear decision-making, communication, peace, and of course health!

The Seminary is working on a report required by our accreditation agency. Pray for God’s guidance in this process, that what we write would be satisfactory and that the discussions and decisions we make as part of this process would be leading us in the direction God wants us to go.

Dear friends,

Here is prayer requests and praise reports from Children Center Lighthouse:

We are thankful to God for a new helper – a young man from the Alternative Service Program, who is also a member of our church. He has been very well received by the children. We thank God that all the children in the children’s center have been healthy so far and that the center can work as usual.

We pray for teenagers who end up in the company of “bad” friends, are in conflict with their parents, are cursing, and are rude to others.

God bless you!

Thank you so much for your prayer support.

Many restrictions still apply in our country, so we are not yet actively able to hold ministries for teenagers, youth and children.

Pray for us, we are filming weekly Sunday school programs and doing services online. Let the Spirit of God touch children through these programs and fill their hearts with love.

We are also now awaiting a decision from the government to reduce the bans and then we plan to hold a teenage camp from February 21 to 25.