Our Opisto student completed his year Jämsä Opisto last spring. He was our first child to attend Opisto. With this minimal parental experience, I am happy to recommend Opisto to every young person.
This fall I started my fifth year in university. My studies have reached a point where there is only an uncompleted Master’s thesis between me and graduation.
Imagine yourself at a normal weekday meal. You hear the clatter of spoons and smell the aroma of hot soup. There is the hum of conversation with occasional silent moments. And then, all of a sudden, you feel small arms around you and see the sunny face of a child. “She is so nice. This mommy is so sweet. I love you very, very much.”
The camp of the Lutheran Church of Estonia, Talu, is located in Saku twenty kilometers away from Tallinn, the capital city. Talu is Estonian and means a ’farmhouse’. And we actually saw cows and horses grazing around the camp. Hens were pecking for food on the yard, and our little daughter was allowed to collect their eggs. The April sun was shining so warmly that the people who had gathered at Talu for a Bible study course decided to keep some of the lessons outdoors.
During my recent mission trip to Guinea we visited many homes in Nzerekore and Conakry, keeping services in village halls and gardens. I was traveling with the Togolese speaker Nicholas Deh and Guinean Alphonse Haba, who lives in Gambia. Alphonse also translated our speeches and served as our guide.
When people say goodbye, they often also say: ”Remember me when you pray to the Heavenly Father.” Or simply: ”Remember me.” I have thought that this request is not merely a beautiful phrase. It is the petition of a poor Christian that I would pray on his or her behalf. For a person who makes this request the most important thing is to remain believing and to get into heaven.
Sergei Gerasimov is a Russian vicar from Primorsk. He received the grace of repentance during a confirmation camp for Russian believers in Jämsä.
The last few kilometers of the ride to the location of the services are bumpy. The children in the yard notice us and run to greet us. The older children can speak English well. An interpreter helps us visit with the rest – everyone is able to greet and say their name without an interpreter.
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Trusting in this promise, we often gather to listen to the word of God and its explanations. The promise is great, but how is it possible?
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