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Newsletter September 2014
Hello all Friends!
European News
I am at home in Australia again after the long European tour. I want to say a big thank you to my friends in Finland and Estonia, especially to my dear new friends in Tallinn, Andrus and Margit - you were more than a well of refreshment to me. Also my heartfelt thanks to Estonian Christian Pentecostal Church " Eesti Kristlink Nelipuhi Kirik". May God Bless You Mightily.
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| Estonia |
Church service at Estonia |
Perhaps I am a bit different from other Finns, for I have never been to Estonia before as I have always thought it would be full of Finnish tourists and I didn't want to add to congestion. I was very surprised to meet only Estonians, in fact so many of them, reason being the big music and dance festival which was held at the same time in Tallinn. About 100 000 people had come from all around the country to see it, so Finns were an unnoticed minority in the crowd.
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| Church building |
Church in Tallinn was a surprise in many ways because it was so full of YOUNG PEOPLE, wow!!! It felt similar to the Philippines where churches are bursting with youth. In Tallinn they have a very special youth group which is working without restrictions, spreading the Gospel in Russia. They are doing it freely through SIGN LANGUAGE, which is not banned. Now I would like to challenge you all to learn this international language, as it can be used worldwide. Some minor details may be different but you can make yourself understood anywhere by the sign language. We do not know how long the Gospel can be freely preached but we can still use sign language as an option.
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| Ulla, Adrus, Margrit, Anne |
I didn't know that Estonia would be part of God's plan for me until I stood on a hill, watching the scenery before me. I suddenly recognised that I had seen the very same in a vision many years ago, albeit just briefly. At that time I couldn't understand it, as no explanation was given to me. However, now it was clear to me that I had come to the right place at the right time and that God had started something new according to his own plan. Where it will lead, God alone has the answer.
News from the Philippines
The Philippines has again been hit by storms, floods, rain and typhoon Glenda, also named in Siam Rammasun (God of Thunder). This time the typhoon was furious with winds as fast as 250km/h, bringing lots of damage also on Mindoro Island. It started July the 14th and it destroyed 83 492 buildings and caused damage on 111 372 buildings. Devastation affected roughly 1 million people, with many deaths. Areas around our Aroma school were flooded, water reaching up to waist high. Children were evacuated to our main school in Mamburao. The Government does not give help to feed the evacuated hungry kids, so this responsibility fell upon us but thankfully we in Hosea were able to send help to their dire need.
When the storm was raging, school kids and staff were praying for God's protection, while many of the town's buildings lost their roofs. Our school's front awning was swaying to and fro, steel posts moving and banging in wind, with high danger of windows being smashed by wind pressure. Students and kids were gathered in classrooms for safety but you can imagine their fear, as the youngest children are only 3 years old.
The Aroma village was worst affected and people were hungry. Fishing boats including ours couldn't go out for fishing because the conditions were far too dangerous, so food supplies ran out. During the monsoon season we of course can't do any building work either, although the planned big building next to our school would have desperately been needed during this monsoon season.
This year Mamburao city was chosen to host the School Teachersʻ´ training Seminar which takes place once a year and where attendees come from around the whole island. This is the Filipino way of doing regular tests for all their teachers, so about 1500 teachers crowded the city. Too many people for the capacity of the local accommodations, so we took some of them to our school. Filipinos are very versatile people, they are well adapted to the idea of sharing, so squeezing many of them into the rooms does not upset them at all. Problem was solved amicably and everybody found a place to sleep including our Hosea teachers.
New churches in lack of church buildings
Our fast growing new churches need buildings - church members are there but no buildings to meet in. The members have donated cements bags, concrete blocks and timber but they have asked our help for reinforced steel and girders etc. There are four pastors and thus four churches now in need of our help. A Baptist believer has donated land for one of the churches and we have another block of land in San Vincente. This was earmarked for another school building and church, but the pressing need for church building has brought us in a situation where we have to give this piece of land for the church. There are already 500 bags of cement and some timber donated for this project.
The Lord has opened new doors for us into so many new islands, but we need more funds to conquer these territories for the Lord. Certainly God's blessing has been strongly upon our work in the Philippines. I have often wondered why it is so. One reason surely is the fact that we have very effective local workers and associates. They are like apostles of the old, working tirelessly and sharing all they have with those in need for the sake of the Gospel and because they love people around them. The church members are themselves poor, but they still manage to help each other with what little they have. Certainly we have nothing permanent here except our Lord Jesus Christ and we are called to share Him to this ever darkening world.
Coming mission trip
Before Christmas I will again travel to the Philippines. To my great joy I will be accompanied by two friends from Australia and a youth team from Tallinn who want to learn mission work with hands on experience. It is a great privilege to go out with such a team. Please pray for us that we would walk in steps prepared for us and that we would be able to accomplish all that the Lord has planned for this time.
Once again, many many thanks to all our supporters for your prayers and donations. All your help is greatly appreciated. Greetings and love to all the believers whom I met on my tour in Finland. I want to give special thanks to all of you who pray for this ministry, without you this work could not progress, but through your prayers doors have opened up quickly. Praise the Lord. And thank you Hosea team for your tireless work in keeping this ministry moving forward and expanding.
May God bless you all richly and mightily.
With loving greetings,
Anne
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