Moving, Moving, Moving...

Well, we have been living in Estonia for 4 months now and are finally getting settled into our second place to live. We first rented a place in northern Viimsi vald just a little northeast of Tallinn and were fine living there until a problem arose with the house. Without going into too much detail, the house is connected to a septic and well water system and not city sewer/water. Every so often, I would have to call a man to come and empty the tanks. Well, I was told that I would only have to do this every 4-6 months, but it has turned out that we have to do it every 1-2 weeks. That in and of itself was not too much of a problem, it was just what happened after the tanks were emptied. For about half a day, the entire house smelled terrible. Apparently there is some kind of seal broken that is allowing those fumes into the house.

Well, after having emptied the tanks 4-5 times, we had had enough. It was too much to have to endure that smell so often. We were concerned for our health and even Crystal had been getting sick after every time it was emptied. So, we began looking for a new place to live. Trusting that God has a plan and knows where we would live, we set out to look. It didn't take long to find two places that were located in the area that we originally wanted to live and were much better priced. We prayed about it and decided on one of the two.

We have now moved in and our rent is less than half of the previous house. It is a little smaller so finding enough room for all of our things has been a challenge, but fortunately God also provided a garage that I can rent for cheap that is nearby to store anything that doesn't absolutely have to be in the house. We are located just south of Tallinn now in a little town called Peetri. It is much easier to access the city now and closer to everything. This is the same region that we lived in before when we lived in Estonia.

Throughout all of the move, there has been several feet of snow on the ground. It has not really been challenging, just kind of annoying. Having gone through all of this now, it reminds me of the faith we have in God and trusting that He has a plan for us here in Estonia. This new area is teeming with young families who regularly get out and walk up and down the streets. It is a fantastic place to begin ministry and to get to know our neighbors. If living in the first house was simply a place to be to get into the country, then it served its purpose. Hopefully this new place will be where we can stay for many years and see great fruit come from it.

January Update - Christmas in Estonia

We celebrated our first Christmas back in Estonia this past month. The two Christmases that we were here in 2009 and 2010 were completely covered with snow and were beautiful white Christmases. Having had such an experience before, I told my children that there would be snow at Christmastime. Little did I know that Estonia would be enjoying one of the warmest falls/early winters in many years. Normally, the temperatures are definitely below freezing by Christmas, but not this year. So, we settled for a snowless Christmas this year. However, the week after Christmas is when the bottom dropped out and the temperatures plunged to well below freezing. Snow followed and now we have plenty of snow and even some below zero (both Celsius and Fahrenheit) temps.

At Sunday school on the 13th, they had a Christmas party. The kids were able to make gingerbread cookies, play games, sang songs or said poems to get gifts, and heard the Christmas story.

On December 20, after the service, the church had a church-wide Christmas lunch. It was a good time of fellowship, meeting new people, and trying new Estonian foods.

Christmas away from friends and family can sometimes be difficult. We enjoyed a quiet Christmas at home with our kids. Fortunately, we were able to Skype in to our families and it was almost like we were there. Such is the trade-off for being on the mission field. It is hard, but we know that God has called us to do a job and has given us a vision to fulfill. We cling to His comfort away from extended family during this season and rely more on His presence as we serve Him in Estonia.

On December 12, the church held a Christmas market with a pancake breakfast, games for the kids, and a doll theater. This is the doll theater performing the Christmas story.

Every year, the church finds a very large tree from the forests of Estonia and brings it into the city to be placed in the main church building. This tree is roughly 18-21 feet tall.

The Christmas services at Kalju Baptist Church were filled with joy as we sang of our Savior’s birth and worshiped the Lord. Estonians place a greater emphasis on Advent and each service was begun with the lighting of the next Advent candle. It was a joyous time of anticipation of the celebration of the birth of Jesus and gave us a new perspective on the Christmas season.

Please pray for the following:

• Praise God for granting our residence permits!
• Praise God for our developing ministry partnerships.
• Pray for the Estonian people that God would open their hearts to the gospel and for relationships to begin.
• Pray that God would help us to grasp the Estonian language and to use it more and more fluently.

If you or someone you know would like to support the mission and vision that God has given us for Estonia, then send your checks payable to BMAA Missions with “Mission:Estonia Work” in the memo line.  Mail them to the BMAA Missions Office at:

BMAA Missions
P.O. Box 878
Conway, AR 72033

You can also donate online. Click the red “Donate Now” button on the right to donate now!

Your support goes toward helping Estonians find their way to Jesus. Join us!

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