All Shapes and Sizes... and Ages :)

October 2, 2009

            I went to a Bible study this past Wednesday with Rebekah. I had been looking forward to it ever since we had talked about it last Sunday and I was filled with excitement as we walked to Bastion’s house. I don’t actually know if that’s even how you spell his name. To me, Bastian just sounds like a nickname for Sebastian… so until I see it written, I will spell it this way. He is from Germany but lives in Finland now. I’m not sure why. I didn’t ask. I guess I was a bit timid.

            Rebekah and I were the first people to arrive. We talked to Bastian and went through the typical questions with him; where are you from? what are you studying? how long will you be here? Those sorts of things. He must be in his late 30’s or early 40’s. I can’t really tell because I am horrible with estimating age. As more and more people began to come, we had kahvi and tee (coffee and tea) and apple slices. I tried very hard to remember everybody’s names because I am very bad at that. I know there was Mitch from Australia, Patrick from Philadelphia, David from… Germany? and David from India. David’s wife and son were there also. His son’s name was Isaac. I love that name! Most of these people were probably in their 30’s and 40’s. There was one man there who was in his 70’s. He made us all Kombucha. It is a drink that is made from tea and mushrooms. It’s supposed to be very good for your body and it tasted like a mix between white wine and apple juice. Needless to say, I loved it!!!

            When we all started talking, it was simply amazing. These men [and woman] were so wise and so educated about spiritual things. Rebekah told me that David from India is able to quote like the entire Bible. I felt like I was sitting in a room full of Pastor Riddle’s and C. S. Lewis’s. Ok… that may be pushing the envelope, but you get the gist. Everything I’m hearing is like something I hadn’t taken the time to really think about as deep as these people were talking. I grabbed my notebook only to realize that I forgot a pen. I FORGOT MY PEN!?!? I was a little put out with myself but didn’t feel like asking for a pen at the time, I was too busy listening to everything. I felt so comfortable here. They looked at Rebekah and me no different than anybody else, though there is an obvious age difference. They valued our words and opinions and everyone spoke in turn. There were usually moments of silence after one person would speak where you could tell everybody was thinking on what they said. I will admit that I didn’t say much because I was quite intimidated by their spiritual maturity and knowledge of the Bible. I was glowing inside though thinking about how much I can learn and grow from these people who already seem to have a genuine interest and care for me. After Bible Study, we said our goodbyes and they were all excited to see us at church this Sunday for the international service (it’s in English) at St. Luke’s Chapel.

One of the men graciously drove us home so we wouldn’t have to walk in the sleet and dark.

            I am so excited that the Lord provided me with this community. Though it looks a bit different on the outside from what I expected, I can really see what awesome relationships I can build here in Finland. Tonight, Rebekah and I are going to Lift downtown at the Pentacostal Church. It is a youth group and is actually held in Finnish, but we were told that the Finns there love to speak English. I hope that we can go tonight and meet some awesome Finns our own age and be able to have some fun and maybe learn a bit of Finnish too! The Lord has really been proving to me just how big He really is!

Honesty... the best policy?

September 26, 2009

            Today, Carmen invited me to go to her Spanish friend’s birthday party and then go to the lake tonight and see if we can see Northern Lights, but I’m just feeling a bit like being alone. I’ve had a nice, quiet day and have worked on a few things that I’ve been meaning to do. I also had a lot of good thinking and writing time and I hope to continue that. I guess I will have to see God’s wonderful Northern Lights another night.

            Lately I’ve just been thinking a lot about why God has placed me here. After Beach Project and all I learned this past summer, I feel like there is such a potential here for me to make a difference and I don’t feel like I’ve really known how to approach that. Because I do not make friends easily, I can be a bit more distant than the other kids may be with one another. I want to form closer relationships but I am not usually the one who has to pursue those. I usually wait for others to pursue deep relationships with me; so being out of my element is throwing me for a loop. I would love to leave this country in December feeling like I’ve made new best friends all over the world.

            I found my pastor’s sermons online today and I was very excited. I haven’t been to church here yet and I just don’t really know how to even figure out when it is and how I can get to an English preacher. I know this may be due to a lack of initiative on my part, but I hope that I will find the courage to find out and start going and maybe meet some people. I brought a couple of books with me, C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity and Don Miller’s Through Painted Deserts. I’ve already read Mere Christianity, but it is such a good book, I wanted to bring it. It’s kind of a tough read and I really love his intelligence and he is just a brilliant man. I opened it today and flipped through all of the parts I had underlined. It’s fun for me to do that and read what I underlined and remember the first time I read it. I hope to read Don Miller while I travel. My friend Jessica told me it’s a great traveling book. It is a sequel to Blue Like Jazz and I absolutely loved that book. I think I will take it with me on the trip to Rovaniemi on Tuesday.

            From what I’ve heard about this place, the people are not too concerned with God. The Finns that I have talked to were very open and honest and not afraid to talk about God. They didn’t try to convince me that they love God and are good people the way many Americans do. They didn’t argue that their actions don’t necessarily mean that they do not care about their Creator, they simply know whether or not God is a part of their life or not. In some ways, I find it more refreshing. I am not afraid to talk to people about God because they are not afraid to talk about it either. They don’t become awkward and anxious or reluctant to go down that road, because they have MADE a decision. Unfortunately, many Americans have MADE their decision as well. They are just unaware of it or in denial about it. If you haven’t made the decision to accept Christ and follow Him, then you’ve made the decision to reject Him. Every time.

            When I talked to Timo about church, he told me that most Finns do not go to church and that the ones who do don’t act like it. He offered to go with me and Rebekah to a church one day that was in Finnish… he obviously thought we just enjoy sitting inside a chapel on a pew or something, because listening to someone preach in Finnish wasn’t exactly the Sunday-morning I had pictured in my mind. I did appreciate the offer though. I guess the good thing is that they do not have ill feelings towards you if you are a Christian. They are in touch with themselves enough to admit their own positions on the subject and without shame. It reminds me of my favorite verse:

Revelation 3:15-16

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Of course, I would love for them to be on fire for Christ instead of on the other side. But there are few things more frustrating than arguing with someone who thinks they are on fire for Christ when their lives paint a completely different picture.

Matthew 7:16-18

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

And since I don’t think my own words can sum up this post better…

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’