Thinking about this past year 2016 gratitud really fills my heart. It has been such a great year in terms of health, friendships, family, provision and many more things. I feel privileged to serve God with my talents and gifts and to be part of this big movement of the church which is alive and mobile.
Our Christmas celebration was awesome here. I'm already getting used to the fact that it's summer, it's hot & humid, the celebration is outside and beyond the good food there's joyful music and dance. We celebrated together with our Art ministry but also other people and family members joined in and together we were around 30 people.
Few weeks before the Christmas Eve we had a big Christmas dinner for the whole neighborhood. It's one our ways to reach and evangelize the people around us every year.
My piano student Joas performing
We shared the gift boxes from Operation Christmas Child to every kid who came
Here also some other photos from the last times:
Our band Pujahca playing in December
Celebrating the independence day
I wish you all a blessed and fruitful 2017! Get fully involved in God's adventures and I bet it won't be a boring year!
Thank you all for your prayers and support and love during this past year! It makes the difference!
Hope you all had the best Christmas ever! I spent mine in the coast of Argentina in a city called Mar del Plata. I came here to the local YWAM base to rest a bit before starting the 2016 with everything!
This year 2015 has been full of action as the missionary life always seems to be. Once again it's hard to believe that all these things happened in one year. Let's see a bit.
It was the beginning of the year as we created the musical "Huesos Secos" with the art school students and performed it. The school finished in March and some students joined our ministry.
The YWAM conference was this year in Mendoza. We went a bit beforehand to help with the sound system. But beyond the work it was time to renew in the Spirit. In 2016 the conference will be in our base..!
One of the happiest memories of the year was when Marko, my youth pastor from Finland came to see me here! We even got to know the famous waterfalls in the North of the country.
We also got to arrange LIBERARTE, the art event for the youth of our city. This year was very fruitful cause some of the guys stayed in contact with us and we were able to disciple them.
Then the real miracle of the year was our outreach to USA. I had a little faith in the beginning but by your help the trip came true! And how God blessed every single detail..!
Our second outreach was to the South of Argentina where we performed our family musical in 7 different cities, all together 25 times including schools, churches, theaters even outside... Thousands of kids heard the message salvation through this play.
In September we had this unique opportunity to record three songs in a professional studio with our band Pujahca! It was something we didn't expect but God just arranged it all! Such a great experience!
And the rest of the year we had three weddings at the base, we started reaching out the hip-hop culture, continued giving art classes, celebrated the Christmas with the neighborhood and many more things...
This was just a quick look to the year to be able to WONDER God's goodness and faithfulness! Remember that all this was possible because of your support and prayers! I couldn't be able to do any of this by myself! So thank you soooo much!
The year hasn't been super easy but it's good to see how fruitful it was anyway! I'm expecting new things of 2016 and trusting that Daddy has some cool stuff prepared for all of us!
We'll start the new year with an art seminar. The invitation is open for everyone!
P.S. Even though my plan and vision is to stay here in Argentina and serve Lord here for now I do want to visit home back in Finland this year! So please join me in prayer so everything will fit together!
I wish merry and blessed Christmas to all you readers, friends and supporters with some news:
written on 21st of December
I'm writing this update on a train. We are leaving Mar del Plata behind and heading for the downtown of Buenos Aires.
We are in a new season of the school. The classes are behind and this month is dedicated to an artistic investigation. The idea is to get to know cities with strong artistic movement. As we are many in the school we split up. In my team we have six students: Jason, Mora and Lester from Guatemala, Gerald from Nicaragua, Mirja from Finland and Lorena from El Salvador. My amazing co-leaders are Joel (Argentina) and Camila (Chile). As none of the students is Argentine we decided to stay in Argentina because it has lots of stuff to be seen and discovered.
So we just spent two weeks in Mar del Plata, in the touristic city on the coast of Argentina. This was actually my second time there this year! In February we presented our musical over there. This time we stayed at the local YWAM base. It was totally best for us! The guys welcomed us so well and we got to spend really good time together as well. The base is only one block from the beach. To be honest it's a great privilege and blessing to be able to go to the coast. It's totally beautiful and relaxing!
We got to see different shows almost every night: music, dance, theatre, street art etc. We have break dancers in our group and anywhere we went the guys got to dance and the people were super interested. This also opened doors to new contacts and to evangelize people.
Mirja teaching ballet to the ywamers
For me leading a group to another city is quite a new experience and that's why I'm super thankful that I'm not alone. Together with the other leaders we compliment each others and also share the burden.
For me the first week was a bit difficult because I got sick. I had strong allergies and right after I got an infection in my throat. So I spent few days in bed with high fever. It wasn't easy because I felt I'm more like a burden than a help. But God was treating my heart. He affirmed me once again and taught me that my leadership or authority don't come by what I achieve but straight from Him.
I'm so thankful to Daddy for these two weeks of care and blessing! Tonight we'll get to the "Capital base" of YWAM. That's the base in the downtown of Buenos Aires where I did my counseling school two years ago. We'll continue our investigation in the centre. However we'll head back to our home base for Christmas and new year. It's better so spend the holidays in a familiar environment as most of the guys spend their first Christmas away from home.
Thank you friends for making this trip possible! Your support has allowed me to join the team and share the financial challenge as well. Your prayers sustain me and drag me deeper to God time after time.
So let's thank Daddy:
For healing me and also treating my heart
For taking so good care of us
For His grace every morning ;)
Please be praying for us:
For the financial challenge of the group (they are lately doing their best: selling bread and dancing in the parks to get some money)
For protection and health
For wisdom and discerning to everyone in the leadership
Greetings from São Paolo's airport! I'm almost there - just waiting for my third flight which will finally take me to Argentina.
So now as my visit in Finland is over it's a good time to post some photos and share a bit.
The whole trip was such a great gift and a huge blessing! I really realized that it's by God's grace that I could see my family and friends, serve and enjoy. I could really experience Daddy's love through many different people, especially through my parents and family.
It was hard to leave my country once again - especially because I don't know when will I come back next time. I already miss friends and family. But more than anything I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with them.
YWAM Ruurikkala - I got to know this amazing DTS!
A worship meeting where I shared a short testimony
The Christmas celebration of the youth ministry of my home church
From a pentacostal church
Amazing Sarah, my friend from the DTS, came to see me!
Visiting my sister's family
Tampere
Thanks mom for taking us to eat!
Chinese dinner..!
my daddy
The Christmas Eve. My brother came over with his wife
The Christmas day - singing for the homeless/alcoholists/poor
Lovely people indeed. Got to pray for one of them and just share Daddy's love.
More family together! The children make a real Christmas!
From my home church's new year camp. I gave a teaching about missions.
Well, I also spent heaps of time with my friends, but I don't really have photos of that. However they are super important for me and I really liked just to relax.
Hope each one of you had an amazing Christmas and New Year. May God really bless u overwhelingly during this year!
