Merry Christmas and Blessed 2016

Happy Holidays to everyone!

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.

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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.

Second night over! So proud of our students! Come and see us this weekend or the next one! #ame #huesosSecos

A video posted by Pyry Ihonen (@tofindmore) on Feb 20, 2015 at 5:36pm PST

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..!

A #worship moment from our annual conference. Fellowship, word, ministration, celebration and healings! So #grateful to Jesus! #jucummendoza #ConferenciaAreaSur

A video posted by Pyry Ihonen (@tofindmore) on Apr 5, 2015 at 6:33pm PDT

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.

At the #triplefrontier of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.

A photo posted by Pyry Ihonen (@tofindmore) on May 13, 2015 at 8:51am PDT

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..!

Los Latinos took over the #CentralPark as we went to promote #nycityfest and #PalauFestival. #ywam #jucum

A photo posted by Pyry Ihonen (@tofindmore) on Jul 8, 2015 at 5:13pm PDT

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.

A photo posted by Pyry Ihonen (@tofindmore) on Aug 11, 2015 at 4:41pm PDT

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!

#studioselfie #pujahca

A photo posted by Pyry Ihonen (@tofindmore) on Sep 2, 2015 at 4:23pm PDT

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!

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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!

Good News in the USA

Greetings from USA!

Well actually I’m back in Argentina now but I’m sure you want to hear something from our missions trip to the United States.

Most of us had a long layover in Miami!

The lovely Kodys Family

Our three-week-long outreach started in North Carolina. One of our team members, David, is from there and his parents welcomed us to stay there. The ministry that we did there had to do more with Christians and churches. We shared with youth and with a cell group, we presented a play in the Vacation Bible School and in a Sunday service and led a whole Sunday service in a smaller church.

Vacation Bible School. I was one of the actors.

Corin dancing in a Sunday service

Hiram sharing about our ministry and the work we do

For few days we split to groups to serve different families with cleaning, packing and moving for example. With my group we drove a bit further to meet the family we helped. Our job was super simple: to move boxes, pack stuff etc. However we were such a great help and left the families more than happy. It’s crazy though because we ended up being super blessed! Well I think that’s how the Kingdom works.

Connie. We had such an honor to know this great woman.
She even gave us copies of the book she wrote!

boxes

Lisa and Matt and their beautiful family. 

David’s parents lent us their van and a car to drive all the way to Virginia. We stayed there just few days but it was such a beautiful reencounter with Lindsey, one of the old staff members from our base back in Argentina. We got to share with the youth group of their church and they also prayed for us in their Sunday service. We also spent the 4th of July there. It was such a beautiful experience tc celebrate with the locals.

It was such an art to fit all of the bags into the van!

Lindsey translating Hiram in their youth group

Part of the parade of 4th of July

The fireworks kept on going for 40 minutes!

For the last week of our trip we finally traveled to New York. Some of us took a bus meanwhile others drove the van over there. We stayed at the local YWAM base in Long Island. It’s such a wonderful place and the staff are amazing, hardworking servants! The only issue was that the base is quiete far from the city but that’s understandable however.

The base leader

worship moment at the base

We were not the only YWAM team which came to help with the Luis Palau Festival. There was a team from Puerto Rico, from Mendoza Argentina and a couple from Argentina. In total we were around 40 Latinos and Spanish-speaking wannabe Latinos like me.

We spent some days evangelizing and interceding in important places in New York City. We presented some plays and choreographies and invited all the people to come to the New York City Fest / Luis Palau Fest. Our team did really well because there are so many Latinos in the city so you always find someone to speak Spanish to. I was happy as well to be able to speak Spanish, it was pretty useful!

We played soccer with these guys from El Salvador.
It was an easy way to enter to a conversation and we even ended up praying for them.

In Central Park

Dancing salsa and tango at the Times Square

Girls sharing about God´s love to some Muslims

During the last weekend there, Saturday and Sunday, there were two big events in Times Square and Central Park. Those were the climax of New York City Fest, where the world-known Argentine evangelist Luis Palau preached. When he shared the gospel, the people had an opportunity to answer and receive Jesus as their Savior or rededicate them with Jesus. Our job was to get close to those people, pray for them, take their contact and give them a book to help their spiritual growth.

Times Square

Times Square

"Seek first for the Kingdom..." I always wanted to see TobyMac!
God is faithful and He surprised me with this.

Luis Palau and Alejandro Rodriguez, our leader of YWAM Argentina

Central Park

Central Park

Central Park

In general our trip was so blessed, as Jesus “warned” me beforehand. Some may wonder why on earth would the Latinos do and outreach to the USA, but I just got to see that there’s a great need in the States as well. Especially in New York I felt a bit hopeless to see how great the need is and how small the resources of an individual are. However I was happy to be part of something greater. And I do believe that our presence impacted the spiritual environment of the city.

Once again this trip was a miracle and God provided everything we needed during the three weeks. Thank you SO MUCH for supporting me, I’m really touched by that.

Our next challenge is an outreach to the South of Argentina. We’re leaving in two weeks already! We’ll take our children musical to eight different cities and present it in schools. How cool is that: super funny and original musical with a godly message presented to all those kids in the very place they study. I am excited. But it’s also a challenge because we need to buy our tickets there. It’ll be around $300 USD. Please let me know if you are willing to be part of this!

P.S. I renewed my residence yesterday! I have one more year to stay in Argentina legally! That’s how faithful God is!

a small but really important request :)

Hey guys!

Have been a while since writing. I'm sorry if someone missed my updates.

The Art Internship with Shini and Rob who
came to teach us about communications!
Amazing people, such a blessing!

Lots of things have happened. But the most important is that I can see how God has been working in my heart and the hearts of us as ministry and missionary community. The last month has been also a time of repentance and brokenness. It has been more than necessary.

Basically the life goes on. I'm a staff member of an Art Internship here in YWAM Ituzaingó, Buenos Aires and spend my days with translating classes, cleaning, preparing events, taking art classes, having good moments of worship and intercession, evangelizing, cooking etc etc.

Haha, these photos are from the baby shower of today!

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But now I'm writing to you because I need your help with something really specific! More than a year ago God spoke me about supporting financially the missionary work in the unreached mission field (10/40 window - the areas where people have never heard about Jesus.) So since that I have supported a missionary every month with a certain amount of money. 

The truth is that God has been really faithful and I have been able to be supporting whole this time. However it seems I won't be able to send my monthly support this month. So I really wish that someone would be part of this thing and help me with the support of this month. The amount is not that big, don't you hesitate to ask me!

The missionary I'm supporting (let's call him "Taa") is a Thai missionary in his own country. I met him in Thailand in 2010 in my DTS outreach. He with his ministry is doing constantly a great missionary work and evangelizing. It's so encouraging to read from his newsletters about the new saved souls and different miracles.

So please, pray and ask God if it's your part to help him this month and please let me know! I can send you all the information or you can transfer the money to my account and I send it forward.

Thank you guys! May God bless you!

slight changes

Things change - God stays the same. One door closes - God opens another one!

Unfortunately we were not able to made it till Cuba as the whole team. We would like to go later, but it's not possible for the people receiving us in Cuba. However God opened another door from the province of Santa Fe here in Argentina!

Tomorrow morning we'll take a bus and after seven hours we'll find ourselves from Santa Fe! We'll be teaching in a big youth camp. In Santa Fe the people have just a great need of the words of affirmation and love. Together with the local leaders we wana meet this need with biblical counseling, teaching and the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Sounds awesome, right!? Haha, and I didn't even mention yet the swimming pool they have at the camp...

After three weeks we'll head to the city of San Clemente at the coast of Argentina as we planned before. The outreach will finish in the beginning of March.

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God has really surprised with His favor and faitfulness! I'm just so thankful for every single person who has supported me financially or promised to pray for me. I just feel so loved by people and by God!

I don't know if I'll be able to update anything during the outreach. But surely I will upload lots ot photos later, ok?

Good bye YWAM Bs As Capital! See you soon!

Reasons to worship:

• The financial miracle I have received
• Every single person who's praying for me
• God opened the door to Santa Fe!

Reasons to pray:

• Wisdom and fluent Spanish for the teachings we'll give & creativity for the dramas I must prepare
• Strength and patience for every moment of the outreach
• For my personal life. God's confronting me with really fundamental things. Please pray for this heavy process!

Coming soon... OUTREACH!

Happy New Year!

The world didn't end on the 12th of December nor 22nd so it seems we still have time to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, wake the death and disciple every nation. We don't know how much time we have left (only Father does) but let's use all the time wisely, right? There's still so many people living in darkness, entire people groups totally unreached by Gospel and people disappointing with a god of the religion. As church and individual we are to rise and believe that the Almighty Himself has sent us to fulfill the Great Commission. 

2012 was a year of many blessings and I guess we have all been able to see God's faithfulness. One year ago I had no idea I would do this counseling school which I'm already about to finish now. However God spoke to me about this school in February 2012 and even though I didn't have all the finances to do the school I obeyed. God is so faithful and as I wrote you in the previous post I have been able to pay the whole school! Thank you all supporters!

We organized an international night to rise funds for the outreach.
We sold different food representing our nationalities and performed
songs, dances etc. 

The cake I baked! It doesn't look like real "mokkapalat" but trust me,
the Colombian cafe made it the best one I have ever tasted!

OUTREACH

I have been blessed so much during these three months of the counseling school. Now the theory phase is almost done and it's time to act. The main idea of this school is "to receive in oder to give". I have been receiving so much wisdom, healing, love, grace and freedom. Now it's time to share it all! It's time for the outreach!

With my group I will head first to Cuba for one month. Unfortunately I can't really tell any details here publicly, but I will send my friends and supporters a newsletter or FaceBook message to order to inform a little bit more. If you don't receive this message soon, please contact me and I will send you the information.

However I want already share you this great challenge I have in the financial area. The tickets to Cuba are not cheap at all. Also the prices are really high in Cuba. Later we're planning to go to a city in the province of Buenos Aires Argentina for another month to teach and evangelize. 

We're planning to leave for the outreach on the 12th of January. That's pretty soon, right? The graduation of the school will be on the 9th of March. Everyone is warmly welcomed!

Reasons to give thanks:

• The blessing of 2012: good health, friends, family, new experiences, going deeper with God
• I was able to paid my school fees
• Even the troubles which shows me God's grace and power!

Reasons to persevere in prayer:

• The finances for the outreach
• The people we're going to meet on the outreach
• For the battles I face in my everyday life