Tallinn Summertime Update - Part 3 - Moving time

Just a short update as tomorrow the Internet goes off in our rental flat on Tartu Mnt, and is connected at our new flat, though we are a week from moving in.  I guess while we are on that note, it's worth updating you on our new Tallinn home address - we expect to move in to it about a week today!


Helme 16/2, 39, Tallinn, 10614, Estonia


And it's a miracle that we get to write that really!  We are so grateful to God for his breakthrough and to the masses of people praying with us, and helping us get to this point!


Since the last update, when I talked about visitors, we've had two more!  Flic, from Hope Church in St Petersburg stopped over on her way back to the UK, and immediately before that we had Matt from the Riga church plant staying with us for two nights.  It was a really enjoyable time of chatting, praying and stirring one another.
We successfully moved our boxes over to the new flat last Saturday - Flic was a wonderful help with the girls, and the seven helpers we had with us from Elava Vee Church meant we got the whole move done and into the new flat within three hours - a great result!  Rain had been forecast - with everything safely in the flat, literally five minutes later, we all watched from the balcony as the heavens opened as a storm blew in!


Heartbeat Tallinn starts next week - this is a huge week long event that Agape, the student outreach group, have organised.  They have 1500 people coming to the city, and joining with local and national Christians here in Estonia, it's going to be a great service to the city.  Please pray for it.  Please pray that we would also get connected into the right places.  It's the same week our kitchen is going in, and we therefore move in, as well as Arnoud and Elisabeth and their 3 children moving to Tallinn, so it's looking like a busy but exciting week.  A focal point of the week is Christ Day, which is the Saturday 28th July.  They are calling all the Christians in Estonia to come to the stadium for this day, where there will be prayer and other stuff during the day, and a big concert in the evening - among the singers is 'Britain's Got Talent' winner, Susan Boyle!


Tallinn has just hosted the Under 19s European Championships (Football), which was won by the Spanish.  It was really interesting to see all the various teams walking around the streets, exploring the city as we too have been doing these last months.


And finally, one thing I don't think we've mentioned, but seeing as it's on its way to Tallinn already, a praise point definitely worth a mention.  About two months ago, while we were thinking and praying about how to get a car, we were contacted by our friends at the UK based charity Love Russia.  When looking, we'd been hoping to get a 7 seat car, so as to be able to travel with people when they came to stay.  The finances would not actually have enabled us to pursue anything.  But the email from Love Russia changed all that - they are driving up a car for their summer camp in Estonia and asked us if, after they have finished, we'd like to have the car!  What's more, it's a 7 seat car!  We are so thankful to God, and of course the wonderful generosity shown by all at Love Russia for this truly wonderful gift.  Having lived without a car for 4 years, but with two children now, as well as living for the first time not in the directly in the centre, the timing is perfect.  They fly out from Tallinn on the morning of the 3rd August, so I will meet them there and drive back the car....and that's just in time, as filming begins on the 4th August with House Hunters International and a car is probably very vital for all that's needed for that!


God's perfect timing, as always!


So that's me signing off from Tartu Mnt....4 years of renting flats is coming to an end.  Next update is from the property no Estonian bank said we'd get - but God!

Tallinn Summertime Update - Part 2 - Moving into a new phase

 It's been longer than I hoped since the last short update, but here is another.
One thing that surprised us when we first moved to Russia nearly 4 years ago now was getting to March time and there being no Spring!  We'd prepared for the dark and the cold of Winter, but it hadn't occurred to us that other season's might be effected (all we knew was how it was in England - human nature tells you that this is therefore normal for all!)  Ha ha.  We laugh now about it.  Tallinn has an almost identical climate to St Petersburg, though thankfully maybe just a little less damp atmosphere which really makes it hard in cold, and hot weather.  So in Tallinn, the flowers are still out, and because of the great sunshine we've had, helped by the long nights, things really do come alive at this time of year.  The streets are busy, we've always noticed a healthy outdoors attitude by many that get to call Tallinn home - and this is certainly something we want to get into too!  Mia (pictured left) loves smelling and exploring the various flowers on show around the many parks here.


A new phase - What is really exciting is to be on the brink of a new phase to the church plant, which is of course the sole reason we've moved our family from Russia to the capital of Estonia.  Phase 0 was always making the move, settling into our permanent home, starting to learn language, getting schooling sorted, and because of our belief in team, seeing people move here to join us before we started any 'official' church plant activity.  Most of you will know that Mia has been accepted into school, and starts on 1st September.  We've started with language (though have a looong was to go as it's a really hard one!).  This month we will move into our permanent home, which we know will be a great base for all that God will do through us in this part of the world.  And also, on the 27th July, Arnoud & Elisabeth move with their family to join us here in Tallinn.  They are Dutch, and lived in the UK for about 5 and a half years before moving to Valga, southern Estonia, two and a half years ago.  They have three children, the oldest being the same age as Mia.  We are very excited to have them join us and so thankful by how God has started to answer prayers about team.  A Russian girl who is joining us from Hope Church also appears to have an offer for work here in September, so please do pray for her documents to come through (she needs a visa to live here) as well as for Arnoud & Elisabeth's move to be a smooth and easy one.
In Phase 1, which is now just a month or so away, we'll see this small team gathering, praying, seeking God together, while growing in relationship and community and looking to bring others along into that.  We'll be living out the values we want the church to have right from the beginning with the small group that will meet in our flat.  So it's really exciting.


And when God spoke to me about Tallinn, He talked about connecting with the other capital city church plants nearby - and it's exciting to see things growing in relationship in those areas - last night I spoke for a long time with Kevin Jones, who's family are moving to Helsinki, probably early next year, and they are coming for a month in August to explore the city.  He will come over to Tallinn for a day in August and we'll hang out, chat and see what God will do. And tomorrow, Matt Medd from Riga is coming up to stay with us for two nights.  We are really looking forward to spending this time with him, for talking together, encouraging one another and we hope learning from one another.  And this we know is just the start.  I'm planning to go back to St Petersburg in September for a church weekend away, that David Devenish is coming to speak at - I'll need to sort out another visa, but that's the plan.  


We've been really encouraged as well to hear from an American family who have moved to Tallinn for two years.  I met with the guy last night - they have been part of a New Frontiers church in Mexico and it seems want to get involved with us here too.  There have been a few others too looking in.

But life is never dull here!  The other day, just at the junction by our flat, we saw water flooding the street, and people stopping to take photo's.  I went out to investigate and there was already a camera crew there from a local TV news station when I arrived. A huge section of, I'm guessing, the main water main had clearly broken underground somewhere, so that, in many places, the water was pushing up hard and flooding the street.  Pavement and road were just being washed away.  Cars and buses were (usually!) slowly working their way around the worst of it.

And we were recently reminded of the extent to Tallinn being a WiFi city - exploring the beach area near to our new flat, I took a photo of one of the many signs you see, telling you how to get free WiFi, even while sitting on the beach!  How great is that!  ....that might be useful for sermon prep in the years to come...!


Visitors - It's been amazing how many visitors we've had already after just over 4 months - in fact, more than all our time in Russia.  The combination of cheaper flights and no visa certainly being a factor.  Each visitor brings something different - news from St Petersburg, encouragement for the work here, catch up with friends, help with the children.  It's great being part of such a global family of churches.
By the end of August we'd had have 60 days with visitors with us in Tallinn - a pattern of things to come?


And finally, we've mentioned this a while ago but not updated people since - when we arrived in Tallinn, we were contacted by the US TV show House Hunters International.  Well, now plans are more final, and they are coming to film us for one of their episodes on the 4th - 7th August.  We can't say much more now about this, having signed all their release forms, but it's going to be an interesting start to August!

Tallinn Summertime update - Part 1

I'm going to do this in parts so that it makes me write briefer entries, but more frequently!

 We have the keys!  Following on from the last blog entry, we've made great progress with the flat, so much so that we've signed everything at the bank and notary (more on that in a moment), as well as being given the keys last week.  We've now been able to measure up for curtains and start to buy things like a washing machine, which arrived today!  As the kitchen is still to be installed (new flats here come fully finished, minus the kitchen and most light fittings - unlike new flats in Russia, where not even the walls have plaster board on, so it could have been worse for us!).  The kitchen is due to be ready for installation on 23rd July.  As all our items are mainly still in boxes here in the rental flat, we will be moving everything over on Saturday 14th July, that being when we can get some help from some guys at Elava Vee, the local church we've made most contact with so far.  We can then unpack these boxes finally (Rachel still does not have her summer shoes as they are packed somewhere so she only has what she came with, which is a pair of winter boots!)  Therefore, depending on when the kitchen is finished being installed, we will be moving into our permanent (owned!) apartment on the 26th or 27th July!

Anya (pictured on the right) managed to give us a scare on the day we signed at the notary.  Not only did she get a raisin stuck up her nose while we were having the documents translated to us (Rachel managed to sort this out with tweezers and a torch back at the flat) but then, later on that same day, she managed to lock herself in our room using a key, and then couldn't get herself out!  Thankfully, after speaking with her (she was just crying and couldn't have done anything!) I remembered there was another key on our side, and pushing her key out managed to open the door with no damage done (to either the door nor our adventuring two year old!)  


Mia is also doing really well - and very excited about getting the new flat.  Her walk with God has really been strengthened through these last few months, as she's been praying real prayers for difficult situations and then having the joy of seeing things turn out exactly the way she was praying for!  
Last weekend we told Mia we were going to do church at home and she went to bed planning for what she was going to do for children's work with Anya!  She also made a microphone so that she could lead worship, saying to me how I needed to prepare a preach!  It was amazing how involved she was, and true enough, on Sunday she led worship (with Chris Tomlin helping with his CD playing!) and prayed out during this jumping about time before taking Anya out for her lesson on how God loves her!


We've continued to build relationships here - and I'll mention more about this in my next update.  We've also been really encouraged by more people feeling God speaking to them about Tallinn - one family from the UK, one girl we know, and also from a family that are just moving to Tallinn - so watch this space for more news as we hear it.


We've also 'bumped' into yet more people who we've had contact with.  This time an American family who I've been in contact with on Facebook for months, but haven't met before.  Rachel met his wife the other week.  In a shop last week we just happened to bump into them - what is extra nice is that I found out that he plays tennis, so now I have someone to play with when things settle down here and we can work out where to play.  They have only been in Tallinn for about 8 months, having moved also from St Petersburg where they had been living for about 3 years.


We've also had lots of visitors - which we'll mention next time I think - from random bikers doing crazy tours around Europe, to Rob & Sarah Walters.  Rob  leads our UK base church in Stockport, England.

We are so thankful for what God has done.  What we have seen so far has been amazing, and a pattern that we hope continues into the life of the church plant - the God of miracles doing miracles!  We've also been reminded recently by how quickly things can change.  The other week, while sitting at the desk working, I heard the crash of metal and noise of a tram colliding with a car, the impact so hard that the tram mounted the pavement.  There was only one driver in the red car, and though taken straight to hospital, had (rather quickly!) jumped out of the car just after the crash.  Praise God nobody was on the pavement at the time!
And just a few metres from this point, at another junction we cross every day, last week an elderly woman was knocked down by a bus and killed.  
So we are thankful that we have a God who is watching over us and keeping us safe while we outwork his plan for us in Tallinn.


And finally, Rachel celebrated her (23rd?) birthday yesterday, which was a wonderful day and lots of fun.  And (shameless plug I know!) it seemed fitting for this to be the day that my novel, Cherry Picking, was published.


This novel is really just another of the amazing sub-plots to have come out of our last four years since we first headed off from England on this amazing, ongoing adventure.
All the information about this book is available here, including how to buy the book, which is now on sale through Amazon in paperback and for the Kindle.  I highly recommend it to you!  (To clarify this, it is not a christian novel - the only christian bit about it is the author!)


We'll put more on here soon, but thanks so much for your encouragements and prayers over these last few months.  We really feel so many of you standing with us, praying with us and backing us - we know we are not alone.


We love Tallinn.  God loves Tallinn.  We're excited to be at the beginning of what is going to be an amazing church plant - and more on that real soon!

News from Tallinn (finally)...When No is just Not an Acceptable Answer

It's been an epic five or six weeks.  From this blog point of view, the entries have dried up.  Partly down to wanting to report the good news and so waiting, and partly down to the fact things have been so absorbing and emotionally draining, that there hasn't been the 'space' to report - and besides, no one wants to hear negative news! 
Well, finally that has all changed and we have the chance to share with you all that has happened to bring us to this point - sorry for keeping so many people waiting, having been praying with us for weeks and yet not hearing, but it hasn't been the easiest of times.


It has felt that we have locked horns with the Devil and God has brought us through to victory.  And here is why;


My last entry here was on May 7th, when I just got back from Riga and we were waiting for the banks to give us an answer.  Having started speaking to the banks here in mid April (the same week we then heard that the flat would be finished in May, and not July as expected) we were concerned that they started changing their stories, as if looking for ways not to give us a loan.
The first of the three banks we were speaking with came back with a negative, quickly followed by the second.  A big set back - we were hoping for three offers, of which we could pick the best - now it seemed just the hope of one offer was going to test our faith to the limit.
With hopes now resting on this final bank, called SEB, we were praying - they had suggested that they could lend us the 85% we were asking for.  We waited day after day, which turned into a week.  


The back drop to this was that I was preaching through the book of Ruth to a local church named Elava Vee (River of Life).  I'd spoken in April on Ruth 1 & 2 and then on May 2nd from Ruth 3.  I was speaking on Ruth chapter 4 on 16th May, and it was at this moment, the day's leading up to that third preach (on 2nd May) that all this was happening with the banks.  Not the easiest 'background' noise to help me focus!  And the way I prepared these talks was to start the next one on the Monday before I was speaking on the Wednesday, so that on Monday 30th April I was already working on Ruth chapter 4, which is all about how Boaz conducts himself in a business transaction, where he works in such a (legal and ethical) way, in order to get what he most wants (in his case, Ruth, his soon-to-be wife).
And I was working through this preparation, as best as I could, with all these issues with the banks cramming for space in my head - knocking at our faith, at our stance in God.  Trying to make us doubt.  Trying to make us give up.
And so we went into Wednesday 2nd May still not knowing what SEB would say - but expecting to hear any minute.  It got through to 5pm, and still nothing!  I had to email my notes through to the church for printing and leave, I was due to speak there shortly!  How I wanted a positive answer, and yet it was just more (now agonising) waiting!
I got to the church office where this meeting was, and my notes were not there!  Thankfully, I'd be able to sign into my gmail account and print off the attachment from my sent message - I did that at 6pm - and then spotted - there was a reply from the bank!  My heart raced, finally, the good news we were waiting for - and just before I'm about to preach.
I read the opening line - 'The response is negative'.  Punching me in the stomach at that point would have had less of an impact - and I was about twenty minutes away from preaching a message about God working through the difficulties and bringing about His plans for us and how He is Good and Sovereign.  The email finished with saying that 'maybe' if we'd put up 40% equity, they could do something!  Some chance!
I had two worship songs to prepare, but my mind was thinking through the implications too much, my Estonian not yet good enough to understand what I was singing.  And then I was up to preach.  Actually, I think two minutes in, I was away and flowing - preached well and really enjoyed it - before realising, and remembering, once again after the meeting, what the decision had been.
I came away already wondering though - was God about to walk me through Ruth chapter 4 over the next two weeks in order to make that final talk, and the end of the series, all the more powerful?  Because now, it was important how I conducted myself with the banks, giving them all the assurances and documents I could, working in such a way that is legal, honest and accurate, but working so as to get the thing we believe is ours to take hold of - this flat, that God wants for us.  Wow, I could see it already.  The story would have a happy ending.


Back to the banks.  When the first two banks first said no, I went around four other local banks asking at the counters if they did home loans for non Estonian's - and the ones that did loans, wouldn't do them for our situation.  We asked around and the only banks people could recommend were the very banks we were speaking to already.  So waking up on the 3rd May with this news still fresh, I went back to all three original banks and pushed things again - presenting reasons why they should do stuff, asking what documents they needed.  We obtained letters from New Frontiers and Stockport Family Church stating we are representing them here, confirming previous payments (all our UK money is sent through SFC, so as to be a 'salary' as it's from one source and at the same amount each month).  We asked what they wanted us to do.  We would not take 'no' for an answer.
Still these banks came back negative - twice, three times.  And each time, it was technicalities.  They liked the cash flow, like the fact we had our ID cards - they just wanted it through their bank, or wanted it to be an Estonian salary.  They were now just not wanting to do stuff - and with the flat now finished and deposit paid already, it didn't seem to make any difference pointing this out to them.


During this time, I'm sure many people thought, and someone asked us "Is this just God protecting you".  Are the banks saying No because God is causing them to.  
We fully understand this, but coming through it all, and actually at the time, the real question I think we all could be asking is "What is God saying to you about this?"  What do you feel God is telling you?  
I wonder, as Christians, whether at times we too easily give up on something because it's not worked out how we thought, or because there was an issue or reason stopping what you thought was God's opening for you.  And we tell ourselves, or others tell us, "it's God - so why don't you stop".  Job had it in the Bible - the voices around him were telling him things based on the situation, concluding that what they saw in the natural must mean God was behind it in the spiritual.
Which is why the question "What is God saying to you about this ?" is so important - because what we said at the time, and before that, all along was we were in this position because God had made it clear to us.  In a blog posted on 20th December 2011 (which I'll refer to in a moment) we stated that God had done everything he needed to do in time for us to get as far as we had with the flat.  He had plenty of opportunity to close the door - but in fact did the opposite - He opened doors when we had no other options.  And that same conviction is what drove us through April and May, when the banks were saying no, no, no.  At no point to us, did it feel like God was saying no. It was more like hell shouting "If we let you get this flat that God has shown you, it'll be such a great base for your family and for your church.  We can see the space being used to host meals and prayer meetings.  We can see the church growing and we do not want that to happen in Tallinn - this has been our ground for so long we don't want more churches being planted, so we are going to do all we can to stop you - we are going to lock horns and fight to the death".
Praise God He has won the victory.


And little did we understand, as we entered this two week period between the  final two Ruth preaches, that God had spoken about this very exact situation and time many months before.  As I mentioned above, in a December blog post titled Toward Tallinn - A Storm Is Coming, I had a dream back then that seemed to bring an end to the four months of issues we were facing.  At the time, and looking back, I could understand that the dream referred to what had already passed.  But on Friday 11th May, midway through this latest struggle, God reminded me of that same dream and actually gave me further understanding of what the dream meant.  Strange, I know, but I'll explain.


The dream was this (taken from the above linked blog) "I was at a window and saw a tornado in the distance going to the right and into a harbour. Then I went back to the window and saw a tornado heading my way, as if to just pass in front, before suddenly I was engulfed in it and the room I was in was just being messed up - I was screaming out but no one could hear me. I was hurting too. After 2 minutes (why this amount I don't know, but it represents a small amount of time with a clear end) it passed and things became calm. I could then get the help I needed."


At the time, as the blog goes on to say (you are welcome to read that entry again as well because this one makes a lot more sense in the light of our journey thus far) I just thought it meant an end to the UK banking hassles we were having - and it did in fact come at the exact time those issues ended.  But what God explained to me on 11th May, was going to take faith to trust in.  The tornado's represented banking issues - the first in the distance (ie the UK) referring to the issues we had back then last Autumn, and the second tornado represented those same issues with banks, but this time in our 'home' place, ie Tallinn.  It would engulf us and pin me down - it would be hard to get the help we need.  But the two minutes represented two weeks, of which we were in.  Then things would settle and then (and only then) would we get the help we needed.


In December, it was one thing having a dream and understanding what the previous months had been about, but now it was a different issue to actually be IN the time you think God has said and know when it would end!  I had my clear two weeks - it was from the 6pm on 2nd May when I'd got that email from the bank just before preaching Ruth 3, until the same time on 16th May when I was preaching on Ruth 4.  Two weeks represented by these two minutes.  But we were in it, this wasn't us applying things to historic events - this was living through what God had talked to us about 6 months ago!  This is exciting, yet challenging stuff!


By this point we'd started pushing every door possible (as you should do when you know God has said something and the enemy is doing his best to stop you).  Could it be that we could raise some extra money to get to this 40% so that SEB bank would speak to us again.  It seemed a long shot.  We put out an email idea which many of you would have seen.  Someone also thought up an idea on Facebook to raise funds for us.  And while we took up three people with offers to loan us money (all of which we'll be in a position to pay back by about August) it was actually from another source that God would choose to open up.  Because while this was going on it just so happened (which is the language used in Ruth to point out that what looks like luck, fate or chance is actually the providence of God), well, it just so happened that Rachel's parents were out with us during this time - and they've been able to loan us the bulk we need to get to this 40%.  During their visit came the time when the flat was finished and we were due to inspect it and sign off on it - which we arranged to do, still with no idea what options we had with the banks.  So they were able to come and see it as well.  We did this on Monday 14th May, feeling that God could again close the door to this for us if after visiting we felt anything but faith - but it only made it clearer that this was to be the home for us - it even seemed bigger and better than we previously remembered or thought!  We felt God more so than ever wanted this for us.  And having got the 40% together (in theory) we were waiting for the SEB bank to come back with their answer - due to be Wednesday 16th, in time for my last preach, but then it didn't come.  It would have to be the following day.  "Great", I thought "Better the news come AFTER this two week period than during it".  It all seemed to be coming together.  God had set the field, the play was underway, the pieces all there - this was going to be spectacular!  
Not quite - yet.  On Thursday SEB came back - it had gone to the highest committee and they were still saying no.  I managed to speak to someone on that committee.  The issue was local income (apparently a policy for a long time, and yet after weeks of talking with this bank and our situation the same from day one, now suddenly the issue is the source of our income...!)
But what God had in store was something different - the contact with this bank had been during the 'storm' - what God said was when the tornado passed, things would settle down and THEN I could get the help I needed.  And it was on this same Thursday, 17th May, that the agent representing the developer, told us about another bank they deal with (and yet had not mentioned before this point), and giving them our details, the guy called me that same day, I went through our situation plainly and stated the issues with the others banks, and he still said they could do something.  An email was sent, further documents sent and over the days our case was ready to go to committee, and missing it last week, we were reviewed yesterday and accepted!  We finally got the yes we were after.  Just one yes was all we needed. We'd had about 12 no's in total!  
Satan's time was up - the tornado had to pass and help had to come - two weeks was all he had to frustrate us, but God won the victory (and proved that He is God by telling me about it 6 months ago in a dream I had in St Petersburg).  And who said God doesn't speak today!


So I'm due to go to the bank tomorrow afternoon to sign all the paperwork.  After that it's just a matter of arranging the transfers, going to the notary and then getting the keys!  More on that soon!


But the good news doesn't stop there - when Satan frustrates, he goes at you in every way he can.  So another area had been Mia's schooling, which had seemed tied to Rachel being able to work, or even volunteer at the International School.  Things still were not clear, Rachel actually got the chance to help out for three afternoons last week at the school and from that understood that it might not be the best option for Anya while still so young. And with Arnoud & Elisabeth moving to Tallinn and looking for schools for their two daughters, we learned that the cut off date for applying for state schools was about to pass (it was last Friday, 25th May).  And though in faith we felt we'd get the flat, until we knew anything, we had to face the prospect that we'd be renting for longer, and so centrally located, rather than in the area we wanted to be with the new flat.  And as school places are done on catchment areas (ie the schools nearest to where you live) clearly we were in an interesting position - until we knew where we would be living, we couldn't know which schools to apply for.  They also needed their ID cards, which we've now started the process for applying (having got the wrong UK document Apostiled in the process!)  It was then that we found out about the Tallinn English College (TEC) - an Estonian school with an emphasis on the English language learning as well as Estonian.  And living where we are now, this came up as in our current catchment area. This will allow Mia to continue to develop in her English but also learn Estonian so she can be fluent in both.  
I went to the offices to register the girls, only to be unable to do so without their ID cards, but was told anyway that the TEC didn't take by catchment, but selected their students directly (it's a very popular school so for Estonian's tests are required for entry, as demand is 18 children per place available!)  So we called up and arranged a visit for yesterday morning.
We had joked by now that maybe the flat delay had been so that we would look at this school, which we otherwise would not have done.  And that now we'd found it, maybe things would all work out very quickly.


We arrived at the school at 10am, and was shown around, and first impressions were very impressive!  The lady then showed us to a classroom, which she described as 'the place where Mia will be studying in September' and even introduced her to the students there saying 'Mia is starting here next year'.  The facilities were amazing - we now looked at each other and thought 'fees!'  Up to now we'd thought it was just a state school - now we feared it was private.  It had to be, it just looked so good!  There was even a modern and very new fitness 'wing', complete with swimming pool, gymnasium, and even sauna's for the students to relax in!  We were doubly amazed to hear that there were no major fees - and as international's there was no testing process.  The place was Mia's and could we come back on the 11th June to meet her teacher!
We walked away from there stunned - and as the above shows, it was just about 2 hours after that that I heard the positive news from the bank!  What was extra special, was that Mia, seeing friends in England with school uniforms, has said for a while that she wants a uniform for school, which isn't actually normal here, nor was it in Russia.  And she's been telling us that she's been praying for a black and red uniform.  Well, not only does this school have a uniform, when we walked in it was indeed red and black!


It does feel that having stood our ground with God and not giving an inch, the enemy has been beaten and breakthrough is flowing.


And like in any Rambo movie, or where the tough hero guy has come through a battle, he's got some cuts, is bleeding but he's all the stronger for it.  These kind of figures never look like your angelic choir boys, but seasoned fighters who have faced down their enemies and lived to tell the tail.  And so it is with people of faith.  You take the hits.  You bear some scars.  But you come through stronger, and more dangerous because of it.
This hasn't been an easy chapter for us - but we've stood in blind faith, certain of what we've heard, never taking no for an answer, and God has brought about the victory, strengthening us through it in the process, making us (I hope) even more dangerous to the enemy should he come back again next time!


This has been long already - I hope you realise that I needed to tell the full story to really share the lesson's we've learned and give God the glory he truely deserves.  I will not mention our other news now, but will write soon about all the other amazing things that have been happening - from salvation at Alpha, to finally becoming a published author.  All this, and more, next time!  Thanks for reading - and most importantly, thanks for praying!  We've stood together.  We've conquered together.  God has won the day!

The Nations

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I write this entry, not in Tallinn (our new home city having moved from St Petersburg in March) but Riga, the capital of Latvia.
Many years ago, God first spoke to me about Russia (well the former USSR actually) and then a year after that spoke about the nations.  Plural.
Now, we live in a second new nation - and you sense that being based in Tallinn, God is now starting to outwork what He said to us years and years ago.  God is faithful and true, but you knew that already, didn't you!
I've been in Riga for an event hosted by the Riga church plant.  Matt and his small group have been in Riga for about a year.  We've been in contact, mainly through Skype, for about that time too, just encouraging one another, knowing we can do more together than we can apart.  So my main reason to get down here for this weekend was to spend more time with him, see the city (I'm going to visit a Russian international church on Sunday), and just be an encouragement.  And if I can encourage any of those coming from the UK for this event to join him in Riga, all the better!
It's now the afternoon in Riga, I've just finished lunch before getting my coach home in about 3 hours.  This morning, I went to Good News Church, here in Riga.  It's a Russian church - and it was so cool!  It was a BIG church - they had their own venue, cafe, kids play area, huge outside area.  There was much of the building I didn't even see.  The meeting hall was as big as I've been in for many years.  The worship, which started in Russian, was modern, God seeking, Jesus focussed.  The large congregation (it was hard to tell how big, but I'd guess there were at least 400 in during worship) were there to worship - not just watch.  Though there was a lot to watch - a big stage (which helps visibilty, these guys were not 'performing' but leading worship).  It was all being filmed with guys in GN TV shirts - I guess that's their (probably online) own TV station....
Had these guys been in St Petersburg when we arrived there in 2008, I'd either have packed up and gone home, or joined them! (I'm joking of course, but they are an impressive lot!).  Like St Petersburg, and Tallinn, Riga needs more churches, so I know Matt and his team have a great role here in the city.  I'm excited for them.
At the end of the meeting, really interestingly (I don't recall seeing a response like this for some time), there was a call for salvation.  I counted 7 going forward (not massive considering the crowd there).  But what I did find interesting, was the age range.  One lad, I guess 10 or 11, came forward.  There were three much older people also responding - two were AT LEAST in their 70s!  There was also a guy in his 20s, and two middle aged people, one man and one woman.  So it was a huge age range and great to see three people, at a late age, coming to Jesus for the first time.  Salvation, where ever it is and what ever it looks like, no matter what church its in, ALWAYS excites me.  God is the God who saves!
Thinking back to yesterday, one of the other highlights of this trip (besides Chelsea winning the FA Cup!!) was meeting a guy named Maurice for the first time.  He'd come to help speak and share at this event, being part of the team that helps Matt in Riga.  I really liked this guy (even though he's a West Ham fan...ha ha....I say that cause he told me he reads my blog!).  He had great character, was humble, faithful, honest and helpful.  I look forward to seeing him in Tallinn soon (hopefully in the Autumn).  It's great when you just meet someone, and talking with them, you feel encouraged in what you are doing, built up, led in wisdom....great.  And that's the 'added value' of being part of something like New Frontiers.  The outside help and just encouragement.  We aren't alone! (It can feel that way sometimes!).
This coming week back now in Tallinn could finally bring news about our flat - there has been LOTS happening with the banks, not all good, but we stand in faith.  When we hear for sure, we'll put that blog out, updating you all and giving you (we hope!) the good news.  But for now, we are still waiting, and the clock is certainly ticking!


From Riga I sign off (actually if you are reading this, I would have already got back home.  Rachel reads every entry for me, so that I make sense, but mainly because we do this together).

(Left - the most ultra modern trams I've ever seen ran one particular route in Riga.  They looked like they were about to take off - really 'Back-to-the-Futureish'!)

News From Tallinn - Early Days...

This was a short 3 minute clip I put together to show a little of Tallinn, and to raise awareness of the challenges there is for the church in Estonia.  Tell me what you think of it when you've watched it!


It's been a busy few days since we last updated you and some quite huge things have happened.  I met with all three banks this last week, and they are all now processing our application, which we should hear about this coming week - please pray for favour from all, that all three would offer something and that at least one of them would be what we were really asking for - which is to borrow the full amount we need.  What was really interesting and again highlighted the lack of general foundation about God and church in many people here, was that in both meetings on Wednesday, I was asked what a Pastor 'did' - and how I was going to plant a church.  One lady asked why people in England give money to us, so asking what she knew about the Christian faith, to which she said 'a little' I stated how the Bible calls us to reach our own area as well as the world.  I said how this was called 'mission' and that these churches and individuals were wanting to partner with us and help us reach new places, so that though they can't personally move, they can be involved.  And she just sat there and said 'oh yes, I see now'.  Amazing!  It looked less like a mortgage appointment and more like a church planting interview!  May God open up more conversations like that!


I also met with another local pastor here on Wednesday - Gabriel - which had been arranged the week before.  He's from LA but leads an Estonian church very near to our flat, and his heart is the same as ours - he's very mission minded!  We'll meet up with them this following week and look forward to getting to know each other more down the years.
The really funny thing was (God thing really!) was that on the day we found out that our new apartment would be ready on 1st May, therefore two months earlier than thought, we started to wonder what options we had on this rented flat, having signed the contract until the end of July.  It seemed, if we were to be fully moved over by mid-June, that we would have a month and a half to have to pay for the rent of this flat.  Rachel had called Brenda, our agent friend, to check, and she then suggested that if she could line up a replacement, then there would be no problems with us leaving early.  And she had a couple in mind....they were a young American couple, leaders from a local church....yes, it was Gabriel and his wife.  So 2 hours before I met him in a city centre cafe (I was at the bank at the time) they were at our flat, looking around - and they really liked it and will move in whenever we are ready!  So praise God - we have instant replacements sorted, and though there will be a little overlap with our new apartment, it won't be that much!


Elena from Hope Church came to Tallinn on Thursday, and we've been showing her around, while helping her find work - we've been looking into kindergarten's, but it seems that the summer is the time when jobs become available - no one is recruiting now, when there are less than two months of school time left.  Maybe the private ones are different, we are yet to find out.  Please pray that her time here is productive.
It was while taking her to see one option on Thursday that we had another funny 'bumping into' someone.  We were at the Rocca al Mare shopping centre, which we are fast growing to really enjoy (there is an M&S Food outlet at reasonable prices!) and I had Mia and Anya with me.  We were just walking around, having come from M&S and a guy stopped me - he was holding out some cosmetic products (I knew he was trying to demonstrate something with the salt in my hands) and I said I was OK - I said I knew some people who did this (thinking of Leo & Shani), yet I didn't recognise these products as the same business, though they were.  After talking for a moment, and unnoticed by me at the time, Shani looks up from the bench nearby and say's hi.  This WAS there outlet in this shopping centre.
I chatted with the guy (he's Estonian) and shared our 'excitement' at finding peanut butter at M&S - he didn't know what it was and asked if I could show him.  Glancing at Shani and checking it was OK, I walked and talked with him to the shop and showed him what it was.  He asked why we were here, and seemed really interested.  Having bought the peanut butter, he got a plastic spoon and proceeded to open it and take a spoonful, even though I was saying that it's best on toast!  He enjoyed the stuff greatly, and thanked me for 'bringing peanut butter in to his life'.  Seriously!
He said he could see an 'energy' in me.  I trust that's a good thing.  He took my details and wants to keep in touch - so we'll see what develops there.  But it just goes to show - God can open up any situation, even excitement about peanut butter at M&S that leads to contact and friendships and....who knows.
But maybe the craziest thing we'd heard came to light on Thursday.
I was on the computer and an instant message came through from a girl in Washington DC.  We'd met Chelsea three years back in Russia and had been in regular contact since.  She now works in a good government role and told us on Friday how she'd been at a conference on Cyber Security and the main speaker was the President of Estonia (another insight into how advanced this nation is in this regard!).  She got to speak to him after, and her message to us was how she'd told him about her good friends the Heath's and how we live in Tallinn now.  So the President of Estonia knows about us living in his country!  It made us laugh a lot!
He's apparently known for inviting people into his house from the streets, so maybe we will bump into him when at Kadriorg Park (which is where his house is, only about a mile from where we live now).  And if we do meet him, we can tell him about our DC friend, and invite him to church in Tallinn....
On Friday evening we had a big call to make of our own.  As many of you know we are selling our UK house.  And the firm putting it on the market for us also gave a cash offer to buy it from us - obviously a lot lower than market value.  We'd asked them to do this and their figure was much less - nearly 40% less than it's value in 2008 when we first moved away.
Our tenants move out on Monday and as Friday came around, we had this real sense that we should just accept this offer, if nothing more came to light, and move on.  Though low, it does just about give us what we need for now.  We also don't like the idea of the house being empty for too long where it is - firstly we have expenses on it, but also it runs a risk of vandalism.
So at 3pm UK time yesterday, I called them and said that we accept their offer.  Once they do an inventory, I think it is just a case of them informing the solicitors and then in 4 to 6 weeks, it should all be done.
So please pray that this process is smooth!


So things continue to move on fast - next week we'll hear from banks, as well as Tim travelling south to meet with some other pastors and church planters.


And we'll update you with the best bits of what happens soon!

News from Tallinn - The Early Days of the Church Plant

As God continues to unwrap things for us in Tallinn, it's exciting to see how things are developing.  We naturally compare things to the early days in St Petersburg, as our only previous experience of arriving in a new country, with a new language and culture, and starting to church plant.
One thing that has stood out here is this time, in some areas, how fast things are going.  Some of this is down to the practical differences, I'm sure.  In St Pete's it was our first time in the city - we needed to learn the city (which is a large place to learn!) and then find somewhere to live - our things then arriving a month after we moved in, so much so that we'd been in Russia 5 weeks before we had any real furniture in our flat - effectively camping out for a month in what was a very expensive tent!  In Tallinn we already had somewhere to move straight into, going the short distance from the airport and then into our new rental apartment.  And because it was mainly furnished, even though our furniture took about two weeks to arrive, we could live straight away.  And because we had visited the city several times before, we knew the city (which is a lot smaller) and also knew some people.
So we kind of hit the ground running, while still dealing with the transition and adjusting our daughters to living in a very different way.
And that 'hit the ground running' kind of feeling has been a theme - we are now about 6 weeks into time in Estonia and what we've been involved in already has been a surprise and joy.
We've got to know two churches - sharing at one already, preaching at the other.  That was my first ever preach in Estonia and will be followed by three more over the next 6 weeks as they want me to finish the series I started on the book of Ruth.  We've also met with others Pastors and this week I met with another.
This week we would have fed our 11th person as well as having already gone somewhere as guests for dinner.
In the next two months I will travel a bit as well - next week to central Estonia where there is a relational group meeting of like minded men and women.  It's the first time I've met most of them so that should be a good time.  In May I also will travel to Riga for a conference and then after that, to a city at the bottom of Estonia on the Latvian border, where they've asked me to help out at their Alpha Holy Spirit day, taking some of the teaching and helping in the ministry time after.
At the end of April I will also go to the monthly Tallinn Pastor's meeting, and build relationships there, I hope.
Now lots of this did open up in Russia in time, just not so quickly, so it is exciting to see what will come of this 'fast' start.
Due to visa reasons, I didn't actually preach anywhere other than in Hope Church while in Russia.  So maybe it's partly the freedom of life here, back in the EU, that has opened things up more for us?
When we arrived in St Pete's, joining Dave and Hannah, that did give a team from the start, with the two families.  We were quickly joined within two months by Nadia and Johanna, so by the end of the second month in Russia, we had a team of 6.
That isn't going to be the case here by the end of April.  Back then those 6 were the only 6 people we knew, and that was just starting, because we didn't actually know each other before arriving, so the first 6 months was spent getting to know one another and our surroundings.
So we don't have anyone on the ground with us here, yet!  But this last month there has been a family 'wondering' about joining us, for which we are praying they do!  And this week a girl from Hope Church is visiting us, having already told us she feels called to join us in Tallinn.  
So maybe by the summer we will have a group of at least 5 adults together - the starting of a team. And that would be just great!
We of course share this to give glory to God.  As I've said many times, when we look at ourselves, we think there is no way God can use us, no way that he could work through us - because we see all our weaknesses and know that there are others that he could really use - but as for us, no chance.
The Bible is so true when it says that he takes things that aren't to display his glory - that he uses the foolish things to shame the wise.  I don't know who the wise are, but when I try and think it all through - learning another language when I'm still trying to figure out Russian, seeing a team come together, facing the challenges that are coming up, starting a church, buying a car - I feel so foolish in it all and wonder if God really has the right man here.
That said, there is no place in the whole world that I'd rather be.  Better that I be a foolish man around the plans and purposes of God than in a place I seem wise, but God isn't with me nor has he called me to be there.
And I do see that God is growing me - he's growing us all in what we are seeing.  In the 4 years since leaving the UK, I've changed in more ways than just 4 years of growth could do.  God is about a great work in us all, and I don't want to miss out on anything that he personally has in store for me - and I encourage you to not miss out either for your life.
As for what has happened in April, to fill those of you in who've been following developments through March, we have been trying to keep to the routine this last week, with Mia's home schooling and such.  We invited Leo and Shani around on Thursday night for food - they were starting Passover the following day.  It was an interesting time.  Mia and Anya didn't settle at all and therefore it was a very disturbed time.  Being here in Tallinn for very different reasons, what was hard was how negative they were about things here and the people - we were defending life here.  We are so grateful that Jesus is helping us to love those around us, so that we can move to a new nation for God and feel this heart connect that doesn't come from another calling in life - be it business or any other reason.
On Wednesday night I spoke, as mentioned above, at one church from the first chapter of Ruth - telling the great story.  It was a very encouraging first preach in Estonia, helped hugely by the great interpreter I had working with me.  I watched the video recording of it last night with Rachel and was actually encouraged by it, getting a few prompters as to what to do differently next time (usually involving not moving my hands so much and staying still a little more!)
And Sunday was Easter in Estonia, as we are now back on the Western calendar.
This week I am meeting with three banks and asking about a home loan - one was earlier today and two on Wednesday.  Please pray for great favour and that we'd get the outcome we are praying for.  We need God to work for us in this.  I'm also meeting with another pastor for the first time on Wednesday, and we have another Estonian lady around for dinner on Tuesday night.
We also really need prayer for break through with our UK house situation - we'd love there to be a buyer that we hear of this month - the time is coming when we need to make some big decisions.  So please pray favour upon favour on us all this month and especially this week with these three meetings at the banks.
Thanks for reading - until next time!


Or so I thought this was the end of the entry for today - after writing this I went to the SEB bank here in Tallinn - the overall news was quite good - he seemed to suggest that we could get ALL the money we needed for the apartment, but I was to complete the online application and they'd look at things from there.  The only issue appeared to be that though we have our Estonian 5 year ID cards, that still makes them only temporary - and they need permanent residency status for us - there are two options, the simplest being we apply now for permanent residency.....at least this morning we thought we had time...
Because arriving home from the bank and checking email, there were two very interesting emails awaiting me.
The first was a car dealership here with a quotation for a car we'd seen last week - we are still praying about the way through for this - but the next email stopped me in my tracks.
It was from the developer of our new apartment, saying that progress was going really well and that it will be ready on 1st May!  A whole two months early!  Oh wow.  
What is comforting is that this week I'd arranged, I thought randomly, to meet these three banks.  Yet God knew all about this.  Now the timing of these meetings is crucial.  We have less than a month to sort out this home loan, which we are told is possible to do well within this time.
We do have the issue of our rental flat - we signed the contract until the end of July, thinking that we'd only be taking the new apartment from that month, and not in May.  We are hoping that, assuming we don't need it in July, we will be able to get out of the contract early.  There does seem an option here already.
I'll spare you the details about what the banks were each saying up to now - just to say please pray!
So it's going to be a roller-coaster month - and I'm still praying we can get this car soon as well now, especially if we are going to be living a little further out, and sooner than we thought yesterday.
There's never a dull moment.  We are doing well in it all, I think.  Do pray that it all comes together.  We do see God totally knew what he was doing when directing us to come here earlier than previously planned.  Can you imagine if we'd still been in Russia today and got that same email - that from 1st May the flat would be ready and we'd need to be here to sort everything out.  It would have been so much harder in that case.
So, confident God has this all within his care for a long time now already, we'll push all the doors these coming weeks, and some way, some how, find the right way through it all.
It's very exciting to think that in the next two months, we could be in our new apartment already (with another beautiful rental flat sitting empty in the middle of Tallinn as well....)  We'll keep you posted and we appreciate every single prayer so much!