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BACK from Father Heart School

Sometimes you just can't help but LOVE GOD soooo much!! He is SO GOOD to me! He keeps doing that you know, bringing goodness into my life. He must love me, aye? Marlene was speaking in a church here tonight, so I went there. I loved her message!! It was all about fellowship Acts 2:42-47 style, and how thru loving each other we are loving God Himself. Last night at my own church those of us who were at the Father Heart School were given a witness time, and quite a few of us got up there. And one of the first things I said was exactly what Marlene preached about: how I really think that God wants us to love each other with the love that He has given us. To give it away...yep! To give away and also to be an object to it, to receive, to allow oneself to be loved. It was lovely to see Marlene. I am so thankful that God sent her here from the US! It had also been awhile now we met last, since I live in Lahti these days, and she is in Helsinki. It was lovely to meet after a few months again. She's one of my mommas! She's been instrumentally (if one can say so) used by God in my faith walk. I love you Marlene! I am sooooo thankful for you!

Anyways, after seeing Marlene off to the train I hooked up with Leena, who had also been in the meeting, and we went for a meal and had some lovely fellowship time!Leena, thanks for being a friend! It was so nice talking about everything under heaven and earth, and praying together too (that was actually in the middle of the main street outside the restaurant..go figure..so it goes sometimes! I actually love praying together with someone somewhere public , i don't mean loud or anything as if people heard at all.. but just bringing the Presence of God there and it then draws the people to you..Have had that happen!). Ok but back to the original story..It was good to look back at the last few weeks, which for me have been very full & a lot has happened. It was good to reflect at it all a bit. Last month and a half have actually been pretty eventful. Well, now I have a week off, yey! Although there are about thousand things to do, and have to prepare myself for next teaching session, but anyways! Im sure I'll have some time there inbetween to catch up with myself a bit more this coming week. One thing I realised is that we should do this more often!! This going out for a meal that is. Catch up with friends like that. It's sooooooooooo refreshing! The thing is, I know that going out to eat and having meals together might be very common in the UK, or across the bond but in Finland..it's not so common. So I barely never do it while I'm here. I think it's time to import some habits learned abroad. It's time to break that spirit of poverty(or whatever it is). Well, then whenI got home I headed towards the kitchen (hmm, my appetite is like a bottomless pit). In order to do this you hsave to go through Sanna's room. That's how our house is built.. Anyways, there I found, not only Sanna, but also Maiju sleeping. Just like sisters. Cutesy!!

Ohh and two sunshines, Dave and Adele, If you are reading.I am so thankful for the two of you! I think God was very wise when he created you. He must have known what He was doing. I am blessed to have had the priviledge of spending the last week with you, and been an object of your love (that's how I felt anyways!) . PS. Adele, I am sure NZ has prettier napkins than here, but no pressure! A cuppa in Starbucks together some point in life would be jolly good too. Maybe one day!

Much love to each and everyone!! Have a really happy week!

on ne voit bien qu'avec le couer

"Voici mon secret.
Il est très simple:
on ne voit bien qu'avec le couer.
L'essentiel est invisible
pour les yeux."

~Le Petit Prince


"Man looks at the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 SAM. 16:7

Closer to you

I'm feeling rather disconnected, detached, like a boat sailing solo @mo. I miss being home, I miss my mum, and I miss the little sis. I even miss Scotland. Neist Point. I miss having anything that is familiar to me, and i feel at home in. Something that I feel connected to. Sometimes I really miss the university surroundings. Sometimes I feel like I an alien here in this city that has a big working class background. Yet I love being here and being rooted here. Ohh, what a contrast of feelings! They can be overwhelming sometimes. They say that the return move home produces even a bigger culture shock. It's true. I just feel like I come from another planet sometimes. I don't know really though if this has anything to do with me having lived abroad, and feeling more home in international surroundings. It's really an inner thing! And I am really tired just now. Wouldn't matter where I was. Although, e.g. one sunday last month I did feel a lot happier after I had discussed in French for an hour and a half with Doro's friend Gilles. I guess, something fundamental about me is that I love learning and I love finding out new things!!
I love meeting people from different cultures, or just people in general. I believe that:

a. each one of us is an image of God
b. each one of us is unique
c. I can learn something new from every single person I meet
d. Ultimately every person can take me closer to God and help me find out something new about Him!

Okey do, I think what I really need now is soaking.. spending some time with my Daddy who created me and loves me and fills my every need.

Miss you and Love you all. You are in my heart!

- tired and suffering from wisdom teeth as well - Mim-

Finding God as my DAD

Hey guys! We are organising this next week. Come along, if you have time off and have the holidays. There's even a lady coming all the way from Scotland! If you feel like you want to dig deeper into God's love DO MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE!It's going to be AN AMAZING week, I know!!! I haven't realised to blog about it earlier..Better late than never, right? ...Well, do come!!

Check it out here

Other links :
http://www.afathertoyou.com/signposts/fhm.html
http://www.fatherheart.net/

I Love The View From Here

Took these photos a few weeks ago..so this is what it looks like from my window (and my window). Green Gables, yeah! I absolutely love my room. Actually, I live in my dream home, or something that I used to dream about. Light blue wooden house..and my wall paper is just like what my flatmate and landlord (Emily) in Glasgow used to have in her room, which i admired. It's yellow stripy..Which makes me think of "BY YOUR STRIPES I AM HEALED"..So I am living in stripes!! Literally. Yey God! Living in healing. It's amazing. Dreams really do come true. This one was a miracle AND a gift from God. Thanks Daddy!
It does say in Matthew 7:7-11 that

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

That's a promise for me and you TODAY.

Keep dreaming, fellas!!!

Something Funny

Funniest things is that this is actually
our storage room window..

"O God let us be
A generation that seeks
That seeks your face
O God of Jacob"

Writing earlier about passing things on to the next generation Made me think of this song, "Give us clean hands" by Charlie Hall. It's one of my fave songs ever, and a vision and a cry that God placed on my heart over a year ago. That WE WOULD BE a generation that seeks His face!Seeking Him in everything, NOT SATISFIED with the things of this world. Passionate men and women after God's own heart. . Read this article "THE vISIon and The Vow" by the way!

Servant Leadership

Swedish grammar, here I come!!

Working here this week.

I like the school and I like the atmosphere! I've really enjoyed being there, hence the post :) The students have been communicative, which is awesome. It's much better to have some interaction (is that the right word? I mean vuorovaikutus ) than a mimomonologue. I like trying to find out ways to make them be interactive and to mobilise them. I've also realised being a teacher you really are doing servant leadership. You are trying to lead & to direct & to equip. I like delivering information. To pass on something that I know or have. Trying to bring out the best in people and encouraging them to really become the persons they are meant to be.

To reach their full potential. School is one of the places for that. Suddenly I feel I wouldn't mind doing this long-term. Being part of the community, getting to know the students, walk awhile of their path beside them. Maybe this is my place in life, to be the scent of Christ? At least for some time? Teachers are so essential in our society, what they do has huge impact and influence and they really are the foundations. Like apostles and prophets for church. Teachers build up this country! There's definetily never too many christians in education. And the kids are in such a tender age, so much in need of encouraging people around them! Hey, let's all populate all the Finnish schools!! yeah! Let's go and pass on all the good we have to this youth, and encourage them! Let's be there for this generation!! Let them have what we maybe didn't have! (When I was in primary school, we started the day every morning with singing a hymn and always prayed before going for lunch. I doubt that exists much anymore? But God has plans to claim back what belongs to Him! New strategies in the battle!)

Btw, the Finnish Upper Secondary is a 3 year school. Isn't that just how long Jesus was with His disciples! He was equipping and teaching them for 3 years, before sending them out into the World (ref. Matt.28) ...and isn't that just what happens to sixth formers? Family and school equipping them to go out into the world..it's like they come out of tube or something! Like birth..Wohou, my thoughts ae just going forwards from one thing to the next. How did I get from being a teacher to high school students coming out of a tube, and thinking of birth? Well, so happens! :)

Ok, these were my ramblings today. Thanks for praying for me, I have felt lifted and carried!!
Filled by love and alive inside of me. Love you all!

"Because God is love, He wants to come out of himself.
He wants to show himself although He is invisible.
Because God is love, He wants to announce himself.
Because God is love, He wants to speak out what is in Him.
A closed person is not a loving person.
God cannot be closed. He is open, open-hearted, open-minded.
Therefore He wants to reveal himself.
He wants to give a message. "

(~Eberhard Arnold)

Last month has been a whirlwind, many good things. Sad is that Doro left this morning. :(
It was great to have a good friend visiting! It was suuuuch a blessing. Now I have a really busy week ahead of me, but I will try and blog as have much to tell! God is soooooooo GOOD!! I have to keep saying this, because He just is SO GOOD TO ME!!!!! He loves me!!! Yeah! And not because of anything I would have done, but because of WHO HE IS...He gave His one and only SON so that I would not perish but have eternal life..that I would Be Connected to Him, to be in Him. He gave the thing He cherished the most. .

He gave Himself.

for me..!