setting up for the swing...

...I think. Or maybe this is the first swing already. It's hard to tell, but I know I'm moving forward as strategically as I know how, putting one foot in front of the other and admitting that only God knows where it all ends up. The uptight part of me works hard to be okay with that. But so far, so good :)I emailed the Children Center Lighthouse last week and got a reply yesterday from the contact person saying she was no longer with the organization, but she gave me the new contact email. I heard back from that person today and I have made plans to meet with her at the center tomorrow at 1300 (1 pm). I found myself on that street and went by there just to make sure I could find it tomorrow.


I visited the UMC (United Methodist Church) Tallinn also and was quite awkward in a few non-conversations to find someone who spoke English, but at last these forgiving people took me to an Estonian born in Canada who gave me the contact info for the "superintendant" whom he says I should come and meet tomorrow morning. They want to hear more about me and they may have some projects I can help with. Very friendly.


At 1600 (4 pm) I met up with Pastor Randy Eplin at the Olumpia hotel in the new part of Tallinn, and we went to his house for dinner with his wife, 2 of their 5 children, and a Texan missionary couple that have been working in Latvia at a crisis center for kids (though they are recently relocated and planning a stay in the US due to an illness in their family. they would appreciate your prayer). I learned that these people have experience and contacts from all over several parts of the world, and they have amazing hearts! They really do what God wants them to do, and have been amazed by the results. We had a great time, and shared stories about each of our first mission trips, and the first time our eyes were opened to the great big world out there and all the people living in it. The world is big, but not to big to reach out into it. It's never impossible, and it's never too late. Randy told us about a woman he met and heard speak about how, in her mid-sixties, she had retired and was wondering what to do next, and she was called into ministry. She ended up starting an orphanage out in some remote part of Africa and here she was, this little old granny (some years later) talking about how she'd get to her orphanage by flying into one city, four-wheeling some distance, then from there riding the motorcycle she took off the back of her four-wheeler with a submachine gun slung across her back "in case she ran into trouble". That's my kind of granny. Anyway, we were all encouraged by this meeting and exchanged contact info for staying in touch and potentially working together in the future. But I'll see Randy and Lori (his wife) again on Wednesday night.

I'll just leave you with this one photo from something I saw today while finding my way around that was inspiring. If you don't know of William Booth, look him up! The quote says, “While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight, I'll fight to the very end!” So yeah, enough said.


(first photo: just a pretty view from the street)


(second: the Children Center Lighthouse today)