Europe Trip Day 11

Bro Kristian’s alarm is going off. It’s 5:45 AM.  The snow plow was plowing the parking lot around 4AM.

Kristian isn’t waking up to his alarm.

Must be nice.

I get up and knock on the door, if I can’t sleep, neither can he. He wakes up and turns off his alarm. We grab coffee and a bun and drive toward Helsinki for a full breakfast and tour. We park and walk to the place Kristian has chosen for breakfast. Across the street is the Helsinki Cathedral and we take some “artsy” photos.

After a nice breakfast, we walk around Helsinki. We walk through the park, see the harbor, and walk past all the embassies. I ask the guard if I can take a picture in front of the US Embassy, he doesn’t say “no” but I get the idea I probably shouldn’t. It is so interesting to see the contrast between the embassies. The Russian embassy takes an entire block, as does the United States. Some other countries have not much more than a house.

The highlight of the day is to stop by the VGR office in Espoo which is the city next to Helsinki. Bro Matti and LV graciously receive us and show us the small office that serves Scandinavia, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, and other countries. We talk about the work that is taking place, and Bro Matti shares different experiences he has had sharing the Message.

We have a reservation at a nice lunch in Espoo. It is at the top of a water tower and has wonderful view. I didn’t expect such a fine dinner, and Bro LV was sure to tell me it wasn’t a normal office lunch, but we are enjoying the fellowship and as we eat we think of how wonderful the coming millennium will be that we will share together with Christ. The best life has to offer now does not compare to what awaits the Bride of Christ!

I tell Bro Matti how I’ve always respected him for the work he does. He continues to share testimonies as I press him to tell me what it was like. After some time he apologies for talking so much, not so I tell him, it is better that he speaks than any of the rest of us.

We conclude our lunch and fellowship together so Bro Matti and LV can get back to their important jobs of getting the Message out to the people of northern Europe. The Norwegian group has been so active and zealous in their missionary work that it keeps them quite busy!

Bro Kristian and I return to Helsinki to visit the place where Bro Branham preached while in Helsinki and the popular local attraction of the church in the rock.

I took some pictures of the arena Bro Branham preached at and we wandered inside a bit.

We headed to the church of the rock and paid to get inside. It was a beautiful church, very quiet inside on account of it being carved into rock. Of course, the pulpit looked so empty, as if it needed someone behind it to proclaim the gospel. I don’t know what came over me, I couldn’t help myself, I got up and….

Yeah, what do you think I did, got myself thrown out of a popular tourist attraction?  I got up and found the bathroom, and it was small like all the other bathrooms, but we paid to enter this church, so it seemed like we should be able to use their facilities.

After leaving we headed over to another brother’s house who wanted to have fellowship with us after the meetngs. We talked for a few hours and had coffee, bread and jam.

Other things are taking place today and on this trip that I can’t talk about really, but God is working and doing things even as we just have fellowship with other believers. God is so good. Even on the days we are touring and fellowshipping, God is at work.

We end up at Bro Kristian’s house as I have some work that must be done for my job back home.  I work for a few hours and get some sleep. Tomorrow I am headed to Norway, home of my ancestors.

I won’t forget Finland, but mainly the sweet, sincere, sturdy, and quiet people.