St. Andrew's Church / November Newsletter 2020

NOVEMBER 2020

Pastor's Greetings

Thanksgiving Every Day

At the end of the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. I hope that this congregation is one of your reasons for giving thanks. Although we are only seeing a fraction of our congregation, even remotely we have the privilege of loving one another and remembering everyone in prayer. I believe that this exceptional time with all of its challenges has brought people closer to each other, as well as closer to God.

We spread the Gospel most powerfully by showing love and care, and this care should not be limited to only our friends and congregation members. We have been put on this earth to serve as Christ’s hands and feet. We do this by caring about our elders at the Rest Home, caring about those who are disadvantaged, both near and far, caring about our neighbors regardless of political or religious convictions. We tell them of God’s love by not being prejudice against any people. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Gal. 5:6)

On the last Sunday of October, I received a surprise gift from the congregation: a wonderful card, a bouquet of roses and a generous monetary gift. This acknowledgement brought me a lot of joy. Heartfelt thank you to everyone! I feel thankful for my work every day, thankful for all of you and the trust you put in me.

Sending thankful thoughts and good health to all,

Pastor Mia

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.

(Rom. 12:13-15)

PASTOR'S BLOG

SUPPORT OUR WORK!

Click the link below to find info on our PayPal account and its safety. You can make a donation from the link below the picture.

General info on Pay Pal

We warmly thank all those who have remembered and supported our congregation through their gifts. We are living through economically challenging times, and we need your prayers as well as financial support, so that our work can continue year round.

May God blesse you and your gift!

Make your Pay Pal donation here

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Toward Thanksgiving

In Finland, we have already switched to winter time, and when you read this, there will again be a 7-hour time difference between Florida and Finland. Fortunately, the weather in Finland is not very wintery yet.

While COVID-19 has not relaxed its grip, step by step we are returning to a more normal church life. The intention is to celebrate our Lord’s Supper, after a long wait, on Sunday, November 1, 2020, and hopefully we can continue the practice according to normal rhythm. Holy Communion has been available in Finnish churches for a few months already, although in some parts of the country restrictions on gatherings pose challenges. Fortunately, we have been spared the seriousness of the European pandemic.

The end of the year charity campaign e.g. the traditional Christmas Charity project is starting. It will be in a more limited form than last spring’s plans due to the lack of snowbirds, and other operating restrictions. Most important, however, is good will and heartfelt efforts to help the vulnerable and support missionary projects as advised by our Lord.

Blessings for your November and a thankful spirit for Thanksgiving at the end of the month!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

(John 3:16-18, NIV)

Pertti Pietarinen

Council President

CONGREGATION'S CHRISTMAS CHARITY 2020

This year we have chosen to support the children at the Deborah-orphanage located in the Orissan region of India as our Christmas charity drive. Hope for Women group has supported this same area and its poor and disadvataged women for years with by teaching the good word of the Gospel. This year's collaboration is with Mission World, who is overseeing the project. More info below.

Deborah-home is the only Christian orphanage in the city of Jeyporen, which is in the Orissan state in India. Deborah can be defined as a beacon of God’s love deep in the heart of India. The Deborah-home was opened in 2002 for homeless street children and orphans. Mission World Inc. has supported its upkeep since the beginning. Children come to the home from small primitive villages from areas surrounding the school. These children would not otherwise have a chance to attend school without this sponsorship. Most of the children at the Deborah-home are there thanks to Finnish sponsorship support, and this support keeps the home functioning.

The end of the year at the Deborah-home is highlighted by a Christmas event, at which the children receive new clothing and shoes, as well as school supplies. Attached is 11 year old Chandan’s story about the Christmas party.

“Last years Christmas is the best memory that I have. I will never forget it. It was the first time that I got to celebrate Christmas. I have hoped and prayed that it would happen again this year.” from Chandan, an 11 year old at the Deborah-home.

Chandan remembers last years Christmas celebration, which was organized in the city of Jeyporen orphanage’s surrounding neighborhood. “Many may think that spending Christmas at an orphanage in the middle of Hinduism traditions in India would be horrible” he says, “but with the help of the loving Finnish leadership, volunteers, and the staff, it turned into something special. We received new clothing, we had a great party and good food to eat. It was the highlight from last year’. Chandan explains with his eyes beaming.

Chandan and the other children from the Deborah-home received a Christmas last year which not only touched them, but the whole surrounding neighborhood. Hindu’s do not celebrate Christmas, and they are very curious how far and wide it is celebrated around the world and what Christmas is. People came out of interest to see the children’s performances and to hear the Gospel for the first time.

“Christmas is the best time to of the year to tell the Gospel to our city“ , our India-mission leader Wararaju tells us. “ The neighborhood surrounding the Deborah-home is very interested that somebody would care about these abandoned children and why they are so happy. They want to come see. “ When told about Finns who love Indian children, they want to hear more about our faith. This opens the possibility to tell them about the Gospel. You can see by looking at the children’s eyes that they are no longer orphans, but that they have people and God in their lives to love them,” Pastor Wararaju explains.

This year because of the Corona epidemic, the organizing of the Deborah-home Christmas party will have to be very creative. Now you have a unique opportunity to give gifts to wonderful children, who have nothing of their own. Gifts for the children will be bought at the country of destination (India) before Christmas, which we will be providing funding for. The gifts are not sent from Finland, due to high postage costs, also these gifts cost a fraction of the price in India.

We would like to make Chandan’s wish a reality and get his childlike outlook for the Christmas celebration ahead. With your help this will be possible. Together we can make this orphanage Christmas into our Heavenly Father’s Celebration.

Missionmaailma ry (Mission World Inc.) is a Finnish broadcasting organization that does missionary work in five countries. India, Pakistan, Israel, Dominica and Mosambique, Africa. Mission World organizes a traditional charity drive during Christmas for the sole purpose of supporting India’s children. We would like to give a gift to about one hundred children at the Deborah-home, who have nothing of their own.

Heartfelt greetings,

Marjaana ja Markus Korhonen

Missiomaailma ry

By purchasing a star decoration from the church (prices are $10 and $30) you can participate in our Christmas charity drive. You may also donate to the charity through our Pay Pal account. Just write Christmas charity in the message field. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IN BRINGING CHILDREN CHRISTMAS JOY!

Make a Christmas charity donation here

GREETINGS FROM THE CONGREGATION BOOK STORE

A book in Finnish about the life of Peter Mäkilä,

"The American Dream"

will soon be available for ($20)

purchase from the church. Part of the proceeds will go to our congregation.

Another fine book in Finnish language for your stocking is Miika Aalto's joyfully illustrated book "Me, Martin Luther". The book is a great gift for children as well as grandparents, if they like to read Finnish to their grandkids. The price is $10. Proceeds go to the congregation. Thank you Miika Aalto for this donation.

1. Jacob bought this from his brother Esau by giving him a soupbowl: hunting gear / a cloak received from his Father Isaac / his birthright

2. What was Jacob's Father in-law's name?

Laban / Levi / Lot

3. Jacob's father in law promised his daughter to Jacob when he offered to pay a bridal ransom / stayed in Laban's house to work / organized a seven day wedding celebration

4. Jacob's first wife's name was Rachel / Rebecca / Leah

5. What did Jacob injure when he wrestled with God? shoulder / hip / knee

6. God gave Jacob another name Abiel ("God is my Father") / Ishmerai ("he protects") / Israel ("he fights")

7. How many sons did Jacob have?

6 / 10 / 12

8. Who was Jacob's favorite son?

Judah / Josef / Benjamin

9. What did Jacob give to this son that the others did not receive?

camel / colorful suit / family land

10. What did the other brothers do? They rejoiced / they asked their father to give them the same / they mistreated their brother and threw him into a well.

CORREST ANSWERS AT THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER! 😊

PRESCHOOL NEWS

October was a busy month, but was also “Covid Quiet”. We are still limiting the number of students per day for distancing purposes. Last year we averaged 19 students per day in October and now we are limited to 10 or less. We were hoping to start increasing the number of students in November, but with positivity rates increasing- that is starting to look doubtful.

In November, our first theme will be Farms. We will build barns and make tractors, paint pigs and cows, cut and paste farm collages, talk about where milk and eggs come from and make our own butter. We plan to temporarily adopt 2 newly hatched chicks and take care of them for several weeks. We will weigh and measure them daily, watch them grow and then return them to the farm store before Thanksgiving.

The school garden will need weeding and watering and we will observe our vegetables and flowers as they start to grow.

Later in the month it will be Thanksgiving- time to count our many blessings. We’ll do the “Tommy Turkey” dance and bake (and eat!) pumpkin pie.

The school will be closed the 25th, 26th, and 27th for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

God Bless!

Pirjo Komonen Campitelli

TRAVEL AND THE PEACEFUL COUNTRYSIDE

Greetings from Turkey by Timo Vainionpää

We left Florida at the beginning of September for our third home country. The pandemic related issues and travel restrictions made us hesitant but because of Nezihe’s mother in Istanbul, who is getting older and has health issues, we decided to travel regardless.

We were eager to get to our summer home, which is 650 kilometers to the southeast of Istanbul, in the historical city of Egirdir. Situated in Anatolia, on the shores of a big lake, this small city is the fruit oasis of Turkey. The harvest season would be at its peak in the middle of September.

Strict travel restrictions are still in effect in Turkey. You can travel, but to cross into another province, you must obtain permission from the governor’s office. We received the permission via text message and were on our way.

Not from Istanbul the speedometer in our aging Opel stopped working and a yellow warning light appeared on the dashboard. In a surprised state, and letting off the gas on a downhill, the worst possible thing happened. The red oil pressure warning light appeared, and that was the end of out trip. Fortunately there was a service station nearby and I was able to pull our car into the parking lot.

The young service technician at the gas station, doubted that the oil was low, and decided to fix the problem by adding nearly a gallon of oil to the engine. After this, there was a way too much oil in the engine. The car started nicely, but soon after a big black cloud of smoke came from the tailpipe, which blanketed the surrounding area.

We drove slowly on the highway followed by a dark cloud of smoke. The other cars looked at us with pity as they passed by and waved some finger gestures at us from open windows. Fortunately, no police were around, as the trip would have certainly come to an end. The billowing smoke gradually slowed down to a trickle over the next one hundred km., and in the end we made it to our home in Egirdir, just a little late.

Everything was good at our summer home, other that the fact that we could not get in, as the vines had grown over the entrance gate stopping access – like the Sleeping Beauty had resided at the house over winter. Two strapping tortoises stared us down while hissing a little, but other than a little rose-bush trimming, we were able to get in and turn on water and electricity.

(Pictures above: "the princess gate", part of the welcome committee and our garden hut)

Harvest time in Egirdir was already underway. In our excitement, we got a nice harvest of perfectly ripe peaches from a few trees. Of course, it is not wise to pick all the peaches at once as ripe peaches last longer still attached to the tree. To our surprise, the very next day, all the trees had been picked of the fruit and bite marks had appeared on the trees’ lower branches. Smarter than humans, some wild boars had come during the night and had shaken all the peaches off the trees. These large, even dangerous animals had also eaten all the fallen and already fermented fruit. In the end the somewhat inebriated boars returned to the forest. Theses wild animals are protected, as they apparently store the undigested seeds in their digestive tract and deposit them along the mountains, and this is how new trees get their start.

Being upset by the ravaging of the pigs, we immediately picked a few bushels full of plums, a bucket of grapes, and of course some apples, and put them in our pantry storage. Later we wondered what to do with all of this fruit, as it was clearly more than we could eat. The solution was to make peach and plum preserves.

Apple orchards are Egirdir’s main source of income. Apples are picked from September to December, depending on the type. Trees are picked by hand, protecting the fruit from any bruising. The harvest workers are brought in by bus daily from the neighboring city. The workers are old and young, men and women, all working for the same wage, 120 liira, or about 15 dollars per day. On the other hand, a large loaf of bread here costs 50 cents, a kilogram of tomatoes about 30 cents, and a kilogram of fresh cheese is one dollar.

In our peaceful summer-city they still use loudspeakers to inform the public. Markets and other events are announced through these speakers. The peace at our home has been shattered by big amplifiers and speakers installed by the nearby mosque informing everyone of prayer time, five times a day, the first one being just after five in the morning. Later, this was changed nearer to six, but still a way too early. At our house the sound is at 85 decibels. At 75 db you can get hearing damage. We made a complaint to the city leaders, but the city does not have authority over mosques, so we had to take it to the area governor for resolution.

All worries aside, time has passed quickly and there has always been something to do. The nights have not been so long either, knowing that there is an early wake up call waiting.

Egirdirin sits at an elevation of 3 km. in the mountains, and about mid October it began getting cold. In the afternoon, the temperatures were still at about 80F (27C), but in the morning the temperature in our bedroom had fallen to 59F (15C).

At the end of October the apple harvest was over and it was time to close the doors of our summer home. We packed the car full of fruits, cheese bought at the bazaar, and very good breads that we would bring to our home in the big city.

We returned to a rainy Istanbul with good feeling. Next in line is packing and returning to Florida in a week. There we’ll meet again.

Sevgiler, Timobey ve Nezihe hanum

Link to USA Suomeksi web page

Sometimes our birhtday lists are not up to date. If you notice someone's name missing, please notify us. THANK YOU!

Along with the others on the list these fine gentlemen celebrated their birthday's in October. Their age together adds up to 260 years, and none of them looks a day over sixty. Faith and good company and congregation makes them younger!

Warm congratulations again to Glenn Beckman, Lauri Kanervikkoaho, and Robert Liimatainen, as well as everyone else in October who celebrated their birthdays!

TEPPO HONKANEN- Finland Greetings

Freedom through restrictions.

Fall greetings to everyone!

After a few months of quiet living, I have again caught on to the routines of everyday life.

As some of you may know, after my last visit to Florida, I have been fighting some health issues since returning to Finland. This resulted in a very restricted lifestyle, as I was very dependent on help from others during this time. Thank you to everyone for their help, especially my better half.

I must admit that during this time my physical strength as well as my faith were put to the test. Every day I had to almost force myself to trust that everything is in the hands of the Almighty, and God will not abandon me. Trusting that everything has a purpose.

About a month ago, that purpose was uncovered. I went with my spouse, Susan to pick mushrooms at a well known nature area.

Within a few meters I felt as if all my senses had opened up again. All of nature, its colors, sounds and scents – I felt as if I had never experienced anything like it before. The whole forest was brand new to me. I realized that I enjoyed everything around me, even the smallest things differently than I ever had before.

After waking up the next morning, having slept surprisingly well in a wicket, I thought to myself as I was making my morning coffee- if this is God trying to show me and teach us during these exceptional and restricting times? Is he showing us how to appreciate the beauty and variety around us? He is teaching us to be together and enjoy these moments with our loved ones, with our whole hearts.

This and many other experiences, from recent memory, have brought me to the conclusion that restrictions have opened a whole new kind of freedom. The freedom to be yourself around others and the freedom to open your mind to things which you would not have before. The freedom to see and experience the world in a new way.

In other news, I am getting back to active development of the church web site. I will willingly accept ideas and criticism on this topic (you can also compliment if you so wish).

I have a lot to share and could fill up several more pages, but I will spare you from any more rambling, and I am eagerly awaiting for the time when I can see you again. I wish everyone a good fall and blessing to all.

Teppo

MUSIC NEWS

It has really been a blessing these last 4 weeks to have the congregation back in church. Even though the numbers are still small, and everyone is singing through their masks, there is a nice warm feeling at our services. Having people present at the church brings back that feeling of togetherness. It is a comfort and joy to those who have been in attendance, including myself.

We have had some wonderful musicians visit our church this month. Thank you to Pirjo Pedersen for her excellent violin playing and for doing it from her heart for our God. I also want to give my gratitude to Lauri Kanervikkoaho for his service. He told me the other day that we have sung over 100 different hymns and songs since he became our hymn leader. Keep up the great work Lauri.

On the English side we have been blessed to have our wonderful four- person music team (Katriina Manner and Tuomo and Kristen Karvonen), who have been with us faithfully every week. Thank-you for being so devoted to serving our Lord. Our worship service has been transformed into one that has both traditional and newer praise music, a great combination. Thank you also to Susanna Morgan for being our go to hymn selection committee!

Thursday morning biweekly worship service is one that is a highlight in our schedule. This is our preschool chapel. It is so great to see our group of 6-10 kids come to church for their own worship service. The children really enjoy singing to the Lord and the presenters (Pastor and Michael) really enjoy it as well. Telling children about Jesus is so important!

Having our patio worship services at the Rest Home again this month has been a real joy. The residents are very excited to see us and our small team (Pastor, myself, Lauri, and Hanna). We are happy to do these services for our loved seniors and are not bothered by the heat of being outside. It is wonderful to see our friends there!

Even though there is a feeling that our church is slowly returning to some sense of normal, there is still a long road ahead and we cannot let our guard down. Protecting our brothers and sisters is of the utmost importance. We must continue to be vigilant with our safety protocols for the protection of everyone. This makes it a more comfortable situation for everybody in attendance.

For those that are faithfully following our services and prayer moments on the web, I know you are singing and praising Jesus right along with us. God’s presence is everywhere, not just at church. We need your continued support and prayers. Keep them coming.

Joyous and blessed November to everyone!

Michael

PIRJO-LEENA KOSKISEN COLUMN

Instructions, instructions...

Today was a bread-baking day. The recipe is tried and approved, so let’s get started! I have not always followed the recipe to the point so I have jotted down some notes to remind me about some mistakes to avoid.

Once I decided to be creative and added sugar into the liquid when the recipe tells to add all ingredients in the mixing bowl at the same time.

The result was that the sugar did not melt properly and stayed in the bottom of the cup. So I thought I have learned my lesson but low and behold, I created a new hassle: I added water and oil in the same one quart pitcher but turned out it was not a suitable vehicle for pouring. The result was a mess on the kitchen counter flooding with oil and water!

Fast corrective actions were needed to clean up the mess. Why is it so difficult to follow the given instructions the manufacturer has given out with the machine? You would think it’s the simplest thing to do! While cleaning my kitchen I was wondering what is it in the human nature that makes it so difficult to follow the rules, the given instructions?

We, the human beings, have also been given the ‘Manufacturer’ s Handbook’, The Bible, the Ten Commandments, all those wonderful teachings in the Old and the New Testament and despite that we behave like a rambunctious children: we don’t want to… And sometimes we are just so stuck to our own ways that we don’t even notice that we are going to the wrong direction. Very good reminders of these instructions are available on facebook at noon time on weekdays. They can be watched live or later on, when you have time. My thumbs up for all those who are performing those!

Pirjo-Leena

P:S: The loaves seem to be OK despite the hassle!

Greetings from church and the Rest Home

Below are a few pictures of the wonderful moments with our small groups on Sunday mornings. We are missing coffe socials, but they will have to wait for safer times. We are happy that we can come together despite the social distancing and face coverings. Hopefully this can continue.

We celebrated Reformation on October 25th. Hanna Kiuru and Jessica Grotke stole the show at the English service with their joyous performance of Luther and Johann Tezell.

Our monthly highlight once again was our visit to the Rest Home. Thank you Lauri and Hanna for their beautiful singing, and thank you to all the listeners for their warm reception and participation!