Progress Report 3_03

Tallinn, July 25, 2003

Summer in Estonia was slow to come but now that its here, we can enjoy the sunshine and the temperatures of 25-30C (75-85F) every day. It is difficult to get the children away from the computers and outside to play. That is part of the reason we decided to close the center for a month and also give vacation to the staff. We do not have very many left, it has been myself and the Russian teacher Alla Gluhhova lately. The Estonian teacher Kristiaana Laansoo is at home, and we are expecting an SMS (cell phone message) any day now saying, „Its a healthy boy!“ Well, it hasn’t happened yet! Alla has carried the load at the center alone the past few weeks and done a super job! Come September, we will need a new Estonian teacher. Please pray that the Lord will guide the right person to us.

The school year ended way back in the beginning of June and all the children had good report cards. Right after that, I had a very special opportunity to take part in a 3,5 week workshop in the city of Haifa, Israel. Despite the bomb scare and worried friends and relatives I decided to go and it turned out to be one of the best experiences of its kind in recent years. The topic was "Child Abuse- a multi problem phenomenon“ and we, the 25 participants from 17 countries were given lectures and workshops on the topic as well as introduced to ways how the children at risk are cared for in Israel. I think I am better qualified now to understand what some of our children are going through as well as better equipped to detect some of the signs of abuse.

Right after coming back we took 5 youth from the center to Saaremaa, to the Estonian Methodist youth camp. They thought it was so cool that they were not forced to sleep at night. Well, to balance it out, I made them participate in everything during the day. All in all, it was a very fulfilling experience and we will definitely continue going there in the years to come.

As it is summer, we are enjoying many visitors. At the end of May, a group from Dunwoody UMC had dinner with us in the form of a grillout in the spacious yard of the present Lighthouse building. Since the guests sponsored the food there was plenty and some children did not know when to stop for abundance is so rare in their homes.

We had another grillout a week later at Uncle Enn’s to welcome Nancy and Jordan Strong as missionaries. Unfortunately, Nancy had to return home due to some medical problems. We are praying for her recovery and hope she can come back to us soon.

While I was away, a group from Tri-Cities, TN/VA stopped by and said hello. There was also a group from Sweden, led by my dear friend Stig Andersson that came in mid-June. Right after I came back we had visitors from Betelkyrka in Vagnhärad --Pertti Heinonen with family. Last weekend most people from Earl Greenough’s VIM team came by, among them Dick and Karla Vevle, without whom the center wouldn’t be what it is. Then on Monday we welcomed our dear friends from Mt. Bethel Church in Marietta, GA. Thank you all for the candy and craft materials and other important things you have brought to us.

The other day I took some people to the region most of our children live. The way they were playing in their back yard was very telling. They had gotten an old Lada that they were running up the hill and then crashing it into telephone poles and lamp posts. This is what lacking positive parental supervision actually means, as some parents were standing right by, some too drunk to understand what was going on.

In September we will welcome a music therapist in our midst. Ellen Lindau is a native Estonian from Canada who has also served in Bosnia, helping the children in crisis. The other day back in spring she e-mailed me and asked if it was possible to come to Estonia. I really think she will be of much help to the children as they begin to work through their difficulties by means of music.

Well, the center will not be totally closed for the whole month. On Aug. 10th we will gather the children again for a sleepover to take buses in the morning to Ahja Mission Center in Southern Estonia to have a camp there. 21 children have gotten their registration cards in, we are expecting 5-6 more. The topic this year will be MegaQuest, a vacation bible school program based on a computer game, which will take us through 5 levels in five days--the Garden, the Mountain (Law and Moses), the Hill (Calvary), The Road (Emmaus) and the City (Heavenly Jerusalem). There will also be a drama that the children themselves will put on about a Programmer who has to come himself to the program he has created to save it from the deadly virus. Please pray for the successful camp and I will let you know how it went.

Then, right after the camp, the next day we will welcome a VIM team from Tennessee to do reconstruction work at the Lighthouse building. The group will be led by Doug Thomas from Tullahoma FUMC. There will be members of Calvary UMC in that group as well. We are really grateful for their willingness to come and serve us. Please pray for a safe travel and fruitful time though resources will probably be limited for the group to reach its full potential.

Finances are also tight at the center. They always are during the summer months, but this year I will not go on my whirlwind tour to the States in Aug/Sept, since I have been invited to attend the Friends of Estonia meeting in January. We did submit a proposal to the Gambling Tax Committee in Estonia as we did last year, but the first time around it was not funded. We will make another try later.

Let me say thank you to those who have supported the center with their offerings. First UMC, Tullahoma, TN; New Lebanon Presbuterian Church, Jasper GA, Ted and Kay Reissing Dunwoody, GA, Canterbury UMC and their Confirmation Class, Birmingham AL. Privilegium Gospel Choir gave us a new table tennis table as a gift and Öppen Hand from Sweden sponsored the new tires for the Lighthouse van. Thank you, we could not exist without you!

Let me also say thank you to you who are praying for us. The other day I met with Katya and Georg Lanberg, the leaders of the Russian part of the Tallinn Methodist Church and Georg told me they were praying twice a day for me and the ministry. It touched my heart deeply and I thought it is no wonder that some things seem so easy to accomplish, even against all odds. I know there are many more people who are keeping us in their prayers all around the world and thus making a difference in the tiny Estonia. Asbury UMC prayer team in Tulsa, OK is but one example. Y’alls contribution is invaluable.

May the Lord Bless you and Keep you and reward you for your labor of Love!

For the Children,

Kersti Raudsepp
Director
Children Center Lighthouse