One long serving tentmaker couple returned to a very warm and touching welcome. It was like meeting up with a long-lost family. There were festivities and meals to be enjoyed. Too much food and too little sleep was their comment. Picture above is of one of the meals prepared for them.

However, beneath the obvious joy of reunion, was a clear sign of spiritual interest which had not been prevalent during the time before the pandemic. In returning they were also seen as being committed to relationships and to God. Any previous suspicions were now long gone and replaced by an openness to faith matters.

This week brought the atmosphere we missed

After seven months of not having teachers at campus, this week brought the atmosphere we missed: the teacher with the students, interacting in class around the concept of “bi-vocationalism.”

Dateline: December 1, 1998, Vaasa Finland

The Journey

Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa. Finland’s first library was founded in Vaasa in 1794.

I had received an invitation to speak to university students at an evening seminar. The four-and-a-half-hour train ride was so pleasant, especially since I was able to ride in first class. Quiet, smooth and a workspace for finalizing the first ever talk to this demographic. In my mind they would be ideal candidates as future tentmakers.

Onni Haapala Jr. picked me up from the train station. He was the pastor of the local church that was hosting the seminar.

I’ve been a speaker at Missions Fest since 2001. Hundreds of people first heard about tentmaking there. Over one hundred of them trained and left for unreached areas using their profession to gain legal entry.

This year, the annual conference is virtual for obvious reasons. On short notice I had to set up a studio in our living room. The end result is a 30 minute unpolished video but the good news is anyone in the world can take part in this seminar. Mark the date and link below.