All the Officers (clergy) with the Salvation Army in Estonia spent two days in the Estonian city of Parnu (on the Baltic Sea) for relaxation, swimming, etc. Here is a picture of the family from these days. 

One of our favorite pictures, from last winter! From left to right: Evelyn, Carolina, Meaghan, Susan and Katrin. 

From a warmer time of the year! A beautiful picture of the Tallinn "skyline", Old Town, dating back to the 13th and 14th century! 

Chance encounter

I just pulled up to my apartment with Emma and Jacob in the car. Looking out into the dark winter night I see something very unsettling. An elderly woman walking down the middle of the street very slow, and unstable. Pausing as I stood outside Emma's door, I watch and wonder what I should do. I can't speak the language, I am not a nurse and I am, for the moment, alone. Before I could open the car door, to assist my children in exiting the car, to my horror I see the woman fall face first to the ground. The sight and sound was awful, worse was the fact that she was not moving. I run to the woman, and she does not respond to my shouts of wanting to help. I ran to a stranger passing bye, and asked for her help, and she does come over. We see a car coming, and the injured woman, who is of great size, would not respond. Doing the best we could, we are able to slowly move her enough to the side of the road, and slow traffic down, but were unable to get her off the road to safety. I move once again, and I see a dark skinned gentleman, and speaking Estoinan I ask for help, and he says "ok". Without pausing, he comes over, picks her up and carries her quite a distance to a grassy spot, next to a rock. I thank him, and suprised was I(his skin color and tongue, very uncommon here in Estonia) to here him speak "american" to me . I thank him for helping, and he gave such a smile, and I saw God's love in that smile. Just as quickly and quietly as he came, so was he to leave. The woman was hurt, and needing care. With a huge swelling to her fore head, and broken nose, I feel such love and desire to help her. Observing her I could see that she was drunk and hurt. The best I could do was pray and ask God's help while I wait alone with the woman for an ambulance to come. It was a chance encounter. One moment in time for me to respond without forethought. A chance to love one who many saw fall, many past by knowing the on comming trafic would add to her pain. What I could do was nothing of my control. The love I had for her was not my own, it was given to me by God. The helpers came, not by my power, but By the Spirit of God. My prayer is to be "just where He needs me", and my heart to be filled up so it can pour out. Always remembering, that truly, I was never alone.

Here is our Sacred Dance group!! There is awesome, God gifted talent in these girls! The gowns were given by Major Janet Munn from Portland Maine! This particular dance was performed Christmas Sunday and a little later were special guest at the Methodist Church here in Tallinn!  

January 18, 2005 The grand opening of our new computer lab at the Kopli Corps (church) in Tallinn Estonia! We are calling it Kristus.Punkt, a place were we make a point of contact that can lead people to Christ!! This is a relationship driven ministry, low cost for use of the internet in the hope of developing relationhships. We also, of course, have coffee and snacks...would you expect anything less with Susan around?? 

Jacob and Dad in New York City - November 2004 

January 13, 2005

Greetings! We thought we would give this blog thing a try! It was recommended by Tim Clark who, along with his wife Evelyn are Salvation Army pastors in Tartu Estonia. We all arrived (Phil and Susan, with our four children, Meaghan, Sarah, Jacob and Emma, in Tallinn Estonia on August 1, 2003. During our first year and half, we have been aware of God's faithfulness as never before, He truly is Jehovah Jireh. It is not that God was not faithful before, it is that we are AWARE of His faithfulness in a new and exciting way! We are the Pastors of the local Salvation Army church here in Tallinn Estonia, the capital. Tallinn is a city of about 440,000 people.