This morning I took the ferry from Tallinn, Estonia to Finland. Here’s the view of the Gulf of Finland just just as the Helsinki archipelago is coming into view.
Category: Estonia
A Postcard from Russia — Back Home
We returned on Sunday to a beautiful St. Petersburg, Russia. The weather has been perfect, and it has been great to start reconnecting with family and friends after such a long stay in the US. Olga took the picture above, in the park across the street from our flat.
We are thankful for the many people who have expressed their love and support for us after the loss of our unborn children. It’s been a very real blessing to receive so much encouragement in so many ways. Thank you.
Even as we battle jet lag, we face a busy schedule. Today I (Mike) was at Elama while Olga was with her sister Alla who is visiting from Montenegro. Elama is looking very good — the buildings have been painted, interiors have been remodeled, the pavilions are ready for use, and bunk beds are being built.
While we’ve had quite a few people working at Elama, in three days our first camp begins. We’ll have 30 children from Novodvinsk and 10 adults as counselors.
In a week I go to Montenegro where I’ll meet a mission team from Athens, Georgia; we’ll run a teen camp there. Then I go to Estonia to meet our first mission team to that country. That team will minister in a summer camp with Estonian orphans and will also do some fact-finding for future mission teams.
We are very thankful for the many blessings we continue to receive.
Testimony from Street Cry
Here is another great testimony from the work Street Cry is doing in Estonia:
We continue to have meetings in a women’s prison every Friday night, preaching the Gospel to the unsaved and equipping the new believers by teaching on the basics of Christian life, praise and worship, prayer, and personal relationship with Jesus.
As a result, the girls who are the most serious about the Lord started getting together every day 2 hours before dinner for a time of worship, prayer for each other’s needs and reading the Bible together. They invite whosever will come! N. who got saved during one of the meetings, is now sharing the full version of her testimony:
“I was born into and grew up in a good, I would even say practically an ideal family. My parents were both doctors, very intelligent, with high morals and they did their best to instill positive things into my wonderful sister and I.
Nevertheless, I remember growing up with a strange feeling that there must be more to life than what I had. I have always been looking for something… Something I could not even define, but I knew I would recognize it when I found it..
At 18, I graduated from high school with honors and then entered medical college to be a paramedic. After graduation, my parents helped me to get a good job and gave me an apartment. Soon I got married to a nice caring man and over the years, we had 5 sons. Life was going good, except for the feeling, ‘there must be something more…’
Then I met another man… we had an affair, later he introduced me to methamphetamine… It all definitely felt very thrilling…at first. But before I knew it, I had turned into an addict and a drug dealer and everything else that goes with this way of life… Continue reading
Estonia
Estonia continues to be on our hearts. This fall two of our ministry partners are planning to make trips there to minister to ethnic Russian orphans. We hope the Lord will make a way for us to spend much more time there, but for this fall we are called to spend time in Russia and the US. So, from afar we encourage ministries in Estonia and look for ways to help foreigners serve Estonians.
Here’s a nice video about Estonia —
Irina — A life reborn in Christ
Our church, Street Cry, is starting a ministry in Tallinn, Estonia. Here is the testimony of a young lady, Irina, who came to faith through their prison ministry:
“I was born into a family of unbelievers and that is why I never heard about Jesus.
The only godly thing I remember from my childhood is my grandmother telling me that up there, there is someone who would judge and punish people for their sins.
Violence ruled our household. My father was an alcoholic and constantly beat up my mother and myself. I grew up as a fearful little beast fighting everything and everyone around me.
I quickly learned the principle that attack is the best defense which I actively practiced in school and in relationships. I was very aggressive.
When I turned 12 my Dad left me and Mom for another woman. In my heart I branded him a traitor and all my life hated him for the pain he inflicted on me and Mom.
But moreover – this hatred was directed towards any male figure that would appear in my life. I lacked social skills and was not capable of building a healthy relationship. Continue reading
Cleaning Estonia
A friend just sent me this. It’s great and gives a glimpse of Estonian character and culture. It’s quite a contrast to their neighbor to the East. Russia has the same problem but has not yet addressed it (and probably won’t any time soon).
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“Half of Estonia’s territory is forest. Yet, these forests are plagued with a traditional acceptance of being the country’s dump sites. Watch how a group created a grassroots initiative to rid Estonia of 10,000 tons of trash littering its forests and natural environment. In one day, over 50,000 volunteers – or 4% of Estonia’s population – cleaned their country in 5 hours.”
Tallinn, Estonia
We visited Tallinn a little while ago. Here are a few pictures from the old town, the well preserved medieval city that was a member of the Hanseatic League. Tallinn was earlier known as Reval.
I’m learning how to make these simple slideshow videos. This is my first attempt.
A Postcard from Estonia — Resting in Him
I (Mike) am currently in Estonia again after a quick trip back to Russia. Olga and I continue in a time of prayer and seeking God’s will for our next steps. 
But, it is not a time of passive waiting. The Lord has given us good work, and we continue to see His hand in our lives. We’re working in several areas, and over the next few months we will:
— welcome short-term teams to minister in Russian camps
— minister in Montenegro with a team from the Wesley Foundation in Athens, GA
— host several church groups and families at Elama, our Russian camp
— visit ministries and missionaries in Budapest and Minsk
— help several volunteers minister at Camp Gideon, an Estonian Christian camp
— continue to learn more about possibilities in Estonia
Above is a view of the medieval town of Tallinn. We’ve seen much wildlife here — storks, foxes, deer, hawks — and beautiful scenery. And I continue to find watermills all over the place!
Recently Thomas Umstattd visited us from the US and created a video called What is MIR. It’s a good oversight of MIR and the foundations of our work in Russia. We’ve also recently updated the Stoneworks website.
Above all, Christ has been reminding us to abide in Him. Apart from Him we can do nothing of eternal value. Love and faithfulness are necessary, and the tasks and fruit of ministry will be a natural outcome of ‘abiding in the vine’. Now is the time for us all to surrender our lives daily, trusting that our Father knows what we need before we even ask.
A Postcard from Estonia — Estonian Beauty
I am currently in Estonia researching ministry opportunities for possible future mission work. I’m staying with John and Sara Russell, the founders of Street Cry in St. Pete who are now starting a new work in Tallinn. Olga will join me this week before we return to Russia in about 10 days.
A few days ago I visited a Christian camp, Camp Gideon, near the Russian border. We are hoping to be able to send Russian and/or Belorussian orphans to this camp, where American mission teams can meet them and preach the gospel without fear of reprisals by Russian authorities. Camp Gideon is owned by the Estonian Methodist church and has hosted orphans in previous years. We pray that God will speak to the hearts of people to serve orphans in this way.
Estonia is a special place — a mix of Russian and European culture, very welcoming to westerners, and yet a large portion of the population are Russians who were ‘stranded’ here after the USSR collapsed. Continue reading
In Estonia
After a nice drive from Russia, I’m in Estonia looking at opportunities for ministry. Yesterday I visited Camp Gideon, the first Christian camp in Estonia. It’s been owned by the Methodist Church since the early 90s and is directed by Artur Pold, a minister who is also a congressman (called a Deputy here).
The camp is very large and has about 800 meters of beach on the Baltic. It’s snowy and beautiful there now, and it’s sunny and beautiful there in the summer. Here you can see the Baltic sea just beyond one of the buildings. It is quite a piece of property.
We’re hoping to bring orphans from Belarus and/or Russia to this camp. Perhaps American mission teams could come and meet them here. It would be very good for the kids to be in an environment where they can freely hear the gospel. The cost is about $15/day for food and housing, plus transportation.
Probably the most important thing I’m doing now is establishing and building relationships with believers here, and I’m looking to see which of those relationships God is establishing closely. We want the work to flow from our relationships, rather than have the work define the relationships.
Over the next few days I’ll be visiting orphanages and shelters, and I’ll also be looking at some property that could perhaps serve as a summer camp and ministry center.
Mike and Olga Cantrell 