And I Believe You Will Come Like the Rain

Happy Easter time everyone! I have just lived my first Easter not being home in Muonio, Finland. And yeah, my family and our church family were on my mind and heart a lot. I was praying for the ”Kynttiläkirkko” which literally means ”The Candle Church” they had on Saturday night celebrating the resurrection of our King Jesus. And I heard they really had a beautiful Easter celebration with lots of joy and worship! That’s awesome! I love them all so much and I love what God is doing in Muonio.

So, how was my first Easter away from home? It was very different than usually and it was amazingly b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. We woke up early on Friday morning here at the Shores of Grace base and headed to a village called Sertão. After five hours of driving we were in this little village and were lodged to the school of Sertão. After the lunch we were separated to small teams and started going to the houses to meet people. And wow, what beautiful encounters we had with these beautiful people!

 

Most of the people welcomed us warmly. The other people in my team were Brazilians so very quickly they started to talk with the people and play with the kids. At the first place I was there on the yard just standing and smiling and thinking that well, it’s great that my team is having these encounters with the people but it’s a shame that I can’t do anything here. Thinking that I had this thought that I just would go to greet the little girls there standing on the doorway. Pretty quickly the adults invited me in and we just had the greatest time me knowing one word in Portuguese, ”Obrigada!”, ”Thank you!” We took a lot of pictures with their phones and my camera and smiled and laughed a lot. You don't need to speak the same language to connect with people.

 

We were already about to leave the first place but then got a chance to pray healing for two people – and old lady and an old man. And they both got healed! Muito obrigada Jesus – thank you so much Jesus! (I’m slowly but surely learning more Portuguese.)

The weekend was filled with lots of love, joy and laughter. We had meetings for the whole village and a big children’s meeting. On Sunday we offered a lunch for the whole village. I got to hold many precious children in my arms and tell them that they are so beautiful and so loved - ”Você é muito linda i amada!”

 

There was also grief in seeing the deep, deep hunger the children had for just anybody to hold them and show them love. In the book Learning to Love by Heidi and Rolland Baker they write: ”Suffering is seeing what Jesus sees. Joy is doing what Jesus does.” Amen. I want to learn more about both – the suffering  and the joy. That my eyes would be so opened to the reality of the people’s lives that I would really suffer because they suffer, and that I would know the heart of my Father so deeply that I would know how to bring His heart, love and answer to the people. The process with that continues every day! It’s just so good to be learning with a Father who is so willing to teach and just loves that I'm pursuing His heart. Still it's not always easy to be in a process when you in your flesh would just like to be ready or something. But like Heidi and Rolland write in Learning to Love: "I will ask Him  to help me stay undone. Not finished, always ready, always wanting to be more like Him."

 

Vittori truly knows what's the most important - the heart!

Today I have just rested. In the evening we had a beautiful worship session before some of us went to the streets to meet the prostituted women. One of the guys saw a vision where we were collecting the diamonds from the streets and giving them to the Father. Because that's what everyone of us is to the Father - an unique, beautiful and precious like a diamond.

We are having a refreshing rain right now. And my heart sings I believe You will come like the rain! He is coming like the rain and is refreshing my heart, more and more every day!