A Message to the Women

To the Women of God’s Army


Felt a strong urge to write about beauty to encourage you where you are in your walk with God.

Beauty, why is it that so often we look down upon ourselves and think less of ourselves than we ought to? People even compliment us and encourage us, but yet it is not enough, we still compare and think we are not good enough.


We even know what the word of God says about beauty and know that these are words from God; yet we struggle to believe and live like it is truth.

How about Psalm 139:13-14 ‘You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it.’ That’s a few verses that are mentioned many times. Then there is Proverbs 31:30 ‘Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.’

In the New Testament, 1 Peter 3:3-4 says ‘Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewellery, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God’.

We know that beauty is not about the outside appearance and that it is what is inside, yet so many times we still struggle. I am not good enough, I will never be good enough, this is what is wrong with me, I’m too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short and the list goes on.

Do you realise that this is a lie from the enemy? Satan does not want women to truly know their beauty and value in Christ. In the book Captivating, a book many of you have probably read, the last sentence in chapter 2 says ‘There is a radiance hidden in your heart that the world desperately needs’ (p42). This is why the enemy wants us to believe lies, and hide ourselves from the world; he does not want us to be affective and glorify God. So here we are struggling everyday with the lies of the enemy that bring us down, make us compare ourselves to others and stop us living life to the full in which God has created us women to live.

We are created beautiful in God’s own image; nothing is more beautiful than that. We are all unique and none can be like the other. Our close and daily walk with God is more precious than gold and silver. God’s glory shines in and through us, we are beautiful women. Let us live and walk in that truth, that we are beautiful. Let us rise as women of God and pray for one another that we would not listen to the enemy’s lie but know the truth and walk in it. You are beautiful, you are God’s daughter.

Be blessed!

The Pursuit of My Heart

My heart beats fast
Wondering and waiting
For the day to come
Not sure of the things ahead
But knowing that I have desires

I’ve been hurt, I’ve been broken
I have been open and honest
But have noticed there are certain things
You should not share
So now I wait earnestly

There is a place
Where only a few can see
A place where one can open up
And share a glimpse
Of what is inside

The search is on, the pursuit
I crave for the day of one’s discovery
One’s pursuit of the things of mine
The little secrets and mysteries of the unknown
Searched and found by the one who purses

That day will come
When one is searched and found,
The pursuit of my heart is precious,
All I know while I wait is,
My heart will always belong to Jesus.

-EP

Journey of leading a Missions Trip

DTS has just finished last week Friday and all six students have graduated. Last week we had a debrief week where we reflected on the last 6 months of the DTS, both lecture and outreach phase. It was amazing to see how much the students have grown through the period of the DTS, how much they have learnt and what their visions and dreams are for the future.

The whole six months have been great. The students really enjoyed the lecture phase of all the different teaching topics every week. Most of the students enjoyed the topics of Father Heart of God, Holy Spirit, Fear of the Lord and Identity in Christ the most out of the rest.

The outreach phase of going to Poland and Estonia was good for the team to put in action of what they learnt during the lecture phase.

 
We stayed in Krakow, Poland for six weeks. Poland is a catholic nation and there are so many churches everywhere. The city we were located in was a tourist spot and also had many international students living in the area, so many people understood English. The older generation however did not speak much English at all. The first week we were there we visited Auschwitz. It was an experience that I will remember. The place seems so surreal and fragile. We took the opportunity to pray for forgiveness for anyone who visits the place.

As a team, we focused a lot on evangelism in Krakow in many different ways; park, street and serving ministry.  We went to a town, one hour away from Krakow, called Roma village where there were many Gypsies. Most of the gypsies there are Christians. We went there to fellowship, encourage and spend time with them. We visited about three times while we were in Poland.

The last week we were in Poland we worked with one Catholic Church in an evangelism event.  The event went for four days and we helped in different ways. One day we helped organise over 2000 flowers, by putting scriptures on them and handing them out to people on the streets. Another day we helped by making sandwiches. The last day there was a 24 hour Bible reading at a university campus and after that we performed two dramas and shared about them. We enjoyed being in Poland but were happy to go to Estonia after six weeks.

We were in Estonia for three weeks in total. We did a lot more different kind of ministries in Estonia compared to Poland. We helped renovate an apartment that YWAM is fixing; we sanded and painted the walls and much more. We did practical work at a house that is going to become a home for pregnant teenage girls. We also prayed and blessed the home for the ministry that will start there soon.

We went on prayer walks in the Old Town of Tallinn. The town is surrounded by great big walls and gates, we were learning about how the foundation of a city is important when praying for the nation.

We also went to a soup kitchen to feed the homeless food and encourage them. God opened my eyes to see what He sees as I served food to the homeless. It was a blessing to serve God in so many ways as we were in Estonia.

As I look back to the weeks of outreach I can see how God sent us to the countries that God is pioneering YWAM. There are many differences between Poland and Estonia, Poland is a religious country and Estonia is a country that many doubt and don’t believe in God.

While we were in both countries, we were sowing seeds and planting water on what God has already done there. I believe God has many things He wants to do in these countries.

I personally, have learnt so much in the last six months staffing the DTS and being here in Finland. I have learnt what it means to be a leader. I thought it would be hard to be a leader, but through the year I discovered that just being myself and doing what God has called me to do is all that matters. I learnt that the best leader one can be is a servant leader.

During the year I’ve also learnt more about the Fear of the Lord and also being aware what is happening around me whether in a group setting or what God is doing. There is so much that I have learnt, and God is showing me new things everyday. I am so excited what He has installed and I can’t wait to see what He does in and through me and others around me.

Blessings!

Warrior Princess

Warrior Princess
Last year I had a revelation on how God sees me as His precious daughter. This week we had time to soak and relax in God’s presence, to ask Him how He sees us and what He would like to say to us. God gave me a greater revelation on who I am, from being a small child to being a warrior princess.
Some of you may remember my vision of a young girl dancing in a beautiful forest last year. This time God showed me that girl but this time she was a lot older but still had the child-like faith.
I was in awe from what God revealed to me and am still overwhelmed by it. I believe that God wants me to tell you what I saw so that you too may be encouraged.
I saw a young girl, a daughter of the Most High King in a beautiful place that I cannot explain but say it must have been in a heavenly place with her Heavenly Father.
She was beautiful in her gown and she was strong and courageous, she was a warrior princess.
She wore shoes of truth which meant that she should not compare or try and be someone else or the shoes would not fit.
She wore a beautiful dress that cannot be described because it was so glorious and pure. It was a royal colour because she is a daughter of the King.
She had white gloves on her hands. These gloves represent purity. With our hands we can choose to do pure or evil things. She had chosen to follow the path of purity. (2 Timothy 2:21)
She had daisies in her hair. The daisies represent the fruit of the spirit. Since Christ lives in her and the spirit dwells in her, the fruit of the spirit are growing inside of her. (Galatians 5:22-23)
As a Warrior, God gave her the armour of God and some other weapons:
The sword of the spirit- which is the Word of God, she stands firm in the truth so that she does not sway or fall. She knows who she is in Christ and will walk in the truth. (Ephesians 6:17)

She has been given a bow and arrow. The bow represents prayer and the arrow represents the Holy Spirit. When we pray in line with the Holy Spirit it goes to the direct target, which is on God’s heart.

Her smile lightens the room. Her laughter brings joy to everyone she sees.

I encourage each one of you to ask God how He sees you and what He would like to say to you. I am sure that He will show you and overwhelm you too. May you be blessed! Remember God loves you as you are His own.

16th March 2011

Overview of staffing a DTS
Here is an overview of the last 9 to 10 weeks in Finland during the DTS:
The first two weeks before the DTS started we had staff training. The DTS students arrived on the 14th of January.
At the start of staff training we were only expecting four students, but in the last few days before the DTS started we received two more applications. So all up we have six students. Four of the students are Finnish and the other two are from overseas; one from USA and the other from Holland. There are two girls and four boys. There are three leaders, one another girl and I plus the DTS school leader. We have a lot of staff on the base who help us during the DTS lecture phase.

The first week's topic was the Nature and Character of God and our identity in Christ. The second week we learnt about the Fear of God, which it was brilliant! The third week we had Topi Kivimaki teaching us about the Father Heart of God (for those who do not know him, he is a family friend, so it was nice to see a familiar face). Father Heart of God teaching was good for everyone because sometimes we can get the wrong image on who God is if we compare Him to our earthly fathers. Week four we had teaching on the Holy Spirit and evangelism. We watched a movie called Furious Love (produced by the same director who made Finger of God), it was a really good movie that stirred my heart. I would highly recommend watching it.
The fifth week we had teaching on Relationships in life, in every area; family and friends etc. We announced the outreach locations. God had spoken to us before the school started that we would be going to Poland for 6 weeks and Estonia for 3 weeks so all in total 9 weeks for outreach. I will be one of the outreach leaders so this will be another big step in my journey.

Our sixth week's teaching was about Spiritual Warfare and Intercession, and then we went away from the base for two weeks. The first week of our trip we were in a place called 'Perheniemi' which has a Christian university there. We had lectures with another DTS group. The topics taught were Biblical worldview, money, love, relationships and marriage. I was not able to be in any of that week's teaching because I looked after two three year old girls. It was a learning experience for me because these little girls did not talk any English and were always busy wanting to do many things. God gave me strength to talk to them in my broken Finnish and look after them; it was sure a test for me.
Our second week away, we had an outreach week in Finland in a city called 'Hattula', it is about one hour drive from Helsinki-the capital of Finland. We stayed at Hattula Koti Kirkko (a pentecostal home church) and we served in many ways while we were there for a week. We led church meetings at the church, did evangelism on the city streets, went to an elderly home, we spoke at a Lutheran Bible college and joined them in a youth night, and much more. It was a great and fruitful week. We did have some hard and challenging days but it caused a breakthrough within the group. It was great to see the students use their gifts and talents to glorify God.

I had an opportunity to MC and preach on tuesday night at the church's prayer meeting. I spoke on to 'stand firm' as believers in this wicked world, to stand on the foundation of the rock (Luke 6:46-49) and live by the Word of God. We then we spilt the people in three groups to pray for people in authority positions in Finland, pastors and leaders in the churches, and for all believers to take their place as sons and daughters of God (1 Timothy 2:1-2). It was great to pray with the members of the church for their city and nation.


On Thursday night we had meeting for young people at the church. It was a great evening, all the students and DTS staff served in some way that evening. The students led worship and praise, they did a few drama/skits, some shared their testimonies and others served in making coffee. God spoke to me to share a bit of my testimony in the meeting. I always find it a bit hard to share my testimony because I had so many challenges growing up and trying to fit in at school. I spoke on how God cares for us and loves us, and that He will never forsake us even when we are in the valley of death, the dark times in our life. As i shared it from my journey I saw a young girl start crying in the audience, I knew God was speaking to her and doing something in her life. After I spoke I felt led to ask if anyone wants to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, this young girl put her hand up and gave her life to Christ. Praise God! Afterwards she came up to some of the students and myself and said that she needed exactly what we said and shared, I had the opportunity to pray for her. Although I found it hard to share a little bit of my testimony, i understand now why it was so important to share it, someone else understood and it helped them draw closer to God. It was an encouragement, so if you feel your testimony is maybe not so significant; know that it is, because it is your story and journey with God, through your life people will get encouraged and certain people will understand and will draw them closer.
I was so delighted to see the young girl come to know the Lord from that meeting. The week was definitely fruitful, we may not see all the results of the week, but sowing seeds does not mean you will see the harvest straight away, it is a process but it surely is a joy to be part of the harvest.

This week we are back at the base and we have the topic Sin, Repentance and Restitution, so i believe it is going to be another breakthrough week for the students. In five weeks time we will be going on outreach to Poland. We are excited but there is still a lot of planning to be done.

I hope you all are well. I pray that each of you will find your strength in God daily for all the things you need to do. I also pray that God would give you each an opportunity to share a bit of your testimony to someone, at the right time. Don't look down at yourself, but know who you are in Christ and walk as the son or daughter He has created you to be.

27th April 2010

My Psalm to God




I come here as I am,

Knowing You have good things installed.

You are a big and mighty God,

I cannot comprehend the fullness of You.



You are an Infinite God,

From the beginning to the end,

You will always exist.



You are omnipresent,

I can never hide from You,

But why would I want to?



You are an all knowing God,

Knowing the whole world,

To my heart's desire.



You have emotions,

You know how I feel.

Your heart breaks when mine does,

But You also rejoice when I delight in Your ways.



You have given me a free will,

How wonderful that I can choose.

I choose to follow you and

See what You have installed for me.

I long to see more of You,

although I will never comprehend the full measure of You.

19th April 2010

God as my Father

I have a story to share with you. One week we were learning about the Father Heart of God, and I really wanted to get a deeper revelation of God as my daddy. I know God is a Heavenly Father but sometimes it is hard to comprehend or understand, so I wanted God to show me some way or another. One of the days our lecturer decided to put worship music on and said to us to just soak in God's presence while listening to the music. Okay I can do that,-a different kind of teaching, maybe God will show me something. While we were 'soaking' in God's presence, I saw a vision. It was so beautiful and encouraging I feel the need to share it.
I saw a beautiful forest, with green grass and green trees with the sun shining bright. The sky was clear, the atmosphere seemed pure and free. I saw a young girl in a beautiful dress with flowers in her hair (I think they were daisies). She was about 5 or 6 years old and she was running/skipping joyfully.

All of a sudden I realised that she was me. I then saw her say "Daddy" and saw her run and give a big hug to Jesus. He then laughed, sang, danced and played with her (or should I say me).

He then said "Precious daughter come here, I have prepared you a table with food and gifts". She went to the table and Jesus gave her fresh bread and juice. Jesus took His time to be with her as a loving Father and nothing else mattered. The place was so beautiful, no words can express, it was so beautiful to be in the presence of the Almighty King, as a daughter of the Most High and to be able to call Him 'Daddy'.
My expectations of having a deeper understanding of God as my Father really became real and alive to me that day.
I encourage you to seek God for more and if you don't yet have the revelation of Him as a Father ask Him to reveal it to you.