| Finland - the Land of Our Calling |
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If one were to visit Finland, one would get a sense of being on top of the world. Finland has one of the best economies. It has strong social programs, an excellent school system, and a rich cultural heritage. However, Finland is a country with no known apostolic missionary as a voice of truth. Several statisticians place the Finnish Pentecostal movement at around 45,000 (The Assemblies of God boasts 48,000 constituents with 206 preaching points, zero missionaries.) The state churches, Lutheran and Orthodox, have experienced significant declines in affiliation (Lutheran - 84.6% to 83.1%) while residents with no affiliation gave grown from 12.7% to 14.7% since the year 2000. |
| Finland needs a clear voice that will herald the precious truths of the Oneness of God and baptism in Jesus' name. |
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| We want to be that voice! |
| Although we didn't realize it at first, God had initially began preparing our family for missions in 2001 when we accompanied our pastor, Rev. William Sciscoe, on a missions trip to Kristiansand, Norway. Later that year, the Lord called Mark to "Missions-Finland," and we've been working towards that goal ever since. Our UPCI Missionary appointment to Finland in the fall of 2007 was the answer to prayer, as it will truly take an army of people to help us reach that nation. Why an army? God uses the missionary and his/her family, those who choose to help by becoming an Associate in Missions, individuals who are used in the gift of prayer and intercession, and people who are blessed with the finances to support those on the missions field. We are building an army! (Will you join us?) |
| Our family has visited Helsinki on three separate occasions and each time, we felt "at home." The people were friendly, and most spoke English (an added blessing). All with whom we spoke were more than willing to engage in conversation with us (we have heard that this is atypical of most Finns). We plan to learn the Finnish language, but the bonus of having English-speaking nationals will greatly benefit a quicker harvest. Our family thoroughly enjoyed the short visits that we were able to enjoy in Finland, and we can't wait to go back! |
| During the summer of 2006, the Lord impressed upon us the need to build an international, intercessory prayer team. We began doing this immediately, and are now better organizing the effort with information literature and emails. (FIT, the prayers you are laying before the throne are not in vain - read on!) Join the prayer team We believe that prayer is essential to the successful evangelism of Finland, as it will prepare the hearts of the people to receive the Good News. |
| Through the efforts of missionary Tim Olson, we "met" an apostolic man named Sammy Blomerus, via the internet, who was then living in Finland. His testimony is truly an amazing one - Sammy found the wonderful truth of Oneness and Salvation in Jesus' Name through the internet! Then, a couple of apostolic brethren flew to Sweden (where Sammy was living) in order to teach him a Home Bible Study. Sammy earnestly desires for his fellow Finns to know about Jesus, and had been actively witnessing to people in his neighborhood. However, his family came under strong spiritual persecution due to his outspokenness about salvation. To protect their safety, Sammy made the decision early in 2008 to once again relocate his family to Stockholm, Sweden; they are now fellowshipping with an apostolic church there. We are thankful that they are able to worship with people of like precious faith, but hope that, in the future, we will be able to personally meet and work with Sammy to reach his fellow countrymen with the Good News. |
| Reaching Finland will take a team, and we believe that ours will be a great one! Since appointment, we have begun working under the direction of Regional Director Robert Rodenbush and Missionary Tim Olson, Field Coordinator for Scandinavia. We believe that through teamwork, a great awakening will occur within the hearts of the Finnish people. We are also looking for AIM workers who would be interested in helping us reach these precious people. If your interest is peaked, peruse our "Vision for Finland" to receive more information. |
| We are trusting God for divine direction and humbly ask, once again, that you partner with us in prayer. God will do an awesome thing in Finland! |
| Team Finland | ||
 Regional Director Robert Rodenbush with wife, Evangeline |
 Field Coordinator Tim Olson with wife, Jane |
 Missionaries Mark and Glenda Alphin with children, Miranda and Candace |
 Finland's Intercessor Team |
 Associates in Missions |
 Partners in Missions |