Hide and seek

Lyn relaxing by the lake

This week Lyn and I had the privilege of attending our first officer course in the Finland & Estonia territory.  It was held at Silokallio centre - about 5 hours’ drive north of Helsinki – an absolutely stunning venue. The centre is near Porri and right on lake Joutsijarvi (check it out on the map http://goo.gl/maps/z8QPB). The wonderful autumn weather was just perfect for strolls by the lake and brisk early morning jogs. It was rather strange attending a territorial gathering where all participants could fit into a fairly small meeting room. The territory has less than 30 corps - and 5 of those are in Estonia – so the assembled crowd numbered less than 40. The fellowship was close and we felt blessed to be welcomed so warmly and embraced into the group so readily. In such a small territory there are no strangers amongst the officer group.  My thoughts strayed to our home territory and the officers preparing to attend the bi-annual officer’s council at Swanwick. Gathering in 5 groups of 400+ officers it is rare you meet the same officer group twice -  and you certainly don’t get to speak with everyone at councils. Here in Finland life is very different.

Officers of the Finland & Estonia territory

 The testimony and sharing times were frank and honest. Joys and successes were celebrated together – struggles and health challenges were voiced openly and carried together to God in prayer. It was good to sense the unity, support and shared mission amongst the small group. Many officers serve in small, remote locations. There is not one single, commissioned local officer in the territory; so officership can be a lonely spiritual leadership journey.  Perhaps Lyn and I have taken for granted the blessing of committed local officers who have supported and encouraged us throughout our ministry journey.

Whilst at Silokallio I was introduced to a potential new hobby – Geocaching. My good friend Kati Kivesto has been a ‘cacher’ for some time and has over 500 ‘finds’ to her credit. For the uninitiated, “Geocaching is the real-world treasure hunt that's happening right now, all around you. There are 2,238,449 active geocaches and over 6 million geocachers worldwide” (that’s taken from the official web site www.geocaching.com)  Kati discovered that there was a cache just a few kilometres away from the centre – too good an opportunity to miss. A free, early afternoon session provided just enough time to get there are record another ‘find’. I decided to tag along and see what the fuss was about. Kati shot off through the woodland like a rocket! GPS in hand, she forged a path (where there was no visible path) through undergrowth; across tree branches and boulders. I consider myself reasonably fit but I was puffing and panting like an old  man as I struggled to keep up with her! Eventually we reached the spot indicated by the GPS device. Then the search for the actual cache began. It was graded as an easy find so shouldn't have been too difficult to locate. After a few minutes rooting through tree trunks and other holes in the ground, Kati’s trained eye spotted a bird box. Unlocking the box revealed the small plastic box (the ‘find’).Opening it, Kati recorded her name and the date. On the basis that I was also now hooked on this new sport, I entered my name, too. Later that evening I signed up and registered myself as an official geocacher and logged this as my first find.  I’ve discovered there are many caches around Tallinn, so I’m going to make a start during this week to hunt for a few more as we take a couple of days off with Rachel and Charlie. Perhaps I can introduce Charlie (my 15-month old grandson) to this new hobby early in life!

I guess it was appropriate that my introduction to this new hobby should come during officers’ councils. The training course was a reminder of the spiritual journey we are each on.  God has chosen to make himself known to us and has given us ‘clues’ of how to find Him. Through His word he reveals himself, and we learn more of Him as we diligently search the scriptures and take time to discover him. We see Him in the lives of those we meet, work with and minister to.  As we have shared this week with officer colleagues we thank God for new friends and look forward to sharing the journey with them over the next few years. I thank God that through the testimonies of others and the impactful worship and prayer times I have been privileged to log up a few more spiritual ‘finds’ this week.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)