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| Helsinki, Finland |
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| Helsinki Cathedral |
The Mark Alphin family
January/February 2011
2011 - Beginning a New Year in Our New Home
We arrived in Helsinki on December 30, 2010, just in time to celebrate the New Year of 2011 in our new home. Granted, our humanity began to immediately experience the cultural differences, feel the loss of a New Year's Eve service, and miss the celebration of New Year's Day with loved ones. However, our spirits were warm with the understanding that God had arranged events so that we could experience our new home-Finland-from the very beginning of a brand-new year. (God's timing is always so infinitely perfect, why do we ever question it?)
We have already made new friends while meeting others with whom we have been communicating via email for many months. It was heart-warming to meet such a lady who told us, "I have been waiting for this for over 30 years!" She had been an exchange student in the late 70's and wanted an extension of her American family to come to Finland. We are truly enjoying our new friendships and look forward to meeting more people as the days go by.
We welcome contact information for Finnish friends that you have made, either in the U.S. or abroad. Also, feel free to share our email address [overseas_laborer@pursuetheprize.org] and website information [www.finlandonfire.org] with them as well. With the help of both Miranda and a Finnish student translator, we are excited to be in the process of building a bilingual website. We hope for it to be fully functioning by May 1.
Thank You for Supporting TEAM FINLAND
We have always felt humbled and blessed by the outpouring of love and support that has been showered upon our family since our life in missions began in 2005. As we arrived in Finland and began to settle into our new home, the thankfulness that we have felt has grown.
Thank you to our monthly PIM's-without you, we could not empower God's vision for Finland. Thank you to those who cover us in prayer-the fight has just begun, but we are daily victors through Christ! To those of you who gave to our various projects, thank you. We appreciate the ability to set up housekeeping, begin to function in a normal family setting, and prepare for our ministry to this country.
We pray God's richest blessings on your 2011 and beyond. May He enlarge your borders while blessing your involvement in the Kingdom of God, and may a bountiful harvest of the Spirit occur in your individual communities, in Jesus' Name!
Insurance Need for Miranda
Due to a budget misunderstanding, we discovered late last fall that Miranda's insurance coverage would cease on her 19th birthday (which occurred on February 3, 2011). She has been approved as an AIM worker to Finland and is currently raising PIM's to help cover the costs of her monthly expenses. If you can help her by either becoming a partner in missions or giving a one-time offering, we know that she would appreciate it.
Miranda's FMD account number: 224537
Email address: miranda_alphin@pursuetheprize.org
Please feel free to forward this email to those whom you believe would enjoy it, or would be interested in following our ministry in Finland. We are actively growing TEAM FINLAND and welcome any new members to Finland's Intercessor Team or FIT4Kids (Miranda will be assisting with the FIT4Kids updates, and one will be sent out soon - once internet is working at our home).
May God bless the remainder of your February (Helmikuu - Finnish for February)!
Mark, Glenda, Miranda, and Candace
UPCI Missionaries to Finland
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