in the mosque

during last year I havent had time so much to dive in these islamic things as much as I would have maybe wanted. but there is a time for everything. and Im thinking its good to have some stuff sorted out about myself and life in general before tackling islam :)

but anyways, the other day I visited a mosque with a small group. a finnish muslimlady gave us a tour and a brief lecture on islam. her two kids were there too and I played tag with them.
every time Ive been to a mosque, it has been a really nice experience, the athmosphere is just so welcoming and warm. communitylike. I can so imagine feeling at home in a place like that. we could really learn from them.
it would be so cool to see a mosque kind of transform in to this community where people follow Jesus and enjoy fellowship with him. I wonder how it would look like, if Jesus would enter the islamic culture? would really want to see that. maybe someday!

about names

during the weekend in turku we pondered a bit on names as well.
I was quite blessed with what petra shared about a book she had read. it was called master potter, and told the story of different pots and their lives.
in the book the pots got new names from God, and the name was on the area where the pot had been badly wounded or been weak and messed up etc. and the same thing came in narnia, in the end aslan gives new names to the children, and the name of edmund is quite the oppisite of how he has acted for almost the whole movie.
so we talked about this a bit and how God wants to speak truth in these wounds and weaknesses we have. in them He can and will show his grace and power.

unity and african rhytms in turku

my dear dear friend hanna is leaving for south africa in february. at the moment she still lives in turku, and her friends there arranged her a going a way party. I was there too. and the time in turku is always blessed.
there are about 8 girls, all dear sisters who live there, and have fellowship together. and everytime I go there, I just learn quite a lot about unity and so on.

one of the best things was simply worshipping together. its lovely to just sing together and let the spirit lead you, you know, kind of like soaking in the worship. singing new songs and so on. and Ive missed that so much. cause its so different to worship together, compared to when someone is leading worship from the stage and you have a schedule to follow.

we also had a communion together, which was awesome! we declared the fact that we are parts of the same body, and that we love and accept each other.
and then we also had this practical thing we did with philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
so we encouraged each other by telling things that are good and true. that was so good, really encouraging. and at the same time so hard. its so funny how twisted ones thinking can be, if hearing good things about yourself can make you feel almost ashamed or hypocrite. but its so good to take the leap of faith, believe in yourself as a new creation and feed yourself with the truth.

a small thought about the kingdom and friends.

a while ago niina sent me a textmessage saying: "friendship is the word of the day. a tool in what God is doing and still a joy in itself. Gods kingdom comes in our sincere friendship."

this really stayed with me for quite a while. and it has opened up to me more and more during these past couple of months.

it was one time while tytti and me were queueing to the communion table as the sentence strucked my mind. it was a communion in our school, so this traditional church communion. as you might now, you should usually "behave yourself" while approaching the table. but as we were waiting out turns, we were joking around and laughing. and I just thought the contrast of it.
we were having fun; joy, peace, love and unity in that moment.
and how in the communion culture it is suitable to be with a severe face, quiet and so on. (not to say its a bad thing in itself, but I guess you get my point)

and after that Ive just realized many times how the kingdom really does reveal itself usually in these great moments, when people are just being together, loving, sharing and having fun. maybe thats also one aspect of something Jesus´could have meant by saying that we are known to be his dispicles if we love each other.

I just love my friends and its so cool that Jesus uses something that "simple" to do his will on earth :)

noworriesnoworries

this song by simon webbe (yeah, I know. really weird. and Im afraid that he is this kind of a backstreet boyish thing, more for teenagers, but what can you do..) that I heard in england has been so encouraging to me these couple of days. its just this really light and simple song, with quite simple lyrics as well. but it just makes me smile everytime. I actually had to buy the cd!

some of the lyrics go like this;

getting closer to the life youre imagining.
(I just know youre lifes gonna change)
maybe not today maybe not today
someday soon youll be alright

(just wanna live)
no worries, no worries
(dont wanna die)
no worries, no worries
(fight through the lows)
say it for me say it for me
(and take all the highs)

your endeavours
aint just selfless wasted time
seek and find
youre not that far from
what youve hoped
and wished all along.


so I got back to school yesterday. and we have quite an interesting theme going on. like yesterday and today we have talked about families, histories of families and how they affect us and people in general. different kind of roles people have, myths that can run in families and so on. Im kind of afraid that it will be process rich studying again this spring, dealing with all these family-issues. but even so I am glad that the studies we had in the autumn are over :) actually, this is really interesting, cause during the autumn we were kind of studying "the church", you know, how to "work for it" and all that lovely stuff :) and now we are going down to family things. haa, if I want to be overprophetic :) and get myself excited I could see a good development in this.

overblessed and got frostbites on my cheeks.

so, yesterday I went to the city boiler room.
that place is seriously an oasis.
I saw phil and chatted with him a bit.
unfortunately he was quite busy with work,
but nice to see him anyway. we had also a blessed prayermoment.

I chilled in the prayer room, again something I needed.

and then, I cant understand if I have somekind of muslim magnet on me :)
cause there was this pakistani man in the boiler room. someone brought him in. and all of a sudden he basically started to pour his life out on me. quite a life, and tough situations.. in the end I asked if we could pray for him, so we did.

before leaving to the airport met this awesome girl called lizzie. we just talked a while, and kind of commected right away. we prayed for each other. God is just so good! I cant believe how he just keeps on encouraging me!

in finland my train was late, and it was -20! seriously, I didnt remember that those kind of temperatures even excist! while I walked home from the station chris` and andys questions about how we actually survive were starting to make sense. but home was sweet. good to be here.

and today, walking to school, in some sick way I really enjoyed being so cold it seriously hurt. my hair was frozen and my cheeks red from the frostbites.

lovely trip, and lovely being home as well.

and london 17.1

went to the turkish church where I used to work and met some friends there.
lovely to see pipa and hear how she is doing, see ali, the turkish man who used to say my name: luraluralura. and, I heard that he has actually read through the bible, and believes in it. thank you Jesus!

later chris prepared some "lobsters" for us to eat :) and then we went down to the theater. saw a play a gem of the ocean. so strong. talked to me about freedom, self worth, being who you are, being in the light, among other things.

and then again I met some more actor people, and liked them! I actually just now during this visit realized that while I lived in london I didnt get to know too many english people. so its quite great to see how they are.

monday in london

enjoyed sleeping a bit later than on sunday
and then walked to camden town (one of my favourites, and only about 10 minutes walk from chris') did nothing special.

checked central london shops, virgin music lured my money but I stayed strong. (kind of had to)
I was actually quite tired cause didnt get much sleep in portsmouth. after selecting two books from about 20 I would have wanted out at wesley owens I sat in a cafe for about two hours. (the books I bought were the sacred romance, finally! and the one phil recommended, a newkind of christian)

we were supposed to meet at baker st with chris to go to this artisan event, and while I was checking the buses there a guy from libanon started to talk to me. I think he was just trying to hit on me a bit, but we did have a nice conversation. and I do think its nice when strangers start to talk with me. in the end we even changed out numbers. cause you know what they say; one never has too many muslim friends.

the artisan event was the coolest ever. about 200 people from different industries (media, theatre, dance, fashion etc) coming together to cry out to God for their city and their industry.
again had these silent moments with God Ive longed for.
these two sentences kind of stayed with me:
Lord, you have always spoken when the time was ripe. though you be silent now, today I believe.
Lord, you have always given peace for tomorrow. though with an anxious heart, today I believe.

I also met chris' friend susanne (who was so sweet, liked her a lot!) and chris' brother andy. so all these three + all the flatmates of chris are studying acting. Ive never known anyone studying acting before, but goosh, I like these people!

london 16.1

on sunday I arrived to the city of cities (ok, maybe a bit much said)
at ten and met jael. we went to calvary and had cappucinos. lovely to see her
after such a long time. she and salvador are renovating their new home. and what a palace it will be! 2 living rooms, 4 bedrooms and three floors. cant wait to visit them!

thet towards speakers corner.
the place hasnt changed one bit. though this time there werent too many people there. (maybe cause people here actually think that +5 is cold..) but yeah, still quite many people shouting and heckling each other.
I met hamza, wich was really nice. and again realized that Ive changed. cause this muslim guy came up as I was catching up with hamza. he started with paul. and how paul actually didnt believe that Jesus was God. and I really didnt feel like getting in to debates with him. so I kind of just nodded and listened to him.
I cant believe Ive actually done it! stood in the middle of about 15 muslim men and thrown words without really being heard. but well, those were good times and I learned a lot. and its cool still to know the faces of the people going there and say hi to them
I met the algerian tarek as well. havent seen him in about 1 and a half a year. his english was way better than the last time.
some day sick will be healed down at speakers corner. come on Jesus! not only in speech, but in action and love.

after corner and saying bye to dear jael I heded to swiss cottage tube where chris met me. so good to see him again! I threw my luggage to their cool crazy actor flat and we left to the central. to attend a hillsong service.
that was an experience. and maybe if I would be wise I wouldnt write anything about it. but still I will :) but yeah, I dont mean to just critize it, Ill just write what I saw and thought.

hillsong london meets in this really big theatre right at the central of london. hillsong jackets, smiling faces, beautiful people, flashy lights and a big band. and did I mention there were about 2000 people. in one service. the worship was huge. basically it was kind of like watching a show. the lyrics were good. yeah.
then there was a speech. about tithing. and how when we come together everyone has something to bring and that way we can build the house of God. felt kind of unreal/sad/frustrating/appalling that the guy was actually talking about money.
then there was a short speech and invitation to help those who are less fortunate than we.
and then the teaching. which I have already heard.
we walked out in the middle of it. and it took a while to get it out of you. but a good experience.
chris told me that hillsong is the fastest growing church in london.

while I was in the 24-7meeting in dresden I heard a really good talk about justice. how justice and working for it isnt just giving one day out of your week to go to a foodline and had a sandwich to some homeless person. (ok, not saying its a bad thing. but there could be something more, could there?) fighting for justice and helping out "those less fortunate than us" should actually be handing your life, becoming friends with people, sharing lives, even sufferings.
doesnt it kind of get the edge out of things if a preacher or a missionworker cruises to the "poor people" with his brand new cadillac (Im actually really bad with cars..is cadillac a fancy one or not. well anyways,you get my point) hands some money maybe and couple of kind words and cruises away happily.

so, then anyways, back to london. afterwards walked through leicester square and I inhaled london. hanging out with chris was awesome and relaxing. nice to hear what has been going on in his life after prague. we had a small worship moment when he finally agreed to expose his great gifts of singing and playing. silent prayer and worship, just what I needed.
then I also got another favourite here in london. (I have quite many of those already..)
chris took me to primrose hill, from where you have this beautiful view over london.

jesus, you know this city, and love it. please take care of it.

portsmouth 15.1

time in portsmouth was great. (surprise surprise)
just loved meeting minna and spending time with her.
she is like family to me. love you girl!

on friday we met her exchange students in a pub.
(really kind of embarrassing to admit it was almost
my first time in an english pub. and Ive lived here!)

in all these processes (like concerning the church, being me,
prophetic, sharing the gospel, living and so on) something has happened.
cause all of a sudden sitting in the pub I realized I wasnt thinking the same way
I would have, like even a year ago.
I wasnt wondering how I can share the gospel with these people, how can I present myself as a "christian" to them. I felt free just to be. enjoying the company of some really nice people. and it felt good. it was something like niina wrote on her blog and what I talked with the togwells, about how jesus actually never divided people in to christians and non christians.
and also like realizing the kingdom thing-how its something inside me, not something I need to try and create outside of me with words.

phil recommended this book to me, and Ive now started to read it. its called a new kind of christian. and it has some really encouraging stuff on it. the writer first tells a bit about his own journey and then deals with the question what is a new kind of christian through a story. but one of the most encouraging things he wrote was how he at some point even wondered if he is loosing his faith. cause thats the thoughts Ive actually gone through quite many times. and like after the pub-night and realizing the fact I didnt fell the need to point to everyone that I am a christian I almost felt guilty of it first. cause its something that I have grown in to in some way. (so the question is that am I loosing my faith, and my faith in what? cause if I have made the mistake on placing my faith in certain patterns to work, it is more than welcomed to vanish. ) but yeah its nice to learn to be free from those "christian pressures" or how I should call them. anyways. paradigm shift is happening. slowly, but it is.

on saturday we went to southampton and I got myself the sweetest of shoes. :)

Ive missed this so much

sitting in a park that is on its wintersleeps.
eating sandwiches that taste so much better than home
except
I am home.

you just got to love this.
and the london underground
people on it, people working for it,
the stops, the wind.
I am home.

''''

so arrived to stansted yesterdaynight 23.15.
phil was there to meet me and I spent the first
night at the togwell mansion :)
it was so awesome to see phil again, and meet his wife emma
and their beautiful girls, megan, poppy and angel. blessed.

I got greatly encouraged right from the start as we talked in the car with phil.
about all this church business Ive been pondering about for the last 6 months more or less actively.
later shared some with emma as well. it was good to hear from them both, cause they have been on the journey quite long.
got myself some thinking and a list of books to buy :)
Ill see phil on wednesday still before I fly home.

at the moment Im in portsmouth at minnas. lovely to see her, and all her friends here.

defined by God

one of my favourites in narnia was the part
where the children heard about the prophesy
and said:
we are not heroes.
we are from finchley.

but when aslan says youre a hero,
you are a hero.

dances with aslan

I havent written in such a long time!
and now its really hard to get started.

still on my holidays. blessed, long holidays. hooray!

saw narnia couple of days ago. enjoyed it.

now spending few days at my mums, then off to england.
Ill be couple of days in portsmouth and couple in london.
tytti and milka (the roommates. as seen on the photo :) thats from the day we dressed each other up.) are going to slovenia. niina was just in canada,
jussi is in australia, petra in germany. and hanna is leaving to south africa.
we are just all over the place.