tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46842742522426931042011-11-29T14:23:02.947+02:00we are simple tools used by an amazing artist....Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.comBlogger1101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-14031088317939275842011-05-14T13:06:00.000+03:002011-05-14T13:06:17.916+03:00

A friend passed this video along to me.  I know often lately you have been hearing me from me talk about Missional Community instead of home group, small group, or life group.  Here is a video from one of our partner churches in how they explain what a Missional Community is.  I know that our prayer is to see something similar to this happening all over the city of Tartu.  We want to send out

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-23310943248342885872011-05-09T17:33:00.006+03:002011-05-09T17:49:16.084+03:00

Hello everyone, I hope to get you caught up on what has been happening with Liina and I, but of course I am sure one picture has already spoken more than a 1000 words. January Yes in a way that only God can do, through a friend's prayer time and a prophetic e-mail from states, then after a pregnancy test to confirm, we found out that Liina was pregnant in the beginning of January. It has been

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-43691672971971181012010-12-28T19:01:00.000+02:002010-12-28T19:02:00.876+02:00

Liina and our City Christmas Tree... Town Square filled with activities for families. Dear friends & family, With the celebration of advent in the city square to Christmas, we managed to get through another busy time of the year. We definitely had a white Christmas as we have had snow since November and then have been

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-40878087670592550472010-09-21T10:32:00.002+03:002010-09-21T10:34:34.696+03:00

New Prayer RequestFor Chris as he has his annual health check-upsFor us as we start a new Risttee missional communityFor Risttee as we continue to grow, learn, and mature about what is the gospel really?The season of fall has come quickly...Well it seems that fall decided to come overnight. We went from our super record breaking warm temperatures to cold, windy, and rainy. Already over the past

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-83528222238536918522010-08-24T16:25:00.003+03:002010-08-24T16:30:09.838+03:00

Hello Family and Friends:Prayer RequestFor Liina as she begins her residency on 1 Sept.For Chris as he continues to focus his role at Risttee churchFor us as we begin to reach out to the needs of our neighbors, community, and cityAn African Summer...Well as we arrived back to Estonia it was quite rainy and cold compared to the states, but it soon transformed into one of the hottest summers in the

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-40661011474021431602010-06-09T18:46:00.005+03:002010-06-09T19:16:19.323+03:00

This past year has been a year of firsts! Liina and I have done and experienced so many things together. Whether it be seeing a city, trying new food, or meeting new people, it has been an exciting journey. One new first thing I wanted to introduce Liina to was miniature golf. She was not sure at first, but jumped in with both feet. What can I say, she is a natural putter. She killed me at

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-30773092043312928652010-06-09T18:46:00.003+03:002010-06-09T19:08:13.291+03:00

We contemplated whether to head down to Atlanta or not, but we are glad that we did. It was more of a vacation to spend time with a couple of friends than to fill it full of meetings. It was another weekend of refreshment as we only had another 2 weeks till it was time to leave. We spent time with one of our past interns Brett, who I consider more of a younger brother. We were able to glimpse

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-77858443766231062332010-06-09T18:26:00.004+03:002010-06-09T18:45:55.050+03:00

A couple of weeks back, we headed up around the Cleveland area to see some new friends and some old friends. We had a great weekend of simply - fellowship. I believe one of the most amazing things about being a Christian is the presence of the Holy Spirit amongst the fellowship of his believers. His presence never ceases to amaze Liina and I with so many conversations that can only be

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-25760517627730004042010-05-10T18:17:00.004+03:002010-05-10T18:32:52.965+03:00

Thanks to our friends, Liina and I had a night out on the way back from Minneapolis and stopped at Wisconsin Dells. Liina has been waiting for a long time for this, to go to a huge indoor water-park. We ended up getting an amazing room and deal at the Great Wolf Lodge. God is awesome in how he took care of us. We had an great time going down the water slides, playing in the wave pool,

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-67535751618647448902010-05-10T17:52:00.003+03:002010-05-10T18:15:40.720+03:00

We were able to make the long 14 hour journey to Minneapolis, Minnesota to visit our dear friends Jen and Dave Cupery along with their kids, Zach and Abby. They were missionaries in Estonia for 5 years and we have a long friendship. It was great to visit with them and hear the stories of how God has moved them and put them where they are. We are excited for them and their new journey there.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-43484230962694237402010-05-10T17:21:00.005+03:002010-05-10T17:52:29.168+03:00

A couple of weeks ago, Liina and I had the opportunity to make the trip across the beautiful Pennsylvania turnpike to see my Aunt Melisa and Uncle Kevin in Philly. They are the last of the my Uncles for Liina to have meet. With some reason of predictability, we had 2 beautiful days of weather and 2 days of rain. I am not sure how this predictable weather theme got started for all of our trips

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-56383942958965810102010-04-14T23:28:00.003+03:002010-04-15T00:13:24.101+03:00

This past week has had its ups and downs, but I would say that it has come mostly from self-introspection. I think the most amazing thing about the Bible is that it is timeless. It is always teaching new things, revealing new things that were hidden before, but also others have studied new truths and written books to help us understand better. It is not easy to come across new truths about God

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-86375118290578053452010-04-06T18:06:00.003+03:002010-04-06T18:31:46.856+03:00

I know many of you have been waiting for some updates, and we thank you for your patience as God continues to work in us. As we ease more back into things, this will be just one post of many to come as we get back into the regular blog updates. A famous quote by Robert Burns was “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” I can say that these past few months have not gone exactly how

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-60709602089960936692009-12-27T20:48:00.004+02:002009-12-27T21:07:18.406+02:00

Though it was hard to leave Africa, it was more hard to travel for as long as we did. It was nice to finally arrive in the states and was more of a surprise to get picked up by my dad. It was nice he did not have to work that day. I have been looking forward to coming home for some time to spend a nice Christmas holiday. I also looked forward to spending some time with family. I will admit

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-26127948970791954292009-12-27T20:44:00.001+02:002009-12-27T20:46:12.460+02:00

Pictures: here

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-2978595378306549662009-12-16T16:07:00.003+02:002009-12-16T16:15:44.404+02:00

It was a hard weekend as we had our finally brai's (barbecues). It is often in the Hands family that when we get together, we eat lots of meat and then friends take turn saying what you mean to them. It was an emotional goodbye. It was one of the hardest goodbyes as we know there is so much to be done yet. Our team left so many fingerprints on our heart and mind that we will forever be

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-37087771247024294932009-12-16T15:52:00.003+02:002009-12-16T16:06:34.002+02:00

As we stayed in the community, we stayed with one of caregivers, Joanna. In their home, she lives with her 2 sisters, her own daughter, her sisters daughter, and she also took in one of her friends and her two kids. She is an amazing young women in how she takes care of her family as she is the eldest. She runs a tight ship also.They live in a mud house with a little wood stove in the corner

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-91051174161073661172009-12-16T15:31:00.002+02:002009-12-16T15:52:15.363+02:00

Our Final Exam!!!!Liina and I went with our boss, Busie, and another friend Pontso out to check out a new community that Hands at Work as been introduced to. We were going out for a few days to talk with the care givers, find resources, talk with the community, and spend time praying about if this is a community that would be considered the poorest of the poor. We had a heard only a little bit

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-56450841061200828582009-12-16T15:21:00.003+02:002009-12-16T15:30:29.545+02:00

I was asked to be part of a special process this time in the community. Big Boy came and visited me weeks before to ask if I would come and help him prepare a huge blessing meal for some of his family and some of the church families. He said it would be a huge process and needed my help, but most importantly he wanted to teach me something that was special to him. I had the honor to help

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-71487702179961368522009-12-16T15:09:00.003+02:002009-12-16T15:21:26.930+02:00

We were out doing our final community stay with our African family: Big Boy & Fortunate. We were really looking forward to spending one of our last weekends with them. I think that this time we really felt what the community is like. What it would be to live with them. It was an interesting cultural experience this time as Big Boy took me under his wing and Fortunate took Liina under hers.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-32772051260344675332009-12-02T08:20:00.003+02:002009-12-02T08:59:32.225+02:00

Hello everyone. I know it has been a little while. I guess you could say that I am just trying to keep my head above the water. It has been an extremely busy past few weeks for Liina and I.Liina has been very busy with helping run a de-worming program for kids that Hands at Work is helping. Because of some different circumstances, Liina ended up co-leading this along with helping lead a team

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-8590029910129704412009-11-13T16:44:00.003+02:002009-11-13T17:21:36.037+02:00

Today, we had many of the Hands at Work staff and community members out to our new office to help dedicate it as we begin to work out in the community. We are making ourselves more available for the different home based care members can come and get help, encouragement, and care. As I was sitting in the dedication service, I was thinking of what does this service center mean to me? Is it just

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-1246855843459673682009-10-29T11:01:00.003+02:002009-10-29T11:17:31.125+02:00

I know that a little bit of time has passed since I last wrote. I would say that it has been hard to put into words what has been going on in my life this past week or so. I have faced many different challenges with some work things and have also faced some challenges that I still can't get my head around yet. God continually is shaking me to the core. Challenging me on things in my heart, in

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-17090018824358422602009-10-29T10:51:00.000+02:002009-10-29T10:53:25.697+02:00

Click here: Pictures

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-37389664090248332862009-10-29T10:50:00.001+02:002009-10-29T10:51:49.515+02:00

Click Here: Pictures

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-23274120279401800592009-10-16T18:38:00.002+03:002009-10-16T19:18:16.780+03:00

Even though we got a Reality Check in the beginning of our stay, God really opened up our relationships with Big Boy and Fortunate along with kids. God allowed me to really connect with the husband and we sat out on the porch and just talked about culture for a couple of hours. Liina was also in the kitchen and connecting with Fortunate as they she helped make them spaghetti for the first time

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-69770664348086835292009-10-16T17:47:00.002+03:002009-10-16T18:38:17.770+03:00

Liina and I went back to the community where we stayed a few weeks ago. We were excited to get back and spend time with the community. We were only there 5 minutes when Fortunate started to share with us what has taken place that week. She helps lead a team of 24 volunteers that go and visit 600 patients a week to just to check on them, serve them, listen to them, and pray over them. That

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-11529750324655770142009-10-01T19:14:00.002+03:002009-10-01T19:25:24.985+03:00

This is Jackie and Busie. Busie is our main boss, but we pretty much do whatever we are asked or told to do. Liina has been helping organize things and I have been helping with paper work with writing community profiles for donors. It has been a busy week with meetings and getting things ready for the team to move hopefully in the middle of this month to our new offices. Over the next few weeks I

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-45860697571196536412009-10-01T18:47:00.002+03:002009-10-01T18:55:32.692+03:00

Last Thursday and Friday were national holidays, so our volunteers that we are here with all jumped into a VW Combi and went to Kruger National Park. It is the biggest park in South Africa and a place to see the big 5. We saw many animals and here are some of our best shots. Enjoy and more will be coming as soon as we can.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-37394430214237141202009-10-01T18:35:00.003+03:002009-10-01T18:46:50.971+03:00

Hey, I know that we are trying to get pictures up no the net for you sometime soon, but the internet is just to slow to get things up very quickly. Here are a few and we hope to get more up in the next couple of weeks.Will and I in the back of a bucki (truck) going to help plant a garden.This is me with Big Boy on the right and his brother in law in the middle. I got to know them on my

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-57228875588790648872009-09-23T19:24:00.002+03:002009-09-23T19:50:47.929+03:00

Hello everyone,It is good to back. Liina and I just got back from our community stay. It was 5 days that we stayed with a family to see how they live and also how they serve the community in where they live. We went to an area called Clau-Claw or it means the scream of the monkey. It is mostly Swazi people that live there. Also, it was huge deal for Liina and I to live there since there are

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-72098033800395669862009-09-15T19:16:00.002+03:002009-09-15T19:45:03.646+03:00

I know many have e-mailed and asked if we have made it or not. Yes, we have made it and yes we made it safely. We were a little delayed in Frankfurt because of the weather, but we have made it safely to the Hands at Work Hub in White Rivers, South Africa.From the beginning it has been a great experience. The passport control and with the changing money workers have been so thrilled to meet

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-49599209059360717612009-09-11T16:04:00.002+03:002009-09-11T16:12:51.196+03:00

Just two weeks ago our paper work finally became complete. It took us 2 trips to Helsinki, Finland to get everything completed with the South African embassy. It was good that we went personally since there were things that we had to talk through with them about our paperwork. I have an interesting situation since my permanent residency is in Estonia, but my passport is from the states. After

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-46304869720768445042009-08-24T20:08:00.001+03:002009-08-24T20:12:42.089+03:00

(a long post, which we hope communicates well our hearts) Stewarding Opportunities...Many times when we think of the word stewardship we immediately think of our home or finances. It wasn’t until we had some elders from Soma Community Church challenge our church on this issue back in April that my perception was widened. April was a challenging month as we had a great Men’s Retreat and also a

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-76204905992817525472009-08-24T19:53:00.004+03:002009-08-24T20:07:12.718+03:00

Two weekends ago, Liina and I were able to go to Tallinn to one of her classmates wedding. His name is Aleksei and he married Alija who is studying to be a Dentist. Aleksei and Liina both graduated together this past June from Medical school. We were very excited to be invited to their wedding. Over this past winter we had been able to go out on some double dates together and spend more time

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-91231361135272419272009-08-24T19:47:00.002+03:002009-08-24T19:50:17.002+03:00

One of our interns had a digital SLR camera. Here are some of the photos that turned out of the bunch. My first attempt at being a photographer. Don't worry, I did not alter or touch up any of the pictures. They are still in their raw form. Click here.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-75460030009756631832009-08-11T13:02:00.003+03:002009-08-11T13:11:04.925+03:00

Liina and I have been feeling a very strange emptiness over the past few days. This past Saturday, we sent our 2 interns back to America and our 2 Estonian interns back home to rest. One of the girls, Logan (middle of picture) was our adopted daughter for the summer. She lived with us, and we tried to make her feel like she had a home away from home. She was a lot of fun to have around and I

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-57914107526139172272009-08-09T10:49:00.003+03:002009-08-09T11:21:26.755+03:00

The Rakvere youth have really changed 180 degrees since last year. Almost every non-christian youth was invited from one of the Christian youth. They are really understanding what it means to take time and invest into their friends. They are gaining more and more boldness in their faith even though they face many trials at home and also in school. Some of the youth wanted their non-chrisitan

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-65055323919499331222009-07-16T10:51:00.002+03:002009-07-16T13:42:14.640+03:00

Last Friday, I was able to get home from camp just in time to help Liina with preparations for her birthday. I admit that I was tired, but pushed on because I love my wife so much. Our friends let us have a party at their business, which has many games and video things. Liina invited our home group, some friends from school, and her family. Liina wanted to try to make her birthday party more

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-8994538883929952092009-07-16T10:37:00.003+03:002009-07-16T10:51:03.940+03:00

In an unexpected way, I was asked to come and help with Adventure camp, which our own church was doing for LIFT. It is a new style of camp that we want to try out, which is focused more on discipleship. We were excited to see how this type of camp would work, and I was excited to be asked to take part in it as a small group leader. I admit I was a little scared since I just got done with

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-65973314265161467072009-07-16T10:34:00.001+03:002009-07-16T10:36:14.944+03:00

You can go see pictures from the first camp here.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-88579271898236187812009-07-16T10:18:00.002+03:002009-07-16T10:34:09.359+03:00

The first camp finally came to an end. As you know from the previous blog entries, the spiritual warfare was intense. God used it to really bring our team together. Even after camp ended, weird things continued to happen to Liina and I. We still had transportation struggles, we were kicked out of the bank, and we received personal attacks that did not even have to do with anything with camp

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-6015424411068912002009-06-29T21:51:00.002+03:002009-06-29T22:06:25.798+03:00

As the story continues, what do you do when everything goes different than planned. I am sure if most of us our honest, we would say that we get a little worried, a little anxious, or a little nervous. God has been really working on my heart about How Great is my God? It has been a heart issue for me since when things go wrong I like to take over control and make it work with all of my

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-3567526818725754222009-06-29T21:35:00.003+03:002009-06-29T21:51:30.014+03:00

I want to catch you up on a few things as to what is going on with camp. I am not sure where to start with things, but only to just jump into thing. On Friday morning as I had already sent an intern on a bus to pick up a team I get an e-mail from the team that they are not coming exactly on schedule. They had been delayed in the states for to long so they ended up having an unexpected

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-27622395866845185602009-06-26T19:17:00.002+03:002009-06-26T19:25:31.912+03:00

I am writing you from my apartment in Tartu. I did not head out to get ready for camp as was planned this morning. Our team Salem Chapel from Winston-Salem was delayed and held up with plane mechanical difficulties. Unfortunately, they had the privilege of spending the night in Chicago after 12 hours of travel already. They are doing pretty well and their spirits are high as I talked to their

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-19620981175999960522009-06-26T19:09:00.004+03:002009-06-26T19:16:28.967+03:00

For the many of you that have been following Liina's story over the past few months, we have come to end one chapter in order to open the enxt one. Liina made steps yesterday to open this chapter. Liina did her final examination and also an had an interview to get into the residency program. After waiting a couple of hours for the results, she was accepted into the Tartu University Residency

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-18273966076148659402009-06-24T21:14:00.004+03:002009-06-24T21:33:54.124+03:00

The summer is really upon us as our first team arrives tomorrow for our first term of english camps. Starting this Sunday we will have two different locations beginning english camp for 3 different estonian churches with two churches from the states kicking it off. This year the theme is called "Stories". We all live in stories. We love to tell stories, but we also love to hear a good story.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-19848196777916979542009-06-24T21:02:00.002+03:002009-06-24T21:14:18.838+03:00

On Friday, Liina graduated from Tartu University Medical School. She was very excited for her graduation and she glad and scared now that school is over. It has been a long, but quick 6 years of studying coming to a close. Liina was only able to take one person to the graduation since the space is so limited. We let her mom go, but then one friend said that she would give her one ticket so

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-13205183425211188032009-06-12T16:26:00.003+03:002009-06-12T16:40:37.257+03:00

Our 2 interns from states arrived last weekend, and we have had a great week away doing some training and teaching with them. It was cool to watch God work in them already and how they have been a great encouragement to me and to our team. We have one estonian intern this year, and her name is Evelin. I am happy to have her back because she was a huge help to me last year and I already know

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-86748431304142572942009-06-08T12:35:00.003+03:002009-06-08T13:28:46.326+03:00

We found out that Liina passed her exam, so all is well. Liina is now an official doctor. She will graduate on the 19th June. She says thank you for all of your prayers. She really felt that you were praying for her. Thanks.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-59896972936259747502009-06-03T10:37:00.003+03:002009-06-03T10:45:37.044+03:00

Well, it has been a long process, but the end of the road is coming to a close in the next 24 hours. My wonderful wife will be taking her final exam for medical school. She has been studying for many months, but the end has been hard. The past few days have been around 90 F and sunny. Yea, it has been pretty hard to study with weather like this. Plus, she is to the point of just let me take

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-46511552163134446062009-06-03T10:00:00.002+03:002009-06-03T10:06:11.909+03:00

Well, a small chapter has finally come to an end. Driving school is over. Exams are over and I am finally a green leaf driver for two years. Yes, here in estonia when you are a new driver in the system, you have a little green leaf in the front and back of the car to let people know you are a beginner driver. I know that it seems funny for me sometimes knowing that I have been driving for so

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-33871278562403099552009-05-20T23:22:00.003+03:002009-05-20T23:25:25.586+03:00

Well, it seems our weekend ritual is finally coming to a spa near you. Getting hit with leaves and branches. This is quite a normal ritual for Estonains and Finns every Saturday night which we do in the sauna. I guess someone decided to try it from Central Park. Enjoy this funny video.Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-82490066858873436162009-05-20T20:35:00.002+03:002009-05-20T20:41:06.015+03:00

Well, many of you following know that I have been in driving school the past 2 months. It has been a different experience, but a good one for the most part. I can say that knowing the law is quite helpful if you ever get stopped by police or if something happens. Last week, I was able to pass my 60 question exam for my schooling and also I passed a driving evaluation with my instructor.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-7775050662313307582009-05-20T20:19:00.003+03:002009-05-20T21:48:43.929+03:00

Eurovision...what???? I know that in America no one knows what this really is. It doesn't probably ever make the news unless you follow European news or Estonian news. Eurovision as one person told me is like American Idol on steroids. It first starts out as 42 different countries from Europe and around picking their favorite song from their own country, which has been written only this year

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-54953832522742552412009-05-20T20:01:00.003+03:002009-05-20T20:19:29.784+03:00

This past Friday, I was able to travel up north to a city called Rakvere. One of our partner churches is up there and I was able to go and speak to the youth about english camp. It is always a blessing to go and be with them. They have a great team and the youth leader is always smiling and laughing. Before the youth meeting, I was able to have a great meeting with their pastor about English

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-38981891464949442532009-05-04T12:26:00.004+03:002009-05-04T12:48:35.578+03:00

I don't know about other parts of the world, but the 1st of May is a day off for us in Estonia. Luckily for us it fell on a Friday giving us a nice long weekend. I was able to stay in Tartu this weekend and Liina and I had a great weekend to be with friends. Plus, it was student spring days for the university and seems like spring has finally arrive with lots of sun and warmth.On Friday, we

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-25406034165988780922009-05-04T12:18:00.005+03:002009-05-04T12:25:40.527+03:00

Liina was able to be blessed this last by getting her hair done. I know that getting a makeover is a really big deal and also can be life transforming also. Here are Liina's pictures of before and after. I am excited for her as she took a risk to try something new and different. I know that Liina has really grown spiritually as God has stretched and grown her over this past year. God has

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-27293186126109331492009-05-04T12:18:00.001+03:002009-05-04T12:18:47.979+03:00

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-1563151569708257182009-05-04T12:13:00.004+03:002009-05-04T12:18:13.804+03:00

On 25 April 2009, Liina and I were able to attend our good friends Tarmo and Agne's wedding. I have known Tarmo a long time. I meet him on my second trip to Estonia when I was here for English Camp. It has been a pleasure to work with Tarmo over the past few years as he is on staff for Risttee church. We are excited for them and their next chapter of life together.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-72563837715106407412009-05-04T11:34:00.002+03:002009-05-04T12:13:11.792+03:00

Two fridays ago, I was back in the small city of Elva with Märt as he was given the opportunity to speak at their youth night. It was good to go and just observe and watch how they interact with each other as a team and also with the youth that attended. Overall the youth night went well. It was good to see how their worship band has grown and developed. I know that two of our Risttee guys,

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-67284349744241389232009-04-15T11:49:00.002+03:002009-04-15T11:53:56.672+03:00

4 G's is from one of our trainings and something to ponder about. They are things that are so simple, yet so life transforming when the Spirit speaks through them.1. God is Great, so we don't have to be in control.2. God is Glorious, so we don't have to fear others.3. God is Good, so we don't have to look elsewhere for satisfaction.4. God is Gracious, so we don't have to earn or prove anything.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-21279331456460983212009-04-15T11:33:00.004+03:002009-04-15T11:48:58.175+03:00

This past weekend, we had our first men's retreat for Risttee and also for other men around Estonia that we invited. We have some guest from the states who really lead us well in the weekend and also through out this week at Risttee as well with more teaching and training. The guys are from Soma community out in Tacoma, Washington. They have a really interesting ministry that is pretty

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-53638956516750125472009-04-15T11:13:00.003+03:002009-04-15T11:32:52.836+03:00

Two weeks ago, our team was able to do our first boot camp for the upcoming english camps which will take place all over Estonia this summer. It was a great day for our Going Up team to build more relationally with each of our partnerships and continue working on building trust with them. Overall, the main purpose of the day was to help our partners begin to understand how english camp works

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-89729876727815052652009-03-26T10:00:00.004+02:002009-03-26T10:12:59.514+02:00

I heard some interesting news yesterday, my American drivers license is no longer valid in Estonia. What does this mean? I have been driving illegally and didn't know it. For now it means back to the bus for me. The laws have been changed over the past year or so as the EU is helping to tighten things up. Also there have been so many auto deaths this past year, that Estonia must crack down.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-9339933789417693552009-03-26T09:47:00.002+02:002009-03-26T09:58:35.488+02:00

This weekend, another joy has come. Liina is back in Tartu. After her 3 week internship in Pärnu and her 5 week internship in Võru, it has come to an end. I am happy to have her home again. These past two months have brought many challenges, but we have had many joys also. Liina still has internships, but the rest of them will take place in Tartu. She is studying hard for her final exam on

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-50317769888210486332009-03-26T09:38:00.003+02:002009-03-26T09:47:08.759+02:00

This past Sunday, I was able to witness something that brought me much joy. I was able to watch and celebrate my close friend Peep complete his ordination process to become an official pastor. Pator Meego from Salem came and did the ceremony since he is now the President of the Baptist and Free church Union. It was great to have Meego around and be able to talk with him a bit. We enjoyed the

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-23962583375917176432009-03-26T09:20:00.002+02:002009-03-26T09:37:46.915+02:00

As everyone in the states is getting ready for their basketball March Madness, we were getting ready for our own March Madness, ENGLISH CAMP!!!!!!. It has been so cool to work on English Camp this year as we have really included the LIFT team and leaders into the planning of things. For me, this camp was not as stressful as in years past. My only responsibility was helping work with a team on

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-74220918720056590842009-03-26T09:05:00.004+02:002009-03-26T09:13:09.664+02:00

This week is about catching my breath. It has been a long hard few months, but I am enjoying my moment of pause. I am overwhelmed by God in how He works through and guides my roller-coaster life. He is always there in the good, the bad, and the ugly. I find myself lucky just to see a glimpse of how He moves and transforms students and leaders lives. I am especially fortunate to watch how God

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-89329034399242570122009-03-09T14:14:00.003+02:002009-03-09T14:40:53.614+02:00

The last couple of months have been an intense time for me and also for our team at Going Up. We have been working on putting on a conference for young leaders who are passionate about what they do, but feel like they are burning out and getting down. So, we had a conference for them called, Burning Bulb. We wanted to really refresh young leaders all over Estonia especially because Estonia is

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-11396065125198184012009-03-09T13:59:00.004+02:002009-03-09T14:14:17.436+02:00

On 24 February, Estonia celebrated its 91st anniversary as a free country. It also ended up landing on the last Tuesday of the month, which is Sledding day. Because of independence day, we all had the day off, which was really nice for everyone to enjoy all the snow that we have. This is also a day to eat a little pastry called a vastlakukkel. It is like a little dinner role with whip-cream

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-30098187424793251112009-02-17T10:22:00.005+02:002009-02-17T10:28:40.095+02:00

A friend passed on to me an interesting article. I hope that it gives some insight into this tiny county of Estonia that God is allowing me to serve in.http://euobserver.com/851/27587Estonians least religious in the worldELITSA VUCHEVA11.02.2009 @ 09:25 CETFive EU members figure among the world's top 10 least religious countries, with Estonia leading the list, a new poll has shown.Just 14

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-5059912045230015922009-02-17T10:09:00.005+02:002009-02-17T10:22:04.933+02:00

I know that a typical question that many people ask me is what does a typical day look like, or what does a typical week look like. I know that it is hard to say many times because my weeks are always changing. There are times that I am in the office doing more administration work. Some weeks I am traveling to different churches around Estonia for meetings or trainings. So, I will put up

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-32531664783995584832009-02-17T08:54:00.006+02:002009-02-17T09:38:09.303+02:00

This weekend I finally took the plunge after 6 1/2 years. I bought my first pair of cross-country skis. I went twice 2 years ago and find myself so humiliated that I was not sure if I would ever try it again, but with so much snow and needing to train to help strengthen my heart, I started into something that I was not sure I wanted to. Cross-country skiing is a lifestyle here in Estonia.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-36964456155940483552009-02-09T14:05:00.002+02:002009-02-09T14:16:01.036+02:00

As some of you know Liina and I are living in different cities at the moment. She is in Pärnu and I am in Tartu. I was able to go visit her this weekend and spend time with some friends in Pärnu and also spend time with the new youth leader, Viktor (holding the water bucket), at our partner church. It was great to see Liina and I am realizing how huge of a peice she is in my life. She plays a

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-57566154771967322452009-02-09T13:42:00.004+02:002009-02-09T14:19:24.372+02:00

On Wednesday, during the live webcast for Drive-INternational, I was able to sit in a kitchen with 3 youth leaders in a small town called "Elva" to watch Andy Stanley. It was really fun to sit around a computer screen and then to talk with these young leaders who have a passion to reach their classmates for Christ. I think that their passion helps me to stay passionate about what I do, which is

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-37392380570997663152009-02-09T13:36:00.004+02:002009-02-09T13:42:12.901+02:00

On Monday, I made a journey north to see my dear friends in Rakvere. It is around an hour and a half drive to get up there. I was able to meet with their team and talk about Why do we do English camp and to cast a little vision for this coming summer. I am really excited as their team has now grown to a team of 8. I love the time that I get to spend with them. I feel that they are my second

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-16157169881947762022009-02-09T13:20:00.005+02:002009-02-09T13:35:21.940+02:00

Two Fridays ago, I was finally able to get to a LIFT. The leaders have invited me many times, but the timing never worked with me being out of town at another youth night or something else. It has been a long time since I have been to a LIFT youth night, and I had not been to their new location at one of the local Night Clubs. It was great to see so many youth that I did know, but more amazing

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-51751968067614397302009-02-04T14:52:00.002+02:002009-02-04T14:59:46.336+02:00

The past few months, a certain song has become more and more of my daily prayer. I find it so easily to get off track in life. As a guy, I find it so easy to try to do things on my own and forget from where I came and where I need to go. As I get older, I keep coming back to the realization that I need the cross more and more at the forefront of my thought. I need what Christ did on that

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-37618586090811484782009-02-01T09:27:00.003+02:002009-02-01T09:34:44.365+02:00

Yesterday, I found out that my friend Anna set the new high jump record in Estonia. She jumped 1.92 m. (6' 29"). I find it cool when you can celebrate friends accomplishments. And to Anna, Palju Õnne! (Congratulations!)

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-58594539383585598882009-01-28T09:59:00.002+02:002009-01-28T10:03:22.056+02:00

Yesterday, we got great news. Peep and Anna had their second child, a son, Elliot Leevi. We are excited for him and Anna. Also, I know their little daughter Emme is quite excited as well. She will make a great big sister for Elliot. If you don't know Peep, he is one who took me in 6 1/2 years ago to live with him in Estonia, one of my dearest friends, a brother in Christ, and also the Pastor

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-4923878350469082952009-01-28T09:52:00.002+02:002009-01-28T09:59:23.194+02:00

It has been cool the last two days to get a bunch of guys together in different cars and drive out to help a family that is moving back to Tartu from Tallinn. They have been away from Risttee and Tartu for a little more than a year, but have decided to move back. It was great to have a group of guys that love to serve and help others. Why do we help others, because we want them to always feel

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-24413353615511604052009-01-28T09:33:00.005+02:002009-01-28T09:50:49.329+02:00

Liina finishes school this year and will have her final exam in the beginning of June, but before then, she has to intern in many different areas of medicine. She has already completed her family doctor internship in Tartu, but this weekend I drove her across Estonia to the city of Pärnu. Pärnu is the summer capital of Estonia, but in the winter it can be pretty dark and depressing. I guess it

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-82405146719345029182009-01-22T10:56:00.002+02:002009-01-22T11:01:35.639+02:00

Yesterday, we took part in an world web cast called "Drive INternational", which was put on by Andy Stanley and North Point Community Church. It was great for our team to sit and watch the video together and then take some time to talk about it. The topic of the video conference is "How to reach the unchurched?". For us, this is a pretty important topic since 98% of our country is unchurched.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-20730651867764779962009-01-22T10:33:00.004+02:002009-01-22T10:55:24.794+02:00

Do you ever feel like you have so many things to juggle or keep in the air that you just don't know how you can keep it up. I feel a little bit like this right now. I am especially afraid that I am dropping some balls that I shouldn't be or neglecting a ball that needs some serious thought and attention put into it. This life balancing act has been a hard one for me. I admit being married has

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-9971016208085405342009-01-22T09:37:00.003+02:002009-01-22T10:23:53.050+02:00

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to have a church winter camp. Also we had one of our partner churches, North Point, send a team of 5 to help run activities and free some of our leaders up to get some rest. As we started working to put this camp together as leaders we were not so sure what to expect, but we prayed with hope and expectation that God was going to do something big with

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-51542766447905657052009-01-22T09:33:00.002+02:002009-01-22T09:37:00.857+02:00

Hello my friends, I know that it has been a couple of weeks, so now comes a few posts to get caught up on some different things. It has been a crazy busy few weeks with setting things up for this coming year, church activities, many visitors from outside of Estonia coming to visit us, and of course making time for Liina in between everything. God has been doing some pretty cool things already

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-11721080609752402212009-01-04T15:29:00.003+02:002009-01-05T17:29:31.331+02:00

We gathered over New Year's Eve at Liina's parents apartment in Tartu. For Liina's family, this is their time for celebrating Chirstmas. This is always a big deal. There was a 3 course meal and then different pauses planned between each meal. In one of the pauses, Liina's mom made us some games to compete against each other in. It was a lot of fun and brought much laughter. Also, they have

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-22842088306234323842008-12-29T11:37:00.003+02:002008-12-29T12:17:15.852+02:00

Well, after the cleaning of the tent, Liina and I drove an hour south to her hometown of Võru. It is a nice small town with a lake. We had a nice dinner with her family and then we did gifts. The catch in Estonia is that you have to earn your gift. You have to say a Christmas poem, solve a riddle, sing a song, make up a dance, or show the family some love before you get your gift. It makes

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-65811649481465228222008-12-29T11:27:00.003+02:002008-12-29T11:37:06.035+02:00

Well, the tent service went well. It was a little cold, but many new faces showed up. Many neighbors and teachers of our youth showed up. Many older ladies cuddled up around the heaters to keep their feet warm and our choir brought blankets to wrap around themselves. Many Risttee people were excited about those who came from their personal invitations. Also, we don't know how many came from

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-83099134924627325792008-12-24T14:52:00.002+02:002008-12-24T15:02:05.585+02:00

The day is only half over, but it has been a long day already, but for others even longer. Where we normally have church decided to be closed this holiday, so new ideas and innovative ideas where made. Risttee church decided to rent a huge tent and put it up in the park to hold our Christmas Service. If you don't know Christmas is the the one day of the year that people in Estonia actually go

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-5569686696117462652008-12-24T14:48:00.003+02:002008-12-24T14:52:23.096+02:00

Santa Came to Tartu this Christmas in a rather special way. Some locals got together and did a little show down in the center of Town on the river. For a one fellow, he feel in, but lets hope his wetsuit will keep him warm for a little while as the ice floats by him.

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-43716680831662969642008-12-17T14:49:00.003+02:002008-12-17T14:59:38.468+02:00

On Saturday morning and afternoon I had the opportunity to assist Märt with a small group training at Oleviste church. They are the biggest baptist church in Estonia and some would say are quite a focal point for Christians spiritually. It is definitely different working with a small village church compared to a large church. We have much to learn as we continue to work with different churches

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-45477704310359454322008-12-17T14:40:00.003+02:002008-12-17T14:49:28.959+02:00

This last weekend I was up in Tallinn working on things for an upcoming conference for Estonian youth leaders, which will take place in the end of February. I had a great meeting with one youth leader to talk about conference things, but it was special moment for me since it was my first long meeting done only in Estonian. I think this youth leader was quite patient with me, which was nice. So

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-27285148209887395262008-12-17T14:18:00.003+02:002008-12-17T14:39:52.850+02:00

Two sundays ago, Liina, Kira (Liina's younger sister) and I went to to St. Johns church for what we thought would be a wonderful Christmas concert. The church was pretty full and the music was good. It definately had a jazz feel to every song. The only problem or disappointment was that none of them were actually Christmas songs. Just a certain young artist doing different estonian songs at

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-77442322957297590142008-12-11T12:22:00.004+02:002008-12-11T12:37:39.925+02:00

We made it. We had some snow on Friday and Saturday, but all of our partner churches made it safely to Tartu. It was nice having some fresh snow. Snow makes everything clean. It is as if we get a fresh start to a new day. To make new paths. To try new things.Our different partners really said that they enjoyed this day. The day was filled with sharing the gospel and our vision for the next

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-22626527888716197012008-12-05T16:58:00.002+02:002008-12-05T17:06:09.773+02:00

It has been one crazy week. I have to admit that I am quite tired or even exhausted, but I am excited to what is ahead. We are having a partner conference here in tartu with all of our partnerships around estonia. We just finished up the last of the details, so now to home to rest for a big day tomorrow. We will have a couple of new churches with us tomorrow, so it will be great for our older

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-75741284740738852532008-12-05T16:53:00.002+02:002008-12-05T16:58:35.848+02:00

Here are few pictures of the team that I get to work with. Last Friday, we took half a day to go away together to different points in southern estonia and share stories, eat and go snowtubing together. It was a fun time and also a great time to get to know new team members. It was quite insightful as we answered the question, "Why to do you love Estonia?". Also it was fun that we had a

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-22701897924822083502008-11-24T20:12:00.003+02:002008-11-24T20:34:28.499+02:00

After another night of snow, we ended up with 40 - 50 cm (15 - 19 inches), and our car is buried. It took a few of us over an hour to get one of the neighbors cars out this morning and it did not take so long for us to realize it was time to face reality. We were going to all have to walk or take the bus to work today. No one was going to get out of this mess. I tried to help the old guy

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684274252242693104.post-80939241245425680962008-11-24T19:42:00.006+02:002008-11-24T20:12:10.420+02:00

I have been thinking about a thought lately that has stuck to me and I don't know why. At our GLS, one speaker told us "God did not create us to be safe, but to be brave!". As many of your have read, we have had a pretty bad snow storm. My friend Peep says it might be the biggest snow storm that he can recall in his lifetime. So this storm has been a pretty big deal.Well, Sunday was a nice

Chris Brockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15032817484974066175noreply@blogger.com0