This is actually Keila-Joe...pronounced "keelah-hoe"

Psalm 98:7-8

"Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that live in it. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the Lord..."

So, Keila-Joe is this really awesome park with water falls and old manor homes from the late 1800's, which were almost demolished during the Russian occupation. The above picture is of the Keila-Joe bridge.

There are locks on the bridge because, as Russian tradition goes, when a couple becomes engaged they must close the deal by placing a monogrammed lock on a bridge. This just happens to be a pretty popular bridge...hence all of the locks:)

God is so faithful, and I am really thankful to be here. Have a great day!

Halley

Keila-Joe

Shalom:)

And a happy day to you all! This is my 10th day in Estonia and I am seeing so many amazing things and meeting all kinds of interesting people. The conference is approaching quickly, which means we all became extrememly busy! I went to a Russian occupation museum yesterday in Tallinn...how crazy to think of what actually happened here during that time. The picture above is of the Stalin statue which was here in Tallinn up until the 90's when Estonia gained it's independence back from Russia.

Well, just wanted to share and say hello. See you all soon:)

Halley

8 days of the week

Hello World, This is my 8th day in Tallinn, Estonia and what a crazy 8 days it has been...good crazy:) It is autumn here, and all of the leaves have turned gold and orange. It is absolutely beautiful...i think my time here is more of a vacation than anything else, haha, which is fine with me! We have begun to prepare for the conference coming up at the beginning of October. The other groups are not here yet, but should arrive in 5 or 6 days. Rick and Marlene took me to the open market yesterday and I bought this hat in the picture above...at first i put it on wrong, and this very excited sales lady fixed it for me...she was hilarious. Last night we went for a prayer walk throughout the city and invited people to the conference. That was a really neat experience and I was able to get to know some of the church people of Tallinn better. The sun is shining today, and I think we are going to a park with waterfalls or something...i'm not sure exactly, but it sounded interesting:) I love you all very much, and am so thankful you are in my life!! Halley

TALLINN

Hey All,

Well, I am now in Tallinn, Estonia...right on the Baltic Sea...1.5 hrs south of Finland and 2 hours west of Russia! Things are going great and I am really enjoying the city. This picture is of the Russian Orthodox church here in Tallinn. Marlene took me to old town today and I was able to explore all of the ancient wonders! 41 days until I am back in the States:)

Love you!

Halley

Estonia

Well, I finally made it to Estonia today after a 9.5 hour bus ride from Vilnius to Tallinn. Even though the journey was LONG, the scenery was beautiful! Lithuania is full of lakes and rivers, as well as national parks. The bus also drove through villages with wooden houses and gardens...overall it was an enjoyable trip. The Reynolds met me at the bus station and we headed back to their house. They are really nice people! Tallinn is larger than Vilnius, and completely different. I can see the Baltic Sea from my window, and Marlene said that Finland is only 1.5 hours away by ferry...I think I might have to check that out... Just wanted to tag in with everyone and let you know I am well...though a little homesick:) 6 weeks until I land back home...so keep sending the love! Halley p.s. This statue is of someone called Adonis...i don't know the significance of it, but it looks pretty cool!

Sunday Sunday

Hey!! Church today was WONDERFUL! We had 19 people in service...which is SO amazing! A new person has recently joined our church. His name is Audrus and he has been leading the Lithuanian song service...he sings, plays the guitar, and the piano. He will also be leading Home Friendship Group and song service while Tony and Shasta are in the US. The Millers' are so excited that he has joined the church and that he is willing and excited to serve. Today was Tessa and Jurgita's last time to be in service since Tessa is leaving for the US tomorrow, and Jurgita is leaving for university in London on Tuesday. We had a special going away service for them and a small reception. We all cried a little, but are excited for the new chapters of their lives. I am going so see Tessa off at the bus station tonight at 9:00 and then I will leave for Tallinn, Estonia tomorrow morning. I am a little nervous about the 9 hr ride, but Tessa and the Millers have all traveled it before and they have said nothing but positive things. The Reynolds will be waiting for me at the station and I will spend the next 3 weeks helping them and serving their church. They are holding a national conference Oct 5-7 and people from Latvia, Estonia, and Norway will be present. I will keep you all posted on the details. Hope you all have great services today and a happy monday! Halley

Headed for Estonia!

Labas! It's about 1:00am Saturday morning and Tessa and I are packing her things into suitcases for her trip home. She has decided to leave Lithuania a few days early, so we are trying to fit 4 months of stuff in two bags...fun times:) Plans have changed for me as well. I will be leaving for the country of Estonia on Monday where I will remain until October 9th. I am SO excited to see another country and see how the Lord is present in another part of the world! It is going to be a great time. I will be living with missionaries there, and I hear they are sort of like grandparents...maybe they'll make me cookies... Lithuania is so great everyone...i think you should all try to come here at some point in your life...it's a hidden treasure! Please continue to pray for my safety and that doors would continue to open here in the Baltics. Also, the missionaries I have been working with here in Lithuania, the Millers', are leaving Tuesday for the US. They are going before the Mission Board to receive their appointment to Lithuania...please pray for them as the travel. Oh, and the post office is holding my mail until I get back here, so you might not want to send any mail until Oct. 3rd or 4th...just a thought, but you know you can ALWAYS send something anytime you want!! I love and miss you all very very very VERY much! Halley

Early September

Hey everyone, It is already September 9th! I can't believe how fast time flies here. In about 7 weeks I'll be making the long trip home!! Tessa came back from Estonia on Wednesday, which has been so great...I was tired of living alone! John came down from Latvia on Friday and we all hung out with Tony and Shasta for the weekend. Shasta is teaching Tessa and I how to cook...really!! Yesterday we went to a cool sculpture park where these massive stones were carved into different shapes and sponsored by different countries. The picture above is of a tree carving... i don't remember the country who created it. It was pretty cool! Thursday night was English club and we had a really good turn out...we didn't know what to expect because school has started here and Lithuanian studies are extremely intense, so most students don't get out during the week...but they came to English club! The students who are going to London that I mentioned in the previous blog have all asked for our help in finding churches! They were all English club members, and two of them were not really connected with the church here...but they were impacted, which is SO exciting! There is really so much more going on here than I write on this blog, but it kind of leaves me when I begin to type...i'll start writing it down for you guys:) Have a great Sunday! Halley