So our first month in Europe started off with a twist. Our entire squad flew in together to Latvia, but only my team continued on to the neighboring country of Estonia while everyone else stayed behind in Latvia. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Estonia (or Latvia either) before this trip but was pleasantly surprised as to what I found, especially compared to where we had just come from in Southeast Asia. Our time in Estonia was one of my favorites of the Race so keep reading to find out why!
CAMP NUUTSAKU
The majority of our time and ministry was spent at a retreat camp facility called Camp Nuutsaku (nuutsaku.ee) near the city of Viljandi. We supported a couple named Tanel and Leili Vainura (and their two young boys) who have been living and working at the camp for more than 10 years. The camp facility hosts many retreats and conferences throughout the year, and our team was very fortunate to stay there for the month.
[Outdoor Offerings] Camp Nuutsaku is situated on a beautiful piece of land surrounded by groves and groves of tall trees, serving as an ideal backdrop for retreats for its guests. From the moment we arrived, the property exuded a palpable sense of peace and quiet that was in stark contrast to the hustle-and-bustle we left behind in Southeast Asia. The hub of the camp is the main building that houses the guest dining and lodging areas (more on that next) and is also where our camp host family resides.
In front of the main building is where you’d find all of the familiar camp offerings — BBQ grilling space, playground, recreation areas (more on that later), cabins and campfire pit. And at the back of the building is a gorgeous lake, with a summer house with a sauna room located to the side. It was such a blessing to have the lake there, as I would spend many days on the pier in reflection and thanksgiving to God for His provisions. And apparently it is an Estonian tradition to spend a few minutes in the hot sauna and then immediately run to the frigidly cold lake to cool-off…and to repeat that cycle a few times. We had the chance to partake in this tradition at the end of the month, but sorry — no pictures!
[Indoor Amenities] So as great as the offerings are outside of the main building, the amenities inside are just as spectacular. In the center there is a huge living space that also houses a dining and fireplace area, which we had to ourselves. On the other side is a large kitchen where we cooked our own meals and cafeteria area that is used to serve large groups. And around the perimeter of the building is where the bedrooms are, with clean and comfortable beds in each of them — and mine came with a view of the lake! What a luxury it was to live in such luxurious accommodations that in some ways were better than what I have back at home!
[Camp Fun and Recreation] Of course, we couldn’t live in such an amazing camp without taking advantage of all the things it had to offer — and the place was a guy’s dream. First, for a sports lover like myself, there is an actual basketball court (half-court, but still!) that I spent probably 90% of my free time playing on, as well as a volleyball court and soccer field. There is also a gaga ball pit (I’d never heard of the game before) where we would play with our host family. Second, for more leisure recreation, there is a mini golf course and a ropes course that was actually a bit difficult and took a few tries to complete! And lastly, there is the lake, where the guys and I would either paddle on a few times or just relax on the hammocks nearby. Camp Nuutsaku had so much to offer and we made sure to enjoy every single one as much as we could!
CAMP MINISTRY
The busy season for Camp Nuutsaku is during the summer, from June to August. Since we were there in May, our ministry for the month was to help prepare the camp for the influx of groups to come. And being that we were at a camp site in the middle of the woods, there was a lot of manual labor involved in what we did!
[Prayer Walk] Every few years the camp likes to add a new “attraction” for their guests, and for this year it was a prayer walk trail around the camp property. This became our biggest manual labor project for the month, as we worked for almost 2 weeks to complete it. First our team cleared and prepared the prayer walk pathway by cutting down trees, branches and shrubs and carrying them out of the woods. We then created the trail by shoveling and wheelbarrowing piles of dirt and laying them onto the cleared pathway. I didn’t realize it in the moment, but the end result of our labor was a beautiful trail that will lead future guests around the camp, starting from the main building and weaving thru the woods and by the lake. And we as a team recognized what a privilege it was that our work led to the beginning of this new ministry for Camp Nuutsaku where people can relax, rest and reconnect with God thru this prayer walk trail!
[Firewood] In addition to cutting down trees for the prayer walk, our team spent much of our time cutting down even more trees for firewood. The camp uses up a lot of firewood during the year and needs to stock up during the summer for its long winter months. So we would cut down massive trees with a chainsaw (my first time using one) and then measure and cut them into smaller logs. We would then use an axe (another first for me) to chop the logs into firewood pieces. There was definitely a learning curve in the beginning on using the chainsaw and also chopping logs but once I got the hang of it, it was pretty easy — and a lot of fun!
[Outdoor Patio] Another project that our team was able to assist with was the building of a patio around the main building. One of Camp Nuutsaku’s supporters is a church in Texas that sends teams with construction skills every summer, and our stay at the camp overlapped with theirs during our last week. So before their arrival, our team helped get their project started by clearing the construction site and digging holes for the foundation of the patio. Our team didn’t have an opportunity to see the finished patio in person (pictures above were provided afterwards by our host) but it is rewarding to see how God used different parts of His body to come together and create this wonderful new outdoor space for the camp!
CHURCH MINISTRY
During our last week when the team from Texas was there, our team moved out of the camp and into a local church in town. We stayed with Viljandi Baptist Church (vbk.ee) and was hosted by their associate pastor, Tarmo Sirkel and his family, who lived in the church. It was a nice change of scenery going from the remoteness of the camp and into a city (albeit small) with some restaurants and shops nearby. And it was also a welcomed break from all the physical labor, but there was still plenty of ministry for us to do at the church.
[Church Beautification] Most of our ministry that week was spent cleaning the church, both inside and out. The church was preparing to host a large women’s conference (200+ attendees) later that weekend so our team was tasked to help clean and ready the church for it. On the inside we swept, vacuumed and decorated the main sanctuary (it hadn’t been used in the winter and spring months) and helped setup an audio system in it as well. And on the outside we did a lot of landscaping by mowing the lawn and cutting weeds, and also washed all of their (very tall) windows. Oh, and of course we cut more firewood — LOTS of firewood. All in all, our team very much enjoyed our stay at the church and the chance to support them thru our work!
YOUTH MINISTRY
In addition to our work at the camp and church, our team had a few opportunities to minister to youth students during the month. There is a strong interest in learning English and about American culture amongst the youth in Estonia, and God provided us with different ways to draw in and connect with the students there.
[Elva English Camp] Our first youth outreach opportunity was in a small town called Elva, where we were invited to help promote a Christian English camp at a local high school. Similar to an assembly, different students would come thru the classroom each period, getting details on the English camp and hearing testimonials from past campers. Our team helped by leading various games for the students and just being American — we were an instant draw simply because we could speak “American English”!
In addition to promoting the English camp, our purpose at the school was to invite and encourage students to attend an “English Camp Preview Night” at a local church that same day. This event was intended to give interested students an idea of what the English camp would be like later in the summer. We led more games but also shared a message and facilitated discussions in smaller groups. It was a lot of fun interacting with the students and seeing their genuine interest in us and our World Race journey!
[Church Youth Rally] Another outreach opportunity came at a youth rally held at Viljandi Baptist Church, as it is one of the largest churches in the area. The rally allowed the Christian youth from the local churches to gather and worship together while having some fun and fellowship. There was a time for games (which we led) and praise, along with some testimony sharing and a short message. Our team had such a great time helping out with this event and the chance to encourage these young Christians in their faith journey!
[Elementary School] Our last outreach opportunity was at a local elementary school where we were invited to share about ourselves during their English classes. Similar to our first outreach, we gave a presentation to different groups of students each period, talking about our World Race travels and also about our home states in America. We each shared various aspects about our state, ranging from climate and history to our favorite foods and places. I chose to talk about the fall foliage and hiking back home in Virginia and also a little bit about our nation’s capital since I live so close to it. And I didn’t think it would, but it made me really happy to educate and give a little taste of my home in the United States to these students — and to what I could look forward to again once I return home!
