PROMISES – The First Stone Is Paid Off
At the end of February, we launched the Promises Campaign to complete the establishment of Home of Hope, a Christian outreach center in Estonia.
Inspired by Joshua 4, we will set up a memorial of 12 Stones of Promise at Home of Hope. This memorial will stand as a remembrance of the journey that brought this center into being and as a witness for generations to come that God is faithful and keeps His promises.
For every $30,000 paid off, one stone will be placed—until all twelve stones stand.
Since the first $30,000 of the campaign has now been raised, we sent our team member Laura to find the first stone for the memorial of Promises. You can watch the video of the journey of bringing the stone below.
Thank you so much to everyone who donated toward this first stone! Only 11 more to go—and then the establishment of the Home of Hope outreach center will be complete. We are deeply grateful for your help in this final phase.
Learn more about our story of faith and trust—and about these Promises—on our website:
tatest.org/promises
$38,110 Raised During Gala Banquet at Home of Hope
On April 9, we gathered for a full-house fundraising gala banquet at Home of Hope in Tartu, with 36 guests in attendance.
This year, our goal was to raise support for our pastoral care ministry and for the repayment of the Home of Hope mortgage. We are deeply grateful to everyone who took part in the evening, as well as to our faithful supporters from the United States who continue to stand with us in this work.
To strengthen the impact of the evening, supporters from the United States provided a matching fund of $11,700. Of that amount, $6,500 was given by the Legacy Fund of St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church in San Jose specifically to support the pastoral care ministry. Other match donors were Tiina and Agu Ets and Gen Olson.
During the gala dinner, a total of $26,410 was donated. This meant that the full matching fund was matched, bringing the evening’s total income to $38,110.
Of the funds raised, $17,550 was designated for pastoral care ministry, and $20,560 was given toward paying off the first stone of the Promises Campaign.
As part of the gala dinner, we also held an auction featuring several beautiful donated works of art.
We felt that the evening was a great success, and we were encouraged by how positively it was received. It brings us joy to see that Estonians are becoming increasingly generous and ready to support meaningful work. Step by step, we continue to expand our network of supporters here in Estonia.
At the same time, we remain deeply grateful for the faithful friendship and support we continue to receive from the United States. This support has carried us through many challenges and has made it possible for the Gospel to be shared widely in Estonia.
Blessings,
Pastor Siimon Haamer
President of Tartu Academy of Theology
