News

Two exciting opportunities to visit Estonia are available this summer: the Persecution Pilgrimage (June 6–14, 2025) and the Adult Bible Camp Short-Term Mission Trip (August 6–18, 2025). The registration deadline is February 28, 2025. Details can be found at tatest.org/visit.

The Persecution Pilgrimage explores Estonia’s history of spiritual resistance, featuring firsthand accounts of Christian persecution and the rare chance to hear stories from Pastor Eenok Haamer, now 89.

The Bible Camp invites American Christians to join Estonian organizers as teachers and leaders, with a focus on God’s Grace.

We kindly ask for your prayers for Pastor Eenok Haamer, who has recently been diagnosed with colon cancer.

We have started negotiations with the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church to extend the mortgage deadline. A new agreement is expected to be signed by the end of January. I will update you once the contract is finalized. The remaining balance of the Home of Hope mortgage is $487,425.

On November 21, in cooperation with the Lutheran Church Seminary, we hosted a fundraising gala dinner, inviting Estonian entrepreneurs to support theological education. The event took place in the seminary’s largest classroom and welcomed 43 guests, raising $17,680 by the end of the evening.

We are encouraged by the willingness of Estonians to recognize the importance of this work. Our aim is to grow the community of those with a heart for mission and increase local contributions to our annual budget.

Currently, we face a challenge. Our communications have largely focused on funding the Home of Hope mortgage, and as a result, our 2024 operating budget is short by $40,803. We need your help to bridge this cap.

On October 7, we launched a new Bible School year with 51 new students, half of whom are attending online. Over the past five years, the total number of students has reached 300.

This year, we designed a new Bible School program called ‘Bible in depth’. Despite its title, the course is designed for both beginners and advanced learners and does not require prior academic knowledge. We warmly welcome Christians from different denominations, as well as those who are unaffiliated with a church or have no prior knowledge of the Bible.

The course features five lecturers and runs from October to June, with weekly sessions every Monday evening (6:00–8:30 PM). The course is organized into 4-week cycles, with a total of six cycles over eight months.

Mattias and I recently recorded an interview with my father, Pastor Eenok Haamer, the founder of the Tartu Academy of Theology (TAT). During the interview, we explored the origins of TAT, including the events leading up to its establishment and the significant role played by eight Lutheran pastors from the United States in the school’s founding.

I’m highlighting some important thoughts shared by Eenok:
“I am a person of faith, and I believe that God hears prayers. This journey began through prayer. Without prayer, we would have undertaken nothing. We’ve trusted in God, knowing that when we pray, He listens and He answers. The Tartu Academy of Theology is not a project with an end date but rather a project of God’s making, without human-imposed limits.”

We are presenting a testimony of Paavo Paul Pihlak, the Director and founder of the Christian radio station located at the Home of Hope. Paavo shares: “When I was a young man, I never imagined that I could become a pastor or work in the church. I grew up in a time when Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union and everything related to faith and God, wasn’t just unpopular, but not recommended at all if you wanted to make a career and be successful.”

However, God chose him. Paavo left behind his previous life and career as a music producer, realizing that God was calling him.

So far, we have paid off over $1.62 million and remaining balance is $595,871 with the mortgage due on November 15 of this year.

Please share also with your congregation an update on the current progress of establishing the Home of Hope. At this link, you’ll find a video that provides a quick overview of everything we have achieved over the past five years.

So far, we have paid off $1.62 million, leaving a remaining balance of $599,693.

Please consider making a gift as a testimony of Christian fellowship. Your contirbution will be combined with the gifts of the Estonian people. Together we can complete the establishment of Home of Hope.

From September 26 to October 15, I toured the United States and made a brief stop also in Denver, where friends organized an Estonia Dinner on the evening of October 10. We were fortunate to find authentic Estonian bread and sprats locally. We captured this special moment on video—check it out below!

We share with you her testimony about Tartu Academy of Theology and Home of Hope. She says: “When I was in Estonia in 2019 I was able to see the beginning stages of construction of Home of Hope and got a tour with my hart hat on. And now I’m back here in 2024 and I can see the fulfillment of that dream and vision and all of the fruits that it is bearing, not just in Tartu, but all throughout Estonia and even beyond, throughout the world.”

We are getting closer and closer to the final goal. We still have THREE WEEKS until the mortgage payment deadline. $1.6 million has already been paid and $622,493 needs to be paid.

NOVEMBER 15, 2024 is the due date of the mortgage.
Every donation is meaningful.

In the summer of 2021, Andreas could not find a way out of the difficult situation in his life in any other way than to go and knock on the door of the Home of Hope. Siimon Haamer went to meet him at the door.

We recognize that prayer has power, and especially when many people pray together. Believing in this, we are organizing a 24-hour prayer chain on October 19.

During last week the balance of the mortgage has started to decrease noticeably.

We shared in the beginning of September that this year we admitted 24 new students together with Lutheran Church Seminary. In addition to that I want to inform that 14 new students were accepted also for a year-long pastoral training (internship) program.

With your help we have been able to plant many seeds across Estonia. Because of the establishment of Home of Hope it has been possible to initiate several new and innovative ideas for mission work in Estonia. Please help us to finish Home of Hope establishment and continue this work.

We have received a number of very good questions. Maybe the same questions have popped up in your mind as well. In this and some of our next emails we’ll share with you these questions and our answers (see also FAQ section on our website tatest.org/faq).

Now there is a last opportunity to support and complete the establishment of Home of Hope Christian outreach center in Estonia.

$1.5 MILLION is already paid.
$0.7 MILLION still needs to be paid.
NOVEMBER 15, 2024 is the due date of the mortgage.

$36,020 of MATCHING FUNDS are available now. Every donation will be DOUBLED!
$100,000 CHALLENGE GIFT was given to encourage others to give. 

Also Estonian businessmen have taken this challenge seriously and have given their support.

In order to complete the establishment of Home of Hope, the joint contribution of many people is really needed. To expand the network of Friends of Estonia, we invite you to become our AMBASSADOR. It’s easy, just call your friends to the ESTONIA DINNER and share about our mission work with them.

We have prepared everything for you.

During August 19-23 we organized at Home of Hope an adult Bible Camp together with five short term missionaries from US. We had 27 participants. Throughout the week we learned about Jesus and His teaching, deeds, crucifixion and resurrection. Discussion were very personal and several people shared their faith stories that they never dared to tell other people before. 

At the end of August, we admitted 24 new students: 12 for the bachelor’s and 12 for the master’s programs. Some of them want to become pastors, some pastoral care givers and some are not yet sure what’s the real purpose of their studies. We invite you to pray for both students and faculty, that faithful workers for the Kingdom of God in Estonia may be raised up.

Hold on to your chairs! Gen Olson, former Minnesota State Senator, made a challenge gift of $100,000 for Home of Hope.

In June, the accountant of Tartu Academy, as well as the auditor who audits our accounts regularly, said that I needed to contact our lender immediately and ask for an extension on the mortgage. The mortgage loan for the Home of Hope is taken from the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Ever since I have had a bad feeling about it. The mortgage deadline of November 15, 2024 has been prayerfully set. We have prayed a lot over last years and God knows the deadline. I feel that we must not limit God and not start negotiating an extension of the deadline before it arrives.

At the end of April, Mattias Haamer (Assistant to The President of Tartu Academy of Theology) became the youngest board member ever to serve with the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC). He is responsible for overseeing the children and youth works in the EELC. The work is mostly volunteer and it means TAT is in stronger co-operation with the Church as Mattias fulfills this responsibility, expanding his work with youth in Estonia.  TAT’s and Home of Hope’s role in the church becomes even more meaningful. He will tell you why he was chosen and the challenges he faces now.

Tartu Academy of Theology’s ministry partner Spiritual Orphans Network (SON), along with the Slovakian mission organisation SEM, organised a teen Bible camp in the middle of July, 2024 in the beautiful mountain village of Velky Slavkov in Slovakia. We are grateful to SON for offering us the opportunity to send a small group of young people (4 teens plus 2 adults accompanying them) to participate in this camp.

I’m truly delighted to announce that small rural Leaf Mountain Lutheran Church of Clitherall, MN voted to send awe-inspiring $58,000 (fifty eight thousand dollars) as a matching gift to the Home of Hope appeal. This news shocked me in a very positive way. Small Leaf Mountain Lutheran gives such a powerful testimony and much encouragement to us. They are stepping out like David stepped out against Goliath.

On June 27-28 Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church organized Church Days in Viljandi. The main event was the Christian Song Festival on Saturday, when about 2,000 choir singers glorified God with their singing.

On June 26 we celebrated graduation of Tartu Academy of Theology and Lutheran Church Seminary! Since 2013 we have been conducting bachelor’s and master’s studies together. All together 12 students graduated our joint college: seven bachelor and three master students. Two also graduated from the Church Musician program.

Raili is the Coordinator of the Pastoral Care Center that is located at Home of Hope. She graduated Tartu Acacemy already 2013 and ever since she has worked as pastoral care giver in hospital and youth center and has done a lot of volunteer work helping people in their troubles. Since 2020 she has been part of Home of Hope life. Under her leadership the Pastoral Care Center has become a center that unites the network of pastoral care givers operating all over Estonia.

The foundation of the Haamer family, the Tartu Academy of Theology and especially Home of Hope is solidly based on faith in Jesus Christ. On this faith, a building to house this ministry was obtained. I personally believe in this evangelistic ministry and the need for solid and committed Christian teaching to help revive lost faith in Estonia.

I have traveled with Siimon and listened to his presentation of the great need for the Estonia people to be reintroduced to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I see the paying off of this debt as a motivation for Lutheran Christians to raise up new disciples for Jesus. That is the primary motivation that empowers me to help raise ministry-funds for this dynamic ministry.

In four years we have had 250 students in the Bible School. On June 3, the last class graduated. We had a blessed and joyful graduation evening. 39 graduates received their certificates.

For four years we have studied the Bible cover to cover every year. Now, for the new academic year, we have prepared a new Bible School curriculum in order to offer those who have acquired basic knowledge the opportunity to continue learning. At the same time, the curriculum is such that even those who have not participated in a Bible study before can participate. Many of the students have promised to return to school.

THE PERSECUTION PILGRIMAGE
The Persecution Pilgrimage in Estonia provides an opportunity to become a part of the story of spiritual resistance, complete trust in God and the suffering of one nation. To better understand all this history and trials, we will take you on a journey through the story of one Christian family. You will learn how to keep your faith alive and what it means that hopelessness has no place in our program.

ADULT BIBLE CAMP SHORT TERM MISSION TRIP
Tartu Academy of Theology is arranging an Adult Bible Camp in Tartu, Estonia. Coordinators and local organizers are Estonians. American Christians are called to join with the team as teachers. Also as leaders of discussion groups. There will be couple of pastors from U.S. in the team and they will take care of the main teaching work.

Have you ever stepped into a fast-flowing and abundant river with the plan of walking along the riverbed to the other bank? The reasonable answer to this question would be of course not, because a wise person who cares about his life would not do that. Indeed, it is a right and wise decision. The possibility of realizing such plans belongs only to the realm of miracles.

I have to confess that trusting in God we have stepped into a fast-flowing and abundant river and we give testimony that God makes miracles even today.

I believe you know the story of Joshua (Joshua ch. 3-4) when he was with all the Israelites in front of the flooding Jordan. The Lord said to Joshua that if the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the covenant step into the Jordan the flood will stop and you can walk through the riverbed to the other bank. Joshua trusted the Lord and followed his word. Therefore a miracle happened.

Elise Nora is a volunteer at Home of Hope and is helping to organize Worship Nights. She is also arranging youth work at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church across the street from our center.

Since on November 15 of this year we have to pay off the mortgage of Home of Hope, we need to invite many people to help us to move towards fulfilling this goal together. That is why we have planned several trips to the U.S. this year.

On April 24 Siimon started his second trip, during which he will visit North Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and Pennsilvania.

Mattias starts his trip on May 1. This time he is traveling separately from Siimon and with his wife Hetek. Mattias goes primarily to the churches where we have already good partnership and Siimon goes primarily to the new places where partnerships needs to be established.