News

We are filled with joy and gratitude to share that we have reached the SECOND STONE of our Promises campaign!

The second stone is called The Promise of Consecration, inspired by Joshua 3:5:
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

Jakob Luhamets brought the second stone. Jakob is part of our Bible School team, and his father, Pastor Kristjan Luhamets, helps create our One Minute Bible Study content for social media.

This stone comes from a deeply meaningful place in our story: St. Paul’s Church in Tartu. In 1923, the church received a Carrara marble altar sculpture by Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson, called “Come to Me, All Who Are Weary and Burdened.” It portrayed Jesus receiving those who were suffering, wounded, and longing for freedom.

We share an IMPORTANT UPDATE. Since Charity Lutheran Church in Bismarck is no longer able to continue serving as our U.S. giving channel—though our strong partnership will, of course, continue—U.S. donations should NOW be sent through our new partner, Faith Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, MN.

On March 27–28, we held The Juggler, our fifth annual young adults conference, at Home of Hope. This year’s theme was “Balanced Body, Mind, and Soul,” and more than 70 participants took part over the course of the weekend.

As of today, the second stone is paid off. Soon we will send you the video showing where the second stone was found and how it was brought to Home of Hope.

At the end of February, we launched the Promises Campaign to complete the establishment of Home of Hope, a Christian outreach center in Estonia.

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.

On April 9, we gathered for a full-house fundraising gala banquet at Home of Hope in Tartu, with 36 guests in attendance.

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.

Adult Bible Camp AT RISK OF CANCELLATION – We Need 2 More Team Members We are currently in a situation where we may need to cancel the Adult Bible Camp in Estonia this August unless we can find at least two more team members. We recently received the news that most of this year’s team members had to withdraw for unexpected reasons, and at the moment we have only two people committed: Pastor Bob Nordvall and Seminarian Brandon Bauman (Bismarck, ND). The maximum team size is seven, but we can run the camp with a minimum of four. So please consider joining the team this August. Because the camp is approaching quickly, we would need to know your willingness to participate by April 15. You can find information about the mission trip here: https://tatest.org/visit/ (Adult Bible Camp Short-Term Mission Trip). I truly hope we can find Christians from the U.S. who would like to come, share their love for Jesus with Estonians, and also grow in their own faith. This trip often builds strong connections with Christians in Estonia, and the fellowship formed during the camp strengthens the faith of both participants and the short-term mission team. If you would like to join, or if you have any questions, please email me at [email protected]. Please be encouraged—and help us make Bible Camp happen this year! Blessings, Pastor Siimon HaamerPresident of Tartu Academy of Theology PROMISES At the end of February, we launched the Promises campaign to complete the establishment of the Home of Hope—a Christian outreach center in Estonia. By God’s grace,86% of the total cost has already been […]

CAST THE NET–New Digital Mission Project

At the end of February, we launched our new digital mission project, “Cast the Net”.

This project has been in preparation and prayer for a long time. It is a joy to finally see it begin.

Through social media content and targeted advertisements, we are reaching out to people here in Estonia who may be seeking God or quietly wrestling with spiritual questions.

HELP TO ENCOURAGE Estonian Business Leaders

Would you consider establishing a matching gift for the event? Our goal is to raise $50,000 that evening, and a matching fund would be a meaningful encouragement for Estonian business leaders to give generously.

Today we are launching the Promises campaign to complete the establishment of the Home of Hope—a Christian outreach center in Estonia.

By God’s grace,
86% of the total cost has already been paid,
and about $360,000 remains.
The mortgage is due January 31, 2027.

I would like to share about these Promises.

February 27-28, 2026

24 hours

Focus on

final stretch for the Home of Hope’s mortgage payment

new initiative “Cast the Net” launch

We are deeply grateful to the Lord for the many blessings we experienced throughout 2025, and we are pleased to share this encouraging report with you.

Our 2025 Annual Report provides a clear overview of the year’s ministry highlights and includes our financial statement. It reflects the impact of your prayers and support.

Our 2026 budget is higher than last year, primarily due to the weaker U.S. dollar. Throughout 2025, the dollar has been more than 10% weaker than in 2024, and we cannot assume that this will change in a favorable direction for us. Since approximately 50% of our income comes from the United States, this is having a significant impact.

I am truly grateful to all of you for your generosity and friendship. One month before the end of last year, we were facing a $110,000 shortfall in our 2025 budget. Through your support and God’s gracious guidance, we were able to finish 2025 with a shortfall of only $3,823, which means our budget and overall financing were very well balanced.

Make this year special and different—by stepping into a living testimony of faith.

This year, we invite you to Estonia for a Persecution Pilgrimage, taking place June 5–13, 2026—a journey into the real stories of Christian endurance under Soviet occupation.

We are deeply grateful for your support during this challenging time. Thanks to your generosity, we are moving closer to meeting our financial commitments for this year. At the moment, we still have a gap of $89,195 to close.

Over the past weeks, we have hosted three Christmas gatherings. At these events, several people shared testimonies of how Home of Hope and its mission have touched their lives.

It was truly moving to see more than 30 people gathered for our staff and active volunteers’ Christmas evening—and even then, several were unable to attend.

Dear Friends in Christ, As we near the end of 2025, I want to share both encouragement and an urgent need from the Tartu Academy of Theology and the Home of Hope. God Has Blessed Our Work This Year We have experienced meaningful progress by God’s grace. Here are few highlights: Celebrating A Successful Gala Dinner On November 18, together with the Lutheran Church Seminary, we hosted our annual fundraising gala in Tallinn. The evening gathered 42 guests and raised $22,113, which is $4,433 more than last year. A generous $7,500 matching fund provided by two couples encouraged many to give, and we are deeply grateful. We plan to host another gala in Tartu this spring at the Home of Hope, focused specifically on supporting mission activities. We are encouraged by the growing recognition among Estonians of how crucial this work is. Strengthening Local Support We are pleased to share that on October 1, Tartu Academy became a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Estonia . This step strengthens our long-term goal of building local support by engaging Estonian business leaders, sharing insights from American giving culture, and encouraging a spirit of generosity in Estonia. Our Most URGENT NEED Right Now Despite of all these good developments we are facing a significant shortfall in our annual operating budget. To continue our mission in 2026, we urgently need your help to close our budget gap of $110,892. How You Can Help TODAY We humbly ask you to pray for us and, as the Lord leads, to consider supporting the Tartu Academy of Theology and […]

Tartu Academy of Theology and the Lutheran Church Seminary launched the new academic year together with a festive service and ceremony on September 10. Bishop Ove Sander, Rector of the Seminary, preached during the service, and Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Urmas Viilma, welcomed all the students at the ceremony.

It was a joyful and encouraging day, as 21 new students began their journey in theological education with the goal of contributing to church life in Estonia.

On September 22, we gave thanks for God’s great miracle—that from small and humble beginnings, something big can grow. When we launched the Bible School in autumn 2020, we couldn’t have imagined such a blessing or that we would come this far. Now, we’ve started our 6th year with 50 new students! Since 2020, a total of 350 people have taken part in Bible School.

Six short-term missionaries from the U.S. visited Estonia from August 7–18.

They helped us lead a week-long adult Bible camp with 30 participants at the Home of Hope. The theme was “Seeking God’s Love,” and we focused on the Sermon on the Mount. We approached it from a different perspective—not as God’s command to us, but as an expression of God’s love. With each teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, we asked: How do I see God’s love here?

Here are some memories and reflections from the short-term missionaries.

Nancy Jensen, Bismarck, ND

The most tender day for me was our journey to southern Estonia, walking in the steps of Pastor Eenok Haamer. This trip to Estonia, diving into its history and its people, spending time with the women in our small group—oh, I miss them—and the churches, the churches! And the pipe organs!

Barbara Felt from Aurora, CO has been a dedicated supporter of our mission work already since 2012. She has visited Estonia numerous times and served as a short-term missionary, helping us lead Adult Bible Camps.

In early March this year, Barbara traveled to Estonia to attend the funeral of Tartu Academy of Theology’s founder, Pastor Eenok Haamer, and to say him goodbyes. She stayed for a few days and also shared her story with us.

In this video, Barbara shares her experience of first coming to Estonia in 2012 and meeting Pastor Eenok Haamer and his son Siimon.

We are deeply grateful to all our supporters. Your generosity allows us to continue mission work in one of the most secular countries in the world.

This spring and summer have brought significant financial challenges. We’ve fallen short of our budget goals and, as of today, are $46,922 behind.

On June 26th, we had the joy of celebrating the graduation of students from our joint academic program with the Lutheran Church Seminary. This year, we are grateful to announce that 7 students graduated with a Bachelor’s degree, 5 completed the Master’s program, and 6 finished the Church Music course—bringing us to a total of 18 new alumni.

Our ministry continues to be a daily journey of trusting God. We haven’t been able to build financial reserves, as every extra contribution opens the door for new opportunities to expand our mission work. However, this spring and early summer have brought financial challenges. We’ve fallen short of our budget goals and, now past the halfway point of the year, we find ourselves approximately $45,000 behind.

On June 2nd, we celebrated the completion of our fifth year of Bible School ministry. This year’s focus was “The Bible in Depth”, and 45 students received a certificate of completion.

Over the past five years, approximately 300 people have participated in our Bible School. In a country of just over 1.3 million, that represents 0.02% of Estonia’s population. To put that into perspective: in the United States, the equivalent impact would mean reaching over 70,000 people with Bible teaching.

This spring has brought financial challenges. Donations have slowed significantly, and now, midway through the year, we are approximately $40,000 behind budget. This shortfall is impacting our ability to cover essential day-to-day ministry needs.

I’m so grateful to be joining Tartu Academy of Theology as a project manager. I came to faith in my early 20s after seeing the impact of Jesus in the lives of two close friends. In 2021, I was baptized and became a member of Viljandi Baptist Church. After going through burnout in secular work, my husband and I moved to Tartu. I began praying for a job where I could truly glorify God—and not long after, I unexpectedly found myself at Home of Hope, helping a friend with a filming project. That “random” visit led to a job offer, and I started here on November 4, 2024. It’s clear to me that God opened this door, and I’m so thankful to be part of what He’s doing here!

This year’s The Juggler conference, held on April 25-26, brought together over 70 participants, some of whom contributed in various roles to make the event happen. Attendees ranged from teenagers to those in their forties, with an average age of around 28.

The program focused on the theme of communication—how we communicate, how God communicates with us, what we can learn from Jesus’ interactions, and how to stay grounded amid information overload.

II was dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Revelation 1:18

We’re sharing our Easter greeting with you. Please take a moment to watch the short video below.

Although Estonia is a highly secular country, we remain hopeful. We also believe that Estonian business leaders can be inspired to support our mission work. Over the years, we have organized some fundraising events in the capital, Tallinn. Now, for the first time, on March 31, we are hosting a special fundraiser gala dinner at the Home of Hope Christian Outreach Center to raise funds for our daily activities, with a specific focus on pastoral care ministry.

We invite you to encourage Estonian entrepreneurs by empowering their generosity through a matching fund. A generous couple from the U.S. has already provided a $5,000 matching gift, but we want to challenge Estonian business leaders with an even greater goal.