News

The seventh stone of our Promises campaign comes from Mustvee, a small town on the shore of Lake Peipus—the fifth-largest lake in Europe, forming part of the border between Estonia and Russia.

The founder of TAT, Pastor Eenok Haamer, and his wife, Eha, served the congregation in Mustvee for 61 years. Eenok passed away in February 2025 at the age of 89, while Eha continues to serve the congregation as its organist.

Pastor Bob Nordvall, a longtime friend of Eenok and TAT’s ambassador in the United States, travels to Mustvee to find the seventh stone. Bob has faithfully represented and supported TAT’s mission in the U.S. for many years. In Mustvee, he remembers his friendship with Eenok and reflects on how God called him and his wife, Karen, to dedicate their lives to serving Estonia.

Assistant to the President. Mattias traveled there together with his wife, Hetek, and their baby son, Luukas.

For Mattias, returning to the town where he grew up and where his father, Markus, still serves as a pastor connects this journey with his own family’s story of faith. Mattias found a stone near the town’s church and brought it to Home of Hope.

The sixth stone is called The Promise of Provision, inspired by Joshua 3:17:
“…stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.”

The Home of Hope has invited young people to design a T-shirt with a message connected to the Bible. The winning design will become the official Home of Hope T-shirt. By involving young people in creating it, we hope they will also be excited to wear it and share its message.

The competition includes free art workshops, giving participants opportunities to learn, meet others, and visit the Home of Hope—many for the first time.

The fifth stone of our Promises memorial begins its journey across the sea, on Estonia’s largest island—Saaremaa.

Estonia may be a small country, but it has something rather remarkable: more than 2,300 islands! Saaremaa is the largest of them, known for its beautiful coastline, peaceful landscapes, medieval churches, and even a meteorite crater.

From this special part of Estonia, Archbishop Urmas Viilma is bringing us the FIFTH STONE of our Promises campaign.

The fifth stone is called The Promise of Presence, inspired by Joshua 3:10–11:
“This is how you will know that the living God is among you… See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.”

This stone reminds us that Home of Hope is much more than a building; it marks the deeper testimony that God Himself has been present, leading and sustaining the mission.

The Fourth Stone Has Arrived at Home of Hope The journey of our twelve stones has now taken us all the way to Ruhnu—one of Estonia’s most remote islands. From this small island, Pastor Andrus Mõttus is bringing the FOURTH STONE of our Promises campaign to Home of Hope. The fourth stone is called The Promise of Courage, inspired by Joshua 3:8:“When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.”In Joshua, courage is not confidence in knowing what will happen next—it is obedience at the edge of risk. God calls His people to step forward even when the way ahead is uncertain, trusting that His command carries His power. This stone reminds us that sometimes faith means taking the next step simply because God has spoken. Andrus is a Lutheran pastor, a member of TAT’s board, and the husband of our secretary, Kristiina. In addition to serving a church near Tartu, he also serves the small community on Ruhnu Island, where only around 60 people live year-round. Reaching the island requires either a four-hour ferry ride or a flight on a small plane. Ruhnu is also home to a remarkable wooden church built in 1644—the oldest surviving wooden building in Estonia. We invite you to watch the video and join Andrus as he brings the fourth of our twelve stones from this very special corner of Estonia to Home of Hope. To all of you who have prayed for us, encouraged us, and given […]

PROMISES – Seven Stones Have Been Paid Off We have extraordinary news to share. At the very end of August, we received several remarkable gifts. Because of this, seven stones of our Promises Campaign have now been paid off. This means that 94% of the total cost of establishing Home of Hope has been paid, and only $150,000 remains. Please continue walking with us until the end and help us complete this journey. In many ways, this ending will also become the beginning of new journeys. If you would like to be part of this remarkable story of God’s faithfulness, this may be one of the final opportunities to join us. This has been a very fast and significant step forward. Now it will take some time to send out the ambassadors, bring the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh stones to Home of Hope, and prepare all the video stories. In about a week, you will receive the video of the fourth stone, which is named Promises of Courage and is connected with Joshua 3:8. Until then, you can watch the videos of the first three stones and learn more about the campaign here: tatest.org/promises Adult Bible Camp 2026 From August 10–14, we held our annual Bible camp at the Home of Hope! This year’s theme was “Faith and Believers.” Through Hebrews 11, we explored the stories of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and Moses. Our American mission team led discussions and shared personal testimonies of faith throughout the week. It was meaningful to see people at […]

We are delighted and deeply grateful to share that we have reached the third stone of our Promises Campaign!

The third stone is called The Promise of Assurance, inspired by Joshua 3:7:
“So they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.”

This stone was brought by Evar Post, our volunteer co-worker. Two and a half years ago, Evar started a men’s prayer fellowship breakfast, which meets at 7:00 a.m. on the second Tuesday of every month. He has also been part of our Bible School team and is involved in several other ministry activities.

We now have a wonderful opportunity to fund the fifth stone.

Pastors John and Martha Nelson have offered to match gifts up to $15,000 if three other donors take up the challenge to give $5,000 each. Together, these gifts would fully fund the fifth stone.

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!