As I was sitting behind my computer this morning I discovered something that changed my whole perspective of our time in Estonia. Fifteen years ago my wife Anne and I, along with our three children, moved to this former USSR republic. By 1991 it had become a sovereign nation again but the residue left from 50 years of communism remained.
Back in Canada, I had decided to resign as the pastor of a church in Toronto. At the time I was also a volunteer chaplain with Toronto Police. The faith group we were associated with was all about going to the nations and spreading the gospel. I felt it was time for us to venture overseas even if it meant leaving behind family and friends. We did not tell the congregation until we were sure it was where God wanted us. I was sure but Anne was not. We made plans to visit Estonia with our 2 youngest that summer of 2003 but before we left we had our regular prayer meeting at the church.
A few weeks earlier, Anne felt like God was bringing her more clarity about Estonia and she heard the word "beachhead". She felt we needed more confirmation but the visit to Estonia might help with that. At the prayer meeting it ended as all others did with me asking if anyone had something specific God had shown them during our prayer time. The focus had been our visit but as mentioned earlier, nobody knew that we were planning on moving there. One of our leaders said he thought he had something to share but wasn't sure what it meant. We were to establish a "beachhead" in Estonia. Anne and I looked at each other and believed we had our confirmation.
By October we were packed and heading off to Estonia. We knew a couple of church leaders and we had some relatives in Estonia but finding a temporary place to live was the first priority. We had been counselled by the leadership of the denomination we were involved with that starting church services was a must. We did so reluctantly about 6 months after arriving.
Meanwhile, the late Inspector Jim Sneep from Toronto Police Service contacted me. He and the senior brass at TPS HQ knew we were in Estonia. I was asked if I would be interested in contacting the Estonian Police to see if they wanted some training in Ethics. The name of the organization was Point Man Leadership Institute based in Los Angeles. They had been offering training in former communist countries and even present-day communist countries like China. I was put into contact with a Canadian member by the name of Brian Gannon in British Columbia.
I had already made contact with a high-ranking member of the Estonian Police by the name of Ulvi when I had asked about introducing chaplaincy. Ulvi just happened to be one of the only born-again Christians in the Estonian Police, something that I was totally unaware of until sitting down for a coffee with her. Point Man came in twice to do training in Ethics and Anti-corruption for the senior officers of the Estonian Police. It was a success and so much so that I was given gifts for my efforts and an invitation to the opening of their new police HQ.
That is the story but I had missed something for the past 15 years. As I sat behind my computer and went to the Point Man website this morning I discovered something that sent chills down my spine...in a good way.
We had always wondered why we spent only 2 years in Estonia. The church-related things did not go as hoped for although we had no regrets. Our children still thank us for the experience. Then I saw the definition of "point man" and compared it to another word we had been given before arriving in Estonia: "beachhead". Here are the definitions for both.
A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area while other reinforcements help out until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived.
Back in Canada, I had decided to resign as the pastor of a church in Toronto. At the time I was also a volunteer chaplain with Toronto Police. The faith group we were associated with was all about going to the nations and spreading the gospel. I felt it was time for us to venture overseas even if it meant leaving behind family and friends. We did not tell the congregation until we were sure it was where God wanted us. I was sure but Anne was not. We made plans to visit Estonia with our 2 youngest that summer of 2003 but before we left we had our regular prayer meeting at the church.A few weeks earlier, Anne felt like God was bringing her more clarity about Estonia and she heard the word "beachhead". She felt we needed more confirmation but the visit to Estonia might help with that. At the prayer meeting it ended as all others did with me asking if anyone had something specific God had shown them during our prayer time. The focus had been our visit but as mentioned earlier, nobody knew that we were planning on moving there. One of our leaders said he thought he had something to share but wasn't sure what it meant. We were to establish a "beachhead" in Estonia. Anne and I looked at each other and believed we had our confirmation.
By October we were packed and heading off to Estonia. We knew a couple of church leaders and we had some relatives in Estonia but finding a temporary place to live was the first priority. We had been counselled by the leadership of the denomination we were involved with that starting church services was a must. We did so reluctantly about 6 months after arriving.
Meanwhile, the late Inspector Jim Sneep from Toronto Police Service contacted me. He and the senior brass at TPS HQ knew we were in Estonia. I was asked if I would be interested in contacting the Estonian Police to see if they wanted some training in Ethics. The name of the organization was Point Man Leadership Institute based in Los Angeles. They had been offering training in former communist countries and even present-day communist countries like China. I was put into contact with a Canadian member by the name of Brian Gannon in British Columbia.
That is the story but I had missed something for the past 15 years. As I sat behind my computer and went to the Point Man website this morning I discovered something that sent chills down my spine...in a good way.
We had always wondered why we spent only 2 years in Estonia. The church-related things did not go as hoped for although we had no regrets. Our children still thank us for the experience. Then I saw the definition of "point man" and compared it to another word we had been given before arriving in Estonia: "beachhead". Here are the definitions for both.
A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area while other reinforcements help out until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived.
In the military, the Point Man is the person chosen to scout the path ahead.
Point Men are the ones who first spot the enemy and
any obstacles. They are the valiant, the ones who alert the group to danger and
possible ambush. They become the first targets and usually take the first
“hits” to protect others who are following. A Point Man gives direction. Point Men are those
responsible for electing the right path for others to follow.
Wow! God knew why He was sending us to Estonia even if we didn't. We accomplished many more things while in Estonia but my guess is that we would probably not have gone if we knew the main reason. It's a great story to tell: now for the first time.
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