London’s calling for mission team from Estonia

How did God move when the first-ever mission team from Estonia hit the streets of east London? Chris Rolfe reports.

For the shy team from Tallinn, evangelising on the multicultural streets of east London and Essex was quite the culture shock. It was their first time on mission, but during a week spent praying, preaching and serving they grew in faith as they watched God speak and move.

The eight-day trip took place in April and May, organised by Elim missionaries Alan and Alice Osborn, who work with EKNK – the Pentecostal movement in Estonia.

“In its early years during the 90s EKNK had a strong missions focus, but that had dwindled over the past 20 years,” Alan explains. “Since we joined in 2024 our heart has been to help restart their international missions effort and find overseas partners to connect with.”

This is how EKNK came to send its first mission team to England. Their Toompea church in Tallinn was piloting a ministry leaders programme teaching about the gifts of the Spirit, how to lead someone to Christ and so on. Pastor Ivo Unt wanted to give the students practical experience and so the idea for international mission was suggested.

Alan and Alice joined with the six-church Eastgate Elim Hub, led by pastors Lloyd and Joanne Cheshire, and brought a team of 15 over for a mission-focused week. “The key thing was to support the existing vision of these churches,” says Alan. “We asked what their weekly activities looked like, where could we fit in and how we could help them.” From this, an action-packed programme was planned.

Wednesday

On their first day, the group were treated to a welcome breakfast and a sightseeing day with some of the UK team. Then, beginning what would be a daily activity, they served at Barking Elim’s homeless ministry, called “Bless Barking”, spending time with people, giving them meals and encouraging and praying with them.

Thursday

The team met for evangelism training in the morning at the Pitsea church, then headed to the beach on Canvey Island in the afternoon to put it into practice. “The team were shy and reserved because culturally Estonians are quiet, but they tried hard as we worshipped and evangelised,” says Barking Elim’s Adriana Saldana.

Eleven-year-old Lisanna from the Estonian team says: “At first worshipping on the streets felt awkward, but when we actually did it God filled me with joy and it was truly wonderful.”

Friday

Barking – with its sea of eastern European and African faces – and Upton Park, with its large Muslim community, were a huge culture shock. “There aren’t many Muslims in Estonia so this was probably one of the most impactful times for the team,” says Adriana.

God moved powerfully during outreach on the streets, adds Alan, with seven people making commitments to Christ. The day ended with a youth evening where the team served with worship and testimonies. “For the first time in my life I shared my testimony in English. God was so close throughout the entire trip,” says 11-year-old Hanna.

Saturday

After two days out and about, the team spent Saturday ministering to the Hub’s wider leadership team at the Barking church. “What touched me most was how even when I didn’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit truly gave me the words,” says Elisabeth, 17. “When I laid hands on pastors, I actually saw visions for them and began to prophesy. I had never experienced that kind of closeness with God before.”

Sunday

On Sunday, the group split up to take part in services in Barking, East Ham and Ashingdon. Pastor Ivo, Elis and Alan preached, while team members joined the worship teams, shared testimonies and prayed for people. “In every church God’s presence was tangible,” says Ragne. Aive adds: “During ministry time it was so encouraging how God sent people to me who had gone through the same struggles I had. I was able to encourage them that there is a way out.”

“One man from India came forward for prayer – he had many issues. His finger was healed, his ear started hearing and his knee was healed. God really moved in power!” – Pastor Ivo

“At a café, I received a word of knowledge about the waitress – that she suffers from migraines. She confirmed it and I got to pray for her and share my testimony. She was deeply touched. God moved in such a powerful way.” – Elis

“During one prayer service we prayed for a woman who was deaf in one ear. After prayer, they tested her hearing by covering her good ear and her previously deaf ear could hear numbers being whispered. That’s our God – the One who does miracles.” – Andree

Monday

On their final full day, the team ran an Estonian café at Barking Elim. Some gave out invitations and did more street evangelism while others welcomed people to sample hand-made Estonian cakes and pastries in the church. “People from the community came to see Estonian culture and it was a good time to evangelise too,” says Adriana.

The trip ended with a multi-church prayer night where God moved as people prophesied and prayed for healing. “A lady who had had pain in her wrist for two years was healed,” says Adriana. “Her GP couldn’t find what was wrong, but someone from the Estonian team prayed and the pain has been gone since then.”

The future

Looking ahead, Alan and Alice are now hoping to build further links between Estonia, the UK and eventually other nations. A team from the Eastgate Elim Hub will visit Estonia in October and other plans are in the pipeline too. Meanwhile, Elen sums up how this trip helped develop mission hearts in the Estonian team. “I’ve had a powerful experience that showed me God can use anyone,” she says. “Despite our shortcomings, what matters most is stepping out in faith – and God makes it so that people encounter his love through you.”

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.