Dear Friend

 

Deacon, multicultural work, Marjut Tikkanen:

Dear Friend

You told me how your faith in Jesus felt like both a blessing and a curse. You were persecuted for your faith. You watched as men pointed their guns at you and threatened to take your life. Your strength was gone. Fear surrounded every situation and haunted you in a way that you cannot describe. You cried out to God for help because you had no defender or refuge. No one cared about you and your family.

God saw your life. He guided you and gave you friends to help you on your journey. Now you are in Finland. In a place where there is peace. However, that has not removed the worries about relatives, permanent residence permits, and the future. You need to speak Finnish to get a job or even an internship. The language school that you attend once a week seems like too slow progress. You wonder where you will find friends who will speak Finnish to you.

But you trust in God and his good will. He has helped you and will continue to help you. Tears will stream down your face as you express your gratitude to God. You can testify in the words of Psalm 138: When I called to you, you answered, you gave my heart strength and courage.

I thank you for our friendship and for learning so much from you. For trust, peace, love, differences and similarities in cultural practices. Your sense of humour refreshes every time we meet! How we will laugh in heaven because of your jokes! There you will live free from persecution and fear. For that is what I truly pray, that the future would be much easier for you than the past.

All the best for you - in the hands of the Heavenly Father!

The text is a summary of the experiences of various asylum seekers in our parish: Both the text sum up and permission to publish requested. The Open Doors World Watch 2025 persecution report shows how 380 million Christians in the world experience persecution for their faith.