A girl from Türi participated in a three-month discipleship program called Arise
When Mikael Takamaa, youth leader of the Finnish Union, announced at the end of his sermon during the youth camp’s day of rest that a new Arise course would soon be opening in Finland, for which people could still register, and that the first Estonian to apply would be able to participate in the course at half price, Tiina Rätsepso, a young woman from Türi, knew immediately that this was something for her. The three-month discipleship program is now over, and Tiina is back home with a wealth of skills and knowledge.
Arise is a discipleship program that originated in Australia and was brought to Finland last year, and Tiina is a graduate of the second cohort of the course. The program has three main areas of study: practical lessons, theology lessons, and church history lessons. “In the practical lessons, we learned how to teach others about the Bible,” said Tiina, explaining that they were first taught how to show interest in people and connect with them. “I learned how to communicate, what topics are okay to talk about with people, and that showing interest in people is a skill that can be learned. We had questionnaires and looked for connections with people. The goal was to find people who would like to study the Bible with us. Once a week, we had a small group where we played board games, went running, read the Bible, and did other activities to which we could invite people. One option was to go door to door, and another was to talk to people on the street. We had to find ways to connect with people on our own.”
The second area of study was related to Bible study. “We studied Adventist theology—the books of Daniel and Revelation, as well as other books of the Bible. These were very interesting and thorough lessons. The main theme was the timeline: before the creation of the world, creation, the Fall, the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, the coming of the Messiah, the end times, and what comes after that,” said Tiina.
The third set of topics was related to the history of the church, from Jesus to the Middle Ages and then from the Reformation to the present day.
There were 32 students in the second flight to Finland, 18 boys and 14 girls, all from very different places: Australia, Canada, the USA, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Kenya… The average age of the group was 22, with the oldest participant this year being 34. Tiina said that while she was reserved at first and interacted more with her roommates, she became good friends with everyone as time went on. “I gained a second family there, and we still keep in touch.”
The program began on August 14, and every day was packed with activities. On weekdays, there were lectures from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., followed by practical activities: small groups and missionary work. “There were many activities. On days off, we went to the Mikkel congregation, where we each had our own tasks, just like at school, which used to be a boarding school: cleaning the kitchen, washing dishes, cleaning the house, collecting donations in the church, telling children’s stories, organizing worship, as well as cleaning—all the work was divided among us.”
The program ended on November 8 with a festive certificate ceremony. “It was a very good experience, and anyone who wants to should take the course. I had no expectations because I didn’t know what to expect, the whole thing was so sudden, but it was very necessary for me – all the knowledge and skills. And the friendships I made there are forever. It was a very valuable experience.”