Return to Finland at the end of 1977
I returned to Finland after that summer vacation. I was weakened in faith. I was unemployed for about 4 months. Since I did not get the job, I did a number of different volunteers. I got my heart going to greet my father in Siuntio and told him about my life situation. In it I made the mistake, when not relying solely on my Heavenly Father's help in faith, as I should have done.
Father helped me again by suggesting me to go to the Manufacturing Rationalization Course for unemployed technicians in Tampere TTOL. I took the entrance exams, was aproved and took the course started on November 14, 1977 at Tampere University of Technology (HTOL). The course was well organized. I got an apartment in Tampere Peltolammi Student Housing.
The course lasted 5 months. The first part was studying theory and the rest 2 months practical training. My apprenticeship was a plastic factory called Sarvis Oy, which was in connection with the Aaltonen Shoe Factory. I remember a funny memory from the theory period.
The chairman of the class, alias Tapani, organized an exam on 'standard time systems' and said that if any of us reached the maxim scores on the exam, he is either a genius or an idiot.
He promised to give him coffee and a pastry. The full score would have been 40. I got 39.5. Tapani said I was once again a borderline case because he had long pondered my acceptance for the course and now I got a score near the frontier between a genius and an idiot. He laughed and offered me some coffee and a pastry for that good!
During the course I went to Siuntio in the late winter to see my father. According to my custom, I told about religious issues that my family was not interested in. Father said, "Go instead and tell that taxi driver alias Åke that he must stop the weekend drinking before anything terrible happens." Åke always became very violent when drunk.
Åke was in normal state like an angel, but that little man changed completely when he was drunk. He was devilish and threatened to strike his wife and little children with an ax. That's why they fled out, wife and five kids in their underwear to the freezing winter! It happened so often that my parents, whose house was only about 150 m from Åke's house, arranged for an emergency shelter for Åke's wife and children early on Saturdays.
It was a strange scene when Åke's wife and children were running one after other into my parents house to get shelter! They got to take a warm bath and drank cup of coffee before they went to bed. I was agree with my dad, but when I was home I didn't have time to talk with Åke. When I arrived in Tampere, I couldn't get it out of my mind. I still had a sleep that I realized was a serious warning to Åke.
At night I had a sleep in which two angels of death come on a two-horse-drawn carriage at a tremendous speed from Helsinki. They toured Åke's house all round twice and took somebody and returned the same road very high speed. I realized that "someone" was Åke.
Åke's terrible fate
Father said that I was welcome, but that there is a terrible accident happened! When I arrived in Siuntio, I saw Åke's house burned down, only the chimney was upright. Father told me that three weeks ago, just a week after I sent the warning letter to Åke, Åke had drunk again.
His wife and children had already escaped to Virkkala that weekend to stay with their relatives there over weekend. Åke had apparently fallen asleep with a burning cigarette in his hand and burned together with the house so that, according to my father, he was not found in a pile of ashes. Oh misery, what a terrible fate for a man!
Åke's wife, alias Lisbeth, once asked me later, "How could you Leif write that warning letter that was so well timed?" I said I had received it from the Lord in my heart. And I asked Lisbeth, "Why didn't you divorce your husband because you endanger the lives of you and your children many times because of the violence in his drunkeness?" Lisbeth replied, "Because I loved him so much." It was very beautifully said!
My mother had divorced my father, even though my father was like an angel when drunk and never behaved violently towards his children or wife.
Åke's wife was not a believer, at least not to say that she believed in Jesus. However, she was much more gracious than my mother. Lisbeth's actions provided a good example of a woman who would not abandon her own husband, even though he was violent and had behaved violently for years.
The Bible says of Love, "All It Suffers!"
I remembered that before I got to that course, I had written a letter to President Urho Kekkonen complaining that in my case the Finnish state had not been able to arrange work for me. A couple of weeks later I received a notification that as a result of my letter, my bank account had been retrospectively transferred to FIM 612 unemployment benefit!
I also made the mistake of asking Kekkonen for help, because after all I had lost my chances in my working life and had given up three good jobs and started acting in the too weak faith. My faith didn't carry, as one song says! I do not regret the fact that I bravely have tried to believe and have learned through it a number of things.
At the end of the 3-month theory period and the 2-month internship, I received a temporary job as an equipment designer at Sarvis Ltd. It was because the teacher found me exceptionally inventive during the training course and that I had a rich imagination in solving problems. I was the only student who got a job there.
I worked at Sarvis for 1.5 months, which was a trial period and came to the conclusion that I want not work among the co-designers, who did read a porn magazines during work hours. My manager noted that I was a hard worker, an accurate and professional designer. He was so sorry when I resigned. He was alias Kai Majava.
I moved to Helsinki again and got a rented apartment in late summer in a high-rise, in Vantaa' Uusi Koivukylä. I lived there alone for 2 months. I fasted and prayed on three separate period for several weeks of water fasting to find guidance from the Holy Spirit on what to do next.
When I had to move out of that apartment, I had no idea where I would move because I was unemployed and penniless. Only 3 days before moving in, I met a believer, under the alias Reino Koski, who was a member of the Helsinki mission congregation (a Pentecostal congregation). He and his family lived in Korso, near mine apartment at the time.
He (Reino Koski) approached me and suggested that I move with them to a large Korso mansion, which they had been able to rent cheaply. I could live in their furnished living room. I volunteered at the Qumran Grill in central Korso. I made salads there and did the dishes. I got good food for my pay. I also got train tickets from Reino to visit Helsinki.
There I worked volunteered at the Christian Book and Cassette shop with Reino, who worked at the Kovaosaiset Ry, a dormitory for homeless men too (in short, "Doss house"). There, he worked as a security guard and housekeeper with another believing brother, alias Keijo Virta. They had worked with enthusiasm in that Christian Book and Cassette shop.
Since Reino and Keijo had their families and small children, I asked to work for free at the Book and Cassette Shop (in short, "Oasis"), because they didn't get any pay for that job either. They were delighted because they had more time for their family.
They came only occasionally to Oasis for a few hours. I opened the door at 9 in the morning. I made tea for the people who came there and served two French breads daily, which I had sliced and anointed with melted cheese.
We at Oasis gave our customers free Christian books, magazines, and vocal cassettes, which many publishers had donated for free distribution. I closed the room front door in the evenings at 5pm, cleaned and vacuumed the floors and washed the tea cups. It was a very interesting task, and during that time I learned a great deal about how Adonai treats different people with complete individuality and especially by grace.
One night I had forgotten to close the front door at 5 pm and started washing dishes when a young man came in and started crying. I went to him and asked what's the matter now? He said he had no purpose in his life, even though he had come to the faith some time ago. He had a clear speech defect and had been diligently searching for any job without getting anything.
He had no membership in any congregation and no believing friends. I deeply sympathized with him and realized that without the clear help and guidance of Adonai, he would be left without help, at least without the workplace. I suggested we'll leave together those three things with prayer to our Heavenly Father.
We did so, and in the name of Jesus we thanked the Father, who is the rich giver of all who call upon him, relying on Jesus' promise: Matt. 18:19
>>Furthermore, truly I tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything you request, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.<<
He, alias Pete, went then home and soon I forgot that case.
About a week later, Pete called me and thanked me. On the way home, he had met on the street a young man. He the believer, was Pete' new friend and that happened just that evening, we had prayed. That believing friend had taken him to a Salem church in Helsinki. So he did find home Church too on that day!
He had instantly experienced Salem Church as his spiritual home, and his new friend managed to arrange a nice day job for Pete from a warehouse where his friend worked as his colleague and tutor! Thanks to Adonai for all the help, which He gave to Pete! Adonai truly answers to our prayers!
HalleluYah!
Unbelief tried to seize my heart
I remembered that before I got to that course, I had written a letter to President Urho Kekkonen complaining that in my case the Finnish state had not been able to arrange work for me. A couple of weeks later I received a notification that as a result of my letter, my bank account had been retrospectively transferred to FIM 612 unemployment benefit!
I also made the mistake of asking Kekkonen for help, because after all I had lost my chances in my working life and had given up three good jobs and started acting in the too weak faith. My faith didn't carry, as one song says! I do not regret the fact that I bravely have tried to believe and have learned through it a number of things.
At the end of the 3-month theory period and the 2-month internship, I received a temporary job as an equipment designer at Sarvis Ltd. It was because the teacher found me exceptionally inventive during the training course and that I had a rich imagination in solving problems. I was the only student who got a job there.
I worked at Sarvis for 1.5 months, which was a trial period and came to the conclusion that I want not work among the co-designers, who did read a porn magazines during work hours. My manager noted that I was a hard worker, an accurate and professional designer. He was so sorry when I resigned. He was alias Kai Majava.
I moved to Helsinki again and got a rented apartment in late summer in a high-rise, in Vantaa' Uusi Koivukylä. I lived there alone for 2 months. I fasted and prayed on three separate period for several weeks of water fasting to find guidance from the Holy Spirit on what to do next.
When I had to move out of that apartment, I had no idea where I would move because I was unemployed and penniless. Only 3 days before moving in, I met a believer, under the alias Reino Koski, who was a member of the Helsinki mission congregation (a Pentecostal congregation). He and his family lived in Korso, near mine apartment at the time.
Moving to a large manor house in Korso
He (Reino Koski) approached me and suggested that I move with them to a large Korso mansion, which they had been able to rent cheaply. I could live in their furnished living room. I volunteered at the Qumran Grill in central Korso. I made salads there and did the dishes. I got good food for my pay. I also got train tickets from Reino to visit Helsinki.
There I worked volunteered at the Christian Book and Cassette shop with Reino, who worked at the Kovaosaiset Ry, a dormitory for homeless men too (in short, "Doss house"). There, he worked as a security guard and housekeeper with another believing brother, alias Keijo Virta. They had worked with enthusiasm in that Christian Book and Cassette shop.
Since Reino and Keijo had their families and small children, I asked to work for free at the Book and Cassette Shop (in short, "Oasis"), because they didn't get any pay for that job either. They were delighted because they had more time for their family.
They came only occasionally to Oasis for a few hours. I opened the door at 9 in the morning. I made tea for the people who came there and served two French breads daily, which I had sliced and anointed with melted cheese.
We at Oasis gave our customers free Christian books, magazines, and vocal cassettes, which many publishers had donated for free distribution. I closed the room front door in the evenings at 5pm, cleaned and vacuumed the floors and washed the tea cups. It was a very interesting task, and during that time I learned a great deal about how Adonai treats different people with complete individuality and especially by grace.
One night I had forgotten to close the front door at 5 pm and started washing dishes when a young man came in and started crying. I went to him and asked what's the matter now? He said he had no purpose in his life, even though he had come to the faith some time ago. He had a clear speech defect and had been diligently searching for any job without getting anything.
He had no membership in any congregation and no believing friends. I deeply sympathized with him and realized that without the clear help and guidance of Adonai, he would be left without help, at least without the workplace. I suggested we'll leave together those three things with prayer to our Heavenly Father.
We did so, and in the name of Jesus we thanked the Father, who is the rich giver of all who call upon him, relying on Jesus' promise: Matt. 18:19
>>Furthermore, truly I tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything you request, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.<<
He, alias Pete, went then home and soon I forgot that case.
About a week later, Pete called me and thanked me. On the way home, he had met on the street a young man. He the believer, was Pete' new friend and that happened just that evening, we had prayed. That believing friend had taken him to a Salem church in Helsinki. So he did find home Church too on that day!
He had instantly experienced Salem Church as his spiritual home, and his new friend managed to arrange a nice day job for Pete from a warehouse where his friend worked as his colleague and tutor! Thanks to Adonai for all the help, which He gave to Pete! Adonai truly answers to our prayers!
HalleluYah!
Ei kommentteja:
Lähetä kommentti