(Editor’s Note: FamilyLife recently set up a tent in Tallinn, Estonia, as part of Campus Crusade’s week-long outreach to the people of Estonia. Hundreds of families were touched by this powerful exhibit.)
A mother and daughter visiting the FamilyLife tent in Tallinn were really excited about what they saw. The young girl was particularly taken by the Resurrection Eggs®. Each colored plastic egg had an object inside relating to the Easter story. One of the hosts from the tent explained that the eggs were not for sale but that they would be happy to give them to the child if she came back on the last day. As the mother and her daughter left, the host gave the girl a white Heartbeat Tallinn heart to console her.
The girl and her mother came back on Sunday afternoon. The girl explained that she showed her father—who is not a believer—the heart, telling him that the heart is white because it has been washed clean by Jesus. The mother said that her daughter had pestered her every day about coming back, and they received the eggs with joy. The young girl was very excited because she wanted to tell her dad the Easter story using the eggs, “so that Jesus can wash his heart clean too.”
The FamilyLife tent made quite an impact on nearly a thousand families who visited it during the week of mission Heartbeat Tallinn. People were able to walk through a series of decorated rooms inside telling the story of a couple whose marriage runs into difficulties and is turned around as a result of attending a FamilyLife marriage event. As guests walked through, they were able to listen to the story on individual MP3 players in English, Estonian, or Russian. One lady who was organizing a New Age tent nearby came to look around. She left clearly moved by the experience and came back some time later with her husband.
There was also a room showcasing FamilyLife resources. Hosts from Estonian churches were available to talk to people and answer questions. The tent was used to launch marriage events and courses in Tallinn.