I had a free Sabbath yesterday. It's something that doesn't happen very often these days and I was unsure how I should use this day. Should I ask any colleagues whether any of them require help with preaching somewhere or should I just attend the church service here in Tallinn and sit in the pew? On Friday afternoon, when I was really tired of work and of the office, I actually considered the possibility of not going anywhere but staying home for the whole day. But things turned out quite differently. And I'm glad they did.

My dad started his ministry in Põltsamaa church yesterday. It's a small church in the middle of Estonia. What made the occasion remarkable was that it was the first time my dad was sent to a church where he has worked before. Our family lived in Põltsamaa and my dad served that church when I was a kid, I started school there in 1992 (heavens, I'm getting old!) and I have only the fondest memories of that place. I had a great childhood and Põltsamaa with its church played a big part in it. We left Põltsamaa in 1998 so my dad has returned to the place 18 years after we moved away.

It was only late on Friday evening that K. and me decided we would drive down to Põltsamaa on Saturday morning and would be there for dad's first church service. I had asked S. sometime last week if his family was planning to go to Põltsamaa this Sabbath but he wasn't sure. So it wasn't even a proper plan or anything but in the end all of our family turned out to the service there - we came from Tallinn, S. and H. with little (but oh, growing so quickly!) E. came from Tartu. Dad didn't know anything about us going, he didn't expect us to be there so it was a really good surprise for him. He may have started crying, seeing us there.

You can't help but think of all the lost times on a day like this. I was thirteen when we left Põltsamaa, S. was three years older than me and K. was only eleven. No-one had any ideas what we'd grow up to be, whether we'd "turn out well" or not. We couldn't have guessed that in 18 years we would have studied in different universities in different countries and that we would work with trucks and computers and people. We didn't know dad would be a grandfather by that time. And obviously none of us could foresee that we would lose our mom so early.

But most of all - after 18 years of good days and ordinary days and terrible days, we're well, we love each other, and we actually do well in life. It was a rare and precious moment to be together yesterday morning. I'm grateful to the Almighty, both for our little family reunion yesterday and for all these years He has given us in His mercy.