Finland (MNN) — Handing off the baton of ministry leadership to a new generation can be stressful. Instead, the process is an answer to prayer for World Missionary Press.

WMP’s distribution contact in Finland had gotten quite old, and they weren’t sure who would replace him. Then, the Lord provided.

The new contact is just what WMP needed. “She is a go-getter; she sends inventories [and] reports; she’s really into this,” WMP’s Helen Williams says.

“She’s willing to go and cover Sweden and Norway, all the way across Scandinavia.”

This young woman is website and social media savvy, opening a new avenue for Scripture booklet distribution.

“She’s done a lot more promo stuff to make it known that the material is available in Finland in all of these languages, and I think we’ll see a greater influence there,” Williams says.

A Polish police officer holds a baby girl as Ukraine refugees flood across the border.
(Wikimedia Commons/梁柏堅 Pakkin Leung)

Refugees from war-torn countries have increasingly traveled north in recent years, making new homes in the Scandinavian Peninsula from places like Iraq, Somalia, and Ukraine. WMP’s new contact will make it much easier to get Gospel resources into the hands of these populations.

“She sent me a note and said, ‘I can send them from Finland into Sweden and Norway’ for a lot less than what we would mail them. This has been a prayer of mine for a long time,” Williams says.

“One of the things that we want to do is have centralized distribution in as many countries as possible, saving us a lot of money on mailing boxes. One of our small boxes with 500 booklets will cost us over $50 to ship, so the more we can do within a country, [the better.]”

Praise the Lord for His provision and perfect timing. Pray that WMP’s new contact will receive the help she needs.

“We’ve got two containers on the way to her. There’s going to be a lot to do, and she’s going to need some help on the ground,” Williams says.

“When she gets two containers [with] five or six million pieces, she will have her hands full.”

Header image depicts a street scene in Helinski, Finland. Refugees from war-torn countries have increasingly traveled north in recent years, making new homes in the Scandinavian Peninsula from places like Iraq, Somalia, and Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of Tapio Haaja/Unsplash)

Finland (MNN) — After winning two previous trials, Finnish lawmaker Päivi Räsänen is once again being charged with hate speech because she posted Bible verses on social media. This time, a state prosecutor wants Finland’s Supreme Court to examine the case.

“The Supreme Court would have the final say on whether the Bible, or at least portions of it, is hate speech. The ramifications of that could cause either parts of the Bible or all of the Bible to be banned,” Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says.

“We’ve seen that as a strategy in countries that we work in – communist countries, Muslim-dominated countries – where either the Bible is banned, or it is restricted, and Christians can’t get access to the Bible,” he continues.

“Increasingly, we see that Christians are being pressured to make their faith private.”

The prosecution dropped one charge on Friday, but two remain. Finland’s Supreme Court has not indicated whether it would take up the case.

The first charge describes one of the lawmaker’s social media posts as “demeaning and discriminatory.” The 2019 post included Romans 1:24-27 and asked why the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland had agreed to sponsor a gay pride event.

A second charge focuses on a 2004 pamphlet with biblical teachings about marriage and the sanctity of life. The prosecutor calls such teachings “insulting.”

“The sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of life – these things are very much in opposition to the agendas being pushed by our societies and government officials,” Brobbel says.

“The Bible will speak out against many of the philosophies of this day and age. Pray that the Lord would intervene in this case and that His Word would [persevere.]”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels.