5,000 Miles to Helsinki
So...I’m going to Finland!
In February 2027, I’ll be spending two weeks in Helsinki with Tables Church, a church plant in the city.
Yep. Finland. In February. 🫨
I spent my childhood in Southern California and my teenage years on Maui, so I am, unquestionably, a beach girly. Put me in the ocean and I’m happy. But I also love the cold. I run my A/C pretty much year-round. I love sweaters. I love heated blankets. So when the opportunity came up to visit Finland, did the fact that I’d be going in February give me pause? No. No, it did not.
Finland in February sounds kind of fantastic. But I'm not traveling 5,000 miles for the weather.
Missions isn’t exactly a new interest for me.
I went on my first missions trip to Mexico when I was sixteen, and I met a little girl in an orphanage named Rosita. She must have been five or six years old, and she was virtually attached to my hip. My heart cried out, praying she would grow up knowing Jesus, but my heart also broke, knowing I wouldn’t be around to help make sure that happened. Something was planted in my heart that day that never really went away. I knew I wanted to build deep relationships with people, share Jesus, and stick around long enough to help people grow in their relationships with Him. That was when I first said yes to God.
Since then, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to say yes to God again and again. Sometimes that yes has taken me across the world to places like Nicaragua and Ireland. More often, it has looked like serving the people right in front of me. It’s looked like serving in my local church, attending Bible school, writing books, working in ministry, mentoring, teaching, editing, and doing whatever God puts in my hands to do.
And now, one of those yeses is taking me to Finland!
My YES to God
While I’m in Helsinki with the Tables church plant, I’ll be serving alongside the church by pouring into the worship team and adding an extra set of hands wherever the pastors need me. There has also been talk of different meetings, where I’ll have the opportunity to invest in the people of the church. The pastors have told me they plan to make the most of the two weeks they’ll have me, and I’m ready to be put to work! I’ll keep you updated on what the trip will entail as more details fall into place.
But I’m also going with a very specific purpose: I want to learn from people who have actually done what I’m preparing to do. I want to hear what the pastors and their team learned through the process of planting a church. What surprised them? What worked, and what didn’t? What do they know now that they wish they’d known when they started?
Spending time with the Tables Finland team gives me the opportunity to do two things: use my gifts in music and teaching the Bible to serve a local church and learn from people whose experience can help prepare me for the missions work God has put in my future.
I plan to keep going to the nations. I plan to keep serving. And I plan to take the opportunities God gives me and go through the doors He opens, wherever those doors happen to lead. I can’t tell you that I know exactly where in the world God will send me after this, because I don't. But I do know what my answer will be. It’s the same answer I gave Him when I was sixteen.
Yes.
Why Finland?
I’ll be doing a few different fundraisers over the next four months to give you different ways to partner with me on this trip. But I’ll be focusing primarily on two: 5,000 Miles to Helsinki, where every $1 given sponsors one mile of my journey, and a Four-Month Partnership, for those who would rather commit to supporting the trip monthly leading up to February. Whether you give once or partner with me for all four months, every gift helps get me one step closer to Helsinki!
The money I raise will help cover airfare, lodging, meals, transportation while I'm in Finland, and other expenses directly related to the trip. Of course, there are also expenses that come with leaving home for two weeks, so anything raised beyond my $5,000 goal will help cover those additional expenses.
Want To Help Me Get to Helsinki, Finland?
Helsinki is about 5,000 miles from Tulsa, and I need to raise $5,000 to cover my expenses for the two weeks I’ll be there. When I realized those two numbers were almost exactly the same, the fundraiser basically named itself.
5,000 Miles to Helsinki!
The idea is simple: $1 = 1 mile. You can sponsor 5 miles, 25 miles, 100 miles, or however many miles you’d like. There isn't a minimum amount that makes your support “count.” Every dollar moves me one mile closer to Helsinki, and I’m so extremely grateful for anything you’d like to give.
If you'd like to help send me to Helsinki, pray about how many miles you’d like to sponsor, and help me move that little airplane across the map!
5,000 Miles to Helsinki!
If you’d like to partner with me throughout the fundraising process, you can commit to giving a set amount each month from October through January. Whether that’s $25, $50, $100, or another amount, your four-month partnership will help me steadily work toward having the trip fully funded before I leave for Helsinki in February.
Becoming a monthly partner also gives you a chance to walk through the preparation with me, not just help pay for the trip. Over these four months, I’ll share updates as plans come together, specific ways you can pray, and our progress toward the $5,000 goal. You’re not just helping me get to Helsinki. You’re partnering with me in what God is sending me there to do.
October – January Monthly Partnership
Whether you give, partner with me monthly, pray, share the fundraiser, or simply follow along, I’m grateful to have you be part of this with me. I said yes to God a long time ago, and I’m excited to keep making good on that yes, one trip at a time. For now, that means 5,000 miles to Helsinki. I can’t wait to see what God does when I get there!