Six countries from 22 May – 3 June
Athens
Flight delayed
Our trip started with difficulties or let us say as Vassula’s husband said “the odyssey”. It started in Athens where Vassula’s flight arrived late from Rhodes alarming us in case we lost our flight to RIGA.
Baggage
At check-in point we were last in the row and we could see how the ground hostess started to panic for lack of time. We finally arrived in the front and suddenly she told us that she cannot give us our boarding pass because apparently the luggage we had to check in had an extra charge and it was not paid. The travel agent did not see that an extra charge had to be paid for the luggage. The running and stress started once more, because she said we had to go to an office opposite to pay the extra charge. We were close to departure time and here we were, delayed far from the gate. To top it all, our gate was at the other side of the airport. Eventually we made it, but only after a lot of stress.
Sunday, May 22, 2011 – LATVIA
Riga
The warm welcome of TLIG RIGA group at the airport with two bouquets of flowers touched us, especially when we saw this big surprise:
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and on the other side was written “I JESUS LOVE YOU”;
As soon as Vassula saw this bus she said: “We can’t be louder”
So we all got in the bus with the organizers, Andres and Sabine, and drove down Riga Street with a huge JESUS picture, to this TLIG apartment:
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It encouraged us when we saw another amazing surprise – a window where a TLIG book was prominently displayed and kept open allowing passers-by to read it. The messages are literally on display in Riga!
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Monday, May 23, 2011
Our day began with a TV Interview for one of the leading non-Christian state channels. The interviewer started to interview Vassula, not hiding his incredulity about her mission.
TLIG Fruit
As Vassula gradually answered in a clear and direct manner, the interviewer started to change and became more interested, while the doubts that had been in him previously, and which had made him defensive, dissipated. In the end he was moved by Vassula’s answers. After the interview was over and while we were heading out he met his father who was the owner of the TV channel and said, “You really missed something. I wish you would have been with us to hear the interview.” He asked where Vassula was giving her talk and decided to come to the clergy meeting in the afternoon to hear more.
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In that meeting many clergy from different Churches came to listen to Vassula’s witness. One could not help noticing how interested they were, giving Vassula full attention especially when she spoke of how the Lord wants Unity in diversity. At the end Vassula took questions and the priests were glad of the opportunity to ask Vassula questions to clarify the themes she presented in her talk.
The TV interviewer who had also come to listen said at the end of the meeting, “I’ve had ‘goose bumps’ all through Vassula’s talk and I felt that something beautiful was passing through (enveloping) my soul”, and his attitude changed completely from the skeptical and ‘scientific’ view he had prior to Vassula’s interview. He was truly touched by every word pronounced by Vassula.
The lost sheep return to the flock. And our Lord Jesus is happy because as He said in the scriptures:
«Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? In truth I tell you, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine
that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.» (Mt 18, 12)
Public meeting
NEVER SEEN BEFORE: – Vassula’s witnessing broadcast in the middle of a city center
The organizers had placed in the city’s plaza a large screen directly linked to the meeting hall, so Vassula would be seen and heard speaking about the love of Christ and what Christ says to all of us. Her witness was heard not only inside the meeting hall but also outside in the city centre.
This somehow reminded me of John the Baptist who was crying out and calling for repentance, as this was one of the major themes.
Grimsvøtn Volcano
During our stay in Riga, we heard the news about the Icelandic volcano spitting out its ashes again. We started to follow the news daily to find out if we needed to cancel our travels. The ashes were heading for all Scandinavia and exactly where Vassula’s program was to be. Some airports were closing down, so I asked her, “should we cancel our flights?” She responded, “We have to leave it in God’s hands now.” So I remembered St.Paul’s words:
« Nothing can take me away from the love of Christ»
« For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power, nor the heights nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, will be able to come between us and the love of God, known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. » (Rm 8, 38-39)
And we continued our “odyssey” knowing that the TLIG prayer group had started to pray to God for help.
May 24 – 26, 2011 – FINLAND
Helsinki
On our arrival at Helsinki, Rev. Nicklas was waiting for us. It was the first time that Vassula had witnessed in Finland. We were happy that the weather was beautiful and the sun shining. Rev. Nicklas greeted us warmly and drove us to our hotel.
In the evening Rev. Nicklas proposed that we go to Munkkivuori Church and listen to Mrs.Ulla-Cristina Sjoblom leading the service and pray together with the assembly.
The next day we were invited for lunch with a Vicar so that he could meet Vassula whom he knew about from others. Vassula shared some of her mission with him. He was happy and said that he would come to the public meeting to hear her witness – and so he did.
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The meeting started in the afternoon in the Lutheran church. Rev. Nicklas introduced Vassula. She spoke of the importance of repentance, the importance of the gift of love and the Holy Spirit the giver of life, and the calling of the Holy Spirit to the churches for unity. She emphasized the intimacy that one should have with Christ, never forgetting however that God is holy and that one should also practice the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of Wisdom.
At the end of her speech, people were moved. Seeing the enthusiasm and the emotion of their faces, Vassula agreed again to answer some of their questions. Everybody was so touched and so eager to start reading the messages, that all the books (the one-volume) were gone. The seed now was planted in Finland and the Lord will do the rest.
« The kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field » (Mt 13, 31)
News of the volcano
The power of prayer started to be seen. The wind suddenly changed direction and started to blow the ashes around Scandinavia above the ground. By the time we continued north, the volcano became less active. Here I understood that when God wants His Word to pass and reach His people nothing will stop Him. As He once told Vassula, “I am known to have uprooted Kings and Kingdoms so that My Word passes.”
This should be a lesson for us to trust God and His plan of salvation. He is in control of everything – and no one else. We should not forget his words.
May 26 – 27, 2011 – NORWAY
Oslo
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Samuel Cavallin and Solveig Rannestad, two of the organizers, welcomed us at the airport and drove us to the hotel where we took a quick dinner together, because Vassula had a meeting with Joachim F. Grün a Protestant theologian and a retreat leader.
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27 May started with an interview in the hotel with journalist, Erling Rimehaug, from the Christian newspaper Vårt Land. Some lines from the interview:
Do you come with a special message for Norway?
When I was invited to Norway, I saw that it was the will of God. I go where God sends me. I become his echo and repeat what He says. He wants that all people approached Him and start understanding that God is much nearer than they think, and that He calls them to repentance, so that through this act of humility His Holy Spirit can renew them and aflame them with His divine Fire to become fervent apostles of these end of times.
Vassula is concerned that all churches should agree on the time for celebrating Easter. She says that it is a big scandal that we don’t celebrate the Crucifixion and Resurrection together.
Is not that a minor question, compared to a common Eucharist?
A common Eucharist should be the result of our total unity in diversity and this is the goal that Christ desires. But Christ is asking us to begin with something that is not so difficult, to show our good will.
If I am critical to the message, am I then sinning against the Spirit?
No. But if you see the fruits of the message, if you see Gods action and Gods grace, and then still say this is not from God, but from the Evil One, then that is sin against The Holy Spirit. This was what Jesus called sin against the Spirit: “They saw his miracles and good deeds, and they said they were performed with the power of Beelzebub.”
Vassula then, as soon as we finished our lunch, had another Christian newspaper interview waiting for her with journalist Johannes Reindal from newspaper Dagen.
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Dagen Johannes Reindal had several topics to discuss with Vassula. He was very interested about Unity in the TLIG message so he wrote:
One of Rydén’s working fields is her effort to unite the big Churches – the Catholic, the Orthodox and the Protestant. This is one of the most important tasks Jesus has given her in his messages. Her hope is that they next year will agree on one date for their Easter celebration. That may be a step forwards, but beyond that she can see few signs of rapprochement.
Many people work with humility and sincerity to realize such a unity, and others resist. Unity is important because the Church has been weakened and the faithful turn their back on her. A split kingdom falls apart. There is much fear, pride and self-interest between churches.
In the evening, the public meeting began with same call from God for all the country – “the importance of repentance”.
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The next day before we left the hotel to the airport the prayer group came to thank Vassula for her mission in Oslo. And as soon we left the country we heard about the testimony of Eva, a new convert to God’s call through TLIG. This is what she said:
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“I experienced an interior healing during the witness meeting in Storsalen. I managed to forgive my ex-husband who had an affair with another woman for more than two years. For a long time I prayed to God for help so that I could forgive him, but the bitterness and the resentment had taken hold of me. During the healing prayer I noticed that these feelings left me. To assure myself that this really was true, I went through all the episodes where he had hurt me, and the pain that usually comes by reliving these experiences was gone. A great thanks to God who took away my pain! Then there was nothing more to hinder me from forgiving, and my prayer was fulfilled. Now I feel so free!” (Eva, Oslo Norway 27 may 2011)
May 28 – 29, 2011 – SWEDEN
Stockholm
We were welcomed by Vassula’s two sons at the airport. Stockholm was our rest time until going to Gothenburg on the 29th.
On the way to the a