Steps Tour Visits Churches in Northern Europe, Russia and Scandanavia

On May 21, 2009 a group of 22 disciples from churches all over the U.S. and England, descended upon Amsterdam and boarded our ship, the Celebrity Century,

to begin our Spirit-led 12-day journey in the steps of the disciples in Amsterdam, Netherlands;

Berlin, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; Helsinki, Finland; St. Petersburg, Russia; Tallinn, Estonia and Copenhagen, Demark. Our

purpose was to encourage the disciples in those cities and to create lasting relationships with them. Even though we only had a few hours in some of the cities, the hospitality of our brothers and sisters was amazing! Lunches, dinners, private tours, and lots of “talk” time met us in each city that we visited. Friendships that will last a lifetime and follow us into eternity were made. Each day that the ship was at sea, we studied the history of the churches in Scandinavia, Russia, and northern Europe led by Bill Hooper (elder, Dallas, TX) and shared our lives in very heart-felt devotionals.

Vivian Jackson (San Francisco): “Though our numbers were small in some cities, our spirit is like a mountain! The churches in all the countries we visited were shining pearls in a necklace that spans the globe. With each visit, I felt like I was visiting family – people who knew me, loved me and welcomed me. I was never a stranger, always a sister. I also found in my heart, a deep gratitude for the body of Christ.”

Isabell Canas (Boston): “For me it was the most wonderful time of my Life. I thank God for allowing me, first to be part of his Kingdom andsecond to be part of this trip. For the rest of my life I will have in my heart the faces of the brothers and sisters from the different churches we visited and their great passion for God!”

Rasean Hamilton (San Francisco): “I realize how much I take for granted – leadership, a ministry focused on special needs, a large church, etc. I was moved by the faith of the disciples, their desire to turn things around, to put the past behind them and to step out of their comfort zone. I also realized the need, the responsibility of the stronger parts of the body to help support the weaker parts.”

Rowland Brown (New York): “St. Petersburg was heart-felt to me. Even the children were servants to us, bringing us water to drink.”

Laura Martinez (Los Angeles): “Spiritually, it was so strengthening and faithbuilding to visit disciples in each country. It was truly the chance of a lifetime. Being able to visit disciples in 7 countries in 13 days was unbelievable. I loved Bill’s devotionals and talks on the history of the churches and the areas. Very informative and interesting and Bill presented it in such a way that it was engaging and really got us excited about our destinations. One of my goals was to draw closer

to God, which I did with QTs on the Baltic Sea as well as develop new friendships with brothers and sisters on the trip, which God orchestrated through His “Godly” appointments.”

Angela Spangler (San Francisco): “I valued that the disciples had so much gratitude they did not judge us by our backgrounds or whether we were new or old, struggling or not, they were just grateful that we were there, a presence for them. I valued that the local disciples took time off from work, traveled for an hour or more, some on a bus with their children just to meet us for one hour. That is so inspiring and sacrificial – the heart of a true disciple.”

I know that I speak for everyone by saying that we are deeply grateful to God and to Disciples Today for providing this trip and making this an incredible life-changing experience. We are very humbled by the lessons we have learned and by the opportunity to share in the lives of our brothers and sisters across the world.

As an added note: The ship’s captain told us on the last day at sea that in the 11 years of sailing the Baltic Sea, neither he nor any of the crew members had ever seen 12 consecutive days of beautiful weather (60’s-70’s and sunshine) like we had on this trip! We know the answer! To God be the glory!

Sally Hooper (Dallas/Ft. Worth)

Click here to check out the 2010 Steps of the Apostles Tour to Rome, Athens, Ephesus, Israel and Egypt.

posted by Jerry Maday