Timo and Laura

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Having previously worked for Mission Aviation Fellowship in Bunia and Nyankunde, DR Congo, Timo (from Finland) and Laura (from the USA) are now serving in Finland among the Congolese refugee population, sharing Jesus with them, and equipping Christian refugees to reach out to the Finns they live among.

In DR Congo God showed Timo the enormous need for solid, thorough, biblical teaching. Timo enjoyed teaching in a rural Bible school, and by the time God moved Timo and Laura out from northeastern DR Congo, a learning centre was being constructed where pastors could be given additional training.

As often with God’s timing, it was a surprise when God brought them back to the USA to work at MAF headquarters. Then, when Laura left full time ministry to raise their family, a switch to AIM whose ministry in DR Congo matched Timo’s interests was natural.

Planning to return to Africa, it was yet another surprise when in 2020 God suddenly routed them back to Timo’s home country, Finland. Thinking it would be temporary, Timo and Laura were again surprised when God showed an enormous need in Finland, for which they were uniquely suited.

One of the main refugee populations in Finland is Congolese, and they were desperately in need of help in many ways. Because of their time in Congo, and Timo being Finnish, they can come alongside the Congolese and bridge the two cultures. Finland is only about 2% Christian. The other refugees are largely of Muslim background. This makes the Congolese one of the main Christian people groups in Finland. However, they bring with them many of the same needs there are in Congo – for discipleship and solid Bible training.

With this in mind, Timo and Laura are seeking to equip the Congolese (and others) to reach Finns and Muslims with the gospels. The language and cultural barriers are immense. The Congolese and Finns couldn’t be more different! Timo can help the two groups start to work together. When serving in DR Congo, Timo loved to come alongside the Congolese pastors, seeing where they felt their needs were, offering them a listening ear and support, and teaching. In Finland, Timo plans to teach, encourage, and equip future pastors, missionaries, and church leaders primarily among African people. Timo desires to equip, encourage and disciple African Christian churches and groups to reach out to their unreached diaspora neighbours.

Laura is able to connect with the Congolese and other diaspora as she too is a foreigner, seeking to learn Finnish. As well as focussing on their family, Laura plans to focus on relationship building with African women and other women’s groups.

Could you partner with them in this work?

Latest Prayer News

11 August 2024

Give thanks for the activities, interactions and gospel conversations which have taken place at the AIM Borderless’ Community Outreach Week that concludes today. AIM workers and volunteers have been supporting a Midlands city centre church to reach out to the diverse community on their doorstep, including many people from a North African background. Pray for a good ending to the week for everyone involved. Pray that each person who attended the activities and classes hosted over the past week will continue to be moved by the love shown to them by Christians and that this will soften their hearts to consider exploring more about Jesus. Pray that God will bless each friendship made and that the team will be given the capacity and opportunity to follow up on conversations and interactions, long after this week concludes.

18 June 2024

Pray for God to provide more volunteers to join AIM Borderless’ Community Outreach Week team from 3rd – 11th August 2024. A Midlands city centre church is seeking to reach out to the diverse community on their doorstep. The church hopes to reach their local community from a North African background, and they have asked Borderless to provide a team to help them run a special events week. Pray that God will bless the practical planning of this week and that the team will have enough volunteers to run the week and share the gospel with African people in the UK. Could you join the team? Find out more here.

15 March 2024

Pray for our Borderless workers, working among African diaspora communities across the UK. Pray for the women’s literacy and sewing classes occurring in a UK city in the weeks leading up to Easter. Pray for the teachers and students as they explore the reason for Easter. Pray that these students will continue to attend these classes and find fellowship and gospel discussion, despite Ramadan being a time when attendance tends to decline.

14 February 2024

Pray for one of AIM’s Borderless (AIM’s ministry seeking to support and disciple African peoples in the UK and around the world) workers who are mourning the passing away of their father-in-law. Pray for strength for them and for the Lord to comfort them and their family and remind them that Jesus ‘…heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147.3).

16 December 2023

Timo and Laura serve in Finland among the Congolese refugee population, sharing Jesus with them, and equipping Christian refugees to reach out to the Finns they live among. Give thanks that after much discipleship, enough gospel volunteers have joined their ministry, that they can confidently call themselves a ministry ‘team’. Pray for unity in this team with members from five continents, that this unity will drive them to greater boldness in Christ amid spiritual opposition. Pray especially for them as they host a Christmas party for international students today. Pray that the true message of Christmas will interest the students and that this outreach might lead to more students wanting to study the gospel further in the future.

United Kingdom & Europe

Ministry in the United Kingdom & Europe ranges from being a part of mobilising offices, to teaching in Bible colleges to being involved in work among the African Diaspora across the continent. LEARN MORE

Diaspora

Taking the good news of Jesus to Africa’s hardest to reach people does not always mean a move to Africa. Today, millions of Africans live outside of Africa: in North America, Europe, and around the globe – the African diaspora. LEARN MORE

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The deepest needs

“My heart hurts to see how people are suffering without Jesus.” Tom Desloges, AIM’s Unit Leader in DR Congo shares his conversation with Congolese missionaries Justin and Clement, who had just returned from a stint in one of Congo’s poorest and least developed regions.

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