2016 Feast of Tabernacles Report
Kuressaare, Saaremaa, Estonia
The Feast site was blessed with sunshine and warmer temperatures for all the outdoor activities that were earlier in the week! The center for activities was the G.O. Spa Hotel. It provided a beautiful view of Kuressaare Bay and the medieval Kuressaare Castle. This is where the brethren lodged, services were conducted, and we shared our daily meals.
Guest elders Tim Martens (Arkansas) and Terry Johnson (South Dakota) contributed to the overall theme, which was “Preparing a People” to serve as kings and priests in the Kingdom of God and to be judges thereafter. Services were translated simultaneously into Latvian and Russian as needed.
For our youth day activity we were introduced to the sport of orienteering by the Latvian brethren. We had to navigate our way around the Kuressaare Castle to find various points on the map. This activity was enjoyed by all.
We enjoyed a cultural bus tour of the Island of Saaremaa, seeing sites like the Kaali Meteorite Crater, the town of Angla, which is a hill of old windmills, and various military fortifications, as this island is a strategic gateway for control of the Baltic Sea.
The evening of the Eighth Day we gathered for an anticipation circle, where we each expressed our deepest feelings about one person we are looking forward to seeing in the second resurrection. This was very emotional and brought us all closer as a family.
The Estonian and Latvian brethren expressed much gratitude to all the visitors who came from as far as Australia and the U.S., allowing them to have a wonderful Feast of Tabernacles with lots of fellowship opportunities in a family atmosphere. Many expressed that this was their best Feast ever.
Ronald A. Bell