On a normal weekend, the floor of Tondiraba Arena in Tallinn, Estonia, is covered in a sheet of ice. Christopher skated on that very rink as a member of the Estonian National Hockey Team, and it was at a hockey try out when he encountered Jesus for the first time.
But this Sunday night at the Time of Hope Festival with Will Graham, the arena floor was covered with hundreds of people worshipping—hands raised as they sang “Blessed Assurance” in Estonian.
Christopher was there serving as a volunteer, eager to connect with those who responded to the Gospel.
Since he became a Christian in 2018, Christopher has prayed for God to do a mighty work not just in Tallinn, but specifically in Tondiraba Arena.
“Since I came to Jesus, this has been the [greatest] burden on my heart to see my friends saved,” Christopher shared. “I’ve been praying a lot for these people who go [to the arena].”
In his past travels on mission trips, he’s seen hundreds of people accept Jesus in third-world villages or during street evangelism in foreign cities. Back home, though, he felt like he was “hitting a wall,” even with his own family.
During a worship night in 2024, he felt God encouraging him to pray for a movement in Tondiraba Arena. Thirty minutes later, church leaders at the worship event announced the Time of Hope Festival was coming in 2025. God was always working, even when Christopher couldn’t see His hand.
“I actually felt really strongly that the Holy Spirit told me, ‘I’m not done with your friends,’” Christopher remembers. “‘I’m not done with your family.’”
On Sunday he was in awe of God moving so mightily in his own city, a place that seemed fruitless only a year before.
“I haven’t seen this kind of stuff with my own eyes in Europe,” Christopher said, looking around the venue at so many gathered to hear about God. “It is really crazy.”
But the Gospel isn’t just changing Tallinn—it’s changing his home. On Saturday, the first night of the outreach, his dad walked down to the front of the stage to receive Christ as his Saviour.
“He had confessed Jesus earlier, but this was a public decision, [saying], ‘I declared Christ as my Lord,’” Christopher said.
‘God Has Not Given Up on Estonia’
The energy in the arena was electric on the second and final night of the outreach. As the band The Afters sang the song “How Great Is Our God,” dozens of teenagers congregated in front of the stage, praising God who sent His Son so that the world could have a relationship with Him.
“Tonight, the God of this universe is thinking of you,” Will Graham said. “He knows everything about you. He loves you more than anything else in this world.”
Graham began to speak about the story of the prodigal son, a picture of God’s love for sinners.
“Sin can be fun for a season,” Graham said. “You’re looking for freedom, but now you’ve found another type of prison in your life.”
Mattias was sitting in the second row, listening intently. When he left the church at a young age, it felt satisfying to go his own way and do what he wanted. Soon, he found his life to be “miserable,” with addiction hanging around his neck like a heavy weight.
“I have heard that story earlier,” Mattias said about the passage of Scripture Graham shared. “But it’s the first time it connected with me.”
As Graham continued to paint a picture of the prodigal son, Mattias saw himself in that portrait. His brother sitting next to him—nearly identical except for their haircuts—encouraged him to attend the event, knowing that Mattias was searching for a way back to God. When Graham asked people to come down to the front and receive Christ as their Saviour, his brother gave him a little nudge.
Sunday night, Mattias came back home, running into the arms of Jesus. Along with him were over 200 other Estonians who turned to Christ.
Following months of prayer and preparation for the two-day outreach, local pastor Erki Tamm said the number of people who committed their lives to Christ at the Festival—over 550 people—is equivalent to about four large churches in Estonia, a clear indication of God’s goodness, power, and work in this nation.
Christopher said he’s amazed at how God answered his prayers above and beyond what he could imagine.
“God is still on the move,” Christopher said. “God has not given up on Estonia.”
