For a long time I have had a vision, to travel with a bigger vehicle where we can live during our trips as well as invite people for a cup of coffee, talks and prayers. In October 2021 God made this vision reality and we picked up our Gospel Express bus in eastern Finland.
When we got home we started to take out the seats and made a plan of the interior. We started with the floor and it went very smooth in a huge garage we rented for the duration of the building of the bus. The floor material and floor carpets were sold to us very cheap as it was left over material or second class. Some material was donated to us.
Since we travel with our parrots Nixon and Reagan during the warmer months we build them a good size cage for their best comfort. The kitchen we pulled out from a house that was being taken down.
As we live in a country with four seasons we needed both heat and air conditioning and we installed a heat pump with both features. We were blessed with people who helped us with all electricity work as we want everything to be safe and in order.
The decals were put on and we did some final adjustments. In January 2022 we inspected the bus and it passed without any problems. Since then we have done four trips up north to Lappland and it sure has been a blessing. We save a lot on hotels and we have our own freedom. It feels good to bring in a person or two for a cup of coffee and we always end up with good discussions and we always come to the Gospel. Thats why our vehicle is called Gospel Express, we use it to spread the Gospel on the highways and the byways.
Make sure you come and say hello when you see us somewhere on the road!
FROM THE ROAD
GOSPEL EXPRESS TWO YEARS
We have now had Gospel Express for two years and it has sure been such a blessing to our ministry. We have slept around 200 nights in the bus and travelled tens of thousands of kilometers. Has it been worth it? It has been worth it all! We do not need to look for hotels anymore. We don't need to think about what to do when we have days off and we can have our three parrots Nixon, Winston and Reagan with us. It has given us much more freedom as well as we have managed to get down our expenses.
It is like coming home when you get to the bus at night after a busy day ministering. You have everything you need there and we are also cooking our meals on the bus or on the grill outside the bus. Way cheaper than eating out and most of the time it also taste better.
I am also able to play guitar, work on new music, work on my guitars and do office work on the bus. We have our beds and it is a blessing to return to the same bed every night while you are on the road. Everything is there and you know where everything is, except for that other sock always missing for some reason :)
We want to thank all who have helped us with the bus and kept us on the road. Gospel Express will be out on the road proclamating Jesus as Lord in 2024 again! See you on the road!
GOSPEL EXPRESS 2024- 2025 - THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
We could never have thought all this when we got the bus. Last year, 2024 we did a long tour of The Netherlands and Germany continued with two tours in Sweden. Some things have been fixed along the road but the bus is 30 years old and we are very blessed.
Before the 2025 tour we realized the clutch need to be renewed and by many miracles we could afford this. We have done lots of things on the bus so even with its 3 million kilometers we know what we have and we know what we drive. We also did an update on the interior with new seats, a blessing from H. Ukkonen as well as built a bigger cage for Winston as we want our parrots to have enough space and enjoy our adventures.
During all our tours and adventures we have experienced that the bus is not just our "home on the road". We meet people everywhere and people are curious to know more what we do and who we are. Actually we do not always need a platform for sharing our faith, give away a book, pray for someone or have very deep discussions about the meaning of life and what happens after we are done here on earth. Our message is always clear; Jesus is the only way to eternal life in heaven and all wants to go to heaven. We do not force people to repeat a prayer. We are sowing seeds and this can happen anywhere. We receive mails from people who seen the bus and visited the website and they have questions, prayer requests or they are fellow believers who wants to encourage us. Gospel Express is a blessing all the time.
