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Welcome to the well.
At the well we meet with Finnish spiritual adults three times.
Today we have our second meeting with Riku Rinne
who is engineer of computer and science from Nokia.
God called him to His ministry less than twenty years ago .
From that time on he has visited different schools as a youth worker
meeting young people and preaching gospel.
Riku Rinne is also musician author and is married with three children.
Hi Riku - Hi Anna
This time let's talk about God's calling in your life
when you were a Christian engineer.
What was the turning point as you started God's ministry?
When I became a born again Christian 1983
on that first fall I had that feeling God is calling me for something.
At Vantaa I went out to the streets with one youth worker.
But that was not it.
This was like my preparation for the future. Then we moved to Nokia.
One Friday night I was standing at the window and looking at public
and high children walking towards the center of Nokia to hang out .
God moved me saying like 'now'.
This is what you have been looking for.
So I went out to look and see what the young people were doing?
I left my heart there.
God's truth opened in front of my eyes.
I got to see the broken hearts of the young people
their longing wandering searching. God talked to me saying ;
Riku you could be one answer telling them what I want to tell you.
It started from parks and streets in the night.
I fell in love for helping young people and children.
What was your first experience when you went out, where did you go?
That's a good question !!
It was pretty exciting when I threw my leather jacket on and
put my running shoes on and disappeared into an autumn night.
I had quite confusing feelings.
I remember standing at the parking lot
and looking up to the third floor window where Helena was
peeking between curtains.
I went out and she stayed at home, that time we didn't have any children.
This routine was repeated many many hundreds of times.
It was painful to leave.
But I had a clear sense God was with me directing me.
As soon as I started to talk with these young people ,
there was no problem.
Everybody wanted to talk and had something to talk about.
We cried, we sang.
I brought my guitar and we sang in the middle of the night at the park.
Sometimes the police stopped by to listen.
It was so genuine free touching what ever we did.
At the same time I had a position of trust in the congregation of Nokia.
I was involved with youth meetings with other co-workers.
We arranged different type youth gatherings.
This opened possibility to invite these young people to our home church.
The knowledge of the task matured and matured that
I have something to do in the world of youth and children
Did you realize at that time that something irrevocable was happening?
Not right away but in my heart was burning such a flame.
I knew it can't be put out.
I didn't know where it takes me and which way.
I couldn't even dream what was to come.
It was one day at the time.
Then you continued to go out more and more.
That's true. Then these schoolchildren asked me
to take part in their religion studies in the classroom.
They said we'll talk to our teacher.
They had got a new religion teacher Anneli Gregorwisch
whom I got to know and to this day she is my friend.
She invited me to talk to the class.
I liked the class, she and students were satisfied.
And she asked me to come back.
Because I was doing my engineer work at the same time
I needed to make a decision.
I used my paid days from the work and then overworked my time back.
The word was getting around to Tampere, Ylojarvi Valkeakoski.
I started to visit more and more schools.
At my own work I had time to be less and less.
For 5 years I was involved with school children youth work
and at the same time I did my engineer job.
That was very heavy and tiring.
Helena was first who felt in her heart, we need to choose
either youth work or engineer work.
To one I had education, for the other I didn't,
the one provided us a monthly income
from the other we receive nothing.
You were 25 at that time
Did you feel that you didn't have enough strength to do this
especially at the beginning?
Actually I had such a powerful love in my heart and I had God's authority.
I didn't even think about my own strength.
It's so unbelievable how these situations work themselves out
when God is leading.
Most essential is that you love and respect these young people.
From there you can find the ability and steps that lead you
deep into his or her heart.
And then God's love penetrates there.
I didn't have anything else but love for them;
truly from the bottom of my heart to love them.
The five years you had two work areas; youth work and your engineer work.
What kind of personal risk you took when you left your engineer job?
I was dreaming and wandering, could there be some kind of
organization which could pay me a salary?
But because I didn't have any kind of schooling,
no papers to show, how could I prove them my work in the streets!
Many youth workers came papers in their hands. I didn't have a chance.
Then our family friends had seen how terrible our life was.
And it was terrible we didn't have time for anything.
Youth work and engineer work took all my time.
Our friends had an idea; to get a support from somewhere.
Through voluntary work we had a good relationship with Patmos.
They were presented a possibility to become a support link;
when Riku Rinne would leave his engineer job.
This is the way it started,
gathering names who would be willing to support me.
It was a huge jump and still is today.
Every year I have a pain in my heart thinking;
do people remember. Will, they be able to give money.
When I see this tremendous pain this work involves
and distress of young people. With fearful heart I question;
can people see what I see!
By means of news letters and books I try to tell them something;
you can see this work and you are not going to forget!
I am fully convinced, do I have support or not,
even if I had some other kind of work; tv-editor, engineer,
construction worker or something else. But this is what my heart desires;
preach the gospel to children and young people.
This is a big privilege and I hope it's going to be like this till the end.
It's really great that I can entirely concentrate to this work
one way or the other.
It was painful on one hand to leave my engineer job
on the other hand I had done this youth work already 5 years.
My engineer job dropped of itself.
Fortunately I left that work, I am so thankful to God,
because this is my calling, my place to be.
What do you think, did God give you an alternative?
Did you feel this is your calling,
would you have been able to stay in your engineer job?
Listen Anna, if I make it more critical; life or death.
If I have stayed at my engineering job
I would have died inside of my heart.
I had such a burning sensation towards youth.
Oh, my engineering work was exciting but
my heart would have shrunk and died there.
This is only life; follow this calling everything else would have killed me.
” I did not see any other life than to follow this calling.”
How important is that you have found God's calling,
although it has not been easy, often very scary?
Really difficult and scary.
I have found life with capital “L”.
To live associated with Almighty God, yourself,
fellow man and the calling.
The best in life is that everything is in balance.
I have found that. This task is in balance with my whole existence.
This is so unbelievable!
I have never thought about this so deeply.
Nobody has ever asked such penetrating questions.
I notice myself pondering in a deeper deeper.
Heaven has touched me deep I can't leave this calling.
Life or death and I chose life.
” I did not see any other life than to follow this calling.”
What it is in practice when
God has drawn you so deep into young people's life.
It is about conversations; to see their hearts.
Now when I visit with Arska from school to school
meeting students from elementary schools all the way to trade school,
you see their development.
It hurts to see potentially wrong choises made by student.
Now we get a chance to influence the choices they make.
We love to be with kids in the elementary school.
How these students take part in wholeheartedly!
It is a pure joy to be with them.
But the same time there lies a responsibility, huge responsibility.
To show what kind of a Cristian you are,
they read you like “an open book”, what kind of an adult you are.
To love them, they genuinely understand he is not a lecturer
but there in front of us is a human being
who truly appreciates me and considers me important.
From somewhere emerges that sense how you can feel
a beating of a young life, a child's dreams, hopes
and the most important things what he is longing for.
This has formed somewhere at times of spritism and
devil's worship.
I had to help young people in very peculiar situations
places concerning peculiar issues; very extreme.
Sometimes at the graveyard now here now there.
This has lead me very near a child's the most sensitive area.
At schools I tell them; although you are not the best in math,
not best in sports, you are not the most beautiful
not the most handsome, maybe you feel you are the most mes arable.
I want to tell you as an example;
Anna such the way you are, you are very important
immeasurably valuable.
If I would have a picture of you a nd travel all over the world,
I could not find another Anna because you are here in studio.
In a classroom I demonstrate this asking somebody's name.
Let's say there is Liisa, I take Liisa's hand and say
let's all of us give a big applause for her because she is here
and let's all congratulate her!
When the Holy Spirit enters that situation, I see student's tears
teachers get emotional.
I want to tell that
people could experience their feelings in a deep level.
And they realize something is touching them.
They see it's God's touching longing to get to know Him.
I want to give answers how to satisfy that longing
This was a long answer.
What kind of mark you want to leave in young people's world?
A role model of a loving adult.
There are many different role models for young people today.
To leave dream pictures for boys;
what kind of a man Finnish man is;
genuine, honest, open, good communicator.
On the other hand as a father I want to encourage girls.
As an identity of a woman grows from
encouragement admiration of a father or another male.
It is great to be able to encourage the girs.
I want leave a model of a Christian
who has grown to be a healthy individual.
There are a few models, only sensation stories;
quarrels at the church, stories of drunken priests or
a bishop's unfaithfulness.
These are really bad role models of a Christian.
I would like to show I am truly a Christian human being,
a genuine human being.
”I would like to tell answers in God's longing to children and young people”
Now when somebody works hard and you do that.
You drive hundreds of kilometers every day.
You don't get enough sleep .
You hope there is meaning so that you have left a mark.
Have you seen that?
I couldn't go on without the feedback we get.
I have received a tremendous feedback from my books.
Just the other day 14 year old wrote to me that
she was considering to try drugs.
After she had read the book name KK Merchant of death,
she changed her mind, she never tried drugs.
To see the choices which would have totally destroyed them,
have been changed. This is a great feedback.
Or when somebody remembers and thanks us after 12 years.
He had found our net page. And remembers;
I was that student sitting on the left side of the classroom;
try to hold my tears listening the words
“you are important, you are appreciated.”
How those words touched me.
I have repeated this sentence to myself
time after time during difficult times.
We have left a mark such a mark what God can use.
This is what I want to leave such a mark what God can use.
You mentioned the book K K Merchant of death
what kind of instrument this has been? What kind of book it is?
It's been an excellent instrument.
All my 6 books are documents
Every book is connected with time. K K Merchant of death
is an illustration of somebody's life or what I have seen or heard.
2005 ― 2006 we have distributed 72000 K K Merchant of Death books
to high school students.
This book is a very powerful instrument.
I would like to hear after a few years that
in Finland drug use has crashed down.
When buddies are trying to push you drugs, maybe you wanted to try.
But when they have read the book in a critical time of their life,
they have got a strong antidote.
Their eyes open to see what a lie the drug is.
After 2-3 years those potentially users are not users.
This what I dream about.
Your other work instrument is come home.
What is come home?
A longtime dream. I have seen many gifted youth.
They have an enthusiasm to serve some how and do something.
Some of them are too shy to go anywhere to say anything.
Come home is a place for young people where they can be educated.
To teach them all what I have learned about faith, work humanity.
So they don't have to make same mistakes I did.
Come home is a place where young people can become independent
practice the gifts they got.
Therefore they prepare radio programs, we'll take them to school with us.
They have drama team, worship team
every Friday street team in Tampere.
Come home is a place where they can grow and find their task.
If our support increases,
they could even work here in our ministry one day
But most of them will find their ministry somewhere else.
But we want to minister to people.
What do you wish parents to know about young people's life?
A lot !Todays young people use the computer for messages,
different forums etc. The largest part of parents are
totally unaware what happens in Internet. Internet is full of filth.
I would like grown ups to see how sensitive children are.
Children are so easily impacted by Internet.
We can see this later on why 30 year olds get so anxious,
they have difficulties in relationships,
they don't know how to be mom or dad.
It's difficult to find out reasons.
Maybe all these problems come for the entertainment industry
or surfing in the wrong pages in Internet.
This is what I want the parent to know.
Parents, look what is the truth.
We are in great difficulties in this world where
true values is in total chaos.
Children don't know what is right or what is wrong.
I am afraid of the future.
Do yoy have any answers
It is a reality about the world we live in and
the time is getting more shattered.
Do you have answers to a busy parent?
Own problems can be so big, marriage crisis, problems at work,
your own identity issues.
I would like to challenge parents to be with children.
I's very rewarding to be with your own kids or
if you have some kind of job with them.
I's not merely giving, you'll receive back even more what you give.
You have a life with with big 'L'. Young people are so open, free.
Children miss grandma and grandpa .
Today's children want desperately spend time with adults.
They are looking for role models.
They have so much information available, but
a big anxiety for a making a right decision.
Could somebody walk at my side?
I would like to knit a gulf between generations.
Let's hold hands with 15- 25 year olds
25 -35 year olds 40-60 year olds . Let's form a chain of generations
and show to the world that we can be together as Christians.
This is also one key for spiritual awakening
to be together with one another.
Can you tell me what has happened in your heart?
On and off during this program I have seen tears in your eyes?
I have a new saying.
When I became a born again Christian I was whole,
even I had fears but I was loved I had a good home.
Now I am broken totally broken. This hurts me so deeply.
But I have a comforting verse from the Bible;
“who loses his life he will find it”.
My experience was wise versa.
Many people become whole when they become Christians,
I became broken. God has broken me piece by piece.
I believe I can experience some of the pain Jesus has in His heart.
I can experience a tiny bit a shadow what Jesus
experienced on the Cross saying “It's done”
I can experience something small; to be broken
but to be broken in God's hand.
Thank you Riku Rinne for this second meeting.
We'll meet again in one week.
Subtitles: Marjatta Suurmäki