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Welcome to the well.
At the well we meet with Finnish spiritual adults three times.
Now we have our third and last meeting with Riku Rinne
who is an engineer of computer science and technology 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 a musician,author and is married with three children.
Welcome to the well again Riku Rinne. - Thank you
I was thinking that we could talk about your spiritual inheritance
what you have received.
What kind of spiritual inheritance you are going to leave behind?
Have you had spiritual models?
Not before I became a Christian around twenty.
I have thought about this and
I need to say I have to look all the way abroad.
David Wilkerson was the first one; his book ”Run baby run”
his movie ”The cross and the Switchblade”.
His street work what he has done
and is still doing among young people in New York.
He is the most important model.
In Finland Kalevi Lehtinen, he is a spiritual father whom I trust and
admire his passion for his calling.
Have you been breaking a road in unknown or
have you just followed in somebody's footsteps?
This has been a pioneer work.
There was nobody showing nor teaching what to do
at streets nor in schools. It's been step by step by trial and error.
When you have a very heavy work load
how much you needed to go on your knees and call ”God help me”?
It's been a very heavy burden to this date.
Luckily I have not done many big mistakes.
With small steps I have learned and gone forward.
It's the same with my books. I typed my first book and
there was not many changes done until it was printed.
The same happened with my other books because
there was not many changes
That was also one kind of pioneer work.
I had to learn on my own.
And my records making follow the same patter.
Maybe that's why they are genuine, books from real life.
Why did you write books?
Time demanded that.
There was not much available concerning devil's worship on 1990.
Time and my heart demanded for me to write.
I needed to tell what I have seen and experienced.
Why did you make music?
The same reason. My heart is in fire and I need to interpret emotions.
Music is used as an instrument to express something.
It is a very strong element, speech and music together
at schools and youth meetings is an excellent tool.
Also I need express my own feelings.
If we would have all your books and records, it would be a quite a pile.
Does that surprise that you have done all that and
you are only a little over 40?
Yes,t is very surprising.
There is blood, sweat, tears, emotions, life and faith all involved.
I wonder where and when I have had time to do all that.
Do you think how your work is going to continue?
I have thought a lot about that.
When Ari Paloheimo came to the picture 4 years ago
that was a clear indication
To find a co-worker and teach him all what I have learned
when I am still young.
I don't have to try to teach this when I am old.
We have not needed to cancel anything. Ari takes care of things.
This is really important and meaningful.
What does it mean to you that somebody continues your work?
A lot,we have created a support link, we have obtained experience,
developed relationships to hundreds and hundreds
of schools and teachers. It's really important that the work is not in vain.
Now we have a possibility to change a schedule.
Even in the middle of the day I can go to this class
Arska goes to the other and afterwards we can continue together.
Have you ever felt that you are too old to be with young people,
by no means you are not old?
I think that at the beginning I was like a big brother,
now Arska is a big brother for students.
Now I can as a father talk to them encourage them and be a model.
Then later on I can be as a grandfather. This is so meaningful.
It would be so boring if I would try to act like 20 year old.
That would be too transparent.
You have to find a right level with students
where you can be natural, genuine.
Then you are not too old to be with them.
What do you think,
if you would try to be like 20 year old
would the young people accept you?
I don't think so.
It's so natural with Arska the way he talks with students.
He knows the right language right words what young people use.
People should accept richness which comes with age.
It's not the curse.
In our society we need to have respect for each other.
Right now a book “Evangelist's inheritance”by Risto Siltanen
has been published.
It tells a dialog between Kalevi Lehtinen and yourself.
What have you received as an inheritance from
evangelist Kalevi Lehtinen?
It was around 1980 when I first time met Kalevi Lehtinen.
His genuine character
'feet on the ground head in heaven' attitude and
sermons based on deep faith impacted me a lot.
He has an ability to get close to a person
willingness to stay in touch with many things;
he runs marathon, teaches youth workers,
took part in come home camp.
He has an ability to find a person's heart and
be with different age group.
In his heart burns a huge flame to preach the gospel.
I am dreaming that in my seventies
I could have that passion for evangelism in same capacity.
He uses all the modern technology.
Kalevi has a computer, he is able to send e-mail,
he carries a laptop.
Now we just bought him mp3 player.
He can listen sermons while he is running.
He stays in touch with time.
That is a big challenge when we get older.
That is also a daring attribute .
”If I try to be like 20 year and act like them, it would not work”
A while ago you mentioned Ari Paloheimo
who became your assistant 4 years ago.
He is 18 years younger than you are,
you must be a safe person not just for him but others.
You are also like a spiritual father to him.
What has it meant to you to see Ari's spiritual growing?
Just beautiful, I have seen him getting married to start a home;
to grow as a man.
I have also seen his spiritual growing.
I appreciate him so much.
I think of him as number one among young generation.
He has wide knowledge of may things.
Truly a great guy!
He loves sports. He walks with his hands in shcools we go to
I just turn somersaults and do more safe stuff.
It's so rewarding to be able to share things; cry together.
If other one of us cry's the other one does to. We are bouth like that.
I have shown this idea to other spiritual leaders;
take somebody 20 years younger beside you to teach him.
A composer could find15-20 years younger beside him.;
to teach and show the work.
An evangelist could take a young girl to meetings
in order for her to learn.
It would be so awesome to share experiences.
This way In Finland we could have strong factors.
Elderly people are too much in their own circles
the same with young people.
Many experiences will be buried.
Treasures are available but they have not been taken out in use.
This is one of my tasks to bring up fatherhood and motherhood;
knit generations together.
When you have taken Ari along side of you,
what has it taken out of you?
Humility, vulnerability openness coming down to a level
where you can meet the other person in order to be open.
I tell you an masculine example.
Ladies may not get this but...
When we drive and in the middle of the night you need to pee..
we just stop the car and do it.
We have this legendary memory on our way back from Lapland
and we just stopped right at the sign saying; Oulu 8 km
and right on the highway in the middle of the night
did what we needed to do. This is sharing;
starting with small things.
It's being and doing everything together
even “going to bathroom” right in the middle of nature or highway.
Your children and whole family live Christ centered life.
You travel a lot and are so much away from home.
How have you done that?
My trips are really demanding,
but I always try to come home unless we are very far away.
Even if I am at home 6 oclock in the morning.
But I want to be dad and I want to send my children to school.
My passion is to be a father.
Our children have been with us at camps, youth meetings.
They have been part of the world that we are living spiritually.
Therefore it's been easy to bring them up.
Also openness, honesty
conversations with our children, there lies a secret.
Of cause in the age of puberty, that's a diffucult time,
Anni had a very tough time and we argued quite a bit.
But through all that we grew. We became closer to each other.
The simple secret is really see each other,
although time is not always maximum.
I do ask guestions from my children and say I am sorry.
Something I have had on my mind a lot
If I do youth work, dream about revival and
try to find a young person's ”heartbeat” and
if I can't do that with my own children.
How can I do that with young people? This is a mere truth.
There you are very vulnerable
The same applies with marriage.
If I can't give everything and all my love to my wife,
how can I show love to the world!
This a mirror what the Bible talks about; loving your neighbor.
It starts at home first your wife and children
from there all over the world. Then it is on a healthy foundation.
Next we will invite somebody very dear to your heart
to take part in this conversation.
“My passion is to be a dad and really live that true in every way”
Welcome to the well Anni Rinne. - Thank you.
What kind of dad you have?
Honestly said I have a good dad.
Dad has always fought on my behalf.
Especially when I was having a difficult time,
he was supporting me right to the end.
That is important to me.
My dad has a fighting spirit
like he is fighting on behalf of children and youth here in Finland
and also in our own family.
Riku what kind of a daughter you have brought up?
Anni is a humor pillar in our family.
I admire the way she braids Emmi's hair,
puts makeup on her and is pals with her little brother Miika
sometimes peacefully and other times fighting.
When they have become older, it's great to see
a brother and sisters grown together spiritually.
To see Anni's wide heart personality.
She is able to talk in front of the people,
I have heard her talk in radio at camp, youth meetings.
She can touch people with her speech.
I am really proud of her.
What kind of a place God and faith have had in your family?
It's been a big part and still is in our life.
Saying grace before meals starting when I was a child.
One time Miika and I asked dad give us Bible studies.
We have not done that for a while, I think we should start again!!
God' stuff have been really showed in our family.
Did you get space to ponder about God and other spiritual issues?
Yes, I had a period when on my own I tried to find my relationship
with Jesus, read the Bible, find my own place in the ministry.
The space was given to me to do my own thinking.
Riku you deal with heavy issues among young people.
You carry painful issues in your heart.
Can you share about those painful issues with your children?
Now I can and I have asked Anni's help;
writing letters to girls who are same age that she is.
Just got a e-mail from 20 year old who thankfully remembers Anni
who wrote a letter being 9 years old.
In healthy way I can show some of these things but not all.
Now Anni is 16 years old and we are able to share many thing.
We had a while ago a bit scary situation.
One narcotic girl needed help moving across the street.
I didn't have anybody else but put my children to help with moving.
I didn't know there was 3 other narcotics.
I did put my 16 year old and 14 year old right at drug hole.
But everything went well.
There are sometimes extreme things happening.
Our life can be peculiar.
Which one of you know better what is going on with young people?
Because I am with young people more
I know what they talk about and what is that painful issue.
I will often tell dad what is going on in schools.
On the other hand dad sees thing from different angle
and talks to them from his point of view.
I tell both of my children;
teach me, tell me what you see at school.
Anni you were a month in Brazil. What kind of the trip it was?
It was a great trip.
I was able to go with Silja and Ronaldo from Patmos.
They do missionary work in slums. We were in north east of Brazil.
I was able to go with them.
It was really reat that I was able to get very deep into that.
It was truly a hard work (no vacation) and
I got to know some of the children
and saw slums where they live and that terrible misery.
How broken the children are inside.
It was truly a hard work and in the evening I was very tired.
But I left my heart there.
Dad saw how difficult it's been for me to get back to school here !!
What was the most shocking?
Children are not cared for. They are totally forgotten.
There they just wonder in the streets.
People don't pay any attention to them.
Police want to push them away that they would not disturb tourists.
It was hard to see how they take advantage of children.
There is prostitution available;
children don't have any rights to live like a child.
Did this change you?
Yes, this changed me a lot.
To see that pain, see their background,
some of them have no homes; they just live in the streets.
You see the agony what Jesus was carrying.
When I got to the place where we stayed,
after spending time at slums, sometimes I went and
locked myself in the bathroom, cried and hit my fists on the wall.
I felt so strongly that pain what Jesus had in His heart.
How do you feel listening your daughter talking like that?
It's been great to see the heart of Jesus's beating inside of Anni.
Anni found what I found here in Finland.
The pain of Jesus towards this world and
love towards every human being.
It's a biggest gift
I have seen how Anni has caught fire in this..
And my own children truly believing in Jesus Christ
and wanting to serve Him.
Could I say that this is the most important inheritance
that you want to leave as a father and as a spiritual father.
Yes,that's true. My children and I serve the Lord
Thank you Riku and Anni Rinne coming for this meeting.
I wish you both God's blessing in all your ways.
Subtitles: Marjatta Suurnäkki