The Fruits of love: outcomes of the Good Seed project 2026

Our third European Solidarity Corps project is coming to an end and here are the results and reflections from our volunteers. The activities and goals were focused on three main themes: Hospitality and mercy, Sustainable gardening, and Youth ministry. 

Hospitality and Mercy

Tuesday community meal (Sarah) 

Vegetables from Sundet

For me, Tuesdays were very special. There was a particular kind of peace in those days that I really appreciated. One of the most important things I am seriously thinking about bringing back to Egypt with me is the idea that we are not just individuals who happen to be part of a church community; we are a body, and each person has something unique to contribute that completes the whole body.

I learned so much during the community meal: I learned how to prepare food for a large number of people. Each of us volunteers took responsibility for this at least once. At first, I struggled with estimating how much food we needed to prepare, but I think I have gotten much better at it now.

I also learned how to meet new people and communicate with them even when we do not share a common language. Sometimes, all it takes is a smile and a warm welcome.

I had heard before that when you serve others, you can experience a kind of joy that makes you feel as if you are the one being served. But the first time I truly experienced this was during the Community Meal. It was such a joyful experience to prepare meals using vegetables that we had grown ourselves in Sundt.

So far, we have prepared six meals in addition to the regular Community Meals in Sundt and the International Meeting. These experiences made me realize that serving is not simply about giving something to others; it can also be a way of receiving joy, building relationships, and becoming part of something bigger than yourself.

By the end of the project, the numbers also reflected how much the community had grown.  We recorded around 145 participant records across the gatherings, welcoming 48 newcomers. We maintained a core group of approximately 15 to 20 regular participants who attended almost every week while average attendance held strong at 25–35 people per meeting. The community also brought together individuals from 22 different nationalities, reflecting its rich international diversity.

These numbers are more than statistics. Behind every number is a person we met, a conversation we had, a meal we shared, or a small moment of connection. That is what made the Tuesdays so meaningful to me, and what I hope to carry with me from this project to Egypt.

Thursday International meeting place (Sarah)

Sometimes you pour your time and effort into something without knowing what the outcome will be. But when you act out of love, no effort is ever wasted—the true impact is always guaranteed. That is why we wanted to share the fruits of our gatherings at Internationella Mötesplatsen "International Meeting", I remember the very first time—we were only 8 people. We talked with love, shared food and stories from different countries, and exchanged the meanings of words in various languages.

Every single time, Kerstin cooked the food while we, as volunteers, helped her. We never knew how many people would show up, but she always used to say: "We never know the exact number, but we must always leave a place for anyone who decides to come." And every time, the numbers grew, until we welcomed 30 new people who hadn't attended the first meeting! Some of them have now become regular attendees. If this proves anything, it proves that they found warmth and love—even if just for two hours a week—among a group of people bound together by this gathering and our oneness in Jesus.

It constantly brings to mind the scripture: "For you are all sons of God... There is neither Jew nor Greek... for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28)

Here is a quick look at our season in numbers:

Total Cumulative Attendance: 145 attendances across 11 sessions.

Global Diversity: Welcomed participants from 13 different countries/regions (including Sweden, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and more).

Peak Gathering: Reached a high of 26 people sharing a meal together on March 19th!

Growing Family: 30 new attendees joined us along the way after our first week.

The seeds we plant with love always find a way to grow!

Sustainable gardening and food production (Egle)

This was the most important part of my volunteering experience. It was the activity I was most excited about, and I still remember how special it felt to plant the very first seeds. Now, when I look at the garden and all the harvest we have gathered, it is hard to believe that just a few months ago everything started from tiny seeds that were barely visible. It was fascinating to observe the entire growing process: watching the small sprouts grow a little bigger every day, seeing the garden become greener, stronger, and more vibrant over time.

At the beginning, before we planted the first seeds and while the weather was still freezing cold, I thought we were not doing much gardening. Later, however, I realised that the work had already begun. We were preparing the soil by collecting compost and chicken manure, which would later enrich it with the nutrients needed for healthy plant growth. This taught me that gardening is not only about planting and harvesting but also about preparation, patience, and long-term thinking.

Working in the garden definitely helped me develop my personal and learning-to-learn competence. I learned how to plant seeds, prepare the soil, create garden beds, care for plants, and make sure they had enough space and the right conditions to grow. Through this experience, I also learned the value of patience and responsibility, as plants require consistent care and attention throughout the season.

When the harvest season finally arrived, I realised how special it is to eat fresh vegetables that you have grown with your own hands. It is rewarding to know exactly where your food comes from and to see that it does not require plastic packaging or long-distance transportation. Instead, it is growing right outside your window. Being able to step into the garden in the morning, pick fresh vegetables, and enjoy a healthy breakfast from food you cultivated yourself is an amazing feeling.

The only thing even better than harvesting your own food is being able to share it with others. We had such an abundant harvest that we could use our vegetables in our Tuesday community meals and Thursday international meetings. Our goal was to cook ten meals using at least half of the ingredients from our garden. And we are very proud to say that we have met this goal! We served 264 meals from our garden. Some other food we served was: Redbeet soup, Kale soup, Leek Soup, Palt, Scalloped potato cassarole, and mashed potatoes.  Seeing how much joy, warmth, and connection these meals brought to people made the experience even more meaningful for me.

This work showed me that gardening is not only about growing food but also about bringing people together, building community, and caring for one another. The garden taught me that something can start very small, require patience and consistent care, and eventually become something that can be shared with many other people.

Youth Ministry

Sunday School (Egle)

For me, Sunday school went really well, and I felt that I naturally fit into the activities. From the very first day, I did not find it too intimidating to stand in front of the church and spend time with all the children and Elisabeth because I had already become good friends with Ruth and Benjamin.

As time passed, I became much more confident and comfortable participating in all the activities. The numbers also showed how much the Sunday School community grew during the project. By July, 52 children had been enrolled, compared with only 11 children at the beginning in February. Across 16 tracked sessions, there were more than 210 visits, with an average attendance of more than 13 children per session. In total, 22 new joiners were recorded during the period.

Seeing the group grow from 11 children to 52 made the experience especially meaningful for me. It showed me that the relationships we built and the time we invested in the activities were creating a space that more and more children wanted to be part of.

I definitely developed several key competences, particularly multilingual competence. Since the children did not speak much English, I had to improve my Swedish. As a result, I learned how to pray "Gud som haver", how to use basic Swedish words, and how to write them correctly. At the same time, the children also learned a little Lithuanian. I remember one occasion when our theme was biblical numbers. One of the numbers we discussed was seven, so I taught the children how to count from one to seven in Lithuanian.

Another competence I developed was entrepreneurship competence, which involved a great deal of creativity when planning and preparing activities for the children. I had to think of engaging ways to help them learn while ensuring that the activities were enjoyable and meaningful.

A gift from the kids to help me learn swedish

Overall, Sunday school was a very important experience for me. It provided children with an opportunity to learn more about the Bible, deepen their faith, express their creativity, and share joyful moments with others. At the same time, it helped me grow in confidence, improve my language skills, and develop my ability to plan and lead activities. Seeing the community grow from 11 enrolled children to 52 made me realise that even small contributions, repeated over time, can become part of something much bigger.

Tweenies (John)

Working with the Tweenies was a different experience from some of the other activities I took part in during the project. Across five gatherings, we had 14 children participating, with a total of 33 visits. The number of children varied from 2 to 9 per session, with an average of 6.6 children. Four children came to four of the five gatherings, while three children joined later in the project. Seeing some of the children return regularly made me realise that even a small group can develop a real sense of community over time.

One of the things I developed through this activity was my ability to communicate with people who have different personalities and different ways of expressing themselves. I learned that sometimes communication is not about finding the perfect words, but about being present, listening, and taking part in what the group is doing.

I also became more comfortable taking responsibility and contributing to activities instead of simply observing. Working together with the other volunteers taught me how important teamwork is, especially when several people are responsible for creating a positive experience for others.

Looking back, Tweenies reminded me that community is built through small and consistent moments. The numbers may seem small compared with some of our other activities, but every visit represented a child who chose to come back or a new person who decided to join. That made the experience meaningful to me and showed me that impact is not only measured by how large a group becomes.

Young adults (John)

Working with the young adults gave me an opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and have conversations that went beyond the usual activities of the project. Across five gatherings, we registered 19 participants and recorded 48 visits, with an average of 9.6 people attending each meeting. Attendance remained between 7 and 12 participants, and the first gathering had the highest attendance with 12 people. Two core members attended every session.

One of the main things I developed through these meetings was my communication competence. I became more comfortable starting conversations with people I did not know and expressing myself in an international environment. I also learned to listen more carefully and to be interested in other people's experiences rather than focusing only on my own.

These meetings also showed me how important it is to create a space where people can simply meet and feel accepted. Even with a relatively small group, the consistency of attendance showed me that people can form meaningful connections when they have a place where they feel comfortable returning to.

For me, this was an important part of the project because it strengthened my confidence in meeting new people and helped me understand how much can be learned when people from different cultures and backgrounds come together. 

Children´s camps (John)

The children's camps were some of the most memorable experiences of my volunteering project. We had two different camps, and although both were challenging in their own ways, both taught me a lot about working with children, teamwork, responsibility, and myself.

During the first camp, I learned how much energy and patience are needed when spending several days working closely with children. I had to stay involved, pay attention to what was happening around me, and be ready to help whenever needed. It taught me that working with children is not only about preparing activities; it is also about being present, listening, encouraging them, and making sure that everyone feels included.

The second camp gave me a different experience and helped me build on what I had learned from the first one. I felt more confident taking initiative and communicating with the children and the other volunteers. I also became better at adapting when things did not go exactly according to plan. I realised that flexibility is an important part of volunteering because unexpected situations are often where you learn the most.

Both camps also taught me a lot about teamwork. We had to rely on each other, communicate clearly, divide responsibilities, and support one another throughout the activities. This was part of a much wider experience of working with young people during the project. Across the activities, the project reached children and young people in different settings, while the overall project recorded 58 gatherings and at least 1,130 visits.

Most importantly, the two camps showed me how quickly people can become a community when they spend time together, share experiences, and support one another. I learned a lot from the children, from the other volunteers, and from the challenges we faced together. Looking back, I think both camps helped me become more responsible, patient, confident, and willing to take initiative.

Conclusion

Across the five Good Seed activities (Tuesday community meals, Thursday International meeting place Young adults, Tweenies and Sunday school) during six months, from January to June, we recorded at least 1,130 visits across 58 gatherings, with participant records connected to at least 26 countries and places of origin. 

There is really no way to measure the results of the seeds that we have sown in this project. We have worked very concretely with sowing real seeds in our garden and have cultivated their grown all the way to harvest. This has been very rewarding! But we have also sown seeds of compassion and love as we invest in relationships with the people we have met and engaged. And we have tried to create a culture and community of welcome, justice and peace. Concretely we know we have down this through the statistics we have recorded, and our results are very positive. But what these gatherings have truly meant for the poeple that have come and for the city of Luleå is impossible to measure. But we trust in the power of God´s love to heal, transform and renew!