Tour performances began in Riga, Latvia at the Riga Dome Cathedral, and continued on to the Estonian cities of Tartu, Narva (on the Russian border) and Talinn at the famous Oleviste Church, and finally in the Finnish cities of Turku and Helsinki. In Turku, the Choir was hosted by members of a Finnish university and community chamber choir who joined them at the end of the concert to sing Finlandia, the beloved hymn by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Augmenting outstanding musical and cross-cultural ministry, members of the College Choir were hosted in two homestays with host families, one in Estonia and another in Finland, and visited many cultural landmarks and historic sites. Among many outstanding concert highlights was the eerie interior of St. Aleksandr's Church in Narva, Estonia. Here are words from Julie Johnson, tour director (5/25/10):  

            ...A highlight happened for me the other night as we were performing in an old cathedral that is located on the Russian border. The building was bombed in WWII and used as a warehouse during Soviet occupation. It has mystery and history in its walls. I welcomed the people and handed them a program as they came in. They are a reserved people who usually only nodded at my smile and poor attempts to say hello to each. But there is such resolve in their eyes, in the lines of their faces that have seen so much struggle and persecution. They have survived. They will survive. I am honored to have met them and in some small way bring pleasure to their lives through the music that is shared. As the choir's voices were raised in beautiful harmony and filled the dome of the cathedral, tears ran down my face. Tears I don't fully understand but embrace just the same. I was exhausted from little sleep due to jet lag and the busyness.... Some of the tears might have been for that. But mostly, I feel honored, for a tiny moment of time in history, to have known this place, this people, these emotions. I have discovered a beauty in the world I didn't know existed.

And then there was the final Saturday concert and Sunday worship service in the famous Tempelliaukio (Rock Church) in Helsinki.  In Anna Osborne's words (5/30/10 student blog):  "The Temppeliaukio Church [in Finland], otherwise known as the Church of the Rock (for more info and photos, go here) is where we were blessed to sing... This church is actually carved into the rock, and the roof compels you to look up into the light. There is no way we should have been able to perform as well as we did - one of our best concerts for this tour - yet I can only attribute it to our choir being established and firmly grounded on the Rock Jesus Christ, and constantly looking up into the light of His face. As we offered Him everything that we had to give - our sickness, exhaustion and frustration as well as our exuberance, joy, and love - He took our helpless selves and transformed us into a work of beauty, using us to make His name great and greatly known."

The tour was full of highlights, but there was sadness as well.  On the night before the Choir left for Europe, Mr. Sawyer's father suffered a massive stroke, resulting in Mr. Sawyer joining the tour a day late.  His father subsequently died during the tour, but God was faithful and at the end of the tour Mr. Sawyer wrote this:

This was probably the best two weeks of my life. Not the way I would have planned it, but surrounded by my Choir "family "during each day, and with their amazing singing in our concerts to keep us focused on the task at hand, there was nowhere else in the world I could be but on this tour. I know my dad wanted me to go, and my wife, children and an army of friends from our faith community loved, supported and prayed us through a difficult two weeks. I am once again humbled and uplifted by God's faithfulness, and the words of "...look up" mean so much more to me now:  "O doubter of the Light, confused by fear and wrong. Lean on the heart of night and let Love make thee strong!" Soli Deo Gloria indeed.