The Road is a Christian Rock Band that has played together for more than 20 years. 4 guys, who now almost all are on their late thirties make up The Road; Raikka Hakamäki (lead vocals, electric guitar), Timo Vettenranta (back vocals, base guitar), Ari Vettenranta (drums, percussion) and Jussi Pyysalo (keyboard). During the years the band has recorded 6 albums and a collections album, kid's record, rock hymns and an acoustic record.

The band was put together in 1981 when I was still working in Kankaanpää as a youth leader. My goal was simply to start some form of band activity to get guys committed to the church and to keep them away from trouble. Four guys showed interest and they started to show up to the practice regularly and soon The Road had its first gig at a local youth gathering, which was a success regardless of the band's lack of experience both in performing and playing their instruments.

Through the beginning years I kept going to every practice since there was a lot more energy and eagerness to perform than musical skills in the band, I would jokingly say that I am just making sure they will never perform to too big audience. The guys never knew I was more serious than joking. Little did I know that God had a different plan and that in few years The Road would be the most popular Christian band in Finland and that even after 20 year the band members would still be telling the good news of Jesus Christ to thousands of young people in Finland and abroad, using music as their central means of communication.

As the guys started to become better musicians there started to be more gigs and the nature of the band somewhat changed as the guys got older but one thing always stayed the same, the one thing that has kept the Road going for 20 years and is the reason for the band existing. The message of Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), has never been compromised. The Road is declaring the only road that leads to God and to eternal life. The Road is declaring the message of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and the band members regard themselves more as evangelists rather than musicians.

The biggest challenge the Road had to face in the beginning years was the resistance and strong criticism of the very traditional Lutheran Church leaders, who could not comprehend that there could be such thing as a Christian rock music as hymns were really the only Christian songs there were and the organs are the only instrument in the church.

When we performed in congregations on our tours around Finland, people would wrote their protest on local papers saying "Christian rock is straight from the devil and everyone who dares to bring that sinful music to church and poison our youth with it, should be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied round his neck." By the end of the 80s however The Road had become so popular in Finland the people behind these statements had to back out.

In 1987 I left to Kenya to do mission work in one of the local congregations. After six years of playing together became the first time for the band members to take the full responsibility of the band, since I no longer could tour with them. In 1989 the whole band (and the full set of instruments) came to visit me in Kenya for a month during which I toured with the band around Kenya performing in schools and churches. Kenyans had no problem with the rock music, quite the opposite, they loved the rhythm and the school children were fascinated to see a drum set.

When I returned to Finland in 1990 The Road and I became a branch of LEAF's (Lutheran Evangelical Association of Finland) evangelism sector. For the next 5 years the band members who had all been working church youth leaders till that point became full time evangelists touring schools, churches and youth festivals in Finland and occasionally also abroad. I toured with the band doing the main preaching and sound. In 1995 became a time for me to return to Kenya but when negotiating the terms of my work I put one condition for my return; in a year the whole band would follow me and come to continue their work in Kenya, this time for one year.

In 1995 August the band with their families moved to Kenya. They had to adjust not only to very different culture and primitive lifestyle but also low standard of technique and unreliable electricity, which had been an privilege in Finland that had been taken for granted. In Kenya we were all living at the same mission station in the country side where there weren't many activities besides work and socialising. The band members spend almost every minute of the day together which was not easy on the band's internal relationships but on the other hand the year in Kenya made the band stronger not only in the personal level but also as a team.

After returning to Finland in 1997 The Road continued to do its work now concentrating more on touring schools of all age groups rather than performing in churches. The kids often come after the concerts to speak with the guys, little kids running around wanting to play the drums and getting autographs when with the older kids we often get good conversations and genuine interest on Christianity.

We get regularly good feed back from the pastors and youth leaders of the congregations we've visited and even the teachers of the schools often after school concerts come to shake our hands to thank and say how they enjoyed the concert. We also get people coming to us after concerts telling how they've given their lives to Jesus in our concert or how they've found help to their situation or problem. That kind of feed back is very encouraging and reminds as that God is faithful and doing His work when we've sown the seed.

The biggest challenge during the last years has been the financial situation of the band since after returning from Kenya in 1997 LEAF was undergoing serious financial difficulties and had to cut down in staff, which included the whole band. Ever since they've gotten their monthly salary from a group of donors. The only problem is that the fund raised that way is not enough for four men and their families since our policy is not to collect concert payments either from schools or churches. We believe that it is everyone's right to hear the good news of Jesus, not just the rich. The guys are however motivated on the need of this work and at least for now they are willing to do it even if it means that two guys are left without salary each month. The youth of Finland, which is called the 'lost generation' needs to hear the gospel and since it still is possible to go to Finnish schools and say that Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth and life, we are simply obeying the Word by going and doing just that.