june 25

June 25

As the stores reopened and life began to return to normal in Latvia, we were awoken with a beautiful sunrise.  The Lord has been able to shine His glory through the sun’s rays so often on this trip. In the morning we headed to Riga 1^st to join a small celebration for Inga, one of the young adult members of the church and a friend of ours.  Small snacks and tea aided much conversation and joy in the fellowship room.  After we had enjoyed our fair share of cake, we headed home to grab our stuff and enjoy a small lunch of rice and beans to fill the space that the sweets did not satisfy.  Courtney and I headed to the train station, while Dan and Brandon headed to a coffee shop to read and discuss.  As I am writing this, we are on the train back to Riga from Liepa, so I am unsure of the details of the guys’ day, however when we talked to them last night they were watching the soccer match and had had a great day discussing theological matters and relaxing in town and at home.

The train ride to Liepa was so peaceful and simply beautiful.  The setup of the cars reminded me much of public trams in the states, with seats facing both forwards and backwards in small clusters of four. However the ride was far from anything to be deemed normal.  The serenity of the lush greenery slowly passing by the windows just captivated me.  Everyone on the train appeared so differently, each one carrying a silent story that explained their purpose.  As I looked around, pondering each of these stories and trying to guess the reason for their journey, I wondered if they were doing the same to us. 

We arrived in Liepa to the Hope Center to find out that we would be joining the girls for dinner to celebrate two birthdays.  One was for Liga, whose birthday was yesterday, and the other for Sabine, one of the girl’s daughters, whose one year birthday was today.  We decorated cards for them and joined the grilling outside to celebrate.  The Hope Center is supported by the Methodist church and is a place where girls can go who are pregnant to be supported, or if they have had their child they can go and stay as they search for a job and stable life.  Right now there are five girls living there, all of which have had their babies except for one, who was due at just about any moment.  Most of the girls who come through the Hope Center are young, some under 18, and most have not had such favorable past experiences.  The small amount of their stories that I know are incredible.  The pain and the hurt that these girls have been through just breaks my heart.

Grilling sausage outside, we played with some of kids and just had a good time talking and laughing.  We took some pictures, and have hopes to make baby books in the future for the young mothers so they can have photos of their children when they are young.  The girls were very excited about this luxury we tend to take for granted nowadays.  We watched Princess Diaries 2 with the girls and shared a lot of laughter which was so wonderful to hear and share in with these young women.  After a short intermission, the girls wanted to watch another movie so we watched The Incredibles.  We said goodnight to an amazing group of young women, and headed to bed to catch the 5:30am train home.

When we get back to Riga, we will pack up the remainder of our stuff and catch the 10:15 bus to Liepaja to go back to Camp Wesley.  We will be there until July 5^th, having the youth leadership seminar this weekend and then Wesley Day beginning at the start of next week.  We may be away from the internet for more than a few days during this time, however, I will still write and update when I can, so be prepared for multiple posts in one day :)   As the youth are preparing for camp, we ask that you would pray for them that they would come with open hearts prepared for truth to be spoken to them throughout the week.  We ask that you pray for the leaders, that they would exemplify Christ in their words and their actions and that the Lord will provide them with guidance and patience during camp.  As we still don’t know what our role will be, we ask that you pray comfort and patience over us and that our hearts would be those of servants, ready and willing for whatever our task may be.  Your prayers are so important and your support means so much to us; we are so blessed to have such loving family and friends.  Know you are much appreciated and much loved!

june 24

June 24

The rain has continued today and has made for a somewhat gloomy day here in Riga.  The wind was harsh all day and made the outdoors far from inviting, so we stayed in the warmth of the flat.  We did much of what we did yesterday, reading and talking, and just chilling.  It was good talking with people from home and very comforting as well.  The weather seemed to have us all in a much more quiet and pensive mood today. The high points of the day were by far the cuisine. Dan graced us with his wonderful talent in the kitchen with an incredible lunch of such tender meat in noodles and sauce that were mouthwatering and had such an amazing flavor.  We were treated to homemade bread as well with dinner that was another homemade dish, this time being quiche.  I know I keep repeating it, but the food has just been quite tasty.  For a little comic relief, we watched the Pink Panther tonight after dinner and also some clips of Captain Positive (Dan’s friend who plays a super hero for a series of shows for the Boys and Girls Club - quite humorous) and ended the day with laughter. Hopefully the rain will cease tomorrow and we will be able to get some fresh air!

*On a side note, I was unaware that it was not enabled for everyone to be able to comment on the blog, so if you have tried to comment and were unsuccessful in doing so, you should be able to now. So sorry about that!  We would love to hear from ya'll so hopefully now it will work!

more pictures :)

again, just a small sample of pictures... here is the link to another album on Facebook (just click the link or copy & paste!)....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2243850&l=f8799&id=7001107

in downtown Riga

us with dan & courtney in the park in Riga

in the park in Riga... we're mimicking the statue if you can't tell...

in the church in Liepaja with Yanis, who translated for us

(the flowers are from the church thanking us for coming)

june 23

June 23

What a glorious day it has been!  We were awoken this morning by the smell of bacon and pancakes and it set the tone for the whole day.  Dan and Courtney are simply amazing and such a blessing to us while we are here.  Not only have they taken us in and provided us with a place to stay, they have provided us with food, conversation and such wonderful hospitality with open arms and without thinking twice.  They have been, and they are continuing to be, such an encouragement to us in our time here in Latvia.  I just praise our Father for placing us in their pathway! They both just have such a sweet spirit about them and have been mentors in several ways to us during our stay.  It is such a time of learning and sharing and it is just so needed to be I community with them.  Our Lord is incredible in His provisions!

Today is Yanis day as I described a little in the last post, so while most of Latvia was partying and celebrating, we lounged around in our pj’s for a while reading and talking.  And it was wonderful! After a while, we went on a walk and stopped by the 24 hour rental place to get a movie. We watched a British film named Millions about this boy who finds a lot of money and his journey of faith and learning that money isn’t everything. It was a little strange, but pretty good overall.  Coke and chips never tasted so good as we continued to rest on this rainy day of celebration in Latvia.  Dinner was homemade guacamole, bread and olive oil with garlic and pepper, homemade scalloped potatoes, and sasliks (which is meat that is marinated and sold in the marinade in a small bucket and then put on kabobs and grilled) and it was all quite delicious.  It was pretty overcast all day so it was good to be inside and just chill and read and talk.  Hopefully some of you have gotten the chance to look at the pictures and are able to see a small bit of what we are experiencing.  I will try to upload another few tomorrow and put up another album on facebook as well so check back!

pictures!!

These are just a few pictures (it takes a while to upload them to the blog) but here is a link to an album on Facebook (for some reason I could upload 60 on there in the time it took to upload 5 on here).  Again this is a very small sample of the pictures we've taken (and you don't have to be a member of Facebook to view the pictures, just click on the link or copy & paste!)...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2243452&l=4efdd&id=7001107

the church in Liepaja

Camp Wesley

june 22

June 22

Church this morning was at Riga First United Methodist.  Gita spoke over Matthew 7:1-6, Psalm 119, and Romans 14: 10-20 and talked about not being a stumbling block for others.  Tomorrow is Yanis day (John’s day) and the longest day of the year.  In Latvia they celebrate not just your day of birth but also a day of your name.  Yanis is the most popular male’s name and Liga is the most popular female’s name and it is celebrated on the day after Yanis day.  Since Yanis day falls on the longest day of the year, they figured, why not celebrate and close most everything down and declare a holiday from work and everything else.  The traditional Latvian way to celebrate Yanis day is with cheese, meat, beer and these wreaths made of leaves that you wear on your head.  There are fun and games and the holiday is almost bigger than Christmas here.  We are staying in Riga for the festivities and will be taking the day as a time to relax and rest up for Wesley days. Perhaps a stroll in the park or a picnic with some meat and cheese, however I’m glad to say the later two traditions will be omitted.  After lunch the five of us went to lunch with Rihards and his wife and Daniels at a place nearby the church.  Thankfully making a pitstop at the flat for the cameras and a change of shoes, the five of us headed to the Occupation Museum.

The museum was so much information to take it all at once.  It was mind-blowing to see all of the artifacts from both Soviet occupations of the country and the Nazi occupation.  Photos of the mass deportations and executions were so vivid is describing a past that is rarely taught in the states.  It was so enlightening to see history from this view after never really being exposed to what happened in this country.  To think that in 1991, only 17 short years ago, Latvia finally regained its independence is so hard to grasp.  The pain and the suffering of this nation were incredible.

After this amazing experience we ventured around town and walked to the park and down all the little side streets of town just enjoying the beautiful weather.  We stopped at a little ice-cream shop that was quite refreshing and ran into some other missionaries that Dan and Courtney knew.  The world is so small.  We had to run so as to make sure Hadley (who, if I have yet to mention, is an extremely intelligent man) made it to the bus station, but we were able to meet some other Americans here in Latvia trying to follow the will of God.  After saying our goodbyes to Hadley we went back into town to continue of journey of the gorgeous architecture only to run into our new friends again on our way.  Together we all went back to the park and chatted for a little while before deciding to join for dinner at their flat.   There was a large group of us, and it was so good to be in the company of other believers our age as a few of the group were in college or had just graduated as well.  Grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, homemade cookies, ice and great conversations made the evening.  Being able to talk with other young people who are here for the summer and who understood the same joys and frustrations of being here and what it means to live as a witness in Latvia and do mission work in a short amount of time was such an encouragement and a blessing.  I know for me it was such a blessing to have some more girls around and one of the guys was a Electrical Engineer as well so Brandon had someone to bond with as well!  It was such a great evening! 

Upon returning home, we watched the end of the Spain and Italy match and finally got to watch a shootout.  Spain won on penalties so it was quite exciting for us since we were all for Spain (well Dan was just against Italy and Courtney didn’t like their uniforms, and Brandon didn’t really have a preference, but hey no one wanted Italy to win).  We are all hoping to get a long nights rest and sleep in in the morning so I think it’s time to call it an evening. 

june 21

June 21

This morning there was a meeting for the children’s camp that Courtney was coordinating that will be happening at Camp Wesley while we are in Russia.  We had time to read again this morning and after lunch as well and Romans even taught us a little Russian as we prepared lunch.  Around 3pm we headed back to Riga by bus with Romans and Agate and two other ladies who needed to return to Riga.  Romans wife was coming back from England so the were coming to pick her up form the airport and both he and Agate were very excited to see her as it had been a while.  It was a quiet evening in Riga after a day of travel.  Hadley, a friend of Dan and Courtney’s through school friends who is teaching in Lithuania, was in town visiting so he stayed with us for the night and the five of us had a lovely meal at home that Dan prepared. We had chicken, rice, cucumbers & mushrooms, bread and this wonderful tomato & garlic mixture that Courtney made (on top of the bread it resembles bruchetta). It definitely hit the spot.  We watched a little soccer and were able to talk on the phone a little before calling it a night.  Traveling always makes you very tired. It was so good to be able to talk to people back home and hear familiar voices :) We really appreciate everyone’s support and prayers and your thoughts are such an encouragement to us!

 

 

june 20

June 20

 

Today was the day we’ve been planning for...the pastors finally arrived! Some of the ladies at the church in Liepâja came early to prepare coffee, tea, some cookies and other small snacks for the pastors.  After small talk and once all the pastors finally arrived, we were introduced and then Brandon spoke from Matthew 13 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 while Kristine translated for him.  His message briefly was about how the church and it’s pastors need to be rooted in the Gospel or the will not be bearing fruit for the kingdom.  His imagery was the old tree in the front of camp that is very big, but barren and dead because the roots were cut.  Much like this tree, so will the church be if our roots are not laid in truth and the Gospel.  After some time in prayer, the pastors meet until lunch while we helped in the kitchen preparing with Romans and the same ladies from the church.  Lunch was very good with and assortment of chicken, fish, potatoes, cucumber salad, tomatoes, lettuce with cream, and cottage cheese. Dessert consisted of two different types of fruit cakes (one with oranges, and the other with chocolate, something akin to grapes, and poppy seeds - which Latvians seen to enjoy in their pastries) and another special treat that was by far the favorite; fresh picked strawberries and fresh homemade whipped cream…and it tasted simply wonderful. 

 

While the pastors continued meeting after lunch, we did some reading and helped clean up in the kitchen.  After all was finished and the “adults” had left, Romans, Dan and Courtney, and us drove out to the beach to walk around.  It was good to have them with us today (especially since with Courtney here today, and the other women around earlier I haven’t been the only girl over the age of seven!).  But seriously, they are such a comfort and an encouragement to us and to Romans as well and we are so thankful for them!  We had some leftovers from lunch and Dan also cooked some sausage and made mashed potatoes from the boiled potatoes we had earlier to round out our dinner.  After Romans departed, the four of us decided to watch a movie he had left with us, Luther, about the life of Martin Luther.  Tired from a long day, and knowing we have an early start in the morning and a day of traveling, as there is another meeting about the children’s camp and we return to Riga in the afternoon, we decided to turn in for the evening.  

june 19

June 19

 

Preparation was the theme today.  The morning was spent reading and studying, as Brandon was preparing to speak tomorrow for the pastors that are coming and I was enjoying the quiet time to dive into my books.  Around one o’clock we began working in the dining hall sweeping and cleaning and setting up the seating arrangement.  I picked flowers for the hall to make it pleasing to the eye, while Brandon screwed together the box of chairs (more like small wooden stools) for the tables.   It looked pretty good when we were finished putting it all together.  We also cleaned the Alabama house and set up the tables and chairs in the living room for the pastors to have their meeting.  Lunch was sausage, beans, cabbage, and potatoes (the later three were leftovers) after we finished our work.  Romans was supposed to arrive around 2 but the van still wasn’t ready when he went to pick it up, so we knew he would be later than that getting to camp. So after we finished lunch (close to five) we were able to do some more reading while we waited for his arrival. 

 

When he and Agate arrived Romix did some yard work, Agate and I played on the swing and Brandon kept preparing to speak.  It was a very productive day.  Dinner was pancakes and strawberry jam as we watched Portugal and Germany in the Euro Cup (soccer that is, for those of you unaware that this is taking place). Only these pancakes were more like crepes, but rolled up like burritos, and stuffed with something akin to cheese or cream.  They were pretty tasty. Romans has not steered us in the wrong direction about our food yet so we are very open to trying the things he suggests.  Agate had shared some pictures of her at school and with her parents earlier in the day, so after some tea and this delicious chocolate covered wafer cake thing (that’s the technical term for it) I shared with her and her dad (and Brandon!) some of the pictures I had brought of friends and family and it was a lot of fun to tell the stories behind the pictures and share how much the people in my life mean to me!  It was great for him to see the faces of the people that are praying for him and his ministry here and that are praying for and supporting us as we are here.  We are so thankful for that support!  The Lord is so faithful in providing for us, not only in food and shelter, but also for the restoration of our spirits.  His providence is so evident here and we are so thankful for the opportunity to experience His kingdom here in Latvia with other brothers and sisters in Christ as we journey together to fight for the heart of our King!

june 18

June 18

 

There is never a dull day in Latvia.  We ventured to town today and hung out at Romix’s house for a little while in the morning while he went to get the van fixed and were able to use the internet and such. Then we met up with Ingmars and Niks and walked around and went bowling because we had promised Agate that we would.  The bowling ally was very nice, much nicer than any I have seen in the states and very clean.  Ingmars won by a lot but it was a lot of fun for all of us!  The bowling ally was located in the center part of town which was basically a giant park were it was pedestrian only.  There were some small cafes and a miniature golf course (minus the windmills and all that fancy jazz most places have that we think of) and some engineless go-carts that kids were peddling around.  The playground was enormous with several swings and slides and things to climb on and to be quite honest I had to keep myself from running to play on it!  Alongside all of this was the beach so we took a stroll down by the waves, which were numerous.  On the sand near the walkway was another small playground with these crazy swings for two people and monkey bars and all other sorts of bars.  Naturally, all of the guys decided to do pull to do pull-ups and dips and all the other manly things that men do when they are together in the presence of things to climb on.  And naturally, Agate watched and laughed and cheered them all on. 

 

Once we ventured back downtown, we had some wonderful Latvian pizza (I specify because it is different than what we are used to, mainly thinner and different toppings) for lunch at this little place before heading off to get a car from a friend to drive since the van was not ready yet.  After our fun-filled day of playing we returned to Roman’s house for some coffee and cake while we watched the movie Cars (which all of us highly recommend, by the way).  The journey back to camp was, well, eventful.   A little over a kilometer outside of town the car just stopped going.  Now, this car was old and was a stick-shift so when it started jerking we didn’t think much of it and Romans thought the gas light just didn’t work, however we came to found out otherwise.  We weren’t far at all from the gas station so we pushed (yes, both of us) the car to the side of the road and then went to the gas station to fill up the water bottle we had in the car with gas.  Upon return Romans tried to start up the car and we did not have success until he started it while we pushed.  I imagine it was a funny site to see these two crazy Americans pushing this tiny little car and then running after it and jumping inside!  But all is well and we are more than fine and now we have a funny to tell.  We had more gas at camp for Romans to fill the car with before returning home so it is all good.  Tomorrow we will be doing more work to finish preparing for the pastors that are coming on Friday so it will be a busy day indeed. So now as the darkness is starting to finally consume the horizon at a quarter to one in the morning I think I will head to bed. Ciao. 

june 17

June 17

While eating breakfast we heard a knock on the door which was kind of interesting since we are in the middle of nowhere and don’t the language. As it turns out, the men that were there were coming to install the phone so all was well and now camp has a phone, which is pretty cool. It is a wireless phone that is still a base phone but it does not use cables but instead the signal is sent like a mobile phone. Crazy. Our main project today was cleaning and organizing the kitchen. This was a task was right in my direction. While Brandon and Romix (just to make sure no one is getting confused, Romix is a nickname for Romans so this is why I keep changing back and forth. So Romans = Romix. Same person. Ok…continuing…) while they were messing with pipes and building a structure for support for one of the stoves and screwing this huge cabinet into the stone, I got to rearrange and make sure everything had a place. And wash a whole lot of dishes. But it went very well and the kitchen is much cleaner now and junk free! Agate had a friend with her today so she was occupied all day and we all got a lot of work done. Brandon was a champ and took on mowing some more a little while after lunch and it looks pretty awesome now by the apple orchard. Romans and I broke out the chainsaw and went to town on the trees lining the drive (and by that of course I mean he did and I showed him where to cut). We (Romix and I – Brandon was still mowing) found a table from Denmark that had an amazing finish on it in the dining hall that was missing a leg, so we screwed it back and put it in the “living room” of what is affectionately known as the “Alabama House” (where we are staying) and it looks great there. Camp is feeling more like a home every day. Romix and I also found a pet cat today (2 hours later and Brandon was still mowing) that we fed and named Diesel and he is now the official Camp Wesley cat. Around 10:30 the girls were hungry again (lunch was at 4:30) so I made some dinner and called the guys in from their yard work (Romix had gotten out the weed eater by this point and you guessed it, Brandon was still mowing) to eat and watch the beautiful sunset. Romans has told us how thankful he is for us being here, but we just pray that we can have a some impact on him and Agate while we are here and that Christ will shine through us as we live with them day to day and go on this journey together following the will of God and we ask that you pray the same.

june 16

June 16

Last night after we left Roman’s house we went by the beach to watch the end of the sunset (around 10:45) and it was gorgeous over the sea. The place we stopped was a site of Russian ruins during World War I where they had built shelter on the shoreline so the combination of the old buildings and the view was just amazing. We continued on to a Jewish memorial for thousands killed during 1941-1945 at an execution site just between camp and Liepâja. It was a very somber place, again right along the shoreline. The memorial was constructed in the shape of a menorah that could be seen from the air and recognized as you walked around the stone forming it. It was such a heartbreaking place to be especially with the waves crashing in the background and the light slowly fading in the background and you could feel the sorrow of the tragic events that took place not that long ago.

We had a bit of a later start today, with Romans and Ingmars arriving around 12:30 at camp so we had a chance to read and study this morning, which was much needed. With our friends came another friend of Ingmars who is in school with him and he helped us with some work today. Our main project was a kind of pathway leading into the dining area that we were going to fill with cement right by the doors. We have both had our fair share of experience with mixing cement both in the states and other countries, but I must say this was the least messy, time consuming, and effort that we have experienced. Every place mixes cement differently so we were ready to get down and dirty, but then Romans brought out this mixing machine that made it so much easier and it didn’t take us too long to complete our task. We grilled out again for lunch and had this Latvian marinated meat that is a favorite here, that we out on skewers. By far it has been the tastiest meal we have had, it was quite delicious. Brandon began cutting the grass towards the end of the day while I played with Agate, then Romans decided it was time to quit for the day and play a game of basketball. Agate watched as Romans and Ingmars took on Brandon and Nicoli and then we all played this game with wooden blocks that is hard to explain but fun to play. It is not a Latvian game, but a Polish game that Camp Wesley has adopted and Agate just loves. It started to rain a little tonight as we prepared our dinner of pasta noodles and these beans in a tomato sauce that Romans said we should try. He likes to suggest new Latvian foods to try and it is great because we are experiencing some great food we wouldn’t get in the States!

june 15

Today is Sunday and has been a wonderful day! We went to church this morning in Liapaja and there was a man there who translated for us the whole sermon and the prayers and it was much needed. Yanis, our translator for the day, was very helpful and translated for the church when we went up to talk a little. They gave us flowers after the service, the same type of flowers that Agate and I picked, and by the time we left we had a whole bouquet of them. Aftr the sevice we had a time of fellowship in a little chapel off of the sanctuary with coffee and tea and small crackers and such with the congregation and sang more songs and talked at little more about the church here in Latvia and back home in the States. They are so welcoming to us! After we left the church Romans and Ingmars took us around town and we got to see the whole city. We went to the Russian part of the city and saw an incredible Orthodox church, and an old prison in the area. Dinner was great tonight in this cute little place downtown. We then walked around by the river and saw a basketball tournament outside and some speed boats on the river and even a strongest man competition. It was a fun festival that was going on! We took a stroll down the peir over the Baltic Sea and it was breathtaking! We walked around a took lots of pictures (which I will post when we return to Riga) of the city and were even able to go up to the tallest part of the city up in this church tower which was really cool. We are at Romans house right now and are having coffee and blueberry cake and just talking and it's great fellowship. This is so different than any typical mission trip, but the Lord is really working here and growing our relationship with Romans and Ingmars and our talks are growing even deeper. I hope we can be used to touch the lives of the people here and serve along side of our brothers and sisters to better the Kingdom!

We will be at Camp Wesley until the 21st so we may have interent only once more here in Liapaja but we will keep writing every night and post the days alltogether when we get internet then, but all is well with us and we are doing great! Your prayers are felt and we can't begin to express our thanks for them...

june 14

June 14
Sleeping in this morning was a small feat. One thing that is hard to get used to here is the amount of daylight. We have yet to see it dark when we are awake. The sun rises while we are asleep and doesn’t set until almost after we’ve gone to bed. It’s crazy! Our day today was pretty full of work at camp. Some of the youth from the church came so we had a lot more people here today. Brandon and Ingmars did a little work wok for some tables today. At the end of this month Ingmars will be receiving in his diploma for carpentry so he knows what he is doing. The girls, four of us, took on the task of cleaning and organizing the attic area. It looks so much better now and you can actually find things. There was so much random junk up there however; it was really cool to find all the old books and papers. There were so many articles and pictures from the Nazi reign and from Soviet control in both Russian and Latvian and it was amazing to look over. This took most of the day to clean, but around 4:30 or so we had a little meal where we grilled some sausage outside and had some cucumber and tomatoes and cookies and wafers for desert. While Brandon and Ingmars finished up some more carpentry work, two of the other girls and I got to listen to some funny stories Romix had from past camp experiences and some of the people that are coming that we will be able to meet. After a little more organization in the dining hall, we called it a night and everyone went home to get some sleep for tomorrow for church, which we will be preparing a little something for. Tonight dinner will be leftovers from last night and lunch today so we know it will be good. We are so excited to be able to worship with the Latvians tomorrow in their own language and see how the Spirit moves despite the language barrier. The Lord has been so good to us and we know he will continue to provide for us along our journey.

june 13

June 13
Breakfast this morning was traditional cheese and bread and cherry juice and cereal as well. We headed into town to the church this morning to clean the windows and do a few other projects around the church. Courtney and Dan stayed with us for the morning and then headed back to Riga before lunch. The windows in the church were pretty high so they got the outside from this little crane after we did the insides. If you’re looking for a new way to get that streak free shine, balled-up newspaper and Windex is the way to go. Cleaning always makes for good conversation, and we are really growing our friendship with Dan and Courtney. Lunch was hot tea and coffee and pastries with poppy seeds and small half pizzas with ham and cheese. It was all set up on the table and family style and there were a bunch of us around the table to share so it was really cool to be able to eat with other members of the church. After some sweeping and moping one of the rooms upstairs that they use for the youth, Ingmars and I put laquer on the flooring while Brandon went with someone else back to camp to work on the electricity for the kitchen. Ingmars is 19 years old and he plays in the church youth band and is very good at English. We are slowly learning Latvian, but it is very different. It was good being able to chat a little with him while we worked and get to know his story. After we finished we and Romix and Agate (his daughter) went to the store to get some groceries and then to the hardware store for a few more things for Camp. When we got back to Camp, the guys were finishing up the wiring so I played a little Frisbee with Agate and then Ingmars and I played some basketball to pass the time before we cooked dinner. Tonight we had a Russian dish that was kind of a pasta filled with meat, almost like a mix of tortellini and ravioli. Tomorrow we be doing more work around camp and hopefully it will be a little warmer than today. It’s pretty chilly here, especially at night, and layers are definitely needed. Ingmars is staying here at camp with us tonight, and perhaps for the rest of the week, so we’re really excited to be able to get to know him better!

june 12

June 12
Today we ventured to Camp Wesley in Liepâja by bus and met up with Romans who we will be staying with for the next week to help prepare the camp for the upcoming Wesley Days. Dan and Courtney came with us, but they will be returning to Riga tomorrow. By a happy mistake we missed our bus (the internet said one time and the station differed) and were able to walk around the market in Riga. It was so cool to wander around because most of the market was outside and then the rest was held inside these old blimp hangers that were used during the Second World War. The history of Latvia as a country is very interesting especially during and post Soviet occupation and during the Second World War. I don’t have enough space to expound, but it is worth looking up if you have some time. We got some fresh strawberries for the ride, which were awesome, and took the next bus to Liepâja, which took almost 4 hours outside of Riga. After some meetings at the church, Romans took us to a small local restaurant for some more local Latvian cuisine before actually making the trek out to Camp Wesley where we are staying until the 21st. Camp is serene and very secluded, with the sanctuary occupying the second floor of what used to be a barn. An apple orchard is on the land as well and sunset around 10 is breathtaking with so much nature around. Hopefully some pictures will be coming soon. We have really been blessed to have been paired with Dan and Courtney and it has been so encouraging getting to know them and hear how the Lord is moving in their lives and how they have grown in their faith over the years. Their hospitality and honest love has just blown us away. The Latvians that we have met have been much the same and very easy to talk with and eager to share. We are excited for what this next week looks like as we do work to prepare for camp and hopefully have more opportunities to start deepening relationships. We don’t have internet at camp, so until we return to Riga we might not post much…

day 1 continued

Tonight we ate dinner at this more traditional Latvian restaurant that was kind of cafeteria style place with Dan, their friend Inga, Kristine, and her brother Daniels and his precious little daughter Dita and had an interesting assortment of “pickeled” veggies, egg dipped and fried pork and chicken, rice, and of course, potatoes. We tried a typical drink here, almost described as a Latvian root beer of sorts, called Kavass had, well let’s just say an “interesting” taste.  But we are up to trying new things – which as we speak we are enjoying a nice evening cup of tea to finish the night as the sun finally sets behind the gorgeous architecture as the clock strikes 11pm.  After dinner we had a small bible study about the Lord’s Prayer with about 8 of us which was really cool to see the Lord working through the language barrier (mainly through our company knowing English). It was so beautiful to hear the prayer in Latvian and English at the same time as we held hands around the flickering tea lights in the sanctuary.  The fellowship was so genuine and rich as we shared in the church and continued to a coffee shop before calling it a night.  Their hospitality is so amazing. This is such a beautiful place and it is already becoming a home away from home with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

day 1

June 11, 10:44am in Stockholm, Sweden (3:44am in Auburn)

The longest part of the initial trek is over.  It felt like the flight that would never end.

After leaving Auburn yesterday, driving to Atlanta, flying to Philadelphia, and continuing on in flight to Stockholm, we are exhausted, but we still have one more flight to go before we reach our destination.  Travel thus far has been relatively smooth and easy, and for that we are very thankful.  Simply being able to stretch out and regain some energy in preparation for the journey ahead is more than we could ask as it is beginning to sink in that the day is finally here for our arrival in Latvia.  The Lord has been so gracious in watching over us and already it is evident that His hand is at work as He goes before us to prepare the way.  Our excitement rises as we prepare to board the plane to Riga…

3:32pm in Riga, Latvia (7:32am in Auburn)

We’re here!!  After a surprisingly easy final plane ride and entry into the country we have been picked up by Kristine and Dan and have been more than taken care of already.   Welcomed by a sign, smiles, and very pretty flowers - which is a custom when receiving visitors in Latvia – the transition has been great. We are staying at Dan and Courtney’s apartment (which is simply amazing, and absolutely adorable).  Tonight we will venture around Riga and enjoy some local cuisine and get to know our surroundings and go to a bible study for the youth.  Tomorrow begins a packed itinerary traveling to Liepâja and working with camp Wesley and we can’t wait!