Even though we saw a little sun today, it is still a long way from spring. It snowed most of the night so we have about 8-10 inches on top of a solid sheet of ice. Forecast is for a gradual warm-up this week but I'm not going to bet any money on it.
It was a great afternoon as the sun was adding its beauty to the snow.
Today Toms and Reinis celebrated their 18th and 19th birthdays. It was our pleasure to join in with the fun for a while.
For some reason, they had baked their own cake (which was very good by the way). Another Latvian tradition is pitching the birthday boy into the air for the number of years he is celebrating. Since we were inside they decided to let them sit in a chair before tossing in the air.
One thing about Latvian teenagers, they always find ways to entertain themselves. They don't sit around and act bored. Here are a few pictures of the party:
Novus - similar to pool
Some the celebrating group
Toms and his cake
It's 2:30pm on a Tuesday so that means I'm sitting in the Cesis Boys' Prison.
In front of me I see the backs of 10 boys in their blue uniforms, sitting in the uncomfortable pews of the small chapel.
Why are they here? They could have made the choice to go to the gym for recreation, could have volunteered for some clean-up and snow shoveling duties, could have been picked for some more psychological testing but they decided to come here.
I spoke a few minutes earlier on having a relationship with God, using my lack of Latvian as an illustration of how to talk to God. Most of the boys were attentive but really, most were ready to see today's video.
As I closed my devotional I asked if there were any questions. One of the boys questioned, "Why do you come here to just speak a few words each week?" I just told him that we felt that was what God wanted us to do. Any more questions?
That was one of those moments that I wished I could turn back the clock. Why didn't I ask HIM "Why do you come here each week to hear my few words and watch a video"?
"Why do you come here instead of going to the gym? Why do you come to chapel rather than getting outside and sweeping snow for a few minutes? What are you looking for when you come here? What do you hope to find here?"
Why do I go? To do what God has led me to do. To share God's love. Is it doing any good? I really don't know.
Why does he come? He's trying to find God, he's trying to find if there really is a God, he's coming because he's seeking.
I pray that we will both successful.
So, there I was just walking along; not paying attention and talking to Laura and our friend Linda. Then WHAM! The next thing I know I am looking up at the sky and thinking: wow the sky is sure blue today. Then, I realize I am flat on my back and I can feel that creeping sensation of losing your air when the breath has been knocked out of you.
I've been walking the icy sidewalks of Cesis for two winters now and I've never fallen. Friday was the first. One second everything is do-da and the next thing my feet were in the air, my back was on the ground and my mind was clicking through my anatomy: legs-ok, arms-ok, hands-ok, hips-ok, skull-ok. After that quick check-up I scrambled to my feet and tried to act like it was no big deal. (After all, I was with my wife and a 16 year old girl ... I had to keep up appearances.)
I know that this whole event was my fault. I was walking too fast, talking too much and paying too little attention.
Later, as I was thanking God for landing me on the exact spot so that I wouldn't break any of the important body parts mentioned above, it occurred to me how often God provides me with a wake-up call. I start drifting in the wrong direction and He puts a certain scripture in front of me. I start feeling too self-important and He brings me down a notch or two. If I need to hear a certain encouraging message He sends a messenger who by word or deed explains to me exactly what I need to know.
At other times, He has to knock me completely off of my feet to get my attention. I know that it is in my best interest but it is not very enjoyable. So, my goal this week is to slow down on my walk with God; talk less and listen to Him more and pay a lot more attention to where He is trying to lead me.
My friend in Cesis has only been a Christian for a couple of years but what a different man he has become. It is almost as if he is making an effort to reclaim those lost years of prison and alcohol abuse by his commitment to his new life.
He is a great carpenter, especially on interior projects. He has been working on the Davana for us, building shelves, counters and finishing out the trim work. I noticed a paperback notebook one day and picked it up to thumb through it. It was my friend's journal and on some of the pages he had written certain scriptures or questions he might have about what he had read that day in the Bible. I was so impressed with how devoted he was to his daily time with God and the Bible.
Last week at the Men's Bible Study, he shared with the group that he still struggles with his alcohol problem but that it was getting better. He felt that he was getting a better handle on the temptation but that it was a daily struggle. He then shared with the rest of the group about his little notebook. He told them about the things he wrote in it but also how it made him ashamed sometimes.
When he flips through the book and sees an empty page, he knows that was a day that he was drinking. He knows he wasn't able to beat the temptation that day, he wasn't able to spend the time with the One he needs for his strength in this battle.
I just sat there ashamed and humbled by this man's words. How many pages of my life-journal are blank? How many days does God not write a single word on my pages because I don't spend the time with Him like I should? How many wasted days have caused blank pages to appear in my journal?
My friend has drinking problem; I have a laziness and self-discipline problem. Would you pray for us both?
We usually go to Riga on Thursday for meetings, a little shopping and if lucky, we will catch a good movie. With the weather changing so quickly (meaning from no snow to snow) we usually ride the bus or train.
Today, the forecast was for light snow. It has snowed most of the day and with the temps well below freezing for a couple of weeks everything sticks. The roads crews were sanding the highways and streets as we caught the 7:30pm bus back to Cesis. We even had a couple of slick, sliding moments pulling away from some of the stops. I'm really glad I didn't drive today.
As we were headed to one of our meetings, we came across a big ceremony at the Latvian Freedom Monument. From the flags on the diplomatic cars, the VIPs were from Turkey. I will have to dig a little further to find out the rest of the significance.
Here are a few pictures from the ceremony and surrounding area. These guards are on one hour shifts. Notice how red his ears are. The mother in Laura made her comment that they should give the soldiers ear muffs before sending them out to stand guard.
We finally are getting a slight warm-up today (around 33 degrees) so we enjoyed getting out and about in Cesis. Most of the stores close no later than 3:00pm on Saturdays so shopping can't be postponed too late.
We heard motorcycles and a loudspeaker system towards the local running track and went over to investigate. I had heard about these snow races but had never seen one.
Basically, you have a motorcycle and driver pulling a skier on a rope for one, two or three trips around a quarter-mile jogging track. Of course, the track is covered in snow and ice. Each race can have between 2-4 teams competing against each other. It is very competitive racing and the skill of the driver is as important as the skill of the skier. Just as you might imagine, there are plenty of crashes, spills, and wrecks. It is amazing how fast these guys get going.
Here are a few pictures:
Of course, some people have more important things than to watch the races:
