Thanks for updating your bookmarks!
-Mark-
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
THE TOILET DOOR USING INSTRUCTIONS
When you live in a foreign country, translations are sometimes a bit difficult.
Most public restrooms are 'pay' toilets. The following photo is from a door in Stockmann's, a department store in Riga.
I'm proud to say that I have not had to 'repeatedly' throw my coins!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
LAST DAY OF JULY - 2010
Here's a few pictures of friends and sights in Cesis, Latvia....
My best friend at our apartment complex...
A Latvian sling shot...
Castle of Cesis...
Everybody likes a free balloon...
Laura's middle name is actually 'Lavonia'...close enough.
A friend of ours from the streets of Cesis...
SUMMER INTERNS
The last day of July is the first day of the summer that our apartment has not been filled with summer interns and their friends. While our neighbors might be glad for a little peace and quiet, we are definitely missing the activity and happiness that the interns brought us.
Amanda, Thomas and Landry decided to spend their summer in Cesis and we are so grateful for them. They have added much to the outreach programs for the youth in our city and have helped the members of Cesis Baptist Church in so many ways.
Weekly activities included a day camp for the younger kids, youth meetings, worship services on Sunday, individual friendship time and manual labor in helping with the church property remodeling. They assisted with VBS and the construction projects that the team from First Baptist – Athens completed.
They also attended several camps, spent a day at the Cesis Boys’ Prison, took part in a Latvian baptism ceremony, made numerous new friends, shared their testimonies, saved a woman from a railroad disaster, climbed to new heights on apartment roofs, tore down and built up and ate more potatoes than they ever imagined.
God has given each one of these young people many talents and through the work this summer, we believe their eyes were opened to what God may have in store for them in the future.
Throughout our stay in Cesis, we have tried to be aware of the best way to reach out and connect with people of all ages. We can have close friendships with the young people but there is nothing like another young person reaching out and explaining the Gospel to them. They were able to open doors that will allow us to continue the relationships long after they return to Texas.
We are indebted to the families of our interns that allowed them to stay and work with us. We also appreciate the support of Athens First Baptist Church for making this summer a reality.
God always seems to send just the right people, at just the right time to help us minister here. Amanda, Thomas and Landry were the perfect fit for the summer in Cesis. Where does he want to send you?
-Mark & Laura-
For the thoughts and impressions of the interns while they were in Latvia, here are links to their blogs:
Amanda: http://www.trainridesairplanesandboats.blogspot.com
Monday, July 19, 2010
NIGHT ACTIVITIES - CESIS - July 2010
The previous posts described some of our activities that our construction team and others from FBC-Athens were involved in. We also changed up how we presented our night activities this year.
In the past we have offered evangelists, bands, concerts, movies and other activities to further strengthen our bonds with the Cesis people. Some of these activities were successful and some weren't.
Since we now have our own facilities, this summer we were able to have very informal night meetings at the church. A light meal was offered, a few icebreakers to get the crowd warmed up and then we had our couples that came from Texas speak to the people. They weren't sharing great theological wisdom or explaining how great their lives were. They just shared their hearts, shared their triumphs and disasters, shared how God has blessed their lives.
We are so grateful that our friends from FBC were willing to open up and be so transparent. The Cesis people were able to see that we are all the same; we have the same problems and the same challenges. We also learned we have the same solution...God.
VASARA BIBLE SKOLA - July 2010
As we noted in the previous post, we hosted a construction crew from FBC-Athens for ten days during the first weeks of July. Several of the ladies on the trip offered a Vacation Bible School for the local kids. Our summer interns, along with several of the Cesis Baptist youth helped the ladies to create an experience for the kids that they won't soon forget.
Most kids here have no spiritual background whatsoever. Many have never even been inside of a church. As they came to CBC, each day they learned about the basic truths of God and how those truth relate to their life. It was enjoyable watching toddlers working along side of teenagers as they created their crafts, sang songs and just enjoyed being free to enjoy themselves.
We thank everyone that worked on behalf of these youngsters. Here are a few pictures from the week's activities:
CESIS CONSTRUCTION CREW - 2010
Instead of bringing over a predominantly youth team to help with the basketball camps, this year we decided to host a construction team. In the past year we moved to a new location for our worship and church activities. While we have a lot of space and room to grow, most of the buildings are in need of repair.
This year's team was composed of men and women that have construction skills of various trades. They were able to re-surface the exterior of a storage building, begin the erection of a new fence, prepared a Sunday School room for sheetrock, organized our Clothes Closet ministry and repaired several electrical problems. The men of Cesis Baptist Church very ably remodeled the church kitchen with new cabinets, counter space, sink, faucet, stove and oven.
It was a blessing for us to see the members of Cesis Baptist Church working side-by-side with members from First Baptist Church-Athens. A great amount of work was completed and moves us closer to being able to offer the various ministries to the Cesis community. Many, many thanks to everyone involved.
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