A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY

We had a beautiful sunny day in Cesis on Wednesday. While it was still very chilly, it was a nice day to get outside for a few hours. Our friend Ainars took us to a couple of local spots of beauty. One is the site of an old mill with a bridge over the cascading waterfall. There is a tradition in Latvia that as people get married they take a trip to a bridge and secure a lock on the railing, signifying that the marriage will last. In the photos below some of the locks are visible.

The second spot we visited was a location deep in the woods where two rivers come together. The water was incredibly cold but clear as glass. I've got my eye on this place for some good wading and fishing this summer.

Ainars' car is just regular two-wheel drive but we were going down some pretty rough terrain. The ground is still frozen so solid that you don't have to worry about getting stuck in the mud. Now, getting stuck in the snow is a different story.

It was a great afternoon, we still have clear skies tonight and the low is forecast to be 16F.

 

 

 

 

 

Ainars and Laura

NO HOT WATER

 

The article below is from a good blog - Latvian Abroad . The financial problems are hitting everyone hard, even the college students.

Signs of crisis in everyday life

A Latvian college whose funding has been cut by 30-something % cuts off the hot water in the student dormitories:

Translation of the sign:

"Attention! From now on, hot water will be supplied only on Wednesdays from 15:00 to 23:00. Administration of [name of the institution]"

There are multiple reports of this happening in different places. And there are many more reports of heating turned off/down in classrooms and students sitting in classes in coats.

POSTED BY LATVIAN ABROAD AT 6:58 PM 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST

LABELS: SIGNS OF CRISIS

ENCOURAGEMENT

State Basketball Tournaments, Spring Break, lousy weather, NCAA basketball tournament, Laura battling the flu; all of these combined to make us homesick and a little depressed this week. We’re not talking about can’t-get-out-of-bed depressed; just a little down and feeling sorry for ourselves.

Then, as God seems to always do, he put three things together that just touched our hearts, lifted our spirits and sent us on the way we need to go.

I was out Saturday in downtown Cesis and one of our elderly soup kitchen (diners?, clients?, eaters?, attendees?) ladies stopped me on the sidewalk. Now, this is really strange because in Latvia, even though you know someone, that doesn’t mean you are going to be acknowledged. She speaks no English but with just my basic Latvian I understood that she was going to the hospital; would not see us at the soup kitchen on Monday and would we be sure to pray for her. It seems like a small thing, but so many times we are ignored or get a blank stare here, that it was a great breakthrough that she felt comfortable enough to talk to me on the street and ask me to pray.

The next encouragement came on Monday and it involved almost the same thing. A lady that we have not seen in over 8 months stopped us and initiated a conversation. Her daughter has stopped coming to our youth group (neither she nor her mother are members of our church). She wanted to know if we knew why because she really wanted her daughter involved with what was going on with the youth. We were able to walk with her over to where Laura meets with the women’s Bible study and invite her to the meetings. Her daughter just emailed Laura to tell her how happy her mother was that she met us and to thank us for the kindness we showed. We will tell the daughter that her mother was the encouragement that we needed.

Lastly, today at the soup kitchen, Laura and I were working together filling the soup containers. A guy that eats quite often was in line. I spoke to him and tried not to stare at his face. He had dark sunglasses on (I don’t even remember what the sun looks like!) and I could tell someone or something had done a very good job of re-arranging his face. It was not a pretty sight. When he gets up to us, he starts talking to Laura and is trying to hand her something. We stop what we are doing and we can see that he is trying to give her a picture. A picture of Jesus. A very old black and white picture of Jesus, which is actually a post card. Laura at first didn’t know if he was showing it to her or giving it to her. He made it plain he was giving it to her. Wow!

Now this guy hasn’t seen too many sober days recently. You just have to wonder, why?

Why did he have this picture of Jesus?

Where did he get it?

What did it mean to him?

He has no money, he has no home, he has no car, and he has no other possessions that I can see.

Yet he chose to give that picture to her. Talk about bringing a lump to your throat.

What was God trying to tell us? Was it just encouragement? Was it a small sign that maybe this guy is thinking a lot more about Jesus than we give him credit for?

I don’t know but I do understand that each of these three situations ended up with both parties being blessed. Five people brought together in unique circumstances. Each seeking encouragement; each receiving encouragement from the small acts of kindness of others. Just a word on the street, just a kind voice, just an old wrinkled picture of Jesus.

How about you? Who do you need to encourage today? How much encouragement would a phone call, an email or an old-fashioned letter bring to someone today?

You might be the picture of Jesus to someone today.

 

A DAY OF FIRSTS

Today, Saturday, March 14, 2009 was definitely a day of firsts:

• First day in a l-o-n-g time that the temperature was near 40 degrees
• First day since we have been back from the Christmas trip home that the sidewalks are completely clear of snow and ice. It sure makes getting around easier.
• First day since we returned that I haven't worn my long handles (thermal underwear) outside.
• First day since we returned that I haven't worn my biggest coat...switched over to my fleece.
• First day that I actually just went outside to walk in the sun...without a knit cap, gloves and scarf.

I don't know how long it will be before there are more signs of spring but today was surely a great day.

It looks like we have some snow forecast for the end of next week but why look ahead?

Tough Questions

In Cesis, we live literally a ‘rock’s throw’ away from the entrance to the grounds of a restored castle. The actual building we live in is a house that has been converted into eight small apartments. In the eight apartments there are several older residents and a scattering of other ages. A couple of apartments have at least three generations living there together.

There is only one entrance; no lobby, just a small hall and stairway to the individual doors. As far as outside looks, it is about as uninviting and unimpressive as they come.

Across from our apartment door is an older lady that is nice and was a former organist at the Lutheran Church. Next to us is a lady that has a dog for her companion and he is quite vocal when we walk in front of her door. Diagonally from us are a couple of men that have a bit of an alcohol problem to say the least. I’ll never forget the look on Laura’s face when we stepped out of our door one day and there was one of them passed out on the floor. She looked at me and quietly said “What do I do?” I said “Don’t wake him up!”. Thankfully that only happened once but we always check the door before swinging it open.

Through the thin walls I can often hear the lady next to us as she sings, hums and sometimes even plays the piano. The singing often reminds me of my grandmother who would sing hymns as she worked around her house and garden.

The other lady on our floor seems to be a good cook. On weekends, we can often smell potatoes, chicken and fish being cooked. Most of it smells appetizing but some seems to not agree with our American sense of smell.

The third apartment is a different story. There is a constant smell when we walk by but it is never a pleasant odor. Cigarette smoke, mixed with alcohol, combined with wood stove smoke flows out of an apartment that hasn’t seen a clean floor in long, long time.

We have little contact with most of the people in our building, mainly because not a single one speaks any English. They know we are missionaries, they know we are Americans and they know we are different than them. We have tried to break the ice and it has thawed somewhat, especially since we gave small gifts to each apartment at Christmas. We nod and smile and give a few greetings in our beginning Latvian.

I have formed my impressions of each of them by what I hear (even though I don't know the language), what I see, what I smell and what I perceive their attitude to be.

I wonder what impression they have of me? What does the lady next door hear through her walls? When I come upon the two guys across the hall what type of attitude do I give off? How does my American way of life smell to the others in this building?

Do people know by our lives that we are Christian? We can’t tell them but do they see it? Do we smell like we follow someone different than the world follows? Does our daily voice sing a type of song that would make others want to know the words?

Tough questions.

WORSHIPPING IN A BAR

Our good friend, Sams, is a Latvian pastor that also just happens to be from India. He is one of the most dynamic, God-inspired and God-led preachers that I have ever met. He started a new church about a year ago in Riga so Laura and I decided to visit him today.

He had told us that the church (House of God) was meeting between two casinos, of which there are numerous ones in the cities of Latvia. As we found the right entrance (next to the Las Vegas Casino) we were directed to the back of the building. The usual banquet room they rent for Sunday services was actually being used for a banquet so the House of God had to move. Yes, it moved to the bar...actually two bars joined together to get the approximately 125 worshipers into one place.

I have always heard that the church is not the building and that was proven today. Sams preached from Matthew 15:21-28, the story of the woman with the demon possessed daughter. He did a great job of relating the lady's history and where she came from to what many Latvians feel today. Most new Christians in Latvia have no other Christians in their family. Many come from divorced families, or alcoholic relatives and the suicide rate for Latvia is always in the top 5 of the world. His point was that we can't keep making excuses for our  problems today from what happened in our past. We have seen the same thing happen in some of the people we witness to. They feel that God cannot accept them because of what they have done or the generations before them have done. He zeroed in on 2 Corinthians 5:17 to prove his point. (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!)

We always enjoy Sams' enthusiasm for worship, his desire to give all the recognition to God and the special way he can relate the scriptures so that everyone can understand God's messages. He is doing a great job of helping a new generation of young believers see the light. We pray that God will continue to bless him and the new church.

My parents always told me to stay out of the bars and get into the church. Today I did both.

WINTER IS STILL HERE

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIRTHDAY PARTY

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

SITTING IN PRISON

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.

BIG MAN LOSES IT

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.

BLANK PAGES

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?

COLD THURSDAY IN RIGA

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY IN CESIS - SNOW RACING

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:

 

 

ALCOHOLICS

It is no secret that alcoholism is a huge problem in Latvia. Whether its roots are found in tradition, culture, hopelessness or dark winters, the fact remains that many people suffer from the grip of addiction.

Wednesday is our regular men's Bible study time. We are reading through "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Last night we had a couple of regular attendees gone but we picked up two new ones. One of them I knew from the Soup Kitchen but the other one was a new face (and he even spoke some English).

As we began discussing prayer requests I realized that all of the men at the table (except for me) had severe drinking problems at one time or still suffered from the effects of alcohol. Included in the group was one guy that has been to prison several times, another that was severely beaten up (and still shows the scars) by his drinking 'buddies', a former alcoholic that now counsels others and one guy that has turned his life around and now has a wife, family and is a steady Christian.

It was a neat experience to watch and hear (the words I could understand) as the men talked to each other about the problem and how with the help of Christ they had conquered their worst enemy. The two new guys are on the losing end of the battle right now. The others were trying to use their own history to show them that it could be done. One of the new guys has some strange ideas concerning God, the Bible and who Jesus is. The others did not back down at all and showed him in the Bible where his errors were. He finally turned to me and wanted my opinion. It was great to be able to say that what my Latvian brothers had told him was absolutely correct and I couldn't agree more with them.

Maybe this is a start for these two new guys. They are in their late 40's and if something doesn't change they will not survive much longer. Latvian winters, poor access to medical care, and easy access to cheap alcohol will cause them to become old men very quickly.

May God bless these two that are struggling and bless the men that have reached out to help them through their sickness.

SUNDAY-TO-SUNDAY

Yesterday was our first Sunday back. I thought I'd compare my last Sunday (Jan. 18) in Athens with our first Sunday in Cesis.

In Athens, I checked the weather forecast to see how WARM it was going to be (I believe it was about 70 degrees for a high). In Cesis you check to see how COLD it is going to be. (Yesterday...about 29, which is actually a little warmer than usual.)

In Athens, you know that if you make it the few steps from the parking lot to the church, you will be plenty warm. In Cesis, there is no parking lot. You aren't going to be too much warmer in the church (usually it is about 55 degrees inside) unless you get a seat near the wood burning heater.

In Athens, the first smell is that of freshly brewed coffee (from the Global Cafe). In Cesis, the smell is of wood smoke. Depending on who built the fire and how good they are, the smell can be a pleasant reminder of the heating system or a smoky distraction.

In Athens, we have an excellent multi-piece praise band (guitars, drums, keyboard, piano), great sound system, multiple cameras and PowerPoint slides. In Cesis we have an outstanding musician, Tabita, that plays the keyboard.

In Athens, it requires six people to take up the offering. In Cesis, we have one young man that passes the collection box.

In Athens, we had many, many people express that they would be praying for us, God's work and the Cesis people. In Cesis, we had many, many people express that they would be praying for us, God's work and the Athens people.

Two cultures of worship, two completely different facilities, two distinctive climates but people of one mind, worshipping the same God. What a privilege for us to be able to be a part of both worlds. Thank you!

WE MADE IT!

After a very l-o-n-g flight, we were picked up by Olegs for the final leg of our trip back to Cesis. I don't think either of us got much sleep on the planes so we weren't very good guests on the ride. We started out catching Olegs up on all the latest Athens news and he was updating on the Cesis activities. Before I knew it, I was drifting off and the last thing I heard was "Maybe we should wait until tomorrow to tell you the rest." I was hoping that Laura would be able to chime in from the back seat and pick up my slack but I'm afraid she was out also.

Thank you to all in both Latvia and the US that were praying for our safe return. Also, a special thanks for our drivers, Dwight and Olegs. You're the best!

GOING (to our second) HOME

In just a few hours we will begin the journey from Texas back to Cesis, Latvia. We always have very mixed feelings as we pack and say good-byes. We miss our family and everyday life while we are in Latvia but we are looking forward to seeing our Latvian friends and getting back to doing the work we were sent there for.

While we have been in Texas the weather has been absolutely beautiful. Yesterday we had a high temp of around 74 degrees. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky … lots of sunshine.

When we arrive in Riga it will be quite different. Highs in the upper 20’s and I’m sure we’ll see a lot of snow.

Different culture, different weather, different lifestyle BUT the ONE God is as much alive in Latvia as in Texas. We look forward to serving him.

See you soon, Cesis!

THANKS FOR 2008

There is no way that I can list all of the blessings that have been showered on the two of us in Cesis, Latvia. But, these are just a few that have popped into my mind as I think back on the year. Thank you God…

• Olegs and family moving to Cesis
• The 41-hour train trip to Arkangelsk, Russia. What a great experience!
• The Cesis youth group
• Ainars: his talent of woodworking and his witness as a new Christian
• The ‘Davana’
• Health
• Our family in Texas…they sacrifice so we can stay on the mission field
• Inese, Peteris and boys for making us feel (and feeding us) like family
• A special lady in Canada that is so encouraging to us
• Our ‘Soup Kitchen’ friends
• The support from FBC-Athens and all of its members
• A Chrysler Town & Country van
• A wood shed full of wood
• The 3-punkt camp team at Valle
• Brother Samuels
• Liene’s friendship and growth as a Christian
• Pastor Michail and the ‘colony’ boys
• Elvi grocery store
• New friends Joe and Robbie
• The literally unknown number of people that support us financially and spiritually
• Seeing, hearing and feeling God’s encouragement when we need it
• What-A-Burger when we arrive back in the States
• Pastor Kyle’s vision for his church and our life in Latvia
• WorldConneX, Bill Tinsley and Walter Justl
• The people of Cesis Baptist Church
• Man-hu
• and the list goes on and on….

BACK IN TEXAS

We have been back in Texas for a couple of weeks. Christmas was celebrated with our family and we have enjoyed our time with friends and relatives.

A trip to Dallas and one to Austin has kept us on the road for a few days but we are now bringing in the New Year back at our home in Athens.

I have watched a lot of football and NBA basketball and next week will try to catch a few high school games.

Laura has been busy cooking, shopping and spending time with her family (and as far away from the football games as possible!).

Next week we will begin meeting to plan the 2009 activities, especially the summer work in Latvia.

It has been good to be home, to enjoy 70 degree temperatures, to visit with some of our family that we only get to see once a year and to tell people how God has blessed us this year.

Here are a few pictures from our celebrations:

 

Laura, Jordan and Jacob happy with their presents…

My three aunts (all over 90 years of age)…

 

Has Santa come yet?

 

Guess what the Princess got?