Living in Riga

A few 'life in Riga' stories: Yesterday I went for an eye exam. The first requirement is to find an eye Dr. who speaks English. So, I did. She was great and we had no communication problems until she handed me a paper with lots of writing on it and said "Can you read this?" "No", I said "but it has nothing to do with my eyes - it's in Latvian!" Fortunately, she laughed but then didn't laugh as I actually tried to read it. Earlier that day I had my first Latvian class (level 1 1/2) which should be fun and maybe even helpful. There are five of us from around the world - Egypt, France, Japan, America and a Russian speaking Latvian. We all had different classes last spring so the poor teacher had a hard time trying to figure out what we know. We each have a different area of knowledge. Some know grammar (not me), some know vocabulary (I'm a bit better here) and others are somewhere in between (that would be me.) I didn't feel completely stupid in comparison to the rest. But, I have lost a lot of what I should know from my last class and need to do some studying. It seems to be a nice group and I like the teacher. So, what I learn may be limited by my brain, but just being with some people who aren't part of the Salvation Army will be refreshing.
Sunday evening I went to the opera and it was so good. I love Tchaikovsky and the orchestra was good. The harpist was amazing. The ballet was good too - I'm not a huge fan or expert, but they seemed to be high quality. Not perfect, but not amateurs either. I wouldn't mind going again. And it wasn't so bad being on my own. There were lots of tourists - mostly German speaking it seemed. So, I felt like I was the Latvian instead of a foreigner. One of the nicest things was that I met my friend, Jill during the intermission. She was in my first language class. We have been trying to get together but had no idea we would both be at the opera. So, that was a pleasant surprise. I had just been praying about connecting with her. I'm not sure I would call that a real answer to prayer but it was a blessing. As I was walking to the opera house a flock of noisy birds landed in the trees in the park. It hit me that the way they fly and chirp and filled the trees was a miracle of creation. It was a passing thought but I guess the idea of God as Creator was stuck in my mind. As I listened to the beautiful music and was amazed at the way the ballet dancers' bodies moved (mine doesn't do that!) I again thought what a miracle is creation - God didn't have to give us beautiful music or the ability to dance. He did that just for us and I believe to see in the beauty something of Himself. From nature to music to the miracle of our own bodies - God is trying to get us to see Him and fellowship with Him. I'm so thankful that I do have a relationship with Him and I know the Creator. That is amazing!
Sunday I was at Riga 2 for church because one of our candidates, Velta, was becoming a soldier (member) of the church that morning. Someday I'll tell you more about Velta, she is a miracle herself and the Lord is doing great and wonderful things in her life these days. Here we are - she's in her new uniform and I think she looks great! (trouble uploading photos - I'll try again later.)