Winter in Riga

God With Us!

“And His name shall be called Immanuel” – God With Us!

What makes life splendid is the constant awareness of God. What transforms the spirit into his likeness is intimate fellowship with him.  We are saved – from our pettiness and earthiness and selfishness and sin – by conscious communion with his greatness and love and holiness.  
From Discipline and Discovery by Albert Edward Day

Corps Christmas party

1. Russian group - yes that's an upside down training potty seat on her head!
2. Jonah and her sailors
3. &4. The devil after Vika and group.
5. Worship team does a little line dancing

It's Christmas

It’s Christmas!  Well, barely – 12:34 a.m.  Since it’s only me I didn’t see any sense in waiting until the morning to open gifts – I’ve waited this long!  The box came from Chris and family yesterday, so I had lots under my little tree.  It was fun to open them because there were lots of surprises and goodies.  One was the Polar Express DVD which I promptly put in and watched.  That’s why I’m still awake.  It’s a really sweet movie.  So, Christmas in Latvia…it’s not so bad.  People are very loving and kind to me.  I got a few gifts from unexpected people and many hugs tonight at the Christmas Eve service.  Last was our corps Christmas party.  Our small group did a little drama, which I let them put together without me and told them I’d do anything they needed.  Wrong thing to say – I had to be the devil.  I’ll try to put some pictures up later.  The party was great – we had a very funny drama from the Russian ministry group about Jonah.  I can’t begin to explain it but I’ll also put some pics from that here.  There are lots of people home from all over the world and many of them were in church tonight.  That was nice.  The Sunday School did a pageant complete with dancing angels.  It was great.  

Yesterday I had one of those ‘catch my breath’ moments.  I was walking to the Christmas Market in Old Riga and not really feeling very Christmasy.  The shops were full and the streets were dirty with most of the snow gone.  Then I walked into one of the city parks and it was as if I walked into another world.  There was clean, white snow everywhere and the trees were all frosted over and beautiful.  I had to stop because it was so amazing.  I had my camera and pulled it out (more pictures to put here).  Everyone in the park was walking around as if they couldn’t believe it was real.  Wow – another beauty of the Lord scene.  

Ieva bought me a ticket to see the Chronicles of Narnia with her yesterday.  I loved it!  No, it wasn’t as technically impressive as Lord of the Rings but it is the best story and the actors were good.  Even though I knew what would happen, I got a bit emotional a few times (I won’t say anymore in case you haven’t seen it.)  As we were leaving, Ieva said, “It’s great that so many people are in the theater to see this.  I just wish the knew the real message.”  I pray that somehow they do hear the real message of redemption and new life through Jesus Christ.  Or at the least, that it makes them seekers after the truth of the gospel and that there are people prepared to share this truth.  

Isaiah 9 - [2] The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. [6] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
    

    

Eternal things!

A required part of my Christmas routine includes Handel’s “Messiah”. Whether is actually attending a concert or sing along (preferred) or listening at home, it’s not Christmas for me without it. Last Christmas I discovered I don’t have a recording with me, but I did find a concert and it was wonderful. This year, Lisa sent me a recording and I’m going to the concert – I just have to be careful not to make it a sing along! Yes, the music is amazing and fun to sing, but every year I’m overwhelmed by some part of the text that applies directly to my life and what I need to be reminded of regarding my relationship with the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Yesterday I was listening to the CD while reading my devotions. At almost the same time, I was reading Isaiah 40 and it was being sung on the CD.

Isaiah 40:1-5 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. [2] Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. [3] The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. [4] Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: [5] And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Honestly, it made me long for heaven. Not a death wish, but an amazing hope and expectation of eternity with Jesus. Just think – the crooked made straight and the rough places plain! I find comfort in that in the ordinariness of today and draw on the promise when life seems very crooked and rough. It makes me want to sing!

Surprise!

On Sunday, Sarah talked about God being a God of Surprises.  The fact that the shepherds were the first told about Jesus must have been a surprise to them and to everyone else.  So, I started thinking about how God has surprised me.  Of course, the first thing I thought was that 2 Christmases ago I had not one idea about the country of Latvia and now – here I am!  That’s a big surprise and certainly all God’s.  God sends lots of little surprises too.  After church I was talking to Dana about doing some work at the training center and I felt the urge to tell her that she was a definite answer to prayer.  She got a surprised look on her face and said that I was an answer to her prayer!  We spent a few minutes talking about that.  What if I had simply made it a business conversation?  We would both have missed out on a blessing and a surprise.  What if I hadn’t listened to the little voice that has been telling me for months that I needed to involve Dana in my plans?  A lesson – I have to be in the place God wants me to if I want to experience His surprises!  Another lesson – instead of worrying today or even in the next few months about what I will do ‘after Latvia’, I need to wait and see what surprise God might have planned.  Who knows where I’ll end up!?  

Liz leaves early tomorrow morning.  I hadn’t realized how much I’ve enjoyed her being here.  A little bit of the US and a friend who’s willing to do just about anything.  I’m going to miss her.  And now, I’m the only American again!

Smile!

Tonight, Graeme and Zoe and I went to hear the BBC Singers concert at the National Opera House.  We talked about how we would probably catch ourselves singing along with the English Christmas carols.  Well, it wasn’t exactly what we expected.  It was a classical concert with music in several languages and only a few songs in English.  But, it was beautiful.  They are really good, especially with tight harmonies and varied rhythms.  They sang an amazing version of “Lo, how a rose”, one of my favorite carols.  They also sang some really fun pieces with lots of odd syllables and rhythms.  But, it definitely wasn’t a sing along concert.  I did smile a lot and even once got the giggles because a song was so silly – but also very difficult and they did it incredibly well.  I found myself filled with joy as they sang “Glory to God” and told the story of salvation through Jesus’ birth and life.  One line that especially hit me was “Why are all the people so sad, when God has given us life through His Son?”  That is maybe not an exact quote, but you get the point.   And I got the point – smile!  Let people know that there is joy this season, because of Jesus!

Lesson from a friend

Today my friend, Ieva, who is one of the corps leaders for Riga 2 and the regional prayer coordinator, had some good words for me.  She reminded me that I had nothing to worry about regarding training – “It’s all about God’s grace” she said.  Every step of the way it is a miracle and grace moment.  She also reminded me that the whole process, including me, is covered in so much prayer that she knows we are protected from a lot that might happen, especially due to our (my) own will and wisdom or lack of.  She says these things so casually and matter-of-fact(ly?), it’s all natural to her.  I know the truth of what she says and am experiencing it, but my nature wants to fret and worry and be in control.  I have a lot to learn from Ieva.  And then my advent reading for today reinforced and took me further with this lesson – IT’S NOT ABOUT ME!!

Rev. 1:8     "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Our repose is to rejoice in the infinite happiness of God and, on a lower scale, in our own crosses, and to desire still more of them, for in them we have the privilege of imitating him and proving our love, and there is nothing dearer to the heart that loves.  We shall never lack either this happiness, nor God nor the Cross.
    
How can one pity anyone who is doing the will of the Lord?  Is there anything sweeter on earth than to do the will of him one loves?  And if it gives one some trouble to carry it out, the sweetness is all the greater.                                

–from Meditations of a Hermit by Charles de Foucauld

Books

From my advent reading, for those of you who are readers like me:

Leave me not, O gracious Presence, in such hours as I may today devote to the reading of books or of newspapers.  Guide my mind to choose the right books and, having chosen them, to read them in the right way.  When I read for profit, grant that all I read may lead me nearer to thyself.  When I read for recreation, grant that what I read may not lead me away from thee.  Let all my reading so refresh my mind that I may the more eagerly seek after whatsoever things are pure and fair and true.
                                   A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

True Beauty

Wednesday evening I was driving home and it was snowing.  As I turned the corner to head down my street, I found a winter wonderland.  The snowflakes were big and fluffy and I was driving into them.  My street which is usually dull and dirty was freshly covered and lovely.  The trees were coated with snow.  I felt as if I had driven into one of my snow globe scenes.  I slowed down and took it all in for a few seconds.  My mind went right to this theme of “the beauty of the Lord”.  I thought, “God made this snow just for me!”  Then this evening I went to Bauska to do their youth meeting.  On the way there, the road was closed and I had to take a detour through unknown Latvian back roads.  I wasn’t happy about it and it made me a few minutes late.  But on the way home, I wasn’t tense or in a hurry and discovered I was driving through another beautiful winter scene.  There was no one else on the road and I had the bright lights on.  I could see the fresh snow on the ground and the evergreen trees and again, I thought how wonderful God is for creating this world for us.  Except that I took one wrong turn and ended up in a strange town, it was a very nice ride home.  

But, more than the beauty of creation, I have seen the beauty of God’s people.  During a training committee meeting yesterday, I began to talk about our candidates and I was overwhelmed at how God has ‘made all things beautiful’ in their lives and yet, He has much more that He plans to do in and through them.  It will be so exciting to see how that plan unfolds.  I can’t even imagine what they will be like when they finish training.  Then there was a moment with the Bauska youth group tonight when I felt like the Lord was really speaking to them.  I was reminding them that Advent is the time when we wait for the Lord, but we also invite Him to come.  I felt like I needed to challenge them about their relationship with Jesus.  It got very quiet (they were chatty all evening) and I believe that message was specifically for someone.  I don’t know who or if they responded to God’s voice, but I could feel His presence.  Another ‘beauty’ moment.

My scripture reading from John 1 today gave me another beautiful picture – of the Messiah:

[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
[29]… "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
    

photos from Spain

Phillip II's library (just like mine!)
MmmmPaella
The Madrid Post Office!

Biggest Cross I've ever seen - little Brad in front!
Evie & Heidi above Toledo

Beauty and Spain

I spent a few days in Spain with my friends, Brad and Heidi Bailey.  They moved to Madrid this summer from my home corps, Oakbrook Terrace.  They were my corps officers for the last few years, but much more than that, they have been good friends for a long time.  We keep saying “Who would have ever imagined that we would be living in Europe and at the same time?!”  So, before my life is completely absorbed by the training program here, I escaped to Madrid and to my friends.  We talked and talked, ate and ate, drank many cups of coffee and watched movies, as well as touring the country.  It was exactly what I needed and I’m so glad I did it.  I realized on the way home to Latvia that they will be my last physical connection to home (USA) until this summer.  (unless someone gets inspired to come and visit me – hint, hint…)  I could write paragraphs about the beautiful things I saw.  Incredible architecture and wonderful inspiring art in museums, castles and cathedrals.  The Catholic influence means many biblical paintings and I love to see the perspective each artist puts in his work.  I’ll try to post some pictures.   I could also write about the precious conversations we had, but you had to be there to follow all the different directions we took as we talked and really, they were just between us.  So, instead I’ll share something I read while I was there.  Along with my Advent reading, I decided to catch up on some magazines which have been sitting in my ‘to read’ pile.  I grabbed one published by The Upper Room, called Weavings.  If you have any leanings toward contemplation this is a good resource.  My friend, Diana Winters, recommended it to me a while ago.  You can check it out at www.upperroom.com.  This issue is called “Behold the Beauty of the Lord” and I was blessed and moved as I read articles about discovering the Lord’s Beauty in the ordinary places and events of life.  Here are a few quotes which really touched me:

Simple Places – As Jesus’ followers, if we are to find true community with one another and with him, then we should look not just to the massive throng or the dramatic moment.  We should look as well to the simplest instance of one life brushing up against another.  We should open ourselves to the small and intimate moments when persons draw together in their joys and in their needs.

Luminous Saints – “They are persons irradiated by the grace of God who answer back to the love of God in whatever setting they may be placed and ‘in whom…Christ is felt to live again.’ They seek not to be safe but to be faithful.  They have developed a gristle that enables them to stand fast in adversity.  They love persons rather than humanity in general.  They believe all life is sacramental.” (Douglas Steere)   (Evie’s note – I started to make a list of these kind of saints in my life and filled a page in just a few minutes.  I wish I could thank them but for now, I thank God for them.  Maybe someday I’ll list them here, but I’m sure I’d miss someone or two or three – it will be a never ending list.)

Being Buoyed by Beauty – She peered down at her funny looking feet, aged by years of trudging along, marked by the effects of heredity.  Suddenly the verse came to her:  How beautiful are the feet of those who carry the good news of peace. She decided to sing a new song.