The cadets are on summer assignment so I didn’t come back to have to study or be in the training center all day. I’ve been able to slowly get back into things. Well, sort of…my first Sunday back I preached at the Riga 2 corps. I love going there and it was a blessing to be with them. Ilona, one of the corps leaders, planned and led the meeting and we did not connect at all before Sunday, except one text message. Both of us were a little concerned that we might not flow together very well. I preached about following Jesus, simply, without worrying about where or what that decision might lead us to. (A message for me, if I were to be honest.) The basic point was because of who Jesus is He is worthy to be trusted and followed. Ilona’s worship time focused on considering the awesomeness of God and her comments flowed perfectly into my sermon. That was definitely God’s work, not ours and we both recognized that and praised God – in spite of our inadequacy He worked His plan. And I believe at least one person in the congregation (besides me) needed that word. After the meeting we (Ilona and Janis with Evelina, Ieva and I) went out for lunch. I love being with them and only feel frustrated because we are limited in the depth of our conversations due to my limited Latvian. But somehow we understand each other and are growing in our friendships.
I’ve been trying to visit all of the cadets and started with an all day trip to Daugavpils last week. Dana went with me to translate and we had such a great time talking on the trip there and back. She was one of the first people I met when I came to Latvia and it is so good to hear how her faith is growing and her eagerness to keep learning and following God’s will. Because Andre and Irina are distance learning cadets (can’t figure out a good official title for them), I needed to give them a crash course in Homiletics. We spent the afternoon trying to get through what took us in the training center at least 4 full class periods (10-12 hours.) Fortunately, they are quick learners and it was fun to do that kind of intensive work together. We took a nice walk through Daugavpils and then came back for their Thursday evening meeting, which is attended mostly by homeless and addicted people. It’s such a challenging population but they are faithful in working with them and some small steps are taken by a few of the people. If only we were able to provide some kind of rehabilitation center here in Latvia. That’s one of my dreams for the Army’s work here. I should be visiting Daugavpils much more often but the 3 ½ hour drive each way and the language (Russian), combined with all that I need to do here, keeps me from going regularly. On Sunday I went to my corps, Riga 1, where Sergejs was preaching – in Latvian – his first language is Russian. He did a great job and it was so nice to see everyone. Tuesday afternoon, Solveiga and I went to Iecava to observe Velta leading their Home and Family program. She did a great job, too and it was a nice drive, although we got stuck in construction traffic on the way home and more than doubled the drive time (2 hours instead of 50 minutes.) We had Velta and Aldona with us and they always make things fun, so we survived.
We have new babies here, too. Just before I left for vacation Patrik and Hanna’s baby came – Anya. And then last week, Guna and Andre’s baby arrived – Manuela. They are both beautiful and make us all smile! I’m looking forward to some babysitting time. Finally, we have had Jon Gugala and Ian Smith from the US Central territory with us this summer. I was sorry to be away for most of their time but they were well taken care of and had great ministry opportunities, especially with Patvērums. They have been staying at the Training Center and Velta and Ilona have spoiled them a bit, I think. Misha has been their translator and basically their road manager. I took them out for a little touring in Riga, including the Occupation Museum and souvenir shopping and we had a good time together. They are great guys, having known them since they were much younger, it is a real blessing to see how the Lord has worked and led them to this point. Today I took them to the airport and we reluctantly said goodbye. Who knows what this experience might lead to in their future and what the eternal results of their work will be? It will be exciting to see what God does with the few weeks they spent here.
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