Go Chicago!

Yesterday: I woke up early (5 a.m.) so I could listen to the end of the World Series game. I'm too cheap to pay to listen at mlb.com so I listened online to WGN radio in Chicago who were practically doing a play by play. I could hear the cheers from fans in Chicago when the White Sox won. OK, I admit I am a Cubs fan but mostly, I'm a Chicago fan so I'm just happy for the city. It is one of those "I wish I was home for this" moments, though. From that excitement (which no one in Latvia cares one bit about) I spent the morning with a few of the leaders and a group from the UK Raynes Park corps who have committed to support our church planting efforts. It was a nice morning. I am constantly amazed at the number of people who have an interest in God's work in Latvia. In the evening, Liz and I went to the ballet (again!) to see Romeo and Juliet. It was a bit more modern ballet expression, but also very good and the orchestra was great. We also found a new restaurant which serves excellent Italian food. So, a very eclectic day for me.

Fall in Latvia

The leaves are falling fast and we even had a touch of snow this week. Here are some pics from my fall getaway weekend with the Smiths. It was beautiful. (a fun picture of my small group from last night also included)
from the highest mountain (hill) in Latvia
Sian plays in the leaves
Lots of castle ruins in our exploration and beautiful sites
Smiles!

Mission and Prayer Conference

I’m going to start backwards about the Mission and Prayer Conference – tonight’s small group. I asked the girls what they thought about the weekend. It was hard for a few of them because they missed some due to work. But, all seemed to feel good about it and then when I asked specific questions they got very excited. On Saturday we went out on the streets of Riga to pray with people and they had great stories about that – overcoming shyness and being bold in approaching people – all much better than me. I used language as my excuse for standing on the corner and just praying silently. Anyway, then I shared the dream/hope I got during the weekend. It started as I read Red Moon Rising and kept building all weekend. It was confirmed by our guest, Lyndall Bywater, 24-7 coordinator for the Army in the UK. I want to see a Boiler Room (community prayer room – see www.24-7prayer.com) in Riga which would draw together many churches and youth organizations. And while we were out praying I found the building. It’s on the corner of our street and ever since I’ve been here people have been saying (and praying) that they want someone to take over the building who would help the community and clean it up. Why not a Boiler Room? The girls eyes got big and I could sense they agreed with my dream. After some coaxing one of them shared her own dream – that we would have a big worship music festival (like Cornerstone) in Meža Parks. My eyes got big, too. I began to dream about combining the whole thing, making some contacts with connections from my youth department networking days and off we went! Of course, this has nothing to do with the huge task I’m involved in right now and there is no way I could give time to anything like this. But, we can keep sharing the dream and eventually the right people will hear and get inspired, I think!

Red Moon Rising

Quotes from Red Moon Rising (some of these concepts also taught by Lyndall Bywater at our Mission and Prayer Conference)

God uses young people again and again to help restore nations and shape their destiny.  Young people stand at the heart of the salvation story.  Re: Evangelism/Harvest:  Our opportunities are those of the World Wide Web, budget travel, the rise of tribalism and the postmodern desire for community, authentic spirituality and social justice.

Lectio divina:  God’s very self ‘breaks in upon the middle of our prayer, runs to meet us in all haste and restores our weary soul.’

The Vision:  The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.  It makes children laugh and adults angry.  It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars.  It scorns the good and strains for the best.  It is dangerously pure.

The ultimate 24-7 prayer room is the human heart fully surrendered to God and not a room full of coffee mugs and hand-drawn pictures!  We don’t want to withdraw people from society to live in spiritual bubbles of perpetual prayer, rather we want to immerse ourselves in society, having immersed ourselves in the Spirit – in the world and yet full of God and overflowing.  Maybe this is a new day in which the fullness of God awaits us in the streets and clubs and pubs.  Of course God will attend our meetings…But perhaps there is a weariness, even a reluctance, in his heart as he gazes back over his shoulder, out of the church door and into the street.  We’ve spent (30) years saying “come, Holy Spirit” and he came.  Now, if the Spirit says “come”, the question is this:  Will we obey?  ‘Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.’ (C.T. Studd)

Jesus was intimate with the Father in prayer.  This gave him, and will give us, the passion to continue whatever the odds in loving our neighbor in whatever context God places us.

All of this and more prepared me for our conference and for God moving and speaking to me.  Not sure how it all fits together yet.  I’ll write more about the conference later.  

Pray!

In just a few hours our mission and prayer conference will start and already we have experienced the powerful presence and leading of the spirit as the leadership team met today. Also, already we have experienced the battle that brings - electrical problems in the hall, cold/flu among the leaders, typical leadership struggles with other leaders which seem magnified because they came as we were praying for this weekend. So, if you think about us this weekend - pray, please. We know God has something extraordinary He wants to do in and through us and we have no idea what that might be. I have a sense it is about the people of Latvia taking up the mantle of leadership and specifically the youth. I can't wait to tell you what happens!

I can do all things?

When I was young I took Philippians 4:13 as my verse: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Didn’t everyone?  But, I had no idea what it would really mean and I’m not sure I really believed that I could do all things.  Then, I ‘matured’ and started to believe I could do all things, but not in Christ’s strength.  Simply with my own marvelous personality and giftedness.  So, I came to Latvia and experienced the opposite – I couldn’t do anything in my own strength or with my own ingenuity.  I was completely humbled (and often humiliated.)  Now, I’m headed again toward taking this verse as my own.  Why?  Because I have experienced over and over again that God does give me strength and everything else that is needed for tasks that I think are impossible.  Do I think the process of humility is over?  Oh no, I expect I will be humbled many times in the days to come.  But, do I believe I can do all things through Christ?  Oh yes, much more than I ever believed before I came to Latvia.  It is a process of understanding my own weakness so that I can be strong with the power of God at work in me.  Am I proud? – only of what God is doing.  I know I’m only one ego step away from creating a disaster and I have to rely on God the whole way.  It’s a fun and adventurous place to be.  

I surrender

On Friday morning before I left to do the final things for our Assessment Conference, I felt the need to just sit and soak in a few moments with the Lord to prepare myself for what was coming. I had Phil Laeger’s CD in my player and went to “I Surrender”:

I surrender my life to Your blood
I surrender my name for Your glory
I surrender my heart to Your will
I surrender my dreams to the plans You have for me
Thank You for showing me the emptiness of all I held onto
I surrender it all,I surrender my everything for You.

I sat in my kitchen with my eyes closed and prayed that prayer. I had no idea what would happen this weekend, but I knew it would be demanding, exhausting and emotional. I was afraid I was going in with too much of my own agenda and so surrendered myself to whatever God wanted to do. Wow! He was faithful! First in a practical way, it all ran pretty smoothly and even when some things went wrong we remained calm. The leadership team couldn’t have been better – they were just what we needed. The translators did a fantastic job and were happy to be part of this exciting weekend. The delegates had a great time and we sensed today at the end of it that the Lord was doing some new and challenging thing in many of their lives. So, it’s over. In reality, it is only the beginning of a huge job which I cannot do in my own strength or with my own wisdom. But, seeing once again how God provides all that we need, I can be at peace (sort of) for the future. And tomorrow – I don’t have to set my alarm!

Newest Soldier in Latvia

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.)

My friend, Pam

I’m trying to work but honestly, my mind is somewhere else today. Here’s what I wrote in my journal last night:

Pam died yesterday. Lisa emailed me today. I was praying for Pam today and felt I didn’t need to pray so much for her but for Donna and her family and friends. I’m sure Pam was so tired and only wanted to be with Jesus. And now she is! Lisa says Donna’s OK – rejoicing. I’m so glad the Lord prepared her in that way. I’m weepy but think part of it is very selfish. I want to be home to share all of this with Oakbrook Terrace and THQ.

I had a lot of other things I wanted to post after yesterday. But, Pam is on my mind. I thank God for her life and her friendship. I’ve been listening to Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir this weekend and these words especially are what I pray Pam’s loved ones will experience:

Lord, I will lift up my eyes to the hills
Knowing my help is coming from You
Your peace You give me
In time of the storm

You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to You.
AMEN

Saturday in Riga

A view from above and a bit of the city

Salvation Army grid::blog

My turn - am I too late?

Weekend life

Last night I had Aivis, Sarah and Josh over for dinner, but we had it at their place!  Josh goes to bed early so it was easier to spend the evening there, but I wanted to fix dinner.  It was really fun. We didn’t do anything exciting, just eat and talk – 2 of my favorite things to do.  We tried to talk about things other than work, but I’m afraid we didn’t manage that very well.  Anyway, we had good conversation and listened to a Latvian Christian CD which I’m going to get – my first Latvian music purchase.  I definitely hope to have them over for dinner again!  Sarah has become a great encourager for me.  She and Aivis are such a blessing.
Thursday I sent out the prayer alert and what an amazing response I’ve had.  From Poland, Moscow, Indianapolis, Chicago, London and many other places I know that people are praying. And maybe the most precious assurance of prayer came last night as I was returning from Ilsters.  Miša met me in the stairway and told me that a few of them had been praying for the training program, but especially they were and would continue to pray for me.  He suggested I might find my home enchanted when I arrived (not sure what that meant but if it has anything to do with cleaning windows and dusting, I’d be really thrilled!)  I think the only other time I’ve felt such incredible prayer surrounding me was when my mom and dad died.  Those prayers carried me through a difficult time.  These prayers are going to bring us into something wonderful and exciting.  I keep thinking about Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. “  We are asking for God to do something really great, but the amazing thing is He can do even more than what we are asking and I have a feeling He is going to.  I don’t have any idea what that might be, but I pray that whatever it is, we will be sure to give Him the glory and that it will all be for His Kingdom’s sake.
Today was another of those perfect Saturdays. I slept in, went into Old Riga for a few hours and came home with no plans.  I read Harry Potter (Half Blood Prince) and listened to NPR online.  It’s fun to have that connection to home.  My excursion into the city was great, again.  I made a list of some of the ‘must see’ tourist sites and tried to get in a few.  I went to St. Peter’s church and took the lift to the top of the tower, which is supposed to be the highest church tower in Europe.  It was beautiful and I’ll try to download some pictures.  I also went to Doma church, which has the world’s (?) biggest organ.  Unfortunately it was being repaired and anyway, they charge an extra 2 lats to take pictures.  I’m hoping to go to an organ concert there this fall.  Speaking of Latvian cultural events, I’ve decided I need to do as much as possible before January because when training starts I really don’t know how much time or energy I will have to enjoy the city/country.  So, I stopped at the opera house and bought a ticket to see Swan Lake tomorrow.  I haven’t been to many ballets in my lifetime, but Latvia is supposed to have a great ballet company.  Riga is a very cultural city and there are always concerts, exhibits and something to celebrate.  I have been waiting to find someone to do all these things with but that hasn’t happened.  So I’m doing some on my own.  Later this fall Graeme, Zoe and I, with Sian of course, are going to take a long weekend out in the country.  That will be fun and we are exploring an area none of us have seen before, so that will make it even better.  I talked with Dace about going out again for a day.  We will head toward western Latvia because I haven’t seen anything that way.  This fall should be a real Latvian experience for me.

Prayer Alert

Here is a prayer newsletter sent out officially from my office.  If you think about praying for us, would you also add this personal request?  I am very concerned about being able to clearly and effective communicate these most important matters to the candidates, mostly via translation.  I know I’ve said it before, but next weekend is probably the most significant thing I will have done yet in Latvia and while the future of Latvia does not lay in my hands, I have a vital role in helping people to understand the commitment they are making and the demands of being in the training program.  So, please pray that my words would be clear and that the translators would be extraordinarily gifted to communicate the heart of the matter.

Now the official prayer concerns:

The Training and Education Office exists to support the Latvia Region in the area of Leadership Development and Multiplication by providing training opportunities in three key areas:
1.) Develop Existing Leaders  
2.) Raise Up Local Leadership in Corps/Institutions
3.) Raise Up New Officers
Will you support us by praying for the following important matters related specifically to Raising up New Officers in Latvia :

• Assessment Conference, 7-9 October, 2005 where prospective candidates for officership, both cadets and lieutenants, will join together for interviews and discussion about God’s calling on their lives and the process for becoming an officer.


• 12 prospective candidates for officership as they complete the application process and prepare themselves for training to become Salvation Army officers in Latvia.  Praise God that they have responded willingly.  Pray that they will continue to be obedient to God’s voice.


• Latvian Candidates’ Board as they review the candidates’ applications and give recommendations as to their acceptance for training.


• The training program which is being created by Evie Diaz, Training Officer and a working committee.  The main outlines of the plan have been sent to THQ for review and approval. The remaining details need to be developed in the next few weeks.  Pray that all of these plans would become the tool for training effective officers for the future work of The Salvation Army in Latvia.


• The start of the Training Program for cadets and lieutenants is scheduled for January 9, 2006.  Additional instructors, translators and resources are still needed.


• Other soldiers of The Salvation Army in Latvia who have not yet responded to God’s call to give themselves for full time service as an officer.  The time is quickly passing for the opportunity to join the training program in January, 2006.  If you are one of these people, you should contact your corps leader or Evie Diaz before the Assessment Conference begins, 7 October.

Learning Latvian

The Latvian language belongs to the Baltic group of the Indo-European family of languages. Its closest and only living relative is Lithuanian (Latvian is a non-Slavic and a non-Germanic language). Latvian has inherited a lot from the Indo-European proto-dialects, and as well as Lithuanian, it has preserved a lot of archaic features in its sound system and grammar. Typologically Latvian is a fissional, inflectional language. Latvian nouns have 7 cases, verbs may inflect for tense, mood, voice and person. There is also a rich system of derivational affixes. The order of clause constituents is relatively free. The majority of speakers distinguish between two tones or intonations in long syllables. Latvian stresses the first syllable of each word and vowel length may occur in an unstressed syllable.

maza grupa

What do you do?

What do you do when 8 young women show up filled with energy, chatter, are very hungry and don’t want to leave? Let them in and enjoy the time. My small group started officially tonight and they are going to be a handful, a blessing but a handful. They love to talk - often all at once and in English and Latvian together. They love to eat – whatever I put out is gone when they are. They love Jesus – that’s the blessing of being with them. We are studying “Witnessing 101” and already have a list of several family members and friends who need to hear about Jesus. It’s so exciting to think about what God is going to do through these girls, as they learn more about sharing their faith and we pray together weekly for specific people. The corps is doing once a month outreach Sundays and that fits perfectly with our study. There is something specific to invite their ‘lost’ ones to. I’m thinking about having a pizza party after church on one of those Sundays which they can bring their guests to, too. I think you will often read about this group and I would be grateful for your prayer support. I’m including pictures of some of them from last week’s girls’ night. Still trying to find a good name for us, any suggestions are welcome.

Kristin Caddy just told me about the Xanga blogsite for The Salvation Army at home. I checked out lots of the bloggers and was overwhelmed by their unashamed passion for Jesus. They are mostly young people and I’m not sure the older generation realizes the powerful movement that is happening among the youth in the Army. If anyone feels hopeless about the future of the Church and specifically, The Salvation Army, talk to a teen or college student. I’m sure they can tell you about all the amazing things happening among them. No, they aren’t perfect and beware, they will want to change things. The Army will not look the same when they are in charge. But, they are committed to who we are at our Roots and who we are supposed to be as part of the Kingdom on earth. They are excited about being Christians and believe it or not, about being Salvationists. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Currently reading: Red Moon Rising, the Story of 24-7 Prayer. I’m reading it because the Army in Latvia is known for our powerful prayer life. We have our regional mission and prayer conference at the end of October and so, this is my personal preparation for that event. I expect you will be reading lots of quotes in the next few weeks. Here are a few: We need an army to arise because the poor and the oppressed are crying out to God for urgent intercession and some ray of hope.
There is no other place where the heart should be so free as before the mercy seat.
He loves us too much and has called us to too much to allow us to settle for less than full spiritual health.

Awesome God

How can I explain what an amazing answer to prayer I had today? I've been frozen in my brain over putting the curriculum schedule and calendar together for the Latvian training program. I look at all of the lists and information I have and go blank. In one of those inspired (really) moments, I decided to ask Zoe to help. She agreed and immediately put her teacher brain to the task. We sat down tonight and in less than 2 hours created the calendar for the first 6 months of the training program. God is awesome!

Girls, girls and more girls

Pestišanas Armija doesn’t attract a lot of men, especially young and sober ones. We have so many beautiful, smart and mature young women. Sometimes I wonder if they are too smart and confident. Not that that is a bad thing, but it might scare away the guys. Anyway, it is definitely a prayer concern for the future of the Church in Latvia. I don’t know if it is quite the same in the other churches, but from the lifestyle of most of the young men I see on the street, I would say Christianity is not having much of an impact on their way of life. On the positive side, we have loads of beautiful, smart and mature (or maturing) young girls and women. They are eager to learn and get involved. They also like to have fun. Friday evening Liz put together a regional girls’ night, with all those girlie kinds of activities like manicures, facials, hair styling and food and movies. Nearly 50 girls came and they did have fun! I have to admit I only stayed for about an hour, enough time to do a short Bible study and take some pictures.

I've been reading through some blogs linked to other Salvation Army blogs and my first reaction was "Hmm, maybe I don't have so much to say." Most of them seem to raise controversial issues, challenge some tradition or at least be much edgier than I am. I'm just trying to record a little of my daily life for my friends and whoever else lands here. And while I do 'have issues', maybe I'm at a stage in my life where they don't seem quite so vital. I wonder if I've gotten too content in a lazy way or if it's a good content, as Paul describes? Maybe it's a combination. Latvia has certainly caused me to take a look at traditions and the Army way. But, instead of me challenging the Army to change, I think the Lord has been challenging me to change. I still believe as I said earlier in my short blogging life, we need people to speak up and be controversial to keep the rest of us thinking and evaluating what is good about us and needs to be maintained and what is only kept for the sake of tradition and should be put aside for the sake of the Kingdom. My prayer is that I will listen to those who are calling us to take a look at who we are and that I will be discerning and obedient to the Spirit. Wow, from manicures to discernment in one posting...

Prayer for Poland

My prayer for The Salvation Army in Poland as the work is officially opened there this weekend: "Lord, you have already done amazing things through your team there. I pray that this weekend they will feel affirmed and encouraged and especially, certain that You are at work and want to continue Your movement in Poland. I pray especially for Vibeke, that You would give her vision and wisdom as she leads the team. I pray that you will protect her from temptation and discouragement. I pray that her relationship with Dick and her children will remain healthy and strong as she goes back and forth between Poland and France. I pray for Herve and the rest of the team, that they too will experience Your protection for themselves and their families. I pray that You will continue to show them Your purposes for The Salvation Army and their part in Your plan. I pray especially for this weekend. Send people to help them build Your kingdom - workers, visionaries, pray-ers, translators - all of the body parts necessary to keep Your kingdom growing and strong. I pray especially for the new Captains who will lead the work daily - send them support and friendship, help for their practical needs, emotional support for their transition into a new country and ministy and especially surround them with Your spirit and love them today. Thank you because You do all things well and You will do this, not for their sake or for mine but for the sake of Your Kingdom."

Please pray for this important weekend and the continuing work in Poland.