Where has the time gone?

Time is flying here. I can't believe that I have already been here for over two weeks!

To update you a bit on my life here...

* After much searching I have found and moved into a permanent apartment. I am still getting things cleaned up, and settled in. It is a nice little loft on the 5th floor of an old building in Old Riga, it's just me and the rooftops up here.

* God has blessed me with many friendly people to meet, and begin to get to know. On Friday night after a youth group at one of the churches here, a group of people (many of the youth leadership) go out to a cafe. I have gone 2 times now, and though I don't understand all of the conversation that is had, I enjoy it very much. I feel very happy to be included in this because of many reasons including the fact that Latvian people are not quick to trust or open themselves to strangers generally speaking, so being blessed by opportunities to build relationships and friendships here already is surprising to me, and brings me great joy.

* The international playgroups went well again this week. It is getting to be quite chilly (there are whispers of snow soon) and it is fun to have children come in all bundled up like puffy marshmallows with rosy cheeks. The children are very fun to play with, and the adults always have good conversation. This week there was mention of a very good Russian ballet someone attended, which sounded very interesting. There are still a few things that catch me off guard about being here. Like Russian ballets being sort of common.

* I am on the downward stretch of a head cold, and am very thankful for beginning to feel healthier.

* English service was very good again today. I met a man who has been a regular at the service, but was away due to travel since I had arrived. He is involved in promoting and organizing the Hope Festival that is coming up here in Riga. They are expecting thousands of people at this event from all over that will include music performances and sharing of the hope that is found in Jesus Christ.

Keep praying for God's blessing on the sharing of faith within Latvia. God is at work here, and His message is reaching out to people as light in a dark world.

You are all in my prayers and I hope you are well. God's Peace!

Visu Labu! (All the best!)

Riga Dome Cathedral

I already shared a photo of the Dome Cathedral, but I thought I would share another one, that had a better view of the church. If you notice behind the tree at the front of the church, and next to the part that has the clock/bell tower- there is a side chapel. This is the place that we have the English service each week. In another side chapel there is a German service held weekly as well. I am enjoying our worship there, and next week I will remember to wear my warm coat, as it is a bit chilly.

This is a ministry that you can keep in your prayers- that God would bring people through the doors of the church for worship. This is (as you can see) a beautiful building, and it is frequented by tourists. Pray that the Spirit would move people to worship there too, and that we would have opportunity to invite people, and share the message of Jesus Christ our Savior with many, many people.

International Play Group

I thought I would share a few photos from the international play group that I get to help with on Thursday and Friday mornings. The top photo is of me and a little girl during song time. She has two older brothers who also attend, so Mom had her hands quite full, and I was more than willing to help. She looks a little unhappy in the photo, but she was just dancing and wiggling around a lot. (That's why I am holder her with both hands- she is quite the active little one)

The next photo is of some of the Mom's and Children. The group is a fun mixture of people from all over. The group exists to allow a number of opportunities, including a place for children to learn, play and grow socially, as well as for some- a place for International Moms to get together and connect with others raising children in a foreign country. Some of the children come with their Nanny's, which is also fun. Everyone who attends speaks English (at least on some level), which makes visiting, and sharing easy and enjoyable. These international families are brought to Latvia for a variety of reasons, from husbands who work at an Embassy, to other types of business and work related things. At play group we are together for 2 hours, were we play, sing, dance, do crafts, have snacks, and make friends.

This is quite a fun experience for me. I am no expert in Early Childhood Education, but it is a joy already to see these young people learning and growing. My DCE studies gave opportunity to learn about "Lifespan Education" or education at/for all ages; this is an opportunity to experience and participate in young child and adult relational care.

Seeing a bit of Rīgas

Riga is known for it's great number of buildings that use Art Nouveau style architecture. Riga is noted to have "The finest collection of art nouveau buildings in Europe". A lot of buildings have sculptural elements such as figures, portraits and organic forms like leaves, flowers and such. This photo gives an example of all of them, though there are certainly buildings with much more, and much less extravagant work on there exteriors. Just a little taste of the streets or in Latvian "ielas" of Riga

Dome Square and the Harvest Festival

To the left of the photo of the buildings and vendors you will notice the BIG brick building. That is the Dome Cathedral. This is where I go to church. There is an service in English held here weekly. It was a joy to worship with fellow believers here in Latvia! (And to understand it!) The tents were set up because it was the Harvest Festival in Riga this last Saturday. The band is one of many performances. Other's included traditional dance, song, and more music-most of which also included the traditional Latvian dress. What a fun way to first experience Riga!

Arrival!

I am here safe and sound and am busy learning and soaking everything in. The people I have been meeting are great, and I look forward to getting to know them better. At this point in time I am mostly tagging along to see how things work here, and to observe. Eventually I will become more active in ministry. I arrived on Friday afternoon after 4 flights finally ending in Riga, and was greeted with hugs and smiling faces of the mission team that I am joining here- Pastor Mark and Rose who are career missionaries here as well as Kathleen who is also a DCE intern. I learned one Latvian trend already within the airport-it is that there is always an occasion for fresh cut flowers (they are very common to get for special occasions, or just because!) It is a beautiful practice!

Thus far I have...

*Eaten some Latvian food a few times, and thus far have not had anything that I don't like.

*Learned usage of "Thank you", "Yes" & "No"...and I'll work on building a larger vocabulary.

*Successfully purchased groceries! This may seem like no big deal, but with the help of Rose and Kathleen, it was easier than I thought it would be... though I did play it safe, and stuck with staple items.

*Gone to the Harvest Festival (held right outside of my temporary apartment!) and seen traditional Latvian dances, heard various types of traditional music, and seen some of their local handicrafts.

*Gone to Church! We have an English service at the Dome Cathedral, which is great! Pastor Krause leads it, and the rest of us help with set up (i just watched this time) and take down. Afterward everyone at the service is welcomed to join us for lunch out somewhere inexpensive and have good conversation, learn about each other, where we came from and how we ended up in Riga. Today we went as a group of 11!

Riga is a very beautiful city, and the weather has been abnormally warm. Tomorrow it is supposed to get cool again, which will be normal. I have really not done too much exploration of the city as of yet. This is a VERY musical place, in fact right now, outside my window there is a young man playing Greensleeves on an accordion!

I must quit writing for now, I am headed to a BBQ. I look forward to sharing more, and photos will be added (hopefully) by later today!

Departure

After working out a number of things, I have my date for departure set and it is approaching quickly! I am leaving for Latvia on the 23rd of this month!

Now my attention to details becomes sharper... Do I have everything worked out? Is there anything else I need to do before I move? What do I pack for a year and a half? What resources should I bring along? Am I over thinking this? How am I going to carry all of this? :) I normally pack very light when I travel, but I don't usually have to plan for multiple seasons, either. In the end, I will have 2 suitcases packed, and will have more than I probably need.

Along with the excitement of getting to Latvia also comes the goodbye's or as I like to call them 'see-you-laters'. My home congregation is having my sending service this next Sunday, and after that there is a free will spaghetti and/or Bratwurst lunch (or dinner, depending on your use of the terms-noon meal) social and a silent auction. I am excited not only for the event, but also for the opportunity to say see-you-later to my home church family.

God has been sooo faithful through all of this, and I am so humbled and blessed by Him, and His work through my brothers and sister in Christ! I can't wait to share my first blog entry with photos from Latvia!