This blog is to talk about the things that happen on the days that you don’t read about. These are the stories that happen pretty much on a daily basis.
God does amazing things, even on the days where nothing happens.
This month we are living in Liepaja, Latvia. Our team is working with another team this month, New Song. This is an all girls team and my close friend, Sam, is on this team. I am so thankful to be working alongside her this month as we do ministry together. We are working with Pastor Ivo Roderts and his church, Adventistu Baznica. It is a privilege working alongside Pastor Ivo and seeing his vision for his church.
Some of the things that we have done since we’ve been here has been in meetings, trying to discuss how we can help his visions become a reality. We are each involved in a different ministry and are in charge of leading it so that communication is not lost between the cracks.
My daily life is not what I thought I would have done when I signed up for the Race. I wake up before 7 most days, some days I sleep in until almost 8. I will grab my Bible, journal, prayer bag, iPod and go into the kitchen. I treasure this time. It is a time where I can have very few distractions and spend time with my Father. Some days are quieter than others and some mornings are filled with a lot of noise from others using the kitchen. I have learned how to accept the interruptions and find a joy in the commotion of others.
I then proceed to grab a bowl and spoon, a banana, turn on the electric water pot to boil some water and the box of Latvian oatmeal. I make myself a small bowl of steamy banana oatmeal and enjoy eating it either in silence, listening to music or a sermon or engage in a conversation.
Afterwards, I will hop onto my computer and check emails, Facebook and if I am feeling either creative or want to learn something, I will check out recipes for dinners to cook or random science facts.
We have Team Time at 10 every morning where we will then share our hearts: what the Lord is teaching us, how we are feeling, where we need prayer or what we are achieving. We also use this time to read and study a passage of Scripture and a time to give feedback to one another.
After Team Time is done, we have split up and gone to different meetings with the different groups to plan our ministry schedule for the day. I am only on 2 of 13 different ministry committees. I am helping plan a Messy Church on Sundays, but we have not met, yet. I am also on the Dinner Crew. I get to spend a lot of my time in the kitchens cooking dinners for the teams. I really enjoy this ministry the best because I get to love on our teams and cook. It has been really fun and challenging how to cook for 14 people and meet the specific needs of individuals, but doing it not because they ask me to, but because I love them.
So a lot of my days I spend the early afternoons in the kitchen visiting with other people that filter in and out, watching movies with team mates, walking around outside and visiting parts of the town.
Around 3 or 4 I will start preparing and cooking dinners. I really enjoy this time because it is a time of creativity and learning.
I don’t know how to make a lot of things, and everything I have made this week are things I have never made before.
So I am thankful that the teams are so gracious and kind and still eat the food. I am also thankful for wifi and being able to look up how to create things and make them taste the best that they can.
After dinner we have worship. I really enjoy this time because it is a time where our teams get to focus on the Lord and thank Him, praise Him and just spend time with our hearts focusing on Him.
At the end of each day, the girls will try to read a chapter from the Bible. Right now we are reading through Esther. It is really a good time of bonding and I look forward to it each night.
I really enjoy the time that is being spent in Latvia because I feel as if it is a very relational month and a time where I get to soak up time with the Lord and with the teams. I think this is what ministry at home will look like. It will be hard to try to go out and have a daily schedule of what ministry is going to be for the week. I will have to go out and find ministry to be involved in. It is going to be a choice at home. My time in Latvia has been a lot of choosing and listening. I want to wake up every day and go where the Lord is leading me.
So every morning I wake up and ask the Lord, “Where are You going today? Where are You going so I can follow?”
