I got off the plane from Africa to Latvia, Europe and it was
snowing. So, I wore my two jackets and shorts with boots; what I carried with
me in case of cold. It was such a wonderful change in weather and everything
else. We were no longer the only white people in sight for miles in the airport
or walking down the street. We had no one staring at us anymore because of our
skin color or how we look. We blend in!
We stayed in Riga, Latvia for a few days before moving to
ministry. From a series of events and quite a story (you can read about it on
my teammate Shelley’s blog by clicking on her name) we found a
church to go to on Sunday morning in Riga for Easter. It was a Baptist church
and would have translators for us. About 20 people from the squad went to
church that morning. We walked in the snow, taking the local trolley
transportation. We walk in and it’s beautiful inside! There are paper birds
hanging from the ceiling, the baptismal pool has rose petals in it, and
everyone was smiling. They had coffee and refreshments before the service
started.
We went into the balcony because they rarely use it, and
waiting for the service to begin. The service was so cool! There was a power
point screen of a shadow performance of the story of creation to Jesus, the
Resurrection and our life now. There was a hand moving sand around, making
people, trees, and other pictures. They also had a great band: a violinist,
pianist, trio of singers, guitarist, and sax player.
At the end of the performance, they had communion and
worship. They even sang, How Great is Our God. Ally loves this song so much
because everyone knows it around the world. She loves hearing all different
languages sing together in this song and reminds her of what eternity will be
like. I agree!
After the service, they mentioned they would have food, and
boy they did! Wow, there were so many things to eat, vegetables, sandwiches,
cakes, fruits, rolls, coffee, tea, and more. It was unbelievable and the most food
we have seen in a long time; a huge blessing nonetheless.
Then they approached a small group of us and invited the
whole squad of 48 people to eat dinner that night. They also wanted to bring us
warm clothes since some didn’t have any (coming from hot weather from the past
9 months), including shoes for those who needed them!
It was an Easter to remember, that’s for sure. What an
incredible story of God’s love and redemption. Here we have been serving for
the past 9 months looking for nothing in return and God blesses us. No other
World Race teams have been to Latvia before, so we were stepping into new
territory for Adventures. God broke the ice really quick.
