Read Part One first!
After the service, in the middle of eating yummy breads, pastries, cheese and endless coffee, Tabitha walked up to Chip and I. “We want to invite you to dinner.” Now, our squad is 48 people, but only 20 had decided to go this church service, so I started carefully trying to figure out exactly who she was inviting for dinner. Chip and I? The 20 that came? Our whole squad???
“So, um, like which ones of us?”
“All of you! I want your whole group!”
“That’s 48 people.”
“I know!”
“No, no, that is so many people, and too soon!”
“No it’s no problem, our privilege! I want you here at 6, and we are going to try and get you some clothes and boots to.”
She looked down at us. Please keep in mind that we looked as raggedy as you can get. A few of us didn’t even have sneakers when we got off that plane, just sandals. I was rocking the Keens with two pairs of socks on. My friend Grayson was standing next to me in just his Chaco’s. “Like those!” She pointed. “You will freeze in those! It’s snowing outside”
It was really all he had.
She looked at Grayson again, “What size do you wear?” He told her, she said she would be back.
10 min later, she walked up to Grayson and hands him a pair of boots that I would price in 80-100 dollar range. He just stares at her. All the Racers go crazy. You see, on our way over to church, Grayson and a few of us were wishing out loud that the church might take up some sort of collection for us, so we wouldn’t be freezing anymore. Here were the boots, the savior to Grayon’s feet and wallet and a representation to answered prayers. Tears and praise started flowing again, this was a day of blessing. Before we left, Tabitha again reminded me of 6pm, and at this point I asked her if we could use the sanctuary to worship all together after dinner. She said of course.
When we all arrived at 6pm, only 5 hours later on Easter Sunday, we found a mountain of food that was prepared for us by 12 or so of our new Brothers and Sisters. Pasta and Crepes. Our conversation around dinner was how this would never happen back home. Never would someone just invite 48 young adults over to dinner, cooking it in their “spare time” on Easter Sunday. After dinner, we got blessed some more, by clothes and boots! They had set up a thrift shop in a room for us, everything they had clollected in the afternoon. It was enough for everyone to walk home much warmer than they had come. I walked in cold with Keens and a CMA jacket. I walked away warm with boots and a skiing coat. We were being blown away by all they had done in a few hours for us.
After that, is was worship time. I had mentioned previously that during the morning service, they had a few baptisms. Shelley had asked Tabitha if it would be possible to use their baptismal during worship, and she had again said yes! We hadn’t had any baptisms on the Race thus far, something that I was talking to Lizi and Steven about just two weeks earlier. Then we kinda joked about doing baptisms in the Baltic sea and had a good laugh about it, God had a much better option. After spreading the word around that a baptismal was available here on Easter, during squad worship, 6 of our girls decided to be baptized. It was my absolute honor and privilege to baptize two of the loveliest girls on the squad, Deidre Lehmann and Amanda Kerr.
Amanda!
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Deidre!
It was the most beautiful day ever. We got blessed beyond compare by the Body of Believers from around the world, we worshiped together, we ate together, my sisters got baptized. It was the best 24 hours in a country ever, and the month had only just begun. I can't wait to see what else Latvia holds!
