Let me paint a little picture for you. You are in the bush of Africa. You have been camping in tents for three weeks. Everyday you are living, walking, and working in the heat and humidity of the African rainy season. There is no running water and at the end of the day in order to get water for a shower you have to take your 20 liter bucket down to the well to pump your water and then carry the full 40 pound bucket back up the hill to the shower. Hold on… by shower I actually mean bucket. Which doesn’t necessarily get you clean it just gets you a little bit cleaner. More often then not you opt out of it and just use the excess amount of baby wipes you have stored in your tent. Again you’re not really clean, you are just a little bit cleaner. This whole experience makes you very grateful for running water.
Near the end of our month in Malawi I had the opportunity to take an actual shower. It was on an off day in a resort about 35 to 40 minutes away from our campsite. It wasn’t going to be hot but it was a shower nonetheless, and for that I was excited. But, as a procrastinator I waited till the last minute of our time at the resort to jump in the shower. As I was taking this shower, which was one of very few I actually took last month, my teammates were packing up my stuff outside, and in the midst of the shuffle my last pair of headphones disappeared. This is never good because sometimes headphones are necessary to have in order to have any alone time.
With these lost, the first order of business as we got into Riga, which is the capital city of Latvia, was to get a replacement pair of headphones. As we walked thru the city I noticed an electronics store, and after I found a replacement set we went to check out. As we were checking out we started a conversation with the clerk. She asked where we were from and why we were here. So we explained how we are here to help people and to teach Jesus. We told her about how during our month in Latvia we were assigned to a task called “Unsung Heroes” and how it was our job to bring light and recognition to ministers and ministries that are already doing great things for the kingdom here in Latvia. We explained that we are looking for people that the World Race can partner with in the near and distant future. To this she lit up and told us about the group that she was a part of and how they liked to help people as well. She showed us pictures of the orphanage she and her youth group went to and how they take supplies to the orphans that are mentally and physically handicapped. After further conversation, she offered us spots on the bus for their next visit to the orphanage in two days.
So two days came around and we found ourselves on a bus with 30 other Latvians from ages 12 to 30 headed up to the Kalkuni orphanage in Daugavpils, Latvia to give diapers, clothes, and art supplies to 50 of the 180 orphans that live there. While on the trip we were able to talk to the youth leader for a church called the Word of Truth. He and his youth group take multiple trips up to Kalkuni orphanage each year with supplies and with the love and grace of God. The youth group also takes one day out of the week and feeds the poor and homeless of Riga. It was an amazing blessing to see people from our generation and future generations stand up and live the life we as Christians are called to live… a life filled with giving of ourselves as Christ gave of Himself. Unsung Heroes number 1.
While on the bus to Kalkuni orphanage we were introduced to Aaron. Aaron is from Virginia and had been in Latvia for a few weeks. He and his wife are part of a team that raises support for numerous different works in both Latvia and in the Sudan. A few months ago he and his wife felt the call to come back to Latvia and decided, even though she was a few months pregnant, that they would answer the call to come to Latvia to support their contacts. When they on the mission feild, they are at home traveling the states raising funds to support those that cannot support themselves. Aaron and his team funded the trip that we were on. The diapers and clothes that we were delivering came in part from all the hard work Aaron had put in back in the states. The team he is a part of organized the bus, the two youth groups that were involved, and all the supplies that were being delivered. Along with all this, Aaron’s time at the orphanage was spent fixing the washers so they could clean the orphans’ clothes. These orphanages are government run but are not supplied with everything that the orphanage really needs. The government really only provides about 20% of what the orphanage actually needs. Aaron and his team heard the call, saw the need, and answered with their lives. Through their sacrifice God has been able to supply. In their work here they also raise money to send orphans to a Bible school once they are out of the orphanages. The school not only teaches biblical principles but also teaches practical studies so that the students come out with a sound education and a strong foundation for a successful, God-centered life. Aaron and his wife have lived a life of servitude. They have a strong desire to support others as they are led, following God wherever He may call, never asking for anything in return. Unsung heroes number 2.
Along with Aaron we were able to come in contact with a woman named Olga. She also has heard the call of God on her life. Two years ago she moved from Ireland to come to Latvia to start a home for orphans. She didn’t know how it was going to happen or how difficult it would be, but she answered the call by moving to a camp just outside of Riga. She has been building a home and preparing for the last two years, but has yet to get permission from the orphanages to have any children come and live with her. Even after two years without seeing the dream come true she has continued to act in faith that God will provide and bring her calling to fruition. Unsung heroes number 3.
You see, as I was taking a shower and losing my headphones in a small resort in Malawi, God was working out a plan. I am not saying God stole my headphones, but thru this small moment, this tiny part of life, God was working out a plan so that thru this one little instance our team would come into contact with not just one but multiple unsung heroes in Latvia that are already here spreading the kingdom. In Acts 3 Peter and James were just headed to the temple. They were the leaders of a movement that was about to spread across the nations. They could have had a thousand things on their minds; they probably had the whole day planned out with people they needed to meet or people they needed to see. They could have walked past the man that was sitting at the gates just like everybody else did that was headed to the temple. But something inside them said wait, you need to talk with this man, so they started a conversation that ended with “rise up and walk”. This one man was put into their path for whatever reason, he could have easily been passed by but because Peter and James were sensitive to a God that was continually working through them God was able to take a small moment and turn it into a massive event that portrayed the glory of God. Everyday God has put people into our path and wants to work things out in the small intricacies of everyday life to bring Him glory. He just asks us to follow Him wherever He may lead.
If you feel like supporting any of the ministries I have mentioned, please email me and I can give you more information. Please be praying for the work being done here. Pray for the underfunded and overpopulated orphanages. Pray for the ministers of Word of Truth and for Aaron and his wife Ashley. Pray that the orphanage system changes and that Olga is able to bring kids to her home so that she can provide them with a Godly mother and a sense of family and love.
