When I first decided to lead dad’s trip to Latvia I was sad that I would have to change my plans and miss out on some of my travels, but looking back I know God’s plans were much better than my own. Even though I was surprised to find myself leading 27 high school students to Latvia, God wasn’t surprised at all. Our time there was a complete “God week”. It wasn’t one that I planned, wasn’t one that I was anticipating, wasn’t one that I was overly prepared for… but none of that mattered because God had gone before me, gone before the whole team, and prepared a way for us to minister to the locals, encourage the missionaries, and be challenged ourselves.
From the first moment we arrived in Liepaja I could tell that this trip was going to be different. As we exited the bus at our hostel we were greeted by 15 Latvian students laden with candy and maps for everyone. A connection was immediately made and friendships were formed. In general, it takes a little while to crack the outer shell of most Europeans, but the Latvian students were open from the very beginning. After the first night of introductions they spent every moment they could with the American students, whether it was eating dinner, walking around town, or singing Karaoke, it didn’t matter to the Latvian teens. Within three short days I saw genuine friendships built between the American and Latvian students, friendships that would have usually taken weeks, months, or even years. God had truly gone before us and opened the hearts of the Latvians.
After spending three days teaching in their English classes and furthering our friendships, we invited the students to our Wednesday night program. They gladly accepted our invitation and showed up eager to see what we had prepared. It was during that evening that I realized God hadn’t just prepared the Latvian students, but also the American seniors. For two hours they sang worship songs that clearly presented God’s love and grace and shared testimonies with heartfelt honesty and vulnerability. The music was enjoyed and the stories touched the hearts of many. At the end of the evening every female in the church was in tears and a handful of the men as well. It was unmistakably God’s presence. I haven’t felt His presence in such a tangible way in quite some time.
One of the Latvian students approached me in tears explaining that she felt such a sense of peace and that she couldn’t stop crying. I tried, between my own tears, to explain that it was all God. As we ended out the night I heard one of the American boys telling a Latvian student that it was okay for her to forget him, to forget the whole group, but please, please don’t forget God and don’t forget that He sent his only son and that He loved her greatly. It was such an encouragement to see the high schoolers walking out their faith unashamed and full of passion. That night there was no denying that God is very much alive and
real. His presence, His peace, and His love was clearly felt by the
students. Two Latvian girls decided to give their life to God and
accept Christ as their saviour and many others were touched by the testimonies and challenged to think about the message that was shared.
real. His presence, His peace, and His love was clearly felt by the
students. Two Latvian girls decided to give their life to God and
accept Christ as their saviour and many others were touched by the testimonies and challenged to think about the message that was shared.
But God wasn’t done yet. To top off the evening God provided the chance for me to pour into a few of the American seniors by sharing stories and lessons learned from my World Race adventure. I was able to encourage them in their walk with Christ and challenge them to live out the life and purpose that God has planned for them. It was a beautiful moment, sharing about God’s greatness, His great plans for us, and the joy of walking those plans out.
When our week winded down to the end I was actually sad to say goodbye to everyone. What started out as a diversion from my original plans turned out to be an amazing week of seeing God at work. I don’t know why it still surprises me, but God truly does know best and the best possible use of my mid September was seeing 27 students come alive and share God’s love to those around them.
