Ok… so we're not really stranded at all. I just want you to read this awesome story of how extravagantly the Lord provides for His children!
Our team after landing in Latvia… not really prepared for the snow!
Background info:
We are the very first team to ever come to Latvia for the World Race. So, we don't have anyone here that is familiar with us and available to help us find our way around.
The Story:
We fly into Riga International airport and after a short adventure to find our hostel we set out again to find a hospital. One of the girls on the squad is sick with a stomach virus and needs to go to the hospital as soon as we land. So, me and one of the guys on the squad volunteer to take her.
The lady that works at the front desk of the hostel where we are staying finds us a hospital not too far away, she calls us a cab and tells the cab driver where to take us. On the way, I quickly pray out loud "Dear Jesus, please let someone at the hospital be able to speak English".
Ten minutes later we arrive at the most beautiful hospital I have ever seen. It looks sort of like a castle. The taxi driver drops us off and drives away. We walk up to the main door. Its locked… as we realize this the aged Latvian man standing next to the door smoking his pipe grumbles something to us in Latvian. My reality starts to set in… Here we are, on the other side of town, I have no idea how to get a cab back to the hostel, its freezing outside (literally less than 32 degrees Fahrenheit with snow on the ground), our teammate is too week to walk anywhere, and this man doesn't speak English.
Ok, God. Now what are we going to do?
Two strangers walk up. One limping. I ask if they speak English. I get a weak nod. I find out my suspicions are correct. The grumbling of the old man was to inform us that the hospital was closed. I begin a game of 20 questions, hoping we can find our way to another hospital.
They try to explain in their best English only to give up and offer us a ride since they clearly need to be seen at a hospital too. Strangely, I readily agree to accept a ride from these strangers, as do my 2 teammates.
We hop in the back of their car and ten minutes later they drop us off at another hospital. Turns out all the hospitals in Latvia are specialized and this one only treats orthopedic injuries. The receptionist offers to call us a cab that will take us to a more appropriate hospital. We sit down to wait, thankful that we are on the right track and no longer stranded in the cold.
I notice a group of people also in the waiting room. I am aware of their eyes on us. I wonder what they are saying about us. But I don't think about it too long, since that has become a normal occurrence for the past 9 months.
Two people from that group walk up to us.
"Can we give you a ride to that hospital? We know its hard to find your way around here and we would like to help."
Really? Is this really happening. We have been in this country less than 5 hours and this is the second time a stranger has offered us a ride.
We have complete peace about it, so we decide to go with them. As we walk to the car they ask us why we are here. We explain to them about the world race and why we are in Latvia.
Over the course of the next 5 hours:
We learn about their involvement with YWAM, with D-NOW with a church in Texas, how their dad is a pastor of a local baptist church and their ministry with street children in the poorest district of Riga.
They become our friends.
They drive us around the city to 2 different hospitals.
They translated for us at both. Remember how I prayed that someone at the hospital would speak English? The Lord went above and beyond and gave us our own personal translator!
They sit with us in the waiting room.
They make sure our teammate is settled in her room for the night when she is admitted for IV fluids due to dehydration and they give us updates as everything is going on.
As i sat in the waiting room that night thinking of ways I could repay them, the Lord told me I can't. What? They have blessed us so much…we would have never been able to do this without them. He told me that that's the point. That's what the body of believers is about. Meeting each other in their need. Offering help and expecting nothing in return.
The whole time they had warm smiles on their faces and never once made us feel like a burden. It really seemed like their joy to help us!
At midnight they dropped us back off at our hostel and the story could have ended there. A story full of the love of the Lord. Full of charity and blessing and joy. But it didn't. Somehow it got better. Check out part 2 to see what happened on Easter Sunday 🙂
Disclaimer: I would never accept a ride from strangers under normal circumstances,especially not twice in one day!… but this entire day was orchestrated by the Lord!
