Home!

We made it home safely. It was such a God filled experience for all of us. We met a bunch of new ladies from the Oklahoma, Michigan and New York, we merged as a team and were all great compliments of each other. We shared fellowship with the people in Latvia and did our best to show Christ's love, not only to the members of Sloka Church, but the ones who we're hearing the story of the Bible for the first time. The English they were speaking and reading from the Bible at the end of the week was considerably better than when we arrived. The teachers did  so well reaching out to the kids at the camp not only to teach them English, but to teach through the words of God. God blessed us with a more than memorable experience in Latvia. Thanks to him we are home safely, looking back on our time in Latvia. Thank you to everyone who has been following our blog and keeping us in your prayers.

Tuesday Prayer

Tuesday, July 13 – Travel day.

Pray for safe travel returning, and thank God for this amazing opportunity to make new friends and share the Good News with His children.

rest of the week!

The past three days have been completely outstanding. Saturday was the last day of English Camp, each class spent the day preparing for their presentations for the closing ceremony and learning about the second coming of Christ. It was a rather laid back day, as soon as all of the classes had their presentations ready to go, we all played games outside and had fellowship. Around four parents started coming for the closing ceremony. We started with the pre-school class, they sang a song in English and every single one of them did the motions, it was adorable. Then was the first entry level class, they each held up a sign with a few words on it to complete the verse John 3:16, then they recited it. The second entry level class played guitar and sang Kumbaya and had everyone sing it with them, they were so sweet singing that song. The intermediate class did the drama they did during the week about feeding the five thousand, in English of course. The first advanced class for their performance sang "Awesome God" and "King of Kings" and the second did a drama involving idioms, for example, green thumb and lend me a hand. All of the performances were a benefit to the children's English abilities, at their own level. After the performances we prayed and had a traditional (delicious) Latvian meal. As the children waited with much anticipation the men built a fire and we started to make smores. The Latvian kids loved roasted smores. After cleaning up we had the great honor to be invited to the home of Vladimir and Mara for a cookout. Not everyone on the team came, but a few of us travelled to their home. We had a cookout and Brian and I went to the gulf of Riga with a few of the boys that went to camp. It was such a great time. Sunday began so wonderfully, it was our last Church service together and most children came to sing the new songs they learned in English. After Church we took some pictures, said our goodbyes and went back home to change to go out for the day. First we went to Jaunplis Castle, it was built in the 1500's and it was beautiful. We took a tour and had the opportunity to go up into the bell tower of the Church. After touring the castle we went to a park called Sati, it was such a good experience. We went into a Latvian sauna, it was so much fun. you go into the actual sauna, lay down, and they hit you with hot birch branches and leaves, then after you are finished you jump into a freezing cold pool, and then repeat. Mrs.Coe and I got to rub coffee on our hands before going in. It was so much fun. when we got back from the park everyone we were with came back and watched world cup with us on the computer, it was fun, especially to hear them translate the Latvian announcer, Monday was our last full day in Latvia, and what a day it was. We all woke up early to have breakfast together and to get ready to leave for the train to go to Riga, the capital city of Latvia. It was about a 50 minute train ride to get there, but it was well worth it. We all did our own things, strolling around Old Riga, some of the ladies shopping, others sight seeing. One of the first things we did was go to the     , to listen to an organ concert. It was really special because at the end of the concert we found out that a few of the people we had been staying with set up for Mr.Coe to be able to play the organ at this ancient church. Our whole Florida team got to go up to watch him play and look down at the rest of the church, it was beautiful. After the organ concert we went and had lunch, and went shopping. When the day was almost over we went to The Occupation Museum of Latvia. It was so interesting, I always thought that when the soviets took over Latvia, they just ruled over the country. But today i learned that they deported many of the citizens, and when the Germans "liberated" Latvia, the Latvians were happy to have a hero but this didn't last long. Soon Nazi Germany started to do their thing on the people. Latvians were murdered in cold blood and were terrorized. When the Nazi reign was over the soviets took over once again. Latvia finally became a free country in 1991, which is not that long ago. The museum was very eye opening to all of us and also made us glad that we were given the opportunity to show the love of God to those kids this week. When done at the museum we all went and had lunch together then headed back on the train. Since then we have been packing and getting ready to come back to the United States! Saying goodbye is so difficult. Please pray for us for safe travels!

Monday Prayer

Monday, July 12 – Touring Riga.

Pray for our team as we relax and enjoy the beautiful city of Riga.

Sunday Prayer

Sunday, July 11 – Worship with campers.

Pray that many campers and their families would attend church, and that our singing would touch the hearts of those attending.

Saturday Prayer

Saturday, July 10

Last day of camp and closing program.

Theme: Sports. Bible: Jesus will return. Pray that all will be assured that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven. May our final preparations for the closing program go well, and may the evening be a time of fellowship and sharing Christian love.

TGIF

None of us can believe that it's Friday! It was the second to last day of camp, the week has gone by so fast. Today we began with our regular devotions and music led by Mr.Coe. It was a very important day because the Bible lesson was about the Crucifixion and Resurrection. After yesterday's rain everyone was praising the Lord for the sunshine we had today. Classes stayed outside, along with recreation and craft. We took a bunch of pictures today of the kid's during classes, they would be found in the English Camp album. At the end of the day we did a drama made up by one of our team members about the Resurrection. It would be such a blessing to get through to these kids about the love of Christ. Another blessing we received today was to celebrate Jim and Sharon's 33rd wedding anniversary! Tomorrow is the last day of camp, we will have our closing ceremony with all of our kids and their parents. We will be sure to write about it tomorrow! Keep us in your prayers.

Friday Prayer

Friday, July 9

Theme: Holidays. Bible: Crucifixion and Resurrection from Matthew 27. Thank God for His forgiveness, and pray that the mission does not stop here but continues in the lives of the students, their families, the team, and everyone back home.

Tuesday-Thursday

Tuesday was us getting into the groove of things. Camp went very well, as planned and the kids learned about Jesus feeding the five thousand.  Wednesday was another day at camp, but at night we had two planned excursions. First, some of us from the group went to visit a local orphanage, six of the children at camp live there and we thought it would be good to go visit them in their home. We were all so relieved to find out that it was a very warm and loving environment. After that short visit , the entire group traveled about half an hour away to a natural beach on the Baltic Sea to watch the sunset. It was a little windy but the rain held off for us to be able to go. We all took pictures and had our devotion and then just for the sake of saying we had, Brian and I went into the Baltic. Brian, being a boy, went all the way in and swam,  I on the other hand, only went in up to my waist. It was a little cold, but totally worth it. After the swim we changed and went up to some picnic tables for some snacks and conversation with the team and our hosts. The sun was supposed to set at 10:19 (yes that late), so we all stayed there and watch the sun set over the Baltic. I can honestly say that I don't think I have ever seen something so beautiful. Brian said to me, "this couldn't get any better" and I responded, "unless there was a rainbow, those always make things perfect." Not ten minutes later we turned around to chat with the rest of the group to see a rainbow in the sky, opposite to the sunset. I couldn't believe it, God made such beautiful things for us here on earth, and it was a blessing to be able to admire them. We took a lot of pictures at the beach that will be posted, they are breathtaking, (thanks to Brian our pro photographer). Thursday was a rainy day, but to all of our surprise went very well. All of our campers were well behaved for being cooped up inside all day, we were able to have recreation time outside towards the end of the day to get most of the energy out. We are all really starting to bond with the kids and building relationships, it is really great to be able to know their names and have conversations helping them practice their English. Speaking of their English, most of them are very skilled speakers, they may fumble over a few words, but most of them are very fluent. They also watch American movies, so they are familiar with idioms. The Bible lesson was the blind man that Jesus healed, the drama that they did was outstanding, all in English. Tomorrow is our second to last day of camp! Please pray that we really connect with the kids tomorrow, especially because the Bible lesson is about the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Pray that the Holy Spirit is with us tomorrow. Oh, and yes we have been able to watch a little bit of World Cup! Thank you for the support!

Thursday Prayer

Thursday, July 8

Theme: Health. Bible: Healing of a deaf man and a blind man from Mark 7:32-37 and Mark 10:46-52. Pray for strength to keep going even though we may have had some sleepless nights and long days. (The sun rises at 4 am and sets around 11 pm.)

Wednesday Prayer

Wednesday, July 7

Theme: Friendship. Bible: Healing a Paralytic from Mark 2:1-12. Pray that teachers, staff, and students may reach out to each other in care and friendship, and that we may know the perfect love of Jesus. As students get more comfortable with classes, pray that the teachers will have patience and innovation and that the students will remain enthusiastic and disciplined.

Tuesday Prayer

Tuesday, July 6

Theme: Food. Bible story: Feeding of 5,000 from John 6:1-16. Pray that students may learn the power and love of God. Pray that the songs we teach may touch their hearts and that they may prepare well to share music on Sunday.

First day of camp!

Today was busy busy busy! Our first day of camp went well, the first day is always such a learning experience. We spent the day getting to know the kids, the day started out with and evaluation to gauge how advanced the kids are in English to decide the class they should be placed in. After we had a music session and devotion led by the wonderful Mr.Coe. For those who were a part of VBS at St.Lukes, we have been using the song Ancient Words, the Latvians sing it so beautifully. Then we broke out into classes, today's English lesson was about family, and the Bible lesson was about the birth of Jesus. After the class session we had a delicious lunch of vegetable salad, sausage and noodles. We had this very interesting desert that the children had a fun time explaining to us, it was called rice cream (not ice cream) and it was rice in a sort of loose whip cream on top of cherry nectar. It's a rather popular desert here in Latvia, at first sight it looked a little odd, but tasted good nonetheless. After lunch was the Bible lesson and then the craft/activities rotation. The craft for today was to make Christmas tree ornaments to accompany the Bible lesson for Jesus's birth. The older kids activities, thirteen and up, was a game of kickball. We had a blast playing and talking with the older kids. For the record Brian's team beat my team 6-2 (Brian had two home runs). Then the little kids were pretty tired, so we let them sit in the shade and draw with chalk or throw a ball back and forth, pretty low key for them. Next comes snack time where we ate jam and bread, now while that may sound boring, it was the absolute best jam in the entire world. After snack was the drama about the Christmas story and the closing event. As the day was winding down we ate dinner, soup and bread, then we had our meeting to smooth out the kinks in our plans for the next day. A few of us walked down to the store and bought some ice cream, soda, and presents for our families. Since we've been relaxing and preparing for our day at camp tomorrow! One of the ladies in our group from Oklahoma did our nightly devotions and talked about all of the different gifts God has given us. This was shining out today as every person found their own niche and helped everyone to have a fun Christ filled day. Keep us in your prayers!

Monday Prayer

Monday, July 5 – First day of camp.

Today’s theme is family and the Bible lesson is the Birth of Jesus from Luke 2:1-20. Pray for safe travel for the students as they come to camp, their willingness to learn English and hear the Word of God, for testing and placement of students, and for us to develop a good rapport with our new students.

Fourth of July!

Today was just wonderful. It all started out with a delicious breakfast made by our hosts Mara and Velga. Then we went to Church at the Sloka Evangelical Lutheran Church, it was a great service, they sang "Amazing Grace" for us in english, they are absolutely outstanding singers. At the end of the service we were all brought up to the front of the Church and each given a red rose and a personal thank you. It was such an amazing experience to hear how greatfull the Pastor and Head Trustee were to have us there. After church we were taken on an outing to a restaurant called Lido. There was every food you have ever wanted, and a good amount of Latvian culture and music, this place is indescribable. To get a good idea check out our pictures! After filling up with a big lunch and walk around Lido we got back onto the bus and headed for Jūrmala, we got to walk to the Gulf of Rīga (Baltic Sea) and put our toes in. Then we walked down Jomas street which was full of shops, so we spent a while going in and out of stores and just strolling around enjoying the nice weather. When we got back to the Sunday school building we are staying at they had a surprise cake and candy with the American flag on it for the Fourth of July. It was an especially nice gesture because today is their Holocaust memorial day. After dinner Brian and I were invited by our new friend Raimonds and a few other local kids our age to go swimming in a quarry down the road. It was such a blast, we got to walk and talk and then go swimming. Tomorrow camp starts, so I'm sure the morning will be a mad rush, but we are all excited to meet the new and returning kids coming to camp and to worship our awesome God! We all wish everyone had a fantastic Fourth of July. Check out all of our pictures!

Sunday Prayer

Sunday, July 4 – Worship.

Pray for us as we worship with our brothers and sisters at Sloka Lutheran Church, set up and prepare for camp, and build relationships with other team members. Remove any anxiety that we may have.

it's 9:35 pm and it is still bright as day!

Today has been a long day. We survived our international flight from Atlanta to Copenhagen. It was about 9 hour flight, but we got in about a half hour early because we had a massive tailwind. Thankfully, we had plenty of time in Copenhagen because it was an absolutely beautiful place. We went on a nice little walk around the airport, it was very interesting that most of the employees rode their bikes to work and the neighborhoods were so close to the airport. Brian and I took lots of pictures that will soon be posted! From Copenhagen we got onto a turbo-prop airplane to Riga, Latvia. We were greeted by the warm smiles and hugs of Mara, Velga, and our MOST team leader Roxanne. We got into a van and made the forty minute drive from Riga to Sloka. The architecture in this country is gorgeous and there are so many colorful flowers, we are loving every minute of it. Not to mention the weather, the sun is shining with a nice cool breeze. When we arrived at the Sunday school building we are staying in, we unpacked, met the rest of our team mates and had a delicious dinner all together. We planned the camp schedule for the rest of the week and now we are just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. Praise the Lord for this beautiful place and for all the people we are anxious to meet! Now we are all off to get a good night's rest before we attend the Latvian church tomorrow morning. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers!

and we're off!

Sitting in the Orlando airport patiently awaiting our flight to Atlanta. Brian and I just finished watching the World Cup Netherlands vs Brazil game thanks to Mr.Coe for taking us up to the Delta sky club! The day has started out perfectly, Pastor Schuschke prayed with us and we had our farewells. This is only the first leg of our journey and hopefully the rest goes as smoothly. Our returning team members are excited to reunite with their friends in Latvia, as Brian and I can't wait to meet them! Please pray for safe travels. God is so great to give us such an opportunity.

We are almost ready

July 2 – 13 MOST Ministries (Mission Opportunities Short Term) is sending a mission team to Latvia. Five members from St. Luke’s, Brian Blank, Jim Coe, Sharon Coe, Annalisa Condame, and Kathie Zastrow, together with team members from Oklahoma, Michigan, and New York, will lead an ESL (English as a Second Language) camp in Sloka. Our mornings will include a devotion and English lessons, and the afternoons are more of a VBS style with Bible stories, crafts, recreation, drama and music.