LATVIA HERE I COME!



Chuck, Shelly and Glen

I first heard of Latvia in college from our friend Chuck Kelley who played the piano for a singing group I was in. He was my seat mate in a Biola Missions class, he loaned Glen his car for our first date and he was Glen’s roommate our Senior year. Chuck talked often of his Latvian roots and went on to found Bridge Builders Inernational. Glen serves on the BBI board.  I wouldn’t have believed you then if you had told me that all these years later, I would travelling to Latvia with Bridge Builders to minister to Latvian professional women!  

Lienite Bemera

From February 28 to March 11, 2013, I will be in Latvia celebrating the International Day of Women from a Christian perspective by speaking at multiple meetings in the capital of Riga and in outlying towns. My contact is Lienite Bemera, the director of Bridge Builders Latvia.  She has a burden for Latvian women.  Many of them are single mothers raising a family, suffering from broken marriages, and compartmentalizing God.  Basically they meet Him at church on Sunday morning and leave Him there. Lienite wants me to speak to the women about their identity in Christ, inviting Him into every aspect of their lives and learning to be soft under God’s hand.  

I will do a Kitchen Table Counseling seminar for Pastor’s wives and women leaders to equip them to better meet the needs of their “flocks.” Several afternoons are set aside for me to be available for one-on-one counseling at the Bridge Builders offices.

When I asked Lienite what Latvian women needed she said, among other things, they need prayer. Recognizing that there is strength in numbers, I’ve invited three friends, all professionals in their own right, to raise support and join me to minister to our sisters on the other side of the world. They will be sharing their testimonies of God’s personal involvement in their lives, praying with many who speak English and encouraging all they touch. We each need to raise $1,800 for travel and expenses. If you’d like to support this ministry, you can do so online!