Fifth Post from Latvia

Wednesday Night


Coffee with Lienite (far right)

It’s been a long, good day.  Before Lienite came to pick us up at 10 this morning, Beth wanted to take me through the material that she will present for her seminar on singleness this weekend.  Her material is good and I think it encouraged her to get some good feedback.  After Lienite came, we walked to some of the more reliable tourist shops, had coffee and then on to the Museum of the Occupation which contains lot of fascinating history and pictures.  It felt important to get a sense of Latvian history.  They have been an oppressed nation for many years.  Lienite is a psychotherapist as well as a godly young woman and she is deeply concerned for the identity of servitude and oppression that they carry after so many generations without freedom.  It’s a very sad and somber feeling.

Liga (far left) telling us about the Latvian Congress

From the museum we walked to Parliament where the director of Protocol met us.  Liga is an absolutely adorable young woman.  She was also our hostess at church and lunch on Sunday.  She met us with special I.D.’s and we walked right in with them after showing our passports.  The building is gorgeous.  It felt like some of the elegant historical places we saw in Austria.  We went into all the important rooms, with spectacular but sparse furnishings, ornate, high, painted ceilings and stained glass windows.  The chamber of the congress was very impressive and we had our picture taken in front of the main seats and table. 

(from L-R) Shelly, Beth and Tracy
at the front of Congress Chambers

We went to lunch in the parliament cafeteria and a lady met me for counseling.  She is a pastor’s wife with 5 children and works full time at the parliament as well. We sat in the corner of a nearly empty dining room and talked for nearly an hour and a half.  When we joined the other ladies they were praying for Liga but not with heads bowed or eyes closed—trying not to be overtly obvious about a prayer meeting in the middle of Parliament!

I am getting the sense that most of the women don’t have a deep love for scripture nor a depth of intimacy with Jesus.  This is becoming clearer after several in-depth conversations.  Another thing I’ve observed is that there is great frustration with the Latvian Bible translation.  The newest one came out a couple of years ago.  During the seminar on Monday, I asked several times, “what does this reference say?”---great disgust was shown over the poverty of translation and one girl said, “I feel like we have been deceived because of the translations!!”

We got back to the apartment just a few minutes before my next counselee came.  Another pastor’s wife except she does not speak English.  The 19-year-old daughter of one of the BBI staff members came to translate.  She had blue hair.  What an interesting counseling session!  I don’t know if the Pastor’s wife got anything to take away.  But I am trusting the Lord to speak through the translation and through the scripture I sent home with her as well as through the love and prayer that we expressed for her.  Am wondering if the whole thing wasn’t meant to impact the 19 year-old also? 

(from L-R) Lienite, Anna, Lienite's sister

A few minutes after the two ladies left, Lienite, her daughter and Lienite’s only sister came to meet us for dinner.  We walked down just a few doors to an Italian restaurant.  The ceiling was so low in parts, I had to duck.  We had a lovely conversation and enjoyed getting to see Lienite in her family environment.  At dinner we had a very interesting conversation about how Latvian pastors and their wives need to learn how to have boundaries in order to protect themselves, their children and their marriages.  It seems like it’s a very deep, serious problem. 

We are now back at the apartment and I am going to crawl in bed.  The next few days

will fly by.  Tomorrow I have a breakfast counseling appointment and two other ladies are coming here to the apartment for one-on-one time.  I need to review my messages and get ready for the meetings.  Friday-Sunday I will speak 6 times.  The Lord is working and we are trusting Him to do more.  There is a bad virus going around.  Three of the key ladies on the planning team are flat in bed with it.  Lienite and Liga just recovered from it.  I am praying that the three of us on our little team don’t get sick.  Both Tracy and I feel less fatigued than we did yesterday!  Much to be thankful for. 

The weather was much warmer today.  I didn’t need gloves, hat or ear-muffs.  They say the cold will come back tomorrow! 

Back to All Recent Posts.