God of the rain

BRRRRRR!!!!

We woke to a cold and rainy Sunday morning in Latvia. After breakfast we walked down the road to get on the bus that would take us to church in Jelgava. Wish I had thought to bring an umbrella… or closed toed shoes…or a warmer suit of clothes…hmmm…

No matter. We were able to take twelve kids from Lejasstrazdi with us, and the church service was great despite the language difference. The pastor’s sermon was about the power of Jesus, which is exactly what we have been learning about in VBS. The kids were so attentive, and it was a blessing to be able to worship with them in an actual church setting. Hearts are being softened, and the Holy Spirit is definitely here and moving.

When we left the church, we could see our breath in front of us. Cold! Really missing those close-toed shoes…and the umbrella. Lunch was at Silva and the food was wonderful. Again, we experienced such a peace among our group as the children enjoyed a nice meal away from the orphanage.

Back at Lejasstrazdi we held our third day of VBS. Today’s lesson was about the power of Jesus to take away our sins and give us eternal life. The focus was on the cross and the price paid there for our forgiveness. Once again, the kids were very attentive during the Bible lesson. Two of the workers from the orphanage even listened in. During Cora’s closing prayer three kids indicated that they wanted Jesus to forgive their sins. Praise God! Please pray that God will help us to have the right words to say, and that these kids will make commitments to Jesus Christ.

It was too wet to have our regular recreation time, but Rick and Terri were brave enough to try the Coke and Mentos activity anyway. The Coke did not shoot into the air as high as we would have liked, but Rick was sufficiently surprised—and the kids were entertained.

The time of sharing that followed was amazing! As we stood shivering in the cold under the open-air shed and team members shared about times in which God has sustained us, the kids were so receptive. We want these kids to know that no matter what trials life might bring their way, Jesus is the only One who can give true peace, and He is the only Friend that will never let them down. Our hearts were warmed by the exchange and the eagerness of the kids to listen.

Then the interns performed a skit to the song “Come to Jesus,” with each of the actors in the skit finding their way to Jesus and the foot of the cross. Oh, how great is the love of our Savior that He calls to us in our time of need, and that His love kept Him on the cross in our stead. The children of Lejasstrazdi are being provided with many opportunities to learn these truths.

Team devotion time was an awesome worship experience. Wow! Today, we have truly witnessed the moving of the Spirit.


A pastor once said that nineteen drops of rain would keep twenty Baptists away from church. I don’t know about that, but I thank God today for the rain in Latvia. It is because of the rain that we have had a captive, attentive, receptive audience.

Continue to pray for the Spirit’s moving as hearts are softened and lives are changed.

Love and hugs,
Cindy