So.......

I have packed up and I am planning on moving to the new apartment tomorrow!!! Yet, there is still this unsure-ness (not a word, I know!) in my heart, like something is going to happen in the next day… but if so, I am prepared to use the situation to glorify my Lord!!!

So if all goes as planned I will be out of this apartment and in a new one, but that also means I probably will not have internet access for a while, which means that I will not be able to keep up communication like I would like to.
So if there is a big gap of nothingness on my blog you will know why!!!

Plans for the next few days:
Today: Pack
Tomorrow: Latvian lessons, move to apartment, Youth night at church
Friday - Sunday: Go to the orphanage, teach English
Monday: Work, unpack and set up apartment

(Monday I should be able to give an update)

Thanks for chekin’ in!

Es esmu pati labaka sievite uz zemes virsas.netici? paprasi man…hahaha

Prayer update

First I want to thank all of you for your prayers! From the moment I sent that request I was filled with the Joy of the body of Christ! I was taken back by the encouraging words, by the compassion, and the similar situation many of you have gone through during your own personal journeys with our Jesus!

As of right now this is what is happening concerning the apartment situation…

After telling the Landlord that we would be looking for another place due to the current news of sharing the apartment with someone I do not know, I went out searching! Many of my dear friends here came along side me and helped me look for places and gave me numbers to call of people who could help. By the next day I was already looking at an apartment!
While at that apartment, I received information about the other apartment. The Landlord said that they have found another place for that other person to live so I don’t have to open up the apartment for the use of my toilet, kitchen, etc.
They also said they would like us to still rent from them if we were still interested.

The apartment we were just looking at was good too… so now I was sitting with more than enough options instead of nothing!!!

So, the decision so far is, I will wait until April 1st and hopefully move into the original apartment!!!

There are some hesitation just because of the way it has played out so far, but I will again trust in the Lord to handle it!!

I have learned so much through this! Looking back at the desperation and lack f faith I had almost makes me blush!!! I have said over and over again to the Lord, “do what you want with me.” And this is how I respond!! yeah, I got some major growin’ to do!

Thank you for loving me, speaking truth to me, telling me to suck it up, but more than anything thank you for your love! I have felt it throughout this time, and all I can say is you bless me!

I will update again as I get more information.

I need Prayer!

Yesterday I woke up for work ready to take on the world…by the end of the day all I wanted to do was cry like a little baby, quit…go back to America!

What happen you may ask?

Well as many of you know I have been looking for an apartment since I arrived over 5 months ago, after two months of looking I thought I found one, all we had to do is wait for the remodel to be finished (which was stated to be complete within a few weeks)…

… 3 months later…

Still waiting, but knowing I will have a place to live soon!

Then yesterday…

I lost the apartment! It is quite a long story of how and why, but the short end is that there was a girl who was going to live above us in this new apartment, but it was only a room…no water, no bathroom, kitchen, washing machine, and word got out that we were expected to allow her to have free use of all of our toilet, bathroom, kitchen and washing machine! First I thought this was a joke, but as we soon found out it was not!

They never told us this while we were waiting to move in. we called the landlord and asked if this was indeed correct, and she said it was and there in nothing really they can do about it! Hmmm.

Well I am sooo desperate to finally unpack my life from all the bags and boxes it has been in for the past 5 month, I was not really caring about the situation…BUT my team was! Scott, Lisa, and Liva all were very animate that this was not right and I shouldn’t live there with that situation. And this opinion was not just from them but every person who heard about it thought it was absolutely weird!

So after crying for about an hour or two, I have begun to search yet again for an apartment!!! I am back at square one! After 3 months of waiting, and anticipating…now this…again!

I am trying to see Jesus in this, but I am not going to lie and say that I understand this or am ok with it…
I am hurt, because my Jesus has allowed this. I am confused at why, and I don’t know if I will get an answer.

But one thing I do trust in is that no matter the situation or how I feel, I am deeply loved by Jesus, and he will provide.
He has a plan in this that I cannot see, and His ways are above mine. He is and will do something in this and that is exciting to be apart of!
My joy returns in the moments that I think about Him and his sovereign plan in all of this… but I am finding it hard to keep that focus right now… can you please pray?

They are all grown up!!!

I returned home from the orphanage on Saturday night this trip was quite different as I was not able to teach English at all! I arrived too late in the evening on Friday to teach the director and the teachers, and on Saturday I was privileged to be a part of celebrating Kitija and Krista’s 18th birthday in Saldus (the larger town next to the town where the orphanage is).

It was a great time to say the least! Endija, their older sister, and Sintija, Santa, and I got up at 5am and snuck into their rooms and tied the up… Kitija was first, and we did well at not waking her up! And then we tried to do the same to Krista, but she woke up so we POUNCED! Held her down and used plastic wrap to fasten her to her bed!!!
Then we went back into Kitija’s room to see that she was waking up… so we POUNCED again!!!! And tied her up GOOD!!!
Here are some pictures:






























Then later that day we went to Saldus to celebrate at a pizza place…little did they know what I had planned ;)
A birthday party is not complete without some sort of embarrassment…right? Sooo… this is what I did!












They had a great time and so did everyone watching!!! A good day and memories to match!

(Click the photo for the full slide show)

Real Quick...

I am finally going to the orphanage this weekekend... have not been there in a bout a month. two of my girls (the twins) are turning 18!!! ahhh!!! we will celebrate this weekend! (fun pictures to come!)

I am also waiting to here about when i can move to my new apartment... I am about to go crazy living out of bags, and not knowing where 3/4 of my stuff is!!! pray for me to have patience and shine Christ and not my fleshy frustration!!! please!!

Emotionally i am not doing so well! It started last night after a great chat with the fam (webcam style) This was the first time i have seen my family since i left. I thought i would be ok, and I actaully was and had a wonderful talk and great to see me neice and nephew, sister, and parents...
Got off the phone and was really happy...about an hour later i could not find the strength to smile! I have been quite down ever since. I just want to find a corner in this world where no one can find me and just cry!!! I think something big is going on in my heart and it is hard to explain, but it is deeper than missing "home".

please pray. thank you.

What happend in Rome...

After a LONG flight home, I finally arrived in Riga at 3am this morning! But praise God we arrived safe and sound, as we had to wait over and over again at the airport in Amsterdam because of “technical difficulties”! That is always such a nice way of putting it, don’t you think?

Anyway, this trip was more than beautiful for my whole being! Mind, body, and especially spirit! If any of you have been reading my updates or have spoken with me in the past months you could be sure to know that I have been struggling quite a bit. My spirit has just been a little down since I arrived here in Latvia. Not that I have had a terrible time so far. Not that I haven’t seen the Lord working here and in me. Not that I am second-guessing this calling.
I have just been felling different than ever before since I have come here for the “long term”. There have been many close friends and family of mine that have commented on my mood. How I am just “not my self” and I am “different”. All of what has made me quite uneasy about how I am handling this transition and this call of “missionary”, wondering if I am cut out for this, wondering if someone else should be here instead.

Jesus is SO GOOD TO ME!!!! I met with 35 women from all over Eastern Europe, who are also in full time missions, and who are my sisters in JV, and about half of those were SINGLE women!!!! And I got to talk to so many of them, ask them all the questions that I had about this crazy world that I just entered, and had some questions answered that I didn’t even know to ask!

One of which came on the last night together and I was talking to two singles that have been on the field for 2 to 3 years, Christina and Anna. We were just talking and Christina asked how long I had been in Latvia. I told her that I had been there for a little over 4 months. She just sighed (in unison with Anna!) and said, oh so you are not doing so good are you? And I just stood there in wonder. How did she know? So I asked what does she mean and she just said that looking back that part of her time in her new country was the hardest time of her life, and looking back she cannot believe how hard it really was, and was trying to think about how she got through it!

As she and Anna spoke about their transition they echoed my life right now and what I am going through and how people are responding to me in this time. It was such a relief to know I am not the only one, to know that this is quite normal!!

So…I am ok! Even if I am not ok! I will get through, and even better than “getting through” I will see God holding me, I will rest in Christ in me!!! It will get better, I will see light, I will see joy, I will!

What a blessing that was!

I also got to talk with many other women, one being a single missionary that has been in missions for over 10 years in Poland. Susan is nothing short of a true inspiration! She taught me about expectation of people, being the nationals, being people back home, being supporters, and how we will never make everyone happy with how we serve the Lord! We talked about money, and ministry, about being single and about living the “long term”. It was a much needed, much appreciated time! Thanks you Susan!!

And with all this wonderfulness, I got to see ROME!!! Here are the pictures! It was amazing! And to think about Jesus, the creator of the mind that created all of this!!! WOW!!!

(click the picture to see more pictures)

So now I am back and ready to take on LIFE!!!! Whatever that may hold!

Comment me, email me, or call me!!!! I want to share more!!!! (If you want to hear it!)