Hello there!
thing have been moving along since my update. I have visited many different organizations and places in Latvia helping he type of people my heart is longing to reach. It has been a great time of just getting to know people in Latvia with the same heart and passion. And let me tell you there are deep needs here!
I spent some time with the director of Buckners here in Latvia and she is in over head with helping the needy here in Latvia. the main thing that Buckners does here in Latvia is work with orphans and foster homes trying to get the kids into family units instead of the institutions. Every time i have met with her my eyes and heart are ripped open to what the true need of these kids are. I also visited a very poor community out in a town 3 hours from Riga with her and a couple social workers. this community is set in a old military base that was abandon after the occupation. and the towns near by sent all the poor people who were not able to pay bills and make it in regular society and sent them there. this community has old apartment building but with not much more than four walls. not a lot of chance of heat or hot water, or even running water in some cases, and i also saw many apartments with the windows knocked out! I can not image what it is like in the winter with no windows or heat!!! Buckners has started a day center there for kids to come after school so they are not out on the streets. They get a hot meal and there is a program to keep them entertained and safe. it is amazing to see how it all works, but there is also so much need that you can’t help but hurt for these kids and their families!
I see my self working along side Buckners out there in the future, but we will see what the Lord says in all of that too.
I also had a chance to meet with a young lady named PJ, in her mid 80’s working in Latvia as a missionary working with teens who are dealing with pregnancy and abortion prevention. This woman amazed me and would amaze you too!! she has such a heart for serving the Lord and being obedient to what he has put on her heart. they do every thing from counseling before the teens have the baby, to helping them understand the consequences both physically, mentally, and emotionally linked to abortion, to sex education, to post counseling for those who chose abortion, to helping teen orphans, and much more.
I also had an opportunity to go with PJ’s assistant to an orphanage in a town outside of Riga to talk about these things and just meet the kids and build relationships with them. when we arrived we had a class full of 9 teen boys, and it was an amazing time of just talking and sharing, and building relationships with them. My heat was so touched when i went there, i also see my self returning to this orphanage and hopefully continuing to grow in relationship with the teens there.
there are tons of other things in the works too....
I just see the Lord really working on my heart and showing me his heart in this area of ministry here in Latvia. I am excited to see what is next!
Please pray that I will be in-tune to His still small voice as i search to see what the next chapter here in Latvia will look like for me.
