School of Leaders

I am back from the first experience of the training program called “School of Leaders”! it was a great time just to see how things work and meet all the youth workers around Latvia.
I was taken back by the great battlefield these young leaders face daily! There are so many stories of these few faithful children of God and the way they have given their all for the sake of the youth of Latvia! If it encouraging and heartbreaking in the same breath!
This weekend a verse that I have heard over and over again rang clearer than ever before;

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Luke 10:2

And that is what I ask of you!!! These young leaders need this so desperately! I wish I could explain in words the great works they are doing here for Christ!! It was a blessing to see!

Here is a few video clips of the weekend!
The first is just an idea of the training sessions (keep an eye on the end with Scott and his computer)

The second and thrid video clips are of our :
"Specail ED"ition of School of Leaders!!!
Featuring non other than
SCOTT RUNZO!!!!

And the thrid clip just clips of time spent together in worship to our Jesus!

Labdien! ("good day!")

It has been a minute or two since last update. So I thought before for I leave for the weekend, I would let you all know how things are going.

I am still in the same position I was last time with apartment searching…which is very discouraging, yet there is a peace that I did not have last time I write on this subject. Which mean someone must be praying for that ;) thanks!
Every morning I take my hour travel into to town for work, I ride a bus for about 30 minutes and then a tram for another 20 and then walk for about 10. I swear I pass about 1000 apartment buildings and I just sit/stand (depending on how full the bus and tram are!) in complete amazement that is it so difficult to find an apartment! How can it be? Well a couple of factors make it a bit difficult.
1. I will have a roommate, which means I will need to rent an apartment with more than one bedroom. And when you look at apartments here when it says 2 rooms that means a bedroom and a living room, which is quite normal for Latvian to live in. they have no problem sleeping in (what we would call) the living room. And honestly that still would not be an issue for Lelde (my future roommate and co-worker) and I, but because of the type of ministry we are in (youth work) we will need to have that living room free for a meeting area. So if we are out and want to come home and invite others over for tea, or a movie, or just hanging out we can have the freedom to do so…So that means we need to rent a “3 room” apartment. Which is not so common in Latvia.
2. Because of the first reason it causes the price to rent to raise considerably, but we have a budget of about 250ls, which translates to about $500. This seems like it would be enough, yet Latvia for some reason is getting SO expensive! To give an example of what most apartments we have seen so far for that amount look like:

But there are some good ones too… I have faith it will work out!!!

3. Because we will be working mostly in the center of Riga, that again raises the price, and there are many people who also are looking for apartments in this location because it is very central to everything. So the demand is huge! Which means we spend a lot of time calling and then just getting shut down because the apartments have already been taken. (Especially the good ones!)

So that’s a little bit about the struggle of the apartment search! Not only is it hard to find one, it is also hard to be here in Latvia, knowing I am here, but feeling like I am just visiting since I have been living out of bags, eating other peoples food, sleeping in someone else’s home, etc.

If you can just pray that I would engage even in the midst of that feeling? I was talking with one of my dear friends about life last night and she was talking about school and struggles with just not feeling like life is worth anything right now. And I was encouraged to know that no matter where we are, school, work, home, America, Latvia, your own place, or someone else’s, we are not here for “us” we are here for him! At that moment I realized the more I concentrate on “me” in this place, I will get down and depressed, feeling sorry for myself, hating life! But the moment I look at “me in Him-and Him in me” it changes everything! I can live in the struggle, in the pain, in the frustration, knowing it is not about me in Latvia, it is about

HIM IN LATVIA,

and he has got me here to use me for HIS purpose!! Wow, I am not worthy, but I feel blessed to be chosen to do it for him! May I surrender continually to him!

So this weekend I will be gone. I will be going to my first experience with “School of Leaders” which is one of our main ministries that happens during the “non-summer” ministry. I am not too sure what to expect, but I will tell you how it goes! Check out this link for more on this:

http://jvlatvia.com/index.html

Thanks for reading, thanks for showing your support and love! I would love to hear from you! Whether that is through a comment, or e-mail!! I wanna see pictures too!!! I miss you all!

I dimmed "my light"...

Many may know, many may not know, but I have been bumming about finding a place to live for a while (ha-ha, well two weeks). I have been complaining and feeling sorry for myself. I have had so many thoughts that are not glorifying to my Jesus.
During our weekly meeting a verse was brought up about the very thing that I have been guilty of, and I am convicted.

Do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you SHINE LIKE STARS in the universe.
Philippians 2:14 +15

Through my unbelief that my Jesus is in control of this, that his timing is better than mine, I have found myself not content. I have found myself depressed and unmotivated. Through my complaining I have expressed outwardly my disbelief that God is in control.

And because of that my light has been dimmed.

I am embarrassed, I am humbled.

I have come to shine the light of Christ and in the battle of spirit and flesh I have allowed my sinful desires to cover the very light I have come to shine!

May this be an experience that will stay with me throughout my years of following my Jesus, so that I will be more aware of the subtle yet fierce battle to allow Christ to shine through me!

I Got A Ticket...already!

Sunday afternoon, not much to do. Had a great idea to go just hop on buses that goes to who knows where, get lost, get found, and do it again! Yeah sounds fun!
Then I even had a better idea, I would go on the busses but bring my language tablet, my dictionary, and my personal “language helper”, my daughter – Endija. Yep, sounds good!

So we were off! Found a bus that neither one of us knew where it went and hopped on! It was a great time of learning and just enjoying each other, the Latvian people, and Latvia!
After a while we realized that everybody had gotten off of the bus and we were heading to a pretty deserted area.
Oop, the end of the road for this bus. Problem was is that that bus was the only one we could take back (30 minutes later) so we sat at the bus stop in the freezing cold (sounds familiar!) and waited for the bus that we were just on to drive up about 20 feet just to let us back on.
When we got back on I was waiting for the lady to come take my money to get my ticket, but she saw that we had already been on this bus, so she just let us go without paying.

Cool.
Well… not so much!

About 15 minutes later a very large gruff looking lady came up to me, and in my broken understanding of Latvian, I knew she was asking for my ticket. Hmmm. Now what? I tried to explain what had happen, she didn’t care and seemed to get more upset when she realized that I was American and spoke English. Endija tried to explain she still didn’t care, and just got more upset! Then she just threw out her hand and said 2 lats.
What?!!! 2 lats? That’s 4 dollars! The bus ride cost 20 santiems! That is 40 cents! Man this sucks! Well I gave her the money because obviously I was not going to get her to understand! And then she took out her little ticket book and gave me a ticket!!! Ha ha! This is priceless! I got a ticket for not paying, and I am here to be a missionary! Sweet!

I couldn’t help but laugh as I was being issued the ticket (which did not make the lovely lady any more happy with me) as we were getting off the bus Endija told me that she was still talking bad about me and how it is like this all the time with people like me!

Hmmm… now I just need to find a frame that will fit the ticket!! ;)
Fun times!
Oh and I did learn a lot of Latvian that day too, thanks to Endija!

Good shoes…

So I learned yet another lesson last night! Good shoes in cold weather are a must! ;)

So yesterday morning I woke up to snow! And it snowed most of the day! Very cool. So I was prepared! I layered up and I was thinking about what shoes to wear and well I have these shoes that are quite old, but I love them and if I double socked I would be fine. But when I went to put them on I realized the sole was cracked all the way across the bottom. Hmmm that is a bummer! How can I fix that? * Bing! * DUCKTAPE!!! So I taped up the inside and outside of my shoe! That will keep the wet out…or so I thought!

When about my day, quite warm for the most part. I was proud of my Arizona born, yet taking on this COLD day with gusto!!! Yeah I can do this I can live here! Later that night I was in a church attending their youth night with some youth, and then we decided to go get coffee after. We walked for a mile or so and then sat and had some coffee. At this point I realized my feet were pretty cold (one more than the other) and I just though, guess these shoes are not gonna hack it for this cold weather…* note to self*.

After coffee it was time to take the bus journey home! From the center I have to take two different busses both taking about 30-30 min. yet tonight it took much longer… the traffic was terrible, I think there were a few accidents on the road I was on. Anyway, I was late catching my bus at 10:39 pm… I got there at 10:45!!! Yes..welp next bus: 11:55pm! -0 degree weather, one hour, yep I am gonna die! Actually many things during that hour kept my attention. A lot of drunk people, a fight with the drunk people, a group of guys (who were drunk) coming to and trying to talk to me. Then trying to speak English. A drunk guy throwing up about 2 feet away! Yeah time flew by! Ha-ha!

Anyway about 15 min in I started feeling a lot of pain in my foot. I just thought it was cold, and that went on for the whole hour I was there. When the bus finally came I really couldn’t feel my foot, but I figured it would thaw out in the bus. When I got on the bus I realized I couldn’t move my toes! I thought, FROST BITE!!! I don’t even know what it feels like or how you get it, but I have seen terrible things in movies! So as I was sitting next to a grumpy old woman just glaring at me I took off my shoe and my socks…they were soaked!!!!! Oh man stupid Duck Tape didn’t work!

So all that to say, my favorite pair of shoes have been retired :(

*Note to all the cold weather people
Laugh all you want, and yes I know this is not a cultural thing. But in a way it is to me so… yeah! Whatever ;)

I am not in “Kansas” anymore!

Well how do I explain how crappy feel right now! Hmm I guess the first sentence takes care of that!!!
Welp, today, not soo good! I mean I was a good day in the way that I am breathing, and that the sun came out (well enough to make it look like dusk!). I woke up to a rainy day, yet again. Which is fine because I was warned about this time of year and the weather. But me being me, I wore a pare of shoes that any sane human being would know that would not work for such cold wet weather, yet I didn’t give it a thought! Hmmm, and as I sit here and type this, my feet are now thawing, and unwrinkling from being soaked all day! Sweet!
On to my day at “work”.

Today’s task:
find apartments to go look at!

My thoughts:
exciting! No problem. Just looks some up, give um a call, go check it out. If I like what I see, MOVE IN!!!

Reality:
sat on my butt all day, looked…oooh too expensive! Looked some more… oooh definitely not livable!!! Looked some more…oooh this one is perrrrfect…sorry already taken!
Yup and we did that for the whole workday! Neat!

Funny thing is, I got “home” to Scott’s house and I was taking to him, and he asked me what I wanted to do, and in my most amazingly sweet demeanor I said without the least bit of sarcasm, “ hmmmm, what would I like to do? I would like to go on the Internet, find an apartment, rent the apartment and then MOVE IN!” but you know what Scott? I would actually be happy just taking the list of things I had to do today other that look for an apartment and get in my car and go complete the tasks and come back feeling like I accomplished something! But instead I come home without one thing accomplished and about 10 other things to do on top of that!! I guess that what I would like to do!”
His reply was so encouraging! He just looked at me with the utmost compassion and said, “it gonna be hard for you here!”

Oh yay!

Pray for me! (and my atittude!)

Happy Halloween!

On Sunday night we celebrated Halloween with the kids! It was awesome. They all dressed up and I guess I did too ;)
We carved pumpkins, played games, the kids put on a concert, and then I ran to Paul house and stood at the back door while he was at the front and let the kids trick or treat!
Latvia does not really celebrate Halloween so it was the best we could do! Yet I think I was better than most Halloweens I had as a kid! The Runzo kids are blessed by very amazing parents!

Check out the pictures! You will love them!

Sleepover!

Well Friday night the Runzo’s left for the weekend, and I stayed and looked after the house and Blue, their horse…I mean dog!
So 3 of the girls from the orphanage came over for the weekend and we had a sleep over! Whoo hoo! Nothing like jumping right in!
It was a really good time of just spending time and hanging out! As you can see!

Check it out!!! They decided to have a little photo shoot!
(click on picture for more!)

I made it!!!

I have landed in Riga Latvia!!! My emotions are still very mixed due to the very difficult part of letting go of people I hold so dear to my heart, yet holding in my hugging arms the one here in Latvia I have longed to be with!!!
The flight was none eventful (EXCEPT the beginning! See the below posting for that story!) Very LONG though. While writing this I realize that I have been up and moving since Monday morning (with a short nap between last minute packing at 2am to 3am on Monday night!) now it is Wednesday afternoon…hmmm I should rest! (it is Wednesday at 12pm here!)
When I arrived at the airport my whole Josiah Venture team was there! Scott, Paul, Edmunds, Liva, and Lelde! And then I had 5 other welcomer's too… my orphanage girls!!!! So sweet!
So the team took my stuff left me there and I spent the rest of the day and evening with my girls. We went to coffee, then to a movie, then to dinner. It was just what I needed to “re-engage” my heart to what God is doing here! So praises to our Jesus for meeting me there (and for giving me the energy to do it!)
Then Scott came and picked me up and brought me to his house, where I will be staying until I find an apartment. I got more welcomes and hugs there as I saw Lisa and the kids! Spent the rest of tonight talking with Scott and Lisa about so many things. All I can say is that I am overwhelmed at the blessing I have in their guidance and wisdom, and especially their love for me! I feel at home! And I need that right now!

Thank you to everyone who has prayed me here thus far and for your continued prayers! You ready?...

Let the journey begin!!!!

Only the beginning

So I get to the airport with a fully loaded cart of 6 bags, get up to the desk and start to check in.
The lady asks me when I will be returning, and with joy in my reply I said, “I am not, I am moving there for full time mission work!”
I was expecting a different response than the one that was given. She said, as she looked through my passport, “you cannot leave with out a visa or proof of residency in that country”
Now I thought, come on this is not true! Nobody told me about having to have a return ticket!!! There has got to be a way around this. There wasn’t! She was dead serious! And as I sat there trying to figure out what the heck to do, I sensed a blow to my joy from Satan, right then and there!
Well a lot of talking later and a purchase of a $3300 one-way ticket back to the states (which was promised to be refundable, hmmmm…. I will be praying hard about that!) And thanks to my amazing parents and a wonderful thing called a credit card! All seems to be ok! Of course we have not tried to refund the ticket just yet (since I am still sitting in Washington DC, awaiting the LONG flight to Germany, and then on to Riga.)

I had an amazing group of loved ones at the airport to send me off, and I will just quote some of their comments that helped me realize and awaken me to the reality that this will be a battle! This is only the beginning of the work God has planned through us!
If you ever have a chance please remind me of this truth! It is a necessity to the heart of making others glad in God!

So as I sat and wallowed in my self-pity, my unbelief of the provision of my Jesus, this is what my dearest friends and family were saying (not to me, yet spoke truth to my heart):

“Someone doesn’t want her to go”
“ It is so obvious that she is right where she is suppose to be!”
“This is only the beginning of complete reliance on Jesus, it will only get worse…. and by ‘worse’ I mean better!”
“Oh man! How exciting it is to be a follower of Christ!”


All I have to say is I am ready, but I will need many days of training! This was a good start!

7 days and counting!

Packing until all hours of the night…
...up at 5:30am…
...can’t sleep...
...mind is full of thoughts of saying goodbye, saying hello, leaving the beauty of Arizona, entering the cold and dark of Latvia, thoughts of what my apartment will look like, thoughts of freezing to death, thoughts of failing, of disappointing, of falling short of expectations, of packing too much, of packing to little, of not having enough warm clothes, playing in the snow, meeting the youth where they are at, sharing the joy of Christ, wanting to go, not wanting to leave...JAYCEE!…why are you still laying in bed?… ok I think I will get up!

Get ready, head out the door, get a letter notarized for residency, go to the capital to get paper work apostilled for residency, go get passport pictures for International drivers license, go get an international drivers license, cancel my phone, cancel my gym membership, home for a minute, go to starbucks meet with a friend for the last time, say goodbye, go home grab a bite to eat, pack some more, need to buy a bigger bag! Go to the store to return bag, buy different one, to another friends house for a visit. Go home pack some more.
(Now when I say pack, I mean move things from my closet to the floor, then the floor to the bed, then from the bed back to the closet and then do it again!)
How do you pack your life up?
Any helpful hints?
I am down for any suggestions at this point!

I'm Leaving...on a jet plane!!!!

I am Going!!!!! I finally have reached full support!
10 days!!! And I will be on an airplane to Latvia! (October 24th to be exact) This is so surreal to me. My stomach has never felt so weird. My emotions are so erratic and strange. I have a felling of utter joy, and the next deep sorrow. I start to think about the future with expectation, yet the next minute feel a huge sense of loss when thinking about the life I am leaving here. I then feel stuck with fear of the unknown, and then a sense that I am in my Jesus’ tight grip.

For the full update go to this link: http://jayceeleighjensen.com/index_1.html?XTIME=1160819648


I am in Canada right now and have been for about 3 weeks. I have visited many friends and seen many beautiful things. This trip was nothing sort that a huge blessing from God that I did not deserve but enjoyed more than words could ever say. Thanks to all my friends for loving me here in Canada! Especially the two who made it possible, Susan and Danielle!

To see the people and the indescribable beauty of Canada go to this link: http://inotherthanwords.blogspot.com/

Making the "rounds"

Well if anyone was interested in reading my updates probably is not any more! Thank you for checking in even though it has been over a month since my last entry into my blog. My biggest apologies!

Right now I am sitting in Minneapolis International Airport. I just flew out of Winnipeg Canada, and now I am waiting to get back to Arizona, just to leave in a day for Canada again!

The Lord has been so amazingly gracious to me during this transition to Latvia. I have been waiting to see how finances would work out, and in the midst of the waiting the Lord just gave me probably one of he best gifts I could ask for at this time! I was offered a trip to Canada to visit many many dear friends before I leave for Latvia! What?! Oh man, I cannot even tell you how this has blessed me!

So I will be in Vancouver Canada for the next two weeks! And I just returned from the most amazing time with my dearest friend Raelynn Bailey in Winnipeg Canada. My heart has been aching deeply to see her and all of my dear friends from Canada that I came to know so intimately during my time in Sweden over a year and a half ago. I will have the opportunity now to go visit the other side of Canada and even get to attend one of my dearest roommates wedding!!! Is God amazing or what?!

On to what is happening with Latvia… I think it looks like I have finally arrived at full support! It looks like it may be pretty possible for me to leave home to start this journey by the end of October! This is looking really good! Praise God!
I know you are probably thinking the same as I am… it was April, then July, then mid-September, and now we are looking at the end of October! Trust me as much as I have hoped for each of these dates, I feel the confusion and frustration, and even disappointment in not coming to pass as soon as I would have thought!
Yet, sitting where I am at right now, I can see how much my Jesus has already stretched me, taught me, and molded me. And all of this would not have been as beneficial if I would have been granted my desire to leave when I wanted to! His ways are not the same as mine! That is for sure. But His ways are definitely what I want, no matter the confusion, frustration, or disappointment. I am content in his arms even though I am a little bit squirmy these days!
I feel like a little girl in her daddy’s lap! She wants nothing more to be in his arms, yet there is so much anticipation of life, that the father has to tell her over and over, my child if you want to sit in my lap, you will have to sit still! BUT IT IS SO HARD!!!!

An update letter will be out soon I promise! If you do not know if you are on my list please take a minute to sign up! (on the right hand column of this blog, just enter in your e-mail address and it will take you through the quick painless process) so you can get the monthly updates! They should be pretty enjoyable ;)

Circling the runway…

I thought it would be good to give a little update on what is going on, just in case there are actually people who read this thing!

I am in a waiting pattern as we speak. I am working on raising monthly support. I am in need of people to come alongside this ministry and me and commit to monthly support. This is difficult to ask for! (Well all of the support raising has been a difficult and humbling time for me!) But all that to say I am definitely in need of more than just one time gifts. Please contact me if you feel lead to do so, or if you may know of people that would like to join this work of the Lord in Latvia.

I do have major news though! I am fully funded for my out going cost!! I am ready to fly, as soon as I have all the monthly support raised! Praise Jesus! I am so excited to see the hand of my Jesus just providing in amazing ways! Thank you to all who are reading this that have already given!

Other than that I have been so, (man, I don’t even know the word to describe it!) just Pumped (weak word for what I feel, sorry!) about this Jesus I am following and learning from! What an amazing blessing to be his disciple!!! I wish I could tell you the privilege it is to be called to follow Christ! I know some of you know exactly what I mean, and others are on their way to finding out!!

All I know is this homeless Jewish Rabbi, who is the incarnated GOD, the creator of everything I love, has called me out! Has called me to come, drop what I was doing, let go of what I was holding on to, and come follow him!!! And for the first time in my life, there is depth to that calling! I understand the ramifications of that call! Jesus himself believes I am capable of being his disciple!!! What?!!! All I feel like saying is,

“are you sure Lord? I am a pretty big mess of life. I am not sure you want me.”

But that is not my place to ask!

He is the Rabbi, he is the one who chooses who gets to follow him! So I am keeping my mouth shut and I am just going to trust that he knows more than I do what he is doing and who I am!

So, from this point on I want to be one step behind Him everywhere he goes! I want to soak him up, I want to learn his ways and follow! That’s it! And he says that I got what it takes!

This is crazy, but I am loving it!!!!!

Check out this amazing exerpt from a book I just finished reading! It is so true and puts missions in a better perspective for me and I hope for everyone!!! Check it out!



Missions then is less about the transpiration of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there.

Perhaps we ought to replace the word missionary with tour guide, because we cannot show people something we have not seen.

It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means teaching people to use their eyes to see things that have always been there; they just did not realize it. You see God where others don’t and then you point him out!

Have you ever heard someone say they were going to “take Jesus” to a certain place? What they meant, I assume, was they had Jesus and they were going to take him to a place, like China, or India or Chicago where people apparently didn’t have Him.

I would ask them if people in China and India and Chicago are eating and laughing and enjoying things and generally being held together? Because if they are, then Jesus, in a way that is difficult to fully articulate, is already present there.

So the issue isn’t so much taking Jesus to people who don’t have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst.

It is searching for the things they have already affirmed as real and beautiful and true and then telling them who you believe is the source of all that. “I am here to tell you where I think it comes from…”

And if you do see yourself as carrying God to places, I can be exhausting.

God is really heavy.

Some people actually believe that God is absent from a place until they get there. The problem with this idea is that if God is not there before you get there, then there in no “there: in the first place.

Tour guides are people who see depth and texture and connection where others don’t. That is why the best teachers are masters of the obvious. They see the same things we do, but they are aware of so much more. And when they point it out, it changes the way we see everything. (68-69)

Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis

Home?

I am home!
Well home is relative I guess! I am back in Arizona for now! I just returned from the two-week whirlwind of a trip with the high school youth group from Red Mountain Community Church. What a great trip is was too!
God was working so obviously throughout the whole trip! I am so amazed by his Grace and his willingness to work through us to do his work! And that he did!
We ran a weeklong English camp in a small town out side of Riga called Usma. Most of the kids that went to the camp were from Riga though. We put on this camp for a church in Riga who is trying to start a youth program in Riga. It was a great camp. We only had about 20 students attend this camp, which is much less than we are used to, yet after it was over I was very happy that God sent that number to us! It was a beautiful time of building amazing relationships with amazing kids who are very interested in a life with Jesus Christ! It was go go go the whole time, yet not once did I feel overly tired or exhausted. This was Christ in me for sure. I averaged about 4 hours of sleep a night for over 8 days straight and I felt more alive, more ready for the day than I have when I have had plenty of rest and sleep! It was truly inspiring to sense the presence of Christ filling my mind body and soul to complete His work! And his work is summed up in one word LOVE!!!! And that is what we did!
If anything was accomplished this trip it was that the Love of Christ himself was manifested in us and flowing out of us right into the hearts of these kids! It was a beautiful sight to see!

So that’s it! If you want to know more sign up for my newsletter (to the right) and I will be sending out an update letter very soon!

Thanks for all your love, support and prayer! It was evident that someone was praying during this time, and for that the kingdom of God has grown! God bless!

(There is a link two entries down if you would like to see some pictures of this trip!)

done!

Today was the last day of our English camp. We had an amazing group of students from Riga and also from other areas around Latvia. Comparing to some of the other camps that have been going on this summer with Josiah Venture, this was a small camp. Yet I was very happy to see that the group was smaller than usual.
I was so proud of he high school group from Red mountain that I was so blessed to be a part of and blessed to have a chance to lead. They are an amazing group and my heart is overjoyed at the life changing experience that they have expressed.
Check out the link below in my previous entry for more on the students and their experiences so far. They have been trying to keep up a blog of their own and it also as pictures and information on each of them.

Yet I would have to say the best part of my trip was and is at this moment, my girls from the orphanage! They made a last minute disiion to come to the camp. what an amazing gift from God to have the people who I love so dearly with me during this short trip.

Yet I feel my heart already breaking at the thought of yet again saying goodbye. I do not know why I put myself in such a hard poison to feel so much love and then allow it to be ripped away again and again… please pray for that!

On the other side of this sadness I am feeling though is a huge excitement knowing that when leaving this time, it will be the last goodbye, and the last time I will have to say I did not have enough time. I am so excited to be here and to share the love that Jesus has given me with these girls, with the youth of Latvia and whoever God brings into my life!




So that is it! We are here for a couple more days and then it is back to Arizona for as long as it takes to raise the rest of the money needed to be a full time missionary here! So, again another big prayer request!

Thank you all for your love and your interest n what God is doing here!

For way more updates and pictures go to:

http://latvia06.googlepages.com/

Lovin' It!

July 15, 2006 at 12:15 pm….

I have enjoyed two full days of hugs and reuniting with all the amazing people I have come to know over the past 8 years! Every time I come back here I feel like there is a huge piece of me that is pt back in place. I am so blessed!

So, we have been just training and preparing for the camp and enjoying the cultural differences of Riga (he capitol of Latvia). The students have enjoyed many different Latvian foods, sights, sounds and much more! They seem to be willing and ready to serve! I am so excited to begin the camp starting on Monday.

Tomorrow we will go to two different church services to give the student an idea of what “church” is like here in Latvia, then we will finish up getting the final stuff done for the camp. And then early Monday morning we will board a bus with all the campers and head out to the campsite and start this crazy 5-day English camp!!!

Please pray for the hearts of the students to be willing to lean fully on Christ, and that the hearts of the campers would be soft and ready to hear the gospel.

Thank you for all your prayers!

July 13th 2006 @ 2am….
Well I am finally sitting on a bed waiting to sleep for a few hours before it all starts…again!!!
Yes we made here, we made it in one piece, yet our luggage did not! After arriving from our long haul, we awaited in anticipation our luggage coming through those beautiful black strips of plastic on the conveyer belt.
It started off quiet well! Then slowly but surely we hit the point of dread as we just watched as the same bags kept gliding past us over and over and over…then we heard the announcement!
“Any passengers that have just arrived from Copenhagen (that’s us!) And do not have their luggage please come to the lost and found office to make a report.”

Hmmmm…that was definitely the case for us, seeing that 15 bags had yet to be accounted for! Crap! So we rummaged through our ticket and got the luggage tabs (that always seem to be such a unnecessary thing, until something like this happens and then it clicks, “ah, this is why they stick these things on my ticket cover!”)
And start making the LONG report of bag, size, color, weight, brand, etc.

We found out that they were on the next flight to Riga that would arrive at 11pm (at this time being 6pm and none of us had really slept for over 24 hours).
They said that they would deliver the bags to where we were staying; so then we left in hopes of seeing our bags, and our sleeping bags later on that evening!

We hit the town for some yummy Pankukas and then just came back and rested and waited for our sleeping bags to arrive so we could get some sleep!
1:00 am could not come sooner! They arrived and we had all of our stuff! Praise Jesus!

(Not bad for a lost luggage story! God is so good to us!)

The next few days are days to acclimate and train for the camp that starts on Monday.

I wil write more when I get the chance!

I am off again!!!

Ok just a quick update….
I am on my way to Latvia for two weeks with the high school youth group to do an English camp. I am so excited to take such a great group of students to where my heart is! I am so blessed! So we leave in the early morning tomorrow and will arrive in Latvia on the 13th at 5:30pm.
I will try my best to keep this blog going while I am there…but Internet is sparse… I promise I will try so keep checking in!!!
You can also go to our web site for the high school group and we will be trying to keep a three-day blog there too.
Hmmm… I will have to give you the link next time, I cant remember it!!!
Sorry!
Please pray for us when you think about it!