(As God says in Isaiah 55:11,so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Wednesday, July 10th was our third day of camp! The students learned about Jesus calming the storm and walking on water. Several current and former students have traveled by train or bus to get to camp so we are thankful they are with us!
The students are enjoying learning American games and improving their English skills.
Thursday, July 11th. The days are flying by! We woke up to overcast skies this morning so we prayed that most of the rain would not fall until the end of the day. We had a few sprinkles this morning and afternoon, but we managed to rearrange our schedules to accommodate the weather. God answered our prayers! Our Bible lesson was on how Jesus healed many people. Some students took turns leading a blindfolded partner through an obstacle course. They quickly learned they had to trust one another and they also learned that God is the only one who is completely trustworthy.
The older students began to collaborate together on an experiment. Their mission is to protect a raw egg from breaking when dropped from a second story window. Stay tuned to find out the results!
Saturday, July 13th. We awoke to overcast skies and a chance for stormy weather. Later in the afternoon we invited all the parents to come to a closing program which we hold outside. Our prayers were answered! The rain held off until 7:30 that evening. Each level had an opportunity to showcase some of the English skills that they learned through a song, recitation, or skit for the program. All of them did a fantastic job! The parents were very happy with all their children learned during the week. And the children want us to come back again next week because they loved it so much! The program was followed by a barbecue and we supplied the s’mores.
The Latvians hosted an after party so the team had a chance to spend more time getting to know our dear hosts. They are truly wonderful and gracious people!
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalms 95:2 NIV
Tuesday, July 15th. We’re home! We couldn’t have done this trip without you. Thank you for all your support!
We left for the airport around 3am Riga time. The sun was just rising as we arrived at the airport. We got to see many beautiful sunrises and sunsets during our time in Latvia, even with the sun rising before 4am and setting after 10pm. God’s workmanship is beautiful!
As we were checking in our bags, we found out our flight to Frankfurt was canceled. Instead of one connection, we got to have 2! We made it home after connection changes, seats not being assigned, taking buses between terminals, getting some of our bags completely emptied and checked, and waiting over an hour on the tarmac. The team rolled with it all and are happy to be back home! With all of the changes, we got some unexpected views of Sweden and Greenland!
“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!” Psalm 113:3