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sunset

Well most of you know or have heard that I arrived safely in Latvia but may be wondering what else is going on. First of all, let me say that blogs and “notes” on Facebook aren’t really my thing, but I do want to let you all know what is going on with me here in Latvia. So bear with me; I’ll do the best I can.
I arrived in Rīga, Latvia on Friday, May 22 after about 20-something hours of travel. I met up with Cassie (another girl from Bryan doing film work in Latvia this summer) in Amsterdam and from there, we flew to Rīga (capital of Latvia) together. Vesma Sandberg, Mark’s (our contact) wife, picked up around 12:30, took us back to her house and then into the city to keep us awake. From there, we headed to where CAssie will be living for the summer with a Russian lady named Natasha. After dinner, I had to crash; I could barely hold my head up. I had been awake for 29 hours, and by 8:00 PM, I was out. I woke up at 5:30 AM thinking I had slept until at least one in the afternoon! Turns out, during the summer months, the sun rises around 4:30 AM and doesn’t set until about 10 or 10:30! It’s taking some getting used to, but I am finally starting to realize that when it looks/feels like it’s about 7 in the evening, it’s really 10, and I should probably be getting ready for bed.
The rest of the weekend I spent in Rīga with Cassie and Natasha. For church on Sunday, we went to House of God (Vesma’s church), which meets at 4 PM in a Casino! It was a 3-hour long service and pretty charismatic, but good. The man that spoke, Dominique (yes, one of two black men I’ve seen in Latvia), reminded us that we need to thank God in the good times, but also when trouble comes.

a cool building in Rīga

On Monday, Steve Janz came and picked me up in Rīga. I will be living with him and his family this summer. They live in a small, country town, Bīriņi, about 45 km from Rīga. Steve is married to Natālija, who is Russian, and they have two young boys, Samuel, almost 3, and Simon, 1. During the days, I simply help them out wherever I can. Right now, both Steve and Natālija have a lot of work to do before camps start on June 22, so they need help looking after the boys, who need a lot of attention right now. I mainly watch them along with helping with housework and gardenwork. It’s kind of funny; it’s pretty much what I’d be doing if I were at home: laundry, keeping the kitchen clean and the house picked up, weeding the garden, and watching kids. It’s like having Brett and Bryan (my brothers) when they were 3 and 1 all over again. Each morning, we have breakfast around 8 and then family devotions after. I am also tutoring a Russian guy in English. His name in Latvian is Jevgenijs, but in Russian it’s Ženya, and he works for Steve. He is trying to go to a Bible college in Canada in the fall and needs to pass a big test in August, so hopefully the English lessons everyday will help him be able to pass. He is a part of a band but decided that he wanted to do something for God, which is why he wants to go to Bible college, which is wonderful.
On Saturday of this past week, Natālija, her sister (Alona), and I took the boys to the beach. There is a small beach town only about 15 minutes from here!! All of you know how much I love the beach, so I was excited to find this out. The town is called Saulkrasti (Sun Shores); it was so nice. I have a feeling I’ll be spending a lot of weekends there.  

the Baltic Sea!!

Today, I went to church with Steve, Alona, and the boys. Natālija stayed at home to get some rest. The boys haven’t been sleeping through the night lately. The church is a Russian baptist church in Vangaži, about 30 minutes away. Alona tried to translate what she could but for the most part, I just had to sit and listen as it was all in Russian. There were maybe 50-60 people, so it was small, but it was neat to worship with people on the other side of the world. The people were all very friendly; I think I shook just about everyone’s hand after church. I just had to nod and say, “Privyet” (hello), because I know very little Russian. Ženya is teaching me some, and I am picking some up on my own, but it is a very hard language.

sunset on the lake close by to the house

Overall, I am enjoying my time here and also learning much about the culture here and how to LIVE in it. But I do miss home and my family and a special someone very much. Your prayers are greatly appreciated as I try to focus on my purpose here. Pray that God would use me, despite my faults, and that I wouldn’t get so caught up in missing home that I fail to interract fully with people here. You can also be praying for Steve and Natālija and their kids. They are under a lot of stress right now and aren’t getting the rest they need. Pray that they would be able to get all the camp preparations ready on time, while also getting rest. My final prayer request (for now) is that my remaining support would come in over the summer. I am still very short on my funds, and whatever doesn’t come in by the end of the summer, I will have to pay out of pocket. Thank-you all so much for your love, prayers, and support. Please feel free to email me, write me on Facebook or Frype, or even mail me a letter. I will put all my contact info at the bottom. Es jūs ļoti mīlu! (I love and miss you all!) God bless! Pasveiciniet visus no manis! (Give my regards to everyone!)
Čau (bye) for now!

Contact Info:
email – futbolchica09@yahoo.com
skype – lorena0829
AIM – hyperXLlauren
address – A.K. 18
P.N. Ragana
Rigas Rajons, LV-2144
Latvia

Yes, there is a castle 5 min from where I’m living

castle celebration

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