My World...of late...A World of Contrasts...Random Thoughts

...summer is here - 20's (70's). sunshine. UK outreach team this week. IMPACT ART summer studio set upopen. fragrance of flowers. This is the day that the Lord has made, REJOICE! Will my Mac be fixable? Lord, please heal it. beach today. good time with God. grateful that my residency permit interview went so well...


Summer has finally come to Latvia. Warm days like this are rare in the northern climate of the Baltic State. It's a welcome thing, indeed. Long hours of daylight, and warmth. Summer is also a time of things going differently. If the sun is shining on a YWAM Riga staff meeting day, we will move our meeting outdoors. The 'routine' of the other seasons is altered by camps, outreach teams, and team-building outings that can't be done in the colder, darker months.

Next week we will be hosting a missions team from the Sheffield, England. The IMPACT ART summer studio will open, and preparations made for the art classes/day camp the following week. The variations in my work are so life giving. I often think of how often I thank God for my calling, and exclaim (mostly silently, but sometimes audibly), 'I love my life!'.

Last week, my computer became a casualty of one of the worst wind/rain storms Riga has ever seen. A window blew open and formed a lake in my livingroom. The driving rain, drove clear across the room, and met my laptop. It's in the Apple hospital, awating a diagnosis of whether or not it can be fixed. I've been praying for it's recovery, and trying not to fear the worst.

For the first year, the application process for my residency permit has gone smoothly. All the required documents were acceptable and received. This has been a bit of a team effort - letters from YWAM, invitations, rent agreements, medical examinations, and on it goes. It's all good, and will once again be granted a Latvian residency permit in 30 days. Woo hoo!

In the midst of it all, the ups and downs...little things all around remind me that God is near, involved, loving...a relaxing, beautiful day at the beach with friends, awakening to the sound of birds singing, sunshine, the fragrance of flowers, truth that God's word speaks right into the depths of my heart, His provision in everything...

Challenge Camp 2

Another amazing year of camp with adults who have physical disabilities has come. There are some new faces and some familiar faces. As I drove up to the place where the camp was run, I was filled with varying emotions. Excitement to see those familiar faces and meet new people, joy from the expectation that grew, knowing God would be touching lives, and sadness for the loss of two participants who have died since last years camp, all filled my thoughts and heart.
For some, this camp is the one of the few times each year they are away from home, experiencing new things, interacting with people other than their families. However, for all, it is a time of rich fellowship with God and others. It is a time to meet and overcome new challenges. 

Kaspars and Evelyn Apinis, who are a part of YWAM Riga staff run the camp. It's my privilege to work with them, and teach art in the camp. 

Teaching art these days has been great! Lots of laughs, lots of paint, and beautiful creations. Genesis 1 tells us that, 'in the beginning, God creates...'. We also read that God created man and woman in His image. There are aspects of who God is, that we are. We have a will, intellect, emotions, and we are creative. Everyone is creative. Our challenge is to find HOW we are creative. I explained that some are creative with painting, drawing, music; some with food, some with decorating, some with photography, writing, with technology. The possibilities for our creativity are limitless. So our time together began with the challenge that, indeed, we are creative! 
We used out of the ordinary ways to create our paintings...hands, leaves, flowers, sea sponges, feathers, and crumpled plastic wrap as our 'brush'. Some creativity came as participants looked around the room and out the windows to see what kind of 'brush' we could use, others displayed their creativity in what went on the canvas. Others still, with the wit and humour used during our sessions. 
Once again, it has been a great camp, and hopefully this will mark another highlight in my year. 

Now I'll be getting ready to open the summer gallery / studio for a few weeks, starting next week.

More photos to come!

It's Official...Summer is Here!

Summer is officially here in Latvia, marked by the summer solsctice celebration, which has come and gone.  The summer solstice is technically June 21st, but Ligo and Jāņi ('mid-summer') are celebrated on the night of the 23 into the 24th in Latvia. Spring ends, summer begins, the days get shorter, the nights get longer. This same type of celebration happens in various ways throughout Northern Europe. I never truly understood it's significance, until living up here on the 57th parallel where the sun goes away to hide for months on end, only to come up a few hours in November and December. 

Yes, the days are beginning to get shorter, but they are still very long. The sun shines and it is quite warm (for Latvia). Summer is here and it's affects are far reaching. As often as we can, we will have our staff meetings outdoors, or do outdoor activities together. If we are to meet someone, even to discuss business, it happens at an outdoor cafe., park, or whilst taking a walk. Indeed, the light and sunshine are welcomed.

Another side of the mid-summer celebration is marked by pagan traditions and practices. Instead of worshipping the Creator, the creation is worshipped - he sun, and the pagan gods. People stay up all night 'so that the sun will rise the next morning.  Large bonfires are made so the wondering sun can find a light once it approaches. There are countless songs sung and dances done around the fire, speaking of these things. 

However...this year brought a different way of celebrating in Latvia.

The vision of one Latvian worship leader, who owns property in the countryside, was to run an all night worship and prayer gathering on this night. So, on the 23rd - 24th, non-stop worship, and prayer went up from the nation of Latvia. People from all denominations led times of worship and were there participating. Truly a unified body of Christ.  Also, this night, throughout the nation, people from all denominations gathered to pray for Latvia. 'Prayer Nights' have begun to pop up all over the nation on a regular basis, specifically to pray for Latvia. 

Yes there was singing, maybe even some dancing, and there were bonfires to cook our food. We stayed up all night (well some did). However, the songs were in praise of the Creator of the universe, the Light of the World, Lord of heaven and earth. This was a most significant night in the history of Latvia, and has set the foundation of more celebrations like this. 

As for me...

I did get about 45 minutes sleep...

ate some amazing barbecued meat...

got to be a guest percussionist for one of the bands...

was so refreshed in God's presence...

then, came home and took a 3 hour nap that afternoon...

Now that summer is officially here, it's the season for camps, hosting outreach teams, having our own outreaches into the city and elsewhere, and taking IMPACT ART to the streets and the countryside. It is an exciting time to be in Latvia to co-labour with God in seeing His Kingdom more firmly established here. 

June Art Night Photos