Monday Morning

We are up at 3 AM this morning to get ready to go to the airport for our early flight. I'm not sure how well I think at 3 AM, but I'll attempt to give you a recap of yesterday's activities.

We attended worship at First Riga at 11 AM. In a word... powerful. Gita is so intentional about her design of worship. She chose songs that we would know the tune to and had an interpreter there so that we would understand what was going on. For me, the most touching parts were the prayer time and Holy Communion. 

During prayer time, Gita lights four candles to remember various areas/people (their Conference, the Baltic States, etc.). Then everyone has the opportunity to come to the front and light a candle and say a prayer. The candelabra was filled with light by the end. What a beautiful sight!

During communion, everyone receives an individual anointing and blessing. After you receive, one of the pastors (Gita or Astra) lays hands on you and says a prayer over you. All I can tell you is that we were very moved... or at least I was. "Moved" is such an inadequate word... but it's all I have at the moment.

Our closing hymn was "This is My Song" - sung in English. How perfect. Consider the lyrics... and how you might feel after spending a week among the Latvian people...

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

What powerful worship we had!

We spent a little while in fellowship over lunch, visiting with the pastors and then said our goodbyes. Kristine and Oscars took us for one last shopping trip, and then to the hotel for dinner. I don't know that I've said much about Kristine, but she has been our Volunteers in Mission contact, and is such a precious person. She's been our savior many times! Her English is great (she studied in the States) and she is selfless and charming always.

On our way to the airport for this early-morning flight to Frankfurt and then on to home... we'll see you all soon!

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