I'd like to tell you about some of the ways God has given us to serve Him in Ogre.
- Every Monday night we are committed to prayer. Lena and I pray with Steven and Teresa. We have been praying about how God wants us to begin ministering here.
- Thursday evening, Steven and I go to a men's fellowship and discuss discipleship.
- Friday night, the Lord put it on my heart to do evangelism in the center or parks where young people hang out. Many Latvian young people would rather speak English than Russian.
- Sunday morning, the baptist church has invited me to teach the Bible, which I am doing in Russian, verse by verse every week for 30 minutes. I started with 2 John and will go next to 3 John and then Jude. I am also leading worship (also in Russian) while their worship leader is out of town. This is a good experience for ministry while we are still seeking to form a fellowship of our own.
- We are still looking for a Latvian language teacher or beginners class but are learning a lot with books and out of necessity while shopping for food.
- With high speed Internet, I have been able to post more pictures and video on the web. I see this as a possible ministry to future missionaries who want to know what it is like trying to pioneer a new ministry on the mission field. If this ministers to you, please send me an email. We need more missionaries, the harvest is great but the laborers are few!
- Our kids are also important to minister to as we adjust to a new country. We are praying about putting Caleb in preschool so he can learn Latvian and make friends. Lily has been irritable lately, could be sick or just needs extra hugs. Please pray for our kids.
There are so many opportunities that its almost overwhelming, like sharing my testimony on a local TV program, or being a counselor at a Christian camp for 6 days or visiting a Latvian speaking church Sunday afternoon. I have to pray about these and hear from the Lord before getting over committed with various ministries that we neglect our main focus of church planting.
Just saw Mike yesterday and told him how much I was enjoying your blog. I think it's very practical and an awesome ministry tool to see how God plants a cnurch. Obviuosly there is never a real system to it, it' simply hearing the Word of God, being obedient to it and then proclaiming the Word of God. AM praying for the both of you and your kids as well, that can be a tough adjustment but God will equip them to be His little missionaries as well. Please continue to let us know how things are going.
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