A Day to Pray and Walk

It's Tuesday night and I haven't written since yesterday morning and so much has happened but I will try to keep this brief.
Monday I call PRAYER/WALKING DAY... Vadim and I walked about 13 Kilometers (10 miles?). First we walked around the center of town and then up to the highest peak in Ogre where we prayed for the city and for future ministry opportunities. We were looking down into a huge amphitheater where there are plans for a Christian concert. It can easily seat 3,000 people. Right now it is covered with snow but in the summer I could imagine having an Evangelistic outreach there or if Calvary Ogre outgrows our home, we could meet there in the summer - but I am getting ahead of myself. After coming home, I took a nap and then we went walking again. This time we met up with a Christian brother named Valodia at his body building gym "super gym". It is in the basement of a communist block apartment an is a place for troubled teens to go. Valodia was sharing about how since he came to the Lord he tries to run his business honestly and it is definitely harder but the Lord provides for his needs. After praying in the gym, we walked out to the edge of town where there is a forest and a mountain ridge called "синая гара" or "Blue Mountain" because of the color of the sky. Going up and down the snowy path between the trees, almost slipping along the way, we were exhorted by Valodia and praised the Lord at each peak. I got some cool video clips of Vadim and him singing a Russian hymn at the top of a mountain peak overlooking a large frozen lake on which people were ice fishing. The sun came out from the clouds for the first time and we prayed again. Valodia is so enthusiastic and always has something to say, and fill in the gaps with Hallelujah, Brot! I had to call for a moment of silence to hear the Lord. So often we think of prayer as talking to God, well he wants to talk to us too. It's good to "be still and know that he is God". Then we hiked back down the mountain to his Gym. Along the way we met people that he knew and we stopped to pray for them. I shared the gospel with one guy named Maris who had already drunken 2 liters of beer. He was surprised to be talking with an American. He said, "You left America and came to the little town of Ogre? Can you imagine!"
PASTORS PRAYER MEETING.... After all that walking we ordered pizzas and had a feast. Then a few pastors from Riga and Ogre came over for the monthly prayer meeting. Pastor Vadim has an important role as the president of the Evangelical Alliance to pray together and plan for events where evangelical churches can work together to win the lost. There is another Bible reading marathon planed for August. At this pastors meeting, we also heard from another American missionary who is carrying a cross around the cities of Latvia and handing out tracts that say "Smile Jesus loves you". There are scriptures in these bright yellow tracts called the four smiles and the guy really wants to share the joy of Jesus in Latvia because he read in the Guinness book of world records that Latvia was the most unhappy nation in the world in 2007. Then we all stood up and prayed out loud (everyone at once) for Latvia. I am actually not so comfortable praying while others are praying so I was listening a little and then crying out to God quietly. On my left was a woman who is a pastor with New Generation church who was praying in tongues (now I don't believe women should be pastors or that one should pray in tongues while everyone else is praying out of turn) so I was listening and I think God gave me the interpretation which I shared with her afterwords. I saw a tree with the wind blowing and the interpretation of her prayer language was "Lord, let the wind blow out the dead leaves on the tree to make room for new growth in the Spring time. Let your wind blow through the trees." She said that was the first time anyone shared the interpretation of her tongue before and she thanked me because it was edifying. REFLECTIONS ON THE MEETING... That is exactly why the Bible says that if people are praying one should speak at a time and if someone has a tongue they should let someone interpret otherwise how will the others understand and be edified? The Bible also says that we should not allow a woman to teach as a pastor and have authority over the men. There needs to be order in the church, that's what the Bible says, people may have emotional reasons for doing things different but I believe God has established this order for the edification of the church. Needless to say, at the end of the day I was beat. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.