Reaching Latvia 1

This a video from our first trip to Latvia in July-August 2006.

Prayer requests for August

1. Please pray for religious residence permits - there were some problems with our documents which has delayed the process, but pray that our new documents will be received without problems so that we can continue in Latvia beyond August 18!
   
2. for the 5 teenage boys that are coming to our home fellowship, they prayed to receive Christ at the VBS and are interested in following Him further! Praise God.
   
3. for our new English Conversation Club - praise God that we got permission to hold the first meeting at the library this Tuesday, Pray for the many young people that we invited who said they would come. The purpose is to give them an opportunity to practice speaking and to hear us sharing our Christian world view on various topics.
   
4. for our Latvian language skills - pray that God would help us to be diligent to study, remember and use the many new words and grammar from our lessons.
   
5. for a new computer - my 5 year old laptop has been breaking down, it's in the shop now. We are asking the Lord to provide a fast desktop computer for multitasking and communication (photo/video editing, web design, tracts, newsletters, Internet calls, translating and other forms of communication)

VBS Slideshow

VBS 2007

Vacation Bible School report

Just a quick note to say that vacation Bible school went well, I was the music guy which was the kids favorite part, my favorite part was the last day when they brought their parents and I shared my testimony and the gospel and about 10 kids and 2 parents turned to the Lord. Sunday night we had a handful of kids come to our home fellowship and we started to watch the Gospel of John movie and sing more songs of praise. I will be putting pictures on my blog, so check it out soon. God is working!

Dosvidanya, Yeats

Yesterday, we said good bye to our co-laborers, Steven and Teresa Yeats, as they headed back to Moldova to resume their ministries in Briceni. We have been friends a long time, knowing Steven since Bible college in 1999 and Teresa since 2001 in Ukraine, we are sure to keep in touch as we continue serving the Lord either in Latvia or Moldova. We will certainly miss them and so will the church in Ogre that received ministry from them.

Their fellowship was a great blessing to our whole family as they lived with us for our first 2 and a half months in Latvia. Having been missionaries for 7 years, they were a source of deep insight and encouragement as well as a living example of serving as unto the Lord. Unlike Lena and I, they were not rusty in their speaking in Russian, and they were very handy to have around when I just couldn't find the words in Russian to express what God put on my heart to share.

Steven and I preached the gospel together on the streets weekly, he played the djembe as I led worship on the guitar, we took turns teaching at the Baptist church next door and we often discussed strategies and prayed about how to begin planting a new church in Latvia. During this time, Steven wrote a gospel tract and we had it translated into Latvian and Russian, which we are able to use as we continue spreading the Word.

Teresa and Lena had lots of fellowship together, shopped together, took turns making dinner for every one and helped look after each others kids. Life can be lonely for a missionary wife, but I think having another missionary/wife/mom/American/woman friend turned the mundane into fun and meaningful times.

We are praying for God to send us more co-laborers to come in the future, but for giving us a kick start into church planting, the giftings and fellowship of Steven and Teresa was a real God send. There is no one quite like them. We are thankful for their sacrifice (Latvia is a lot more expensive than Moldova) but they never complained and were never a burden, but were always a blessing to us and to all who they got to know, as I am sure they will continue to be to their church in Moldova. If you would like to support the Yeats, you can send a check to their sending church:

• Calvary Chapel


• P.O. Box 4794


• Thousand Oaks, CA 91359


• Please write “Missions” on memo, and attach a separate note specifying that’s it’s for the Yeats family.

Vacation Bible School

This week we are having a VBS right in our front yard! We are working with a missions team from Tennessee and a team from Ogres Evangelical church from July 21 - July 30 in order to reach children and youth with the gospel.

• Every day from 10-4 there will be an outreach for kids: Bible lessons, praise and worship, christian cartoons, crafts and activities, plus a free lunch.
• 5pm The team of 10 people will have dinner at our house, rest a bit.
• Every evening 7-10pm there will be a youth meeting also in our front yard

So we would appreciate your prayer for strength as we help host, cook, teach, translate, sing and build up the kingdom of God!

Got a minute for missions?

Our home church CCMB has approved of the missions fellowship to show a one minute video on a different missionary each month. They asked me to make a one minute video (no longer) on what we are doing in Latvia, perhaps showing why the need is so great there that we moved our family. A tough assignment, but i am up for the challenge for the sake of the great commission! Here is my first attempt - sorry it is 40 seconds over!



in the square.wmv