On Friday, coming home from suit shopping with Janis, we came across 2 moose! Here is one in the road that we got a quick photo of. It then joined a second moose in the forest that we were able to see when we passed. Janis said even though he’s lived here his whole life, this was his first time seeing a moose! We’ve seen them before, usually in an open field or along side the road passing by. Always fun to see the wildlife here. One of the joys of living in the countryside.
One of our daily blessings is our dog Pepper. Yes, she is a blessing because she is a barrel of laughs, a great companion, and goes with us where ever we go. She’s got a high play drive and loves to sit in our lap. Yes- at over 50 pounds she’s a lap full, but those moments of getting and giving lovies is a highlight of our day.
Here is she is giving Bruce her big brown eyed stare down. She wants to go outside.
Here is a little more of a pathetic face, ears down and sadder brown eyes….”will this face work?” LOL
“Ah shucks…mom caught me!”
Here is her cheeky grin and her lovely rough around the neck that comes when her winter coat comes in.
Today we spent the day with Janis. We call him “our Latvian son” and we are his “American parents.” He’s working in Ergli now and comes around every few days for a meal, a chat, and some fun. Today he needed to shop for a new suit for his brother’s upcoming High School graduation. So we took him shopping in Madona today. He also got his hair cut and colored. The big party is next weekend.
Janis bought this new suit and when we came home wanted to show it off to us since we had not seen it earlier in the day. So Bruce decided to join him in dressing up and got out his suit. In Latvian “suit” is called a “costume”- so we always have a good laugh over that. Nice looking guys eh?!
My handsome hubby
Friends sharing mutual respect
Cool dudes!
Janis and his great smile!
GQ pose. LOL
A great young man with a very bright future ahead of him. We are glad to call him our Latvian son. And are thankful for his friendship that has brought alot of joy into our lives.
Friends and Father/Son sharing a goofy moment!
Do you ever feel like you are living in the fog?
Last Saturday we had another Walking with Christ course in Riga. I know, I know, each time I say it is “wonderful!” I am not trying to brag on myself. But rather reflect the work and movement of the Lord in the class and in the life of the women.
I’ve been pretty amazed at their dedication to study. They did over 60 pages of work in their books in December and January. They came ready and eager to work in class. And it showed. They were ministered to, cared for one another, and there was laughter, tears, hugs and warm conversations.
One women disclosed in a discussion that she could not dare to risk being more bold in her faith. Yet being together challenged her to take new steps of faith. To step out of fear and into faith. Out of the fog and into the sunshine. Her honesty blew me away. She was making a move right there before our very eyes.
So tell me, what “fog” needs to be cleared out in your life? Is it in your spiritual life? Do you need to take a step closer to the lover of your soul? Is the fog building in a relationship that needs a fresh wind to blow away conflict and restore harmony? Is there a pattern of thinking or behavior that just is not working anymore and needs to be replaced with right thinking, right actions, and new found energy?
Go for it… clear out the fog and embrace the Son!
A new year…a fresh start. It seems that is what January brings each year. A time to sit back and reflect and make new plans, set new priorities.
Yes, I’ve been delayed on getting to posting on this blog. Teaching has taken up alot of my time. And it’s something I am really enjoying. Time invested in teaching, planing, preparing always pays off when I get in front of my class and let the Spirit lead me through the teaching day. I love serving in this way and I am so thankful for the opportunity to do so.
Christmas season found us really wanting to be with people. Unfortunately, from Christmas til after New years I got a bad case of the flu. It’s taken a few weeks to get well and even now as we near the end of January I still have a cough I am trying to shake.
One unexpected blessing we’ve had at the end of 2009 was the gift of a VW Transporter van. We were also given a gift by a sponsor to fix the van, as it needed repairs. Bruce has spent alot of his time since we got the van towed to Ergli working on it, and having the local auto shop work on it as well. We hope today we can get it’s final inspection and technical inspection done so we can use it full time. The van has a propane fuel system on it in addition to the gasoline system. This will save us on fuel costs as we travel around Latvia. So we are pretty pleased with that as it will make our dollars stretch.
We’ve had a good amount of snow this winter, and cold temps. This next weekend it’s supposed to get to -15F! Burr!
When you are in the lives of people, and friendship is priority, it’s always a welcome interruption to have people enter your day. We really like country life because people are not afraid to come by for a cup of coffee or call and say they are in the neighborhood, can they come over. Winter time is such a good time to be with people. We’ve really had some good times the last few months just hanging out, eating meals together, or gathering for a holiday celebration. We really are so thankful for the people God has placed in our life here. Each one is a blessing!
What are we dreaming about for 2010? Deepening of relationships. Launching the Women’s Leadership Program into the next phase. Hopefully some time to go camping and play some! But most of all, a deepening walk with God, anxious to see Him work in and through our lives. A fresh start…aahhh….
Saturday, October 24th, we held our second Walking with Christ course. We had a wonderful day! We met in the recently remodeled basement classrooms of the Baptist Union Building. The good lighting and bright atmosphere worked well for us. We packed out the room. When all 40 students come at once we may have to get creative. LOL
Here are the ladies listening hard as I speak.
And here Livija made them all smile and look at the camera! 
What a wonderful bunch of ladies from all over Latvia! It’s really a thrill to hear that they are growing and taking new leaps of faith. PTL!
We had a beautiful sunny day today! So I took the opportunity to catch some new play structure photos without the rain or snow!
Since the last photos, you can see here the roof that has been shingled, and Bruce has added finishing trim. The arm to the right of the structure has also been added. From this will hang a children’s swing that is still to be installed.
Bruce also added the toddler hand rails, midway so the little ones have something to hang on to. Notice all the mud on the steps, evidence that even in wet conditions the kids are playing on it when they can!
Here is our neighbors, a grandmother, daughter in law, and granddaughter all enjoying a few minutes of play together.
And another neighbor child getting ready to launch himself down the slide.
It’s really been fun to watch the kids, parents and grandparents all spend time in play! Bruce made the stairs and structure strong and the adults are appreciating being able to go on the structure with their kids. There is nothing as pure and sweet as the laughter of children and adults at play!
LOOK what we woke up to this morning! Our first snow. Yesterday we were outside putting the roof on the play structure in 39F weather and watched the storm roll in. We both said “Looks like snow!” And sure enough the temps dropped last night and came the snow.
You can’t tell here because the snow but the roof shingles are green. haha
Last night when Bruce finally attached the slide, all the kids came out to give it a try! He was so delighted to see them sail down the slide and many landing on their back side. LOL “It’s fast!” they said. And were laughing and enjoying before the mama’s said “it’s dark, time to come home!” The first day of many play days to come!
