Counting In Heaven

As we enter our final day of ministry we are grateful for the opportunity to minister at a baby home. The homes are very uplifting. Today, at the Pjavnieki baby home, we again did not directly share the Good News of Jesus Christ but cuddled and showed Gods love to these little ones as we prayed for each one touched.

It was so heartwarming to enter the home, the director greeted us and we were entertained by the children singing and dancing for us. The children seem so tender and vulnerable, the care at the baby homes is great but you can feel the yearning of these kids for a family. Charlotte LaRose shared that yesterday a young child hugged her neck and wouldn't let go as we left and wanted Charlotte to take her home.
We colored pictures, zoomed little race cars, made snakes out of play dough and tattooed (water of course) all the children in the room and prayed in our hearts that the Holy Spirit would bring them to a saving knowledge of Christ. As we boarded the bus to leave, all the missionaries felt sad that our journey was ending but we were overjoyed at the lives that God had let us touch. What a privelege it has been to serve our Lord and Savior here in Latvia, an inviting country of hard working, proud and optomistic people.
We had a few hours to shop as our thoughts turned to our loved ones at home. One special purchase was a Latvian Bible that Silvia Langdon, whose family came to the US from Latvia bought. Silvia (there is no "y" in the Latvian Language) a teacher, shared many experiences of her grand parents and relatives in Latvia which enriched our knowledge and let the Lord use us to be more effective.
We boarded the bus that took us to our last supper in Latvia. After dinner Susan, our Buckner orphan care leader asked us to share our feelings with the group. There were a lot of tears in our eyes as we recounted special moments, thanked the staff and translators and gave our tremendous bus driver a standing ovation. Sharing the Gospel is infectious, the bus driver got into what God was doing through us as the week wore on. He pitched in and helped beyond his call of duty, carrying boxes of shoes and supples. Buckner gave gifts to our driver and the translators whose voices echoed ours as we communicated God's love to the orphans.
When we entered the motorcoach the first time on Friday Nov.3, Susan had us count off by number and that number stayed with us the entire time here. Each time we entered the motor coach we counted off to make sure everyone was on board. Tonight, after everyone was on board to go to dinner, Barb Fenn tearfully commented that it was one of our last countdowns. As usual, everyone was on board. Someone piped up that we can count down together when we get to heaven and we all laughed.

The real question for each one of you reading this blog is: Will you be there with us when we count down in heaven? If you are not sure, talk to the person who sent you the link to this blog. They can help you get on the bus.





Mark and Jackie
(numbers 12 and 13)

Ivan the Terrific

Today we had to weave our way from Riga to Lode, literally! Our history lesson for the day was at a place where they manufactured yarn and made wonderful bed spreads, wool filled sheets and many assorted woven items. We also had another terrific Latvian lunch, with borscht soup at a reception hall adjacent to the manufacturing facility.

Praising the Lord with our voices today was made easier as Jackie had printed out words to many praise songs at the hotel business center and Kristina played her guitar as our voices raised the roof as the motor coach traveled along the rural roads to Lode. You could feel the Spirit as many missionaries raised their hands high and closed their eyes as they offered the songs to the Lord.

As we drove into Piladzitis orphanage parking area you could sense the poverty. The building, a school located on the property a short distance from the children's residences needs a lot of work. The roof was leaking on the gym floor.Our band of merry missionaries, embraced these children. The ladies are so motherly as they proclaim the Gospel and kneel at the feet of the children and put on the new shoes of peace. The young men we witnessed to today were very attentive. Their politeness during the vbs presentation and and patience during the shoe distribution truely shows that God is at work here in Lode a very isolated and rural setting. I'd heard that one of the directors of an urban school we visited felt that there was more temptation in an urban setting for the children. This seemed confirmed by the attitude of many of the children in rural areas, much more loving and open.

Today I had the opportunity to work with the boys whose average age was about 10. There were 5 boys full of the spirit of youth. As they donned there battle gear to wage war with the devil, they used their "sword of the Spirit" to ward off evil. The glow stick they received to illustate this were a big hit. As we turned off the lights the boys really got into it. One little warrior, Ivan was so creative in the way he sought attention from me. First we played catch with one glow stick, then two glow sticks then we had to count to three, then throw, then we had to throw simultaneously, each change would require him to get the attention of the tranlator to tell me what to do. The games went on and on, he couldn't get enough attention. I feel very confident that he did get attention, not only from me but most importantly from the Holy Spirit as this young boy becomes a child of God. God bless you Ivan, you are terrific.

Blessings to you,

Jackie and Mark

Treasures in Heaven

The internet was down last night when we returned to the hotel so this post is a little late. The rain did not dampen the spirits of our group today as we boarded the bus for a new adventure,

It is so nice that we have a small amount of time to tour some areas in Latvia and learn the history here. It helps to have a background of the the country so we understand where the people we minister to are coming from.

Today we toured Rundale Palace, the summer home of many dukes and dutchesses in old Latvia. The oppulance and elegance were eye catching. The guide gave us a very good sense of the history of the long line of royalty that made up Latvia's past. She also told us that when the Soviets came they made the palace into a grainery and ruined a lot of the furnishings and sent the classic artwork back to St. Petersburg, Russia.

As the missionaries walked through the palace we were overwhelmed by the restored fresco ceilings and the ornate stairs and woodwork. We had lunch in a former kitchen area and as each table prayed grace I could here many pray about helping the orphans store treasures in heaven and not on earth.

Today was a totallly different geographical setting, we travelled to an isolated country orphanage called the Tervete orphanage. The contrast in settings that Buckner orphan care has designed into our journey keeps us fresh as we go through what now has become a similar presentation every day.

Our presentation groups and shoe distribution groups have become more organized and this has made the Gospel presentation more effective.

My work is more with the presentation to the high school age young men. Tim Harper from Tenn. has a God given ability to connect with these kids, as do many of the other men but as I photograph the group my lens is directed to the outward warmth that he seems to generate. I understand that Tim and his wife have adopted children from Bulgaria. God is using Tim as an effective missionary here whether he is pumping iron with the boys or giving his testimony.

We are truely blessed to be here. Today the children were very receptive, You could feel the Holy Spirit working in the faces of the young men.

I wish I could write more but it's morning here and time to put on my Armour of God, and head to Lode, Latvia, close to Estonia and let the Holy Spirit work through me and my friends in ministry.

Mark and Jackie

Traveling Back to Riga

After a long day of ministry yesterday, we boarded the motor coach late in the morning for the trip back to Riga. The motor coach is now a little fuller. We finally had an couple of hours to shop and the local stores were attacked with a vengeance! The most popular items were chocolate and coffee mugs with the name of the city of Liepaja on them.
We were running out of certain sizes of shoes and stopped at a local church on the way that graciously has acted as a warehouse. The Buckner Orphan team in Latvia headed by Dace ( I now have it spelled right), pronounced "dotsay" and Kristina are so organized. Shoes are shipped ahead to the orphanages, the restaurants are ready for us, the meals are all preordered, the hotel keys are waiting for us and most importantly the orphans are always ready to hear us. God has truly blessed this ministry with Spirit-filled, intelligent and hard working people.

On the way to Riga, we stopped in the town of Jelgava, Dace's home town. Her mother and 8 year old adopted daughter had lunch with us and Dace's daughter helped us minister to the children at Jelgava City orphanage.

We are so fortunate to have two young people with us, Jessica Hariharan who is 15 and Erika Zimmerman who is a junior in highschool. Erika has given insight to her fellow missionaries on how to effectively witness to young women and the young girls just flock to Jessica.

Today's vbs and shoe distribution was a challenging one. The Jelgava orphanage was different than the other orphanages we visited. It didn't seem to have as much staff, the floors were well worn and the public areas were not as nice as the orphanages we had been to before.We served children from age 2 to age 18 here.

We all now have much more respect for shoe sales people. The little kids were easy at this orphanage, find the right size shoe, put it on , they smile and love it. The older girls and young men add the element of style into mix. It is really neat to watch them wrestle with their individuality as you try to find the right size and style for them. Coming from the US we've had choice and individual expression for a long time but the Soviet built cookie cutter drab apartment buildings that line the streets in Jelgava represent the lack of choice and individuality that Latvians suffered with for a long time. It's great to see these young people want express themselves, and dress is an important part of that.
The unchanging nature of God's word was brought to mind as we proclaimed the Good News to these kids. Daily as we witness to these children, young men and women, with the same message that Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life and that message remains unchanged from orphanage to orphanage or from continent to continent.

Part of Andrea's message last night during devotions, was that God had planned in advance for each of us on this trip to be here. He planned well as the group reflects their leader, Jesus Christ. There are no evident egos, there is a lot of mutual respect and genuine love for each other. The spiritual talents of each of the missionaries seem to mesh together to get the Gospel out. The ladies with their handicrafts for vbs, the men with their muscles for hauling the heavy suit cases of medicine and supplies as well as the additional boxes of shoes, the people with public speaking abilities that use there voices to proclaim God's word, have come together in harmony every day to be God's instruments in fulfilling a small part of The Great Commission.

As we came back to our home away from home at the Radisson in Riga we were tired but smiling, looking out for each other, helping carry each others bags and looking forward to hugging some more orphans, tomorrow!



Thank you for being part of this mission trip by reading this blog,

Mark and Jackie

A Special Day

Special needs require special people and today we had the privilege to minister to children at the Liepaja Baby Home. The children at this home stir the soul, they range in age from 1 month to 18 years and are here because they need extended care. We split into two groups and one group toured the facility, while the other got to cuddle, dance and play with the kids. The building for the baby home looks worn on the outside but the inside is gorgeous, the custom made wooden beds and cribs, the bright colors, the play areas and medical care areas make this a real home for the children. The staff 's love of their jobs was evident as we took the tour. From a little special needs baby getting a massage to youngsters at play, the care was first class. The director of the home showed us almost every room on three floors and they were all perfectly spotless. The ladies that held the children did so with loving affection. It was a moving experience for me to see these innocent young children, I did my best to hug those that I could and say a prayer that the love that they were shown by the staff would prepare them to receive God's Love in Jesus Christ.

But now the fun! The kids were special not only in need but special to hold, special to dance with, special to put stickers on! Did I say "special "enough, because it was! Our group of missionaries really enjoyed the interaction with these children, It reminded me of how Christ told us to come to God as little children. They were so open and enthusiastic that the Holy Spirit seemed to use them to spiritually build us up. The music in the background turned from a fast pace to a slow one and I had the opportunity to dance with one of the young girls, as the song ended it was neat to twirl her under my arm.

As we left the staff workers had tears in their eyes, as did we. They told us how grateful they were for the supplies, medicine and kindness that we had shown the children. We left shoes there to give to the children and did not put them on ourselves because of the special situations at the baby home.

Refreshed from a quick lunch and riding high on the wings of the Holy Spirit we headed back to navy town, that depressed area we visited yesterday. This time we were headed not to an orphanage but a correctional school for children, some of whom whom had been in jail or been sent here because of discipline problems.This looked to be the opposite of the innocence we saw this morning.

Our well honed vbs machine, now in top form was upto the challenge and we charged through the doors with shoes, tshirts, markers, fabric paint, ski caps and Armor of God illustrations as well as young people to translate our words into Latvian.

Thank God we were only vessels to carry the work, and that God does the real work because these older children seemed a little bit hardened and not as outwardly receptive to our message. They enjoyed the shoes and the girls seemed to enjoy the crafts. Mark, "the goalie" Zimmerman and Ray "the scorer" Hashley connected with the older boys by playing basketball and soccer. All the missionaries seemed glad that God had lifted us up in the morning so that we could be effective spokesmen in the afternoon.

A long day of ministry continued as we visited a navy town mission run by Pastor Sergey. His job is to provide a mission of hope in the navy town area. In two rooms in an old dilapidated building he has built an effective ministry to local children. As we walked up two flights of stairs we were greeted by a group of singing children. One song was done in English for us. Pastor Sergey is an example of what God's love can do to people. These underprivileged children were happy loving and receptive as we put water based tattoos on their hands, gave them glow stick bracelets and just had fun together. Each child received a pair of new shoes. Hopefully our acts of kindness will help Pastor Sergey's ministry as he shares the Good News of Jesus Christ with people in this neighborhood. Susan our Buckner Orphan Care representative from Texas was reunited with a young girl that she had ministered to last year. It was very special for Susan as well as the little girl.

After another delicious Latvian meal we concluded our long but rewarding day with a devotion by Andrea, one of the young ladies on our trip from Chattanooga Tenn. We sang with Kristina, one of our Latvian guides as she played her guitar. We look forward to tomorrow as we let God recharge our batteries with a good nights sleep. We will travel to an orphanage in the city of Jelgava and head back to the Radisson Hotel in Riga.

Mark and Jackie