On a journey...

So here were are, final hours in Riga, Latvia. It’s been a great weekend. Church was great, although a tad challenging to listen for English in the midst of Latvian and Russian, but wonderful worship and wonderful people! The weather was cold and church lasted a long time, so we ended up not going the museum. Instead we popped to the cinema, before cooking a delicious pesto and chicken lasagne (which we’re eating the leftovers of for lunch today). This morning I headed out early to get some fresh croissants and flowers for breakfast since it is Lysette’s birthday (the girl we’re visiting). It was great to be able to have breakfast with her, especially since she has work today and we don’t get to see her much. After breakfast I went to a little cafe close by and had some coffee, tea, and a sweet pastry thing with ricotta cheese and jam inside (it was interesting). I am sharing a bit with a DTS outreach team on Wednesday about intercession and justice, and wanted to start preparing a bit...

Yesterday we went to a very authentic restaurant called “Lido”. It’s buffet style with tons of food and it’s absolutely delicious!! I had chicken breast with cheese and pineapple with roast potatoes and salad. Very good! For dessert I had an amazing rhubarb and strawberry with cream thing which was sweet but delicious, and very cheap. In the afternoon we went to the cinema and watched “Water for Elephants”. A totally ok film. Good chewing gum movie (i.e. you watch it, it was fun and nice, but it doesn’t really impact your life in any way). It was fun to go to the cinema in Latvia though, and very cheap too. Afterwards we strolled home and had a chilled evening at home. This morning we had brunch at a French cafe which had the most amazing croissants I’ve ever had. We sat outside in the sun (the nice weather continues, although it does get a bit nippy in the shade) and watched people shopping at the weekly organic marked which was there also. Then we strolled to the local market which i...

On Wednesday we had an amazing time of worship and prayer for the city. It was so powerful and really reminded me that the key to seeing change has to have intercession as the start, end, and middle! In the afternoon we headed out to get to know some of the history of the city and do some sightseeing. We took the lift to the top of the Radisson SAS building where we had a spectacular view of the city. Then we went into the Greek Orthodox Church. It was stunning! It always makes me think how much the people who built the churches must have loved God, making something so beautiful. As we left the church I was also struck by great contrast. On the steps of the church a disabled lady was begging, and it made me think of Jesus, and how He went to the poor and interacted with them and was where they were... and in a sense this lady begging outside the church made me think of how much the church (i.e. people who are part of the church) doesn’t bring in the poor, or those who don’t fit in, or ...

It’s always exciting to go to a supermarket in a new country, because you never know what it’ll be like. Yesterday morning we set out to purchase ingredients to cook a meal for 18 people, without having decided properly what we were going to make. To me this speaks of “great faith”, but since I wasn’t in charge I just went along for the ride (and to help carry bags home). Entering the supermarket it was a wee bit disappointing coz it was very similar to Norway. In fact, even the supermarket chain, Rimi, is found in Norway. The shopping trip in itself was pretty uneventful, except when one of our team took a photo of a couple of us and the security guard promptly came and informed us we had to delete it (and stood to see us actually do it) because it’s not permitted to take photos in the shop. The afternoon was a real contrast to the shopping trip. We joined with the YWAM Riga staff to do the Baltic Bread Project. Basically we had 80 loafs of fresh bread bought from this amazing bakery,...

We arrived at Schipol airport on Friday afternoon, thinking we’d have lots of time to have dinner and leisurely catch our flight. What we take into account was the long line at check-in which was slower than normal because they insisted on weighing all the luggage, checked and hand luggage alike. Since I hadn’t checked-in online, I had the great pleasure of standing in the queue, and being reminded of what it was like back in the day when online check-in was something of the future. After finally getting checked-in and through security we had just enough time to eat some slightly cold pizza (a very strange system of “heating” up already cooked pizza and selling them in slices...interesting). Then we got on the plane and off we went, excited to be on our way to Riga. The flight was chilled and quite uneventful. It was quite amusing finding an article in the in-flight magazine about the “blond parade” on Saturday which is apparently a yearly even organised by Latvia’s blondes association...

In an hour we set off for a week in Latvia. My luggage has been carefully packed and re-packed as we’re only allowed 8kg hand luggage. I hope it’s the right weight now. I am excited. It’ll be a good week I think, and it’s really nice to travel with a team for once. I can’t remember almost the last time I actually went on a plane with someone, so it’ll almost be a new experience. This weekend was good. On Friday I got to go visit the ladies in the windows. It was a really good time of handing out tea/coffee and biscuits to the ladies who work as sex workers in the Red Light District. So many nationalities in one place. I think we talked to women from Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Ecuador, Colombia, Holland, Italy, and maybe even other nations. It’s hard to not feel hopeless about the situation. Hard to not wonder if it’s a pointless battle to fight. Yet, for the ones who do want to talk and the ones who do make it, it’s worth it. And it isn’t pointless. I believe that every time w...

The church bells are chiming on the other side of the street, and I am sat with the veranda door open, sipping my cup of Earl Grey tea. It’s beautiful evening here in Amsterdam. The sun is starting to set and it’s a comfortable temperature reminding me that it really is spring, almost summer. I arrived back here today, and I get to stay in one of the flats over the “Lighthouse” project which is in the Red Light District. It’s a lovely flat. Right outside there’s a canal and on the other side of the canal is the Oude Kerk which is one of the oldest churches in Amsterdam (hence the church bells). It’s been a good but slightly surreal day. After getting my baggage at the airport I decided to grab a bite to eat before getting the train to Amsterdam. And since I’ve been here before I knew to get a cheap baguette from HEMA rather than pay a lot for a similar sandwich somewhere else. It’s this kind of knowledge that reminds me that I am not here to be a tourist. After the 10 minute train ride...

Today is Norway’s national day and it was so nice to be in Norway for it. Got to wear my national costume, watch the schools walk in a parade, eat hot dogs and ice cream, wave my Norwegian flag, take my niece to watch the parade called “folketoget”, blow soap-bubbles with my niece and nephew on the veranda, see what the royal family were wearing on television, and have nice food and enjoy celebrating this wonderful country I was born in. It’s been a great day! Tomorrow will be a busy day. Mainly packing and getting ready.... “ready for what?” you may ask. Ready to get on a plane Thursday morning back to Amsterdam. After a lot of waiting and trusting and talking and listening I am now heading back to Amsterdam for a month to “spy out the land”. I’m going to join with the “Lighthouse” and “Tabernacle”, two ministries of YWAM Amsterdam and see how that goes. See if it could be and is the next place I am to stop and work in... see how God leads. So tomorrow will be busy. I’ve had my “list”...

It’s been a while since I blogged. I am in Norway, trying to figure out the way ahead in life. It’s been really great to have time to spend with family and friends. Last year I didn’t come home till the end of the year, and I really missed them. It’s good to have people in your life you can miss, because it means that they are important to you. Sat in my room here at my parent’s house. I’ve looked at maybe getting a job while I wait, but it’s easier said than done... and my heart is to be in ministry. I am in contact with some different options for what I might do, but as with everything, things take time. And while I wait, I just feel the Lord giving me grace to not be so busy for once. To take it slow and savour this moment... because in the big scheme of things, this time is but a moment. The other day it just occurred to me that I felt really rested and unstressed. It’s been a long time, if ever, since I’ve not felt anything looming in the future or weighing heavily on me. There al...