Skip to main content

Kafejnīca and bringing light.

Today was such a good day. I had a good chat with a friend at a French kafejnīca (café) where I had a mug of coffee and milk and a pastry with banana and cream (which was more like a cheese texture). It was interesting. Not too convinced about the banana-in-pastry flavour, but it was nice to try something different.

After coffee I strolled down Dzirnavu iela to go to the Tiger store where you can get really cheap nice things. I got a present for one of the students whose birthday it is today and then walked back slowly, taking in the fact that I’m in Riga and feeling God’s heart and love for this city.

In the afternoon I took the bus to the church where the team are staying to do a time of worship and intercession there. It was so powerful to be worshipping Jesus in the middle of the area where at night women are selling their bodies, drugs are being dealt, and lives are being destroyed night after night. Powerful to proclaim the Truth of who Jesus is over the area and proclaim hope and life. It was freezing, but so good!!

As dinner time was approaching we set off on a 30 minute walk down to the city centre to have dinner at the university cantina which is cheap and nice. I had buckwheat with grated carrot and chicken. I thought I liked buckwheat, and I think I do in theory, but it did have a strange taste. Not sure if that’s the authentic buckwheat taste or if it was how it was prepared. I guess having it on another occasion is the only way to find out.

On our way back we stopped by Rimi which is the supermarket (which makes my heart happy because we have the same chain in Norway as well, in fact there are quite a few different chains of shops that they have both here and in Norway). We stocked up on fruit and milk and bread for the rest of the week (which when you’re feeding 25 people does get quite heavy to carry).

And so here I’m sat. Back in the beautiful living room. The candles are lit on the table and it’s dark outside. I’ve just finished a large mug of English tea (with milk of course) and I’m enjoying some Jon Thurlow on the webstream. Tomorrow is another day full of activities and opportunities. But for now I’m just savouring the fact that I’ve come to the end of a good day. And I am so thankful for life.

Popular posts from this blog

Small moments that mean a lot

Walking home on the crunchy snow that lights up a December evening,  I felt so thankful. The revelation that fellowship and being together is the best gift you can give someone, and realising that although it might seem small, it can turn into something big when a person feels seen and valued.  Yesterday I helped out with a crafts workshop for a group of lovely women volunteering for Crux where I worked before (well, in all honesty: they were making angels while I ate Christmas cookies, Quality Street chocolate, and chatted). I love walking alongside people in conversation, and realise sharing life for 2 hours can last so much longer in value and experience.  This evening we had our Christmas dinner for volunteers and people who are part of my current job. It was a delightful evening with many nations gathered around the same table…. eating the same food… and for a few hours creating a small fellowship moment that will become a good memory for the future. Often in my job ...
Read more

Taking in the familiar and a heart connected.

Amsterdam. It still has that muggy feeling in Summer, and a constant flow of people which if you stop to think about it, it's quite amazing that there would even be space to accommodate them all. But then I guess they are not all staying. Just passing through on their way to or from somewhere. It's always good for the heart to visit somewhere that was once home. The familiarity of streets and customs makes it easier to embrace what might be new as well as the joy of being reacquainted with old friends. Friends. So many of them to be found in this city, ready with hugs and good words that are uttered when seeing someone who was away again. Friendship. A treasure that cannot be bought. Cobblestones trodden by many, including myself. Sitting on a bench. Praying. Remembering the first time I stumbled upon this area lined with windows with red lights and curtains. An area which has come to represent no longer windows, but people to me. Some still behind a window. Others who have ...
Read more

So what is new in Kansas City?

“Not much”, I think is the answer. Although, that’s not quite correct, I’ve had quite an adventurous weekend (in the mildest sense of the word). Let me see, where do I start? Well, Thursday when I last wrote was really good. I got to join with a team for a bit in the evening, which was really good fun and it lifted my spirits as I am totally a team person! The whole week had been quite tense because of adjustments with our household and people coming and going. On Saturday two of the girls I shared with were moving out and since Friday night they were packing, my other housemate and I went shopping. We figured it was easier to not get caught up in the chaos that packing to move houses is. It was fun to go shopping, even if we only went to Wall-Mart and HyVee (big grocery and other thing shops). We got a few bits and pieces for the house to make it more homely and generally just had fun looking at all the stuff they have. We’d decided that when the other girls had moved we’d do a big cl...
Read more