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11/28/13
11/26/13
Tragedy in Zolitūde
You may have already heard the news about the recent tragedy that struck Latvia this past week (BBC article here and Wikipedia article here). Last Thursday night at around six o'clock a section of the roof at a local Maxima supermarket collapsed, killing 54 people. Three of those were firemen who had rushed into the building to help the injured when a second section of the roof collapsed on them. Many children lost one or both of their parents. It is the largest single loss of life since Latvia regained its independence in 1991. Things like these are hard to make sense of. Latvia is in a state of shock and observed a three-day national grieving period.
Obviously the grieving process will take much longer; but I have been encouraged by glimpses of the hope in the midst of tragedy! The response of the Latvian people to help those affected by this event has been incredible! Within hours there were many people at the site passing out food, hot drinks, and blankets to relief workers and those waiting in the cold for loved ones who were still trapped in the building. Thousands lined up to donate blood for those who had been injured. So far, 796,156 Ls (over $1,541,000) has been donated to local charities to support and care for the families who were most affected. A sea of flowers and candles (below) covered the ground at the accident side. Non-stop news coverage of the tragedy is a norm in our information obsessed world, but the fact that Latvian news stations were broadcasting commercial-free is a refreshing slap in the face of our money-driven world.
All that to say, Latvia needs your prayers! 54 lives were lost, dozens are still in the hospital, and hundreds more were affected that day. We had a girl from our local Rīga Fusion ministry who was working at the store when the roof collapsed. By the grace of God she made it out safely, but she has barely slept since it happened. You could pray for her and the many others who have been affected as they return to a new "normal" life.
Obviously the grieving process will take much longer; but I have been encouraged by glimpses of the hope in the midst of tragedy! The response of the Latvian people to help those affected by this event has been incredible! Within hours there were many people at the site passing out food, hot drinks, and blankets to relief workers and those waiting in the cold for loved ones who were still trapped in the building. Thousands lined up to donate blood for those who had been injured. So far, 796,156 Ls (over $1,541,000) has been donated to local charities to support and care for the families who were most affected. A sea of flowers and candles (below) covered the ground at the accident side. Non-stop news coverage of the tragedy is a norm in our information obsessed world, but the fact that Latvian news stations were broadcasting commercial-free is a refreshing slap in the face of our money-driven world.
All that to say, Latvia needs your prayers! 54 lives were lost, dozens are still in the hospital, and hundreds more were affected that day. We had a girl from our local Rīga Fusion ministry who was working at the store when the roof collapsed. By the grace of God she made it out safely, but she has barely slept since it happened. You could pray for her and the many others who have been affected as they return to a new "normal" life.
11/14/13
YouTube of the Month: Movember Edition
Since this is a special month for us as men, I thought I would post a tribute to one of man's finest features. Enjoy!
11/8/13
Josiah Venture - The Beginnings
For two great articles on how Josiah Venture came to be, you can read Connie Patty's blog posts here and here.
11/7/13
Pope Francis
I've been reading quite a bit about this man. I'm not saying he's perfect or I agree with everything he says, but you gotta love the compassion and humility he displays.
It looks a little bit like Jesus!
It looks a little bit like Jesus!
11/6/13
YouTube of the Month: November
This guys is unbelievable! I discovered him a few weeks ago on YouTube and thought I would share one of his best...
11/4/13
MNBL
How did I end up here? Playing basketball again?
So far our team has played pretty well this season (4-0). I don't know how its possible, but I seem to be getting in worse shape with every game. If you're interested at all, you can follow our games and stats on the Mārupes novada basketbola līga homepage. Search for our team "T/K Spice" or "the team with an incredibly slow bearded American."
So far our team has played pretty well this season (4-0). I don't know how its possible, but I seem to be getting in worse shape with every game. If you're interested at all, you can follow our games and stats on the Mārupes novada basketbola līga homepage. Search for our team "T/K Spice" or "the team with an incredibly slow bearded American."
10/10/13
October Update
10/9/13
YouTube of the Month: October
I made the mistake of joining a men's basketball league and we had our first game last night. It wasn't pretty and I'm definitely the "my bad" guy.
10/4/13
Nicholas James Fletcher
I'm typing this post in my living room with a huge lump in my chest. It's October 4th. A day I have been dreading for months. Fletch is sitting across the room and checking in for his flights back to the states. We got back a few minutes ago from breakfast at his favorite pancake place right around the corner. We ate, talked, laughed, reminisced, as I fought back tears. I'm so thankful for his friendship! I love this guy and because of that I'm gonna hate saying "goodbye" to him!
When Fletch and I went through Missionary Training International in 2007, they informed us that by becoming missionaries we were getting into the business of saying "goodbyes." At the time I didn't realize how true that statement was and how painful it would be. And that eventually I would need to say "goodbye" to the guy who I had begun this missionary journey with.
On November 15th, 2007 Fletch and I said "goodbye" to our families together in Sky Harbor Airport. Up until that day I had never cried so much in my life. We boarded a flight bound for Latvia. And that began our crazy Latvian journey.
Now six years later, we are sitting in my living room and waiting for a friend to pick us up and take us to the airport. Life has come full circle and today I need to say "goodbye" to Fletch as he boards a flight bound for Sky Harbor Airport. Didn't think it would end up like this.
I believe God is leading Fletch in this next step of his life and because of that I have peace. However it still sucks saying "goodbye" to such a close friend! Few people on this planet have seen me at my worst. Fletch has. He has been next to me at some of the lowest points of my life and he still loves me. I see Jesus in that. I don't know many people who have a friend (outside of their spouse) like that. And for that I am grateful! That is what makes saying "goodbye" to him so hard. As my teammate Donna said, today feels like an end of an era in Latvia. Fletch will no longer live here, but God used him to leave a mark on this country. And I am sure that the next places where God leads Him will be just as blessed as we have been in Latvia.
God has blessed me by allowing me to "grow up" over the last six years with this guy by my side. He became family and saying "goodbye" to family is never easy. We went through a lot of great times and a lot of hard times and I'm blessed to have seen God's faithfulness through it all! I'm holding onto that for our futures now on different continents.
Fletch loves selflessly and in that He reflects Jesus. He is a servant at heart and in that He imitates Jesus. Fletch works hard and does everything with 100% effort. I have learned a lot from him and am thankful to have been part of his life.
Thank you, Fletch! You ran well. You blessed this country. You are loved. Keep going!
PS-Come visit us sometime! :)
When Fletch and I went through Missionary Training International in 2007, they informed us that by becoming missionaries we were getting into the business of saying "goodbyes." At the time I didn't realize how true that statement was and how painful it would be. And that eventually I would need to say "goodbye" to the guy who I had begun this missionary journey with.On November 15th, 2007 Fletch and I said "goodbye" to our families together in Sky Harbor Airport. Up until that day I had never cried so much in my life. We boarded a flight bound for Latvia. And that began our crazy Latvian journey.
Now six years later, we are sitting in my living room and waiting for a friend to pick us up and take us to the airport. Life has come full circle and today I need to say "goodbye" to Fletch as he boards a flight bound for Sky Harbor Airport. Didn't think it would end up like this.I believe God is leading Fletch in this next step of his life and because of that I have peace. However it still sucks saying "goodbye" to such a close friend! Few people on this planet have seen me at my worst. Fletch has. He has been next to me at some of the lowest points of my life and he still loves me. I see Jesus in that. I don't know many people who have a friend (outside of their spouse) like that. And for that I am grateful! That is what makes saying "goodbye" to him so hard. As my teammate Donna said, today feels like an end of an era in Latvia. Fletch will no longer live here, but God used him to leave a mark on this country. And I am sure that the next places where God leads Him will be just as blessed as we have been in Latvia.
God has blessed me by allowing me to "grow up" over the last six years with this guy by my side. He became family and saying "goodbye" to family is never easy. We went through a lot of great times and a lot of hard times and I'm blessed to have seen God's faithfulness through it all! I'm holding onto that for our futures now on different continents.
Fletch loves selflessly and in that He reflects Jesus. He is a servant at heart and in that He imitates Jesus. Fletch works hard and does everything with 100% effort. I have learned a lot from him and am thankful to have been part of his life.
Thank you, Fletch! You ran well. You blessed this country. You are loved. Keep going!PS-Come visit us sometime! :)
9/30/13
Radiate
The theme for this year's fall conference was "Radiate." 230+ youth workers from Central and Eastern Europe gathered in Czech to spend four and a half days focusing on God as a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29). Throughout Scripture and church history we can see that as God's people draw nearer to Him they are more able to clearly reflect His glory and "heat" to others. When we draw closer to Him we also find true freedom in His presence (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
The scary reality is that we can serve God without a passionate love for Him. If this is true, we won't radiate anything of significance. But we cannot have a passionate love for God without service/good deeds! That will be a natural overflow of our abiding in Him (John 15). During the conference we spent a lot of time reading through the Gospel of John and the first few chapters of Acts. The Gospel is such Good News!
I'm also thankful that Anna was able to go with me this year! This made conference much more enjoyable for me :) and it was a special time for our marriage. I have been asking God to solidify the things that He wants us to take away from conference.
Here is our group from Latvia!
Follow these links if you would like to download the workbook and talks.
The scary reality is that we can serve God without a passionate love for Him. If this is true, we won't radiate anything of significance. But we cannot have a passionate love for God without service/good deeds! That will be a natural overflow of our abiding in Him (John 15). During the conference we spent a lot of time reading through the Gospel of John and the first few chapters of Acts. The Gospel is such Good News!
I'm also thankful that Anna was able to go with me this year! This made conference much more enjoyable for me :) and it was a special time for our marriage. I have been asking God to solidify the things that He wants us to take away from conference.
Here is our group from Latvia!
Follow these links if you would like to download the workbook and talks.
9/5/13
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