Touring Castles

I woke up at 5:15 to head to Riga with Janis G. Janis woke up at 5:55 brushed his teeth and was ready to go. 

It was me, Janis, and the bus driver on a 19 passenger bus. I got a whole row. I was able yo sleep some. Janis said it was the worse bus ride he has been on. He said he got air born at some point. It was a nice to watch the sun rise on the drive.

We meet the LBC team at the Raddison. Janis and I had a good but quick breakfast there.

Half of the group went to Ventspiels. I went with another group to see two castles.

It was about an hour and a half drive to the first castle. Brent informed us people don't wear seat belts here because there are so many rivers if you drive into a river you can't get out in a seatbelt.  The castle at some points was being renovated. Karen said it has been in the renovation process every time they have been.
Some of us walked on stilts. I tried. Brent was very good at it.  A Latvian man helped me. He was telling me things but I couldn't understand what he was saying. Later, we walked up to the top of the castle.  It was a great view. There were steep stairs. There was netting over our heads. Zane said it was so no bricks fall on our heads. I walked on a balance beam and went into a torture chamber. I was having a hard time getting in. Brent said don't act like this is the first time you have done this.

Then, we went to Hessburger. It was kind of like Whataburger. Zane helped us all order. Hessburger is the place where after Kacie ate she got her kidney stones. Brent made lots or jokes about that and will bring her an application for Hessburger. That was the most similar to a fast food place I have seen here.
We went to Remi to get some drinks and snacks for the rode.

After that, we headed to Rendali. The bus driver stopped and Brent asked if we ran over a dwarf. I thought that was so funny. We had to pay to get a pass to take pictures inside the palace. 3 of us including me did that. We bought a ticket to access all areas of the palace which was great.  There was a beautiful big flower garden. We all dressed up in old costumes. It was so fun. Caleb and James dressed up in dresses. Brent said if they did he would pay for it. Keith was making jokes since the Supreme Court just passed the gay marriage law. Some tourists asked Keith where we were from. He was embarrassed to say America. We all split up to see the palace. The good things about being with a bigger group is that we often run into each other.   The palace was so, so pretty. Pretty walls, ceilings and furniture. Words can't describe. After that, we got a snack. I got a cake similar to tiramisu but better. We were going to take a group picture on the front steps but it was raining. We literally ran in the rain with bumpy rocks on the ground for a little ways to the bus.

I was asking Keith about his guitar style. He said only 10 guys play like he does. He hadn't learned it from them but played around with it on his own. When he teaches people how to play he teaches them chords and some basic things. Keith said very, very few people want to learn to play how he does. Keith said he learned this style from listening to Betoven.

On the way home 90% of us fell asleep in the car. I was not one of them. Keith later got his guitar and went through his routine. It was nice to listen to. It sounded like a cd.

Zane told us there was a roman Orthodox Church. It took us a while to find a good place to park. Zane and Caleb ran in to make sure it was open. Thankfully it was. All of us women had to cover our hair. They had some scarfs for us to use. Brent explained a lot of things to me about Roman Orthodox and Catholic religions. Inside we saw a priest walk through. When we walked out we saw he had "holy water" and was praying over and sprinkling a nice looking car. The owner was there. They opened all the doors and the hood of the car.

We drove onto a gas station. All 14 of had to use the restroom. There was only one big restroom. They did however have a normal size toilet and a kid size toilet. Someone asked if anyone used the kid size toilet. Karen jokingly said "didn't everyone?"

We had a 6pm reservation at Martenelis for dinner. (Yes, I went there two days in a row with two different groups.) at 6:05 after some construction delays Zane told us we would be taking a dirt road.

We had a good dinner at Marteneli's. We had French fries and mashed potatoes as sides this time. Each time we have gone here we have done things slightly differently.

As we were going to dinner we saw a concert going on. All of the Christians in the community wanted to celebrate the festival together. It seems like different denominations do more together here. Someone said maybe its because there aren't as many Christians here. Maija was a clown. Janis played. I saw many people I knew. I was hoping to find Elizabeth and Richard.

We were looking for something to do. Brent, Bryan, Keith, Diana, Kelsey and I went looking for hedgehogs. We didn't find any. We thought the rain scared them off. By the way it was freezing and sprinkling while we do this. Bryan found one a ways off. He ran to get it. We brought it inside. Bryan face timed Tucker to show him.  We all took turns holding it. Then, we brought it upstairs where some of the ladies were sleeping. Karen letter it in her bed. Then, we brought it into Mike Cummins. We laid it down near his back. Shortly later he rolled over and saw it. It was funny. Bryan said it was the perfect position for it to be in. Then, we brought it into the boys room. Caleb was surprised. Brent said we should release it into Inguna's office. We ended up putting it back outside. It's been an eventful day. 

VBS Day 4

This morning in our big group time I hung out a lot with Elizabeth and Dita. 

When we were in Riga Artus, a great photographer told me there was something on my camera and when we got back he would help me get it off. Today he brought a lot of cleaning equipment and he cleaned my camera with a lot of care. He said he put one of my pictures on his computer into a program and saw what was wrong with my picture. He said there was dust in it. It was so kind of him to clean it. He has a Nikon. So does Robin. They were making fun of my Canon. Artus said his phone takes better pictures than my Canon. It was all in fun.   We compared cameras. Looks like my camera doesn't have some of these newer features since it is so old. Artus told me all the buttons on his camera are in English. He said he knows camera words in English better than Latvian. Artus also said he never shoots outside on ISO 100. He said 200 is best for lighting. He is going to be a junior in high school and has already shot one wedding. He made an incredible video. He said it was his first video. I would be lucky if I could ever make a video that well. 

Elina usually has one or two Bibles with her. Today, she showed me her children's Bible. She knew each story. 

Alexanders does such a good job with his kids. At orphan camp everyone kept talking about how well he did. Today, his kids came to scripture memory. One of the leaders left the room. He thought it was a kid and quickly followed. He came back and counted all his children. He is only going to be a junior here at TKS. 

Michael, the main leader for VBS injured his back. He was in bed all day yesterday and this morning. Baiba is a Latvian youth that was translating but is doing most of the leading now for our scripture memory. She is doing so great. 

Yesterday Maija and Elizabeth and I wanted to go paddle boating but it didn't work out. Baiba helped me call. She is always so sweet to translate for me. We had to wait a bit for the lady to come to unlock the boat. While we were waiting we had a strawberry cocktail which is the same as a shake. It reminds me of the strawberry shakes my dad makes me. Elizabeth and I shared some fries. Maija was so sweet to treat us to that. We had fun riding on the paddle boat for 30 minutes. While we were on the boat we saw something that looked similar to a duck but it swam under water. We saw someone dressed nicely walking. I asked if that was Janis U. we yelled his name. No response. Maija called him, he answered, and started waving to us. It was him! He was walking to the concert where he is performing. 

We went to Martenelis tonight for dinner. We pre ordered because Inguna said they cook very fresh. She said it is so fresh it is like kill the pig right after you order so we ordered ahead. 

Janis G. took a math placement test for A&M. Rhonda and someone else helped him study. At dinner Janis announced at dinner he got into the best math class's at A&M. He gave some chocolate to the people that helped him study. 

VBS Day 1

We got up and had a meeting at 9. We had a light breakfast on our own here. We mostly had some left over strawberries and crackers from yesterday. 

This morning I went to the well to get some water. It was nice and clean and cold. 

I saw two boys trying to get into the locked school doors. I talked to them. They were 10 and went to school at TKS. They had great English. The thought VBS started at 9 like it usually does. Today it starts at 2. I played with them in the gym for a bit. I taught them how to play American football. They were pretty good at it. 

We got things ready for our first day. I printed a revised schedule since today is different. 

When Iguna would tell Elina to do something in Latvian she would respond in English. We all laughed. 

We got aquatinted with our Latvian team. 

We tried to get lunch but most places were closed because everyone was celebrating Mid Summer. Inguna drove some folks to the store and they brought back sandwich meat for us. We also got abimal crackers and dipped it in something like Nutella it was half chocolate and half vanilla. It was SO good!

At lunch Cullen and Brian were telling us a funny story about a guy snoring last night. 

When the kids were gathering around to start I saw a girl sitting by herself. I talked to her for a bit. We didn't talk much because I didn't think her English was to good. She told me her name. She also said I was nice. I didn't say much our whole conversation but she will thought so. It was so sweet!

VBS got started with singing Jesus is Lord and raising the Christian flag. 

We did introductions in the gym and had a time of worship through song. 

This weeks focus is that Jesus is our Savior like life guards save people. We have lots of water analogies. 

I am working with Michael, Babila, Marcia, and Elina doing scriptures memory. We did a small project today do I helped pass that out and get them set up. 

Yesterday Zeneta told me a 7 year old little boy from an orphanage died this weekend in a lake. She said he had a 4 year old sister and she probably doesn't understand. She has such a heart for these sweet kids. 

We had dinner with the kids, played some activities, and lowered the flag. 

We had a group meeting and everything went well today. Rhonda was very prepared. She brought so many great things for the kids to do for activities. She did so much prep work. She also wrote a very Biblical based curriculum. It was a good day. 

Day Off

This morning I tried the strawberries and condensed milk. It was great. We also brought Nutella for the crepes. That was good. Some people put tomatoes and cuecumbers inside the crepe and ate it like a breakfast burrito. Others put strawberries inside. 

Today is Inguna's name day. Many people brought her flowers. We sang happy birthday but put happy name day instead in the lyrics. 

Since all day at Sigulda Janis U. was making alien jokes Sabine helped me print out a picture of an alien and we wrote ancestor of the aliens on there. He has a picture up in the school. We placed the alien picture with his picture. 

Maija is a very nice lady I meet one of the first days here.

First, we went to see Kings Kids. Her son Matthew is in the group. They are a dance group that dances to Christian songs to share the gospel. They had it at a new store that just opened. While we were there I meet Edgars sister again and another young girl. They both do a lot with YWAM. The other girl is studying in Texas. They were very sweet. 

Then, we went to a town called Roja. There we saw a sand dune. Maija said it was very unusual for Latvia. It was neat to see. 

We stopped to see one view of the sea. 

We drove on to her in laws house in Kolkasras. We then went to the beach. It was walking distance from their house. 

We ate and chatted on the beach. 

Kolkasras is a special town because the gulf of Latvia meets the Baltic Sea. You can see the two waves going into each other. There is a light house there way far out. Boats have to go on the further side of the light house so they don't get to close to the sand. She was telling me how much ofa great industry the sea is here. Her husband is a seaman and so is her sisters husband. I meet someone from New York in Riga that came to Latvia to work on the sea. They also cut down a lot of wood and replace it by planting new trees. We saw a monument with flowers dedicated to all those who have died at sea. There were also two trees together in the middle of the beach. Maija said you're supposed to look through them to watch the sunset. There were some trees that had died left on one side of the beach. They belong to Latvia and have to stay there. She told me a lot about soviet times and how you couldn't go to the beach without a passport because they were afraid you would take a boat and head to Sweeden. 

Then, we went to Dogulda where Maija grew up. It is called Dogulda because someone mispronounced it and thought it was referring to a bell.  

There is a pretty castle there. It was under construction now. She said the castle was built by Germans. 

When I came back I asked Janis U. if he saw the picture. He said yes and thanked me for it. I was surprised he liked it so much. 

Marcia and I went to Maija and Elizabeth's for dinner tonight. Elizabeth came to the school to walk us to their flat. 

They have a very nice flat. Elizabeth and I helped Maija make whipped cream. We had the best cheese soup for dinner tonight. It was by far the best soup I have had here.  For dessert she puréed strawberries. We put the strawberries on the bottom of the bowl. Then, we put whipped cream on top. She also made another batch with whipped cream but added cottage cheese. I liked that. The cottage cheese added a good texture. She also was boiling strawberries. It foamed on top. Maija put the foam in a separate bowl. I tried some. It was very sweet. After the strawberries weren't getting any more foam she put them in a jar and then in the refrigerator.

Elizabeth wanted to go swimming. It was raining for a bit but then stopped. We went to the Villas. It was a very nice area. That is the best place to swim near Talsi. It was just outside the city. Sylvia, one of the Latvian youth workers lives there. We got to see her. She also had a trampoline we could jump on. All around it was a good day. 

VBS Day 3

This morning Martha told us a story about how she and some others went to the beach last night. Someone saw their VBS shirts about the Savior that Saves and asked them about their shirts. They explained. The people said they hitch hiked to the beach from Riga, which is about a 2 hour and 30 minute drive. They said they were in Talsi and didn't have a place to stay. Baiba let them stay at her house. So cool! 

Today we had another good breakfast. It is fun being here with different teams and learning new things. This morning Michael put condensed milk on his strawberries. I will have to try that tomorrow. They use condensed milk in their coffee instead of creams and sugar because condensed milk has both. I wish I drank coffee so I could try it. 

In our scripture memory time we had some extra time so Michael taught the kids to play duck duck goose. They have never played. Evita told me they play a similar game but 2 kids run in opposite directions and try to get into the seat first. 

One of the little boys I taught how to play football yesterday remembered me and came up to me this morning. That was sweet. 

We have lots of great games to help the kids memorize the verses. The games and verses corresponded with the Bible lessons. Everything corresponded with our theme of Jesus the Savior that saves. 

Elina has such a heart for The Lord. She always has her Bible with her. She was telling me how much she wants her cousin Kate to come to know The Lord. 

I usually help the cooks bring out the food. Some of them I think we're surprised to see me again here this week. 

At lunch I sat next to Alexander. During the prayer I took his dessert and put it by another girl. The girls thought it was so funny! I'm amazed how much you can communicate by sign language. I wish I could understand what people were saying. I think I would get to know them better. 

One girl could speak English well and she would interpret for other girls. One girl told me I am very pretty. Dita, a girl that is usually by herself I hung out with a lot today. She said I am cool. It was so sweet. The girls watched me during worship through song to see if I was dancing and doing the hand movements. They were surprised I was. 

Magdalena is so kind. She took me to the Talsi cheese factory. They make cheese, milk, and a few other things there. They have a little store where they sell things. I bought some milk and a Napoleon. 

Then, Magdalena and I went to see the Lutheran church. It is the oldest church in Talsi. 

Then, she took me to the watch tower. It is no longer open. The stairs are gone too. 

Then, we hung up a poster for the Keith Cooper concert. 

We waited a long time for our 10 pizzas to come. While we were waiting we tried to make people laugh by saying bubbles. It was fun to watch. 

Some of the youth helpers joined us for pizza. 

Sunday

This morning I got a later start. Got a good breakfast at the Raddison. Then, I walked around Old Town. It is always nice to walk around the water. People were getting set up for Mid Summer. Mid Summer which is the biggest festival of the year. It was fun to see lots of bands and activities getting ready for the celebration that will last until morning. There were also many tourist walking around. I would say 9 out of 10 people I saw were tourist. Every person has a name day where you celebrate there name. Today is Janis name day. Janis is the most popular male name in Latvia. 

Then, Marcia and I went to St. Matthews Baptist Church. We took a taxi because it was a little ways away. Marcia and I meet James and Tanner there. They go to the Lovejoys church. Tanner is moving here for 3 years in August. They are working on getting things set up for Tanner.   After the service we talked to the pastors.  They had great english. We found out this church is over 100 years old. The pastor said that in Latvia it seems you have to be a strong Christian or not a Christian at all. He was telling us about someone he missed but said he doesn't miss him to much because he knows he will see him in heaven. I heard Janis say that when he said goodbye to someone. Love that eternal perspective.  There is no in between or any like warm Christians.  We asked where they recommend we go for lunch. He said there is a place called Chili that has pizza but it isn't that good. He named another place and said Lulu's has the best pizza. Juanis told us that yesterday too. We decided to go to Lulu's. He told us how to get there. The pastor said LuLu is the Gospel and Chili is the law. 

We took a tram to Old Town. We then walked to LuLu. It was closed! We went to a good Latvian place. It looked like La Madeline on the inside. I got pork with cheese and vegetables. Nice presentation. It looked like it was in a flower pot. 

Marcia and I went to the airport I meet the new VBS team. Sabine, Babila, and Janis U. Joined us there. 

We drove back to Talsi. After getting settled in we had an amazing shish kabob dinner. So, so good! It's so good Inguna was offered 30,000 for the recipe and she didn't take it. 

I went on a walk with Brian, Janis G., and Jessica. We saw both ponds and some cool plants. 

After coming back we had a VBS team meeting. 

Saturday in Riga

We had a good breakfast this morning at the hotel.

Janias U. took us to the bus. From the bus we went to the train station to go to Segulda. It was just me, Janias U., Tony, and Jaqui. On the 30 minute bus ride we talked about how there are about 9 churches from our group represented. We have blended so so well. Everyone is so kind. We have blended almost better than people from the same church. On the train everyone had big backpacking backpacks. I don't know why. 

We went to Sigulda. We walked around the town. It was very pretty. We went into a tower with a museum in it. Parts of it were modern. Then, we went to a sky tram and got to go over these beautiful trees. We saw a pretty house. Later, we went to a castle. It wss being renovated. The part that had been renovated was like a big tree house. There was a very modern elevator inside. It was nice we didn't have to climb more stairs but it was nice to not to have to climb more stairs. We got the best pizza I have had here. It was great.  We were glad we had a small group and it was fun to go together. Janis was a great your guide. He had never been before so didn't know much about the area. Anytime we would ask him something and he didn't know he said the town was taken over by aliens and made up a story about aliens. 

We took the hour train ride back to Riga. I got a little nap on the train. We were talking really loud and realized we were loud Americans. Everyone could hear what we were saying. The train worker got our tickets. He thought Janis was an American. We all thought that was funny. 

Then, we walked around Old Town in Riga. It was super fun. We got some good souvenirs. 

All day Janis had been talking about this restaurant called Street Burger. I didn't know how good it would be. It was a little off the beaten path. It was very good. One of the only places with free refills. 

We wanted to see the rest of our group before they head out tomorrow. We finally saw them. We split up again. Some went to the hotel, others went to one shop, and some of us to another shop. James and I lost Callie, Janis, and Tanner. We finally found them. 

On the walk back to the hotel we meet a man that greeted is in English. I asked him where they are from. He was born in Riga. Had lived in the States many years and is now back in Riga. The man said the strawberries here are so good because of all the sunlight. 

A group of us went to the rooftop view and watched the sunset while having great cake and celebrating Callie's birthday. 

Such a fun day with a great group of people. 

New week. New camp. New team. New kids. New pranks?