As my friends in the UK would say, “You’ve been made redundant.” So, you’re asking, “How is that possible? You’re a volunteer missionary!” Yes, that’s true. The national director here was going for shock factor with that statement. I don’t think he was expecting my wife & me to reply as we did: “Ok”. We were ok with being fired. We were tired of the frustrations with the lack of interaction from leadership… so to have a leader say anything that would remotely change the situation was refreshing. In the end, we’ve been taken from the Valdemarpils base staff & been made a part (or the entirety) of the new communications office for YWAM Latvia’s national office. At this point, nothing will really change except now we have one of the leaders taking an active role in our lives. We’re both very happy about this.
So, yes, we were “fired” but we were immediately “hired” into something relatively new (actually old, but a really long time coming in YWAM Latvia) that has the potential of being a lot more fun than we’ve been having thus far. So, in the words of my friend, David Loti, “WEE!!!!”
I’m learning that I am just not cut out to be a parent. There have been way too many emotional roller coaster rides going on this week with friends who aren’t even our kids… The good news is that it appears that they’re back on track. Thank God.
I want to say that I don’t understand, but that would be untrue. My friend is wanting to basically walk away from everything that is important in his life, just so that he can “live life to the fullest.” At 19, I never totally walked down that complete Epicurian path because I was too afraid. I toyed with it… dabbled in it… got my feet & hands dirty… but I was just too afraid of the consequences. My friend doesn’t seem to have this fear… & that is scary. He wants to leave the band, leave school & leave Latvia… in short… he just wants to leave. He thinks that going down that road is going to give him peace or something, but as God has taught in His word, “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:33)
The only peace that any of us can find is by surrendering our lives to God through Jesus. You can temporarily satisfy yourself with all kinds of stuff, but in the end, you’ll wind up empty. Only God can satisfy you in a way that will be real.
OK, I’m done preaching, but I’m not done with my friend. He needs God. The end.
I wish I could say that I’m talking about that refreshing kind of rain… healing rain… the kind of rain that washes away the dirt & grime of life. Sorry, but I can’t say that. This has been some of the most stressful & spiritually challenging times I’ve ever gone through. So many times I just want to throw in the towel with some of these friends who toy with walking away from God. But I know that I can’t do that. I know that one of the only ways for them to actually stick it out is to see me sticking it out with them & with God.
On a lighter note… my webhost must really like me… recently they moved my account to a newer computer that must have a really big hard drive…. check this for disk space…
My friend went through what some have called “the dark night of the soul” where she questioned her very salvation & desire to even be with God. All the while, though, she knew that God had not forsaken her nor had he left her. You know what I discovered? Even an 18-year-old can come to burn-out in ministry. She was just too overworked. She was the leader of her youth group’s worship team, in charge of a youth choir at her church, involved in music in school… oh… and in school full-time (which here means 15 subjects a week… that’s not a joke), not to mention all of the trauma & turmoil in her family.
After long discussions with my friend, she invited my wife & me to Riga to one of the largest churches in Latvia. Our mutual friend, Elita, had informed her that this church was going to sing my friend’s song in the choir & that Elita would sing the solo part. What an honor! It was this church’s 139th anniversary.
So we went, & it was so satisfying to see my friend sitting in a pew next to me & joyfully listening to her song being sung to the glory of God. Her good friend Elita sang the solo part of Ieva’s song with the choir backing her. It’s so awesome how God really is & how awesome is His mercy & grace towards us.
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So we went, & it was so satisfying to see my friend sitting in a pew next to me & joyfully listening to her song being sung to the glory of God. Her good friend Elita sang the solo part of Ieva’s song with the choir backing her. It’s so awesome how God really is & how awesome is His mercy & grace towards us.