We're Back!

We arrived back safely yesterday night. Our luggage, however, didn't. The leg from Helsinki to New York was late, and we only had 30 minutes to transfer. Since we entered in at the international terminal, we had to get our checked baggage, and check it back in.

Check here for all of the pictures.

Days Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine

Sorry about a late update to the blog. We were in the countryside helping work at the church retreat.

Day Six (Thursday):
This was our last day for VBS at the orphanage. Molly taught a lesson on the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Saying goodbye was sad for both us and the orphans.

In the evening, we visited a convalescent (sp?) hospital in Riga, helped trim the patients' nails, and made and served them dinner.

Day Seven (Friday):
On our day off, we went to an open air museum (a large park with exhibits everywhere). In the afternoon, we did some shopping, and in the evening took a bus to the countryside for the weekend retreat for the church.

Days Eight and Nine (Saturday and Sunday):
We were at a full family weekend retreat near a lake in the countryside. Our responsibility was to take care of the children while the parents went to the teaching sessions. 'Twas a fun time.

Day Four and Five

Day Four (Tuesday):
We spent the morning in planning for VBS, then returned to the orphanage. Anda gave a lesson on the Parable of the Sower, complete with group motions! The children then got into 4 groups (one for each type of soil) to make a poster representing their soil.

Crafts included hemp-braided bracelets, and we had an exciting relay race.

In the evening, we were taken to the Baltic Sea coast for a walk. No wind and soft sand...

Day Five (Wednesday):
We spent the morning again planning for VBS, and then returned to the orphanage. This time, the children had warmed up to us a bit and greeted us through the window as we arrived.

Jen taught a lesson on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and we had the children act out the entire thing as well!

Crafts included lanyards (some of us boys had a little trouble remembering the patterns), and we brought back the old classic "Steal the Bacon".

In the evening, we attended a Riga Reformed Church bible study at Anda's home. It's been exciting seeing what God is doing in Riga through the church.

Day Two and Three

Day Two (Sunday):
Preparation and planning for Vacation Bible School, starting on Monday. We'll be teaching a handful of Jesus' parables, including the Parable of the Sower and the Prodigal Son. We have a few crafts and games planned as well!

In the afternoon, we attended Riga Reformed Church. Our gracious host, Anda, even translated the entire sermon for us!

Afterwards, we got to fellowship with some church members over dinner.

Day Three (Monday):
We did some last minute preparing for VBS before heading off to an orphanage with a group of children from the church. At the orphanage, we had a larger group of kids. We talked about the Pearl of Great Value and the Kingdom of Heaven, did some crafts with beads, and played some hilarious games with balloons.

We're hoping that having the VBS at an orphanage will be a great opportunity to get the church children involved with outreach to the orphans who do not have a church background.

The day finished with a prayer night at a church member's house. This was yet another place that the church here in Riga has made us feel welcome.

Day One

Greetings from Riga, Latvia! We've arrived safely and have been here for 1 day so far. This was spent settling in, adjusting, and getting to know Anda, our contact here for the Riga Reformed Church.

We have a schedule of VBS and other such things this week, but here are a few pictures for you right now.

Chau!

The Night Before

It's Thursday night... and we'll be staying up till we leave at 3:30 AM! Woo hoo! Party!