Early Sunday morning, February 3

Weekly review from my personal point of view

This week has contained a number of flashbacks from our time in Latvia. On Monday Edgars arrived in Riga with our last belongings from Latvia. Some boxes with books and a small sofa. He returned to Latvia with the boat on Tuesday with the mini-bus filled sith humanitarian aid things from Stockholm. We had good talks with Edgars and we were updated about the present situation for our friends in Latvia.

Friday night we met our successor as leader for the Salvation Army work in Latvia, Christine Bailey from United Kingdom, and "our" personal secretary and translator Iveta Rasa. Iveta is no longer "our", that is why I had to write "our" between these signs "".

Christine and Iveta had been in Stockholm for a number of meetings and then we spent Friday night in our house. Christine had of course some questions about the work in Latvia and we had many questions about all people in Lativa. How are the officers doing? What about the new officers? The new soldiers? The new converts? We received good positive answers on all these questions (If somebody from Latvia is readings this: We are still praying for you!)

Saturday it was the annual meeting for "the Skangali Friends", a support group for the work at Skangal, which was donated by the Palme family after the liberation from the Sovjet Union.

Christine presented herself in the meeting and gave her first impressions from Latvia. She summarized her impressions with the words Admiration, Focused work and Warmth. Modris, the director for Skangal reported what has happened at Skangal since last meeting and Marie Willermark ended the gathering with a devotion. Bertil Rodin, Mr. Skangal, was leading the meeting.

Rut and myself were asked to tell about what has happened in the Salvation Army in Latvia during 2012. I showed some pictures and here you can follow my speech:

New soldiers. The Salvation army is growing (1). Pictures from some of the soldiers enrolments during 2012. The pictures are from Bauska, Iecava, Sarkani and Liepa..

New corps. The Salvation Army is growing (2).  Two new corps opened in March 2012. Corps number 8 and number 9. Both Seda and Drusti have had several soldiers enrolments and they were now ready to be Corps of their own.

The Congress in Riga in June was a highligt during 2012. You can see the march to the opening meeting, the tambourine brigade at an open air meeting and Riga Staff Songster.

Children´s musical. During the Congress children from all over Latvia performed the musical "What´s up Zak?"

New Officers. The Salvation Army is growing (3). Eight new Officers were ordained during the Congress.

Summer camps. Pictures from the Children´s camp in Ainaze and from the Family Camp at Beranti on the West Coast of Latvia.

New Corps plantings. The Salvation Army is growing (4). In the end of the summer two new Corps Plantings were opened. One in Agenskalns in Riga and one in Saldus.

The Social Center in Riga. Pictures from the preparation of food parcels and from the sowing studia at the center.

Congress in Prague. More than 80 participants from Latvia took part in the European Congress in Prague during October 2012.

EU-project. During 2012 a life skill program financed by EU has taken place at Riga first Corps.

Emergency team. In 2012 a new emergence team has been organized. Here you can see the Salvation Army officer in charge surraound by the fire fighters at Riga Fire Department.

Borås News Paper. At Christmas time a Swedish Daily Paper made a nine page long report from the Salvation Army work in Latvia.

There are of course much more to be told about the work in Latvia during 2012, but this report gives some hints.

Now it is Sunday morning and time to go to Stockholm for the Sunday service. And then...another week. I pray it will be a blessed week for you.
Peter Baronowsky

Early Sunday morning January 20

Weekly review from my personal point of view

 

A relaxing week far away from home is soon coming to an end. Relaxing time away means a lot of reading and writing.

I am for the moment reading three books. One book is the second book in a trilogy written by the Swedish author Jan Guillo. It is about three sons of a fisherman in Bergen Norway around the year 1900. The father dies in a terrible storm and the three young boys are making their ways out in the world, meeting all the modern inventions and political, cultural changes of the new century. This is a typical vacation books for me. A book I can read for pure entertainment. I think that Guillo is a good story teller and I have read most of his books.

The second book I am reading is a totally different one. Ruth and myself will soon speak at a Leaders´ Conference about Postmodernísm and the Emerging Church. In preparation for that conference I am reading Brian McLaren´s book “A new kind of Christianity”. I am very critical to the thoughts of the Emerging Church and how they contradict Salvation Army Theology. I have written a lot about this earlier and I will also comment the book more on detail on my Swedish blog.

The third book I am reading is a book by Barack Obama about his background and life. Very open and interesting reading! He writes a lot about his search for his own identity having a black father and a white mother. He wrote the book some time before he became president and seeing him in action today makes it difficult to believe the shy, insecure, disoriented young man he used to be.

During the week I have also been engaged in the work of producing a new book for the five year anniversary of the think tank, the Clapham Institute, in February. I have been in the board of the institute since it started. The Clapham Institute has got its name from the group of Christian people, meeting in Clapham outside London. The influence from this group contributed to the decision to end slavery in the beginning of the 1900^th century. The manuscript must be handed in to the printing company next week, so time is short.

During the week I also discovered a new facebook-site with the aim to change the Salvation Army view about membership and officership also for active homosexual people. The group has received financial support from the state to change the Salvation Army view in these matters. I am very surprised that the state pays one group to change the values of another value based organization. I will write much more about this next week on my Swedish blog. If you want to now more about this you can “google translate” my comment on Tuesday. You will find it on www.rupeba.se.

But now it is soon time for at new week back in Sweden.
Have a blessed week!
Peter Baronowsky

Early Sunday morning, January 13

Another week! We have been busy moving also this week  Many things have to be unpacked and rediscovered and sorted. This is the 12th place weare living since we married. Moving is a hard work and it is not getting easier and easier.

For now we live at a Salvation Army School Home, half an hour northwest of Stocksholm, beautifully situated on an island in the big lake Mälaren.

This week I have also been working with a book project for the Clapham Institute. I am since some years a board member in the Institute. The Clapham Institute is a think tank and a research institute  aiming to stimulate education and scientific research about Christian Faith. In February the Institute is celebrating five years of work and for this occasion we are producing a book with articles written by the fellows in the Clapham Institute during these years.

The coming week we are planning to go away for one week of vacation. We will soon retire and I have heard that retired people do not get vacations, so we better take vacation while we are still employed. Next week I plan to do as little as possible.

I pray that you will have a blessed week.
Peter Baronowksy

Eary Sunday morning, January 6

Weekly review from my personal point of view

Another week! This week we have mainly been spending carrying boxes and furniture. We have also spent a lot of time unpacking boxes, finding things we had forgotten we had, that have been stored for more than three years. Moving is a tough and exciting work.

Latvia feels almost unreal now. Our daily evening walks down Bibibas Street, through the old town of Riga, to the Daugava river, where we used to have our evening prayers.It was so natural and familiar then, but now it feels like memories from a different world.

We still get reports from Latvia and it is encouraging to see that the Salvation Army in Latvia keeps growing and expanding. The Russian speking corps in the very southeast of Latvia experiences a dramatic growth. We received some pictures from the Christmas celebration at Daugavpils corps.

HERE you can see more pictures from the Christmas celebration at Daugavipils corps.

Last summer we opened two new corps plantings. One of them, Saldus, is a place were the Salvation Army never has had any work before. Our opening meeting in September was an open air meeting since we by then have not been able to get facilities.

Open air meeting in Saldus

This last week we also got reports from the first indoor meeting in Saldus in the new rented hall.

You can see many more pictures from that meeting HERE.

We pray that the growth in Latvia will continue and that the Kingdom of God will keep growing in Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe and till the end of the world.

Have a blessed week
Peter Baronowsky

Early Sunday morning, December 30

Weekly review from my point of view

Now another week is soon coming to an end. This is a special week. Our last week as Regional Leaders for the Salvation Army in Latvia.

When we moved to Latvia three and a half years ago the Lord gave us this verse describing our time in Latvia: "This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah:This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit." (Is 37:30).

When we came to Latvia we knew that we would harvest what people before us have sown out. And we have really harvested the results of many people working for God in Latvia before us. During these three years The Salvation Army in Latvia has:
- enrolled more than sixty new soldiers
- ordained twelve new officers
- opened a Crisis Center for women
- opened a Half Way House at Riga Second Corps
- opened a Social Center in Riga
- opened the Children´s House in Sarkani
- opened two new corps from former outposts
- opened two new corps plantings (Saldus och Agenskalns)

But after the three years The Salvation Army asked us to stay some more months, and during that time the harvesting has just continued.

When I spoke at our farewell meeting, December 16, I asked those present who had been Salvation Army Soldiers for only one week to stand up. The new soldiers from the outpost of Sarkni stood up and they were greeted by everybody in the Hall. They had just been enrolled the week before. The first soldiers enrolment ever in Sarkani.

In our new Corps Planting in Saldus two recruits are now ready to be enrolled as soliers. I asked them to stand up in the meeting to be greeted by everybody in the Hall. The first soliers ever enrolled in Saldus.

We thank God for everything and we pray that the harvest time will just continue in Latvia.

This was probably the last "Early Sunday Morning" from the Latvian point of view, but when I became an officer, I promised to serve the Lord as long as I live, not only as long as I am an active officer. I look forward to see in what ways God wants to use us in the future.

Blessings,
Peter Baronowsky

Early Sunday morning, December 23

Weekly review from my point of view

Another week. Sometimes you feel that that is to little time available for all things that must be done. This has been one of these weeks. Many hours have been occupied by sorting, saving, throwing papers at the office. You really produce some papers during three and a half years!

But then, a lot of other activitiws took place during the week:

Last Sunday we had our Farewell Service in Riga. See more pictures HERE.

Monday we had a Children´s  dedication of two children.

Tuesday we had the HQ-staff in our home for lunch, followed by the traditional, yearly bowling competition.

Wednesday it was a Christmas show at Patverums (=The Refuge).

Thursday we made a visit to Iecava for a talk with the two new liuetenants leading the work at that corps.

Friday we took part in the Christmas Party at the Children´s Home and Crisis Center at Skangale.

But now it is soon time for a new week, and I pray that it will be a blessed week for you.
Peter Baronowsky

Early Sunday morning in Riga, december 16

Weekly review from personal point of view

Another busy week. Tuesday we hade our traditional Staff Dinner for all our staff in the Salvation Army in Latvia. Altogether we are 80 people.

The theme for the dinner this year was 1865, and all the program was about the early happenings of the Salvation Army in England, with a lot of testimonies from people who met the army those days.

The guests were greeted by girls singing Christmas Carols...

...and between the different performances there was time for eating and conversations.

You can find more pictures from the party HERE.

During the week we have also had a three day visit from two reporters from a Swedish daily newspaper, Borås Tidning. They had read about the "Change A Village"- project in rupeba.se and came to make a report of the Salvation Army work in Latvia.

Interview in the Children´s House in Sarkani

Yesterday evening there was a big Lucia Concert in the Lutheran Dome in Riga. The Dome was packed (1.500 persons). The archbishop had given permission to the Salvation Army to be present with the Christmas Kettle in the Dome. The Swedish Ambassadeur gave a speach informing about the work of The Salvation Army in Latvia and when the people left the Church they kept the kettle boiling.

The picture is from the Lucia Concert in the Dome last year

 Today it is Sunday morning and it will soon be time to go down to our farewell meeting at Riga first Corps. The meeting will be conducted by Johnny and Eva Kleman, Chief Secretary and Program Secretary, from the Headquarter in Stockholm.

Poster for the Farewell meeting

And then it is time for another week in Latvia with Christmas Parties in our Social institutions, Lunch with our RHQ staff, a child dedication, packing and much more....

I pray it will be a blessed week for you.
Peter Baronowsky