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

Soldiers enrolment in Sarkani

The first Soldiers Enrolment in Sarkani ever! Sarkani is one of the poorest villages in Latvia, and most of the adult population are alcoholists. Now there are three new Salvation Army soldiers in the village, starting a completely new life with Jesus.

We arrived at The Children´s House in Sarkani at three o´clock

The hall was full in good time before the meeting

The children are singing

The new soldiers are reading the Articles of War

Confirming their woes

In the end of the meeting many people came forward to the mercy seat

Many people wanted to take pictures after the meeting

Rut together with one of the new soldiers and her daughter