Summer activities
Family Camps
Two big “Family.camps” have taken place at the Salvation Army Camp Site on the West Coast of Latvia. They gathered approximately 100 people each of all ages.
Picture from the Regional Family Camp at Bernati in August
Children Camps
During the summer our youth and children workers have arranged five week-long day-camps all over Latvia. In Seda, Riga, Bauska, Liepaja and Drusti. The childrens camps season ended with a weekend camp with children from all the different camps during the summer.
Our different Children Centres have also had their summer camps. The Orphanages in Riga and Skangale and the “after-school”-centre Patverums.
World Youth Convention
The World Youth Convention in Stockholm was very much appreciated. Latvia sent six delegates and six volunteers to the Convention. (The picture is from a Gospel Concert in Kungsträdgården in Stockholm)
New members
Liepaja
The number of members is still increasing in Latvia. During the summer the corps in Liepaja on the West-Coast welcomed twelve new members.
Five soldiers, all women…..
…and seven adherents, all men.
Liepa
The corps in Liepa, a small village north east of Riga, welcomed in September 10 new junios soldiers, all boys. So when all the girls in Liepa find out where all young boys are, they will surely also join the Salvation Army.
School for Officers Training
After several months of preparation we started the new session at the Training School in Riga. We have prayed for six new cadets and when it was time for the opening of the school we welcomed eight cadets.
The eight cadets in Riga
We have also received new staff for the School for Officers Training. Norm and Isabel Beckett from Austalia. Norm is Training Principal and Isabel is Education Officer.
Regional Day – Welcome meeting
At the Regional Day for Latvia people travelled from all over Latvia for the welcome meeting of the new cadets, the new Training Staff and a new Envoy. The hall was full and at the end of the meeting the new cadets were greeted with flowers according to Latvian traditions.
Leaders days in Tallinn
Normally we gather all leaders in Latvia for a monthly Leaders´meeting. We started the fall semester with a two day gathering for our Leaders in Tallinn together with Leaders from the Salvation Army in Estonia.
Coffe break on the way to Tallinn
New projects
“Change a Village”
Sarkani village has a population of about 70 people. Eighteen of them are children and almost all of the parents are alcoholics. The children are very much left alone and we have for a time had a dream of creating a Children´s House in the village. To change one of the old grey houses to a house full of colours. The living conditions in the village are very poor. Most houses lack both water and sewer and some of the children have never seen a shower. A donation made it possible for us to buy a house in the village and change it into this Children House. The project is called “Change a Village” and our aim is not to build houses but to build people.
The house in Sarkani
Social Centre
We have two great social workers visiting the poorest families in Riga. We have for a long time dreamt of creating a Social Centre where these people can com to receive fodd parcels, clothes, take a shower and wash their clothes. A donation just made it possible to open this centre on Avotu Street. You can see the Centre on the picture below. The signs are not there yet but they will be within short.
New Corps Building in Seda
The outpost in Seda has from its start been located in a small room at one side of the ambulance central. Now the Ambulance Central has moved and we have a rental agreement with the local authorities to rent the whole house without payment.
Breaktrough project
When the main Salvation Army building was built 1939 it was a free drive-way from our yard to the street. When the occupation came, both of the country and of our house, the drive-way was closed by a wall and some storage rooms. We have since we got the house back been depending on our neighbours to be able to get out from our yard. One of the grounds we have to pass is a school yard, which has caused us a lot of problems. Now we are again opening the drive-way which will lead us out in freedom.
This picture shows the first day when builders broke through the wall to the street.
We pray for a Breakthrough, not only in the physical world, but also in the spiritual.
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