Tuesday morning Ruth and myself recorded an Easter program for Latvian Christian Radio. The theme was Isaiah 53:
"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."
On Thursday we had a full day at the School for Officers Training, teaching about Postmodernism and the Emerging Church. It is always good to meet the cadets and the officers at the school.
Friday we had a new experience of the Latvian buraucracy. We plan to have open air meetings in one of the big parks in Central Riga. In this park there is a stage and seating for several hundred people. We had talked to the Riga central administration and they had no objections but they sent us to the Park administration. We talked to them and found out the the Friday evenings we had planned to have our meetings were available. So we went ther with our written application, explaining what we wanted to do during these meetings. We were let in to the person in charge. He read our application over and over again, every time checking the calendar and asking other people who happened to be in his office. After long time he put five new stamps on the document, signed it and sent us to another office down the corridor where somebody should write the contract according the permission which has just been signed. We went to the office and the man started to write the contract. It took one hour. Several times he had to go to another office asking for advice about how the contract should be filled in in the best way. When the contract was readey I signed it and the man went to another office to have it signed by the man who had authority to sign papers like this one. Then we left the office of the Park administration. Now we only have to take the signed and stamped application and the contract to the Riga Central Administration to ask for permission to have the open airs meetings. During these hours at the Park Administration I sighed and made a comment about the amount of time we spent waiting. Our secretary comforted me and said that all this problably make sense in some way. I think she is right. I hope that sense will be revealed to me some day.
But it is great. It seems that if we will receive the permission needed to have open air meetings in central Riga on six Friday evenings between 18.00 and 19.00. Welcome if you happen to be in Riga. The dates are May 6, 20, 27 and June 3, 10, 17.
Saturday we had invited to "Open door to SFOT". A day when everybody was welcome to learn more about life at our Training School. Participants arrived from all over Lativa. From Liepaja on the west coast till Seda in the northeastern corner of Latvia, close to the borders to Estonia and Russia.
Today, Sunday morning, we will pick up all Salvation Army Leaders from the Nordic countries and Eastern Europe for the Sunday morning service at Riga 1. The leaders have their yearly conference at an hotel outside Riga.
After that another week will probably come. It is Easter week. I pray it will be a blessed week for you.
Peter Baronowsky
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