Early Sunday morning January 1

A new year has just started. How will it be? Those thoughts easily come a New Years Day.
The Salvation Army in latvia will meet new challenges.
-We have just closed our Children´s Home in Riga and laid off the staff. A new program will soon start in the premises.
-A new session at the School for Officers Training will start in January.
-The text "Latvia for Christ" is still on our flag outside Headquarters in Riga. There are so many social needs. There are so many people without God´s light.
One year ahead we are looking back on the year that has passed. What shall I write on my blog by that time?

Last Sunday we went to a prison in Riga together with Andrejs and Irina. We had to pass a number of security gates and checks before we arrived at the prison chapel. When we entered the chapel it was filled with prisoners. Ruth an myself played cornet and piano, Andrejs and Irina sang. We served tea and something to eat and gave out envelopes with stamps so the prisoners could send a Christmas greeting to their relatives. After the meeting many of the prisoners stayed for a talk.

 On the way into the prison...

...and on our way out

Another new thing is that I have received fleas. Maybe it was in the prison, maybe somwhere else. I have stitches on several parts of my body and I am really a bit proud of that. I am thinking of an episode when someone spitted on William Booth. One of the soldiers came up to William Booth to take the spittle away, but William Booth stopped him with the words "Let it be. It is a medal!" I can almost feel the same with my fleas. It shows that I have been among the people we are called to serve, even if my medals are not visible under my clothes. Well, the stitches are fading away so my suffering did not last very long.

Now it is about the future. I look forward for the coming year with confidence and worries, if it is possible to experience those two things at the same time. So much work needs to be done and our resources are limited. But God will provide resources for the things he wants us to do.

I pray that the coming year will be a blessed year for you. Thanks to all faithful readers of this blog during the year.

Peter Baronowsky