So many people were responsible for making this event the success that it was. The staff and supporters at 1st Riga: Gita, Astra, Rihards, Erica, Gita B., Helmut, Daina, Rudite and all the youth, and the translators who worked so hard. If I have forgotten someone I truly apologize! Words can’t fully express our appreciation for the great food, the wonderful decorations in the basement and the sanctuary, the incredible evening activities, and most of all, the warm hospitality you provided. In addition, all the great praise and worship songs led by Zinta and her son, as well as Rihards (who is a renaissance man with what all he does!), the beautiful hymns from the Tennessee trio and the unexpected, glorious concert from the local youth acapella gospel group. All of you blessed us over and over again with your talent and heart for God and we thank you!
The FOL visioning session resulted in some very good recommendations on relationships and communication that I think we can accomplish in a timely manner. We also decided to focus on three priority areas where we felt we could make a financial impact through increasing awareness of how to donate and new fundraising ideas. These three areas are: Camp Wesley, Hope Center, and Pastors Income Support. Over the next couple of weeks, I will post more details on what we talked about and how we could move forward. In the short term, I also promised at the meeting to put together a reader friendly spreadsheet of all the Latvian churches, their U.S. partner churches, and what type of support is given. It is coming, I promise!
We are waiting to hear from a group who is interested in hosting the 2017 FOL meeting. When I hear something definite, I will share it with all of you. In the meantime, for those who could not attend FOL this year, below is a link to a You Tube channel of recordings of some of the FOL meeting, praise and worship time, etc. Thanks to Richard Payne for doing that for us, we appreciate it! We hope it provides a little flavor of what we experienced together in Latvia. It was truly a blessed event! Also, a big thank you to FOL Secretary Melissia Mason for all the work she did behind the scenes with regard to registration, payments, and other coordination activities. We appreciate you!
Blessings,
Mark Croft
Chair, Friends of Latvia
NOTE: You can also view the beautiful photos taken by Üllas Tankler during the gathering by going to the Friends of Latvia Facebook page.
View videos of the Friends of Latvia Conference on YouTube...