Karosta Day Center--a place where children beg to be LOVED!

Our day began at 8:30, when Ksenia arrived at our hotel to walk (it's nearby) us to the Center (which is attached/part of the church).  There we are taken to the second floor and are introduced to Pastor Serigi, a young man who loves the Lord and serving these precious children, as well as the other adults (like Tanya and Biaba) assisting with this weeks VBS.  We began with Pastor Serigi shedding some light on the need for the center and their purpose.  Then we read from the book of Psalms chapter 108, and we prayed.  It's stunning how regardless of what country I am in, or what language people are speaking, one's passion and love for the Lord is not lost.  After our meeting, we were dismissed to go and "make new friends" with the children.  And that's just what we did!  

It didn't take long for children to come running up to us in their very broken English and give us hugs, grab our hands as the pull us to wherever they wanted us to go, or jumped on our backs.  It was clear, that these children needed to feel loved.  They strive for attention...anything they can do to cause us to:  turn and watch them perform...or to hold them...to just to smile at them.  We think that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless (which these children probably are at times).  However, the poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.

Once outside, we started a game of basketball (well it wasn't a game at all).  It was more of a time of randomly shooting the ball for an hour, while Pastor Serigi set up the microphone and cd player for a time of worship.  At 10:00 we went inside where the precious Babushkas had been preparing our breakfast, to eat.  We were placed in a separate room from the kids, although our meals were the same :( Wish we were in with those children!

            

We then went back outside and had a time of worship.  Because everything had to be translated from Latvian into Russian (as the children all spoke one of these languages) there was lil’ time to translate it all into English for us, as well.  However, the message was not lost.  It was clear that the Lord was being glorified as the children lifted their voices up in praise to our God!

It was incredible! The kids were all so excited to see us…and then we knew why we had come!  This was the reason the Lord has provided a way and sent us to Latvia.  We were here to love these children.  And we found ourselves each being claimed by numerous children and were pulled in all different directions.

I escaped for an hour or so with Pastor Sergej, Tanya, and Biaba to go to the Leipaja Orphanage.  I needed to drop off some documents for a student visa for a child there, and sign out two children to be our translators.  But after meeting the director of the orphanage I was able to make plans to take a group of children (like 20) bowling on Saturday afternoon and then out for ice cream.  I can’t wait!  I also got to meet the children who are being hosted in the states this summer through New Horizons for Children (NHfC) and take pics of them for their American families.  More to come on the orphanage and children there….

Then we returned back to the Day Center in time for lunch.  After lunch we had a time of crafts that went along with their bible lesson from earlier in the day.  Then we had all the kids outside and played their wicked version of dodge ball.  It makes our American version seem “wimpy” to say the least. 

We concluded our time at the Day Center in worship to the Lord!  It was amazing to see children with so little worshiping God and giving Him thanks for the things they did have. 

Tonight, we weren’t very hungry, so we all went out to eat and ordered ice cream!!!  Yes, that was our dinner tonight!!!!  Lots and lots of COLD ice cream!  Then we met up with four little girls at the sea and spent the remainder of the evening playing with them there!  It was a great first day at the Day Center!  I can’t wait to see what is in store for us tomorrow!