Praise from Riga!
My first Sunday here was a very exciting day for Apostolic Way, our church. We commissioned our first group of Nationals to be able to teach, train, baptize, etc. It was so awesome to see the glory on their faces and the excitement they had that they are going to take what they had been taught and put it into action!
During my first week I started realizing one of the major differences since the church presence has been here in Riga. I realized that people were more open to the Spirit than before! This whole area (former USSR) is enveloped in a spirit of fear. Many are afraid to trust in anything, anyone, and especially, trust in God. Last year it was very difficult to have a response from even a simple greeting.
In one of my first days back, I had 3 different people walk up to me at different bus stops and ask me a question in Latvian. I do not speak Latvian, but there were others at the bus stops and yet these people chose to approach me. I felt like I had something that made them feel that I was a safe person to talk to (because I do, The Holy Spirit). That was my first experience with the people being more friendly! Since then, there have been many more times that I have experienced this. I am very excited that even though the difference is not large yet, there is already a marked difference in the people of Latvia.
I believe it was my 2nd week here that I met Anastasia from St. Petersburg, Russia. She lives in Riga during the summers and had attended a Methodist church while she was a student in America a few years ago. Our spirits connected right away and I was able to meet with and minister to her on numerous occasions before she returned home to Russia for school. I am currently in the process of connecting her to the UPC church in St. Petersburg! Pray she is able to receive the full revelation of truth! I will be meeting with her again when she returns to Riga next summer!
Last but not least, we are having our First UPCI Baltic Republic General Conference here in Riga this weekend- Sept. 1st and 2nd . There have already been numerous words and prophecies concerning this Conference! A spirit of expectation can be felt by all!
As of yesterday, August 28, we have one Lutheran minister and 2 Baptist ministers from Latvia that will be in attendance, along with numerous Nationals that we have invited. One minister, that Bishop Mark Shutes met with, told him that he has 20 African Pentecostals that go to his church, and he would like to send them to our church!
Can someone say: Revival in Riga!!!
Rebekah Kline
AIMer to Latvia
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