“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience…”

~1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV

This week’s camp follows the theme: Living in Faith; Lessons From the Life of Joseph. Each day’s Bible lessons will come from stories adapted from the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis. The memory verse  for the week is:

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

~Hebrews 11:1 ESV

We are blessed to enjoy perfect weather today as we begin our first day of the Latvian English Language Bible Camp, 2023. The team of ten is nervous but nevertheless, prepared. The day opens informally as parents drop off children and team members mingle and get acquainted with their new students. For first time team-members, it can be an intimidating moment as the ice gets broken and everyone figures out that it will, in fact, all be fine. 

During the opening gathering, we sing songs, led by team member, David Michael Carrillo. The team is introduced and the basic ground rules are set:

• Respect each other at all times.
• Be courageous in learning English.
• Speak at the proper times.

That second point gets reinforced by using a team member to, on the spot, try to learn a Latvian phrase and repeat it back to the Principal of the host school. Daina Zandberga, the principal of Stíki Primary School, recites a simple Latvian phrase to our team member and Director of SON Network, Pr. David Breidenbach, who then attempts to recite it back. Given that Pastor David knows only rudimentary Latvian, he inevitably mispronounces the phrase, earning the good-natured laughter of the young students in the room. His willingness to fail forward, a phrase we introduced today, becomes the pedagogical lesson of the day.

Students willing to risk looking a little foolish will learn more. And as we build relationships with these students and adult volunteers, we will find more and more opportunities to give an account of the hope that we have within us.

Please continue praying for us as we start this new week of camp. Pray specifically for:

• Team safety and good sleep as we come out of jet-lag
• Opportunities to share the hope we have within us.
• An open, spiritually curious, camp of students and volunteers.