On the last morning, the classroom in Sabile looked about the same as it had all week: chairs pulled into a loose circle, a few students leaning in, a few leaning back with arms crossed. That picture stayed with me, because it’s an honest one. Not everyone in the room shares our faith. Some came curious and open. Others were pointed about it — they told us plainly they don’t believe, and they weren’t shy. Many of these young people start their day at home with a message about who they are that is far removed from their identity as someone God loves. This makes my heart ache. I know what a difference it makes for me to be clear about who I am in Christ.

So we spent the week with David. A shepherd nobod expected much out of.. A king who failed was caught and was met by God anyway. We talked about hope — not the cheerful kind that pretends things are fine, but the kind that holds on despite the circumstances. That theme had room in it for every student in that circle, the open ones and the skeptical ones alike.

I won’t tell you how many people responded to the Good News that was made, because I don’t know that, and it isn’t mine to count. What I can tell you is that real conversations happened — about faith, about doubt, and hope — and that God was already at work in those young people long before our team arrived, and is at work in them now that we’ve gone.

Thank you, Maris and Ilze, for opening Sabile to us and for carrying this far longer than a week. And thank you — those of you who prayed and gave to send our team. You were part of this. The relationships built over coffee and conversation are yours too.

The work doesn’t end when our flight leaves. Maris and Ilze will keep connecting the dots with these students through the rest of the year — following up, staying present, exploring Christ together — until, Lord willing, we can return. The week was never ours to finish. It was a small part of something God is still doing in Sabile, and its fruit belongs to Him.

Please keep praying for these students by name as God brings them to mind, and for Maris and Ilze as they carry the work forward.

Blessings,
Mark