Vacation Bible School adventure with Majvieta Church, Latvia
This summer, I got to join our brothers and sisters at Majvieta church in Latvia as they put on Vacation Bible School (VBS) for their city. Each day was a wonderful mix of delights and challenges -- welcoming hugs from 'old' friends, the excitement of meeting precious new babies, alongside battling jet lag and small injuries. Fortified with caffeine and duct tape, Amy Clark and I were able to jump into life in Riga, attending a first birthday party in the park for Artis (Kids and Youth Director) and Dace's son, then attending Sunday morning service, and prep meeting for VBS. Monday was a mix of making name buttons for each kid, prepping snack bags, and gathering supplies for the days ahead. The theme for camp was a bit of a play on words, a phrase meaning "on the road" is also used in worship as an expression "to lift up" - we walked a lot of roads, enjoyed group teachings and small group discussions focused on story of God, presenting the gospel, building relationships with the kids, lifting the time as worship.
We would start with a quick breakfast and meeting for the leaders to review plans for the day, then the kids would meet at the church, where they were split into three teams of 6 or 7 kids with 2 or 3 leaders per team. After a quick ice-breaker activity, a worship song, we grabbed our backpacks with coats (rain was forecasted all four days), swimsuits, water bottles, snacks, a bowl and spoon for eating lunch, and set off for the day's adventure. VBS ran Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to around 4pm, each day we had a different destination in and around Riga, then Friday afternoon when we returned, at 5pm we celebrated the kids accomplishments and adventures with a party for their families. Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and grandparents participated in an art activity, watched each of the three teams present our silent Bible story skits, receive awards, sang worship songs together, ate good food, and enjoyed cotton candy!
During the week we ventured through Riga - to a park while working through a scavenger hunt, memorized Bible verses on the trolly traveling between the church and a different park, answered kids questions about Seattle, our church, exchanged 'Dad Jokes' and other fun conversations as they tested their English skills. The kids had opportunities to swim in the Bay of Riga and two different lakes, play capture the flag and other big 'field' games, ate homemade meatball soup, potatoes and meat sauce, BBQ sausages, and MREs (camping "meals ready to eat"). Most of the kids had participated in VBS last year, so it was fun to see familiar faces, to continue to build relationships with the kids on our 'teams', some who attend church regularly, some invited by friends or family who had little to no previous interaction with Christianity, and those who fell in the 'in-between'.
It was an amazing blessing to be invited and have the opportunity to participate alongside the staff and volunteers from Majvieta. The Majvieta crew was spectacular - most were juggling full time work, families, and other commitments on top of prep and daily participation in VBS. While only two of us physically traveled to Latvia, in reality, our Trinity missions team was huge - made up of all of you who participated both in donating funds and in donating your time praying for VBS - for individual kids by name and for the leaders - each of you were an incredible gift and essential in the success and in blessing the kids and volunteers.
A few additional details: in addition to contributing/helping with VBS meals, snacks, candy, supplies (markers), through Trinity's generosity we also brought items to contribute to Majvieta's foster kid outreach program, SOMA AR DOMU "Bag with a Thought" project, which creates and sends backpacks of supplies to each kid as they enter the foster care program. The bags have practical items such as toothbrushes and water bottles, along with comfort items, such as a stuffed toy and a cozy blanket. This year, per Rute's request, we brought over 60 sets of pajamas for boys and girls ages 4 to 16, travel size hair brushes, and fidget toys. While we were in Riga, there were at least four bags sent out to the families hosting newly placed children.
Join us next year!
VBS 2027: If anyone, high schoolers through those in the third third of life, are interested, we are putting together plans to participate again next year -- the dates are not yet set, but will probably be the middle of August. Please feel free to reach out to me (Brandy) for additional details.
A little bit of backstory on Majvieta and the connection with Trinity
In 1922 the Riga Baptist Seminary Congregation was founded with its main task to allow seminary students a place to practice what they learned. In 1932 the cornerstone was laid for the church building, a memorial deed and Bible sealed within, dedicating it with a statement asking "May God grant that the life-giving Spirit of God may always reign in this house, spreading blessings not only in Baptist congregations, but through them also throughout our fatherland - free Latvia." In 1940, the Red Army took over the building, the Soviets using it for their own purposes, including time as a Youth Theater. In 1992, the Latvian Baptist/Baltic Pastoral Institute regained control of the building, and it again became the home of the seminary congregation.
While a majority of Latvians identify as Christians, most do not attend church. Where Trinity connects: around 2015, then Elder Steve Bell (retired), connected with members of the Baltic Pastoral Institute as they had construction projects they needed help with - updating and restoring the church building in Riga, as well as building/creating a camp, Ganibas, near the Baltic Sea, as retreat center to host events including Draft Camp, a place where young men are trained and discipled to be evangelists, pastors, and church planters.Buzz Huget (former Trinity staff Elder, retired), worked with Steve Bell and the church in Riga, establishing a partnership where Trinity could contribute resources (funds, labor) and build relationships. The relationship aspect became a key element in walking alongside church staff as they worked to support their congregation without a lot of experienced mentors, as their church body was a combination of those in their early twenties or parishioners over 70. In 2017, Riga Baptist Seminary Church became Majvieta with Karlis Karklins as the lead pastor. Trinity and Majvieta continue to support and encourage each other in various ways - Buzz Huget and Greg Magdsick meeting monthly with staff via Zoom, trips to Latvia to participate with programs and projects there, trips to Seattle to participate in life at Trinity. We have had the privilege of praying for various missions such as Valters and Lauma Siksna as they were married, pursued a church plant, grew their family and ministry, helped work on their home, and now celebrating as Valters steps into a new role as a church pastor!
By Brandy Langfitt