LATVIA 2009 - Trip Across Eastern Europe DAY #10

Robezkrogs, Latvia
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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Trip Across Eastern Europe DAY #10
Viktor’s band went on at midnight. Some of his band members were the same as on Saturday night when I played with them, but a few were different. They did an awesome job of bringing people into the presence of the Lord through Latvian and Russian worship songs. Most of the bands up to this point had more of a rock edge. Viktor’s group definitely has a more gospel, funk feel, which is fun to dance to and easy to get into. I love the variety in music expressions. I get a little bored with rock sometimes, to be honest, even though it is what I tend to gravitate toward.

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My turn came at 1:00 am. A lady named Ilza came up and prayed before I went on. She also translated for me at the seminar. She is a Latvian who grew up in the U.S. and is an awesome intercessor. We talked with her about the things of God for quite some time. She is a kindred spirit. She even wanted to pray over us and bless us. We were so glad to have met her. Viktor’s band backed me up once again. They are so talented to be able to jump in like that without any practice beforehand. Before the event I looked at popular modern worship songs in English with Cheryl, and she told me which ones had been translated into Latvian. That way, even though I would lead them in English, they would know them in Latvian. Songs like, “How Great Is Our God,” “Mighty To Save,” and “Here I Am To Worship.” It was so neat to just see the many people gathered under the makeshift shelter singing along in English and Latvian. I thought about the impact of what was happening this night. I even talked about it during the worship time. I talked about raising our voices so loud that they would echo out into every area of Latvia, pushing back the darkness. I also sand a couple of my own original songs, “In The Silence,” and “Thanks To You.” I donated a bunch of my CD’s to the table where they were selling others’ products, and told them to use the money they got from them to go toward funding the event. I really believe that what was birthed in Valdis about this event is such a God thing, and only wish we could somehow support it more. I ended my set by having the worshippers singing a reprise of “How Great Is Our God” in Latvian, as Viktor’s band and I exited the stage.

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Valdis came up to lead worship with his band next. Man, that guy has so much passion for the Lord. It is so evident as he worships. I have also had one of Valdis’ CD’s for the last couple of years, since Cheryl came to visit us and speak at SkateChurch in Vancouver, Washington in 2007. So at least I could sing along to some of his songs. In fact, the previous week I had been listening to Valdis’ CD quite a bit so that I could understand his heart through his music, in hopes that it would help me to be aligned with this during the event. After quite a bit of Valdis’ set, Jonas and I headed to the tent to lay down. I think the kids all slept through the music, but I couldn’t, maybe because the music was so loud, but maybe because I wasn’t supposed to. So I just lay there, soaking it all in, praying for Latvia.
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I woke everyone at around 8:30 am. By this time, everything had died down. Many had already left. We got our sleeping bags and headed to the car. After some trips to the outhouse, we spent some time praying with Cheryl. Again, we feel so blessed by her friendship. Then we said our goodbyes to Cheryl and our new Latvian friends and hit the road. We drove through Lithuania and back into Poland, making it before 10:00 pm.
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Christian Young