When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the Lord’s response was to seek after them:

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ~ Genesis 3:8-9

We all tend to hide our sins and shortcomings. That idea connects well with today’s story. More about that later.

Today, we’re about pivoting and adapting. It rained. A LOT. So the sports rotation was indoors. At this location, indoor sports are held in a hall that is a bit too small but workable. This requires that everyone is engaged in the same activity at the same time.

The crafts were well planned, and the kids dug into them without holding back. The music rotation was, honestly, powerful. Something about voices filling a room that gets past language and lands somewhere deeper. None of this is ours to take credit for. God was already at work in these children and in Strikī long before our team got off the plane, and our Latvian partners have been tending this ground all year. We just get to be here while He works.

Now, about that hiding business from Genesis: In English class today, the lesson was a hard one: David and Nathan. King David had royally messed up, and like most of us, his first instinct was to hide it. Nathan did not come in swinging. He told a story — a rich man, a poor man, one little lamb — and let David walk himself straight into the punch line. “You are the man.” And then the thing that makes the whole story worth telling: God forgave him. Not because David was good. Because God is good. We don’t have to hide. We can run to God. Always.

The moment that will stay with me came from our own team. Ava shared her testimony today. She told her real story, honestly, in front of everyone. It was refreshing to hear a testimony from a member of our team not yet eighteen. The students connected in a different way. They were listening to someone only a handful of years older than themselves.

So, I’m thankful. For a great team that the Lord has put together. For hosts that go above and beyond what is expected. For what God will continue to do long after we leave.

Will you pray with us — that these children would learn early what David learned late: that you can stop hiding, because God already knows, and loves you still?

Blessings!

Mark