Today's Wrap-Up
Out at 10am, on our way to
Cesis, about 75 kilometers northeast of Riga, where we saw the Cesis Stone Castle. I want a castle! I was amazed that we got to clamber up the narrow, spiral, stone staircases all the way to the top of its turret (what a view!), then shimmy down a ladder to the depths of its dungeon. Also on the grounds of the castle was a toppled statue of Lenin that was removed in 1990 to make way for their Victory Monument.
Our guides in Cesis, a Latvian businessman (and trumpet player in the Matthews orchestra), Tomar, and his son, took us next to the Araisi Lake Fortress, a reconstructed Latgallian settlment dating back to the ninth century. It was easy to see that our guides were passionate about their country's history as they told us fact after fact that were not on the tour placards. Finally they took us to a cafeteria, where we were informed that they had bought us lunch. We were so grateful! Paldies!
We were running late as we left for our next engagement at Aloja Music School. We showed up nearly 45 minutes late, at 4:45, to find about forty children and adults waiting for us. This was a very special time. Three young saxophone players serenaded us with a song to begin the evening, then one of their teachers, a Matthews orchestra member, introduced us. We played a concert similar to last evening's concert, and Eric and Paul gave testimonies. We ended our playing by joining five of the students in one of the pieces they were working on. They (and we) were very excited.
But that wasn't all! We filled out our two hours there by learning more about the school from our host and the school's director. The school has about 50 music students and 50 arts students; the students on hand were able to try out their English on us and also ask us questions. Eric was able to help repair a couple of instruments. Sweets were prepared for us. And 7 or 8 young ladies sang two songs for us in beautiful harmony, just before they presented us with a framed chalk drawing by one of their students.
Our evening wasn't over yet, but I'll let others tell it. I will say that we stopped by Matthews Church to drop of our instruments before dinner and some of us looked in on their choir practice. At the time, they were singing
No Other Name from
God With Us and I was honored to join them in English. I was touched to be able to sing with them even though their language was unfamiliar and I am looking forward to worshipping with them on Sunday.
Music School
One of the things we had the opportunity to do on our second day in Latvia was to visit the music school in Aloja. The music school is really an art and music school that the students go to after their regular school. One of the teachers at the school plays in the orchestra at Matejs Baptist Church. We played for the kids, they played and sang for us, and we even played one song with them. Paul and Eric each gave their testimonies about how God has used music in their lives. We had some great fellowship with the students afterwards. I sat with some boys who are around 12 years old. Their English is very good. We talked about a number of things. One of them mentioned computers, and he said he even gets on the Internet a lot. I gave them some cards with pictures of Immanuel, along with the church web site. I got a couple of their email addresses, and I gave them mine. Overall, it was a great day. It was very special because of the time that we were able to spend with the students.
Aloja Music School
Today we had the amazing opportunity to visit a music school in the town of Aloja. When we arrived, they were waiting for us, approx. 40 students and 10 adults. A sax trio, ages 11-13, played for us and we played a short concert for them which they seemed to enjoy it. Paul and Eric shared their testimonies along with their "musical history". Then one of their teachers, who is a member of Matthews Baptist, asked if we would play one of their songs with the students. We played a march by Handel with 5 of their students.
After that we had a time of fellowship with the students. We were able to help them practice their English and they helped us learn some Latvian. I spent some time with an 11-year-old girl named Diana. She played the saxophone with the trio at the beginning of our concert. Later, Diana and 7 other girls sang 2 very beautiful songs in 2-3 part harmony. After that it was time to say goodbye. The music school director presented us with a beautiful chalk drawing by one of the students. We exchanged e-mail addresses as we left. The students were so excited by the experience and we were truly blessed by them!
P.S. Mom, today was much, much better! Thank you for the advice and especially the prayer! I love you. Say hi to the boy for me!
Latvia's Music Children
What an evening! God truly used our unique gifts for a unique environment. We were invited to a music school in Aloja. It is a rural community about 180 Km from Riga. We were surprised to see that the school was not a normal school but an after-school program. Students will go to school during the day and they attend art school in the afternoon until about six. We were able to set up in a small double room, which was the biggest on their campus and perform for the students. The music director is a trumpet player at Matthews Baptist Church. Therefore, we were invited to open with our faith and Paul and I both gave our testimonies about how we saw God use music in our lives to bring us close to him. Afterwards, we were encouraged to fellowship with the kids and the music director actually paired us up with them so they could practice their English. We were able to build relationships and it was wonderful to watch our musicians see how their talents could bridge a language barrier. God was so good to us today!
We just left the lake fortress. It is a entire town built on a small island from the 9th century. Kathy pointed out how sad it is that everything we have seen was built as a defense. It is a stark reminder of the depravity of man. Now we are off to the school to play with the kids.
This morning we enjoyed an excursion to Cesis. There we were able to see a castle built in the 13th century. The son of one of Maris' musicians was our translator. We had two neat experiences. The first was to ascend to the tower where we saw much of the terrain, which was beautiful. The second was to descend into the prison which was a hole in the floor.
