Kings Arms Mission Trip to Latvia, April 14-19 2010

by Melanie Palmer, BEDFORD, England

    It was about the tenth time we had driven down the dirt road towards the camp. Where we had just come from I can’t remember – ladies group, treasure hunting, church.  Eagles' Wings Camp in rural Latvia is kilometres away from anything, so a car was essential.

    We came onto the camp site, past the sheep barn when I heard God’s voice. “You will see this place again.”

    I didn’t think too much in to it at the time because I was sure it was my emotions. That trip in September 2009 had been so powerful, so life-changing. I convinced myself that it wasn’t God talking, but my own head. I was wrong.

    Five short months after the King’s Arms Church first mission trip to Latvia, I received a phone call telling me that another one was planned. “It would basically look like the last one,” I heard Nick Heasman, team leader, explain on the other end of the phone.  “The same kind of stuff, but it’s over Easter Holidays so the kids can come as well.”  Without hesitation my husband and I committed ourselves to the second – our first as a family, mission trip to Latvia.

    The 14-strong team boarded the plane on April 14, 2010 in surprising uneventful fashion. Nobody had lost their passport; no one had car trouble; we hadn’t lost anybody before boarding. It was all going too good, I remember thinking to myself.  Then again, I reasoned, we are doing the will of God so it will be easy, right?

    With four full days planned, we set to work the next day, many of us doing hard labour around the campsite. Eagles' Wings Camp, a youth camp in rural Latvia, is the vision of missionary Dustin Peterson. An American missionary from Oregon, Dustin purchased the land and over the past seven years with the help of his wife, Kristine, missions partners Dan and Katie Roth, and many others, have built two lodges, a lake, sauna and staff cabins. To add to the fun – a high ropes course, canoes and kayaks as well as a climbing wall and orienteering session. Peppered throughout the 180 acres are sheep, one of the highest quality, in the hopes that the revenue from them will eventually see the camp self-sufficient. The camp has seen many children and young people come to Christ. In addition the camp is used all year round by various churches, a huge bridge builder over the different and sometimes strictly divisive denominations in Latvia.

    We would have fun, but not right away. There was a ramp to a pontoon to be rebuilt, staining, raking, and clearing of brushwood.  We all set to work doing whatever it was we thought we’d enjoy, or not as some of us discovered. Slowly our labours were evident to others, and the camp started looking really good. To liven things up most of us had a go driving the tractor or trike, working the chainsaw and petting the baby lambs.  Working in small groups, our team began to not only build structures and give things a fresh coat of paint, but they learned about each other and started forming a bond that would be relied on during the last part of our journey.

    Entwined during those days were opportunities to minister to the local community. With financial resources to purchase small food parcels, groups of two or three went to visit families identified by the church as those in need. Through a translator we were able to talk to these families and listen to their difficulties that ranged from living with an alcoholic husband to losing a loved one to caring for a family member with cancer. We loved those who needed love, prayed for those who needed healing, and prophesied over many, giving words of encouragement and letting them know that Jesus lives. At least two ladies experienced partial healing of a sore back and a shaky eye; another woman who suffers from depression had felt uplifted for the first time in many years. God was making it clear to the people of Latvia that He is calling them to Him. And many people responded. We invited everyone we visited to a barbeque at the camp on Friday night. We saw families from Dan and Katie’s son’s class as well as people we visited there. The turnout was larger than we could have ever imagined, and at one point I found myself thinking about the miracle of the fishes and loaves. As we cooked the last packet of sausages with many more hungry guests, I said the words Jesus said before the food was multiplied, “Thank you.” In the end, everyone ate their fill and we even had a little food left over. 

    Wednesday and Thursday evening signified the Ladies’ and Men’s small groups. Both take on very different looks as the ladies’ group normally meets in a hair salon in nearby Madona, while the men do the traditional Latvian sauna at the camp. The one similarity between the two this time was that they had us to minister, pray and prophesy over them. At the ladies’ group I was able to speak about a horrible experience I had recently went through, and it enabled some women to see how God comforts us when we turn to Him and bring our disappointments to Him. Likewise, the men were equally blessed as the KA guys prayed and fellowshipped.

    Saturday we did some Treasure Hunting in Madona, incorporating any of the church members who wanted to join us. Once again God was faithful as many of us found some of our treasures. While we didn’t see any miraculous healings, we were able to minister to people on the street, with many appreciating our prayers, and some utterly amazed at how God had led us to them. One of the highlights for me, however, was the inspiration it gave some of the young people of the church there. It was uplifting to see them going after their treasures, delighted that they were hearing from God!

    Church on Sunday saw Nick preaching on worship and the various forms it can take. It clearly had an impact as we would see later on. People started thinking about worship in a different way, and were clearly challenged by some of the things that were said. 

    Although we had gone out with a mission to provide practical and spiritual assistance to the people of Ergli and Madonna, another theme soon became evident. Many of our team members stepped out in areas of ministry that they hadn’t before, and God had used them mightily  Two of our members, Gillian and Becky, who had never prophesied before brought pictures and messages. I addressed a group for the first time, speaking on God’s faithfulness and unfailing love for us. The youngest two of our team, ages 13 and 8, did not come out on the coat tails of their parents. Robyn, at 13, led worship for our team meetings and at church. She also went in to the school almost daily to teach dancing lessons to the children. And Heath, with the faith of a child, prayed for healing for both a team members hiccups which went away, as well as Kristine’s chronic, severe back problem. She has seen a great measure of healing, able to sleep in her own bed all night instead of getting up to sleep in the recliner at 3 am, with little to no pain at all in the mornings. 

    Thinking we had done what we had been called to do, we turned our minds to leaving on the Monday. But God had different plans.  The volcanic ash in the atmosphere left us unable to return to the UK, and we stayed for an additional week, some of us two weeks.  The team building we had done during the week previous became the foundation for our unexpected community living, as we found ourselves not only encouraging the people of Latvia, but each other as well. Many of us felt that it was a time to complete the practical things that had been left unfinished, while others took the time to reflect on their trip and spend time with God. We did a further ladies’ group where we talked about our passions and how to use that to spread the love of Christ, more brushwood was cut and we even started building a treehouse next to the high ropes course for the younger children. With our group leaving as flights came available, soon me and my family were the only ones left. On top of finishing the treehouse and helping build sheep pens, we were able to attend a three-day conference put on by the missions organisation linked to Dustin and Dan. It was a great time of receiving but also to really learn the difficulties faced by missionaries in spreading the New Testament teaching of Christ in Latvia. Denominations are strong in Latvia, and building bridges over them is essential, we learnt, to people hearing the gospel and experiencing the freedom Jesus has for all of us.   

    Through our extended time there, we were able to hear from the people how we had impacted them. Through translators I heard how prophetic words I or others had given had impacted their lives deeply, bringing them closer to God. Others started coming to church after being visited by members of our team. God, in His perfect timing, burped a volcano at just the right time.

    Did I see a change in Latvia from the last trip to this one? Absolutely. Some unfortunate, but most of them uplifting and encouraging. Was it as lifechanging? Definately. And not just for me, but for all of our team.

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