Thriving Church Partnership Works Together Reach Children for Christ

By Hillary Keuhn

    LAKE TAPPS, Washington – Last August, a member of our church donated his airline rewards miles to us to go to Latvia. There were enough miles for eight tickets, but we had to travel on two different airlines. Thankfully, there were no delays or problems and we all arrived safely and on time. Our team consisted of eight members, my dad and seven people under the age of 25. Four of the team members had been to Latvia before (Al Kuehn, Danielle Kuehn, Hillary Kuehn, and Kristina Whitman); the other four went for the first time (Josh Heath, Sarah Heath, Aaron Rice, and Colby Neubauer).

    We spent 12 days in Latvia, and worked with Mersrags Baptist Church to put on a five day VBS. I believe it was the longest VBS they have had. Nearly 60 children from Mersrags and nearby villages attended VBS each day. We had been planning together via e-mail and Skype for almost a year, so it was really fun to see everything come together. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm of the children for learning the songs, memorizing the Bible, and sharing in the love of Christ.

    I know all the members of the our team really enjoyed being able to bond with the children, despite the language barrier. Our afternoons and evenings were generally laid back, which provided great opportunities for fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Latvia. I think we all felt like we were with family.

    The partnership is thriving and we are very blessed by it. We are thrilled by the changes taking place in the village of Mersrags and Mersrags Baptist Church. We will continue to send Christmas presents to the children in the Sunday School, and there has been talk of another trip in a couple years to work together to do a youth camp.

    Hillary Keuhn is a member of Lake Tapps Community Church, Sumner, Washington. The Lake Tapps Church has had a partnership with the Baptist church in Mersrags since 2000.

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