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MORAVIAN  CHURCH MISSIONS  IN  LATVIA

By Br. Gundars Ceipe (Latvian), translated by Sr. Edite Doering into German, translated by Br Reinhard Martin into English.

The 275^th Jubilee Year of the Latvians started with great joy and hope. The reason for this hope was the great and unmistakable blessings God has showered on us in the manifold new Christian fellowships, and His leading in our directions and work.

Near the end of 2003 we ministered as usual to a large gathering of children at our camp. We also published the Daily Texts in the Latvian language, and many copies were distributed.  The administrative committee of the Renewed Moravian Church meets regularly.  Every week brothers and sisters come together and grow in our planning and organization. A new ministry of families working together is being developed, and is under the leadership of Arnis Damis from Smiltene.

In other words, the Moravian Church in Latvia is coming into its own. I was able to change the emphasis in my own ministry to spend more time to prepare new ministers for the LELB Lutheran Academy where I have been teaching Latvian Church history and where I write my Ph.D. thesis on the “Latvian Moravian Church in the 20^th Century”.

      In general there is a growing interest in the Moravian Church in the Latvian society. I have published several articles and have given a lengthy interview on the Latvian Radio.

Thanks to the Moravian Church Days, the Moravian Church in Latvia is drawing more interest and people, and becoming renewed. Therefore, and because of the great interest of the people, and because of this being the year of Jubilee, we have organized the Moravian Church Days for each month at a different location. This year’s first Moravian Church Day took place on January 17 at Ergli.  It was the 14^th such event. There was anticipation of great joy and spirit as our worship began with 100 brothers and sisters gathered together. However, the sisters from Lubana were missing.

TRAGEDY After the first Scriptures for our spiritual enlightenment, we received the shocking news. Iluta Kunce and Dzintra Dragune had a car accident on the icy road and were killed. Mrs. Dzintra Zarina, who was injured, is being kept alive artificially. We sang, prayed and grieved. One cannot describe the feelings of pain and despair that overcame us. With heavy hearts, we remembered those wonderful sisters, particularly Iluta. What an indescribable burden! And we asked this seemingly, senseless question---Why?

If we look back on the joys and difficulties which we have experienced together, we feel great gratitude toward God that he has given us for a while such a wonderful person as Iluta. I even want to say that she was too good and too worthy for this world. Somehow she did not fit into this world. She was from a better world. Our hearts are still heavy, and we mourn our loss. However, she is well, she is with her Redeemer! She is at home!

How will we go on? During the first month it seemed there was only darkness.  And yet morning follows the darkness, the sun rises and life goes on, even the life of the Latvian Moravians. Of course, this event brings changes in our work. It will not be the same.  Lubana was the center of Moravian Missions. We had acquired space and had begun courses for Sunday School teachers. I was soon to install Iluta as the official administrator of the Kaina School. Our ministry is based on volunteer workers. No one gets a salary. All the more, every brother and sister is important to us: all the more reason to mourn the passing of Iluta who was so important to our work, and who gave us so much of herself.

                        We believe that God will not leave us; that He will give us counsel and strength for our work, and that He will lead us into the future. Time must pass to overcome the pain and then I pray, God will show us the way. (continued on page 2)