Language progression

Dear friends in Christ, 

What a month July was! Two very big things were accomplished this month, for which I am grateful. The first was the result of almost a year of Latvian language learning. For many missionaries arriving on the field, the first few months are spent simply working on learning the language. That’s because, for an adult, learning a new language to a level where you can actually use it is quite difficult. 

Our story is a bit different; we got to work right away on different projects for Lutera Akadēmija (Luther Academy), and the Latvian language classes were added a bit later. We also did not have daily classes where we went over a single concept for a whole day. We had classes twice a week for one hour each. That meant that we had to do a lot of language learning on our own. We have done that, but it has been difficult to dedicate the time necessary to it. Additionally, most of my work is actually still done in English, so the Latvian is nice to have but not mission critical for me. 

Nonetheless, this spring, I was talking with one of my Latvian coworkers at the Akadēmija, and he told me that there is a shortage of pastors around Riga. I spoke with the bishop and volunteered to help should it be needed. In July, the Latvian church took me up on it. I have led the liturgy now in Latvian three times over the course of the month. 

This has made me feel more confident with the language as well as the liturgy here. Another major blessing from this has been more interaction with people from the Latvian church, where we worship on Sundays with no English services. It even led to me reaching another major goal: holding my first conversation in Latvian! I was able to talk with one of the church members for a while in Latvian. It was a huge moment for me, and I think it is worth sharing with all of you. 

This may seem a bit trivial, but to have learned enough of the language in less than a year to not only lead the service but also to hold a conversation opens up another potential avenue for work and service here among our Latvian hosts! 
 

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Cundiff

Other July happenings...

During the last week of July, Quintin and Carter attended the Corpus Christi Conference. (Think Higher Things but for young Europeans.) This week-long conference, in recent years, has taken place in Sweden and Germany, but this year, it was located in Liepaja, Latvia, only a four-hour bus ride from Riga on the coast of the Baltic Sea. They were able to worship and listen to lectures with other confessional Lutherans from all over the world. Carter was very excited to hear one such talk about how to talk about the Christian faith with nonbelieving peers. Both Quintin and Carter made it onto Latvian TV while at this event!

Our family was able to see part of the Latvijas Kara Muzejs (Latvian War Museum) in Riga recently, too. (Only part of it, because we are serious museum-goers who take hours to comb through information, but the weather was quite rainy, and we had forgotten our umbrellas!) It is a well-done museum, and it was intriguing to see the medieval weapons and more modern field medicine exhibits. We look forward to going back and finishing the museum tour in the near future.

Lindsay has begun the process of stateside endorsement of her nursing license and is considering continuing her quest for a bachelor's degree in nursing. Prayers are requested, as this is a tricky path to navigate while living overseas.