Back home at last. Many thoughts.

1800km exactly, Sollentuna, Sweden

This morning we finally arrived home after eleven days of traveling and meeting people. As we literally fell over the threshold of our apartment, we are met by our friend Henrik who not only has cleaned our flat, but also baked us a smörgåstårta. Thank you God for good friends.

It feels good to be home. Our trip through Latvia and Lithuania feels finished in every aspect of the word. There are no lose ends. We did everything we were supposed to do. A good feeling.

Resa and I weren't really sure what to do with the last two days of our trip. We decided to take it easy, so from Jurmala we traveled up the west side of the gulf of Riga. Driving along we kept seeing cars pulled over by the side of the road. Curiosity won, and we pulled over as well to find out what this was all about. What we found was a forest of blueberry bushes. We filled a plastic bag as quickly as we could and dodged vicious mosquitoes left right and center.

We spent the night on a peninsula by Engure overlooking the gulf of Riga. We had some well-needed time to just relax and reflect, and for me, to look at the sunset with a cigar in one hand, a beer in the other and a beautiful woman by my side. Bliss.

The next morning we traveled up to, Kolka, at the peak of the west coast. We walked down the beach and stood at the very tip of the country and turned our backs towards the sea and prayed inwardly, for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and Russia, that God would raise these nations up and be all God has ment for them to be and for them to find their true identity (among other things). We then turned around (facing Sweden) and prayed for the Nordic countries and that bridges would be built between these nations. Quite heavy stuff.

We found a nice spot to camp right by the beech for the night in Kaltene. The following day was a rainy but generally uneventful, as we boarded the M/S Regina Baltica to Stockholm.

This trip has been great and... well "varied" is the best word I can find that fits. Everything from getting a feel for Riga while walking around the city and looking at its art and people, to praying on roof-tops and playing with kids in Ruzina, as well as connecting with salvation army people looking to connect with 24-7 and meeting Tom in Vilnius who wants to see a rhythm of 24-1's and a genuine Lithuanian expression of church. So many things, and so little time. It seems God is sending us out to connect the dots of what God is doing around the nations of northern Europe.While the vision is still blurry, the picture is clearer than ever. Exciting times lie ahead.