“Sunday Talks” is a weekly podcast in Latvian in which Sanita, Mareks and Aija talk about Christianity. We look for answers to questions that people so often ask for about God, about their relationship in their journey with Him. We talk about what it is like to be a Christian, to be in loving relationship with God, about his love and grace, about the power of faith and prayer, about hope, about love.
In this week’s conversation Sanita and Aija are talking about mission. Later Aurora, missionary in Uganda, Africa, will join us over phone call. It’s so amazing how we can connect nowadays using technologies. Sanita is in Ireland, Aija and Mareks in Great Britain and Aurora in Africa.
But first as short intro let’s talk to Aija and her experience and mission trip to Uganda in 2009, and how she met Aurora.
– I graduated School of mission in Latvia, Saldus, when I got very strong encouragement to go on a mission trip to Uganda. After graduation I went on my first trip for 2 weeks, it was very short, but after a year I was prepared to go to Uganda for 6 months. It was the most fulfilled time in my life, when God changed me and thought me a lot.
– How even to come up with an idea to go to Africa and how is it to be there, from cultureshock to mission work and do minister work.
– I think that God was preparing me for this from my childhood. I started to go to church when I was a child. When Soviet Union collapsed, our country border became open and so many missionaries came to Latvia and our town Talsi. That was the time when I heard encouragement and what missionaries always reminded “Go and make disciples” and it stayed within me for ever. But I understood to go on the mission somewhere, I need to know what to say. And probably that’s why God needed so much time to prepare me, that I would be able to say something to others. But the most important was when I was totally ready to rely on God. Cultural shock was huge. It’s completely different world, different culture and different mindset. What hurts the most the your are “mzungu” – white person and something is expected from you like from God, but at the same time it’s a big advantage because everyone wants to become friends with that white person and it gives so many options to be invited, to be welcomed in their homes, schools and you can talk about God. I was alone in very wild villages, no electricity, I lived in hut from clay and hey straw roofs. And in my loneliness, I met Aurora. I learned a lot from her. I came back home, I got married, I had children and I haven’t been in Africa since than. Of curse I needed a lot of time to heal myself. We are hurt very much on mission trips. I was broken not only spiritually. also physically, I got malaria, I needed 2 years, to get my health back. I have never forgot Africa and it is still time to time in my prayers. Once the corona virus started, I was thinking a lot about how will it be when it will start in Africa and I prayed a lot about it. We have to understand it’s totally different governmental system, there are no taxes, that means there are no support to people in situations like this. People can’t afford just to sit at home in selfisolation like we for a month, they will die from starving and hunger. When I was in capital of Uganda, slum area, it’s like a trash area around the city, there were around 2 million people at that time, I just can imagine what is it like today. It just means that people will be in contact and virus will spread very quick and they have zero chances to get medical help because they don’t have money to pay for it. For example like lung ventilator is a luxury commodity. When I saw on Facebook, that Aurora is stuck in Tanzania, I wrote to her, how is she, is she ok. And that’s when an idea to call her and talk to her came up
3 of us are connected over a one phone call – Sanita in Ireland, Aija in UK and Aurora in Tanzania, Africa.
You can listen to this conversatiton in English starting from 00:06:00, small intro at the beggining translated from Latvian.
To find out more about Auroras and ACM ministries mission follow link, to donate please click here
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Šoreiz mēs dodamies misijas ceļojumā uz Āfriku. 2009.gadā Aija bija misijā Ugandā. Pirmo reizi 2 nedēļas un pēc tam jau gatavojās ilgākam braucienam – 6 mēneši. Vairāk var Aijas misiju Ugandā var lasīt bloga ierakstos. Šīs misijas laikā, esot vientuļai attālos Ugandas ciemos, Aija iepazinās ar Auroru, misionāri no ASV. Atgriežoties Latvijā Aija vienmēr ir saglabājusi sirdī Āfriku un tur iegūto pieredzi, lai gan tā ir radījusi gan garīgas, gan fiziskas brūces. Āfrika laiku pa laikam ir bijusi Aijas lūgšanās un īpaši šajā laikā, kad visā pasaulē uzliesmo korona vīruss COVID-19. Apzinoties apdzīvotības intensitāti vai to, ka cilvēkiem Āfrikā ir diezgan ierobežotas iespējas saņemt veselības aprūpes pakalpojumus vai to, ka valstiskā sistēma nenodrošina pabalstus, lai cilvēki varētu izdzīvot, un uzzinot ka Aurora ir “iesprūdusi” Tanzānijā, Aija sazinājās ar Auroru, lai uzzinātu kā viņai klājas. Tā mums, “Svētdienas sarunu” veidotājiem, radās ideja sazināties pa telefonu ar Auroru un ierakstīt sarunu par to viņas misiju, par situāciju Āfrikā.
Uzzini vairāk par Auroras misijas darbu, ja vēlies atbalstīt to, aicinām ziedot
Klausies sarunas ierakstu ar tulkojumu latviešu valodā
Liecība par misijas darbu Āfrikā -Uganda, Tanzānija. Saruna ar misionari Auroru Castillo, dzimusi Gvatemalā, 9 gadu vecumā nokļuvusi ASV, 2001.gadā uzsāk misijas darbu Āfrikā. Saruna par Dieva mīlestību, par Dieva klātbūtni un spēku, par ticību un galvenais par attiecībām ar Viņu. Auroras misija ir aizsniegt neaizsniedzamo, būt Dieva vadībā, turpināt celt un atvērt skolas un baznīcas, atrast veidus, kā dot ne tikai Dzīvības ūdeni (Dieva vārdu), bet arī ierīkot ūdens akas.
ACM Ministries darbojas Amerikas Savienotajās valstīs, Ugandā un Tanzānijā.