23
dry, struggling with the gas bottles which
feed the blow torch getting so cold that the
gas turned to liquid.
Pictured top right: Mark giving words of
encouragement to Vladislav [left hand side,
left] just before his baptism in the well used
baptismal bath; also present at the baptism
was our blind sister Larisa, pictured right,
who gave very moving encouragement to our
new brother.
And finally, pictured below, dear Mark just
exhausted!
Riga Bible Centre | Latvia | Winter Welfare Scheme
A
ndy & Mel Downton (Horley) and Mike &
Vanessa Boler (Folkestone) arrived in Riga
at the beginning of January and spent three
months providing hot meals each day for the
brethren and sisters and contacts. Others
which have come to support them for shorter
periods, included Rob & Debbie Clements
(Ipswich), Anna and Barbara Ryder (Horley),
Denis Leverett (Chelmsford), Mim Clark &
June Williams (Guildford), Belinda Burns
(Australia), Trevor Alison (Knowle & Dorridge)
and Hazel Rutherford and Peter & Lorraine
Eichhorn (Nantwich). Fellowship with so
many visitors from a wide range of ecclesias
is most encouraging for all in Riga.
Sisters Lorraine Eichhorn and Hazel
Rutherford of the Nantwich UK ecclesia were
in Latvia along with brother Peter Eichhorn
and brother Denis Leverett (Chelmsford UK
ecclesia). Here's their report on some Winter
welfare work done in Riga:
?It has been -15 degrees by day and down to
-25 by night in Riga (the capital of Latvia)
since we arrived on Saturday. Try to imagine
the living conditions of three members of the
ecclesia and a non-member who is looking to
be baptised but ashamed to expose his long
unwashed body. Two have TB and one is HIV
positive which prevents them from getting
beds in night shelters due to their having