Hi, Central Territory Junior Soldiers, Sunbeams, Adventure Corps members, Sunday School students and Day Campers! We thought it might be fun for you “meet” some of our territory’s Missionary Kids who are serving with their parents in Jamaica and Latvia. We asked them all to answer a few questions about what life is like where they live, and their responses are color-coded below.
Which local foods do you most enjoy eating?
Potatoes with Dill.
Hopefully coconut. I haven’t tried it yet, but I think I’m gonna like it.
Latvian bacon bread and soup.
Since I just moved here, it is hard to say, but I think I will like the Jamaica beef patties. When we lived in Trinidad, I really liked eating doubles which are small, soft flour “taco-like” shells filled with curried chick peas and spices. Also, I liked the spiced fresh pineapples (pineapple chow).
What is the best part about living in your current location?
The parks.
That you can go swimming a lot. And I like the palm trees. There are lots of them.
Meeting new friends and learning a new language.
The best part about living in Trinidad was getting to learn how to play the steel pan (drum). No matter where I live, having good friends is the best part.
Do you miss anything from the United States?
I miss the food, chips and my old friends.
I miss snow. That we could go to Piatt Lake. I also miss my friends and my old school. But most, I miss living close to my grandma and grandpa.
I miss my friends and family and Hot Cheetos too!
I have never lived full time in the U.S. I’ve been blessed to be able to visit almost every year to see my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. What I like most about the U.S. is seeing family, swimming in my grandparents’ pool, ice cream every night and shopping trips to Walmart!
How is your school similar or different to your school in the United States?
My school in the U.S. was a Christian school. Now my school is not a Christian school. I miss my old school.
My school is different because it just opens up to the outside, there are no indoor hallways. I wear uniforms and I like it because it’s a dress. I don’t have a snack time, which I miss.
My school here in Latvia has a different class schedule – my day is laid out differently.
I am now in 7th grade which means that I have different teachers for my different subjects and we have to change classrooms for each subject. I have 13 subjects! In Trinidad, I only had one teacher and we were concentrating on Math and English to get ready for the end of primary school exam. My school in Trinidad had air conditioning in all the classrooms, which we don’t have here (only fans) even though it is just as hot. Here we have after school activities to choose from and I have chosen the basketball club. In Trinidad I went to a government school, and here in Jamaica I am attending a private, Christian school. The number of kids in the classroom is about the same, 25.
How is your church similar or different to your church in the United States?
My church is different because they speak Latvian.
The churches here don’t have hallways, they are just chapels with doors to the outside which they leave open. There is no children’s church which I miss. I feel like church is shorter here. (Note from Emily’s mom: Church is usually 2 hours long at their corps in Jamaica.)
My church is longer because of the translation.
I have now had three churches in the Caribbean: one in Haiti where everyone speaks Haitian Creole (like French), one in Trinidad and now this one in Kingston. None of my Caribbean corps have had air conditioners or stained glass windows. What is the same is that we all use the same song book, people wear Salvation Army uniforms, the Home League ladies are nice and people love God. My Haiti corps was the biggest with about 250 people on a Sunday morning. There are about 65 people coming to my new corps in Rae Town (Kingston) and it has been fun getting to know them. I’m glad that I am still able to play the drum set for the meetings and am looking forward to participating in the Divisional Youth Ensemble. My corps also has a Basic School (pre-school and kindergarten) with 65 children (2-5 years old) and a neighborhood health clinic. We live on the second floor of the school part of the compound.
How can we pray for you as you minister with your family?
Pray for our time here in Latvia and pray that we can all be safe.
That we won’t have a hurricane.
Please pray for my parents while they work. Pray for me because sometimes my friends can be hard on me because I am a Christian.
Please pray for me as I start in a new school, getting to know the other students, that I will do well in my studies. I will also be taking the public bus from time to time to school, which is a new experience for me. Pray for my parents as they help re-develop the clinic program and look for new ways for the school to continue to help the families in our neighborhood who have trouble paying their school fees and meal costs. Pray that I will continue to be faithful in spending time with God, reading His Word.
What did you learn from reading about these children who are living overseas with their parents? What can you do to encourage them while they are living far away from home? Will you commit to praying for them as they serve alongside their parents?