wfn.org | Mission trip takes Ohio woman back to Latvian roots

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Oct. 7, 1999 News media contact: Thomas S. McAnally*(615)742-5470*Nashville,
Tenn.  10-71B{516}

NOTE: Christa Eckert Blum of Lakeside, Ohio, was one of eight people from
Ohio, Virginia and Tennessee who spent two weeks in Estonia and Latvia in
September. She was born in Riga, Latvia, grew up in Germany and came to the
United States in her early teens. She is a lecturer 
at Case Western Reserve University and Cuyahoga Community College, where she
teaches German. She and her husband, Robert, belong to Rocky River (Ohio)
United Methodist Church.

A UMNS News Feature
By Christa  Eckert Blum

When a brown envelope arrived in the mail, my husband smiled knowingly and
gave it to me to open. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined I would
return to the place of my birth on a Volunteers In Mission (VIM) trip to
Estonia and Latvia, especially during my birthday month of September.

"I thought you would like to see the place where you were born," Bob said
with a grin. There in the brown envelope was information from the Rev. John
Trundle with registration papers for the VIP trip to Tallinn, Estonia, to
visit and encourage the United Methodist churches in that Baltic region.

It was the singing of the Estonians and Latvians that stirred memories of my
childhood and my Estonian mother.  It was the passionate and fervent prayers
of the Russian-speaking congregations that reminded me of my godly Russian
grandmother.

Everywhere we traveled, from Tallinn to Saaremaa, to Parnu, to Riga -- my
birthplace -- I was reminded of where I came from, of what my parents had
left behind when they and their young family fled from the advancing Soviet
troops and finally landed in America, the land of dreams come true.

Dreams have come true for the Baltic states as well. Churches that were
closed and empty for more than 50 years are now being renovated and rebuilt,
an answer to the fervent prayers of Christians everywhere.  

"I remember when Oma and Opa prayed every night for the word of God to be
preached again in their homeland," my daughter reminded me. Even though my
parents in their lifetime never experienced the answer to their prayers,
they remained faithful in their intercession for those denied religious
freedom.

When our VIM team entered the 500-year-old church in Umurga, Latvia, where
my Baltic German ancestors had worshipped, I was in awe of God's infinite
power, His majesty, His steadfastness. The clergymen in our group broke
bread and shared the cup for the eight-member Friends of Estonia Team. It
was an unforgettable communion experience for me.

Our journey continued on to Liepaja on the Baltic coast where we worshipped
in a Latvian congregation led by the Rev. Aris Viksna, the superintendent of
the United Methodist Church in Latvia. After our team was introduced to the
congregation, we sang, accompanied on the guitar by one of our team members.
Rev. Trundle's message was unforgettable. Using a three-legged stool, he
illustrated who the Methodists are -- warm hearted for Jesus, trained and
serving others.

On this trip through the Baltics, I felt we were being served.  The
hospitality of the congregations we visited was generous and heart-warming,
and the meals were of Baltic proportions. 

It was the conversation around the table in my limited Russian that opened
my eyes to the suffering these Christians had endured. Two women had been
deported to Siberian hard-labor camps with thousands of other innocent
victims. Many never returned. On the island of Saaremaa, a memorial is
dedicated to those who died in Siberia. But here around the supper table
were two women who had returned home, who had become grandmothers, and who
lived their faith so that others could be free. Words failed me.

When we met the Rev. Olav Parnamets, superintendent of the Estonian United
Methodist Church, he was so excited about the new Baltic Mission Center in
Tallinn. His face would not admit to the suffering he also experienced under
communism. His steadfast faith allowed him to see the construction of the
new seminary and a sanctuary, yet to be completed. The young faces of the
seminary students showed the confidence and assurance that God will bring to
completion the task begun in Estonia.

# # #

Editor's note for optional inclusion in story: Contributions to the Baltic
Mission Center, marked "Sanctuary Fund, Baltic Mission Center," may be sent
through World Evangelism, 1008 19th Avenue South, Nashville, TN  37212-2166.

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