The Salvation Army in Latvian press

From Tiksanas Magazine, Latvia:
The Salvation Army began its work in Latvia in 1923, in 1943 it was stopped. The next almost fifty years TSA in Latvia functioned underground, but after the renewal of State’s independence, the work of the Army was renewed too.
The Salvation Army is special with its view that religious and social work must be equal. The founder of The Salvation Army William Booth thought that it is difficult to tell the Gospel to someone who is hungry and dirty. The motto of The Salvation Army is: soup, soap and salvation. In order to find out how it works today, I am speaking to the leaders of TSA in Latvia- Rut and Peter Baronowsky.

PB: We understand that this winter will be difficult for almost everyone in Latvia; therefore we have started various programs, in order to help better to the people, whom we can reach. We are a Christian Church, and in December new church members will be enrolled.

RB: We also understand that The Salvation Army in Latvia is not as well known as in the world. The Salvation Army and its work is well known in more than 116 countries, it is a Christian Church with a strong social consciousness. We want The Salvation Army in Latvia to be known as a strong Christian Church with social programs. For this reason we want to speak to people and to help them.

-The Salvation Army in Latvia was renewed after the regaining of the independence, but it is true that it is not that well known, it is less noticed among other denominations.

PB: It is true. From 1943 until regain of independence Soviet authorities forbid the work of The Salvation Army in Latvia, we don’t know everything that happened here. Yet traditionally in the world The Salvation Army is well known with the fact that it does more than it speaks. It is a practical Christianity. Right at this moment The Salvation Army in Latvia is growing. Since we have become the regional leaders of TSA in Latvia, we have had the opportunity of taking part in enrollments of new church members in three churches.

- How did you experience Salvation?
- My nationality is Swedish, I grew up in a Christian family- my parents were officers of The Salvation Army. But it was different with me. At the age of 25, I was married and we had our eldest son. We took part in various church activities and we knew that there is a God, who loves us, but I hadn’t experienced Him personally. Yet I was longing for and began seeking Christ as my personal Savior. I found Him, and I was saved. Before this I only thought that may be I am a Christian, but now I could confirm this for 100%: yes, I am a child of God! This was followed by baptism in the Holy Spirit. I used to say: from this moment began my great adventure!

-How should one seek to find?
- That is a long story. Among the members of TSA church in Stockholm, revival had broken out. Young people, whom we had known for a long time and with whom we went into the world, suddenly told us that they have found Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit. As my parents were true Christians, my knowledge of Christianity was quite solid, I knew about the second coming of Jesus, which scared me a bit. Deep down in my heart I had an assurance that this is the truth. I also knew that I am not ready for it yet. We had moved into a new house, we didn’t know anyone. At one point I noticed that Peter wasn’t besides me. I went to look for him outside by our garage where our cars were parked. The door was opened, but the keys were on the ground. But Peter is an accurate man, it wasn’t characteristic to him. Suddenly I thought: God has spoken to me and Jesus has come! I ran up the stairs and called my mum thinking to myself: if she picks up the phone, then Jesus hasn’t returned yet. One by one I heard the beeps. Finally I heard my mother’s voice and I knew Jesus hadn’t come yet. At that moment I realized how serious it is. Later on I spoke to our pastor, a very clever woman, who prayed for me and asked me to truly accept God. I wanted to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, but I was scared, as I had heard different things about spirits, e.g. that people fall down to ground etc. But she said to me: Rut, Holy Spirit is the spirit of Jesus. If you will ask Him into your life, to fill your heart, He will not meet you in a violent way. He knows how you are feeling. He knows you are scared. He will meet you in a way you will be able to accept Him. Then she prayed for me and I received the Holy Spirit Baptism, initially not with too much emotion or feelings.

PB: I also grew up in a Christian home, but I can not say that I sought God a lot. I am that kind of a person, who is mostly satisfied with life. No arguments could make me change my life at that time, because you can always find better arguments not to have to change anything. But during this charismatic revival in 1975 our friends had met God, and when I saw that, I grew very jealous of it. Paul speaks about it in his letter to Romans, chapter 11, saying: if I can not reach my countrymen (Jews) in any other way, I will make them jealous. I saw my friends living a life that I didn’t live, and this created a hunger and thirst in me. My adventure with God began on a Sunday evening after the service. We wanted to conclude the evening with prayer, but me and five six other young men experienced Holy Spirit coming down on us. To me personally it reminded the day of Pentecost- people around us definitely thought we were drunk, as we had completely lost control over ourselves. We laughed, cried and hugged. It went on for hours. From this moment on my life was transformed. I had new thoughts; I had a hunger for God’s Word. We always read the Bible not because we had to, but because we could not stop. There was a hunger for a deeper relationship with God. This has moved me forward in life.

- Probably this influenced your relationship too, you definitely loved each other even more?
- Actually it all got a bit more complicated (laughs). Lots of times we had to ask forgiveness to each other, we had to bend our knees and ask God to lead us in His forgiveness. Since that time every Friday evening we invited people to our home for prayer. Every Friday after work it happened that misunderstandings arose between us, but we knew we can not welcome people in this atmosphere, therefore we humbly had to kneel in front of God and ask for forgiveness. These prayer Fridays continued every week for five years. Lots of people got saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. Many of these people are in full time ministry now.

RB: We are not only a wife and a husband; we are like sisters and brothers who can crawl up in Father’s lap together. In humbleness we must face each other and then God. It is a great honor, if you can approach God together with someone.
PB: We pray together several times a day. We know that prayer is a problem for many couples. When you know someone really well, you can not pretend anymore. Everyone can pray well at the church, but when you know all about someone, then the prayer becomes real.

- How did God lead you into the work of TSA?
- When we had these prayer groups in Stockholm, both of us worked full time in positions which were not directly related to Christianity. Yet after app. 5 years God began speaking to us. It is interesting that He always speaks to Rut first, it is easier for Him to access Ruth than me as I am always rather content with everything I do. I would have been able to keep going with the prayer group until the end of my life! At that time I was a teacher, Rut worked at the local government. We came to an agreement and said to God: if You will tell us where to go and what to do in a way that we will have no doubts that it’s You speaking to us, we will go anywhere You send us. At that time they were looking for TSA leaders for a school in Norway. I applied for this job and went for an interview and they wanted me to take the job. On Friday, just before the prayer meeting, I received a phone call from the leader of the school, who confirmed that I can get this job as long as I make my decision until Sunday, otherwise they will take the other applicant. After the prayer, I went for a long walk with God saying: when I come back home, I will sit down in my chair, I will open my Bible with the daily reading and if that place will clearly speak about me having to go to Norway, we will do that. Otherwise we will stay where we are. I felt very satisfied thinking: it might not speak about going exactly to Norway! But in the first chapter I read, these words were written: I do not send you to people whose language you will not understand!- Swedish and Norwegian are similar enough for people to be able to understand the other. Of course this does not work as an approval to everyone who wants to go to Norway, but in this specific situation in our lives I knew what it meant. It was not the best time for moving. Rut was pregnant with our third child. Three weeks after the birth we moved to Norway, knowing no one there. In Moss we served for 9 years, the students of the school were from 18-25. I taught the Bible, Rut taught music and the Bible, we taught also English speaking students. It was God’s work. At that time more than 100 people became Christians. From them 40 have become pastors, TSA officers in various countries. These were difficult years, but victory always is complicated.

-But Norway is a land of welfare, why were those years so complicated?
- Economically not, but at that time Norway was not that wealthy yet, although life standard was very different from that in Sweden. Oil extraction was started only later. But it was complicated in a different way. First of all, we had gone to a different country and culture. We were isolated- we waited three years in order to receive a phone. We had three little children and we ourselves were very busy. Still, we are grateful to God for these years.

RB: A price must always be paid to get the victory.

PB: After nine years we began planning our return to Sweden. To our employees we said that we want to terminate out responsibilities at the school, but we did not have other job offers in Sweden. But shortly before it was time to leave for Sweden, we received a phone call from a Salvation Army person in Sweden, who offered us to establish and run an education institute for TSA employees in Sweden. This was our job for the last twelve years before coming to Latvia. We were the leaders of the institute; we educated social workers, local leaders, officers, employees of different levels, lead courses. Teaching is our life. But after these 20 years God again told us: well done, but enough now. We had reached the age when we could retire, but then TSA asked us to think about going to Latvia and taking the responsibility of the regional leaders of TSA in Latvia. To be honest, we were not that interested. But then one day we were on our way to Oslo in the car, as TSA had offered us again a job in Norway. We had to travel for 8 hours, Rut and I talked a lot, of course, not all eight hours; we spent some time in quiet too. So, after a moment of this kind of silence one of us said: may be we should go to Latvia? And the other one replied: yes, my thoughts exactly! This is why we are here.

-Now you have gained such a maturity that you are sent to a nation whose language you do not understand?
- This really is the truth. We were ready to come here, because we knew that God wants so.

-Did you know that you would come to Latvia in the time of crisis?
RB: The decision was made in the spring of 2008. For more than a year we knew we would come here, the crisis situation came later.

PB: It is good to be here, because we see that we can fulfill some goals.
RB: We, of course, can not change this crisis, but we believe God has resources and we want to release them. On every step we see how complicated that is, but TSA works in places where no other churches are. We work in villages, where children live in terrible situations. We have set up special programs for children, of course, realizing we can not help all children of Latvia. We had an opportunity to raise some funds abroad with an aim to pay for school lunches for children, whose parents can not afford it. If our officers meet a child who would benefit from this help, we meet with the local government and ask them to take care of their children. If for some reasons this is impossible, we take care of these children. We have raised funds to provide food parcels for families and individuals, who are in a need of it.

PB: In total such a help is provided to more than a hundred families and people, excluding our regular activities, e.g. soup kitchens. This help is additional, especially in the crisis situation. The parents of children, whom we help, often are alcohol addicts and therefore they need special programs. For example, in one of our children homes we have set up a special program for children of pre-school age living nearby, they are provided with two meals a day and a possibility to take a shower. There are children who have never seen a shower before. They are provided with medical help and help with acquiring a pre-school program. We are grateful to have such fantastic people who work in these conditions. They are heroic people. In one of the towns a man with a criminal past came to our church. Before he was saved, he had committed a criminal act. Then he got saved, besides got married too. But still he had to face the court for what he had done before. If a person has a criminal past, the sentence of the court usually involves referring this person to a place of imprisonment. He was ready for that, but the leader of the Corps had written a letter to the Court, thus the sentence of the Court was three years on probation. This man has become a member of TSA, and his life is completely transformed!

RB: In Riga we have a social worker, who regularly visits at home more than 50 families in difficult situations. This employee helps also with food parcels, yet her mission is to become a friend to these people, to pray with them. I went along one day, that day we visited three families. The last woman we visited had a severe disability, but during the visit she expressed a desire to accept Jesus. The conditions of this woman were tough, still she accepted in her heart Jesus.

- Seeing all the suffering, especially when kids suffer, have you never wanted to ask God: why?
PB: Life is unfair; I too could have been born as one of these children, I am no better than them. But God is good; He will always help us to find a way out of these circumstances. We are happy to be able to help them. In many situations it is almost impossible to help, but that it God’s specialty- making impossible situations into possible ones. We have three goals that we want to fulfill during these thee years. The first one- people must be saved. This is the most important. We are not here to help people to survive, but to help them have their lives transformed. The second- that these people would become disciples. Only disciples can make disciples. The third- we want to help those who are suffering. These three things are always the focus of our attention.

-There is a point of view that some of these people are ready to listen to the Gospel only to get a food parcel.
- I believe that Jesus wants us to help them to survive. Because what you have done to the least, you have done to me. These are Jesus’ words. We do this for Jesus. Our social work is not separated from our spiritual work. If we listen to what Jesus is saying: take care of the poor. If you listen to Jesus, you will hear Him cry for the poor.

RB: Very often the hearts of the people who go through suffering are more open to the Gospel. But people, who enjoy welfare, think that they can cope with everything on their own. People who are poor often respond to God, saying “yes!”

PB: May be this is the answer to your first question, why TSA is not that well known in Latvia. The majority of people that we deal with have nothing, they can not invest anything financially, they live in poverty. They are not representatives of Saeima, nor representatives of any other high rank. They are not the people, who others would listen to. But in God’s eyes they are just as worthy.

RB: Even if someone does come only for a plate of soup, we believe, that Jesus calls us anyway to fight with the evil all around us.

- God’s Words says: one who lends money to a poor person, lends it to the Lord. Does that mean to give money to people begging on the streets?
PB: Of course, we do that. Often someone cheats us. It already happened one night. A boy was asking for some money, even cried, but already the next night we saw him being let out of a Mercedes to beg again. But it is a good question and we have thought about it a lot. We could look at it in two ways. What we can give from our means, we give that to our church TSA. In this way we can help lots of people. Or we can give to people whom we meet on the road of our life. Planning expenses, strategic giving to the Lord will always result in a better investment. But, of course, sometimes we give to the beggars too, but it does not happen too often.

- Are the finances of TSA made of its members’ tithes?
- No. If church members have nothing, how much will be 10% from nothing? Of course, there are situations, when tithes increase, because we teach about it. If we have only little, it is a blessing that from that we can give to God.

RB: TSA work in Latvia is supported by TSA in Sweden. Latvia and Sweden are one territory of TSA.

- But thinking biblically, tithing also for a poor person is a point of take-off for doing better in life.
- And that is exactly why we teach about tithing. But we also are developing a program for volunteers; we believe that there are people in Latvia at the moment, who can give a lot. Of course, tithing is very important, but a person can participate also with one’s hands, presence and knowledge. It is important for us that in this way too people can help us.

PB: Tithing is not a precondition for becoming a church member of TSA. No one will look at your fingers to see how much you are giving. But of course tithing is a blessing. But you can not give an order to a person to get them blessed.

- You have been teachers of a Bible school for many years. Which do you think are the most essential truths to be taught to every Christian?
- I would say: first, you should have a living relationship with God; you must learn listening to Him. If you will listen to God, you will not need the second and third point. Of course, you should read the Word, because it is a natural way of God speaking to us. It does not happen someplace in the air, it happens through His living Word.

RB: Obedience is important. If you act according to your own will, not in obedience to God, nothing will help. When you are obedient, you will experience Him more and more.

- Please, tell about your charity kettle campaign in Riga at Christmas time.
- TSA organizes this campaign all over the world. This social campaign is explained with a kettle in which people can donate money. This kettle is placed at a visible public place and various activities happen around it. In Latvia this year we will sing Christmas carols, will tell about our work in TSA, it is very likely that we will even have a little brass band playing Christmas songs, as well as there will be people who will be ready to speak to people. We pray and hope to get all the required permissions in order to be able to set up the red kettle in three places of Riga- by McDonalds in Old Town and in shopping centers “Alfa” and “Mols”. This campaign takes place in Bauska and Liepaja too. In Riga we will do this for the first time. We hope to bless people in Riga with music, words and songs.

- How long will this campaign continue?
PB: In Riga it will happen two days, on a Sunday before Christmas. In “Mols” we hope to be for a whole week, as one of TSA Corps- Riga II church- is situated very near to it. They have 20 church members, who used to be alcohol and drug addicts, but now are saved and free of their addictions. Still majority of them are without a home. I think it is a miracle- not being enslaved by the alcohol again living on the street. They go to the church house every day, they work and help there. At the moment they are unemployed and homeless, but they help to cook and distribute clothes to people. This church has human resources that will serve at the Red Kettle every day. Riga I church, which is situated in the centre, is a bit different. It is quite a large church formed of youth and families. With our arrival the level of the average age group grew quickly. (Laughing). Our churches are very different, but we love all of them.

- Do you think the crisis will increase and grow deeper in the world, and does that confirm that Jesus is coming soon?
- A very interesting question. I will tell you a secret! We have never been closer to Jesus’ second coming than now. The West world is recovering from the crisis at the moment, but this situation of crisis will return. Now there are lots of signs, which Bible spoke about two thousand years ago, which now are becoming a reality. At the moment there are lots of events which are preparing the scene for Jesus’ second coming.

RB: It is like a signal, as a burning house, so that we would go to people with the message that they can get saved. We have to preach Salvation.

PB: Jesus said: when all these things start happening, raise your heads, because your Salvation is near. We are not afraid, as we do not expect to simply meet with someone; we await to meet with Jesus. Sometimes I long for it so much that I pray with the last words of the Bible: Maran ata, Jesus, come soon!

- How do you feel as a woman in uniform?
RB: Actually I feel very good, because I am proud about the uniform I am wearing. We have a sense of unity in TSA, we serve together. TSA is a church that has encouraged women to preach, TSA has acted as a pioneer in this area. Catherine Booth- the wife of TSA founder William Booth was a very progressive preacher. Therefore TSA has preserved the conclusion, that there are women who preach. As a TSA officer, a pastor, my duty is to wear uniform in official events where churches are represented. The kind and usage of this uniform is the same as of other uniforms. To me as a pastor-woman it gives the same obligations as to pastors-men.

-Have you not felt the respect of people due to this?
- But I hope not the distance.

-What do you children do?
PB: Oh! We have three wonderful sons. Our youngest son is already 30 years old, he also is a father now. Our middle son is 32 years old and he also is a father! Our eldest son is 39 years old and he has three children! They are very active in different churches, and we are grateful to God that He has found a way to speak to them, we are grateful that they are committed Christians. But they are far away, we do not see them often, we met with the whole family only once the last summer. This year we became Grandparents twice, but mostly we see everything on photos! THE END.