Just Married

The last few weeks have passed in a blur of activities, leaving me with a new husband and new name Elizabeth Grinberga. It is hard to believe how much has happened and all that God has done. In the weeks leading up to our wedding you showered us with gifts and prayers and for that I will be eternally grateful. Thank you.

Our house this holiday season was very festive, though not just in the spirit of Christmas, but with the wedding preparations making everything glow with another joy as well. We had so many friends and relatives at our home, and it was wonderful. I can't even describe my joy at the part each of you played for our special day!! Thank you! I will be making albums and sending them along your way.

Our wedding is America as you all know was December 22, 2006. It was beautiful. And not only did we celebrate our day, but we also got to honor my Dad's birthday :) The decorations were just as I imagined and I was so happy to celebrate with so many family and friends. You all made our day unforgettable. Thank you!

We celebrated our marriage with a second wedding December 26 in Latvia. I must admit I had little to do with the planning of this wedding, as I don't know a lot about Latvian traditions. My good friend Ruta, the one I lived with was our main organizer. We had asked her and her husband to be our witnesses, but they are also called wedding mother and father in Latvian. This tradition means that the couple will not only help organize, but will give us counsel if we ever need it.

Ruta did a wonderful job organizing everybody and everything and the wedding here was beautiful too. We started the day by going to a palace where we took our formal wedding pictures. Our service was at 4:00 P.M. here and was held in our new church sanctuary, though it isn't yet finished a lot of work has been done lately and it was decorated wonderfully. It was especially meaningful to be the first to marry in this new place of worship.

As I look back on the last few weeks I am amazed at the goodness of God in my life. He has so blessed me, not just with a very great new husband, but with you. Each of you did so much to make this time in my life extraordinary, thank you. Your gifts were such a blessing in helping us transition to our new life together.

Being a wife is certainly a new role to learn, I am enjoying it. But realize that my ministry as I have known it now needs to take a different turn. I know some of you are wondering what exactly I will be doing now, and whether I am still a missionary, and ministering and that sort of thing.

Right now I am adjusting; I need some time to get used to my new life. But this does not mean that I am not trying to minister. A long time ago I had a dream of being a missionary, but not the traditional kind, who goes to a country and lives as a foreigner there, and goes home, and such. But one who would be immersed and so one with the people that it could even be mistaken that I am one of them. Now God has taken me into a whole new level of Latvian culture by marrying into it. I feel he has great new things for me to do, not alone, but with my husband. I am excited for the ways God wants to use us. Right now we are in prayer for God to show us where he wants us serving and also asking him to use us each day in his service.


I will continue to teach English, and have many dreams and ideas about how to minister in that way and in other ways. But until I know more definitely what I am doing, I would ask that you pray for God's guidance. For today my ministry and mission is to learn to be a good wife and be available for the Father to work through every day, wherever I am. We need to each do that, don’t we?!


Thank you for being friends I can count on, and for every prayer.


In His Love,

Elizabeth and Janis

My new address:
Elizabeth Grinberga
1. Maija gatve - 16
Ogre, Latvia