Giving God Space

The midsummer boat trip wasn’t a typical outreach event (but it’s now a tradition!). And the upcoming European Student Festival won’t be your typical IFES conference either. So, what’s going on in Latvia?

The IFES national movement, LKSB, is creating space – and waiting to see what God will do in it.

Space by the River

The midsummer boat trip – three days’ camping down a river – started a few years ago. COVID restrictions and lack of enthusiasm for large organized events led the team to choose a simple approach. LKSB students invited their non-Christian friends to join them on a boat trip – with no “agenda”. No pre-planned devotional, no Bible studies, no talks.

Ulvis Kravalis, LKSB General Secretary, explains:

“It’s about experiencing adventure on a river with Christians. It’s an organic way of connecting with each other and God. Through friendship, round the campfire, deep and meaningful conversations open up. We’ve even had six people come to Christ through it!”

One summer under the stars, two Christian students naturally shared their testimonies. Ulvis recalls: “the atmosphere became so thick that we felt like we could touch God’s love”. When a LKSB staff worker asked if anyone wanted prayer, a female student responded. As they were praying, someone had a picture: she was chasing around, seeking value in men’s opinions of her rather than in the beauty that Christ sees in her. That night, she surrendered her life to Jesus.

Space at the Festival

It’s this desire for organic, personal interactions that has also been incorporated into a regionwide student conference in August. Latvia will host the European Student Festival (ESF) in Jelgava, bringing together around 500 students from 40 movements across the continent.

With the theme “Kingdom Come”, it will have the usual elements of an IFES event – quality Bible teaching, hands-on workshops, and cross-cultural sharing in small groups. But it’s more than a typical conference. Students will also be able to enjoy sports, art, music, dance, good food – and the beach!

Christian Pichler, Associate IFES Regional Secretary for Europe and Director of ESF, says:

“We believe in the power of people meeting people. We learn so much simply by meeting other individuals and hearing their stories. We want to create space for these encounters. So, this is the idea – it’s more of a festival with people choosing activities, hanging out together, and having time for conversations.”

Ulvis agrees:

“There’ll be talks of a very high quality – even life–changing – so, I’m really looking forward to that. But what excites me most is the potential for those unplanned, ‘accidental’ conversations – standing in a line for food, passing by at a stall in the exhibition hall, or chatting after playing ball together.”

Pray

Praise God for how he’s working through typical, planned events and atypical, unplanned encounters – and give thanks for those who’ve been reached through LKSB’s friendship and prayers.

Pray that it won’t be a “typical summer” for all those attending ESF (16-21 August) – that they will have an eye-opening and heart-awakening experience of what “Kingdom Come” can look like on their campuses.

Pray for the organising team, speakers, seminar leaders, and volunteers – that they will know the Lord’s leading and protection. And ask that he will provide for higher-than-expected costs.

Hear more about Christian’s and Ulvis’s hopes for the European Student Festival in this Voices of IFES podcast episode: