Lighthouse Party with Friends from England

Every year around the Easter time all of us in Stelpe School are waiting for our friends from South Yorkshire Jean and Ian Sykes, Joyce and Mick Mumford to come and be with us at least one joyful afternoon.

This year they came a little later because the Volcano had canceled the flights. But they came nevertheless when the ash cloud had cleared up a little, and they did their activity for the children who enjoyed it very much.

The guests had carefully prepared for every child a set of assembling parts for a cardboard lighthouse with an inscription in Latvian "Jesus is the Light of the World".

Pastor Mick told us a story about an English girl Grace whose memory is honored for more than two centuries because she risked her life and went in a small boat to save some sailors when there was storm in the sea.

Grace was a daughter of a lighthouse keeper. On a morning after a stormy night when the storm was still strong, she saw a few sailors standing on a rock far in the sea. They had survived a crash of their ship. Grace ran to her father and convinced him to take a boat and go to rescue those men, and she went together with him. It was really dangerous, all the more because there were a lot of underwater rocks in that place. Yet they managed to reach the sailors and save them.

The pastor reminded us also that there is another story from more than two thousand years ago when Jesus came not to risk His life but to give it to save the people.

The English friends joined the children as they were building the lighthouses, and helped the smaller ones where there a high precision was needed.

It is a settled custom to give Jean her happy birthday greetings since her birthday often coincides with the visit. Not this year, though. But we still took the opportunity while she was here.


In order to make the "party" even more enjoyable for the children, our friends had provided some dainty snacks - fruit, nuts, juices.

Some children were surprised that they were allowed to take the lighthouses home.

Everyone thanked the guests really warmly and asked them to come again next year.

Norwegians Visit Families in Stelpe, Invite Children to Visit Norway

From year to year have Hanne and Kåre Ruud from Norway been coming to visit Stelpe. Their vision is to support the families with children, who struggle hard to send the children to school, provide them food and clothing. Together with their generous friends in Norway, Hanne and Kåre have been supporting about 10 families for several years. Seven Stelpe children have had the possibility to visit their beautiful country.

This time they turned in to see us just for three days on their way back from Tilzha Boarding School in the east of Latvia. Though the time was short, they managed to see quite many friends here, and paid a visit to the school.

Two schoolgirls got an invitation to visit Norway for two weeks this summer.

We took farewell from Hanne and Kåre this morning, and by now we have received a message that they are safe home in Norway. We had a nice time together, and we hope they will come again soon.

The Families' Fire

We would hardly have come to this enjoyable event in Vecumnieki if some Stelpe people had not written a letter and registered us for the nomination contest of the families of the District of Vecumnieki.

This was the 4th annual Families' Fire where the people who consider the Family as a value come together. They have a little barbecue party with games for children and parents, and the winners of the nominations get awards. There are such nominations as The Largest Family, The Best Father, The Best Mother, The Courageous Family, The Helpful Family and a few more.

Behind this celebration, there stands a charity named Saulgriezes (The Sunflower). They work to help families to solve their problems, provide premises for coming together, organize family holidays, etc.

The chair of the organization is Olga Cernisova-Sturiska (holds the microphone). While on the party, we heard a lot of praise towards her determination and her tremendous involvement.

There were games for the children.
Our children won this cuddly owl. (From left: Dag, Tereze, Karlis Elmer)


After the party, there was a wonderful concert of the Erins family who had recently won the third place in a state-wide family song competition. Their program was lively, joyful and the same time, I think, really deep because it was professing love to our homeland and a strong family as one of the most important values that any nation needs.

The Thank You Party

"YOU GET BY TAKING, YOU GET BY GIVING... BY GIVING GOTTEN IS TRULY YOURS"

RAINIS (Latvian poet)

Last Friday Stelpe celebrated the local people who have selflessly helped somebody in the community. Among them, there was Svetlana Vaģele, the medical person who is ready to help any time, be it storm or rain, or the deep of the night. Dzintra Polika is the person in charge of the surroundings of the school. She grows flowers and plants at home in order to bring them later to the school and decorate the area. Andris Kalniņš is an ecological farmer. He gives the school meat grown in healthy environment. There are other people who make themselves useful in many different ways. There are people who donate potatoes, pies and other food to the school to help keep the lunch cost as low as possible so that each and every child would be able to take that advantage of being at school - at least one warm meal a day.

The sponsors and guests had a party of delicious sandwiches and salad. Busy as most of them are, they had some calm moments to sit down and talk to each other.

Thank you to Roger and Valerie Hazelden, who are involved in fundraising for the school and social activities. Many people in Stelpe know them and love them because of their warm and supporting attitude whenever their helpful hand might be of use.

Linedancers performing for the guests of the party. They have learned their skill during a couple of months in the interest group led by Lāsma Skābuliņa. They dance for their own joy, and never say no when invited to give joy to others.

Also the life of Stelpe pensioners has become much more multicolored since there is ... hmm ... recession all around. They come together and do crafts, discuss issues, celebrate special dates, and they have vision for even more daring things. But now they greet with flowers the key persons who help them be organized - Kristīne Rulle and Sandra Neliusa.

A vocal group from Skaistkalne shared with us wonderful songs.

The head of Stelpe Pagasts Elmārs Jukonis often does more than his position requires to support the school or listen in to the needs of the people living here. So, along with all the other people being celebrated, he gets a bunch of roses and kisses from charming ladies.

There school hall was full. Many people came along and said that they would like this type of celebration be established as a tradition.

A girl from the Skaistkalne vocal group sings a beautiful Russian song about how a rainy day does not spoil the joy of meeting each other.

Dagmāra Venclova, the head teacher, reads a poem.

Dagmāra the head teacher is herself one of those dedicated and generous people, so this celebration is also for her.

The final song sung by Kristīne Rulle and other Stelpe artists.

Christmas for the House Confined

Together with some colleagues, my wife Sandra visited those people in Stelpe who by reason of venerable age or some disability could not come to the Christmas party for pensioners. The visitors delivered some Christmas presents prepared by the school teachers, pupils, local government workers and other well meaning people of Stelpe.

If any of the visited people own a cupboard or a bookshelf, they may be called rich. Most of them just live between their four walls, and inside that space, there is some kind of fire, a piece resembling bed, and might be some table.

Their only companion and link to the broader world is usually a TV set.

No one of them ever complains. That's their life to be lived, and no one from outside will ever be able to resolve their problems.

Yet there is one thing we all became aware of: we need to visit those people a little more often than just Christmas, listen to what they have to say, bring them some food, clothes, blankets... It is our chance to make ourselves useful, is it not?

Aina (picture above) is 95 years old, 7 of which have been spent in the Siberian exile. Even though she needs some helper to take care of her, her mind remains bright, and she loves to welcome friends in her house.

All the pictures in this post by Sandra Neliusa

Tereze Neliusa sang a song which most of the visited people tried to join in.

Sabine Mikalone played Kokle, and many people had tears in their eyes

Mr. Zvirbulis uses his arms to pull himself out of the door when the sun shines. He has lost his legs. The wheelchair he possesses is not stable enough to be used for taking himself around.

Young Children's Christmas

There were professional circus artists, Shrek the Ogre, Squirrel the Santa Assistant and, of course, the best ever Santa on small children's Christmas in Stelpe.


Squirrel and the mastermind of the celebration - Sandra Neliusa

Shrek the Ogre played by teacher Lāsma Skābuliņa. She was so serious about the role even months before the performance that she was nicknamed Shrek by her colleagues. Children got involved in the activities of the conjuror.

The clown

...and the very best ever Santa. This particular Santa Claus is unusually creative and loved by the children. He always surprises with the way he arrives to the celebration. He may come through the window, descend from somewhere above, be found under a sofa...

Just don't tell anyone that under the costume there is the head teacher of Stelpe School Dagmāra Venclova.

Meet the Light - Advent in Valle

On December 5, groups of schoolchildren and their teachers from 9 schools met in Valle Gathering Hall to celebrate Advent. Each school had prepared a concise show with focus on what this special time of the year reminds us of. The audience was addressed by clergymen. Brass orchestra from Skaistkalne played Christmas carols and other well known music pieces.


Stelpe group from left: Samanta Struberga, Aleksandra Hadzimoratova, Sabine Mikalone (playing Kokle ), Krista Maksimovica and myself with what we had to say.

Catholic priest Father Janis and lutheran minister Juris Morics spoke about the history of the Advent. They called the listeners not to lose the eternal values in the times of recession and wished everyone a blessed year.

Kokle players from Vecumnieki Music and Art School

String orchestra from Vecumnieki Music and Art School Vocal group from Skaistkalne Secondary School

Ballet performance of the ballet club of Barbele Elementary School Aloida Batye and Sandra Neliusa - the masterminds of the celebration

In the Gathering Hall, there were no empty seats

Each school had made their own Advent Crown, and they all were given as presents to Valle Secondary School who hosted the celebration When the concert was over, all the participants and spectators were invited to have a traditional Christmas meal of well prepared black peas. This treat was a favour of farmer Arvids Zvirbulis and Valle Secondary School.