The Librarian in the American Corner

After returning from a month in Latvia, my mind is filled with many fresh memories of what we did, what we saw, and who we met. This is a story about a friend we made at the beginning of our trip.

When we arrived in Daugavpils we remembered a teaching of Jesus about traveling. We began looking for what Jesus calls a person of peace - someone who is not only friendly, but welcoming of you and the message of the kingdom. It is someone who invites you to be a part of their life. We found that in Natalie.

After a long day of walking through the city trying to meet people, it began to rain. Looking for some place to take shelter from the rain, we saw a building with a sign that read "Biblioteka," which is almost the exact word in German for library. Surely enough it was a library. We explored the second floor, which was the main floor, then the the thrid floord, which was an internet room but it wasn't open, and then we arrived at the fourth floor.

On that particular floor there was a door that led to a hallway. At the end of the hallway there was an open door with a U.S. flag pinned up on it. Curious we slowly approached and I knocked. Almost immediately a tall young woman appeared looking surprised. I stepped back not wanting to scare her and asked her if she spoke English. Most Latvians respond with "only a little," but her response was a definite "yes." Now we were the ones surprised! We told her who we were, where we were from, and we asked her the same. Then we asked her if she could tell us some information about the library, to which she insisted that she give us what she called an "excursion."

Gleaming with the joy of meeting four native English speakers, she led us on a tour of the whole library, which ended back at her room on the fourth floor. She explained that it was called the American Corner (English center). It had a small collection of popular American literature, and a shelf devoted to magazines like People, Forbes, and Time, but that not many people visited or used it. So she encouraged us to come back soon. Then she smiled and said, "I'm so glad there are finally Americans in Daugavpils! I thought you would never come!"

Our prayers for a person of peace were answered. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship with the young librarian, Natalie. We stopped by once or twice a week and never stayed less than an hour. She loved to talk for the practice and to discuss Western culture and lifestyles. We talked about everything from books and movies to marriage and religion. She didn't withold anything from us but spoke truthfully about her life, her dreams, and her fears. I believe that a deep trust was formed between us, and she told us on occasion that she felt like she was chatting with old friends.

Near the end of our trip, we invited her over to our temporary apartment for dinner. She had become such a close friend to each of us, and we felt like doing something special for her before we left. We served her salmon with mashed potatoes and green vegetables, with which she was very impressed (Cole is an excellent cook). After that we enjoyed each other's company as we sat in the living room and talked.

Saying goodbye was difficult because she had made our time there in Daugavpils so special. She complimented us, calling us the most charming Americans she had ever met, and also said that she would miss our frequent visits to the American Corner. She had enjoyed having people use it for a change. We wrote her a message of gratitude in a card and gave it to her, thanking her simply for her friendship, and promised that we would stay in touch.

I think that Natalie is still searching for God, having not put her complete faith in him. She is not far from the kingdom, and I must trust that the missionaries there to whom we introduced her will carry on a friendship with her and share more truth with her. How I wish we could've had more time, but we did the most with what we were given. One thing is certain, if I ever find myself in Daugavpils again, I know that I'll have a friend waiting for me at the American Corner.