|
Edvins is Voldemars and Ilze Rieksts' oldest son. He
was born in Liepaja, Latvia in 1941. In October of
'44, his father discovered that the Communists had him
listed for deportation to Siberia. The next day he and
his wife gathered their four children and fled to
Germany. When Germany was being divided, they fled a
second time because they would have been left in the
Communist region. They fled to western Germany and
ended in the English zone.
In
Germany, Edvins completed first grade in a school
which was taught in the Latvian language. Through his
parents' Christian nurturing, reading the Word of God,
and hearing the gospel proclaimed, Edvins came under
conviction of sin. Understanding that Christ Jesus had
paid for his sins, Edvins knelt and called out to God.
There in their home he asked Jesus Christ to be his
Savior. From the Lord he received a new birth.
In
June of 1949 a church group in North Carolina
sponsored the Rieksts family to immigrate into USA. A
year later they moved to Pennsylvania to be near a
Latvian Baptist Church. It was before that
congregation that Edvins stood and publicly professed
Christ Jesus as his Lord and Savior and later was
baptized. In 1959 Edvins graduated from Quakertown
High School, along with Horst Adler, his classmate.
That
same year Edvins entered the US Army, and voluntarily
and proudly served his adopted country for three
years. In the military he completed an electronic
repair school and then taught Radio Relay Operator
school at Ft. Gordon, GA. During his army days he met
Gail Holloway, a sincere Christian young lady, who
became his wife in 1962, just a few months before his
discharge.
Sensing God's call into Christian ministry, he entered
and graduated from Tennessee Temple Christian College
with a B.A. in Bible. During those years, the Lord
gave them two children, Edvins, Jr., and Melodija
Gail. The Lord used Ed to minister in Baptist churches
as a youth director, an adult Sunday School teacher,
and a Sunday School Superintendent. He also taught for
15 years in public and private schools in Georgia,
South Carolina and Florida. In June of '82 he left the
classroom to serve the Lord in a Christian text book
ministry, a division of Pensacola Christian College.
In 1995 he was able to visit Latvia and get a brief
view of the Christian work there. This intensified
his hunger to expand his witnessing into Latvia.
Please read more about Ed's
Salvation and
personal
testimony |
|
Horst has been married to Jeanette for
40 years. They have two sons, Christopher and Tracy.
Horst immigrated to the USA in 1956 at the age of 13.
After 8 years in the US Navy, Horst found employment
in the Information Technology Industry. While Horst
and his family lived in Denver, Colorado the Lord
began to tug on his heart and finally on December 12,
1982 Horst was saved. Since then, Horst has been
faithfully serving the Lord in a number of different
churches as his family relocated to various parts of
the USA.
Horst took an early retirement from his position in
the computer industry, and was thus able to pursue
formal Bible studies. He has a BS in Church Ministries
and a MA in Biblical Studies. He has been able to use
this training effectively as Sunday School teacher in
the churches to which the Lord has lead him.
Horst is currently a member of Calvary
Baptist
Church,
in Mesa, Arizona.
Horst has a burden for lost souls. His shirt
pockets are always filled with Gospel tracts, which he
readily shares with people he meets in the "Market
Place."
Please read the more detailed account of Horst's
life and salvation testimony. |
