The Aim of the Team

This is your chance to get a real Latvian experience while serving a truely faithful community of pioneers based on Smiltene. David Jones and his church team are running a weekend conference and you can join a team helping to serve this event. The conference is about encouraging those on mission in Latvia and other parts of the region. We will be on hand to cover anything the church needs to make the event run well. David and his team in Smiltene are doing a wonderful work among the community and you can bless them with your support. There will also be time to relax and enjoy the Latvian countryside, unwind in the sauna and (ice) cold plunge pool and even try some Ice-hole swimming!

Address:

Brūža iela 2, Smiltene, Smiltenes pilsēta, LV-4729, Latvia

Website: http://www.hotelbruzis.lv

Venue

We will be staying at the The Brūzis Hotel in Smiltene. This will also be the venue for the conference.

Flights

You are responsible for booking and paying for your own flights. You need to fly to Riga and then we will organise a private minibus to take everyone to the Hotel. The car journey from Riga to Smiltene is 2.5 hrs. In order to get to the venue in time for the Friday evening session you will need a flight arriving in Riga by 2pm. From the UK there are two flights that arrive by this time:

Ryanair from Stansted - 6:20am
Wizzair from Luton - 7:40am

If you cannot travel until later on the Friday please contact Pioneer@relationalmission.com to discuss your options. Please do not book your flight until we have confirmed your place on the team.

Accommodation

Our plan is to get as many people as possible into the Hotel Bruzis. This is a great value hotel and it is also the venue for the meetings. When you book into the event we will automatically book you into the hotel unless you ask us not to. The costs are below and you will pay for this at the hotel on departure. All major cards are accepted.

Single room for 2 nights = €66

Double/twin room for 2 night = €102 (if you would like us to find you someone to share with just indicate this on the booking form).

These costs are just for your information, you will be asked to pay for your room on departure.

Other costs

Breakfast = €2.50 per day (total of €5 over the weekend)
Lunch = no cost (lunches are being provided by the church)
Dinner = €15 per day (total of €30 over the weekend)
Mini-bus transfer from the airport = €15 (this will cover both directions)

Total: €50 (£45)

These estimated costs are just for your information, you will be asked to pay for these things during the trip.

Recreational Facilities

There is time in the weekend programme to enjoy some local leisure activities. For example:

Lovely walks in the heavily wooded park by the river and lake.
sauna and, for the brave, an (ice) cold plunge pool (don't worry, it will be men and women separately and strictly swimsuits worn at all times)
And for the really brave, Ice-hole swimming! We will do at least one ‘expedition’ to the local forest lake for extreme cold water swimming / dipping.

All these activities are optional. If the water activities interest you then don't forget your swimsuit.

A Note Regarding Dietary Requirements

The dinners will be hot sit down banquet/buffet. There will be a choice of red meat, chicken or fish with various salads, vegetables and potatoes (boiled, fried etc.) and non-alcoholic fruit squash / water.

Vegetarians will be able to cope but will not have as many options as you might be use to at home. Latvian hotels do not generally cater for vegan or gluten free diets! If you have very specific / life threatening allergies, this might not be the trip for you. For example, we cannot guarantee things to be nut free. If you want to discuss this in more detail please get in touch.

You can indicate you dietary requirements on the booking form and we will do what we can.

Elder Approval

On the booking form you will be asked to provide the name of an Elder in your local church. There is nothing to worry about, we have your best interests at heart. We will just be checking that this team is the best way for you to get involved in the mission.