INTERVIEWER: -Norway is a land with high living standards and of welfare, why were those years so complicated?
PB: Economically it was not difficult, but at that time Norway was not yet that wealthy, although life standard was very different from that in Sweden. Oil extraction was begun only later. But it was complicated in a different way. First of all, we had gone to a different country and culture. We were isolated- we waited three years in order to have a telephone installed. We had three little children and we ourselves were very busy. Still, we are grateful to God for those years.
RB: A price must always be paid to gain victory.
PB: After nine years we began planning our return to Sweden. To our employees we said that we wanted to terminate our responsibilities and commitment at the school, but we did not have any job offers waiting in Sweden. But shortly before it was time to leave for Sweden, we received a phone call from a Salvation Army leader in Sweden, who asked us to establish and run an education institute for TSA employees in Sweden. This became our job for the last twelve years before coming to Latvia. We were the leaders of the institute; we educated social workers, local leaders, officers, employees at different levels, leadership courses, etc. Teaching is our life. But after those 20 years God again told us: well done, but enough now. We had reached the age when we could retire, but then TSA asked us to think about going to Latvia and assuming the responsibility as the regional leaders of TSA in Latvia. To be honest, we were not that interested. But then one day we were on our way to Oslo in the car, as TSA had again offered us a job in Norway. We had to travel for 8 hours, Rut and I talked a lot, of course, not all eight hours; we spent some time in quiet too. So, after a moment of this kind of silence one of us said: maybe we should go to Latvia? And the other replied: “Yes, my thoughts exactly”! This is why we are here.
Rut and Peter Baronowsky
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