Once again I find myself apologising for not writing an update on this occasion it's because we've had quite a lot going on and it's been hard the know what to write and when! Anyway, I'm going to try now!

Just over 2 weeks ago a family which I have blogged about before found themselves in crisis again. The dad had come home late at night and starting hitting his wife with a bat. Their 2 children witnessed this and the eldest (9 years) tried to help his mum but couldn't, the daughter (7 years) was hurt physically and of course both hurt mentally. The ambulance & police were called, the dad was taken by the police, mum to the hospital and the children were care for by neighbours.

As a staff and together with some friends of the mum, one is a Salvationist at Riga 1 and works for TSA we decided that we had to do something to protect the children and to try and help them as a family, before the mum lost the children.

This is not an easy thing to do but God is great and after a few phone calls we found the 3 of them a place in a crisis centre here in Riga! The miracle (and I don't use the word lightly) was that they are able to stay there not for 1 month as we've experienced before but for 6 months!!

So for the past 2 weeks they have been living at the crisis centre and the mum has begun seeing a lawyer and they have started receiving counselling.

Then yesterday the children came to Patverums for the day but when the mum didn't come to collect them we started to get concerned. She had told the crisis centre they'd be back at 6pm, it was now 8pm and no sign of her. She wasn't answering her mobile and the people we've been working closely with also had no idea what was going on. We ended up putting the children into a taxi and getting them back to the centre where staff were waiting for them.

Their mum didn't return last night and it turns out she stayed the night at their old flat. She also had a visit from her husband’s mother who tried to persuade her to drop charges against him but this is actually not within her power to do due to changes in Latvian law.

So today they are all back at the crisis centre and the staff are working with the mum to help her during this very difficult time. Yesterday I could see in the daughter’s behaviour a change. She was calmer, happy and more like a 'normal' 7 year old!

As a family they have a long way to go and as a staff we are concerned that if the mum isn't strong enough to make changes necessary in her life then she could lose her children but that if she doesn't then that might be the best thing for them. It hurts me to say that but it's true.

So please could you remember them in your prayers. They have a real opportunity to get their lives together and live as a family safe and together, I pray that they will be strong enough to make it through.