Learning, Learning, and more Learning

I feel like the theme for me since I've arrived in Klaipeda has been learning. The learning has ranged from learning about the culture, to learning Lithuanian, Russian, and LCC history and Catholic and Orthodox history, to learning part of a new language, to learning about myself. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I have made some great friends as well that I have already learned enormously from. Majia, Allison, and Emus have challenged me quite a bit already through the great conversations we have nearly everyday. At the very least I will say that I have been humbled by them all and I am so thankful for that. They are truly seeking the Lord and it has been an incredible blessing to have them to connect with. I'm sure I will write more on them later on.

There isn't much that has really surprised me about this place, but I will tell you that it has been an incredible experience thus far. The Summer Language Institute is intense for everyone involved (the students, the teachers, and the res life staff), so I feel like we are on the go 24-7. I feel nearly run ragged, which is good, because the sooner I can empty my tank and switch to God's, the better.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the culture is somewhat cold and closed, so it takes some good trust with someone before you can dig into heart issues and issues of life/faith/theology. Last night however, was one of those breakthrough nights with a student, actually one of my RAs. Please pray for her as she searches for the Truth. And please pray for the rest of the students, that their hearts would be softened to God's message to them, however, he may choose to reach them.

The First Few Days...

The last couple of days have been a combination of training, getting to know the other summer faculty and staff, and orienting myself to the university and surrounding areas in Klaipeda. Thus far, my experience has been very exciting and positive. However, I'm ready to get students here on Sat. and start the summer term next week.

Here are a few things I've learned in the last couple of days:

1. I absolutely love other cultures. There is so much to learn from those who are different from you. You also realize you have much more in common with other peoples than what you thought. After all, we're all human.

2. There isn't much food I don't like, and Lithuanian food* falls in the 'like' category.

3. Completing even the smallest tasks in another culture is a very rewarding feeling. Tuesday, I went to the grocery store all by myself** and got a lot of food. I achieved my goal of not speaking a word of English the whole time***. It was fun and provided a great sense of accomplishment. I was reminded of the Dominican a little bit b/c of the feeling I got.

4. Lithuania is an increasingly developing country, but there is still this blanket that kind of covers it, holding it back if you will. The best word that captures it is probably hopelessness. It obviously stems from a skewed worldview, but it affects the day to day pragmatic approach to life that people take. There are definitely many layers to unravel before you get to the underlying worldview with the Lithuanian people, and I suspect I will encounter this a lot with my students.

5. Old****, spunky people are fun to be around.

6. My time here is going to fly, but I'll try to update this as much as possible.

Keep praying for me when you think about it.


*Lithuanian food is very cheap, especially at restaurants, and I've taken full advantage of that fact. I may be coming back a few pounds heavier. Right now I'm making myself dinner consisting of deli sandwiches and cepilinai.

**Of course I had a couple cheat sheets with me to ensure I was getting pork instead of eel, or milk instead of sour milk, but that's beside the point

***Granted, I didn't speak at all, but still... it's something right?

****Is that PC?

I've Arrived... In Lithuania That Is

I just arrived in Klaipeda a few hours ago and it has already been a blast. After leaving OK City early Sun. morning and surviving getting bumped 3 different times on flights, I actually made it to Vilnius, Lithuania an hour ahead of schedule. From there I jumped on a charter bus with 20 other Summer Language Institute faculty and staff for a 4 hour ride to Klaipeda. It has been quite the adventure already and I can't wait to start work in the morning. The summer faculty are an outgoing bunch... characters to say the least. Most of them are double, some triple my age, but they sure don't act like it. I can't wait to get to know them all better and learn from them throughout the month.

I feel I have so many stories to tell from my first day of travel, but I need to get to bed so I'm not fighting jet lag for a week. I'll update you all very soon. I appreciate all the prayers* and support that have been given. I could not be doing this without them.

*The prayers were especially felt today as the Lord worked out all the chaotic travel mess that came my way.

Friends Who Challenge

One of the biggest blessings the Lord has continually given me throughout my life is solid friends who challenge me on a steady, consistent basis. Of those friends, many of them have a deep burden for missions and a great ability to convey profound and convicting truths through their experiences.

Here is a post from a great friend who is currently in India working with an organization that rescues women from sex trafficking and helps them start a new life. This post is too challenging to not pass on to y'all, so here it is.

A Little Visit to the BIG CO: Part II

Another reason why I like Colorado in the summer is the unbelievable hiking and gorgeous views of God's creation available to anyone who ventures outside. A couple friends and I went on a hike my last day in the Springs. It is probably the easiest hike in Colorado, but has some amazing views along the way. The best part on this day, however, was running into a big mama black bear. Some people at the trail head said it was over 400, maybe even nearing 500 pounds, which is pretty big for a black bear. Like any great moment in nature, when trying to take a picture, I was unable to get a good, focused shot of this thing, so I'll give you the best capture I have. It started about 30/40 feet below us on a slope and then ran up the hill to about 30 feet above us. I closed in to take this shot, when the other 2 people with me asked if I knew there were 2 bear cubs in the tree above me. Needless to say, we backed up and gave them some space. (Click on the picture to get a better view/idea of her size) Seeing the beauty, power, and innate protective instincts of God's creation all wrapped up in a mama black bear was exhilarating and an adrenaline rush to say the least.

A Little Visit to the BIG CO: Part I

One of the things that the Lord has blessed me with are friends that live in some pretty sweet places. I recently just got back from the Front Range in Colorado where I spent some time with some friends of mine in Denver and Colorado Springs. It was a great, and much needed, week of R&R. I spent some time with an old college roommate, went scrambling** (more on that later) with a brand new friend, and hung out for a few days with some classmates from Focus Institute. Again, you can't have a bad week when visiting Colorado, especially when there is no agenda and you don't have much of a care in the world.

Memorial Day, I traveled with a new buddy of mine, Hugh White, to Garden of the Gods in the Springs area. The original plan was to rock climb all morning. However, when we got there, we realized one of his friends had his belay device***, so we couldn't climb. Of course we weren't just going to pack up and go home, so we decided to scramble a bit. We looked over at Kindergarten Rock, the longest and second or third tallest in the park, and decided to go get it done. Here are some resulting pics of our scramble.

Yes, we went straight up this
A view of some of the other more famous formations

The view straight down
The view straight up

Hugh and I had an absolute blast doing this. We spent a good chunk of time talking and enjoying God's beauty at the top (especially the views of Pike's Peak). We also messed around a bit on some small boulders and rocks at the top. We'd jump from rock to rock, trying different holds while not falling 250+ feet to our deaths. It was just one of the cool adventures I had during my time out there. More stories to come.

**Scrambling sounds really manly and scary, but it's not as hard core as I can talk it up to be. Scrambling is a step down from straight up free climbing (no ropes, but your not climbing 80 to 90 degree rock faces either).
***For you climbers out there, if we had our heads on straight we could have just made a muenter hitch with our rope. Unfortunately, we didn't have our heads with us... maybe it was the altitude.