Läbas! We are so thankful for the opportunity to be in Lithuania. Entering the country was a fantastic experience – the scenery was exceptional! You look around and you don’t see just thick forests, but bright yellow fields, so we had to pull over at some point and take some pictures at the canola fields.
We spent our first two days in Plateliai, where Randy and Karen live. It was like an oasis for us – first, we were surrounded by a great scenery… lakes with great panoramic view, hills, cows, reserved forest, and away from busy streets and noise. Second, there wasn’t any specific ministry set for us so we did some things we felt the Lord wanted us to do. We did some practical work like gardening, cleaning on the street, and wood work (yay!). We also did some prayer walk through the hills, kind of overlooking the neighborhood. And guess what we found out? We found a Jewish site – it was pretty special place; especially after hearing the history of Lithuania and the Jews in the country during the Soviet Union times… terrible times but there’s still hope. We may not be able to go back and undo the horrible past but we can pray for healing and reconciliation. Yes, we had a quick history lesson from our hosts… so cool! Oh before I forget, we also had a great time playing volleyball and basketball with some youths, who happen to know hosts.
Then we were on the road again heading towards the West coast, Klaipeda. We were warmly welcomed by a wonderful couple we got to know from our previous hosts. Susanna and Saulius have been working with City Church; and they have been faithfully doing some ministry with Manna Retreat Center. Again, we were so blessed with accommodations because we stayed 300 meters away from the beach!!! Our stay in this city was quite busy but relaxing at the same time. We visited Rainbow Christian School – small school but there’s a warm and welcoming atmosphere. After that, we went to a Day Center, at a perfect timing – it was one of the kids’ birthday. How the center was established was very encouraging. One really cool thing in most houses and buildings we’ve been to was, from what you see outside, you wouldn’t dare go in because they looked old and unbecoming but you’ll be amazed with how they look like when you go in. We also enjoyed doing some practical stuff in the building where we stayed and had a great time fellowshipping with the rest of the people from City Church – sharing Finnish licorice to them, playing dodge ball with the Sunday school kids, and having sauna at a wonderful American family.
One of the highlights of our stay in this city was the visit to the synagogue. Personally, it wasn’t easy to be there so all we could do was pray and speak blessing to both the Jews and Lithuanians. Before we head out for a long drive to Estonia, we had a program in the morning at a Public School. We all thought it was really neat because we got a chance to do one of the things we’ve aimed for – to leave a message more than doing drama or songs. It was very encouraging to see the openness from the students and teachers.
Leaving Lithuania won’t be complete without stopping by the Hill of Crosses. Now this is another long story but yeah, it was an interesting experience. Ok, until next time and “Su Dievu!” (it literally means ‘go with God’. Cool, huh!
