Easter.
People often ask me if i miss my family on holidays, and i do, but sometimes i think it can be a more meaningful interaction with the holiday itself when you do something you aren't used to doing. This year on Christmas i was wandering through the streets of a deserted munich, prayed with an Old Croat woman in an empty church lit up with thousands of candles, talked with a drunk stem-cell researcher who said there is no Gd, and if there was he was going to hell. Walking around that dark city made me think of the dark world that Gd entered as a baby, and what Christmas was really for.
This year for easter, I had a great day! I went to my church (City Church- it is kind of a baptist church, about 200 people or so) and we had an excellent service about the meaning of the cross. Then afterwards we did something really cool. We with some of my best Lithuanian friends bought a cake and cookies and i brought my guitar. We went to visit a family who lives in Melnrage- a seaside suburb of Lithuania. Melnrage during soviet times was GHETTO and full of Gypsy people. Now because it is right on the sea, it is home to millionaires and palaces. That is a very interesting demographic mix in the village. Anyway, this family lives in a small coal heated two room apartment. That is normal for Lithuania, except this famliy has 10 kids!!! 12 people are living in that tiny space. Im sure that live isn't very easy for them- the bathroom was not very good, and there wasn't much around, but they were very hospitable and friendly people!!! We played a lithuanian song for them, talked for a while and wished them happy easter. Then we walked down to the beach and just enjoyed the sun shining on the waves of the Baltic Sea.
Later in the day we had an Easter dinner party. Looking around that room, i felt very emotional, as the people that i pretty much love most in lithuania were gathered into that room. The whole evening was almost all in Lithuanian too, and these are people who aren't as transient as the LCC communtiy, but real Klaipedeciai (Klaipedans). These are my "family" here, and it was great to see how all of us young and single people Gd had taken and given us to each other as a family to serve him.
My friend Emas was there, recently returned from a YWAM discipleship school where he travelled across Asia. He is a VERY encouraging brother to me, and a great friend. i went to visit him in Amsterdam in October.
His fiancee Irma, a student of mine, a sister in christ, and my landlord, was the host, along with her Latvian roomate, Renalda.
My good and long standing friend Adomas was there, as well as my brother Valeri, who goes to my church, and from the very first time i went to that church befriended me in an intentional way- he constantly points me more towards Chst.
My friend Rasa was there, an LCC alumna, with a huge heart for youth ministry- i love the way that she will turn conversations to prayer always, and the way that the youth of klaipeda are a huge burden on her heart. She wants to start some kind of a youth ministry here, and we have been praying about what that might look like.
My two younger brothers Algis and Donatas were there- both huge encouragements to me- guys who love Gd and make me smile every time i see them. Both were pretty involved with YWAM here while it was still going, and i have been especially meeting often with Donatas this spring.
Donatas' girlfriend (and my linguistics student) Sanita was there, as well as a girl named Gintare who is very actively involved in my church.
Anyways i was very blessed to spend Easter dinner with this family, we rolled easter eggs, we sang african american and lithuanian worship songs, we walked to the football stadium and played red rover, we prayed for our city. That was a very great Easter day.
People often ask me if i miss my family on holidays, and i do, but sometimes i think it can be a more meaningful interaction with the holiday itself when you do something you aren't used to doing. This year on Christmas i was wandering through the streets of a deserted munich, prayed with an Old Croat woman in an empty church lit up with thousands of candles, talked with a drunk stem-cell researcher who said there is no Gd, and if there was he was going to hell. Walking around that dark city made me think of the dark world that Gd entered as a baby, and what Christmas was really for.
This year for easter, I had a great day! I went to my church (City Church- it is kind of a baptist church, about 200 people or so) and we had an excellent service about the meaning of the cross. Then afterwards we did something really cool. We with some of my best Lithuanian friends bought a cake and cookies and i brought my guitar. We went to visit a family who lives in Melnrage- a seaside suburb of Lithuania. Melnrage during soviet times was GHETTO and full of Gypsy people. Now because it is right on the sea, it is home to millionaires and palaces. That is a very interesting demographic mix in the village. Anyway, this family lives in a small coal heated two room apartment. That is normal for Lithuania, except this famliy has 10 kids!!! 12 people are living in that tiny space. Im sure that live isn't very easy for them- the bathroom was not very good, and there wasn't much around, but they were very hospitable and friendly people!!! We played a lithuanian song for them, talked for a while and wished them happy easter. Then we walked down to the beach and just enjoyed the sun shining on the waves of the Baltic Sea.
Later in the day we had an Easter dinner party. Looking around that room, i felt very emotional, as the people that i pretty much love most in lithuania were gathered into that room. The whole evening was almost all in Lithuanian too, and these are people who aren't as transient as the LCC communtiy, but real Klaipedeciai (Klaipedans). These are my "family" here, and it was great to see how all of us young and single people Gd had taken and given us to each other as a family to serve him.
My friend Emas was there, recently returned from a YWAM discipleship school where he travelled across Asia. He is a VERY encouraging brother to me, and a great friend. i went to visit him in Amsterdam in October.
His fiancee Irma, a student of mine, a sister in christ, and my landlord, was the host, along with her Latvian roomate, Renalda.
My good and long standing friend Adomas was there, as well as my brother Valeri, who goes to my church, and from the very first time i went to that church befriended me in an intentional way- he constantly points me more towards Chst.
My friend Rasa was there, an LCC alumna, with a huge heart for youth ministry- i love the way that she will turn conversations to prayer always, and the way that the youth of klaipeda are a huge burden on her heart. She wants to start some kind of a youth ministry here, and we have been praying about what that might look like.
My two younger brothers Algis and Donatas were there- both huge encouragements to me- guys who love Gd and make me smile every time i see them. Both were pretty involved with YWAM here while it was still going, and i have been especially meeting often with Donatas this spring.
Donatas' girlfriend (and my linguistics student) Sanita was there, as well as a girl named Gintare who is very actively involved in my church.
Anyways i was very blessed to spend Easter dinner with this family, we rolled easter eggs, we sang african american and lithuanian worship songs, we walked to the football stadium and played red rover, we prayed for our city. That was a very great Easter day.
posted by Thor @ 14:59
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