My room right now!!!!

Ahhhh! I think the way I organize things is through chaos! I am packing right now and my room looks like it was broken into and havoc was wreaked on it! I thought I would share my methodizing skills with you:

Room in Progress....

My room has went from being to a mess to being a disaster to complete chaos!
Here are photos of the process:

And it begins...

Now it is time to start the packing process...
Today's project was the office. I wish I had a before and after picture, but I just have an after picture. Hey! That's a good idea.. I will do before and after pictures of my packing process!! (Since I struggle with ideas of blogging, this will at least be a good 3 or 4 blogs! Yah for you! I know you are excited.. you just can't hide it!)


Okay, I realize you have nothing to compare it to, but trust me, it looks empty, sad, and lonely. It has lost its homey feeling.... hmmm.....
more to come later!

Lithuanian Staff Retreat

Last week , all of the Lithuanian Agape Staff went on a retreat to a really small village. We stayed in a log cabin and ate homemade Lithuanian and Russian food! Hmmm... tasty goodness.
It was great to be able to spend some quality time with the Vilnius team and praise God together for all that He has done over the years. We also had devotion times in the morning where each person shared about how God has worked in their life and how they've seen Him use them this last year. What a precious time to hear more of peoples hearts and to be reminded of God 's goodness!

Then at the end of the week it was just the Kaunas team. We spent time debriefing as a team the last couple years. It was a time of laughter, tears (mostly on my part!), and reflection. This time will forever be cherished in my heart....

Agape Lithuania

Having some fun with statues

Chill'n

Breakfast

Playing a fun game Tiana introduced us to

My amazing team!!!

A park with big kids toys!!

The girls

Good-Bye Partay.......

On June 1st, we invited all the students that we have meet over the last couple years to an open house goody-bye party. It was a laid back party which was great after a busy week! We could just sit back and visit with the students and reminisce over good times.

Sharon & Agne

Jason (being himself) & Joel

Edgaras & Matt

Gabriella & I

Devidas, Tiana, Aman

Not a fan of Goodbyes....

The last couple weeks have been emotionally draining to say the least. Don't get me wrong, it has been great being able to meet with students and have that last "intentional" meeting, but I don't like saying goodbye. I'm more of a , "see ya later" girl, but it is really goodbye this time. Lord willing I will see them again one day and we will be able to worship our God together forever.. what a glorious day that will be..

Here are some photos of my meetings the last couple weeks:

Sonata, Me, Catherina

Simona & I

Sandra, Gintare, Zena

This is an old photo because I forgot to take a picture!!!
Vaida, Tiana, Me, Ausra

ETA

Thought I would let you all know that we arrive home June 24th!
It is hard to believe that our time here is almost over and that it has went by so fast! However, it will be great to see family and friends again!

Piece of Cake

I was hanging out with a student today and she said the cutest thing!
I thanked her for hanging out with me and she giggled then said, "It is like if you ate a piece of tasty cake and it said thank you for eating me."

I have never been compared to a piece of cake, but it was a sweet (haha) compliment.

Things I Like.......

I realized that my last couple posts have been about things that are different between the States and Lithuania. I don't want you guys to get the impression that I don't like this culture. I have come to love Lithuania and Lithuanians and our differences. I have learned so much from them!
So I thought I would post about some of the things that I like and enjoy that are different from the States!
-I like the fact that the grocery cart's wheels go in all directions, making it possible to push your cart sideways.
- I appreciate and value Lithuanians honesty, there is usually no pretense.
- I like that you have to ask for your bill when you go to a restaurant because it is considered rude to bring it to you before then.
- I like the way the Lithuanians drive. (this took some getting use to, but now I like it!!!)
- I appreciate the fact that they are a relational people
- I like that when I order coffee it comes in a mug. (at first this was hard)
- I like having to walking everywhere.
- I like that when you go to someones house you take off your shoes and they usually have a basket of slippers for you to wear.
- I like how they dress, everyday wear would be considered dressy for us North Westerners.
- I appreciate the fact that when you go to someone's house, you bring a little gift for them. It can be as simple as a candy bar, but it is just a way of showing appreciation. If someone does bring something, it is proper for you to put it out for everyone to snack on.

Uhhhh... Is that what I think it is?

Sharon and I were having coffee the other day (at my favorite coffee shop!) and another cultural difference was brought to mind. It is not bad, it is just different. However, I am still surprised every time I see it. So, it is very common for woman to leave their babies outside in their stroller while they go into a store or restaurant. While Sharon and I were at the coffee shop, a woman came, parked her baby outside and came in to get coffee. This lead Sharon and I into a conversation about cultural differences and how certain things are acceptable here that in the States would not be. To be honest, when I saw this for the first time, I was horrified because this contradicted everything my culture taught me about the proper way to care for a child.
But it is normal here and is a conventional way of caring for a child. Like I said earlier, it is not bad, just different.
I would love to hear any cultural differences you may have experienced or stories about interacting with another culture. :)

Cultural Organizational Methods

I went to the grocery store today and I had everything that I need except mayonnaise. I went over to the condiment/canned goods isle to get it. I walked down the isle and didn't see any mayonnaise, but there was mustard, ketchup, salad dressing, BBQ sauce, and soy sauce etc. I thought, "Surely this is where the mayonnaise is. " (I have only bought mayonnaise one other time here and it was over a year ago.) So I walked down the isle again. It still wasn't there. Now, when I first came I was really frustrated by the way that the grocery stores organized their food products. Like the baking yeast being with the jello or how eggs and milk are not always refrigerated. However, I have gotten use to this. But in my mind all condiments were and should be together. I had no idea of where else to look so I started wandering around, reminding myself that things are in different places here. I walked down all the isles (all 5 of them!) just in case. I ended up back down the supposed "condiment" isle. The mayonnaise had not magically appeared, unfortunately.
So I meandered over to the refrigerated products area. I walked down the meat isle and next to the meat was the butter and I thought, "That's weird. Butter is suppose to be by the milk." Then I looked next to the butter and there was the mayonnaise above the packaged herring! Go figure! I should have know! (????)
That is my random story and a glimpse into daily life here AND the small differences between cultures that we usually don't even think about.

Linksmių Velykų!

I hope you have a wonderful Easter, celebrating Jesus Christ victory over death and his glorious promise of eternal life for all who believe in Him!

His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry. If He had not risen from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or Rabbi. However, His resurrection changed all that and gave final and irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all.

THANK YOU, JESUS!

Day with the Lord

Me at my favorite coffee shop


Yesterday was our monthly Day with the Lord.
I wanted to be intentional about my time with Him, to plan a special day.
So I decided to go to some of my favorite places in Kaunas and enjoy them with Jesus.
The first stop was my favorite coffee shop. I spent a couple hours journaling through the first part of Psalms. What stood out was David's passion with and for the Lord. Their relationship that is displayed through the Psalms made my heart long for that type of relationship with God. David was passionate when he was angry, even at God, he was passionate when he had heart-wrenching sorrow, he was passionate when he was happy and praising God. I want to be this passionate with and for the Lord. I want to have an ongoing heartfelt love affair with Jesus.
Then it was lunch time so I went to Pizza Hut and listened to a Podcast about why the Gospel is worth enduring for. It talked about striving to make the Gospel central in my life. To strive to make it the driving force in all that I do and striving to see the power of the Gospel poured out into the world. The Gospel is worth enduring for because our Lord is the triumphant Messiah. Our Lord is the victorious promised one. It is also worth enduring for because it's message is the power of salvation! It will change lives and bring people to eternal salvation. After lunch, I walked around the mall listening to another podcast, praying, and listening to a special playlist I created for my day with Jesus.
I look forward to this day every month. A day where the only thing that is on my agenda is to meet with Jesus, to listen to him, to get to know more of his heart, and to read his word. That is a great day in my book! :)

Lover of My Soul......

I have the most wonderful bride in the world because...

...you are a gift me Me; I’ve had my eye on you since before the world was created. I knew you were Mine, and I could hardly wait to have you (Ephesians 1:4)

...you let Me into your life. You are so much a part of Me that it feels as if you are My own body (1 Corinthians 12)

...you’re so beautiful to Me that I can hardly take My eyes off you. When I look at you, I can’t find a single stain or blemish-I can’t even find a wrinkle (Ephesians 5:25-27)

...you come from a great family. I know there’s royalty in your blood (1 Peter 2:9)

And, by the way, I think your Father’s the greatest.

- Lover of My Soul: Delighting in God's Passionate Love
By Alan D. Wright

What am I willing to give my life for?

This is something that I have been asking myself lately.

I once heard or read that a man has not truly lived until he has found something worth dying for. (paraphrase mine. If you know where this came from I would love to know!)

I have been thinking about the aim of my life.....

I have come to the conclusion that I don't just want to live the "American Dream." I believe there is so much more to my life then getting a great education, more then being successful, more then my happiness and comfort, more then my wants and desires, and more than accumulating material possessions. There is nothing wrong with any of these in and of themselves. I believe God delights to bless me with many of these. It's when I make more of them then I ought to; when they take the place of Christ in my life.

I want to live for something great. A purpose far bigger then me, a legacy that will last after I go Home.

I have decided "there is nothing greater to give my life away for then the Glory of God and the mission of God in the world." (Jeff Olson-Coram Deo Fellowship.)
Where ever the Lord calls me, whether it is to the villages in Africa or climbing the corporate ladder, I want my aim in this life to be bringing the Good News and love of Jesus Christ to every person that I come in contact with. I never want to loose sight of this.

A friend from Bible School is at New Tribes preparing to go be Jesus' hands and feet to the world and she wrote a blog about it. I read it a couple times and was challenged, encouraged, and excited. I would like to share some of it with you...
This is an excerpt:

"It is worth any sacrifice I could make. It is worth giving up the ease that my country offers me, that God has put me in. It is worth forsaking my heart language. It is worth getting foreign diseases. It is worth possibly not getting married or having children. It is worth leaving my family. It is worth devoting my entire life to.

It is worth it because He is worth it. He died for all mankind, and He deserves the worship and praise of all men. They will die and go to hell if no one goes and tells them. They are real people who live in darkness, and the Savior died for them. They need a real hope, and I have the real answer. I have two hands, two feet, a good mind and an aching to see Christ proclaimed in the ends of the earth. I can go, I must go."

She said it so much better then I could! She is talking about going overseas to minister, but not everyone is called to be a missionary in another country and that is okay. However, I believe we are called to be ministers of reconciliation as Christ's ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:18-21), wherever we are at.

These are just some more of my ramblings, thoughts, things that I am learning and going through.

If we had children.......

Tiana- "If we had children, you'd be the one that would get up in the middle of the night."
Me- "Huh?"

To preface this conversation I will tell you what led up to it. On Valentine's Day, Tiana and I invited Aušra and Vaida over for dinner. (These are the two awesome girls that we met with all last semester and will be meeting with this semester to go through Purpose Driven Life)

We had a three course meal by candle light, played Settler's of Catan, made a torta, which is a Lithuanian cake. After the amazingly delicious torta was made, we played the girls favorite game, Dutch Blitz. And it would just not be Valentine's Day if we did not watch a chick flick so we ended the evening or I guess the morning (3am) with 'How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days.' Now this is how I like do'n the dishes

We headed to bed, the girls sharing my bed and me sharing with Tiana. Well, Aušra had to get up at 7:30 to get to a lecture so I got up with her and then Vaida knocked on Tiana's room door around 9 to say that she was leaving. So I got up to say goodbye.Silly Girls

So back to Tiana and I's conversation:

Tiana- I decided that if we had kids, you'd be the one to get up in the middle of the night with them.
Me- Why did you decide this?
Tiana- Because you got up with the girls this morning and I just rolled over and went back to sleep!
Me- Oohh.

I found this conversation hilarious. One thing I appreciate about Tiana is her randomness and how things like this just come out of no where. It usually takes some clarifying questions on my part, but it always makes my life more entertaining and fun. Thanks Ti!

I love my job!!!!!

I feel so spoiled by the Lord to have such an incredible job! I get to study the Word, I get to skype with students, I get to go hang out with girls in their dorm room for hours talking about life, about God, about new hairstyles!
I had a great day today! It started with me preparing for our Bible Study meeting. I had to state the main idea of Jonah in one simple sentence, then I had to find principles with in Jonah. Such as, God is sovereign over all nature: Jonah 1:4, 17, 2:10, 4:6, 4:7. God is gracious and compassionate: Jonah 4:11. After that I had to think of 4 applications that were specific and measurable; i.e. - Come to the Lord daily, confessing and repenting my iniquities so I may be humble and soft in heart, ready to be used by the Lord. I then went to our Bible Study and Prayer time for the next couple hours.
I had lunch and skyped with a girl who I had not talked to in a while. I found out it was her birthday so I started scheming to do something. I met with Sharon for our weekly meeting and talked to her about doing something for Rima. We got her some loose tea, a Peez despenser, chocolate, and a flower. We headed to her dorm and found that she was there. We talked for a while, but then she had a meeting to go to. However, Sharon knew Rima's roommate and suite- mate. So we ended up talking to them for a couple hours! One of the girls brought out her picture albums and talked us through a couple of them. I feel so privileged to be let into their lives and see a glimpse of their heart. I look forward to the future months to see where God takes these relationships and others!

I just had to tell you that I think I have the best job ever! I feel like jumping for joy!!

Spontaneous Dinner

My amazing crazy roommate got her haircut yesterday. She came home with a hankering to get all dressed up and go out. The reason why I knew this was because I can take a hint. She put on her black dress and started dancing around the flat. After a quick photo shoot and mini-dance session in our living room we decided we should go out for dinner, especially sense our oven decided to quit working for no good reason.
We headed to a restaurant that is not far from our flat. We were the only ones in the restaurant the whole time we were there. I loved it! We talked about a whisper and I even laughed out loud!
It was so much fun to have a spontaneous roitic evening of getting all dressed up and enjoying my great roommate. (roitic is a romanitc evening with out the man.) :)
New Hair Doo (is that how you spell it?)
Dance Party!!!

Attitude! Roitic Dinner

Italy

On January 13th, Jason and I left for Italy. Our flight itinerary was from Kaunas to Glasgow, Scotland and then to Milan, Italy. Well, the first flight to Glasgow was a few minutes late so we missed our check-in to Milan by 5 minutes! They wouldn't let us check-in, even though our flight wasn't scheduled to leave for another 35 minutes. So we had to change to the same flight for the following day. The Mormances had a couple hours there before their next flight so the 4 of us walked into Prestwick. It was a cute little Scottish town with a Subway! We had Subway for lunch and dinner!
Around 9pm the Mormances left and Jason and I still had about 15 hrs before our flight. I was naive in my presumption that sleeping in an airport would be a fun adventure. It was exciting for the first 2 hours then it progressively got more and more arduous. There was a Prayer Room in the airport and I thought, "what better place to sleep then in the presence of the Lord?" So the first hour or so were spent sleeping in the prayer room until security came and kicked us out. Then we headed for the "common sleeping area" also known as Arrivals; the only place that had benches to sleep on. There was not much room, but we found some spots to lay our head. About 2 hours later a man came and started yelling that everyone had to move because he had to clean the floor. So we meandered around and finally sat down by the Starbucks Kiosk. After a while I went over to an entrance hall and pulled up some carpet. After about an hour or so a lady came by and started vacuuming. I started sensing a theme. We headed back to the "common sleeping area" to find that all benches were taken, except for the oh so comfy hard chairs. Lets just say I never really went back to sleep after we got kicked out of the Presence of the Lord. I just counted down the minutes until 5am when Starbucks opened. Starbucks was the only redeeming factor in the whole fiasco.
We finally headed to Milan after our flight was delayed an hour. Ha! Perfect way to end our time in Scotland! :)
Milan was beautiful! I really enjoyed the classy and clean city. Our first night in Italy we had Thai food! It was so good.
The next night we hopped on a flight to Rome. We spent 2 full days in Rome. We saw the Colosseum and Forum, The Pantheon, The Spanish Steps, and The Vatican. It was a great time! Italians are warm and friendly people that make some freaking fantastic pasta and cappuccino!
We headed home after an 8 hour layover in Frankfurt. I'm done with airports. HA HA!