Some prayer requests

There are so many things you can keep in prayer to support the ministry that is happening here at LCC.

· Pray for continued opportunity for conversations about faith, and that God would guide those conversations.

· Pray for students’ safety and discernment as they make plans for summer jobs abroad.

· Pray for students, faculty and staff as we enter into the winter months and experience very little sunshine. Depression can become a real issue during the winter in Klaipeda.

· Pray for a smooth transition between semesters—some staff members either join LCC or leave us at this time, and it is difficult for students and other staff to adjust to the changes right away.

True Thanksgiving.

In the true spirit of the American Thanksgiving, I was excited to celebrate the wonderful blessing my RAs are to me with a family-style meal this November. The event proved to be an incredible time of sharing food and—more importantly—sharing thanks. Becky and I cooked a traditional Thanksgiving meal for all 16 RAs, and before eating we shared with them the history of the celebration. My favorite part of the afternoon took place between dinner and dessert—sharing the things we are thankful for. I was touched when I heard all the thankfulness expressed by my RAs, students for whom a quick glance reveals that they have so little. However, hearing them share reminded me how much we truly have to be thankful for every day. It was such a blessing to hear them express even how thankful they were to have this dinner, and to finally have a better understanding of what the holiday is all about!

We finished the evening by watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” to kick off the Christmas season, just as the first snow rolled in!

Mug n' Muffin: Women Sharing Openly and Honestly

What do you expect to find in a room full of sixty young women and over 200 muffins? A whole lot of conversation, of course! And that’s just what we wanted at LCC’s second-ever Mug n’ Muffin. The event was first created last year by another one of LCC’s Resident Directors, Becky. She, along with other faculty and staff, saw a huge need for bringing together the female students of LCC to talk about issues they are facing which often are overlooked. Such issues are especially important to focus on in a post-Soviet culture because the painful history of this place under harsh Soviet rule has caused people to be very reticent in their sharing.

The event, which included delicious muffins and warm drinks, also offered a topic relevant to our students for discussion: “Making the Most of Your University Years: Life at LCC goes beyond studies”. We had 4 speakers (two LCC grads now working at the university, one more recent grad, and one North American staff member) speak about what they learned during their university years outside of the classroom. The hope was that we could convey to students the importance of being a part of this community and seeking to take and invest in all that life together has to offer. It was exciting to hear past students share about how they came to know Christ while studying at LCC, and even more exciting to watch students in the audience listen intently to their stories. It was particularly encouraging for me to hear the story of the recent grad who had roomed with one of my current RAs, as she explained how the love and patience of her roommates over the year caused her to seek to know the God who fueling such care and compassion. It is so exciting to see how God is working through believers here on campus. The event also prompted a several young women to seek out mentors from among the speakers or the other women attending who were willing to continue the conversation—this was one of our greatest hopes for the event! Overall, there was a ton of great feedback from the students, and we are planning to host another Mug n’ Muffin in January!

I am so thankful for the good conversations that happen in the dorms!

Good Discussions

A focus of mine as of late has been to increase my knowledge of theology. This idea took root during an unplanned conversation late one night in the Neumann Dormitory lobby between two RAs and I. It all started when I was asked to proofread an essay for grammar mistakes. Reading the essay of this one RA led me to ask him to tell me more about his point of view (his paper was on human rights from a Christian perspective). As we discussed the topic, another RA and his girlfriend who were both seated nearby joined the conversation. This RA is not a believer, yet he is very open to conversations about faith. He had many good theological questions, some of which I didn’t have answers for; this is what led me to my quest for further theological understanding. Thankfully, the library is full of books to read and the university is full of professors willing to help me on this journey! You can join me in prayer that God will equip me with right knowledge and open the hearts of this RA as well as other residents who are ready to receive His word with spirits hungry to know Him.

We had a beautiful weekend for our staff retreat.

Here is the countryside home we stayed in.

Continued open conversation…to keep thinking about some of the issues that were brought up.

Good time management...skills for busy students who can easily become overwhelmed!

Continued joyfulness…when we spend time together as a staff!