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July 2002
Dear Friends,
Working in an academic setting, I tend to measure time in school
years rather than in calendar years, and a date in May or June
may be even more significant than December 31. We are now in such
a time that leads to reflection and to projection. As I reflect,
this year forms as a time of lessons small and large.
But perhaps one small lesson emerges as the most important of
all. I learned why penguins walk the way they do. On the slippery
and uneven streets and sidewalks of Klaipeda, winter walking can
be treacherous. Unless I take small steps with my feet planted
firmly under my weight each time, I will dance in the air, arms
flailing, cry out and look mournfully up from the pavement. Striding
forward with nonchalant assurance leads only to a painful reminder
of my error.
Reflecting, I see that this is a clear metaphor for my ministry.
If I take an assured stride in expressing academics or faith,
I will almost always end up recognizing that I have lost ground
with a student. Each time I rely on establishing a relationship
and modeling the life of a faithful servant of Christ, I know
I have my feet planted firmly under me, and that I may not have
moved far, but I will have moved forward.
This was a year in which I was determined to enter more fully
into the life of Klaipeda—to go beyond the boundaries of
the college community. Volunteering with the Salvation Army, I
have met many of Klaipeda's poor. These people, lost in the social
system, eke a meager living out of digging through the garbage
hauled to the dump north of the city. On Saturdays, I have gone
with other volunteers to bring food, clothing, medicine, rat poison,
and Bibles to these people. About 100 live at the dump in a variety
of constructions made from trash; about 80 more work at the dump
and live nearby; about 50 more, living in poverty in nearby villages
come to the dump to receive some supplementary food. More important
than the food is the assurance of the constancy of God's love
in a place and with people who have had little reason in their
lives for faith in God or man.
Referring to my experience at the dump in one of my literature
classes resulted in a visit from a student asking for details
about how she could participate. More students and staff have
become involved as the word has spread. These students are young
believers and students who do not have a personal experience of
faith in action. God's love is evident to us as we pray in three
languages before we go each Saturday and to the people at the
dump as we talk with them. A student from Belarus is investigating
the action of the Salvation Army in her country, spreading the
gift even further.
I continue to be excited about how God is working through Lithuania
Christian College as a community of love, respect, and hope. Graduation
is a time that students talk about a transformation that is more
than they expected of college and more than anything that happens
at other universities in Lithuania. They speak of a complete change
in worldview, not just academic advancement. I personally thank
God for the opportunity to make a difference in lives like those
of Gintare Gaubaite and Oksana Chodarcevic. Gintare told me with
great excitement about the complete financial support that she
has been given to pursue her studies at London School of Business.
She is committed to the area of human resources management and
the difference that change can make in Lithuania. She thanked
me for my help in obtaining this opportunity, and I am grateful
for the development of her English skill but, even more, for the
development of her consciousness of the world community and hope
for change. Oksana, who had been a teaching assistant after graduating
two years ago, asked me to mentor her through the process of applying
to the Monterey School of Language. We worked and prayed together
completing a very complex process and seeking funding. Her excitement
when everything was in place was a celebration for both of us.
She will bring back to Lithuania a strong Christian commitment
and a superior ability in Russian/English translation.
This year has been a rewarding challenge and a recommitment to
mission here. The atmosphere of genuine love and respect is truly
changing lives and opening the way to hope and a living Christian
faith in this slowly developing country. Thanks to all of you
and to a loving God made real in Jesus Christ that I can experience
this excitement.
Yours in Christ,
Jackie Bartz
The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 88
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