January 1999

Greetings from Lithuania!

Preparing for Christmas was unlike any time before—filled with joy and wonder. What we think of as the traditional Christmas pageant presents a story unknown to some of the students and other adults in the audience. Writing the script for the program led me to see the story from the point of view of a person hearing and seeing it for the first time. I wanted to show the beauty of the story, but also to show that it is more than that—it’s a living message and way of life for today. The title I decided on, "The Light of Life," became a theme suited to some traditional Christmas music and some not usually associated with Christmas. Seventy-five students and 25 staff members participated in the music, the drama, and the dance of the pageant. The event is now public and received favorable press reports—a noteworthy and appreciated event in a society where such events had never happened in the living memory of most citizens.

An unexpected opportunity and challenge came to me in the need to work with the woman translating the script into Lithuanian. We had a long talk clarifying the meaning of words like "life" and "grace." In Lithuanian there are two words for life, one meaning the chronological period between birth and death and the other meaning the spirit of life. The choice of the word makes a great difference in understanding Christ as the "Light of Life." More challenging for me was to explain the meaning of God’s grace to explain the line, "Send us love; send us power; send us grace." This is a conversation I will treasure.

Just before Christmas the crew of a local television station wanting to interview a foreigner about this Christian celebration found its way to me. An interviewer, photographer, and translator filmed a completely unplanned interview that was aired soon afterwards. I felt the weight and wonder of speaking for so many, and I pray that I have been a positive witness and that what I said will encourage understanding between East and West in some little way.

Unexpected kindnesses

A few days ago, while I was out for a walk and decided to find a new way home, I didn’t expect an adventure. It was only about 4:30, but it had been dark for half an hour. As I walked, I came to places where the street did not continue and I had to turn the only way available. Fewer and fewer people were walking and fewer buildings were occupied. Finally, the street I turned down was more a highway than a street and the sidewalk ended. I had to admit that I was lost. Worried, I looked for some help and saw two men trying to start a car outside a dark building. I reached them as the car started, told them my address and tried to indicate that I was lost. One of them knew a few English words but did not know where my street was. The other walked away to the building and shortly returned with two other men. The young man who spoke a little English explained that I was lost and told them my address.

I was a little anxious when three young men signaled me to follow them to a mini-van parked on the street, but they encouraged me and I followed. One of them helped me into the center row of seats, and all three of them got into the front. Then I was assured that they wanted me to feel safe, and I relaxed. As we drove away, I realized that I had been going in a direction that would take me further away from home. After about ten minutes they brought me to my building and accepted only my relieved thanks. They had made this trip only to help me, and I was very grateful..

Whenever anyone says Lithuanians are not friendly, I am able to testify to moments like these of unsolicited kindness without expectation of reward. Thank God for the love that has been expressed to me again in strangers.

What are we doing here?

Periodically I stop to ask myself and others two questions vital to my understanding of God’s purpose for my life. These questions are: "With all of the needs in the world, why is Lithuania Christian College a valid use of mission funds?" and "How is what I am doing here mission, and not just teaching in another place?" I ask these questions not because I doubt the call to this place but because I want to keep before me the purpose of my work. I do not want to be absorbed in the demanding routine of teaching. Daily I see the hand of God in my life and this community, but the answering and re-answering of these questions is essential for me.

A recent talk to the LCC staff by the managing editor of the Klaipeda newspaper gave meaningful and touching insight into the role of LCC. In a brief review of Lithuanian history he pointed out the attempts of the first Soviet occupation to eradicate the Lithuanian intelligentsia, the succeeding Nazi purge of Lithuanian leadership, and the Soviet occupation after WWII that resulted in the flight of many Lithuanian intellectuals to Germany and then the United States. Soviet education also forbade the use of the Lithuanian language and the study of Lithuanian writers. For the first time I realized the drain on educated populace that these occupations have meant and the essential place of higher education in re-establishing Lithuanian leadership. AT the same time the problem of ethnic conflict in the Baltics became clear to me. The Soviets attempted to colonize the Baltics, ignoring native technicians and professionals and replacing them with Soviet colonists. Because Lithuanian guerrillas were a source of fear to colonists, the effort largely failed here, and the population remained 80 percent native, compared to Estonia and Latvia, which retained only 50 percent native population. In all of the Baltic states, however, many Russian-speaking persons resist assimilation into the society. The encouragement of open discussion and the interaction of ethnic Russian and Lithuanian students is essential to the resolution of this conflict.

To hear a Klaipeda leader thank the staff for the service provided by the college in "teaching how to fish rather than giving fish" as the greatest humanitarian aid was confirming and touching.

Education as mission

Lithuania Christian College is a Christian college in which only a small part of the student body is Christian. That identifies the mission of the school and its staff: to witness to the love and saving grace of Christ in the living of each day. Talking with staff to explore my question about teaching and mission, colleagues point out that there is no other Christian higher education institution in the Baltic states and no other liberal arts college in a country where schools are very specialized. Another staff member observed that the real mission in teaching here may have its basis in the fact that students sense a special caring relationship with staff here, totally unlike their previous experiences with school. The staff says that students often comment that they feel safe here. To Westerners that may seem an expected feeling, but in the experience of these youth, it is not. For many students, LCC is an oasis. Their homes and communities have experienced deep wounds, often because of the years of political oppression.

Thanks for your support and prayers,

Jackie Bartz

The 1999 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 86