May 14, 2003

Dear Friends,

Classes are over, exams are finished, and grades have been submitted. Becky and I now have a few days to reflect on the past year. To be honest, we are feeling at little too much like Martha.

This month is a busy time here in Lithuania. The vote on European Union (EU) membership created much enthusiasm. This past weekend Lithuanians voted overwhelmingly to join the EU next year. People displayed stickers “I have voted” and the prime minister was ecstatic. Expectations about the economic benefits are very high. Many think that the EU will bring higher incomes and economic prosperity in just a few years. Yet much hard work remains, and there may be disappointments. One commentator warned that, as members of the EU, people “will have to work, perhaps more than before, because this is not a collective farm where one can be lazy and be provided with things,” a reference to the legacy of the Soviet economic system. The average income in Lithuania is just 31 percent of the EU average. Other “poor” countries that joined the EU in the past started with nearly twice this income. Ireland, often pointed to as what to expect from EU membership, is called the “Celtic Tiger” because of its rapid economic growth since it joined in 1973. But Ireland began its EU membership with an average income of 60 percent that of other members, twice that of Lithuania today. The benefits of EU membership will fall unevenly to Lithuanian society and may aggravate existing social divisions. Uneven distribution means a “two-speed society”—the urban, educated, and mobile majority who can adapt quickly and the rural, older, and less-educated minority who fall behind the pace of change. We talk with Lithuanian Christian College students about their role as citizens in building a new society that gives attention to those who are hurt by economic change and pushed to the margins of society.

Most students plan to work—many are already working part-time. Some students want to pursue graduate studies but their options are very limited. LCC students have the ability and are accepted at European universities. The issue is money. To study abroad costs fantastic sums, two to three times the total income of a typical family. This year has been particularly tough on students, and there have been disappointments when bright students see their dream as beyond reach. May is also the time many second- and third-year students leave for temporary jobs abroad in the summer resorts in the United States and the English-speaking countries in Europe. By working abroad students can earn enough in four months to pay their LCC tuition.

Next week we leave for a few weeks in the United Sates. We will be part of the worship service at three churches in Pennsylvania: First Presbyterian in Warren, where my mother is remains an active member at 83; Lewistown Presbyterian, where my brother Bruce is pastor; and Bethany Presbyterian in Lancaster, where we were formerly members, as part of their hundredth anniversary observances. I’ll give the sermon at each church. We are returning to language study in Vilnius in July. In August, we return to Klaipeda to prepare for the fall semester. Becky and I will again teach accounting and economics courses—all with lots of eager students.

As we seek to become more a part of this community, language comes to the center of our activity. We are language learners. My Lithuanian is poor but getting better. The evidence is the quality of my haircuts. Until recently my hair was always embarrassingly short after a trip to the barbershop. I only knew the Lithuanian words “short” and “long” but no modifiers. This week I returned with a much better haircut. Now at least I can express “not so short!” Second-language teachers call this pragmatic style the “notional functional” approach to language learning—we call it a daily necessity.

For us it has been a very busy time since we returned to Lithuania from our last break in June 2002. Our second year as mission co-workers has ended. We are looking for a change of pace and a time of renewal and refreshment. We are reflecting on our role as mission workers at LCC and on our own needs. Jesus rested from time to time. He withdrew from the crowds. He went “home” to Bethany. We try to remember not to be distracted from what is most important by all the preparations that need to be made. Sometimes, like Martha, we need to hear “only one thing is needed” (Luke 10:42)—the presence of the One who shares our burdens and renews our spirits, Jesus our friend and faithful companion on the journey of faith. In this Easter season we pray for guidance that we be like Mary always choosing what is better—the continuing presence of the resurrected Christ in our lives. Christ’s peace to all of you.

Becky & Eric Hinderliter

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, page 91