Both Lorna and Sigita shared their
early successes—and frustration—with life in American
graduate schools. They both were keen observers. Lorna writes
in amazement about the abundance of American lives—about
the large portions of meals, the huge houses—and about the
waste so common in American lifestyles. As students, both Lorna
and Sigita acted with confidence and told us how well prepared
they felt they were—and what a privilege it was to be able
to study. As teachers, Becky and I were gratified to see some
of the results of our work with students.
During our itineration we have visited 15 Presbyterian churches
and given 35 presentations (sermons, Sunday school classes, special
programs on mission). But we find that itineration is more than
just numbers. Anthony Gittins, in his book Ministry at the
Margins, has a metaphor for mission that we have found to
be true: We go out from our homeland where things are familiar
and comfortable to a wonderland, a new country of strange sounds
and different ways we are excited to discover. But Gittins continues
his metaphor of mission by describing the return—what he
calls “reverse mission.” We come back from a mission
experience as changed people, seeing with new eyes, experiencing
a “new found land” where we once lived. One difference
we have found is our understanding of the effects of the market
economy. The change in the economic system from a Soviet-style
command economy to a market economy has produced great stress
in Lithuania. Many of our students’ parents lost their jobs
as a result of company downsizing. To describe the effects on
Lithuanians, I tell the story of a student who burst into tears
and wondered if she should stay at LCC because her father had
lost his job and had little prospect of ever finding new work.
As I was telling this story as part of a mission discussion in
the United States, a man in his fifties interrupted me to say
that he also had the experience of losing his job and struggling
to readjust to very changed economic circumstances. The weekend
that Delphi, the large auto parts maker, declared bankruptcy,
I was with a Presbyterian church on the west side of Detroit.
The impact of wage cuts, pension reductions, and potential job
losses was the topic of the day. We talk about globalization and
market forces as if they are impersonal and “out there”
across the sea, but now we see with new eyes the fears and concerns
of our brothers and sisters here. Our Reformed tradition has much
to say about the economy—the imperative to be good stewards,
to act for justice, and to have compassion for those in need.
We are now entering the season of preparation. Becky and I are
thinking about how Advent will prepare our lives for our return
to Lithuania just after Christmas. We are filled with expectation.
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!” When next we write we
will have invited Christ into our lives once again. We return
to Lithuania on December 29.
Grace and peace to all of you in this season of Advent.
Becky & Eric Hinderliter
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
179
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