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Letter from Jane Holslag in Lithuania
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September 2003
Dear Friends in Christ,
In The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer says, “To
educate is to guide students on an inner journey toward more truthful
ways of seeing and being in the world”(p. 6). He talks about
the inner life of the teacher, his or her identity and integrity,
teaching from the place of one’s own inner personhood. I
begin this year at Lithuania Christian College with those words
echoing in my heart and head as I prepare for classes, for department
meetings, for work with the small Reformed congregation here.
Consider the following an outside/inside glimpse of my
previous months. |
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Jane Holslag (left), with Nastia (center) and PC(USA) mission worker
Jackie Bartz at Nastia’s senior thesis oral defense. |
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The morning after her graduation
last May, friends of Nastia threw a wedding party for her and her
fiancé Russell. Nastia’s wedding was actually this
month in England, but since none of us could go there, we decided
to celebrate with them in advance. The party was a grand success,
with each of the guests giving gifts of good wishes, advice, prayers,
and hugs! Nastia and I met some years ago when she was in a
crisis, finances stopping her dead in her tracks. By God’s
grace, she received a scholarship to continue her studies, she maintained
very high academic standing, and there were more than a few of us
very proud to have been part of her college years! I shall miss
her gentle smile, her way of being herself, her openness. |
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At the end of May, ten of us from
LCC joined 200,000 other Christians in Berlin for the first “Ecumenical
Kirchentag,” a huge Roman Catholic and Protestant church gathering
and conference. We bussed and ferried from Klaipeda, stayed in homes
of families from the American Church in Berlin, and participated
with enthusiasm in some of the 5,000 events held over five days.
What a gift to be able to bring young Christians from LCC to
such an event! As I listened to and watched them work through being
believers with so many others both like and unlike them, I could
only think back to my first encounters with Christians from other
cultures and traditions and rejoice! Thank you God that your love
binds all of us together. |
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In June I attended the synod meetings of the
Evangelical Reformed Church in Lithuania. As a delegate, I participated
in the vote for the ordination of the first women deacons (a kind
of pastoral assistant position). After more than ten years of visiting
in these congregations, preaching and celebrating the sacraments,
I witnessed a milestone for this part of the world. |
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With LCC friends on the last day at Kirchentag, in front of the
American Church in Berlin. |
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Gitana and Sigita are two
sisters in faith in their 20s, each clearly gifted and called
to ministry. Both have degrees in theology, Sigita from Klaipeda
University and Gitana from Charles University in Prague. The next
step may be full ordination to pastoral ministry. I have known
these young women for 10 years, watched their growth and struggles,
been amazed by their determination and love of God. They stand
on a frontier in this country and in this part of the world. Oh
God of power and love, protect and guide them!
The day before classes began last month, LCC had a “community
day”—worship, speeches, games, a barbecue. Great fun.
Then we got word that the father of one of our students had just
been murdered and his brother seriously injured. |
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Sigita Svambariene (left) and Gitana Gaisunaite, the two most recently
ordained deacons of the Reformed Church in Lithuania.
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Life pushes my faith and understanding.
Our world, yes made by a loving God, is full of people whose faces
and lives are simply worn out, beaten, mangled, bruised. God be
nearer to them than you are to me. Protect the innocent and heal
the deep hurt in our families, schools, churches, and communities.
We live in a violent and dangerous time, so very broken, so empty
of signs of hope for too many.
A few days ago I went to Zelow, Poland, to participate and rejoice
in yet another church ordination. I worked with Wiera Jelinek
and her husband Mirek for many years at English language Bible
camps in the 90s. She studied theology in Warsaw and now will
serve in this small village with its historic Reformed church,
founded by Czech Brethren!
Lord, what a privilege to bring greetings to all gathered,
to worship, to celebrate with so many Polish friends, to be again
where I have witnessed you at work— in young people, in
the members of the congregations, in the lives of Wiera and Mirek. |
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I close this letter during the
week our governing board meets and 35 guests from North America
come for the opening celebration and dedication of the Michaelsen
centras, LCC’s new recreation building. It has been over
a year in the building and many years in the planning. Incredible
to think I have been at LCC almost seven years now. Lord, you
have the big picture, and when we are very lucky, we get glimpses
of what you are up to! Twelve years ago, I first visited this
school, rolled my eyes at the audacity and impossibility of the
task at hand, and now, I am a small part of this corner of your
kingdom. Bless this week. Keep us faithful to your call. Let your
Spirit hold and guide our days.
Grace and peace!
Jane Holslag
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
91
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