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Latest News
Klaipeda, Lithuania. Dear friend, Hi! Please forgive us for the long lull in newsletters. It has been great, though, to keep in touch with many of you via personal emails and postcards, ‘skype’ calls or telephone calls. Thank you for keeping in touch. You are often like our lifeline to the outside world. I, Sharon, in particular often feel alone and isolated here. Well, Christmas is on the way, for those in the Christian-influenced part of the world! In Lithuania, there has been a myriad of changes since we arrived to live four years ago. On the minor end of these, most shops now display some form of Christmas decoration, “Christmas” commercialism starts earlier and you can buy nice cards. So, how are we spending our Christmas? Well, we started this Saturday past, with games and crafts at the orphanage, with our wonderful team of Lithuanian volunteers and some guests. We sang Lithuanian carols and our crafts included making instruments, which the children then delighted in shaking loudly while we sang again. There was a beautiful family-type atmosphere and we thank God we can participate in their lives in this and other ways. This Saturday the 16th, our Vineyard community will celebrate Jesus’ birth together. We’re all bringing a favourite Christmas song, poem or story to share, plus a small gift, and we should enjoy eating together also, all going well. Kel made his best pav ever the other day. Then on Wednesday we’ll do the reading the Bible and carol thing. It is fun to sing traditional English carols, in Lithuanian, plus some local ones hopefully. Come December 24, the big day of celebration here, some of our folk will be at the orphanage again, hanging out with the children who have no-where else to go at Christmas. We’ve been blessed lately to have some great people as part of our community, some of whom are helping by hosting our gatherings in their flats, playing the guitar, translating or even teaching occasionally. This really helps Kel and I. Our paid worker, Reda, is a godsend and is really getting to know the orphanage children. Her wages were gifted for a year and we are so grateful. We are also very grateful, that we’ve been given money which will enable us to spend Christmas with some of my family!!! As you know, my sister and her husband and his family live in London, England. We’ll spend a week with them and my parents, who are living and working out their retirement in the Northern Hemisphere, most recently in Scotland. They’ll converge on London also. We are so looking forward to this. Then Kel and I will return to Lithuania to welcome in the new year. During Soviet times, New Year was bigger than Christmas, at least in official society. Churches were infiltrated by KGB spies and those truly believing in God could be punished by years in Soviet labour camps. Father Christmas was replaced by “Father Frost”, who according to some, came at New Year. Before we close, I’ll tell you a wee story. Two years ago, one of the new boys at the orphanage laughed at my Lithuanian. I felt really bad but tried to remind myself he was a child and forgive him for the hurt (yes I’m a sensitive person). God has blessed our relationship with this young boy, and he has developed into a loving, giving boy. Now, we can speak and genuinely engage. I am so grateful that such hope exists, that love can come into the lives of children like these, who sometimes have horrific backgrounds. May you know genuine love and hope this Christmas also. Love, Kel & Sharon Prayer praises:
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