MELTDOWN !!!

So if you were wondering why we have been spotty at best when it comes to email and blog posts lately, here is why.



About 4 weeks ago I noticed that the cord on my computer charger was looking weird. It was disfigured and when I touched it I noticed that it was extremely hot. Then it started malfunctioning and would not charge our computer. Over the last few weeks it has barely held on and continued to melt and get quite ugly. After many phone calls to Apple and some miscommunications, they have agreed to send a new charger to one of our bosses who is coming to visit us at a conference in Spain at the end of January. So if you emailed and it took awhile for us to respond, we're sorry. But soon we will be up and running again.

Trippin

On December 18 Jason, Tiana, and Sharon had to make a run for the border of Poland to get a stamp in their passport when their residence permit ran out. Well the time came for Kellie and I to do the same on the 28th. BUT on the 21st, Lithuania enter into the Schengen area of Europe. This means that they no longer have border crossings to other Schengen countries, which includes Poland to the south and Latvia to the north. So Kellie and I went to immigration to see what we had to do. They told us we needed a stamp, so we should fly to a non Schengen country like Switzerland. This was a bit of a shock to us so we called the US Embassy and the Lithuanian Foreign Affairs to see if there were other options. We figured out that we could get a stamp in the airport because there were still immigration checkpoints in the airports. So as we figured this out I called Jason and told him to find the cheapest airline ticket he could that left that day and came back the next day. He found a great deal flying to Tallinn, Estonia for 140 dollars round trip! So before I bought the tickets, I called Kellie and told her the plans to leave in 3 hours for the airport. I asked if her mom, who was visiting, would like to come too. NOT only did Kitty decided she wanted to go along for the adventure but she also offered to pay for Sharon to go too!!! So the four of us hopped on a plane that evening and flew an hour to Estonia. We got in at 8:30 pm where we proceeded to eat a fun dinner and go to bed. Then we caught our flight back the next morning at 8:30. It was quite an adventure. I have to give a big THANKS to Kitty Brotnov!

The Stockings Were Hung By The Chimney With Care...

So on Christmas, Sharon and I had the team over as well as Judit, our German friend from church. It was a simple day in that we had a tasty meal, watched a movie, and played some games. BUT by far the best part was stocking time. My wonderful and thoughtful wife wanted to carry on the team stocking tradition that we started last year. But since we have been quite busy lately, we didn't actually buy the stockings till Christmas Eve as we were frantically getting some last minute things done. Sharon selected stockings for each person, cute furry ones for the girls and long masculine tube socks for the guys.

However when she was putting them up on Christmas morning before everyone came over, Sharon made a startling discovery! What she thought were extremely masculine, rugged, hearty, tough guys socks, were actually women's tights. The stores were closed however, so the show must go on.

So Jason and I got tights.

We all decided that it was a pretty funny mistake and that we better take some photos to show off our new stockings.

A Little Catching Up To Do . . .

These last three weeks have felt like a blur . . . so many full days . . . so many memories. I feel like I have some catching up to do. I'll start back on . . .

Tues, Nov 27 Friends Arrive
Our WSN friends from the Crusade office in the Northwest came to visit with our team for a few days.

Hanging out with Mike, Matt & Krista was a great time of encouragement and insights for our team. We were excited that their trip overlapped with one of our Agape Nights so they could get a glimpse into our ministry here.


They also introduced us to a new game that we have really enjoyed: Ticket to Ride (Europe Edition)





Wednesday, Nov 28 Agape Night
This Agape Night was my (Sharon) turn to plan. I decided to use a tool that I'd first learned about in one of my coaching classes at Western Seminary. The tool, Visual Explorer, is used by coaches worldwide for leadership development and can be used in a variety of ways. I was so excited to use it here in Kaunas, LT for for the purpose of evangelism/spiritual development!


I displayed the 200+ photos on our walls and windows. Then I put on some music and gave everyone some time to choose two photos - one which described where they are at in life and where they would like to be. Next, I divided them into small groups to share about their photos and the reasons they chose those photos. After that, I brought the groups back together and shared the gospel. Then they went back to the "gallery" and chose two more photos - one which described where they are at with God/in their spiritual journey, and one to describe where they would like to be. Then back to the small groups for more sharing. I closed with having them fill out a response card explaining what they'd learned and if they would be interested in meeting with an Agape member. I also gave them the option of getting a copy of the photos they had selected (great for follow-up).

Though this tool is a bit expensive, I highly recommend it for churches and ministries everywhere!! There are just so many different ways it can be used. (Note: They are willing to give a discount to non-profit organizations.)

Then, (this was pretty exciting), while Matt Mikalatos was here in LT, he was writing an article for a magazine about one of Crusade's new evangelism tools: Soularium. Soularium is a packet of 50 4x6 images and comes with questions which can be used in a survey. Basically, it is a portable version of Visual Explorer designed for evangelism. After a student completes the survey, they are given a card with the website for Soularium. . .where later they can check out answers other students have given around the world!! They can also specify to view responses given by other students from their own university. (All responses are entered in a way which maintains anonymity.) Again - a great tool that I highly recommend!! We have used it several times already when out doing surveys. Matt (WSN) and my Matt headed out to campus one afternoon to give this new tool a try and were really amazed at how deeply the students shared as they described their photos!

Pictures are powerful and can help bridge the gap between different cultures and languages. They tap into a deep part of our souls and ironically make it easier to share more deeply - even with those closest to us. (Last week, Jason used the cards as a apart of our team prayer time - to help us know how to better pray for each other.)

Friday, Nov 30 Rock-N-Rollo
On Friday night, Matt and I headed over to a Rock-n-Rollo party that the Catholic center put on. Fun times! Great networking. Here are Juri and Paulos having a blast.


Friday, Dec 7 Girls Slumber Party
Kellie and I hosted a slumber party for the girls from our church. Originally it was going to be for about 5 girls - 12 ended up coming! A few came early to help make dinner. After dinner we had a "spiritual talk" and then watched some movies. Why do we call these kind of events "slumber parties" anyways?! I did not get much slumber but had a wonderful time! (Check out Kellie's blog for more photos.)

Wednesday, Dec 12 Tiana leads Agape Night
Tiana used her knowledge of experiential learning to help explain the Christian life. Our German friend, Judy shared her testimony, and Kristina did a fabulous job translating for Tiana!

Friday, Dec 14 Matt's Birthday!!
For something a little different, we (Kellie and Jason joined us) drove in to Vilnius to celebrate Matt's birthday. We had heard of a restaurant that was pretty good - that turned out to be quite the understatement! Markus Ir Co served us the BEST meal we have had at any restaurant in Lithuania. What a great way to celebrate a birthday for someone who loves cooking!

Have I ever mentioned that Matt's name means "Gift from God"?? Well, he truly is God's good and perfect gift to me!! I love you sweetheart!

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