Today was our last day in Lithuania. Today was another good day in Lithuania. I finally had the opportunity to play some basketball with the youth. We went to the "Sculpture Park" in Klaipeda and balled it up. It was a lot of fun. We then walked through the city, and they bought me lucnh: a kabob. It is basically a pita. Very good.
Pastor and I led the final lesson today. Matthew 7:15-23. It was a long lesson, but the kids payed close attention, and God willing, they understood to be aware of false prophets (the wolves) that are in this world to lead us (the sheep) away from the truth of God's Word (the shepherd). Romas told Pastor and I that we did a very good job, and that he even learned some things. All glory to the Almighty One!
The day ended with worship. At the end, they presented us with gifts, a group hug, and a group picture. It was sad to see them go, but I know that I will always remember this time with them, and hopefully, I will be able to keep in touch with some of them.
Right now, we are packing things up and getting ready for our trip home. It will be an early morning for us. The plane leaves Palanga, Lithuania at 6:50 AM. I am really looking forward to heading home to see all of my friends and family. Blessings to all in America! See you soon!
Josh
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Batlic Sea
Peace in Christ!
Today was a good day. We had lunch with the kids. Lithuanian fast food. The best way to describe it is a flat Up North Michigan pasty. Very good. After that, Kate gave her lesson. Once we were done with the lesson, all of us (youth included) headed out to the beach. It was very nice to see some open water again. We had a nice time dipping our feet in the water, walking in the sand, and playing some games. An excellent way to build our relationships with the youth.
Tomorrow is our last day. It will be a sad day to leave the youth, but another blessing from God to have another day to be with them and to speak to them God's Word. As Pastor wrote in his post, him and I will be teaching on Matthew 7 and the warning from Christ to be aware of false prophets. This is an excellent text for these youth. I think that the young people at Our Savior have a better understanding of who bears "dying fruit" and who bears "living fruit". Those who speak against the beliefs of the Lutheran church bear the "dying fruit". For the youth in Lithuania, I think it is much harder for them to be able to test the spirits. I pray that they will continue in their studies of God's Word at the church, so they will be able to test the spirits and to identify the good trees from the bad ones.
We give thanks to our heavenly Father for this great week. It has been filled with laughs and good times. But most importantly, God has given to these youth his promise of mercy. The saving message of Jesus Christ has been proclaimed. There is no doubt in my mind that the job has been done. The seed has been planted. We give all glory to God for that, and we pray that that seed may grow, take root, and stand strong among the weeds of this fallen, sinful world.
I hope that all is well in Michigan. It will be sad to leave, but I also look forward to returning to all of my friends and family and telling them of the joys that we have had here.
Josh
Today was a good day. We had lunch with the kids. Lithuanian fast food. The best way to describe it is a flat Up North Michigan pasty. Very good. After that, Kate gave her lesson. Once we were done with the lesson, all of us (youth included) headed out to the beach. It was very nice to see some open water again. We had a nice time dipping our feet in the water, walking in the sand, and playing some games. An excellent way to build our relationships with the youth.
Tomorrow is our last day. It will be a sad day to leave the youth, but another blessing from God to have another day to be with them and to speak to them God's Word. As Pastor wrote in his post, him and I will be teaching on Matthew 7 and the warning from Christ to be aware of false prophets. This is an excellent text for these youth. I think that the young people at Our Savior have a better understanding of who bears "dying fruit" and who bears "living fruit". Those who speak against the beliefs of the Lutheran church bear the "dying fruit". For the youth in Lithuania, I think it is much harder for them to be able to test the spirits. I pray that they will continue in their studies of God's Word at the church, so they will be able to test the spirits and to identify the good trees from the bad ones.
We give thanks to our heavenly Father for this great week. It has been filled with laughs and good times. But most importantly, God has given to these youth his promise of mercy. The saving message of Jesus Christ has been proclaimed. There is no doubt in my mind that the job has been done. The seed has been planted. We give all glory to God for that, and we pray that that seed may grow, take root, and stand strong among the weeds of this fallen, sinful world.
I hope that all is well in Michigan. It will be sad to leave, but I also look forward to returning to all of my friends and family and telling them of the joys that we have had here.
Josh
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Well done...
Things have been going very well so far. As of this post, Christa, Joe, and Josh have taught their lessons. I am happy to report that they have done well and that the youth have well-gathered the points of the lessons. Kate will go today. For the opening devotions each day, I have tried to take great and deliberate care to connect each day's effort, finally moving toward the Friday lesson that Josh and I will be team-teaching (and we which we happen to be writing together). Thus far I have done brief lessons on Invocation, Sermon, and Creed. Today will be on Prayer. Tomorrow will be time to answer theological question (which the kids are to have been writing) followed by a brief lesson on Benediction. The text for Lesson five is Matthew 7:15-23. It was fun studying the Greek text with Josh...talking first person, plural, aorist, active, indicative forms...and stuff. ;) I'm a geek that way, but no apologies. I've done an exegeticval study of this text before, but this time around, I found some great stuff. I love it! There are a couple of words that are often translated very weakly into the English. I wonder if over time, that translators have stayed with these easier words because of tradition, etc. Maybe they just underestimate the ears of the believing Christian. I'd be willing to bet that is the reason.
For example, in verse 17, we often hear of "all good trees" bearing "good fruits" and the "bad" trees bearing "bad" fruit. Actually, and quite interestingly, the word "all" is connected to the singular nominative noun "tree". In other words, it would read "all good tree". Not "trees." Kind of sends you to John 15, right? We are part of the vine, which is Jesus. We are not "vines" or "trees" unto oursleves. In this, we have life and bear good fruit. Further on, the word is better translated as "rotting, decaying" trees producing "evil" fruits. That fits the fuller picture of the scriptures, that is, it may be the temptation of the reader to connect "bad" and "fruits" to deeds. But Christ is here pointing out that death is in those trees, not life. They are not connected to the vine. Again, John 15. The dead, decaying branches are cut off and thrown into the fire. There is a difference. And certainly a pastor should take great care to unpack the original language to find this.
Hopefully this isn't too boring for folks, but another great discovery is in the 2nd person, plural, active imperative that Jesus uses at the end in verse 23. We often get it as "Away from me!", as if it is some informal, royal, declaration with little substance. The Greek text leaves no doubting that on the Last Day, for the imposters, Jesus will look them in the eye, point with His finger, and say "Get away from me." Yikes...and yet, wow!
Anyway, the point of this text is tto be watchful for false prophets, that is, those who speak for Christ, but do not speak rightly or for the right Christ. I think this will be a pinnacle lesson for these high-school aged kids because they are innundated with and immersed in different denominations (particularly the fundie kinds) trying to get them to "decide to follow Jesus" and all that other jip. Hopefully, after this lesson, they will be armed with tools for hearing carefully what is being taught. God willing, they will be able to "test the spirits" and will be able to see with clarity that the verdant pasture of Jesus' grace is definitely greener among the Lutherans.
By the way, we had an hour to spare on Tuesday night. Romas took us to a gun range. I shot a .44 Magnum. That was pretty cool. We took pictures. I wish I would have been wearing my collar... Kind of a "Pale Rider", Clint Eastwood moment.
That last note is my "tangent" ending.
Blessings to all,
Pastor Thoma+
For example, in verse 17, we often hear of "all good trees" bearing "good fruits" and the "bad" trees bearing "bad" fruit. Actually, and quite interestingly, the word "all" is connected to the singular nominative noun "tree". In other words, it would read "all good tree". Not "trees." Kind of sends you to John 15, right? We are part of the vine, which is Jesus. We are not "vines" or "trees" unto oursleves. In this, we have life and bear good fruit. Further on, the word is better translated as "rotting, decaying" trees producing "evil" fruits. That fits the fuller picture of the scriptures, that is, it may be the temptation of the reader to connect "bad" and "fruits" to deeds. But Christ is here pointing out that death is in those trees, not life. They are not connected to the vine. Again, John 15. The dead, decaying branches are cut off and thrown into the fire. There is a difference. And certainly a pastor should take great care to unpack the original language to find this.
Hopefully this isn't too boring for folks, but another great discovery is in the 2nd person, plural, active imperative that Jesus uses at the end in verse 23. We often get it as "Away from me!", as if it is some informal, royal, declaration with little substance. The Greek text leaves no doubting that on the Last Day, for the imposters, Jesus will look them in the eye, point with His finger, and say "Get away from me." Yikes...and yet, wow!
Anyway, the point of this text is tto be watchful for false prophets, that is, those who speak for Christ, but do not speak rightly or for the right Christ. I think this will be a pinnacle lesson for these high-school aged kids because they are innundated with and immersed in different denominations (particularly the fundie kinds) trying to get them to "decide to follow Jesus" and all that other jip. Hopefully, after this lesson, they will be armed with tools for hearing carefully what is being taught. God willing, they will be able to "test the spirits" and will be able to see with clarity that the verdant pasture of Jesus' grace is definitely greener among the Lutherans.
By the way, we had an hour to spare on Tuesday night. Romas took us to a gun range. I shot a .44 Magnum. That was pretty cool. We took pictures. I wish I would have been wearing my collar... Kind of a "Pale Rider", Clint Eastwood moment.
That last note is my "tangent" ending.
Blessings to all,
Pastor Thoma+
Broken computer
I apologize that I did not write a blog yesterday. I broke my computer. I guess dropping your computer on a hardwood floor is not a good thing to do. Pastor Thoma (the yoda of computers) tried to fix it, but it seems that it cannot be fixed.
The past two days have been wonderful.
Today, I taught my lesson, and I think I did a nice job. We played some frisbee, and later, I taught them about our great state of Michigan. It has been loads of fun with the youth. They are so happy to be with us and hang out with us Americans. It will be sad when our time here with them ends. We ended our time with the youth a little short today to journey off to the other side of Lithuania to visit the Hill of Crosses. The Hill of Crosses is a big tourist spot in Lithuania. Many people from around the world come and see it. There are many, many crosses on this hill. Millions. Many people come and buy crosses to add to the great collection. It is a great site to see. And although the ride was longer then we would have liked and it rained, we still really enjoyed seeing the crosses.
Tomorrow is another day. After tomorrow's time with the youth, we may visit the Batlic Sea. Oh joy.
Josh
The past two days have been wonderful.
Today, I taught my lesson, and I think I did a nice job. We played some frisbee, and later, I taught them about our great state of Michigan. It has been loads of fun with the youth. They are so happy to be with us and hang out with us Americans. It will be sad when our time here with them ends. We ended our time with the youth a little short today to journey off to the other side of Lithuania to visit the Hill of Crosses. The Hill of Crosses is a big tourist spot in Lithuania. Many people from around the world come and see it. There are many, many crosses on this hill. Millions. Many people come and buy crosses to add to the great collection. It is a great site to see. And although the ride was longer then we would have liked and it rained, we still really enjoyed seeing the crosses.
Tomorrow is another day. After tomorrow's time with the youth, we may visit the Batlic Sea. Oh joy.
Josh
Monday, July 26, 2010
Day One of Lessons
Greetings!
I just want to say...I got my shish kabobs :) Thank you to my brother D.J. for teaching me the proper technique with a bow (just last week), it came in very handy last night. Great food and great company.
I was very happy to see the majority of the youth come back. I think they were just as happy to see us. Today was my lesson day. I think it went very well, they seemed interested and were participating. I have planted the seed. We are encouraging them to write down questions once they think of them or if they are too shy to ask in front of everyone. We plan on going over them every night and answer some the next day.
Josh was a huge help with keeping the kids occupied while Kate, Joe and I got the room ready for our American birthday party. I never got to see the balloon pop game in action, kind of curious as to how it went. They did seem to like egg race and they love musical chairs! They also enjoyed making bracelets, some are very good at it!
Overall, today went very well and I am ready for another day with my Lithuanian freinds :)
-Christa
I just want to say...I got my shish kabobs :) Thank you to my brother D.J. for teaching me the proper technique with a bow (just last week), it came in very handy last night. Great food and great company.
I was very happy to see the majority of the youth come back. I think they were just as happy to see us. Today was my lesson day. I think it went very well, they seemed interested and were participating. I have planted the seed. We are encouraging them to write down questions once they think of them or if they are too shy to ask in front of everyone. We plan on going over them every night and answer some the next day.
Josh was a huge help with keeping the kids occupied while Kate, Joe and I got the room ready for our American birthday party. I never got to see the balloon pop game in action, kind of curious as to how it went. They did seem to like egg race and they love musical chairs! They also enjoyed making bracelets, some are very good at it!
Overall, today went very well and I am ready for another day with my Lithuanian freinds :)
-Christa
Krepšininkas
The title of this blog was the name of my football team today. We played a version of football that I played in my high school gym class called "Pass". Krepšininkas means "basketballers" in Lithuania, and everytime that I say it, the Lithuanian youth laugh and giggle because I can never pronounce it correctly. Oh well, it is all in good fun.
Today. was. great. I was very surprised to see so many of the young people come back from last year's group. Of course, there were still many who didn't come back, but a good majority returned. All glory to the Almighty One for that great blessing! So, it was good to see some old faces and to meet the new ones. Right off the bat, we began with a game, which began good times and laughs for everyone. Christa had the lesson and fed them the good news of our Lord Jesus. Also, she taught them about American birthday parties. After that, we made bracelets, and before you knew it, our time with them was over. I greatly look forward to tomorrow, when we can be with them again.
Now to respond to Pastor Thoma's archery post. Yes, it is true, he won. Fair and Square. But let's be honest, do you really think that Joe and I would allow ourselves to beat a man of the cloth? Of course not... Just kidding of course. His skills improved greatly over time and practice, and he showed us that he is capable of being in Robin Hood's group of Merry Men.
I hope that all is well in the States. Continue to support us through prayer that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts would be acceptable in the eyes of our Lord, who is our Strength and our Redeemer.
Josh
Today. was. great. I was very surprised to see so many of the young people come back from last year's group. Of course, there were still many who didn't come back, but a good majority returned. All glory to the Almighty One for that great blessing! So, it was good to see some old faces and to meet the new ones. Right off the bat, we began with a game, which began good times and laughs for everyone. Christa had the lesson and fed them the good news of our Lord Jesus. Also, she taught them about American birthday parties. After that, we made bracelets, and before you knew it, our time with them was over. I greatly look forward to tomorrow, when we can be with them again.
Now to respond to Pastor Thoma's archery post. Yes, it is true, he won. Fair and Square. But let's be honest, do you really think that Joe and I would allow ourselves to beat a man of the cloth? Of course not... Just kidding of course. His skills improved greatly over time and practice, and he showed us that he is capable of being in Robin Hood's group of Merry Men.
I hope that all is well in the States. Continue to support us through prayer that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts would be acceptable in the eyes of our Lord, who is our Strength and our Redeemer.
Josh
So far so good...
We began today! (In fact it is happening right now. I just slipped away to write a quick note because I won't be doing it later.) Romas said he thinks the camp is a little bigger this year than last year. I can't remember for sure how many we had last year. I think it was a little more than twenty regulars (ten or so of which were actual members of the church)throughout the week. This year, there are about twenty five. According to Romas, a good percentage are members, but many present "call themselves 'Lutheran' but are not members and do not come to church." Romas told me today at lunch that our gathering last year produced fruits. He explained to me that before our sessions, many of the kids he had interacted with were willing to come, but were unwilling to pray or be involved with Bible study. He said that now the kids pray regularly and attend studies. Romas is hoping that the new youth will learn as much as the youth did last year and that they will follow the same path, being encouraged by the present members. This is good news.
Last night we had dinner at Romas' home. He and his wife, Ingrita, prepared a cookout for us! Lamb, chicken, and an unnknown meat (which was very good). They also provided us with the usual snacks (pig ears, harsh cheeses, and other strange bits). It was really nice. Romas brought out some home-made whisky and shared it with me. It was good; very potent...but good.
After dinner, Romas invited us to go into an open field near his home to shoot bows. We played a mideieval style game in which a flagpost is taken out into the field (several hundreds of meters away). Each archer gets three colored arrows. The goal was to shoot the arrows one at a time and to try to get as close to the flag as possible. We shot four rounds.
The first round clearly went to Joe (who, by the way, is an "expert marksman" award recipient from his days in the Marines) who was within 10 meters of the flag, all in a perfect line with the pole. Nice shooting Joe. I didn't do so well the first round, but I was learnning. In fact, one excuse I can offer is that the arm guard Romas put on my arm had eyelets with sharp flared metal which sliced up my hand and arm as he put it on me. That started off badly. If you are bleeding before the first arrow is slung against the bowstring, you're not doing too well. Then, with my first shot, the string hit my forearm just before the guard and left a rather painful scrape/bruise. But I was determined to continue on, in defense of the Christian realm, of course.
Josh won the next round, putting his into the ground closer than even Joe's previous round. Nice shooting, Josh of Locksley! So now, the pressure was on...and not to mention that the whole group was now mocking my apparent inabilities. In fact, I admittedly confessed that if we were in a 14th century confrontation, I probably would have perished. Although, with the right training...hmmm. In addition, what the laughing gentry failed to realize about their pastor: 1) I learn quickly, 2) I'm very competitive, 3) I work well under pressure. The game was officially "on".
I won round three, but not by much. I beat Josh by only a foot. I was about fourteen paces away. He was barely at fifteen.
Round four was(as we Americans are fond of saying) for the Championship of the Universe. This round wins them all. Please enjoy the above photo of the victor. I believe the Lithuanian historians have already begun to scribe this epic duel of good rising in triumph above the cruel scowls and mockings of one's supposed fellow countrymen. Fortune, nay victory, my dear leotard-wearing merry men, fancies me this
day. Rest well this quiet eve, for perhaps it is that we shall meet again upon the field and you will have excelled in skill to a level as to that of this lowly clergyman. (Translation: Laugh it up, guys. I won.)
Blessings to all. Thanks again for the prayers of support. Believe it or not, even with this evening excursion, the group is working hard.
In Christ,
Pastor Thoma+
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Greetings from Lietuva!
What up!
Today is Sunday. We've been here a few days now and it's been amazing! Kate is an excellent roommate! We have been enjoying our time together :) Josh loves our company, and Kate and I have adopted Joe as our "mother". Kate and I just finished baking an awesomely thin cake...made with our love. The camp here starts tomorrow. I'm hoping the weather cooperates (tired of humidity).
We are are going to a bbq tonight. Excited to see what they make! I'm hoping for some shish kabobs :) I am going to be enjoying some down time tonight for sure! Again, I hope the weather cooperates because it has been raining quite a bit lately, which is nice because it cools off but not so nice because everything gets wet!
On our first day here we did get to see some of the kids we met last year! It was very nice to see them again. Ready for lessons with them tomorrow!
-Christa
Today is Sunday. We've been here a few days now and it's been amazing! Kate is an excellent roommate! We have been enjoying our time together :) Josh loves our company, and Kate and I have adopted Joe as our "mother". Kate and I just finished baking an awesomely thin cake...made with our love. The camp here starts tomorrow. I'm hoping the weather cooperates (tired of humidity).
We are are going to a bbq tonight. Excited to see what they make! I'm hoping for some shish kabobs :) I am going to be enjoying some down time tonight for sure! Again, I hope the weather cooperates because it has been raining quite a bit lately, which is nice because it cools off but not so nice because everything gets wet!
On our first day here we did get to see some of the kids we met last year! It was very nice to see them again. Ready for lessons with them tomorrow!
-Christa
The one where Kate talks about nothing.
Hello all!
The adventure in Lithuania continues. Christa and I just baked a cake for her birthday presentation tomorrow. If there's one thing we can share with this country, it's American cake mix. :) Juuuust kidding! (Sort of.) This is such a cute little city. The roads are all cobblestone, and all the buildings are colorful. I've really enjoyed it here so far, and I can't wait till the kids get here tomorrow! From what I hear, we're going to Romas's for a barbecue tonight, so we'll see what Lithuanian barbecue tastes like! Cause the pizza here leaves something to be desired. I'm so happy that I'm here with this great group! I'm learning so many things about my fellow travelers. Christa's hilarious, and hey, Josh REALLY likes crunchy peanut butter.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! See you soon!
-Kate Falconer
The adventure in Lithuania continues. Christa and I just baked a cake for her birthday presentation tomorrow. If there's one thing we can share with this country, it's American cake mix. :) Juuuust kidding! (Sort of.) This is such a cute little city. The roads are all cobblestone, and all the buildings are colorful. I've really enjoyed it here so far, and I can't wait till the kids get here tomorrow! From what I hear, we're going to Romas's for a barbecue tonight, so we'll see what Lithuanian barbecue tastes like! Cause the pizza here leaves something to be desired. I'm so happy that I'm here with this great group! I'm learning so many things about my fellow travelers. Christa's hilarious, and hey, Josh REALLY likes crunchy peanut butter.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! See you soon!
-Kate Falconer
The Lord's Day
Peace in Christ!
Today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and even though we are many, many miles from our home congregation in Hartland, MI, we had the privilege of gathering together in God’s name with the Lutheran congregation here in Klaipeda to receive God’s gifts of Word and Sacraments. Today was proof that God’s message of forgiveness is for all people in all places at all times. Today was proof that it doesn’t matter what country you are in, what language you speak, or what time zone you live in, God comes to the entire world in two ways alone: His Word and His Sacraments. We received those today. The service was all in Lithuania, yet Pastor Thoma spoke the Confession and Absolution, The Words of Institution, and the Benediction in English for us. He also gave a great sermon in English. What a blessing it was to be with God’s people in the Divine Service today.
At the end of today, we will be going to Pastor Romas’ house for barbeque and fun. This is the last day before we start our work with the youth. I look forward to seeing old faces and meeting new people. I look forward to teaching God’s Word and the forgiveness all people have in Christ Jesus. So, please pray for us as we begin our real work here in Lithuania.
The weather has cooled down, yet last night’s sleep was still very warm. It reminded me of a couple weeks ago when I slept in the loft our cottage in Indian River, MI, and I was up half the night staring at the ceiling while I sweat my life away. It wasn’t as bad as that last night, but still a little difficult to snooze.
I hope all is well in Michigan. Blessings to your day!
Josh
Today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and even though we are many, many miles from our home congregation in Hartland, MI, we had the privilege of gathering together in God’s name with the Lutheran congregation here in Klaipeda to receive God’s gifts of Word and Sacraments. Today was proof that God’s message of forgiveness is for all people in all places at all times. Today was proof that it doesn’t matter what country you are in, what language you speak, or what time zone you live in, God comes to the entire world in two ways alone: His Word and His Sacraments. We received those today. The service was all in Lithuania, yet Pastor Thoma spoke the Confession and Absolution, The Words of Institution, and the Benediction in English for us. He also gave a great sermon in English. What a blessing it was to be with God’s people in the Divine Service today.
At the end of today, we will be going to Pastor Romas’ house for barbeque and fun. This is the last day before we start our work with the youth. I look forward to seeing old faces and meeting new people. I look forward to teaching God’s Word and the forgiveness all people have in Christ Jesus. So, please pray for us as we begin our real work here in Lithuania.
The weather has cooled down, yet last night’s sleep was still very warm. It reminded me of a couple weeks ago when I slept in the loft our cottage in Indian River, MI, and I was up half the night staring at the ceiling while I sweat my life away. It wasn’t as bad as that last night, but still a little difficult to snooze.
I hope all is well in Michigan. Blessings to your day!
Josh
New Email
Just so everyone knows, if you want to send us email, send it to revchristhoma@yahoo.com.
The blog went down the other day and I'm uncertain about messing with the gmail account while here. So far, the yahoo account seems to be reliable. Send correspndance to that one.
---
We just finished with Divine Service and Bible study. Went well. People are very kind and receptive. Missed being at home, though.
Blessings to all.
-Pastor Thoma+
The blog went down the other day and I'm uncertain about messing with the gmail account while here. So far, the yahoo account seems to be reliable. Send correspndance to that one.
---
We just finished with Divine Service and Bible study. Went well. People are very kind and receptive. Missed being at home, though.
Blessings to all.
-Pastor Thoma+
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Here we go!
Greetings to all in the name of the Lord!
It has been a few days of really hot and humid weather. Yikes! We are sweating at night, although a few thunderstorms have come through and stirred up the wind. That was nice.
Things are going well. We are getting ready to begin the week. Tomorrow is the Divine Service at 10:00 a.m. (I'm preaching on Matthew 20) followed by a Bible Study I will be leading on Missions. I plan to plug in a powerpoint presentation from Russia 2007 just to give the folks an idea as to how YIM started.
Yesterday we went to the camp in Butinge. I was asked to put together a lesson (kind of last minute) by Pastor Jonas (the Pastor running the camp)so I prepared an activity annd lesson while the rest of the group prepared a game and them helped to facilitate the lesson. Great job guys! It went really well for last minute lesson. From the comments following, Romas said it was just what was needed. That is good to hear.
Our teaching begins on Monday afternoon. The group seems ready. The Lord has picked a good group to serve the youth here. I'm sure it will go well.
Blessings to all.
-Pastor Thoma
It has been a few days of really hot and humid weather. Yikes! We are sweating at night, although a few thunderstorms have come through and stirred up the wind. That was nice.
Things are going well. We are getting ready to begin the week. Tomorrow is the Divine Service at 10:00 a.m. (I'm preaching on Matthew 20) followed by a Bible Study I will be leading on Missions. I plan to plug in a powerpoint presentation from Russia 2007 just to give the folks an idea as to how YIM started.
Yesterday we went to the camp in Butinge. I was asked to put together a lesson (kind of last minute) by Pastor Jonas (the Pastor running the camp)so I prepared an activity annd lesson while the rest of the group prepared a game and them helped to facilitate the lesson. Great job guys! It went really well for last minute lesson. From the comments following, Romas said it was just what was needed. That is good to hear.
Our teaching begins on Monday afternoon. The group seems ready. The Lord has picked a good group to serve the youth here. I'm sure it will go well.
Blessings to all.
-Pastor Thoma
We are on day 3 of our visit with our good friends here in Klaipeda and it was one of rest and studying. Yesterday we were able to go and spend time at youth camp the is organized by an other pastor in the surrounding area and meet a lot of nice and welcome teens and adults there. We were able to to play a game and assit Pastor Thoma in his Bible lesson he thought the kids. The lesson went really well and you can tell they enjoyed working with Americans.
Tomorrow, Sunday, we will have Sunday service and Pastor Thoma will be teaching an adult class to kick off our week lessons. I would like to thank everyone for the continued support and prayers in this much need mission we are serving in.
Blessing,
Joe Bangert
Tomorrow, Sunday, we will have Sunday service and Pastor Thoma will be teaching an adult class to kick off our week lessons. I would like to thank everyone for the continued support and prayers in this much need mission we are serving in.
Blessing,
Joe Bangert
We're gettin' ready
Peace in Christ!
Josh here. Today is Saturday, and it is a day of preparation and relaxation. We are taking things slow here right now, in order to be ready for the busy week ahead of us. Yesterday, we went to another Lutheran camp held about an hour from Klaipeda. Pastor Thoma preached and led a Bible Study. During that study, each of us got to lead a group through a certain verse in Matthew to break down the Law and the Gospel. I think it went very well, and I hope it opened up many eyes to the love of God in Christ Jesus and his free gift of forgiveness.
Tomorrow, we will join the church for the Divine Service, where Pastor Thoma will be preaching again. After the service, Pastor will be leading a Bible Study.
Then Monday, the fun begins. Our 5 day camp will launch off, and God's Word will be given to the hungry souls of the youth here in Klaipeda. What a blessing it is to be here to serve our Lord.
Josh
Josh here. Today is Saturday, and it is a day of preparation and relaxation. We are taking things slow here right now, in order to be ready for the busy week ahead of us. Yesterday, we went to another Lutheran camp held about an hour from Klaipeda. Pastor Thoma preached and led a Bible Study. During that study, each of us got to lead a group through a certain verse in Matthew to break down the Law and the Gospel. I think it went very well, and I hope it opened up many eyes to the love of God in Christ Jesus and his free gift of forgiveness.
Tomorrow, we will join the church for the Divine Service, where Pastor Thoma will be preaching again. After the service, Pastor will be leading a Bible Study.
Then Monday, the fun begins. Our 5 day camp will launch off, and God's Word will be given to the hungry souls of the youth here in Klaipeda. What a blessing it is to be here to serve our Lord.
Josh
Thursday, July 22, 2010
We made it!
Greetings to all. We made it. We are definitiely tired.
Today is Friday and there's a lot on the schedule. I met with Jonas, a pastor who is leading a camp in Butinge and he has asked for me to preach at their worship today and then lead about two hours of lessons. I just finished writing a sermon on John 10and am preparing to start the lessons. Wish I had more time, but we'll see what we can do. We leave in about two hours for the camp.
Yesterday, after we arrived, Romas took us to the church, we unpacked, and then went to a pizza place for dinner. After that, we went to get groceries. We're living in the church this year. It is extremely hot in this building. I think later today I will try to locate a fan for my room (which is Romas' office).
I hope all is well for everyone in the US. We are anxious to get things started here.
Blessings to you!
-Pastor Thoma
Today is Friday and there's a lot on the schedule. I met with Jonas, a pastor who is leading a camp in Butinge and he has asked for me to preach at their worship today and then lead about two hours of lessons. I just finished writing a sermon on John 10and am preparing to start the lessons. Wish I had more time, but we'll see what we can do. We leave in about two hours for the camp.
Yesterday, after we arrived, Romas took us to the church, we unpacked, and then went to a pizza place for dinner. After that, we went to get groceries. We're living in the church this year. It is extremely hot in this building. I think later today I will try to locate a fan for my room (which is Romas' office).
I hope all is well for everyone in the US. We are anxious to get things started here.
Blessings to you!
-Pastor Thoma
Friday, July 2, 2010
Thanks, Luke!
Looks like the blog is up and running! Thanks, Luke! At this point, the blog will be active from July 21 until July 31. Blessings to all!
-Pastor Thoma+
-Pastor Thoma+
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