Amidst the flurry of activity that blankets the Christmas season, small moments can provide great opportunities to participate in meaningful giving. There are lots of possibilities for creating significance, from gifts of time, to homemade specialties, to that special heartfelt present. One such opportunity is offered through the World of Hope catalogue: a publication of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada Mission. The catalogue details a wide range of projects that EFCCM workers are engaged in throughout various regions of the world.
We are excited that the catalogue gives us an opportunity to expand the visibility and resources of a small church here in Klaipeda (the Salvation Army), and the church’s efforts to assist the poor and homeless with both their physical and spiritual needs. Our project, entitled “A Step Up,” is raising funds to buy much needed food supplies for the church’s food bank. Even a small gift can have a lasting impact, as the story of one recipient reveals:Shuffling her way through the front door of the hostel where she lives, few people would pay much attention to the elderly woman as she clutches a bag of groceries. In fact, not long ago Renata was one of society’s forgotten; her makeshift home a collection of discarded trash at the garbage dump, and her food scavenged from the filth. Twice a month, however, a van would come carrying loaves of bread, hot tea, and sometimes a candle for lighting the darkness. The van also brought a priceless gift: hope. As the team handed out food and poured tea, they also talked about someone who loves us despite our filth. Through the concern demonstrated by the people in the van, Renata slowly grew to trust that they truly cared for her, and learned that Jesus loved her. When they warned that the dumpsite would be closed and urged people to move into the city to find work, Renata listened. The investment made by the church group who used to take food to the dump has developed into a lifelong friendship, and the chance for a new life. The church supported Renata through the difficult days of transition to life in the city, giving her food when she had nothing, and welcoming her into their church family. Today, Renata does odd jobs like cleaning, and picking mushrooms or berries to make enough money to pay for her place at the hostel. She visits with the people from the van at church on Sundays, and though sometimes she leaves with a bag of groceries in her hand, she always leaves as a friend.Helping the poor and homeless is often a long process that requires commitment and generous amounts of patience. One church in Klaipeda is working hard to make a difference in the lives of people who are caught in the grip of poverty. A single bag of groceries can be the difference between complete despair, and hope for another day, and the impact of the relationships built can last an eternity.
While bundled in blankets and sweaters this morning, I heard a sound that I have been straining to hear for the last few days: the trickle of hot water. With the temperatures dropping, our unheated, un-insulated apartment has been feeling pretty frosty lately, so we are relieved that the city has opened up the taps that bring hot water to our radiators. There is a steady swirl of hot water running through three of our four radiators; I’m not sure why we don’t have heat in the kitchen. To be honest, though, I’m so thankful to be a bit warmer that I don’t really care.
Still, we know that not everyone is celebrating the start of the heating season. The cost of heating has gone up, and since apartment dwellers cannot regulate the temperature, people will be forced to pay for heating whether they can afford it or not. With unemployment increasing, wages being reduced, and costs rising, it is going to be a long and difficult winter for many.
To say that our apartment is warm would be quite an overstatement. The radiators provide little more than enough heat to take the edge off the cold. But, we are immensely grateful that we have heat, and that we can afford to pay for it.
This winter, we hope and pray that the warmth in people’s homes will be accompanied by warmth of heart, and that families, friends, and neighbours will find ways to help one another through the months ahead.
The two critical documents that make it possible for us to stay in Lithuania are Permission to Work, and Permission to Live in Lithuania. As part of Nathan’s new full-time job at a shipping/ferry company, he has the fantastic advantage of having the company’s lawyer help with the massive amounts of paperwork that go along with applying for these documents. So far, Nathan has received his Permission to Work - which involved a complicated cycle of applying, waiting, office visits, letter writing, and more waiting. All of this would have been mind-numbingly impossible without the help of a knowledgeable and experienced Lithuanian to negotiate the details.
And though today was Nathan’s first day at his new job, we are both still waiting for the very essential Permission to Live in Lithuania. As far as we know, the company lawyer has submitted our applications to the migration office, and is waiting for a reply…although this has been the case now for over two months. I’m actually not even sure what kind of permission I should be expecting; an earlier application for a spousal permit was denied, and applying as a student didn’t work since the Lithuanian language program is only part-time. We are trusting that our clever lawyer has come up with a solution, so now we wait.
Remarkably, we aren’t particularly worried. I’m sure that part of that is because we haven’t had the horrible stress of sitting in the dim hallway of the migration office, nervously waiting to assert our place in line, and also because we have a very capable (not to mention very intimidating) lawyer on our side. Even more, I know that we are OK with whatever the outcome is. I’m not naturally a “go-with-the-flow” kind of person, so I know that this kind of calmness in the midst of uncertainty is not something I mustered on my own. So even if we don’t have tomorrow’s answers today, we know that God does, and I’m sure he’ll let us know when the time is right.