Thursday's update from Lithuania!
Benjamin Eavey
Today started with our usual "dinner" for breakfast. If we don't gain 20
pounds on this trip, it will be a miracle!! We actually have three
dinners per day. They spoil us like crazy and treat us like royalty. We
are all staying with very generous host families whom we love.
It's 9:00 pm and the boys are playing Frisbee with some of the local
girls. They even asked if the boys could come out and play. Love, the
universal language.
Today started out a little different than normal -- whatever that is. We
first went to the market and then to the Church to work since the market
is only open on Thursdays from 7:00 to 11:00. The market is split into
two different sections. The first section sells new items like shoes,
shoes, and shoes. Oh, yeah and underwear, underwear, and underwear. The
second section is a flea market and fresh veggie market. Fun trying to
ask if they barter when you don't speak the language. Bargain Betty was
out of a job. It was still fun.
We finally started working at 10:00 at Church. You sure can tell we're
getting to the end of our week. We worked like dogs the first two days,
did a fair day's work on Wednesday, and started the downhill slope on
Thursday. We wanted to make sure we didn't get everything done before the
North Carolina people arrive. NOT!!!
Team One worked on sanding and mudding (the usual), Betty gave the
"office" a second and final coat of paint, and the boys got to break down
a concrete well. Team Two was able to finish the two walls in the
basement. They taped, mudded, sanded, and mudded. As you can tell, we're
having tons of fun and getting a lot done in the process. This was all
done before lunch. After lunch the boys finished breaking down the the
well and dug out a big stump and leveled the area they were working on.
It was hard work and they were "fabulous." Team Two came back to the
Church and started laying the floor in the computer/Sunday School room.
It sure is a lot easier if you have the right tools -- and we don't. They
went to two different hardware stores and were told to make their own.
That's exactly what they had to do.
Team One (Holly, Nancy, Betty, and Joe (minus the boys)) went on errands
with Regina to visit five families out in the surrounding villages. As
Regina reminded us, the Church is not only the building, it's the people.
One of the Church's ministries includes helping families in the nearby
villages. Talk about Poverty (with a capital P). Most of these people do
not have jobs and if they happen to find one, which is very hard,
transportation is a problem. Drinking is a major problem. Most of the
men drink and some are actually paid in "liquor" instead of money.
It's a very hard life and the children are usually the victims. The
cycles of poverty and abuse are vicious. The Church is trying to break
these cycles by providing some food, clothing, transportation, and most
important, Christ's love. One little boy told us how proud he was to be a
Methodist and "his baptized father and baptized mother" belong to the
Church. Pay attention, the Church is in dire need of a "mini-bus"
(mini-van) to help transport people to Church and we are on a "mission" to
see that this dream comes true!! Please pray how you can help. It was a
very emotional day, one that we will never forget.
On a side note, the children do go to school in the village through fourth
grade and attend high school in Biržai. They do receive a vocational
education in high school. Obviously, most of the children do not go on to
the University because of cost and other factors. However, five students
from the surrounding villages have attended the University. They are very
proud that the Church has been able to assist them (with funds from Sweden
and North Carolina). Pastor is trying to get a scholarship fund started.
It's getting late and we have a busy day tomorrow. One last thing: Ben
and Broderick were interviewed by the local press today, who asked a lot
of questions about what we're doing in Biržai, what's going on at the
church, and what the plans are for the long term. The article should be
published soon!
Love from Team One and Team Two,
Ben, Broderick, Matt, Joe, Holly, Nancy, Betty, Daniel, Joseph, and Jeb.