Cathartic Writing.

 This past week was a test. A test of strength, and endurance. Shortly after the RA's arrived we jumped right into training. I think the RA's and I can agree that we are TIRED. This week was so full of fun, mixed in with training, and activities. Every night I collapsed into bed still thinking of what I had left to do.

I often find that when life gets stressful other hard things start to show up as well. I don't know if its just bad timing, or emotions due to lack of sleep, but when it rains it pours, and this just happened to be one of those weeks. Checking in new students is always an exciting but stressful time. Conflicts are always bound to arise, There were many times last year as an RD at Point Loma where I felt the way I am feeling now, I think it is just amplified since I am in an unfamiliar place, with all new people. Any good change comes with some growing pains.

When preparing to come to Lithuania I just kept focusing on the good things, the enjoyment I would find in my job as an RD, the people I would meet, and the new places I would see. I am now realizing that I never took a moment to realize the trials that would take place in everyday life. These things can't really be avoided so why worry about them in advance right? Anyway...please say a prayer for me that I will be able to handle all obstacles that have been, and will be thrown at me, with grace.

The RA's have digested so much information this week and I am confident that they are completely ready for this school year to kick off! On Monday after classes all of LCC and Klaipeda University which is down the street, will dress in national costume, carry flags of
different lands, and march as a whole into the city center of Klaipeda to show unity and pride! Once we get there a great concert and celebration will take place! The Student Life team already has a few fun student body events planned for the first weeks of school and I am so excited to attend and have the time to meet more students.

I have planned an open house night in my apartment for all 140 students in my dorm! It will be the week after the first week of classes, to allow students to settle in first. I called it "Cocoa at Kelsey's" and it will be a time for students to stop by, see where I live in case they ever need anything or just want to get to know me better, and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and some board games. I am praying over this event to be a good time of seeing new faces. I plan to have this event once a month :)

I have also been feeling God tugging at my heart to start a small women's bible study in my apartment. I have been praying and thinking about the girls to invite and I already have a great bunch. I am hoping this will be a time on intense fellowship amidst a busy school year.

There are a few things on the forefront of my mind right now in the stress category and I wanted to find a safe place to share those with my friends and supporters. I have been adjusting to my new income and trying my best to create a smaller budget for life. I am learning to meal plan, shop for produce that is in season, and to eat what I have left in the fridge, even if its not exactly what I wanted for dinner that night. I am grateful to learn these lessons, and to grow through this process. 

Recently a few expenses have come up that I was not expecting. I bought a great used bike at the market which would be my main form of transportation, but found out I need to have the tires replaced and it is going to cost about $50 which is a big chunk out of my grocery money. I know that many of the people that read this blog have already financially supported me and I am so grateful for that. I am hoping that maybe this could be an opportunity for someone who hasn't given financially to support me in a very tangible way. This would be such a wonderful investment in my time here in Lithuania since bike is the best and cheapest way to get around town. Please let me know if you are interested in helping me with this expense, thank you. 

kelsey.c.bergstrom@gmail.com

Since the last week has been a lot of indoor training I don't have that many pictures to share this week. The faculty did have an off campus retreat on a boat on Monday though! We took a three hour cruise in the Baltic sea and it was beautiful!

Scavenger Hunt!

  My RA's have finally arrived and before we all know it students will be moved in, and classes will have started! My first few days with the RA's have been amazing! I am blown away by the diversity of this group, and comforted by our many similarities at the same time :) 

Our first day of training ended with a CITY WIDE scavenger hunt for different place and items around town. We had such a good time running around Klaipeda together. Here are just a few of the pictures we got from that event.

Take a picture with the most LCC students you can  find.

Take a picture with the smallest dog.

This is Lasma, Ina, Elona, and Ugis :)

A famous statue in town.

We later found that this statue wasn't on the list!

The Post Office.

One land, one people, one Lithuania monument.

The river that runs through Old Town. 

The outdoor market place. 

This is a photo I took just the other day, the clouds are amazing here. They are such a heavenly reminder of how vast and large and beautiful and powerful the God we serve is. I am in a season of looking for those reminders daily. I have been here almost a full month now I am I ever so slightly starting to miss some of the people and things back home. I would love prayers for strength and purpose as I unwrap the beautiful purpose, and gift that God has for me here.

Storms.

     You are my everything and I will adore you. These are words that I am holding very tightly to these days. In my daily devotional today I was reminded that we all serve the same God, read the same bible, and try to practice the same disciplines all over the world. Time zone, language,  and ethnicity,  do not change the words of our Lord, or how much He loves us. I try to take this phrase with me everywhere. In my daily work activities, in my conversations with people, and in my time spent alone. He is my everything and all I want to do is worship Him.  

I have been here for more than two weeks now and I am learning more everyday! This week we started RD training and next week we will go over RA training. My RA's arrive on the 21st so I ask that you please say a prayer for their individual travels and journeys and for us as a team once we all come together. I am eagerly anticipating their arrival. Training and learning how to do this work is so important but the real job starts when the students arrive! 

RD training so interesting! It really reminded me how much I love working in student development. After a week of training we ended our time together with a picnic at the local botanical gardens. This place was a dream! So much beautiful nature everywhere I looked. 

I have been riding my bike a bit but I think I need to get some new tires so I will be looking into that this week. A new friend on campus had a birthday party this week as well, we went to a beautiful park in old town and had a picnic. Everyone I meet here is so inspiring and compassionate. I love that most people I encounter also speak a few other languages and have traveled in order to be at LCC. It is comforting to know that we all made a journey to come to this place and over the next year we will get to do some life together. 

Yesterday I saw more of Klaipeda than I had previously explored. My friend Alisha and I went to a farmers market, some thrift stores, and then she took me to a shopping mall called Akropolis. It was huge and overwhelming, but so fun at the same time. I am in the market for a winter coat and I always need shopping advice since I have never had to purchase one of those before! 

Speaking of weather, we have been having quite a few lightening storms the past few days. I have been observing the weather and it amazes me. Coming from a place that doesn't have much weather at all, my eyes have been opened to the power of the Lord. I once had a conversation with a friend about the fearing the Lord, knowing that He is all powerful. He was explaining to me that it is a good thing to realize who He is, and how much power He truly possesses. Last night when the rain was coming down hard, and the wind was blowing it across the streets in waves I began to realize that power. Yes, He is my father and will protect me, but I am so thankful that I know Him, because if I didn't, I might be caught in the the of turmoil I saw out my window. I can only imagine that people who don't know Him are exposed the harshness of our world with no protection, and no one to turn to. This experience has left me grateful, and in a time of prayer. 

Thank you again for all of your support and prayers. I have loved receiving texts and FaceTime calls from so many friends and family in this time on transition. 

Klaipeda's botanical gardens

Here are some shots from Old Town by the river. The clouds were just so beautiful that night. They pull my mind right out of worldly thoughts, and straight into heavenly ones. 

HBH

This past Sunday the Student Life team went on a mission to find some bikes to buy and we ended up in this forest looking at sculpture! 

We started the morning at a few different markets which are like swap meets/ yard sales where we did eventually find some used bikes to buy! After we got the bikes home we decided to go have a little adventure so we went to HBH. I wouldn't even know what to call this place. It is like an amusement park in the woods. Its located in Palanga, the next city over from Klaipeda. You walk in and there are vendors, restaurants, playgrounds, and a basketball court. Then you continue towards the woods are there is a large permanent petting zoo with SO many goats among other animals just walking around waiting for you to feed/pet them. Within the forest there is also a high ropes course, a blob/trampoline area (pictured below), a kids train, archery, a sculpture walk and so much more! There was a little  something for everyone.

                                           

I finally got my bike! I am so excited to have a good means of transportation. This was one of the more unique style bikes out there but I think it fits me pretty well :)

Here is the community garden! I water these veggies and herbs every morning and when the students come back to school for the fall they will play a big part in taking care of this space. 

Stories.

   I have had a complete week to settle in at this point. I am starting to feel like myself again, but a version of myself that's in a completely different place. I'm the same person, that is a daughter of the same King, but I have found myself needing to allow more grace into my life in this period of transition. This place is already starting to feel like home. Everyday I am taking in so much new information, I am looking forward to the day when something feels routine. 

The people and places are all so beautiful here. I can see the Joy of the Lord in everything. I am prayerfully awaiting the arrival of my RA team, as well as my residents for the next year. I am so excited for the lessons they will teach me and the wisdom we will gain together this year while pursuing the same God. Butterflies have always represented angels to me, and Lithuania is FULL of butterflies :) 

The people I have met so far have been asking me about my story. They do not only want to know where I came from and why/how I ended up at LCC. They also want to know about my college experience and major, where my talents lie, what my goals are for this year, and for the next few years! I have been honored to share my story with them, and even more blessed to hear a piece of theirs. I am looking forward to digging deeper into their stories this next year.

Tomorrow the group is going to a market where I will hopefully get to buy my bike! Next week will be full of RD training and bonding. I am in the midst of planning a session for RA training and would appreciate prayers for my topic and that it is useful, and applicable information for the RA's. I just started a new women's bible study online called "She Reads Truth" and I am so excited for the growth that this bible study will produce in me. 

Prayer for finances are always appreciated. I know that the initial spending amount of settling in, and buying a bike, phone card, bus card, groceries, etc. is more than I will be spending on a monthly average but I still need more faith that my finances will be ok and that I will get the support I need. Peace. 

The on campus community garden has been passed down to me by a faculty member that recently left. I have been watering it everyday and am excited to meet the students that will help me take care of it once the school year starts. I am also looking into helping out with a group of students that meet to create awareness on human trafficking on campus. There are so many parts of this campus that I want to be involved in!

Here are a few new picture of my last few days...

The LCC RD team for 2014-2015 

This is Daniel and Trajan

I got to opportunity to help with a promotional dorm room photo shoot

Walking around in Old Town Klaipeda

 Old Town Klaipeda

I woke up to a group of people making rafts and racing across the pond thats outside my window!

Baltic Sea Adventures

This week we went to the Baltic sea to cool down from the unusual heat. It was pretty close to school and a fun experience that reminded me a bit of San Diego. The water was icy but I'm told that's as warms as it will ever be! I also learned that in the winter there is a tradition of going into a sauna near the beach for a long as you can stand it and then running out across the snowy sand into the icy water and then back in the sauna...we will see if this is something I participate in! 

Here are some pictures of the school! And YES those clouds are real, God is an incredible artist! I got a tour the other day and was so impressed. We have one of the nicest auditoriums around, and one of the largest English libraries in the country! The lower picture is of Enns Hall the dorm I will be overseeing for the year! I will start my RD training this week and I am so excited to learn more about what it means to be an RD at LCC. 

Right now I am looking for an affordable bike to help me get around town easier so please keep that in your prayers, also our last RD arrives today so please keep him and the rest of the Student Life team in your prayers as we begin training and learn how to best serve each other. I am feeling so much more settled than the first few days of jet lag and it is only day 4 in country! Thank you for all of your prayer and support so far, I can truly feel the peace that God is sharing with me. 

Harry Potter and Deviled Eggs.

Touch down! I arrived in Klaipeda, Lithuania yesterday and am already feeling at home. I spent the day unpacking my apartment and settling in and today I ventured out into the city with some friends to a farmers market, grocery store, and thrift store. I have already picked up a few necessary Lithuanian words and hope to learn more very soon. The weather is very hot which I hear is unusual but my apartment is full of big windows that supply me a breeze and beautiful views.

Thank you to all who sent me encouragements and prayers during my travels. I felt so loved and cared for. I have already met a few LCC students and have been amazed at our conversations and how much these student love Jesus. I definitely feel like I am in the right place :) Tomorrow we will check out the beach which is just a quick walk away from campus.

Everything is so beautiful and green. The city center is full of interesting shops and people and the old town section has cobblestone roads and a river that runs through. Since I have been here I have been craving some Harry Potter which I have watched during my jet lag hours and deviled eggs which I am in the process of making right now! These small comfort items make the large adjustment of moving to another country a little bit easier. Here are some of the pictures I have so far.

The pond outside my apartment window

My Lithuanian cheat sheet

Farmers market fresh honey!

The swans and ducks at the pond