The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

  Happy 2015! 

    This holiday season was just as crazy, exciting, and celebratory as any other. Now that I am back from my Christmas, and New Years travels, things are finally starting to slow down, just in time to start up again. But unlike in the past I have approach this last month with a method of Sabbath, of slowing down even in the busiest moments of life. I have found time to spend with God, by myself, and with good friends. I have made time for the things, and people the give me life, and joy. I have thanked God for another year of life and spent time praying and dreaming of the year to come.

There are so many pictures and moments to share from the last month. Here at LCC we finished up finals week, threw several Christmas parties, closed down the residence halls, and then reopened them for Christmas housing, and managed student storage. I gave and received end of the semester work evaluations, had my final student meetings of the year, finished up some office work, and then was officially on Christmas break, starting Christmas Eve! One of my best friends from college who is now living in England came to visit me for a few days and together we traveled to Dortmund, Germany for Christmas, and Amsterdam for New Years where we met two other friends from California!

The trip was a beautiful mix of rest, discovery, growth, and reunion. It was an amazing privilege to see good friends, to catch up, and observe how we have all grown in these six short months apart. Dortmund had an incredible Christmas Market, and the "Largest Christmas Tree in the World." Amsterdam was the best place to be for New Years, I have never experienced such an intense celebration.

The past few months God has been revealing His power to me in different ways. I started reading a book called "Ex-Muslim" during my travels and stumbled upon a section that perfectly phrased what I have been learning.

"God's heart is set on pursing us- people from every nation on earth. It always has been and always will be. And He will use whatever is necessary to seek and find us. "

There are people, and circumstances in my life that worry me because they are not in line with the will of Jesus. My own actions and decisions fall into this category as well, more than I would like to admit. When I find myself troubled or unsure I am reminded by God's gentle voice that He is COMPLETELY POWERFUL. When He wants us to follow Him, do His work, step out in faith for Him, run back to Him, He will make it happen. I am learning to give all the responsibility to Him and take it off of my shoulders. He has a plan that I do not need to see right now. I just need to increase my trust and remember that He is in control, He is our SOVEREIGN GOD.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and that we can enter this new year even more in tune with the calls the Lord has on our lives.

The RA Christmas party was at my house this year, we decorated cookies and reminisced about our favorite Christmas memories. 

Congratulating a good friend at LCC's December Graduation. 

Downtown Klaipeda Christmas market, we found Santa!

Student Life Christmas Party

My sweet friend Amanda who is back in California to finish up college before she comes back to me for Grad School!

Emi and I had our own little Christmas together :)

Dortmund,Germany

We got to FaceTime our other third form Germany :)

The World's Tallest Christmas Tree!

Exploring Museums 

 Christmas Market

Amsterdam,Netherlands

  We found Jules!

We found Marsh!

Three friends trying to read a map

 Windmill park

 View from the inside of the saw mill

My favorite kind of slumber party

Things got weird.

New Years!

 This was the wallpaper of the room I was staying in...how could I resist?

Mug and Muffin.

       Two more weeks until Christmas Break! There are SO many things going on at LCC right now, it's almost hard to keep up! We had a Thanksgiving dinner, decorated the campus for Christmas, had an Albanian, and Moldovan Independence day celebration, a Faculty Christmas Event, many ResLife events, and now we are looking into finals week, and closing down the dorms! I am trying my best to find good Sabbath rest everyday. 

This past weekend I had the privilege of organizing and facilitating a women's events called Mug and Muffin. This was a morning where all of the LCC women could come together to learn about Gratitude. We had over 400 muffins donated and about 200 women in attendance! Events like this are so close to my heart. Creating space for women to learn, and journey together is so valuable in this Christian life. I am looking forward to planning more events like this one in the future. 

This was the Mug and Muffin invite we sent out to all the women of LCC!

 These were our speakers at Mug and Muffin, Betsy, Sanna and their daughters :)

 Gratitude has been on my mind all semester long and getting to hear from women I respect about how they find gratitude in their own lives was so powerful. I was reminded that gratitude is impossible to find when I am living in the future. In order to truly show gratitude, and have a grateful heart I need to focus on the present moments. My circumstances do not matter as much as my desire to serve the Lord does. I am in a place of constant growth, and learning. It is full of growing pains, and every once in a while beautiful blooms.

Here I am introducing the event, and our speakers!

 The pond outside my window froze this week!

Local school kids, and a few of our students playing on the pond.

 I am in the gift giving spirit! I am grateful that my financial situation has allowed me to be extra creative this year. I gave all homemade gifts and cards! I had so much more fun creating these than I would have if I had just bought them from the store :)

My RA team and I after decorating the dorm for Christmas!

The work that I am getting to take part in here at LCC is a complete gift. My passion for working with college students, for ministering to their needs in these pivotal college years, to creating safe places for them to learn and grow, and for listening and mentoring others is shining through. I feel great purpose here. I am working hard to incorporate myself into this city, and this culture. My Lithuanian language is coming along slowly, but surly. Please continue to keep me, my students, and this University in your prayers. 

I am looking forward to Christmas break, to rest, and for time with good friends in new beautiful places. I will be traveling to Germany for Christmas, and Amsterdam for New Years with friends from college that are coming so far to spend the holidays with me, what a blessing!