Fall Break is here!

Labas everyone! 

     I have so many exciting things to share with you all! October has been packed full of events and great opportunities for me to get to know my students a little better. Today is the first day of our Fall Break which will last through the end of the month. I will be leaving on a trip tomorrow to fully utilize the down time. The last two weeks were full of midterms and large papers for the students of LCC. Tension could be felt in the air. Although these times are hard on everyone including staff and faculty beautiful moments can be seen when we show care for one another in times of stress. I witnessed so many lovely and selfless acts that left me with great appreciation for this campus and the students that I work alongside everyday!

       Currently I have completed my first Grad School class so a big praise for that! I absolutely LOVE what I am studying. I have received wonderful confirmation from above that Student Development is the field for me. I feel so honored to be able to study and enhance my knowledge. This program allows me to do my job better everyday. 

     Another praise...The Lord provided the funds for me to completely pay off my medical bills from this summer!!!!!!! This was a process that I thought would take me at least four months of saving. I was worried about this credit card debt and didn't know how I was going to handle the situation. I ran to the Lord in prayer and He provided a way through some pretty amazing people and avenues! God put my need on several people's hearts and they came to ME asking if I was in need of more funds!!! That's insane! He is so powerful, prayers go up and blessings come down :) 

      The first gathering pictured here is my Resident Director Open House event. This semester I am hosting four open house events in my apartment, one for each floor of my residence hall. Students are welcome to come by for snacks, tea, a break from studies, and some good conversation. I host these events in order to connect with students I would otherwise not run into on a daily basis. I always love the conversations I have at these events. I have found that this is one of the best ways to make myself available, approachable, and known by my students. 

      In Lithuania there is a store called Promo which is the closest thing to a Costco I have seen in Eastern Europe. They too have a walk in freezer section but the added bonus (that Costco lacks) are the provided insulated vests they offer so you don't freeze while shopping!

      During Midterms week I wanted to give my team a chance to sit and create. After so many hours of studying, spending some time using a different part of the brain can be refreshing so we personalized our RA binders together and listened to some fun music before we jumped into the business part of our RA meeting. 

Group picture with our President Marlene :)

      This is my roommate Amanda and I in a party bus! Last weekend our school gym was rented out for a wedding expo and they were offering tours of this party bus outside so we took advantage! 

        Every time there is a testing week on campus the Resident Directors of LCC plan a Study Break event. This is a time where all of the on campus students of LCC take a break from their notes and come down to the lobby to get a cup of tea or coffee, play a few board games with friends, and then get back to their studies. The RD's serve the coffee and the students are always so appreciative and grateful for this tradition. 

This next group of pictures is from our RA retreat!!! Every semester we take our RA's on an off-campus retreat to bond and grow as a team. This semester we decided to go indoor rock climbing followed by making dinner at LCC President Marlene Walls beautiful apartment! We had a great day together. 

Waiting for the bus 

Janis (Yanis), Elvis, Liza, and Anna

 Group shot with our President Marlene :)

      Thats all for now! Please keep my travels this Fall Break in your prayers. I am praying that this time will be restorative for me so I can come back to campus ready to continue serving. The Saddleback Church sermon viewing group has taken a two week break due to Fall Break but I plan to start up again once we are all back on campus. Please keep with group in your prayers as well, I could use guidance from the Lord as I lead this group. I have a very important doctors appointment in the morning that I have been waiting a month for, I would love prayer for that appointment and that the doctors here in Lithuania can follow up with what my doctors in the states were thinking as well. Thank you all for your support and love. Your messages and emails mean the world to me. Please know that whenever you make a donation or send me a reminder that you are praying for me you make my day. Every time I receive encouragement like this it is exactly what I need to keep going, you supporters propel me daily and I rely on you heavily. Love to you all :)

He is GOOD.

         God has been so close to me lately and I am learning a lot. My first lesson was on answered prayer, a beautiful theme that continues to occur in my life. Prayer is so powerful and if we commit to spending daily time with our Father He WILL hear us and respond! I received another generous financial donation to go towards my medical bill debt this week from a professor here at LCC, someone who is also on missionary support! That is an example of a faithful servant! When I got the news I didn't freak out like I normally do, but instead sat in joyful acceptance. I actually felt a bit guilty later that I didn't get emotional or frantic about it, but then I realized that my peaceful reaction was appropriate. God has given me no reason to distrust Him and when he answers my prayers its ok to not be completely shocked, because that is what He does! I like that I have gotten to this level of trust, and that I can peacefully wait upon the Lord to send me the help I need. He has heard my prayers and increased my trust! I worry less, and trust in Him more. 

         Tonight at the Saddleback sermon showing I got to pass out the Purpose Driven Life books that were donated to our group! It was like Christmas morning, the students were so happy to receive them! I can't wait to start having meaningful conversations about the book soon :) Kale, another Resident Director here at LCC was able to play some live worship for us tonight. Hearing a group of voices worshipping together is often better than a big musical production, it was so nice to have that opportunity. Please keep praying for the student attending this gathering and the ones we need to reach out to still. I always leave these times so filled and I hope everyone else feels the same. 

        Updates: This past week was a big one fore my grad school class, I am planning to turn in a large project, and a few other homework assignments this weekend and I am praising God for allowing me good time this past week to get all of my work done! I am thoroughly enjoying this program and am so grateful to be a part of it. I am also in the midst of applying for an internship for Student Development Graduate students that will take place this July in Switzerland at Franklin University. Please keep me in your prayers as I go through the application process, this would be an exciting and educational opportunity for me! I am working to get my health insurance set up here in Lithuania and it is taking a little longer than expected. I need to get to the doctors as soon as possible to keep up with my medication so please pray that everything will fall into place next week and I will be able to get an appointment. 

      Thank you all for your continued support, encouragement, and prayers! I would love to be keeping each of you in prayer as well. Please feel free to send me individual prayer requests anytime. You can reach me on Facebook or email Kbergstrom@lcc.lt. Have a wonderful week!

Answered Prayers

     I shared this story with a few people today and I thought it could encourage all of you as well. In a moment of vulnerability I would confess that I am a worrier. It it something that I have been working on correcting this year. When things get overwhelming I snap into worry mode much quicker than I run into prayer posture. God always provides, so why do I worry? I am sure HE is asking the same question of me. I have prayed for help in this area of my life. I often ask God to help me practice my faith, and trust in Him in all things. 
  
    Since I have gotten back from the states I have had a large sum of credit card debt from the doctors appointments I needed while at home. Going to the doctors was the right thing, I discovered what has been going on with my health for a long time and I am so grateful for answers. The hard part is being left with medical bills, and having a hard time seeing when they will finally get paid off. Having debt is something that really bothers me, and causes me to worry. In my daily work there is no option to work harder, or pick up and extra shift for more income, I simply have to wait on the Lord. This is one of the blessings/curses of living on financial support. God has me in the perfect place to grow my trust in Him because EVERY aspect of my life depends on Him right now, and I know that I couldn't say that honestly if I were living in California in my comfort zone. I am grateful for my circumstances, even in hard times. I was praying about these bills last night after trying to deal with my online banking customer service, and asked a few friends to pray before I went to bed. 

In the morning I woke up to a text from my friend and monthly supporter Andrew asking me if I was in need of more funds this month. He had some extra funds become available and he said he felt that he should ask me if I was in need. 

I literally woke up to an answered prayer and the first words out of my mouth today were, "No way!"

    I told Andrew my situation, and this amazingly timed miracle and he graciously said he would be happy to help me out in my need! I shared this story with my family, and my bible study today because everyone needs to be reminded of God's faithfulness. If you have been praying for something in particular keep at it, don't loose hope because God will always take care of those who love Him, and do His will. 

    Another friend texted me today with a praise report for an answered prayer about Med School. God is at work, He is moving, and He is hearing us. In a world that offers so much pain and crisis, lets share these testimonies of God's faithfulness with one another and encourage each other to keep trusting, keep believing, and keep fighting for good. 

1st Year Memories.

     Over the summer I got the chance to see so many loved ones. I had only one month to catch up on a year of life, so I made a slideshow of all the fun memories I have from my first year at LCC. Once I got back to Lithuania I realized that I didn't get to show this project to most of the people I met. We were too busy talking, and catching up for me to pull out my laptop. I wanted to post this here for those who are interested, but also for myself to look back on from time to time :) Enjoy!

1st Year at LCC

Building Community.

      Here at LCC we always kick off the year with Community Day, our big homecoming fair! This year we had lawn games, face painting, henna tattoo art, balloon animals, a photo booth, a candy guessing game, 5K Fun Run and a BBQ! We serve Lithuania style hotdogs to the entire campus, and end the evening with a cake walk for dessert, and some dancing that goes late into the night. 

    This event is a fan favorite, it is a unique time for students, staff, faculty, and their families to come and spend the evening together. This year my team was in charge of the 5K, we mapped out a scenic route to a river near campus and back, and awarded prizes for the first few people across the finish line. Inside, and especially outside of the classroom we try our best to encourage our students to be aware of their surroundings, and live a healthy lifestyle. Doing homework, and getting good grades are important, but we also want to encourage a balanced and well-round life here at LCC. 

   
      Speaking of extracurricular activities, this Saturday was our second Saddleback Sermon showing! I'd been looking forward it all week after many friends back home told me how great the sermon was. Since we are watching the sermons one week behind the series (due to the time change) I receive great feedback and advice from loved ones at home, that pre-screen each week for us. This weeks talk focused strongly on hope, and the Purpose Driven Life book written by Saddleback's pastor Rick Warren. The movie "Captive" (that will be released on September 18th) is based on a story of healing that has come from this book, and Rick took time to interview one of the lead actors for his congregation. 15 people were able to join us last night to watch this sermon and learn about what it means to have hope in God's plan. 

      Last week one of my generous donors that attends Saddleback Church decided to donate 10 copies of Purpose Driven Life for my group to have, and share! I told them the good news last night and there was so much excitement in the air. I was even asked if perhaps we could find another donation to buy a couple copies of Purpose Driven Life in Russian, and Lithuania over here. If you are willing and able to help provide the funds for me to go out and buy copies in many of the students native language please email me! Kbergstrom@Lcc.Lt

     Getting to show these sermons is such an honor for me. I can't stop praising God for giving this gift, and opportunity to me. I have faith that this is going to become a day of the week that I always look forward to. It's so good to see some of the same people every week, mixed in with a few new faces. I trust Saddleback to always deliver a compelling sermon, and I thank them for making it so easy for me to share the Good News with the students of LCC. Please keep our group in your prayers this week as we prepare to meet again next Saturday night. 

This week I was able to print out the sermon notes for each student, which helps many to follow along and have something to look back on throughout the week. I also bought some refreshments for the group, we had tea, apple slices, and cookies to share before, and during the service. If you are interested in supporting the hospitality area of this group and donating funds to help me continually provide refreshments please let me know, I would love to talk with you about how best to make that happen! 

    On a personal note I was recently asked to join a women's bible study that meets on campus, and I can already tell that it is going to be a consistent blessing in my week. I have been looking for a group that I could join, rather than lead. It feels so good to spend an evening asking myself tough questions, taking a introspective look at my life, and spending quality time with Godly women. I am grateful for this opportunity and praising God for hearing my prayers. I'm heading into the 4th week of my grad school class, please keep this in your prayers, as I navigate how best to work, and study at the same time :) I love you all, thank you for supporting me here in Lithuania. 

Assembly Line for the Hot Dogs

 Henna Tattoo Art station

 Lithuanian Style BBQ

My RA Liza and I announcing the winners of the 5K run

Tug of War!

A few members of our Moose Basketball team

 The 5K Fun Run!

Saddleback Sermon Group!