Farmer Boy 5K Fundraiser coming up July 24

Who?

YOU and anyone else you can get to come along.

What?

The FARMER BOY 5K FUNDRAISER

When?

Saturday, 24 July 2010

10-10:30 am – Registration

11:00 am – Official Race Start

Where?

Rod’s Berry Farm

How much?

We are still raising funds for our work and ministry at LCC International University (www.lcc.lt), so we ask that you consider making a free-will donation instead of paying the usual flat-rate race fee.

How?

You can race any way you want. This includes running, walking, biking, skipping, crab-walking and even sitting. You are invited to join us whether or not you want to race.

Sign up for the FARMER BOY 5K FUNDRAISER by replying to johnstrandband@gmail.com with the number of participants by Thursday, 22 July 2010.

Yard games & lunch will take place on the lawn at the completion of the race. Burgers and hotdogs will be provided. Please bring a dish to share.

Hang out as long as you can. This event will serve as the send-off for our 2^nd year in Lithuania (as we plan to fly out of Minneapolis on the 27^th of July).

We hope to see you there!

Becky & Erik

more Elmstrand's in Lithuania

Somehow almost a month has come and gone since we waved good-bye to my parents and brother, Paul, and sent them off on the early morning train out of Klaipeda...and I am ashamed to admit that I haven't shared anything about their 2-week visit to Lithuania with you. Erik and I feel extremely blessed to have had the 2 communities we come from and are a part of meet together in one place.

"Thank you mom, dad & Paul, for each of you jumping into life at LCC with both feet. We are so grateful. Our visit at home this summer will be richer because you were able to experience the people and places that make up our life here. Thank you for bringing your love and support across the world."

While my family was here, we did just about everything but sit down. This included meeting & talking to LCC students, attending campus events, going to classes with Erik, watching the Inauguration of LCC's new President, getting our hands dirty at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new residence hall, getting cepiliniai-making lessons from Vaida, participating in a Seder Meal with some of our friends, visiting the public sauna followed by a cold dip in the Baltic Sea, taking an international road trip to Latvia & Estonia for Easter weekend and hopefully drinking & eating plenty of European cappuccinos & pastries to make the visit worthwhile. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words...and for that I am thankful. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

our town

Today is one of those days, upon getting to the end of it, that I realize my life is actually here in Lithuania. That Klaipeda isn't a city in Eastern Europe I am merely exploring and experiencing, but it is our home. It is our town. We belong here. Well, it is about time - it has been growing on us for 8 months now. There used to be a day when that amount of time in one location was long enough for Erik and I to decide it was time to move to another state. It makes me ask, "What makes a place become Home for the wildly wandering tumbleweed that I am?"

3 things come to mind:

one-usual places,

two-neighbors, and

three-baking.

Usual Places

And by places, I mean shopping. The Old Town market, the bandele bakery, and all of the little shops between Old Town and campus in which I stop to buy my multiple odd grocery list items of toilet paper, olive oil and red pepper flakes are now the norm. I really am dreading the day I must attempt to step back into Super Target and try to find toothpaste on aisle D46, remembering that I must make a decision about what kind of toothpaste I want to buy. No thanks. I have found that this kind of shopping is much more my style. I have 3 or 4 choices in Lithuania and I have reached the point of knowing where and how to find/ask for our typical necessities. It wasn't this easy back in August, but I realized on my walk home from the market today loaded with potatoes, onions and eggs how far I have come. I was even able to recognize a lot of the faces selling their wares from my early adventures at the market last fall. Much to my surprise, I bought my 2 kilos of potatoes from my favorite maintenance man at LCC. It's nice getting used to usual places and usual faces.

Neighbors

Of course we have had neighbors all along. We live in a dormitory with 200 college students running around on the floors above us. We go to bed after midnight on weekends to the sound of high heels click-clacking all the way down the hall on their way out the door on the other side of our wall. I am talking about the kind of friends in the community whose door you can knock on without calling ahead. Alene & Carrie have grown to be those sort of friends for me this semester. I am thankful for times of being out and about in town and being able to stop in to drop something off, say hello, or just use the bathroom since public restrooms in town are so hard to come by. The timing of finding neighbors seems to be ordained as well. At the same time that I realized my deep need for female friendships outside of work, my interactions with these ladies happened more frequently. Gotta love how that works out. I am thankful for my chance to drop off produce from the market at Alene's this afternoon and the impromptu cup of tea we were able to share together, in spite of her being too sick to feel like leaving the house today. Now that's a sign of a good neighbor.

Baking

Lastly, I know I have settled into a place when I have started to bake. Baking is probably one of my favorite therapeutic practices; though I must admit it comes after cleaning for me. When all is chaotic in my world, I start to clean. If life is busy, but I am getting into some sort of groove, I begin to bake. Cookies, apple crisps, granola, scones, cinnamon rolls & bread to name them all. My repertoire has been limited since living in Lithuania due to difficulties in finding the same ingredients, but I still enjoy being in the practice of baking here. I am attracted to baking bread because of the intensive labor of love that it requires. I love how hands-on it is and how accomplished I feel when I see the golden loaves on the cooling rack and have the aroma of homemade bread swirling around our cozy apartment. Before I go, I should also mention here that having a love for baking does not necessarily mean that I am a good baker. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. There were quite a few times this semester that my initial attempts to make whole-wheat bread turned out super-dense, wheat bricks that we choked down only out of principle.

Surprising as it sounds, Kretingos g. 36, LT-92307 in Klaipeda, Lietuva has become home for us. It doesn't mean that we don't miss people and places back home terribly, but this feeling is something new for us Johnstrand's. I might even go so far as to say that maybe familiarity, routine & commitment aren't so bad after all.*

*Don't hold me to that. :)

So what makes a home a Home?

I would say a walk to the Market,

a cup of Tea, & homemade Bread.

a spring break lesson

I'm the RD On Duty for spring break this year, so that means Erik and I must limit our exploring to within Klaipeda's city limits. I am not complaining though, as it feels like we need a break from the consistent pace of school and a reason to take time for the less commonly visited places around us here. Thus far into the week has been a lot of soaking up time together inside our apartment with carefully budgeted trips out and about happening here and there.

I thought I should fill you in on the Lithuanian holidays that are happening this week. They are the kind of holidays that feel like Groundhog's Day does back home (Who celebrates Groundhog's Day in the United States besides AmySue and me?), but people actually get a day off work for these ones. I suppose they are actually more similar to our President's Day weekend. All that to say, I have been doing some of my own research to try and understand the holidays observed around here and so it seems appropriate to give you the scoop as well.

+St. Casimir's Day+

St. Casimir was a Prince of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania who became a patron saint of Lithuania, Poland, and the young. "Little Casimir's" Fair (or Kaziuko mugė if you want to say it in Lithuanian) is held in cities in Lithuania on the Sunday nearest to the anniversary of his death, March 4. Some helpful info from Wikipedia I inserted below explains what Erik and I discovered in the theater square downtown this weekend. It's the closest thing to the MN State Fair we have experienced since being here. Definitely worth checking it out. Erik and I tasted hot beer and waffle cakes, bought the most creative palm fronds I have ever seen, and then wished we could buy heart-shaped honey cookies for all of our friends who had to remain at home. It was a joyful celebration of everything truly Lithuanian.

Kaziuko mugė

• The arts and crafts at the fair include hand-made goods from local craftsmen, such as apparel, knitted clothes, footwear, toys, utensils, metal crafts, souvenirs, and paintings. Foodstuffs like rye bread, bagels, honey cookies, meat and diary products, natural honey, beer, and gira are sold as well.

• "Palm" bouquets (called "verbos", hence Verbų sekmadienis) are one of the fair's specialties. Made of colorful dried flowers and herbs, they are taken to churches on Palm Sunday. The shape of the "palms" resembles a lily, a flower which St. Casimir is traditionally associated with.

• Another popular product at the fair is the "muginukas", an often heart-shaped honey cookie, decorated with colored sugar flowers, zig-zags, dots, and birds. Popular men's and women's names are written on the cookies. People buy them to give to their loved ones. It is a customary tradition to bring back some cookies for anyone who had to remain at home.

+International Woman's Day+

Yesterday, March 8, was a major day of global celebration of women, but it wasn't until I moved to Lithuania that I witnessed its observance in any form. I was informed by students at LCC that Woman's Day is an old Soviet holiday that they have grown up celebrating in many of the countries previously occupied by Russia. I was also told that the usual custom is for men to give the women in their lives - mothers, wives, daughters, colleagues, etc - flowers and other small gifts. It all became more clear when Erik and I finally understood what an older gentlemen at the bus stop was trying to communicate to us through a mixture of Lithuanian/English & sherades - he wanted to make sure that Erik intended to give me a flower in honor of Women's Day. Now that I think about it, I don't know if I ever did receive that flower in honor of Women's Day. :) I did notice that there were a number of public events advertised this last week to promote awareness of women's topics. Once again, a quick search in Wikipedia enlightened me on the history of this holiday's beginning and the various ways it continues to be celebrated in different places today.

• Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the formerSoviet bloc. In many regions, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the original political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

• On May 8, 1965 by the decree of the USSR Presidium of the Supreme Soviet International Women's Day was declared as a non working day in the USSR "in commemoration of the outstanding merits of Soviet women in communistic construction, in the defense of their Fatherland during the Great Patriotic War, in their heroism and selflessness at the front and in the rear, and also marking the great contribution of women to strengthening friendship between peoples, and the struggle for peace. But still, women's day must be celebrated as are other holidays."

That's enough of a cultural lesson for now. To be continued...coming up this week on March 11 is Lithuania's Restoration of Independence Day. More about that next time.

a Holy communing

Mug 'n Muffin arrived at LCC this weekend. Just in time for the ladies here on campus, or so it seemed. It was an idea that came to mind sometime for me last fall, briefly shared with some fellow gals on our Student Life team and then brought back up in our conversations at the start of the new semester in January. Mug 'n Muffin refers to an event just for ladies that started back when I was an RA at Northwestern College. It occurred on a couple of Saturday mornings during the semester and almost guaranteed feminine bonding, all scripted to happen as sleepy female students wearing slippers listened to wise older women share their life stories openly and honestly while sipping homemade mochas from their mugs topped with extra whipped cream. It was an intentional way for women to pass down wisdom to those of us in the next season of life. As a student, I absolutely loved it. My adoration of stories has only continued to grow since then.

I observed early on in my arrival to LCC International University that there is a large female presence on campus...and later found that over 60% of the student body are women. Thus, the ladies have a strong voice in the classroom and are generally the leaders in extra-curricular activities on campus. I started to think, What better way to treat the hard-working ladies of LCC than to their very own Mug 'n Muffin? So, there you have it. I gathered 4 other staff that are about my age, organized a few meetings, shared my vision of what I thought a Mug 'n Muffin could look here, and poof! our very first Mug 'n Muffin appeared this last weekend.

390 handmade invites were sent out to every female student beforehand and about 35 RSVPs were returned. I was impressed by the turn-out as it was a non-traditional way to advertise for events around here. The typical approach is to send out as many emails and hang up as many posters as possible in order to lure in all sorts of unsuspecting attenders. My desire was to create a meaningful time for the women on campus that were wanting to be present. The only problem was that students didn't have any idea how to know whether or not they wanted to be at this women's gathering that invited them to wear their slippers, bring their own mugs and show up with a smile at the early hour of 11 o'clock on a Saturday morning. All questions were supposed to be directed to bjohnson@lcc.lt. No questions appeared.

We were overwhelmed by the crowd that filled the 6th floor hall kitchen on Saturday. The only delay we were experiencing in our preparations was that the homemade chai tea recipe was taking longer than anticipated. Otherwise, the couches were arranged, the coffee was steeped, and the muffin platters were stacked. We watched as ladies continued to file in through the door, taking time to put on a name tag and fill their mugs with their own delicious hot beverage creations - complete with whipped cream & cinnamon-sugar sprinkles. There were almost 65 women in total once we had a chance to count them all. I was even more impressed by the eager spirit I was sensing from this room full of ladies that I hadn't felt at LCC before now. I started out by sharing my hopes for this time together as women and then introduced the 4 women from our community that had been invited to share that morning. Our topic to guide the sharing for our time together was on the different roles that women are able to play in the professional world & at home within the family, as well as all of the combinations of ways you can combine the two. We had women representing all seasons of life share pieces of their life story, including the joys and struggles and decisions along the way.

It was beautiful. The girls seemed to hang onto every word that was spoken. The openness and vulnerability was refreshing. There was lots of laughter and there were sometimes tears. The time for questions that followed lasted more than an hour. All of the questions we had prepared in case no one was asking questions were tossed aside... it seemed as if everyone in the room couldn't get enough of the realness being offered to them so graciously. I was in awe of the respect that filled the room. It truly felt like a Holy moment in which God was smiling upon us. This group of women were giving and receiving wisdom so naturally with one another, in spite of the fact that we were all coming from different backgrounds and beliefs. I am honored to be in a place where provision met a need so effortlessly. It's one of the more encouraging stories to share about being here and why I am grateful for the opportunity to serve. Thanks for celebrating with me.

Oh no...almost forgot about the birthday boy

I know I am a bit behind in recording the events of Erik's first birthday celebrated in Lithuania, but I am committed to sharing a few pictures from a really fun day of seeking to give thanks for Erik's presence in all of our lives. I think he truly enjoyed his day back on January 24th. Another reason to give thanks on that particular day was for our newest member of the family, Jaxton, who entered the world back home in Duluth, MN, the firstborn son to my cousin Heather & her husband, Jeff. We waited in anticipation as the delivery updates showed up in our inbox. Now I'll have to anticipate even longer as I wait to hold the little guy when we are home in a few months. Man, it is hard to be far away when so many family members and friends are growing large with pregnancy and giving birth without me there to share in the experience. I have to smile as I think about what my mom would say in response to my feelings. "Becky, you aren't the center of the universe. Life does happen whether you are there or not." Tis true. Still, I do miss being able to participate in the ways that I normally would.

January 24 fell on a Sunday this year. We woke up late and had the most delicious pancakes...a batch of chocolate chip pancakes delivered straight to our kitchen in a package sent by cousin Heather (the new mother!). We have not been successful in making fluffy pancakes since we arrived, so we fully appreciated the American baking staples of flour and chocolate chips. Next came the birthday gift. I gave Erik his first, authentic, sauna hat. Everyone here in Lithuania has a sauna hat. It is believed (and is most likely true) that a sauna hat prevents your head and hair from drying out during long sauna sessions. This sauna hat is the only one of its kind. Our good friend, Vaida, a local of Klaipeda, has a side business of selling her handmade felted sauna hats. She and I worked together to come up with the design for Erik's hat and then she introduced me to the steps involved in felting as I watched and participated in the creation of Erik's gift. It was incredible to watch her work. As you can see, a masterpiece was produced! She even embroidered his nickname, Ej, on the backside of the hat in Lithuanian letters. Pretty sweet.

Of course, the logical next phase of the birthday is to go try out the birthday gift. We wrangled up a crew of Erik's friends who were willing to brave the local public sauna I had heard about being located near the Sea, and we crossed over to the beaches on The Spit via a 15-minute ferry ride. The picture included below is not actually the boat that we were on, but one of the ships in the harbor we could see from the ferry. The high temperature that day was approximately -17 degrees Celcius, which is right around 0 degrees Fahrenheit for those of us still getting used to the Celsius scale.

We trekked the 1 km across to the white sandy beaches and discovered the public sauna. Sunday afternoons must be a favorite time for the locals to enjoy this national pastime as the sauna was pretty full. No one seemed to mind allowing our group of 10 additional people, who were obvious outsiders, to join in to the fun. This next picture is of Erik and I standing by the Sea before we all changed into our swimming suits in the busy waiting room, crowded into the hottest sauna I have ever been in, and then followed one another out into the cool, wintry air to dive under the icy waters of the Baltic Sea, shrieking loudly the entire way. (Okay, maybe the only one doing the loud shrieking was me.) We did it over and over again. Well, at least 3 times. What a rush. It was officially decided that this is one place in Lithuania we are definitely going to have to include in the tour we give to our visitors. So, hurry on over before the weather gets nicer. The cold, snowy days have been lingering around here since Christmas, while everyone around us here says this is very unusual weather for coastal Lithuania. I am convinced that we are the reason the deep drifts of snow are stickin' around so long; I always appreciate a winter with lots of snow.

So, Erik's new sauna hat passed the test with flying colors. We wrapped up his day with an evening church service (where Erik played guitar and sang one of his own songs) and a sloppy joe dinner with everyone afterwards. The last event for Erik was the Vikings game, starting at 1:30 in the morning here in Lithuania. Although we may have celebrated in true Lithuanian fashion earlier in the day at the sauna, he made sure to end it in true American fashion with a late night football game and die-hard fans. Thanks for waiting around to hear the report on Erik Kristofer.

January Light

"If there were no light in the universe, we should never know it was dark" - C.S. Lewis

The sky was a faded blue and the clouds were red and yellow when I left the main building after my last class of the day. It was after five pm and I was walking back to our apartment and I was thinking about how the sky was still lit. I stood there in the late-day sun, soaking up the light that had so quietly stretched itself into the evening after it had been disappearing in the early afternoon for so long now. Things around here seem to have a way of doing that.

Every friday morning starts the same. The alarm goes off early, much to Becky's chagrin, and the only true success in the alarm clock's week happens when I get out of bed on the first attempt. I make my way around the inside of our place with a special kind of slowness for two reasons. One- having my senses dulled due to staying awake too late the night prior to get up at that time, and two- because our place is rearranged in such a way that our tables, being stretched out and slid together, take up most of the walking space in our apartment. I turn on the little light above the stove and once my slow eyes adjust I begin to make breakfast. My grandma's recipes seem to be everyone's favorites ever since I first made her famous Christmas Egg Bake a couple of months ago. By the time people start to show up just before 7:30am Becky has usually made her way out of our bed and her stooper, and we are ready for them with some coffee and fruit. Sometimes only the latter due to an overflow from the shoddy coffee maker.

There is a need in Christian communities to gather frequently and talk about what has been happening in our lives and in the life of the community. For us, we do it over a meal every friday morning. It breathes fresh life into all of us involved. We ask questions and listen to the responses. We share our lives and experience what it is to be in a community.

This morning continued a pattern that has been occurring as of late: the increased inclusion of students in our stories of thanksgiving.

It may seem like a small change, but thats only when taken out of context of this place. Much like the small increase of light might seem from someone who experiences only subtle seasonal shifts. But here, on these sable mornings, we huddle around these stories like candles. Every time we hear of students seeking for the Light and realizing that there is truth in the world that one can hold on to, trust in, and rest on, we are full of thanks.