Wouldn't it be loverly?

I had to get early to help run the powerpoint @ the Saltshaker (christian retreat) held @ LCC. I wasn't excited about the 30 min. walk, but it had just snowed so it was beautiful and so peaceful. It was exciting to see so many youth from all over Lithuania and Latvia @ LCC.

I walked back afterwards with Liga. The smell of the bakery we always pass, was so overpowering that we just HAD to stop and get a pastry. We walked back in the freshly fallen snow and had an excellent time. I took some pictures of the port and then just relaxed up in my room. It was nice to have a quiet morning. And now I think I may go watch "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind" with some girls.

I actually got to attend the play here! I was estatic to say the least. It was exactly like the movie Dad! (you would've loved it!) except for of course being in Lithuanian, but we all sang along in English. Liza Doolittle even looked remarkably similar to Audrey Hepburn, I was amazed. It was a fun evening going out with some of the Study Abroad girls.
We went to a traditional Lithuanian food restaurant afterwards. Rachel and I got the kapte duona (fried bread with cheese and mayonnaise)--you wouldn't believe how good it is, i'm definitely getting the recipe...and then i'll make it for all of you North Americans back home. We also split apple pie with vanilla ice cream--that was a little more taste of home, and excellent of course.
Afterwards I came home and got to talk to Bjorn over the internet, which was nice. The Youth Extreme retreat is this weekend and he a bunch of Trinity people are leading it--hopefully it'll be excellent. It's the biggest event of the year for the kids! They all look forward to it, so it should be good.

Tonight I went with 8 other SA students to check out the YWAM building and the different ministries we can be involved in. Tim, a British lad on the paid team @ YWAM (7 people total) took us there from our dorm and showed us around, explaining everything in detail. It is a ministry in progess, and it is so cool to see their vision and how God is already working there. It was amazing how much of a feeling of community was present there.
the ministries they have include: a hs group on saturday nights, small groups during the week, english classes, family ministry, and they hook people up with an orphanage to volunteer at. It was amazing to see a group of dedicated people across the world being used so greatly by God to reach the people of Lithuania. I have decided that I am going to volunteer at the orphanage, the Baby House. It will be a tough experience because I have to be dedicated for 3 hours one day a week, every week, and the orphanages can be a depressing place to be, plus sometimes communication may be difficult due to no translator. So I'm gonna have to study Lithuanian hard so I can talk at least a little, and trust God with giving me the ability to persevere through this. YWAM also needs a lot of English teachers for a class from 7-8 Monday evenings, and since I took a TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) course last fall @ Trinity, I am going to help lead it. It will be a conversational-based classroom, so it will be interesting, a little chaotic at times, but I think it will be good. K, so now I've gotta go study some Lithuanian. Labankt (Goodnight).

This morning Peggy and I left @ 11 to go the local market and get fresh produce and eggs. We made our weekly stop @ the second-hand clothing store on the way; everything was 50%, what a deal! We also stopped by the Urde store (the Lithuanian art store) I'm telling you, that store is the best.
It was sunny and even warm the whole time, but within 10 minutes of getting back to the dorm, a snowstorm broke out. The snow was so beautiful that Renalda, Andrea, Peggy and I decided to go run out in it and take some pictures. We were having an excellent time, until Viddy and Martinis (boys across the hall from Peggy) decided to start a snowball fight with us. We were yelling so loud that I guess everyone in the dorm wound up watching us from their windows...haha it was probably a funny scene to watch: Renalda kept screaming, Peggy was yelling, "Prasom, ne, Prasom!" (Please no, please!--as if Lithuanian was really going to make them stop!) Andrea was trying to take pictures and yelling, "Don't get my camera wet, seriously guys." And I was trying to stay out of the fight but everytime I got hit, i got mad and would attack them...overall it was somewhat unsuccessful on the girls side. So we ran off to the grocery store, Ikiyuokis, to buy some food. We took some more pictures in the snow on the way back. It was so cold tonight that the snow actually has stayed, but its very icy. I haven't fallen yet though...proud of myself on that one.

Saturday morning at 11, four girls stepped out from karklu penki into a snowy blizzard to trek to the Baltic Sea and experience the traditional Lithuanian Sauna.
We arrived @ the ferry dock to be delayed for 1 1/2 hours due to the snow storm. We hit up the best cafe I've been to yet here and then walked around old town and found the coolest little Lithuanian Art store. It was full of local Lithuanian art-paintings, pictures, sculptures, etc. I have been back already twice since then, the owner lady and I are good friends already, haha.
Finally @ 1 pm, we took the ferry across the spit (only a little longer than the Ft. Langley ferry, yeah pathetic) then we hiked through a national park for 20 min. and finally arrived @ the beach and found the sauna.
It was a tiny little building, hidden to the public...it's not advertised at all, but local people go there every weekend. It was an incredible time. We sat in the 100 degree C sauna for about 10 min. and then when we thought we were going to die from heat we ran straight out the door and 100 ft. into da Baltic (0 degrees C) So we went from boiling point to freezing point and back again...crazy, but really good for the body. The Lithuanian people do it very often, especially during the winter. We're going to try to do it @ least once a month.
We finally got back to the dorm @ 4:00pm and made a killer dinner--we were starving. That night Peggy, Andrea and I took the bus to Maxima (a huge shopping mall). When we were getting off the bus, I tripped and fell in the middle aisle in front of everyone. I totally hit my shin and my chest--a lot of pain. Everyone on the entire bus, including the driver stopped and stared at me...then the bus started again and I was trying to get Peggy to tell the bus driver to stop cuz we needed to get off, I was yelling, "ne, ne, ne! Sustoti!" The bus driver stopped and i hobbled off. Everyone was still watching me the entire time. it was hilarious but by far the most embarrassing experience of my life, and due to the other culture I couldn't even try to laugh at myself and make some smooth joke to smooth over the experience. Haha, oh well...I guess it keeps life interesting. What a day!