Click here for a paper Steve presented about LLC for a conference on “Theological Education as Mission” held at International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Feb. 1-5, 2005(111KB PDF).

Click here for pictures of the Dintamans in Albania in 2004.

The Next Chapter
A Newsletter from Steve and Betsy Dintaman for their mission partners
A joint ministry of Mennonite Mission Network and Virginia Mennonite Board of Missions
February 2006

Life in Lithuania by numbers

In looking back at our life in Lithuania since we returned from the States in August we came up with some numbers that may give you a glimpse into our lives and work.

5 –Number of consecutive days of sub-zero temperatures In late January we had 5 days where the temperatures dropped as low as –15 (Fahrenheit) at night and rose to around 0 in the day. We found our cozy little house is just marginally equipped to handle extreme cold. We spent a lot of our time huddled close to our woodstove.

4 –Number of places where our pipes burst when they froze When our house eventually thawed out we found our heating system pipes had burst and water poured into our basement. Of course Steve was out of town when this happened and Betsy was left cleaning up the mess and supervising the repairmen who came to fix the damage.

178 –Number of students Steve had in his classes during Fall Semester This was my busiest semester yet, with 178 students enrolled in three classes.

960 –Approximate number of pages of final exams and papers Steve read during December

4,435 –Number of textbooks distributed by the Library staff and volunteers the first week of classes in January LCC students do not purchase textbooks, but sign them out from the library. We’re pretty efficient at this process by now.

160 –Number of guests we have hosted in our home since we returned to Lithuania in early August One of the joys of moving into a house is that we have an ideal setting for hosting guests. During the summer and warm autumn months we had several groups over for cookouts on the patio, and in December hosted a graduation reception for an Albanian student who completed studies and planned to return home. We enjoy offering our home as a place of fellowship for students, faculty and staff, and LCC visitors.

3 –Number of new shopping centers that have opened in Klaipeda within the last two months (Another one is being built very close to LCC and will open soon.) The largest of these consumer palaces was formerly a large complex called Hyper-Maxima (WalMart sized) with several other stores. It has now been enlarged and renamed Akropolis. It has a total area of 800,000 sq. ft. In addition to the large Maxima store it has another 160 stores, an indoor ice skating rink and several restaurants and space for a theater (not completed yet).

We have mixed feelings about this explosion of shopping opportunities in Lithuania. It would be hypocritical of us North Americans who have these kind of things at our disposal to be critical of other people who want the same thing. Yet it seems like something of Lithuania’s culture and smallness is being buried under this avalanche of consumerism. I guess our ideal would be that Lithuania would become a humbler, less materialistic version of Europe. But it seems that investors and businesses will not rest until they “catch up” with Europe and North America.

Russian Orthodox students

One important change at LCC over the past two years is the larger number of Russian speaking students that are enrolled. These students are either ethnic Russians living in Lithuania, or come from Russia, Belarus or Ukraine. As these numbers grow so do the number of students who have had their faith shaped by the Russian Orthodox church. Russian Orthodox faith is very centered on the church and its distinctive forms of worship, especially the central role for icons. It also has a strong emphasis on the authority of tradition and priests. I had several of these students in my Intro to Theology class this past semester. I want to pass on two responses to the class that came from Russian Orthodox students. I require students to keep a journal throughout the course where they record their thoughts and reactions to issues raised by the class. One young woman reported that this assignment was troubling to her and she wasn’t sure that it was a good idea for her to write her own thoughts and reactions to matters of faith. She consulted with her Godfather to make sure this was OK. Coming from an American setting where everyone is encouraged to express their own ideas and feelings this deference to the community and its authority was touching. One of the male Russian Orthodox students said he appreciated the course because it helped him “connect heavenly things with earthly realities”. Russian Orthodoxy tends to focus very much on worship and I was glad that my more Anabaptist and practical-minded approach to faith helped him to round out his understanding of how to live faith in the everyday world.

Thank You

We recently received a funding report from MMN and are so amazed and thankful that, because of so many generous people, the funding for our current 3-year term seems to be coming together. It is both humbling and empowering to see how many people are continuing to support us. We appreciated the cards and e-greetings we received from many of you over Christmas, and are always glad to hear from you. Please continue to remember us in prayer.