A Semester at LCC in Lithuania

One year ago I was finishing up Fall Semester 2024 at LCC International University (formerly known as Lithuania Christian College). It’s a pity that I did not write blog posts while at LCC!

My primary focus was on teaching English. I worked with 15 students from 5 countries (Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Afghanistan, and Kazakhstan), helping them with their writing, reading, and discussion skills. My students were highly motivated, hard-working, and fun—a teacher cannot ask for more! My students now tell me how my classes helped build their confidence and prepare them for the undergraduate work they’re doing this year. (Pictured above are my students with Art and Leona DeFehr, founders of LCC who visited my class.)

I loved the international atmosphere at LCC with roughly 600 students from 60 countries. I was reminded that each student has a significant story as I had lunch with my students in the cafeteria or invited them to my apartment for a potluck. Taking time to get to know students is always worth it, even when there are papers to mark.

Some LCC students come from war-torn countries. In the past 8 years, over 100 students have attended LCC from Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan when their own education was interrupted. When Russia invaded Ukraine almost three years ago, the 200 Ukranian students and 50 Russian students lost their identities in a sense. Many students at LCC are now discovering their new identities and their place in the world. President Marlene Wall says that LCC students will be the next generation of global leaders and peacebuilders. I loved the peace emphasis at LCC.

LCC is Christian, but not all students are. I was surprised at the statistics: 54% identify as Christian, 6% as Muslim, and 29% as agnostic or atheist. Of the Christians, only 10% say that being a Christian is a core part of their identity. As a teacher, I sought to model what it means to be a person of faith and to ask questions that might lead students to think about the realm of faith.

Marlene Wall is an astute and caring leader who promotes an atmosphere of prayer and an attitude of servant leadership. She always reminded faculty and staff that the loving God we serve is with us. Marlene is of Mennonite background, as is Robin Gingerich, head of the English department. Mark Sawin and I were the other two Mennos at LCC last fall. I’ve always loved making connections with Mennonites and non-Mennonites alike. (Pictured here: Robin, Marlene, Cynthia, and Mark)

The most special connection at LCC was this photo of my Grandma Bessie King Yoder from Iowa that Robin, also from Iowa, gave me. She had the photo in her Bible for 40 years, calling my grandma one of her heroes.

LCC faculty and staff are from about 10 different countries, many from the U.S. and Canada. Some are short term volunteers, like I was, and others have been there for years. I enjoyed living in a faculty apartment on campus and being part of the community from Day 1. I sometimes felt like I was in North America, with friends, shared meals, and lots of activities. After visiting area churches, I settled on an intimate house church with five couples. 

Many of the contexts where I have taught have been low resource environments. In Ethiopia, we often didn’t have working white board markers or a single ream of paper or toner to make copies. Lithuania is a high resource environment, with a storeroom full of paper and advanced technology in every classroom. It’s interesting for me to think about the various contexts in which I have worked.

My experience in Lithuania was so rewarding because of my delightful students and my friendly colleagues. I’m so grateful for the opportunity, where I was stretched in new ways and where I received more than I gave.

An off-campus highlight was visiting one of Lithuania’s beloved sites—The Hill of Crosses. Starting in 1831, people have placed crosses in what was a farmer’s field, memorializing loved ones and symbolizing Lithuanian political resolve. I added two wooden crosses to the estimated one-hundred thousand already there, in memory of Bob’s mother and mine, both of whom died in 2022. It was touching to be among all those crosses on the day before the one-year anniversary of my mom's death.

The most special highlight was my husband Bob’s visit for two weeks. Bob gave an informative presentation about his paintings to my students. We had a progressive dinner with 25 friends. We relished the sausages, wild mushrooms, and homemade horseradish purchased at the local farmers’ market. And we took many walks. Since we live in the desert in Mexico, it was a great a pleasure to walk in forests amongst the golden leaves of autumn.