24-7Lithuania

Preparing the masterpiece conspiracy.

So long since i last wrote... anyway, let's do it chronologically. Last 19th and 20th of May we had the first 24-7 prayer room in Lithuania ever. At least the only one that i have heard about... and it sounds really good that i had something to be with the first 24-7 prayer room in Lithuanian History(probably is not the first one... but let me have my little moment of fame).
Bueno, ya hace tiempo que no escribo, asi que voy a intentar retomar el blog cronologicamente. Los pasados 19 y 20 de Mayo tuvimos la, creo, primera sala 24-7 en Lituania. Seguramente no sera la primera, pero a mi me hace ilusion eso de decir que tome parte en la primera sala que se montaba aqui... asi que lo digo, porque ademas, no he oido, ni nadie me ha dicho, que se halla hecho algo similar antes... asi que mira.

Davydas, lider de alabanza en potencia.

So, anyway, what it really was, was a 24 hours prayer room. In a very special evening i explained to Dovile, the youth leader in church, what 24-7 is, with Monika's help, monika is my official translator in church. After that nice dinner Dovile took most of the responsability, doing a fantastic job thinking that it was the first time that they were doing such thing in church. She, with the teenagers though about themes, pictures, etc... to decorate the room. And i must say that i didn't expected it to look so cool.
Bueno, lo que en realidad fue fue una sala 24 horas. Para ser la primera vez, no nos daba para mas. Asi que tras una cena muy especial que Dovile y Monika me prepararon, le explique a la lider de jovenes, Dovile, de que iba 24-7, con Monika, mi traductora oficial en la iglesia. Tras esa cena Dovile tomo la mayor parte de la responsabilidad, coordinando a los jovenes para decorar la sala, llamando a lideres para crear puntos de oracion tematicos, etc... La verdad es que pa ser la primera vez que la tia hacia esto, lo hizo perfecto. La sala quedo mas chula de lo que yo esperaba, la verdad.

Ahi pone algo asi como que Dios te ve, escucha y habla.

We could see the wage of our work on Sunday. The walls of the room were full of prayers, one of the leaders of the church went at 9pm, and couldn't leave the room till midnight. I could see teenagers crying in God's presence... It looked like a Mastercard commercial, "candles: 10 litas, strings for the guitar: 34 litas... God moving: priceless". (I know the price of the strings cause i bught them). They liked so much, that they decided to maintain the room as it was, so that the people that couldn't see it during those 24 hours could go there to read the prayers, and also to continue praying during the week. Now we have to pray that this room is not something that people forgets, but something that they are looking foward to repeat. Yes... that weekend was cool.
Pero bueno, el pago del esfuerzo lo pudimos ver el Domingo. Las paredes de la sala estaban llenas de oraciones, uno de los lideres de la iglesia fue a las 9 de la noche y no se pudo ir de la sala hasta las 12, a mi me impacto ver a jovenes llorando en un pais tan frio como este, etc... Parecia un anuncio de la mastercard, "Velas: 10 litas, cuerdas de guitarra(que compre yo): 34 litas,... Dios moviendose: No tiene precio". Les gusto tanto la sala, que el Domingo decidieron mantenerla toda la semana para que la gente siguiera pasandose por alli para orar, leer las oraciones, etc... Y ahora toca orar que esta primera sala de oracion se vea acompañada de muchas mas. La verdad es que molo el finde.


Niiiiiiiiceeeeeeeeeeeeee...

Klaipeda, Nida ir Palanga

Yeva, Monika, yo, Irma y Rasa.

So, last weekend David and me decided to go to Klaipeda, to spend the weekend with some beautiful and really nice lithuanian girls. Monika, one of those girls, came with us, and helped us to hithicke. You need to speak at least russian to hithicke succesfully in eastern Europe. The weekend started with the best pub i have seen in Lithuania. A jazz pub with live music, and of course with a really good jazz band. David and me were all the time asking ourselfes what are we doing in Kaunas having such place in Klaipeda. Anyway, it was a really great place.

Perdido en el paisaje lunar de Nida.

El finde pasado David y yo decidimos irnos a Klaipeda, en la costa lituana, a pasar el fin de semana por alli con unas cuantas guapisimas y majisimas chicas lituanas, de esas que tanto abundan por aqui. En el viaje, a dedo, nos acompaño Monika, una de esas chicas, porque viajar por aqui sin saber ni ruso ni lituano esta dificil. El finde lo comenzamos en el mejor pub que he visto desde que estoy en lituania. Un pub de jazz con musica en directo, con la banda, la peña bailando... la caña vamos. David y yo no se aun que hacemos aqui perdidos en Kaunas.

Con Irma viendo las dunas.

Next day one woman from church borrow us her car, and that gave us opportunity to see Nida, the piece of earth that "protects" Lithuania, and also Palanga, the lithuanian Benidorn. But before that... the race!!! I bet to Irma, our host, that i could win her in a race. So as Atalanta and Hippomenes, we raced... and like Hipomenes i won... but no, we are not getting married, the bet was of other kind. If i would have lost, i would have gone the rest of the day in tighs... as i won, she had to go next day to church with the make up i was going to do for her. It was funny.

Cada uno pa un lado, algo asi le paso a Colon y llego a America.

Bueno, al dia siguiente una mujer de la iglesia nos dejo un coche, asi que nos fuimos a Nida, que es la peninsula de tierra que protege la costa lituana, y a Palanga, que es el equivalente lituano a Benidorm. Pero antes, Irma, nuestra anfitriona, y yo echamos una carrera. Le gane yo, desde luego, asi que en vez de llevar mallas el resto del dia, lo que paso fue que ella fue al dia siguiente a la iglesia maquillada por mi.

Flipado por la colina de ls brujas.

So, that day we went to see Thomas Mann museum in Nida, witches hill, the dunes, and Palanga's beach, with fireworks cause they were opening the summer season. Next day we hithicked back, and two guys from church took us in their car. A really nice weekend, you can read a little conclusions about it, in the post before the russian one.

Fuegos en la playa.

En Nida vimos las dunas,el pueblito, la colina de las brujas, el museo de Thomas Mann... todo muy bonito. En Palanga fuimos a la playa, y vimos fuegos artificiales, porque ese dia abrian la temporada de verano. Al dia siguiente volvimos a hacer dedo y un par de tios de la iglesia nos trajeron hasta la puerta de casa. Realmente un magnifico fin de semana, mas conclusiones sobre en el post previo al ruso.

Aunque al principio parecia que no... la carrera la gane yo. Irma causo sensacion al dia siguiente en la iglesia.

Россия

Moscow/Moscú.Parte del grupito delante de la archiconocida iglesia de San Basilio.

Ok, so it's time, at last, to write something about Russia. The trip route was to go to Moscow alone, i mean, just students, 10 of us. From there we took a train to St. Petersburg, where we had to meet our coordinators. From St. Peterburg Liene, Sarmite and me were going to Tallin, capital city of Stonia, cause non of us had have the opportunity to go before, and this seemed to be our las opportunity in our erasmus to go there.

Philipp y yo delante de la catedral ortodoxa de Moscú.

Bueno, por fin ha llegado la hora de escribir algo sobre Rusia, y de paso poner fotitos mas tipicas. El plan del viaje era, y fue, ir hasta Moscu los estudiantes solos, 10 de nosotros. De alli coger un tren cama para San Petersburgo, donde nos reuniriamos con nuestras coordinadoras erasmus. Y de San Petersburgo, Liene, Sarmite y yo nos fuimos a Tallin, capital de Estonia, ya que esta iba a ser nuestra ultima oportunidad de conocerla en este erasmus.

Dentro del Kremlin, con la campana rajada de Pedro el Grande.

So, there we went, nearly 20 hours of bus, in the horrible, the worst i have ever experienced in my life, russian roads. The best word to describe Moscow is "huge", a huge city, where everything is big. Shops, squares, the underground, streets, markets... everything. Moscow is a perfect picture of the Russia that at least western Europe people imagine. A very soviet city. Full of police, i must say that althoug all the stories of corrupt police that we have heard, the ones that we met were very nice to show us the way to our hostel. They even took the laptop out to show us the way. Once we arrived to the hostel we found that there was no place for us. But thanks to Katja, one of the girls in charge, we could sleep in one empty kitchen. She also took us to have dinner, and to a street market were David and me spent time trying to deal with the sellers, although we really didn't want to buy anything... but it was funny.

La plaza roja, cerrada por las celebraciones del 1 de Mayo.

Asi que palla nos fuimos, casi 20 horas insufribles de autobus por las carreteras rusas. No habia viajado nunca por carreteras tan malas. Ademas, era la carretera principal que lleva a una ciudad de 20 millones de habitantes, increible. La mejor palabra para describir Moscu, es "enorme". Todo en esa ciudad es grande, y la verdad es que es la imagen perfecta de lo que los occidentales pensamos que es Rusia. Una ciudad muy sovietica aun. Con policia en cada esquina, casi toda corrupta. En eso de la policia nosotros tuvimos suerte y no se como preguntamos la direccion del hostal a unos que fueron tan majos que nos sacaron hasta el portatil para buscar el callejero en internet, muy comica la situacion. Tambien fue comico, aunque no nos lo parecio entonces, llegar al hostal y descubrir que no teniamos reserva. Menos mal que Katja, una chica majisima del hostal nos metio en una cocina vacia y ahi dormimos. Tambien nos llevo a comer por ahi y a un mercado callejereo donde David y yo pasamos el rato regateando con los tenderos, aunque realmente no estabamos pensando en comprar nada.

Mi polski y yo en una de las estaciones de metro.

So, my conclusions about Moscow. For me it looked like a huge city in the middle of nowhere. The last civilizated city before you arrive to the great asolation of Russia. Althoug there are more cities in the east, very big also, but that was the idea that i took. I felt like in this movies about a not so far kind of apocalintic future where men live in big cities without connection between then, where chaos reigns everywhere.

La plaza roja de noche, con la iglesia de San Basilio al fondo y el Kremlin y el mausoleo de Lenin a la derecha.

En fin... mis conclusiones sobre Moscu. A mi me dio la sensacion de ser una de estas ciudades gigantes que aparecen en estas pelis y libros sobre futuros apocalipticos. Con ciudades enormes, en medio de ningun sitio, aisladas entre si, y donde lo que reina mayormente es el caos y la corrupcion. Tambien me dio la sensacion de ser la ultima ciudad civilizada, a pesar de que hay mas ciudades por ahi perdidas, antes de llegar a la inmensa y solitaria estepa rusa.

The group, without italians, but with Katja, the nice russian girl.

St. Petersburg/San Petersburgo.

En la plaza de L'Hermitage.

After a night in a russian bed train, this means that we had a room for moreles fifty persons sleeping there together, we arrived in St. Petersburg. The second city of Russia, and probably the most beautiful of all eastern Europe cities, (i don't consider Budapest and Prague eastern eurrope, but center). The city was absolutely different from Moscow. More turistic, less police, the sea,... you didn't feel so inside Russia, as in Moscow.

Dando brincos delante de la iglesia moscovita de San Petersburgo.

Tras una noche en un tren cama comunitario. Eso significa 50 personas durmiendo en el mismo vagon como si fueramos ganado, llegamos a San Petersburgo. La segunda ciudad mas grande de Rusia, y para mi, la ciudad mas bonita de Europa del Este, (si no consideramos Budapest y Praga como Europa Central). San Petersburgo es un poco lo contrario a Moscu. Una ciudad mucho mas cosmopolita, turistica y con menos policia. No te sentias tan en Rusia.

Sarmi y yo delante del intento de Basilica de San Pedro a lo ruso.

St. Petersburg is impossible to see in three days, wich were the days that we spent there. Just because there are more things out of the city, of the zarist age of Russia. The city itself is full of palaces, churches, etc... everything very imperial. Really nice.

El "Aurora" barco historico porque ahi comenzo la revolucion sovietica en no se que region del pais.

San Petersburgo es imposible verla en solo tres dias, que fue el tiempo que estuvimos nosotros. Mas que nada porque fuera de la ciudad hay mas palacios y cosas de la epoca zarista de Rusia. De todas formas la ciudad en si esta llena de palacios e iglesias, todo muy imperial. Realmente muy bonito.

Con mis coordinadoras en el salon del trono.

My conclusions about St. Petersburg, are that this city is moreless a northern Paris. Very similar palaces, they have their own Versalles, and even the style of the buildings and palaces is very similar to the frenche royal style. Apart from that my conclusions of the russian trip are simple. never again a trio with so much peopel and with a clear leader. I would like to make this trip again but with my closests friends.

En el delta del rio, con una de las dos columnas rojas detras y L'Hermitage al otro lado.

Mis conclusiones sobre San Petersburgo son que es una ciudad muy similar, si no igual, a Paris. Es como Paris, pero en frio. Tiene palacios del mismo estilo, incluso su propio Versalles version rusa. Aparte de eso, mis conclusiones sobre el viaje ruso son simples, nunca jamas volver a hacer un viaje con tante gente y sin un lider claro en el. Molaria hacer este viaje de nuevo, pero con mis amigos.

Delante del palacio de Catalina la Grande.

Tallin/Tallin.

Con parte de la ciudad vieja de Tallin, y el mar, detras.

And from St. Petersburg to Tallin with my two latvians. I think that i liked more Ryga than Tallin, but this city was also very nice. Much more medieval that the Ryga. It looked richer. I think that the best of the city is that it's medieval walls still stand there, and because it is build in a hill you have really nice views of the city.

Con Sarmite por las calles medievales.

De Rusia a Tallin, en Estonia, y tiro por que me toca. A mi personalmente me gusto mas Riga, igual es porque estaba menos cansado, pero Tallin tambien molaba. Es una ciudad muy medieval, con pinta de ser la mas rica de los tres paises balticos. Lo que mas mola es que tiene todas las murallas aun enteras, y que al estar construida sobre una colina, tienes vistas muy chulas sobre el resto de la ciudad.

Amazing Grace

So, last wednesday i went to the students dinner/gathering that the guys from Agape organize, here in Kaunas. It was a strange day, just one of the students, apart from me and i don't count cause i am already christian, was there. Coincidence was that that day the aim of the gathering, i think was to try to get more confidence with the students. And just one of them was there, surrounded by six christians trying to convert her. Well... it was funny, but the girl, the student was a girl, was brave enough to share some of her thoughts.

So, when they were giving her thanks for coming, even alone, etc... she just answered that she now enjoys a lot coming to join the group. And that, for her, is a surprise how they show such a love for her. That the main reason why she kept on coming was that, the love that she felt in that house. I think that for them was even more amazing than for me, but i really felt very, very, very happy for my friends. The words of this girl sounded as if God was telling them: "You're making a good job, you're in the right way". I felt so happy for them, knowing that they were goaling the objetive that every christian should have, be witness of God, loving people as He does.


And now, here i am in Klaipeda, the third city of Lithuania, and the main one in the coast. I have come here with David and Monika, spanish and lithuanian. Hitchicking, of course. We have spent all day having a round with Irma and Rasa, two girls from Klaipeda. Something that David told me quite surprised me. He said that the main reason, i think he said the only one, why he was jealous of my choice in life, about God and all this stuff, was the people that i was having opportunity, to meet and to be surrounded by. He said something like: "I envy that you're surrounded by all these people... and they all are so nice!!! Good people." It was strange... i know that when he speaks about the people around me, he just doesn't talk about the lithuanians, cause he had the opportunity to meet Dan, several times when he came to visit me.


And i know that Bible says that we should be proud just to know God... but i can't avoid to feel proud of the people around me, proud of the friends that God has given me, and he is still giving. People that is an example not only for me but for my "unbelievers" friends. And i can't avoid to feel uncomparably blessed by God when i see how people describe the friends of a guy who not so many years ago had any, and still doesn't do anything to deserve them. Amazing grace.

Just in Russia/Solo en Rusia

I am still waiting to compile all the pictures that we took from Russia, and once i have done that, select the best ones to explain how our trip was. But meanwhile i put some pictures of things that you just can find there, at least some.

Aun estoy esperando a recopilar todas las fotos del viaje a Rusia, una vez tenga hecho eso, seleccionare las mejores para explicar como fue el viaje. Pero mientras os pongo algunas fotos de cosas que solo puedes encontrar en Rusia, al menos algunas.

Aparcamiento de limusinas en la plaza de L'Hermitage, de todos los colores y sabores.


Toilettes buses...

Ale, que ultimamente hay mucho mono de boda...

The coolest supermarket i have ever seen... it looked like a palace.



Fotito de estrangis de una misa ortodoxa rusa.


La floristera decidio que le iba a dar suerte y se sento a mi lado.


Que por falta de marcas no sea.


The Kalashnikov is the biggest russian exportation... here the bodka model.


Galleta Maria Fontaneda, version rusa.


Ahi pone "Todo a 100".


El pizza hat.


El ejercito, que venia a por nosotros.


El Lada, orgullo sovietico.