Stopped in to a church I passed along the way…

(Vilnius, Saturday) It was a dark and stormy morning. After that lead, you know this posting has to get better. But it really was dark, cold and wet…the worst weather yet on this study abroad. The students had a 1 pm test so that left me the morning free. I decided to walk the few blocks to one of the shopping districts. I only got halfway there before the biting wind made the cold rain sting as it hit my face and I sought refuge in the nearest open building, the big, beautiful Orthodox church (see picture posted a few days ago). The building was packed. It was the day the Orthodox celebrate Epiphany, commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. There were young people, families with little children and old people who never gave up their faith despite having lived most of their lives in a country where the Soviets allowed only one religion—the worship of Communism—and where churches were turned into surplus furniture storage or animal barns. You did not need to be familiar with the language or the customs to be moved by this sight and this ceremony. I headed back into the cold and wet, warmed by the notion that the freedom and faith that coalesced in that room were things we take for granted but the folks here embrace.

Back at the hotel, the students were still working on their tests. They finished and all appear to have survived the experience. They had the rest of the day free and headed out to see the sites, to shop for themselves and others, and to grab some fine Lithuanian food.

Next: students get their turn.