KLAIPEDIA, LITHUANIA (October 26, 2009) \u2013 Covenanter Grace Butkevich had just over a month to apply for, accept, and start her new job overseas teaching the Intensive English Program to Eastern Europeans at LCC International University, a Christian liberal arts institution in Lithuania.
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\n\u201cMost faculty go through the interview and hiring process, raise support, and prepare for their term of service over a period of several months to years,\u201d says Butkevich.<\/p>\n
She faced additional challenges that would be daunting to most teachers. \u201cI actually arrived on Friday, August 28, and only had the weekend to get ready for classes, which began September 1,\u201d Butkevich says. \u201cJet lag and a little bit of culture shock made that first week pretty rough, but I\u2019m feeling much more at ease now.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Butkevich\"](\"http:\/\/www.covchurch.org\/uploads\/Kn\/Gz\/KnGzPRg_Sx4-6TlE5_L4WA\/Butkevich.jpg\")
She has been interested in teaching English as a second language (ESL) since she was a freshman in high school and attending Thomaston Covenant Church in Thomaston, Connecticut. That interest was strengthened when she attended CHIC, the denomination\u2019s triennial youth event that attracts about 6,000 people.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was impacted by several speakers who talked about their experiences abroad sharing the gospel,\u201d Butkevich says. \u201cSo, when I first learned about LCC International University this summer, something just clicked. I had an overwhelming sense that serving here would allow me to put all of the gifts and talents God had given me and the desires he had placed in my heart into practice.\u201d<\/p>\n
She adds, \u201cI believe that Colossians 3:17 is a perfect guideline for this or any position when it says, \u2018And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.\u2019 I believe that by serving as an English language instructor here at LCC, God can use even me to expand his kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Butkevich graduated from North Park in 2006 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in French. She taught two ESL courses at North Park while completing her master\u2019s degree in linguistics and ESL at nearby Northeastern Illinois University.<\/p>\n
LCC was formed almost immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Its goal of transforming a part of Europe that had suffered long under Communist rule was especially attractive to Butkevich.<\/p>\n
The school declares on its website that it seeks \u201cto engage students in a transforming educational experience in order to create a generation of leaders for Eastern Europe who think critically, promote democratic ideals, develop a market economy, and rebuild the network of civil society within the context of a Christian worldview.\u201d<\/p>\n
LCC currently offers majors and minors in business, theology, and English, as well as minors in Lithuanian studies, conflict studies, psychology, and sociology. The university has an excellent reputation, as does its ESL program, but the Intensive English Program (IEP) in which Butkevich teaches is only in its second year. \u201cIt provides intensive English instruction for students who applied to the university, but whose English ability fell short of requirements,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, the students seem quite eager to learn, Butkevich says. \u201cThe class is very international, consisting of students from Belarus, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, so it\u2019s a treat for me to meet such an array of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Butkevich enjoys teaching, she is also looking to connect in other settings. \u201cI am also very thankful for the times outside of class when I\u2019ve had the opportunity to talk with students on a more personal level.\u201d<\/p>\n