Work In Progress

Laurynas Stonkus had little choice when he attended his first basketball camp in Zakosciele when he was 13 years old. His father was friends with the man who first started bringing players from Lithuania to Zakosciele, so when he invited Stonkus to join the group, he pretty much had to say yes.

He says he’s a changed person because of that decision.

“I just love this camp,” he said. “I’ve kept going every time I can.

“The whole year, you’re surrounded by people you may not like, rude people and people with problems. Here I get to play basketball and meet nice people. I see good things happening here, people sharing their stories. I’ve learned things from people and made friends from all over the world: United States, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and even other people from Lithuania that I didn’t know before.

“It’s just a good opportunity to improve yourself, in basketball and in life. It’s really about more than basketball. It’s more about improving myself as a person.”

A lot has changed for Stonkus. First of all, he said he barely spoke any English when he got here the first time. He said he knew how to say “pass,” “shoot,” “box out” and “let’s go guys.” Now he’s fluent in English, though he obviously still understands what those terms mean, because he’s a star on the court.

“Because I came here, I became more tolerant. Living in Lithuania, you don’t have a lot of people from all around the world. I’ve seen different cultures, like how people from the United States talk to each other and treat each other.”

That has helped Stonkus as he adapts to his new life as a college basketball player at New York Institute of Technology. Learning to live in a culture different from his own was invaluable when he arrived in the U.S. to play college ball.

One of Stonkus’ favorite activities at the camp in Zako is trading jerseys with people from other parts of the world. “When you put it on and go to the gym, you remember that person from this camp. That person and this camp remain in your head.”

Stonkus says he’s a work in progress, especially as it pertains to his faith, but he says that the camp in Zakosciele has had an impact there as well. “I’m growing,” he said. “I was baptized in middle school, but I didn’t follow through. I’m really into science, and I need to understand how this belief in God fits that.

“Every year I come here and see how people who believe in God behave and the rules they follow. I’m not sure that I would describe myself as a Christian, but I do believe in this way of living.”

A work in progress. That pretty much describes every one of us, whether we’re still contemplating what it would mean to accept Jesus as our Savior or if we’ve been a follower our entire lives.