Up in the
northern part of Europe
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is the small
country of Lithuania.
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It's about the size of
the state of West Virginia
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and has a population
around 3.2 million people.
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Laymen
Ministries has been working
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in this small cold
country since 1993.
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Lithuania is full of historical
culture and architecture.
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For instance,
in the southeastern
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part of
Lithuania is Trakai Castle,
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which is beautifully located
on the island of Lake Galve.
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At one time this Castle
was the capital of Lithuania,
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as it held great
strategic importance.
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Construction on Trakai
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began in the 14th
century Duke Kestutis,
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with many of the major works
being completed by his son,
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Vytautas the Great, who became
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one of the most famous
rulers of medieval Lithuania.
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It was said that the
water level around this Castle
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was originally probably
about 6 to 9 feet higher
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than it is currently today.
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This is what is called
the keep or the dungeon.
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When we get the
modern word dungeon,
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lot of people
have a misconception
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of what a dungeon is.
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A dungeon in medieval times
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often times could
be used as a prison.
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It's also a
place for ammunitions
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to be stored or sometimes
there was a chapel up there.
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Of course, there was always
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the damsel in distress
that was at the very top.
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But this
originally since there was,
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the water was a lot higher here,
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this had a moat and it
had a drawbridge on it.
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So this could actually
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be a separated
part of the castle
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from the rest
of the castle area.
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I love exploring old castles
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with their narrow passage
ways and various chambers.
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The wood work is
traditional Lithuanian style.
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The courtyardhas a
unique covered walkway
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along one
building and the dungeon
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stands out
magnificently against the sky.
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In course in the 14th
century if you got in trouble,
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this is where you would end up.
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And no castle is to be complete
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without knights and armor.
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One looks over the history
of what happened in Europe,
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you could see
the spiritual balance
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that took place, you
know, like for instance,
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the Lithuanian pagans
that needed to be converted.
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So the Teutonic
knights came up here
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and they would have
been a horrifying sight
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to see with their metal
helmets and their white outfits
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and their horses
dressed, you know,
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in white and multi crosses on.
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They're coming
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"to convert these
pagans to Christianity."
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How God's
character was misaligned
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and how people perceived
Christianity at that time.
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It really did an injustice
to the concept of Christianity.
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On our first
Sabbath on this trip,
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we had fellowship at this
small church in Radviliskis.
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This church is
pastored by Arunas
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and his wife
Neringa who coordinate
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the work of Laymen
Ministries in Lithuania.
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This was going to
be a special Sabbath
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as they had a
baptism that afternoon.
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And they wanted me to speak
on the significance of baptism.
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For years, Laymen Ministries
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has been supporting pastors
and Bible workers in Lithuania.
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Such was the case with Juozas
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who was a Bible worker
and who now is a lay pastor.
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He had a special
seasonal prayer with Jokubas,
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who was going to
be baptized that day.
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Juozas was a Bible worker.
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He was a good Bible worker
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and he was
invited to be a pastor.
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After some time he found
way to work in the prison
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and he started to work
in the Marijampole prison.
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And now it's
three and a half years.
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And he's working there.
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And he baptized
nine people there.
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And after some
time, Juozas started
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to work in
Alytus prison as well.
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And he was in
contact with Jokubas.
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Actually he was
in prison 27 years.
00:05:03.84\00:05:07.32
And now he's 43, age.
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And from his
youth, he was almost
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the whole time in prison.
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At first they were studying
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Bible study groups
in prison in Alytus.
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And now we have Bible
studies in Marijampole.
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So after all the Bible studies
Jokubas decided to be baptized.
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The place of the
baptism was this cold lake
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on this chilly spring afternoon.
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The church group came
to show their support.
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Another prayer of dedication
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was offered then Juozas and
Jokubas headed to the water.
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Jokubas is grounded in the word
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and is a dedicated worker
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for the Lord sharing
his faith with others.
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Since 1993 hundreds of baptisms
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were taken place
because of the dedicated work
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of Laymen
Ministries Bible workers.
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After the baptism,
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there was a
wonderful fellowship meal.
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There was also a good assortment
of healthy Lithuanian dishes.
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Speaking of Bible
workers, Arunas and I decided
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to drive up to
the city of Ukmerge
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to see Donna another
one of our Bible workers.
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Outside of Ukmerge, there are
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graveyards and
monuments that stand out
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as a constant reminder
of the geopolitical powers
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that have tried to control
Europe and occupied Lithuania.
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Ah, potatoes!
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This is the
national food of Lithuania.
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Donna has prepared
a nice meal for us.
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She explained to us
how the Bible workers
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all have different styles
to make Bible study contacts.
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For instance, she likes going
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door-to-door with a program
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we call the lending library.
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This is where the
workers go door-to-door
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and show various
books they have for sale.
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If the people
can't afford to buy them,
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the Bible workers
off to lend the book,
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then they come
back in a week or two,
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get the book and
offer another one.
00:08:01.72\00:08:04.09
This way they can
answer any questions
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the people might
have and make friends.
00:08:06.03\00:08:08.60
By this method, Donna explained,
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she had several
Bible studies in homes
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that she was now
visiting every week.
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She went on to explain
about one recent incident.
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Donna made her way
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to a very
rundown part of the city
00:08:18.98\00:08:20.88
to a block of flats
where the people are very poor.
00:08:20.91\00:08:24.10
She mentioned
that this part of town
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was very old and
had a lot of crime.
00:08:25.65\00:08:27.97
She made her way to the door
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and using the
lending library concept,
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she gave the lady named Adronie,
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a copy of the
devotional book entitled
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"Firm
Foundations" by Mark Finley.
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A couple weeks
later, Donna came back
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to answer
questions regarding the book
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she had lent to Adronie.
00:09:09.40\00:09:10.80
Donna soon learned that Adronie
00:09:13.11\00:09:14.74
grew up in an
orphanage, had a rough life
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with drugs and alcohol
and was in the last few years
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seeking new
directions for her life.
00:09:20.41\00:09:23.08
Adronie also
explained that receiving
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this book was due to
the Holy Spirit's leading.
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Donna answered
Adronie's questions
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and then went on
to show her the book
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"Patriarchs and Prophets",
explaining how this book
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would help answer the questions
about why sin was permitted.
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When they were done,
they had prayer together.
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One-on-one Bible studies
often come from contacts,
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just like this one.
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Remembering that
Adronie came from an orphanage,
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many of you may
recall seeing video footage
00:09:59.40\00:10:01.58
of our older programs
about how Laymen Ministries
00:10:01.61\00:10:03.88
has been helping poor
orphanages across Lithuania.
00:10:03.91\00:10:07.01
Over the years, shoes, clothes,
00:10:07.04\00:10:09.46
books and other
items have been given
00:10:09.49\00:10:11.11
to orphans and
the staff are like
00:10:11.14\00:10:13.23
in the poorest
of the orphanages.
00:10:13.26\00:10:16.29
With Lithuania having one of the
00:10:16.32\00:10:17.85
highest rates of unemployment,
alcoholism and depression
00:10:17.88\00:10:21.66
and suicide in Europe,
this leads to a lot of children
00:10:21.69\00:10:24.51
who end up
abandoned to orphanages.
00:10:24.54\00:10:26.96
While on this trip we met with
00:10:38.54\00:10:39.81
the assistant director of
the orphanage in Kybartai.
00:10:39.84\00:10:43.43
We took some of the
kids from the orphanage
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to help us carry clothes we were
going to buy from a local shop.
00:10:45.32\00:10:48.47
You saw one of
our previous videos.
00:10:48.50\00:10:49.79
We actually went
into a large shopping
00:10:49.82\00:10:51.88
kind of like a center mall area
and shop with the directors.
00:10:51.91\00:10:55.42
But this shop
here is, one that's
00:10:55.45\00:10:56.80
really close to the orphanage.
00:10:56.83\00:10:57.86
So the director came over here
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with some of the
kids and they bought
00:11:00.06\00:11:01.26
a bunch of
clothes and we're paying
00:11:01.29\00:11:03.16
for it right now and we're going
00:11:03.19\00:11:04.22
to take it back
to the orphanage.
00:11:04.25\00:11:06.08
One of the things
that we like to do to is
00:11:06.11\00:11:08.88
not only help some of the poor
00:11:08.91\00:11:10.33
orphanages with clothes,
but we'd like to give literature
00:11:10.36\00:11:12.42
to the kids and
to all the faculty
00:11:12.45\00:11:14.29
and staff of the orphanages.
00:11:14.32\00:11:15.95
Okay. Aciu. Nice
doing business with you.
00:11:27.60\00:11:30.51
[speaking in foreign language]
00:11:30.54\00:11:32.51
When we arrived
back at the orphanage,
00:11:39.57\00:11:41.21
we were informed that almost
all the orphans were in school.
00:11:41.24\00:11:44.37
So there was not much of a show
00:11:44.40\00:11:45.62
while
distributing some of our items.
00:11:45.65\00:11:47.89
A few children that were there
00:11:47.92\00:11:49.25
received a few of
the items and of course
00:11:49.28\00:11:51.38
they were especially
happy to get the basketballs.
00:11:51.41\00:11:54.93
Something as simple as a ball
00:11:54.96\00:11:56.78
can open the heart to accepting
00:11:56.81\00:11:58.60
this spiritual
mentoring they need.
00:11:58.63\00:12:00.51
We only share
books with the children
00:12:01.60\00:12:03.45
and the staff as well.
00:12:03.48\00:12:05.70
These books are entitled
00:12:05.73\00:12:06.85
"New Start" by
Dr. Vernon Foster.
00:12:06.88\00:12:08.96
We also had an assortment
of children's books as well.
00:12:10.47\00:12:13.11
Most of these books are the ones
00:12:15.49\00:12:16.84
Laymen Ministries has
published over the years.
00:12:16.87\00:12:19.73
Our Bible workers often
visit various orphanages
00:12:19.76\00:12:22.75
sharing clothing,
shoes, toothpaste,
00:12:22.78\00:12:25.66
soap, books, and
holding special programs
00:12:25.69\00:12:28.20
for the
children on the holidays.
00:12:28.23\00:12:29.86
Over the years,
Laymen Ministries
00:12:35.10\00:12:36.67
has helped not only this
this orphanage in Kybartai,
00:12:36.70\00:12:39.42
but all across Lithuania.
00:12:39.45\00:12:41.46
Today we are in
for a special treat.
00:12:44.72\00:12:46.32
Some ladies have come
here to the little church
00:12:46.35\00:12:48.32
and they're gonna demonstrate
00:12:48.35\00:12:49.59
some
traditional Lithuanian food.
00:12:49.62\00:12:51.94
I think one of the
dishes is gonna be like
00:12:51.97\00:12:54.66
a beet borscht, they
call it cold beet soup,
00:12:54.69\00:12:57.78
that sounds interesting.
00:12:57.81\00:12:59.85
And then some other
kind of potato dish.
00:12:59.88\00:13:03.00
So let's go see
what they're doing.
00:13:03.03\00:13:05.17
When I came in, the first thing
00:13:08.72\00:13:09.83
I saw was ladies
peeling potatoes.
00:13:09.86\00:13:11.83
Of course, I love potatoes
00:13:11.86\00:13:13.72
because I live in Idaho
which is famous for potatoes.
00:13:13.75\00:13:17.58
And a lot of the
Adventists here in Lithuania
00:13:22.00\00:13:24.53
are ovo-lacto vegetarian.
00:13:24.56\00:13:26.02
They're not vegan in
that truest sense of the word,
00:13:26.05\00:13:28.29
but lot of this is kind
of new for them from going
00:13:28.32\00:13:31.11
from eating a lot of meat
and such to vegetarianism.
00:13:31.14\00:13:34.11
What is the ingredients
that you're making in this?
00:13:36.95\00:13:39.61
What did you call it
again, the Bulviu Plokatainis?
00:13:39.64\00:13:42.93
Bulviu Plokatainis
00:13:42.96\00:13:44.46
Plokatainis. Plokatainis.
00:13:44.49\00:13:46.22
It means
basically potato pudding.
00:13:46.25\00:13:47.68
Yeah. Potato pudding.
00:13:47.71\00:13:48.75
What are you
putting in this now?
00:13:48.78\00:13:51.01
We will put eggs, sour cream,
00:13:51.04\00:13:54.39
milk, pumpkin, butter, onions.
00:13:54.42\00:13:59.38
And... the potatoes.
00:13:59.41\00:14:04.27
I've noticed this several
of the potato based dishes
00:14:08.69\00:14:11.26
in Lithuania use a combination
of cooked and raw potatoes
00:14:11.29\00:14:14.44
in the preparation processor.
00:14:14.47\00:14:16.36
This is mustard oil.
00:14:46.53\00:14:49.15
Do they make it
from mustard seed?
00:14:49.18\00:14:50.89
Yes. That's right.
00:14:50.92\00:14:51.95
While this bulviu
plokatainis or potato pudding
00:14:59.21\00:15:02.26
is baking in the oven,
00:15:02.29\00:15:03.45
Neringa headed out
to the small garden
00:15:03.48\00:15:05.47
behind the church to get some
things for the cold beet soup.
00:15:05.50\00:15:08.68
This is spring onions.
00:15:08.71\00:15:10.59
[speaking in foreign language]
00:15:14.01\00:15:16.42
Can you
translate that in English?
00:15:16.45\00:15:18.31
Cold beet soup. Cold beet soup.
00:15:18.34\00:15:20.82
These dishes are old
favorite among Lithuanian people
00:15:22.19\00:15:24.74
using raw grated
cucumbers mixed with some dill
00:15:24.77\00:15:27.70
and then a good amount
of shredded cooked beets.
00:15:27.73\00:15:30.62
Buttermilk is then added along
with some green onion tops.
00:15:37.88\00:15:41.28
The mixture is
diluted with some cold water.
00:15:56.61\00:15:59.14
A couple chopped
boiled eggs are added
00:16:04.35\00:16:06.75
and the soup is
basically finished.
00:16:06.78\00:16:09.36
It's often eaten
with boiled potatoes.
00:16:09.39\00:16:11.74
We've got potatoes here
00:16:18.48\00:16:21.43
and the cold beet soup.
00:16:21.46\00:16:23.62
And I'm still
thinking about this stuff.
00:16:26.15\00:16:28.22
Definitely better than
lop lopping while I watch you.
00:16:37.07\00:16:39.95
So this is the potato pudding,
00:16:50.97\00:16:54.60
I'll give a sample
try here of this stuff.
00:16:54.63\00:16:57.42
Mmm, that's
actually pretty good stuff.
00:17:06.59\00:17:07.95
With the majority of
Lithuania's population
00:17:14.46\00:17:16.60
living in these block of flats
00:17:16.63\00:17:18.03
or what we would
call apartment complexes,
00:17:18.06\00:17:20.12
it used to be easy having our
Bible workers go door-to-door.
00:17:20.15\00:17:23.82
But then to cut down on crime,
00:17:23.85\00:17:25.30
many of the buildings
added security keyways
00:17:25.33\00:17:27.76
on big metal doors which
made it nearly impossible
00:17:27.79\00:17:30.56
for the Bible
workers to go door-to-door
00:17:30.59\00:17:32.48
in these block
of flat buildings.
00:17:32.51\00:17:35.11
Arunas came up with
an idea and that was
00:17:35.14\00:17:37.61
to advertise the
lending library in a newspaper.
00:17:37.64\00:17:40.45
In one incident,
an 80 year old woman
00:17:40.48\00:17:43.05
who lived way out in the
country saw the advertisement
00:17:43.08\00:17:45.72
and was very interested in
getting some Christian books
00:17:45.75\00:17:48.19
She called the number and
Arunas answered the phone.
00:17:48.22\00:17:51.50
He took down her
address so he could
00:17:58.52\00:18:00.43
go and pay a visit
and take her some books.
00:18:00.46\00:18:02.80
He packed up some of
the wonderful books such as
00:18:04.95\00:18:07.13
"The Desire of Ages"
and "Steps to Christ"
00:18:07.16\00:18:08.96
and headed out
to meet this lady.
00:18:08.99\00:18:10.54
After a 30 minute drive,
00:18:21.94\00:18:23.53
he was out in the
country at a small rural home.
00:18:23.56\00:18:26.53
To his surprise,
there was not only
00:18:35.34\00:18:37.06
an elderly lady
who was interested,
00:18:37.09\00:18:38.75
but also her son and
granddaughter as well.
00:18:38.78\00:18:41.26
Books were put into their
hands, but more than books,
00:18:44.96\00:18:48.04
a personal contact was made.
00:18:48.07\00:18:50.22
This led to group Bible
studies at these people's home.
00:18:53.17\00:18:56.50
Even some of the
local church members
00:18:56.53\00:18:58.12
started coming and helping.
00:18:58.15\00:18:59.82
Lots of questions
started being asked
00:18:59.85\00:19:01.86
and answered from the Bible.
00:19:01.89\00:19:03.09
Since the newspaper
ad had worked so well,
00:19:05.40\00:19:07.56
Arunas got another idea
00:19:07.59\00:19:09.39
and approached
Laymen Ministries about it.
00:19:09.42\00:19:11.42
That was
publishing our own newspaper.
00:19:11.45\00:19:14.89
Neringa started right
off designing the newspaper
00:19:14.92\00:19:17.22
which we entitled
"The Source of Hope".
00:19:17.25\00:19:20.04
We included
articles on the family,
00:19:20.07\00:19:22.16
health and Bible topics.
00:19:22.19\00:19:24.53
We printed several issues
now and the demand is growing
00:19:24.56\00:19:27.66
and we are finding a
lot of interested readers.
00:19:27.69\00:19:31.06
We are here at underground
prison cell at the Ninth Fort.
00:19:45.98\00:19:48.67
This Fort became known
00:19:48.70\00:19:49.93
as the fort of
death during World War II.
00:19:49.96\00:19:52.28
Just outside the city of Kaunas
is the infamous Ninth Fort.
00:19:52.31\00:19:56.77
Back in the late
1800s, the city of Kaunas
00:19:56.80\00:19:59.48
was surrounded by eight
forts and nine gun batteries
00:19:59.51\00:20:01.90
to protect it
from invading forces.
00:20:01.93\00:20:04.05
The Ninth Fort
was added to protect
00:20:04.08\00:20:05.91
the northern part of the city
00:20:05.94\00:20:07.08
and was finished on
the eve of World War I.
00:20:07.11\00:20:10.15
On June 22nd
1941, the German army
00:20:13.38\00:20:16.95
invaded Lithuania under
the direction of Adolf Hitler.
00:20:16.98\00:20:20.10
The Germans were first seen
as liberators from the Russians
00:20:20.13\00:20:23.07
But soon the
Lithuanian people realized
00:20:23.10\00:20:25.67
that they were under a
new reign of occupation.
00:20:25.70\00:20:28.73
Thousands of Jews were shipped
00:20:29.63\00:20:31.04
from Germany to
Lithuania on trains.
00:20:31.07\00:20:33.15
They became known
as the Reich Jews.
00:20:33.18\00:20:35.97
Also Jews from
all over Lithuania
00:20:36.00\00:20:38.00
were gathered and
brought to the Ninth Fort
00:20:38.03\00:20:40.00
which served as a
concentration camp.
00:20:40.03\00:20:42.77
It is estimated
that over 30,000 Jews
00:20:42.80\00:20:45.47
lost their lives
at the Ninth Fort.
00:20:45.50\00:20:47.72
It was against
these walls right here
00:21:11.29\00:21:12.45
where a lot of the
prisoners were executed.
00:21:12.48\00:21:14.81
Their bodies were
taken to a mass burial grave
00:21:14.84\00:21:17.60
just on the other
side of the main Fort wall
00:21:17.63\00:21:19.61
on this site over here.
00:21:19.64\00:21:20.69
As I thought
about the Ninth Fort,
00:21:35.50\00:21:37.12
I realized that
it was a privilege
00:21:37.15\00:21:38.88
to be involved with
bringing hope to a country
00:21:38.91\00:21:41.44
that has seen so many
seemingly hopeless situations.
00:21:41.47\00:21:44.93
At the little
church in Radviliskis
00:21:47.31\00:21:49.20
we are holding our
annual Bible worker meeting.
00:21:49.23\00:21:51.26
Pastor Arunas let
out in the song service
00:21:51.29\00:21:53.93
and I spent some time going over
00:21:53.96\00:21:55.49
the history of Laymen
Ministries in Lithuania
00:21:55.52\00:21:57.83
and then shared some
words of encouragement.
00:21:57.86\00:22:01.14
You sometimes get discouraged--
00:22:01.17\00:22:03.06
We then sat in
a group discussion
00:22:06.47\00:22:08.24
talking about how we
could improve our work,
00:22:08.27\00:22:10.25
come up with new
ideas for outreach
00:22:10.28\00:22:12.19
and overlook new materials
00:22:12.22\00:22:13.76
that we could
publish for distribution.
00:22:13.79\00:22:15.86
We have a great
team of Bible workers
00:22:17.66\00:22:19.44
who are dedicated to sharing
00:22:19.47\00:22:20.56
the truths of
God's word with people.
00:22:20.59\00:22:22.62
They have good
success in their outreach,
00:22:22.65\00:22:24.75
yet they seek to do
better in pioneering
00:22:24.78\00:22:27.64
the work in this little country.
00:22:27.67\00:22:29.18
One of our newest
Bible workers is Albino.
00:22:30.94\00:22:32.67
She's been with us for
about two-and-a-half years.
00:22:32.70\00:22:34.76
She actually works
in the city of Vilnius,
00:22:34.79\00:22:36.66
but she's been
coming to this city.
00:22:36.69\00:22:38.21
It's probably about 35
kilometers away from Vilnius
00:22:38.24\00:22:42.26
and her and the
mission president were involved
00:22:42.29\00:22:44.72
with some meetings that
took place here two years ago.
00:22:44.75\00:22:46.53
They had like a prophecy seminar
00:22:46.56\00:22:49.08
and some health
meetings and they
00:22:49.11\00:22:51.42
generated some
interests with the colporteurs
00:22:51.45\00:22:53.24
and with those
meetings and there was
00:22:53.27\00:22:55.45
a small church
group that was raised up
00:22:55.48\00:22:57.54
because of that and
they started renting a room
00:22:57.57\00:22:59.92
in this
commercial building here.
00:22:59.95\00:23:01.13
It's just one small
little like office room.
00:23:01.16\00:23:02.90
They're using it as a church
00:23:02.93\00:23:04.46
and this is Wednesday evening.
00:23:04.49\00:23:05.89
So they're having a
Wednesday night meeting.
00:23:05.92\00:23:07.45
And I'd just like to show you
00:23:07.48\00:23:08.59
what they're doing
here and how many people
00:23:08.62\00:23:10.54
are coming out
on Wednesday night.
00:23:10.57\00:23:11.61
I guess on Sabbath, they
have even more than this.
00:23:11.64\00:23:13.60
It's getting quite full.
00:23:13.63\00:23:14.94
Albino is a kind
of a special person
00:23:16.30\00:23:18.71
because she's very creative.
00:23:18.74\00:23:19.77
She's done colporteur work
for quite a number of years
00:23:19.80\00:23:22.18
before she started
being a Bible worker
00:23:22.21\00:23:23.93
with our ministry and
she still does the colporteur
00:23:23.96\00:23:25.92
work from time to time
along with doing door-to-door
00:23:25.95\00:23:28.84
Bible work and
lending library and such,
00:23:28.87\00:23:31.24
but one of the
things that I found out
00:23:31.27\00:23:32.78
that was really
interesting she does is,
00:23:32.81\00:23:34.34
in Vilnius which is
really old city like you say
00:23:34.37\00:23:36.74
it's a capital
city here in Lithuania,
00:23:36.77\00:23:38.71
she goes to old
historic part of town
00:23:38.74\00:23:40.85
outside of the
big catholic church
00:23:40.88\00:23:42.33
which is really
a big tourist area,
00:23:42.36\00:23:43.84
and she lays out on the sidewalk
00:23:43.87\00:23:45.98
a couple of blankets
and she puts books like
00:23:46.01\00:23:47.86
"Desire of Ages",
"Great Controversy",
00:23:47.89\00:23:49.55
"Steps to Christ",
different books like
00:23:49.58\00:23:51.30
that that we've been publishing
through the years here.
00:23:51.33\00:23:53.35
And she sells them to people
00:23:53.38\00:23:54.98
who are going in and
out of the church there.
00:23:55.01\00:23:56.46
She's got a real
love for the work
00:23:56.49\00:23:59.82
and very
creative in what she does.
00:23:59.85\00:24:01.42
Albino was leading out
00:24:12.10\00:24:13.15
in a Bible
reading when we entered.
00:24:13.18\00:24:14.98
These people
were eagerly searching
00:24:15.01\00:24:16.77
for truth found in God's word.
00:24:16.80\00:24:19.11
This group consisted of all ages
00:24:19.14\00:24:21.02
and the discussion was
very lively and Bible-based.
00:24:21.05\00:24:24.15
It is by personal
visitation and Bible studies
00:24:27.74\00:24:30.48
all across
Lithuania that is making
00:24:30.51\00:24:32.79
a difference in people's lives.
00:24:32.82\00:24:34.96
Pray for our Bible
workers that they may meet
00:24:34.99\00:24:37.24
the challenges that
come while sharing the truth.
00:24:37.27\00:24:39.31
Pray that hearts will be touched
00:24:39.34\00:24:41.20
and thank you for
your prayers and support.
00:24:41.23\00:24:44.41
So this will make things
little bit easier maybe for--
00:24:45.91\00:24:48.46
Today we've been invited
to go to the mission office.
00:24:51.60\00:24:53.14
We're gonna meet Bertold,
00:24:53.17\00:24:54.20
Mission
President of the Adventist.
00:24:54.23\00:24:55.62
He used to work with
us as a Bible worker.
00:24:55.65\00:24:57.31
He's a mission secretary now.
00:24:57.34\00:24:58.82
Mr. Bertold. Oh, no.
00:25:03.90\00:25:06.00
Nice to see
you. Nice to see you.
00:25:06.03\00:25:08.25
Laymen Ministries is one of the
00:25:08.28\00:25:09.37
first organizations to
start working in Lithuania,
00:25:09.40\00:25:12.18
even before there was an
organized mission office.
00:25:12.21\00:25:14.89
Some years later,
our mission was organized
00:25:14.92\00:25:17.23
by the Adventist church
and some of these people
00:25:17.26\00:25:19.35
that we saw gave
their hearts to Lord,
00:25:19.38\00:25:20.97
were soon working for
the church organization.
00:25:21.00\00:25:23.84
Bertold, the mission
president has been a good friend
00:25:23.87\00:25:26.31
and a co-worker
for years, long before
00:25:26.34\00:25:28.57
he was mission president.
00:25:28.60\00:25:30.22
David is the
treasurer of the mission.
00:25:30.25\00:25:32.14
He used to work
in Laymen Ministries
00:25:32.17\00:25:33.56
publishing house, while Gintaras
00:25:33.59\00:25:35.54
is the mission secretary.
00:25:35.57\00:25:36.85
He used to be one
of our Bible workers.
00:25:36.88\00:25:38.94
Whenever I come to
Lithuania, we meet and discuss
00:25:38.97\00:25:41.39
how Laymen
Ministries and the mission
00:25:41.42\00:25:43.07
can work better in
bringing souls to the truth.
00:25:43.10\00:25:45.32
[singing in foreign language]
00:25:50.58\00:25:53.58
We were mighty to
get even in last night
00:26:31.12\00:26:32.76
here in Lithuania in
the city of Radviliskis
00:26:32.79\00:26:35.35
as we were
looking out on the balcony
00:26:35.38\00:26:37.31
at this block of
flats what we would call
00:26:37.34\00:26:38.98
apartments behind us here,
00:26:39.01\00:26:40.74
that these
different individual flats
00:26:40.77\00:26:42.80
and apartments
had lights flashing
00:26:42.83\00:26:44.74
of the televisions inside.
00:26:44.77\00:26:46.09
The way people are
communicating is different.
00:26:46.12\00:26:48.05
People aren't sitting around
reading books like they used to.
00:26:48.08\00:26:50.57
They're glued in
front of a television set
00:26:50.60\00:26:52.20
when they come home and
this whole idea of being
00:26:52.23\00:26:55.30
able to reach people
has got to start changing.
00:26:55.33\00:26:57.32
We're in a
really remote farm area
00:27:01.53\00:27:02.91
here in Lithuania
and to our amazement,
00:27:02.94\00:27:05.48
they do have high speeder,
00:27:05.51\00:27:07.02
and they just got done
watching Laymen Ministries
00:27:07.05\00:27:09.11
Lithuanian
program off of YouTube
00:27:09.14\00:27:11.51
just a couple seconds ago.
00:27:11.54\00:27:12.88
So it's one of the
reasons we really need to get
00:27:12.91\00:27:15.05
into developing a
lot of different language
00:27:15.08\00:27:17.21
typed videos that are
short videos on YouTube
00:27:17.24\00:27:20.41
and some of the other
services out there so people
00:27:20.44\00:27:22.58
can watch those
kind of presentations
00:27:22.61\00:27:24.51
in their own language.
00:27:24.54\00:27:25.57
This is gonna be the
way that we're gonna be
00:27:29.59\00:27:30.94
making more of our
contacts in the future
00:27:30.97\00:27:33.20
and they can
get on the internet,
00:27:33.23\00:27:34.52
contact somebody
through email address
00:27:34.55\00:27:37.35
and start
correspondence that way.
00:27:37.38\00:27:39.12
It doesn't matter
whether you are in the jungles
00:27:39.15\00:27:40.49
of one or two,
or whether you are
00:27:40.52\00:27:42.11
in the comforts
of the United States
00:27:42.14\00:27:43.37
or all across Europe,
00:27:43.40\00:27:44.74
we can't just have
meetings and expect people
00:27:44.77\00:27:46.63
to come to seminars and meetings
00:27:46.66\00:27:47.91
like we've done in the past.
00:27:47.94\00:27:49.08
We need to go
where the people are.
00:27:49.11\00:27:51.26