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.
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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.
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This way they can
answer any questions
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the people might
have and make friends.
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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
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to a block of flats
where the people are very poor.
00:08:20.83\00:08:23.97
She mentioned
that this part of town
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was very old and
had a lot of crime.
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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.
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Donna soon learned that Adronie
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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.
00:09:20.32\00:09:22.99
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
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of our older programs
about how Laymen Ministries
00:10:01.50\00:10:03.77
has been helping poor
orphanages across Lithuania.
00:10:03.80\00:10:06.90
Over the years, shoes, clothes,
00:10:06.94\00:10:09.34
books and other
items have been given
00:10:09.37\00:10:11.01
to orphans and
the staff are like
00:10:11.04\00:10:13.11
in the poorest
of the orphanages.
00:10:13.14\00:10:16.18
With Lithuania having one of the
00:10:16.21\00:10:17.75
highest rates of unemployment,
alcoholism and depression
00:10:17.78\00:10:21.55
and suicide in Europe,
this leads to a lot of children
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who end up
abandoned to orphanages.
00:10:24.45\00:10:26.92
While on this trip we met with
00:10:38.43\00:10:39.70
the assistant director of
the orphanage in Kybartai.
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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.
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You saw one of
our previous videos.
00:10:48.41\00:10:49.68
We actually went
into a large shopping
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kind of like a center mall area
and shop with the directors.
00:10:51.81\00:10:55.32
But this shop
here is, one that's
00:10:55.35\00:10:56.69
really close to the orphanage.
00:10:56.72\00:10:57.75
So the director came over here
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with some of the
kids and they bought
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a bunch of
clothes and we're paying
00:11:01.19\00:11:03.06
for it right now and we're going
00:11:03.09\00:11:04.13
to take it back
to the orphanage.
00:11:04.16\00:11:05.99
One of the things
that we like to do to is
00:11:06.03\00:11:08.76
not only help some of the poor
00:11:08.80\00:11:10.20
orphanages with clothes,
but we'd like to give literature
00:11:10.23\00:11:12.30
to the kids and
to all the faculty
00:11:12.33\00:11:14.17
and staff of the orphanages.
00:11:14.20\00:11:15.90
Okay. Aciu. Nice
doing business with you.
00:11:27.52\00:11:30.42
speaking in foreign language
00:11:30.45\00:11:32.49
When we arrived
back at the orphanage,
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we were informed that almost
all the orphans were in school.
00:11:41.13\00:11:44.27
So there was not much of a show
00:11:44.30\00:11:45.50
while
distributing some of our items.
00:11:45.53\00:11:47.77
A few children that were there
00:11:47.80\00:11:49.14
received a few of
the items and of course
00:11:49.17\00:11:51.27
they were especially
happy to get the basketballs.
00:11:51.31\00:11:54.81
Something as simple as a ball
00:11:54.84\00:11:56.68
can open the heart to accepting
00:11:56.71\00:11:58.48
this spiritual
mentoring they need.
00:11:58.51\00:12:00.48
We only share
books with the children
00:12:01.52\00:12:03.35
and the staff as well.
00:12:03.39\00:12:05.59
These books are entitled
00:12:05.62\00:12:06.76
"New Start" by
Dr. Vernon Foster.
00:12:06.79\00:12:08.92
We also had an assortment
of children's books as well.
00:12:10.39\00:12:13.09
Most of these books are the ones
00:12:15.36\00:12:16.73
Laymen Ministries has
published over the years.
00:12:16.77\00:12:19.60
Our Bible workers often
visit various orphanages
00:12:19.63\00:12:22.64
sharing clothing,
shoes, toothpaste,
00:12:22.67\00:12:25.54
soap, books, and
holding special programs
00:12:25.57\00:12:28.08
for the
children on the holidays.
00:12:28.11\00:12:29.81
Over the years,
Laymen Ministries
00:12:35.02\00:12:36.58
has helped not only this
this orphanage in Kybartai,
00:12:36.62\00:12:39.32
but all across Lithuania.
00:12:39.35\00:12:41.42
Today we are in
for a special treat.
00:12:44.63\00:12:46.23
Some ladies have come
here to the little church
00:12:46.26\00:12:48.20
and they're gonna demonstrate
00:12:48.23\00:12:49.46
some
traditional Lithuanian food.
00:12:49.50\00:12:51.83
I think one of the
dishes is gonna be like
00:12:51.87\00:12:54.54
a beet borscht, they
call it cold beet soup,
00:12:54.57\00:12:57.67
that sounds interesting.
00:12:57.71\00:12:59.74
And then some other
kind of potato dish.
00:12:59.77\00:13:02.88
So let's go see
what they're doing.
00:13:02.91\00:13:05.15
When I came in, the first thing
00:13:08.62\00:13:09.72
I saw was ladies
peeling potatoes.
00:13:09.75\00:13:11.72
Of course, I love potatoes
00:13:11.75\00:13:13.62
because I live in Idaho
which is famous for potatoes.
00:13:13.66\00:13:17.56
And a lot of the
Adventists here in Lithuania
00:13:21.90\00:13:24.40
are ovo-lacto vegetarian.
00:13:24.43\00:13:25.90
They're not vegan in
that truest sense of the word,
00:13:25.93\00:13:28.17
but lot of this is kind
of new for them from going
00:13:28.20\00:13:31.01
from eating a lot of meat
and such to vegetarianism.
00:13:31.04\00:13:34.08
What is the ingredients
that you're making in this?
00:13:36.85\00:13:39.51
What did you call it
again, the Bulviu Plokatainis?
00:13:39.55\00:13:42.82
Bulviu Plokatainis
00:13:42.85\00:13:44.35
Plokatainis. Plokatainis.
00:13:44.39\00:13:46.12
It means
basically potato pudding.
00:13:46.15\00:13:47.59
Yeah. Potato pudding.
00:13:47.62\00:13:48.66
What are you
putting in this now?
00:13:48.69\00:13:50.93
We will put eggs, sour cream,
00:13:50.96\00:13:54.30
milk, pumpkin, butter, onions.
00:13:54.30\00:13:59.27
And... the potatoes.
00:13:59.30\00:14:04.24
I've noticed this several
of the potato based dishes
00:14:08.58\00:14:11.15
in Lithuania use a combination
of cooked and raw potatoes
00:14:11.18\00:14:14.35
in the preparation processor.
00:14:14.38\00:14:16.32
This is mustard oil.
00:14:46.41\00:14:49.05
Do they make it
from mustard seed?
00:14:49.08\00:14:50.79
Yes. That's right.
00:14:50.82\00:14:51.92
While this bulviu
plokatainis or potato pudding
00:14:59.13\00:15:02.13
is baking in the oven,
00:15:02.16\00:15:03.33
Neringa headed out
to the small garden
00:15:03.37\00:15:05.37
behind the church to get some
things for the cold beet soup.
00:15:05.40\00:15:08.57
This is spring onions.
00:15:08.60\00:15:10.54
speaking in foreign language
00:15:13.91\00:15:16.31
Can you
translate that in English?
00:15:16.34\00:15:18.21
Cold beet soup. Cold beet soup.
00:15:18.25\00:15:20.78
These dishes are old
favorite among Lithuanian people
00:15:22.08\00:15:24.65
using raw grated
cucumbers mixed with some dill
00:15:24.69\00:15:27.59
and then a good amount
of shredded cooked beets.
00:15:27.62\00:15:30.59
Buttermilk is then added along
with some green onion tops.
00:15:37.77\00:15:41.24
The mixture is
diluted with some cold water.
00:15:56.52\00:15:59.12
A couple chopped
boiled eggs are added
00:16:04.26\00:16:06.66
and the soup is
basically finished.
00:16:06.70\00:16:09.23
It's often eaten
with boiled potatoes.
00:16:09.26\00:16:11.70
We've got potatoes here
00:16:18.37\00:16:21.31
and the cold beet soup.
00:16:21.34\00:16:23.58
And I'm still
thinking about this stuff.
00:16:26.05\00:16:28.18
Definitely better than
lop lopping while I watch you.
00:16:36.99\00:16:39.93
So this is the potato pudding,
00:16:50.87\00:16:54.48
I'll give a sample
try here of this stuff.
00:16:54.51\00:16:57.38
Mmm, that's
actually pretty good stuff.
00:17:06.49\00:17:07.92
With the majority of
Lithuania's population
00:17:14.36\00:17:16.46
living in these block of flats
00:17:16.50\00:17:17.90
or what we would
call apartment complexes,
00:17:17.93\00:17:20.00
it used to be easy having our
Bible workers go door-to-door.
00:17:20.04\00:17:23.71
But then to cut down on crime,
00:17:23.74\00:17:25.17
many of the buildings
added security keyways
00:17:25.21\00:17:27.64
on big metal doors which
made it nearly impossible
00:17:27.68\00:17:30.45
for the Bible
workers to go door-to-door
00:17:30.48\00:17:32.38
in these block
of flat buildings.
00:17:32.41\00:17:35.02
Arunas came up with
an idea and that was
00:17:35.05\00:17:37.52
to advertise the
lending library in a newspaper.
00:17:37.55\00:17:40.36
In one incident,
an 80 year old woman
00:17:40.39\00:17:42.96
who lived way out in the
country saw the advertisement
00:17:42.99\00:17:45.63
and was very interested in
getting some Christian books
00:17:45.66\00:17:48.06
She called the number and
Arunas answered the phone.
00:17:48.10\00:17:51.47
He took down her
address so he could
00:17:58.41\00:18:00.31
go and pay a visit
and take her some books.
00:18:00.34\00:18:02.78
He packed up some of
the wonderful books such as
00:18:04.85\00:18:07.02
"The Desire of Ages"
and "Steps to Christ"
00:18:07.05\00:18:08.85
and headed out
to meet this lady.
00:18:08.88\00:18:10.52
After a 30 minute drive,
00:18:21.83\00:18:23.40
he was out in the
country at a small rural home.
00:18:23.43\00:18:26.47
To his surprise,
there was not only
00:18:35.24\00:18:36.95
an elderly lady
who was interested,
00:18:36.98\00:18:38.65
but also her son and
granddaughter as well.
00:18:38.68\00:18:41.22
Books were put into their
hands, but more than books,
00:18:44.85\00:18:47.96
a personal contact was made.
00:18:47.99\00:18:50.19
This led to group Bible
studies at these people's home.
00:18:53.09\00:18:56.36
Even some of the
local church members
00:18:56.40\00:18:58.00
started coming and helping.
00:18:58.03\00:18:59.70
Lots of questions
started being asked
00:18:59.73\00:19:01.74
and answered from the Bible.
00:19:01.77\00:19:03.04
Since the newspaper
ad had worked so well,
00:19:05.31\00:19:07.44
Arunas got another idea
00:19:07.48\00:19:09.28
and approached
Laymen Ministries about it.
00:19:09.31\00:19:11.31
That was
publishing our own newspaper.
00:19:11.35\00:19:14.78
Neringa started right
off designing the newspaper
00:19:14.82\00:19:17.12
which we entitled
"The Source of Hope".
00:19:17.15\00:19:19.95
We included
articles on the family,
00:19:19.99\00:19:22.06
health and Bible topics.
00:19:22.09\00:19:24.43
We printed several issues
now and the demand is growing
00:19:24.46\00:19:27.56
and we are finding a
lot of interested readers.
00:19:27.60\00:19:31.00
We are here at underground
prison cell at the Ninth Fort.
00:19:45.88\00:19:48.58
This Fort became known
00:19:48.62\00:19:49.82
as the fort of
death during World War II.
00:19:49.85\00:19:52.19
Just outside the city of Kaunas
is the infamous Ninth Fort.
00:19:52.22\00:19:56.69
Back in the late
1800s, the city of Kaunas
00:19:56.73\00:19:59.39
was surrounded by eight
forts and nine gun batteries
00:19:59.43\00:20:01.76
to protect it
from invading forces.
00:20:01.80\00:20:03.93
The Ninth Fort
was added to protect
00:20:03.97\00:20:05.80
the northern part of the city
00:20:05.83\00:20:06.97
and was finished on
the eve of World War I.
00:20:07.00\00:20:10.11
On June 22nd
1941, the German army
00:20:13.27\00:20:16.85
invaded Lithuania under
the direction of Adolf Hitler.
00:20:16.88\00:20:19.98
The Germans were first seen
as liberators from the Russians
00:20:20.02\00:20:22.98
But soon the
Lithuanian people realized
00:20:23.02\00:20:25.59
that they were under a
new reign of occupation.
00:20:25.62\00:20:28.69
Thousands of Jews were shipped
00:20:29.52\00:20:30.96
from Germany to
Lithuania on trains.
00:20:30.99\00:20:33.06
They became known
as the Reich Jews.
00:20:33.09\00:20:35.86
Also Jews from
all over Lithuania
00:20:35.90\00:20:37.87
were gathered and
brought to the Ninth Fort
00:20:37.90\00:20:39.87
which served as a
concentration camp.
00:20:39.90\00:20:42.67
It is estimated
that over 30,000 Jews
00:20:42.70\00:20:45.37
lost their lives
at the Ninth Fort.
00:20:45.41\00:20:47.68
It was against
these walls right here
00:21:11.17\00:21:12.33
where a lot of the
prisoners were executed.
00:21:12.37\00:21:14.70
Their bodies were
taken to a mass burial grave
00:21:14.74\00:21:17.47
just on the other
side of the main Fort wall
00:21:17.51\00:21:19.51
on this site over here.
00:21:19.54\00:21:20.64
As I thought
about the Ninth Fort,
00:21:35.42\00:21:37.03
I realized that
it was a privilege
00:21:37.06\00:21:38.79
to be involved with
bringing hope to a country
00:21:38.83\00:21:41.33
that has seen so many
seemingly hopeless situations.
00:21:41.36\00:21:44.87
At the little
church in Radviliskis
00:21:47.20\00:21:49.07
we are holding our
annual Bible worker meeting.
00:21:49.10\00:21:51.14
Pastor Arunas let
out in the song service
00:21:51.17\00:21:53.81
and I spent some time going over
00:21:53.84\00:21:55.38
the history of Laymen
Ministries in Lithuania
00:21:55.41\00:21:57.71
and then shared some
words of encouragement.
00:21:57.75\00:22:01.05
You sometimes get discouraged--
00:22:01.08\00:22:03.02
We then sat in
a group discussion
00:22:06.39\00:22:08.16
talking about how we
could improve our work,
00:22:08.19\00:22:10.16
come up with new
ideas for outreach
00:22:10.19\00:22:12.09
and overlook new materials
00:22:12.13\00:22:13.66
that we could
publish for distribution.
00:22:13.70\00:22:15.80
We have a great
team of Bible workers
00:22:17.53\00:22:19.33
who are dedicated to sharing
00:22:19.37\00:22:20.44
the truths of
God's word with people.
00:22:20.47\00:22:22.50
They have good
success in their outreach,
00:22:22.54\00:22:24.64
yet they seek to do
better in pioneering
00:22:24.67\00:22:27.54
the work in this little country.
00:22:27.58\00:22:29.14
One of our newest
Bible workers is Albino.
00:22:30.85\00:22:32.58
She's been with us for
about two-and-a-half years.
00:22:32.61\00:22:34.65
She actually works
in the city of Vilnius,
00:22:34.68\00:22:36.55
but she's been
coming to this city.
00:22:36.58\00:22:38.12
It's probably about 35
kilometers away from Vilnius
00:22:38.15\00:22:42.16
and her and the
mission president were involved
00:22:42.19\00:22:44.63
with some meetings that
took place here two years ago.
00:22:44.66\00:22:46.43
They had like a prophecy seminar
00:22:46.46\00:22:48.96
and some health
meetings and they
00:22:49.00\00:22:51.30
generated some
interests with the colporteurs
00:22:51.33\00:22:53.13
and with those
meetings and there was
00:22:53.17\00:22:55.34
a small church
group that was raised up
00:22:55.37\00:22:57.44
because of that and
they started renting a room
00:22:57.47\00:22:59.81
in this
commercial building here.
00:22:59.84\00:23:01.01
It's just one small
little like office room.
00:23:01.04\00:23:02.78
They're using it as a church
00:23:02.81\00:23:04.35
and this is Wednesday evening.
00:23:04.38\00:23:05.78
So they're having a
Wednesday night meeting.
00:23:05.81\00:23:07.35
And I'd just like to show you
00:23:07.38\00:23:08.48
what they're doing
here and how many people
00:23:08.52\00:23:10.45
are coming out
on Wednesday night.
00:23:10.49\00:23:11.49
I guess on Sabbath, they
have even more than this.
00:23:11.52\00:23:13.49
It's getting quite full.
00:23:13.52\00:23:14.92
Albino is a kind
of a special person
00:23:16.22\00:23:18.63
because she's very creative.
00:23:18.66\00:23:19.79
She's done colporteur work
for quite a number of years
00:23:19.83\00:23:22.06
before she started
being a Bible worker
00:23:22.10\00:23:23.80
with our ministry and
she still does the colporteur
00:23:23.83\00:23:25.80
work from time to time
along with doing door-to-door
00:23:25.83\00:23:28.74
Bible work and
lending library and such,
00:23:28.77\00:23:31.14
but one of the
things that I found out
00:23:31.17\00:23:32.67
that was really
interesting she does is,
00:23:32.71\00:23:34.24
in Vilnius which is
really old city like you say
00:23:34.28\00:23:36.64
it's a capital
city here in Lithuania,
00:23:36.68\00:23:38.61
she goes to old
historic part of town
00:23:38.65\00:23:40.75
outside of the
big catholic church
00:23:40.78\00:23:42.22
which is really
a big tourist area,
00:23:42.25\00:23:43.75
and she lays out on the sidewalk
00:23:43.79\00:23:45.89
a couple of blankets
and she puts books like
00:23:45.92\00:23:47.76
"Desire of Ages",
"Great Controversy",
00:23:47.79\00:23:49.46
"Steps to Christ",
different books like
00:23:49.49\00:23:51.19
that that we've been publishing
through the years here.
00:23:51.23\00:23:53.26
And she sells them to people
00:23:53.29\00:23:54.86
who are going in and
out of the church there.
00:23:54.93\00:23:56.33
She's got a real
love for the work
00:23:56.36\00:23:59.70
and very
creative in what she does.
00:23:59.73\00:24:01.37
Albino was leading out
00:24:12.01\00:24:13.05
in a Bible
reading when we entered.
00:24:13.08\00:24:14.88
These people
were eagerly searching
00:24:14.92\00:24:16.69
for truth found in God's word.
00:24:16.72\00:24:19.02
This group consisted of all ages
00:24:19.05\00:24:20.92
and the discussion was
very lively and Bible-based.
00:24:20.96\00:24:24.13
It is by personal
visitation and Bible studies
00:24:27.66\00:24:30.37
all across
Lithuania that is making
00:24:30.40\00:24:32.67
a difference in people's lives.
00:24:32.70\00:24:34.84
Pray for our Bible
workers that they may meet
00:24:34.87\00:24:37.14
the challenges that
come while sharing the truth.
00:24:37.17\00:24:39.21
Pray that hearts will be touched
00:24:39.24\00:24:41.08
and thank you for
your prayers and support.
00:24:41.11\00:24:44.38
So this will make things
little bit easier maybe for--
00:24:45.81\00:24:48.42
Today we've been invited
to go to the mission office.
00:24:51.52\00:24:53.05
We're gonna meet Bertold,
00:24:53.09\00:24:54.09
Mission
President of the Adventist.
00:24:54.12\00:24:55.52
He used to work with
us as a Bible worker.
00:24:55.56\00:24:57.23
He's a mission secretary now.
00:24:57.26\00:24:58.79
Mr. Bertold. Oh, no.
00:25:03.80\00:25:05.87
Nice to see
you. Nice to see you.
00:25:05.90\00:25:08.14
Laymen Ministries is one of the
00:25:08.17\00:25:09.24
first organizations to
start working in Lithuania,
00:25:09.27\00:25:12.07
even before there was an
organized mission office.
00:25:12.11\00:25:14.78
Some years later,
our mission was organized
00:25:14.81\00:25:17.11
by the Adventist church
and some of these people
00:25:17.15\00:25:19.25
that we saw gave
their hearts to Lord,
00:25:19.28\00:25:20.88
were soon working for
the church organization.
00:25:20.92\00:25:23.75
Bertold, the mission
president has been a good friend
00:25:23.79\00:25:26.22
and a co-worker
for years, long before
00:25:26.25\00:25:28.49
he was mission president.
00:25:28.52\00:25:30.13
David is the
treasurer of the mission.
00:25:30.16\00:25:32.06
He used to work
in Laymen Ministries
00:25:32.09\00:25:33.46
publishing house, while Gintaras
00:25:33.50\00:25:35.43
is the mission secretary.
00:25:35.46\00:25:36.73
He used to be one
of our Bible workers.
00:25:36.77\00:25:38.83
Whenever I come to
Lithuania, we meet and discuss
00:25:38.87\00:25:41.27
how Laymen
Ministries and the mission
00:25:41.30\00:25:42.97
can work better in
bringing souls to the truth.
00:25:43.00\00:25:45.27
singing in foreign language
00:25:50.48\00:25:53.55
We were mighty to
get even in last night
00:26:31.02\00:26:32.65
here in Lithuania in
the city of Radviliskis
00:26:32.69\00:26:35.26
as we were
looking out on the balcony
00:26:35.29\00:26:37.23
at this block of
flats what we would call
00:26:37.26\00:26:38.89
apartments behind us here,
00:26:38.93\00:26:40.66
that these
different individual flats
00:26:40.70\00:26:42.66
and apartments
had lights flashing
00:26:42.70\00:26:44.63
of the televisions inside.
00:26:44.67\00:26:45.97
The way people are
communicating is different.
00:26:46.00\00:26:47.94
People aren't sitting around
reading books like they used to.
00:26:47.97\00:26:50.47
They're glued in
front of a television set
00:26:50.51\00:26:52.07
when they come home and
this whole idea of being
00:26:52.11\00:26:55.18
able to reach people
has got to start changing.
00:26:55.21\00:26:57.28
We're in a
really remote farm area
00:27:01.42\00:27:02.82
here in Lithuania
and to our amazement,
00:27:02.85\00:27:05.39
they do have high speeder,
00:27:05.42\00:27:06.92
and they just got done
watching Laymen Ministries
00:27:06.96\00:27:09.02
Lithuanian
program off of YouTube
00:27:09.06\00:27:11.43
just a couple seconds ago.
00:27:11.46\00:27:12.79
So it's one of the
reasons we really need to get
00:27:12.83\00:27:14.93
into developing a
lot of different language
00:27:14.96\00:27:17.10
typed videos that are
short videos on YouTube
00:27:17.13\00:27:20.30
and some of the other
services out there so people
00:27:20.34\00:27:22.47
can watch those
kind of presentations
00:27:22.50\00:27:24.41
in their own language.
00:27:24.44\00:27:25.54
This is gonna be the
way that we're gonna be
00:27:29.48\00:27:30.85
making more of our
contacts in the future
00:27:30.88\00:27:33.08
and they can
get on the internet,
00:27:33.11\00:27:34.42
contact somebody
through email address
00:27:34.45\00:27:37.25
and start
correspondence that way.
00:27:37.29\00:27:39.02
It doesn't matter
whether you are in the jungles
00:27:39.05\00:27:40.39
of one or two,
or whether you are
00:27:40.42\00:27:42.02
in the comforts
of the United States
00:27:42.06\00:27:43.29
or all across Europe,
00:27:43.32\00:27:44.66
we can't just have
meetings and expect people
00:27:44.69\00:27:46.53
to come to seminars and meetings
00:27:46.56\00:27:47.83
like we've done in the past.
00:27:47.86\00:27:48.96
We need to go
where the people are.
00:27:49.00\00:27:51.20