Youth camp, 21st b-day, and Prayer Requests

We just got back from youth camp yesterday afternoon. We had a great camp. We had 33 people attend. Two teenagers got saved and four others made other specific decisions. All week we were studying about relationships. We emphasized that the vertical relationship (between each person and God) is the most important, and that when our vertical relationship is in order our horizontal relationships (between each person and others) fall into place.

Each day we had morning worship and then the girls would have Bible study and the guys their separate Bible Study. The leaders from Sulfur each shared their testimonies during the Bible studies which really made an impression on the youth.

We also had a lot of fun at camp. I taught everyone how to do the cha cha slide and cupid shuffle. Preston and I also taught them how to do the “lawnmower dance”. The Lithuanians all really enjoyed dancing. On Wednesday night we had a Country band come to the camp and give a concert. We did the cha cha slide, the cupid shuffle, and footloose to many of the songs. We enjoyed the music and expressed our joy. We advertised all through the town about it and drew in many people from the community. In the middle of the concert we took a break from the country music and we led in several worship songs and Milton shared the gospel. After the concert finished we handed out tracts to everyone as they left the camp grounds and shared the reason for our joy.

Thursday was my 21^st Birthday. They helped me celebrate with the Lithuanian tradition. Instead of birthday spankings they seat the birthday person in a chair and raise them above their heads for each year plus one to grow on. After the age of fifteen they start cheating a little, which was okay with me since I get motion sickness. I also had a traditional Lithuanian birthday cake which was very good. That night we had a talent show which I performed a skit with Preston and Christina. We made fun of the differences between American and Lithuanian cultures. Everyone had a lot of fun and laughed the entire time! Later on we had a bonfire and sang songs. The stars were out and very magnificent I was caught in awe at the beauty of the sky.

On Friday we said goodbyes to everyone and packed up and drove to Ŝilute (sha-loo-tey). We went sight seeing Friday night. On Saturday we took a two hour boat ride to Nida which is an island. We hung out at the beach and had a sand castle building contest and just enjoyed the sun.

On Sunday we led the service in Ŝilute. One lady came forward and accepted Christ as her Savior (praise the Lord)! On Sunday we drove back to Vilnius and had worship here. After worship Milton and Peyton attempted to drive two of the ladies home because it was raining horribly, but the roads were all flooded, so they returned and the women walked home. The group from Sulfur also had to walk to their hotel. The group left today (Monday) and our next group from Florida also arrived today. We will be working in another city called Ŝiauliai (Shaw-lay). We will be prayer walking, doing narrative mapping and looking for possible places to rent.

Prayer requests

Pray for good weather as we work in Ŝiauliai over the next week.

Pray for the group – Their leader was unable to make the trip due to last minute circumstances, pray that the group will not be distracted from the work.

Pray that God would provide safety in traveling.

Pray for our energy that God would provide the strength to do our work and be focused.