Hi Friends and Family!

(I know this is a long update, if you do not have time to read the entire thing please don't miss the prayer requests at the bottom)!

Jet lag has taken its toll and I am left with great memories and experiences of the trip over the last week. The week went by so fast it seemed like dream. It was great to be back in Lithuania.

We arrived on Friday in Vilnius and were able to attend a professional ballet with Milton and Lara. It was a unique experience. We all tried Lithuanian Hot Chocolate, which is rich chocolate melted into a creamy dessert.

On Saturday Lara, Judy, my parents, and I made our way to Alytus. The city was barely moving until about 2 pm when people started appearing on the streets. We were able to go in several stores that the locals were. Lara was able to communicate with a couple of people about what we should see while we were there and where we should eat. We went and ate lunch and then made our way back towards Vilnius that night.

Milton, Judy, and I drove to Silute Sunday morning because Milton was filling in for Rimas who was away at a conference. The worship in Silute is always filled with joy and a pleasure to be able to attend. The wife of one man who accepted Christ at Easter was there and has been coming for the last several weeks. Please be praying for her salvation. After church we went to eat with Dangoulie, Laima, and Gintare. It was a special time for us to be able to share with those ladies.

After lunch, Milton, Judy, and I drove to Kaunas where we lead service that night. It was a great joy for me to be able to see old friends from the summer, and meet new friends who have started coming. We returned to Vilnius that late Sunday night.

Monday through Wednesday we spent our time in Alytus. We prayer walked and sometimes prayer drove the city. We were able to see many places where the locals spend there time (shopping venues, an outdoor market, and coffee shops), we were given a tour of an art technical college, and we were also able to look in two different museums which told us about the history of Alytus. In the museums we met 4 different individuals who Lara was able to talk with and explain why we were in Alytus. All seemed open to our mission.

On Tuesday on our way to the outdoor market we stopped in a building that looked like a shopping mall, and walked into a furniture store. We were looking around for a restroom when Lara saw nativity sets. Nativities are very difficult to find in Lithuania. Lara and Judy began asking about the nativity and had the opportunity to tell the store clerk that we were there be cause we are evangelical Baptists and want to start a church there. The girl very excitedly told Lara that she too is a Christian! We rejoiced in finding a sister in Christ already in the city. It is amazing how God works, we were looking for a restroom, and found a sister in Christ!

Throughout the week we were able to come in contact with and share our purpose for being in Alytus with 8-10 individuals. Alytus is a growing city. There was construction going on at every street corner. The city is largely an industrial area with many factories and businesses, and two technical colleges. The city has just completed a soccer (football) field which is an outdoor arena that seats about 5,000 people, and is currently working on expanding a state of the art sports complex which will be one of the venues for the 2011 Euro Sports Basketball Championship. We were given a tour of the complex by the vice director of sports for the area and this complex will be large enough to have two professional basketball games going on at the same time.

We left Alytus on Wednesday with an excitement about Alytus and how God will use Gloster Baptist to share His name in the city.

On Thursday Milton took my parents and me on a "tour" of Vilnius. It was my father's first time in Lithuania since 1999 so we were able to show him the great growth Lithuania has gone through over the last 11 years. Lara and Judy stayed at the house and cooked a traditional Thanksgiving meal for everyone. Milton and Lara had invited the members of the Kaunas and Vilnius church to Thanksgiving dinner. It was such a joy for me to be able to fellowship with the members of those two churches. They each have a special place in my heart.

After dinner one lady who had been in a depression all summer had come and she was so excited to see me. When she was about to leave she called me over to her and she took out her earrings and put them in my hands. Holding them in my hands she told me that she had nothing else to give me, but that she wanted to give her earrings to me so that I would never forget her. She told me that she loved me and was praying for me. It was a special moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Please be in prayer for each of the churches in Lithuania (Silute, Klapedia, Kaunas, Vilnius).

Pray for the cities that have recently been adopted and where Milton and Lara are working (Panevezys, Alytus, Siauliai, Saugos/Silute)

Pray for the cities that still need to be adopted (Mazeikiai, Marijampoles, Trakai, Druskininkai, Jurbarkas, Kretinga/Klaipeda

For each of the churches pray that:

Barriers (physical and spiritual will be defeated)

Persons of Peace- Pray that God would lead Milton, Lara, and Groups to people who are open to the gospel, or who are already saved who will help aid in starting a church in the cities

Places of Worship - Existing ones- that in Catholic churches that as scripture is read it will speak to the peoples hearts, that God will reveal himself to those caught in cults and other false religions and bring salvation to them

Pray for Milton, Lara, Preston, and Peyton- Pray that God would grant them favor as they go into these cities to speak God's name, pray that they will renewed, pray for Christian fellowship for them.

Thank you for your prayers. I pray that each of you have a Merry Christmas, as the season approaches and that God would grant you the boldness and willingness to share His name, his joy, and peace in this upcoming holiday season.

Many Blessings,

Elizabeth McLellan