Students complete an assignment in a Lithuanian classroom.

“Sometimes when kids think about witnessing, they think they have to be superheroes… The small things are really what make a difference.”

Her face radiated joy as Preston Magalhaes, age 15, spoke these words. Sitting beside her on the couch were her brother, Peyton, age 12, and Miss Ausra, who works at their school in Vilnius, Lithuania. Preston and Peyton are the children of IMB missionaries Milton and Lara Magalhaes. The two children were instrumental in Ausra coming to know Christ just a few weeks ago.

Ausra has worked in the performing arts school for several years. She recalls the first day she saw Preston and Peyton four years ago. She was first struck by their dark hair and tan complexion. They did not look Lithuanian, but they spoke the language beautifully.

After introducing herself and learning that the children were from the United States, Ausra asked Preston and Peyton if they would be willing to exchange English conversation whenever they crossed paths at school. Little did Preston and Peyton know that their kindness would radically change Ausra’s life.

Over the next few years, Ausra encountered hardships in her personal life. Grappling with the suicide of a friend, she recalled, “I knew I needed God’s help.” Ausra was intrigued by what she described as a light around the Magalhaes children. They were different– kinder, happier than any other children she had met. Milton said, “She became very interested in knowing what was different about our kids and how she could have it.”

So Ausra contacted Lara, asking if she could attend their church. “I felt like God was calling me,” said Ausra, “Like I needed Him to be in my heart.” So that week, after Milton and Lara shared the Gospel with her, Ausra accepted Christ.

“I’m glad I know a family that is also human, that also has problems just like everybody else,” Ausra said of the Magalhaes family. “But they have a stronghold on Jesus Christ.”

Ausra’s friends and family have already noticed a change in her life. Where Ausra used to be a pessimist, family members now see her express joy she didn’t have before. “They’ve been seeing me change little by little,” Ausra said.

Preston and Peyton were thrilled when they heard that Ausra had become a Christian.

“I never realized that sometimes the little things can count,” Preston said. She always thought sharing her faith meant preaching on street corners or sitting down for a serious conversation. “But with Miss Ausra I realized that, just… saying hello to a person or interacting with them can lead them to Christ, help them see Christ in you.”

Milton said, “I think it’s very important for the children to know in their heart that they are not on the field just because their parents are, but they are also missionaries.”

While preparing to live on the mission field, Third Culture Kids (TCKs) like Preston and Peyton undergo similar training to that of their parents on an age-appropriate level. Children study their host countries, learn how to be servant leaders in their host cultures, and learn how to share the Gospel using illustrations like colors or Bible stories.

TCKs are given their name because they embrace three cultures: their home culture, their host country’s culture, and a third unique culture that comes from blending the first two. Amelia Travis,* a TCK teacher in Richmond, Va., said, “TCKs are just ordinary kids that God has placed into extraordinary places. Unlike many typical American kids, they are used to befriending those who are not just like themselves.” Travis says this makes TCKs uniquely equipped to share Christ with others.

Lara said of her children, “They really help us understand [the culture] in a different way because they grew up here.”

Preston joined in, “So we can help our parents understand what people think and how they think…”

“And why they think it,” Lara added. “They help everything make sense for us.”

Preston and Peyton described the opportunities they have in school to tell their friends and teachers about Christ. “I use every opportunity that I can get,” Peyton said. “Sometimes we have topics about what… you believe in, so I got to talk about Jesus during class.” Peyton also spoke of times when he had the opportunity to quote scripture and share Baptist history with his peers.

Preston added, “I also think that kids shouldn’t think of [sharing their faith] as a chore. They should just have fun with it. I mean, just think about, ‘What if a friend of mine became a Christian?’ That would be so awesome– I’d have somebody else to talk to about my faith, and that would be so cool!”

Lara and Milton noted that, as parents, they have many opportunities to share the Gospel through the school. Lara has given out Bibles to teachers and families and has taught English to the school’s third graders.

“God has used [our children] to be a bridge between us and people we would not meet otherwise if they had not been in public school,” Milton said.

“Like Miss Ausra!” Preston chimed in.

Milton smiled. “Like Miss Ausra.”

Readers can pray for Ausra as she seeks to share Christ with her family and friends. Pray also for the Magalhaes family as they seek to establish twelve churches in twelve years in Lithuania. For news and prayer requests, visit their website at www.lightforlithuania.com.

*Name Changed

Jack Gilliland, a long-term volunteer, meets a few Russian women who attended his spiritual gifts seminar in Izhevsk, Russia. Jack is from Arkansas and serves as a virtual strategy coordinator to the Republic of Udmurtia.

Baptists in Texas are hosting the Engage Europe Summit Oct. 11-13 at First Baptist Church (FBC) of Forney, Texas. The Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention are joining the International Mission Board (IMB) and FBC Forney for the event.

IMB workers from more than 15 Eastern European nations will travel from their ministry locations to interact with conference attendees and share their visions for planting churches among Europeans. They represent missionary work in Albania, Armenia, Bosnia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, southern Europe and Ukraine.

IMB worker Russell Kyzar, who helps lead the efforts of reaching out to Europeans across the globe, said he looks forward to the opportunity to connect with volunteers.

“This summit is like an NFL draft—missionaries come eager to find new team members, and church leaders come ready to sign up,” he said. “The enthusiasm is really contagious. It’s an exciting time for everyone.”

The event will start Sunday night with two missions encounters at FBC Forney and Lakeside Baptist Church in Canton—churches of the Kauf Van Baptist Association of Texas—with testimonies from the field. The following two days will include opportunities to meet one-on-one with IMB workers and discuss partnering with them to reach their respective people groups. Attendees will also hear a challenge from IMB President Dr. Jerry Rankin and “best practice” testimonies from churches aggressively involved in international missions.

Missionaries are looking for volunteers to pray and lead others to pray. They’re also looking for those interested in visiting a ministry location to prayerwalk; help with children’s and youth camps, concerts, student ministry and evangelism projects; conduct English as a Second Language courses; and build relationships with businesspeople, teachers and others for evangelism and discipleship—to name a few opportunities.

“In most places in Eastern Europe a church can’t be started ‘from scratch’ in a week or even in a few months,” Russell said, “but long-term partners can greatly reduce the time that is required and give an encouraging boost to our field personnel.”

Churches looking for long-term partnership opportunities with an unreached city or people group are urged to attend to discover how they can be strategic partners in Eastern Europe.

Register for the summit online at fbcforney.org/EngageEurope.

Catholicism
Roman Catholicism reigns over other religions in Lithuania, with approximately 79 percent of the population claiming membership. Small churches sit in nearly every village throughout the country, while the national Catholic cathedral stands central in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital.

Although religion is not new to the country’s scene, it seems to be more of a hindrance than an aid to Lithuanian believers trying to spread the truth of God’s Word.

“I used (mass attendance) to make people think I was a church person, but I was not a believer. I believe people pay more attention to the rituals of the church than to the love of Christ,” said Gitanas Savanoris, a member of Silute Evangelical Baptist Church (SEBC).

“The bottom line is people do not know the real God. They look for other gods or they just adapt to life in sin,” he said. “People say they are believers, but their lives show … they do not know Jesus Christ, who has risen.”

Mindaugas Stonys, a 26-year-old member of a church plant in Vilnius, said fear drives some of his peers away from a relationship with Christ.

“Some are afraid of giving their whole lives to Jesus and afraid of their lives totally changing,” he said. “It is different than the Catholic Church when people go (to Mass) just out of tradition. People … don’t want to change.”

SEBC leader Rimas Seliauskas agrees, noting that misconceptions of Christianity also play factors.

“People are afraid of something new,” he said. “Everyone thinks because they are Catholic, they are Christian. They don’t know what it means to be born again or saved.”

Rimas said older-generation Lithuanians typically believe Baptists are members of a sect that encourages the eating of children. He said if a person does not claim Catholicism, then they are labeled as a traitor.

However, Rimas also pointed out that younger people no longer view Baptists as betrayers, but are more open to the idea of a different denomination.

Modernization/materialism
The tags of purses in downtown Vilnius boast the equivalent of $5,000 prices, while Lara has seen dresses that cost as much as $6,000.

Lithuanians have experienced economic ups and downs as a country, with their current financial state seeming to be separating the “haves” from the “have nots.” Lara said with modernization and monetary security come other distractions.

“It makes it harder to spread the Gospel,” she said. “People have so many other things to fill that void—money, education, travel, just things to buy.”

Lara said people were wealthy during communism, but had few spending options. Now they have lower incomes, but so many choices of how to use their money.

“We went from nothing to freedom,” Gitanas said, “and material things we can obtain have become gods.”

Emanuelis Kinas, pastor of Good News Baptist Church in Klaipeda, said Lithuanians do not know true freedom.

“Some people think money is freedom. People are concerned with fleshly things and materialism,” he said. “Now money is a new god.”

Suicide
“My father killed himself.”

Rimas was in his 30s before his father decided to take his life, and was able to see the negative impact of his dad’s lack of a relationship with Christ.

“His spiritual foundation was Catholic. He … only saw religious things. ‘You must do that, you must feel guilty of your sins.’ No one showed them grace, real grace, that God is love,” he said.

Fortunately, Rimas’ father made Jesus his Lord one week before his death.

“If we don’t share Christ, people are dying … without (Him),” Milton said.

Mindaugas was 19 when he was the first person to discover his mother had hanged herself. He now prays for the salvation of his father and brother.

“Jesus was always with me during this very hard time,” Mindaugas said. “It was a difficult time, but Jesus keeps us to go forward.”

With a populace of 3.6 million, Lithuania currently holds the world’s highest suicide rate at 38.6 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. In comparison, the U.S. suicide rate is 11 per 100,000.

Call to prayer
Rimas asks for believers to lift up Lithuanians who have accepted Christ.

“Pray for people to go to church,” he said. “Satan is still strong, but I know God is stronger and knows how to take this victory.”

Milton agrees, knowing the struggles he and other believers face are only proof of God’s work.

“We count everything as a blessing,” he said. “We have to be doing something right. We count ourselves worthy of persecution.”

Consider partnering with Milton and Lara in 2009 to be involved in loving Lithuanians through the barriers and helping believers plant a dozen churches within the next 12 years. Contact these missionaries at milton@everyheart.net, +370-611-212-72 or on Skype (username “miltonandlara”).

“I didn’t have a lot to lose, and I live in (abundance) now,” he said.

Emanuelis said he had been in and out of jail since the age of 18, meanwhile acquiring his skin artwork. The towers on the two middle knuckles of his left hand represent the number of years he spent in Siberia’s highest-level prisons. The stars on his knees signify a commitment to never bow to, but instead stand in opposition of, the government. His left thigh is canvas for a knife, his past weapon of choice.

Both his right shoulder and chest bear symbols of robbery—a cat and pirate ship, respectively. His arms also reveal two signs of freedom and two representations of Klaipeda, his hometown. Around his left wrist is a thick band of skulls he utilized for a card game called Death.

Although his body will always carry the markings of his past, Emanuelis said he has a new focus on what truly lasts.

“I used to think joy came from a car or house, but now I know that (it) is Christ,” he said. “I now have what is permanent.”

In 1992 Emanuelis went to jail for the last time in his life, after running from Russian authorities. While serving time in Siberia he heard the Gospel and accepted Christ through the ministry of churches in his prison and a “God-send” rehabilitation center run by American missionaries.

After finishing his term, Emanuelis said he sought God’s direction when neither Russia nor Lithuania desired his presence.

He traveled around Siberia, sharing the Gospel until in 1996 he returned to Lithuania, where he felt God leading him to start a drug and alcohol rehab center in Klaipeda. Emanuelis met up with IMB missionaries Milton and Lara Magalhaes and together they established Nikopolis, with the assistance of a German church.

Today Emanuelis and his wife, Ausra, direct this Bible-based center that points self-admitted Lithuanians to a substance-free life focused on Christ.

“We get them dry by keeping them from drugs and alcohol, and then feed them with the Word of God,” Milton said.

Emanuelis said he knows his is an amazing testimony of what God can do in a life, and he sees how his story helps people at Nikopolis and his church.

“(This) is now the purpose of my life,” Emanuelis said. “It’s a lot of joy … to see them receiving a second chance. It’s hard to describe. Joy is the closest thing I can come to.”

Emanuelis, Ausra, Milton and Lara are looking for volunteers to help with the ministry at Nikopolis and other outreaches in Lithuania. For more details contact Milton and Lara at milton@everyheart.net,+370-611-212-72 or on Skype (username “miltonandlara”).

“(We can use) anyone who is a believer and has a heart and passion to see the lost,” she said.

Cliff Smith, missions pastor at FBC Daytona Beach, Fla., is one such individual. He and his ministry have committed to long-term service with Lara and Milton because he said he sees how members of his church can make a difference in the country.

“(God’s) Word will prevail. We’re simply instruments,” Cliff said.

Camp Kirkland and Global Missions Project (GMP) are also joining in the task. GMP is planning to take several choirs and approximately six instrumental teams to Lithuania during the summer of 2009 to draw individuals to the Gospel message through music.

Lithuanian believers said they look forward to the help they can receive from their American brothers and sisters.

“It’s encouraging for us,” said Rimas Celiauskas, pastor of Silute Evangelical Baptist Church (SEBC) in Silute, Lithuania. “We don’t get a lot of encouragement; Lithuanians don’t know how to encourage each other.”

Gitanas Savanoris, a member of SEBC, agrees that the need is great for workers in his country.

“(Lithuanians) continue to lead the world in suicide and alcohol and in drunk driving. We still see abortion as an assurance of not having more children, not murder,” he said. “There is a lot of work to be done in Lithuania.”

Rimas and fellow pastor Emanuelis Kinas desire help with solid biblical teaching.

“We need good discipleship in Lithuania,” Emanuelis said. “Send leaders and teachers to teach (our) leaders theological food. (Then) our leaders must teach others.”

Rimas stressed the need for long-term workers to be examples of Christian lives and to disciple new believers. Yet above all, members of the body in Lithuania said they need American believers to pray.

“Praying is number one,” Emanuelis said. “Maybe the first thing (to pray for) would be that people would wake up in revival. (Pray) that God would continue to work to change the hearts of Lithuanians.”

Lara and Milton also know that prayer support is vital to any ministry in which they are involved.

“The day Southern Baptists stop praying for us, we can’t carry this load,” Milton said. “Their prayers are the most necessary for us to be here.”

Milton and Lara ask prayer specifically for a strong family unit, health, safety, and that Southern Baptists would continue to give to the Cooperative Program, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® and Lottie Moon Challenges, which support projects and ministries not funded by the Cooperative Program.

Volunteer opportunities in Lithuania can include working with Vacation Bible Schools, youth camps, choirs, crusades and evangelistic/theological training. Connect with Milton and Lara at milton@everyheart.net,+370-611-212-72 or on Skype (username “miltonandlara”) to explore how you can help them reach the goal of planting 12 churches within 12 years.

Contact GMP through globalmissionsproject.com and inquire about the trip to Lithuania in 2009 to discover how to help take the Gospel to Lithuania through music.

Believers in Lithuania utilize a variety of tools to share the Gospel, including concerts, tracts and conferences. In addition, IMB missionaries Milton and Lara Magalhaes know building relationships is key to leading people to Christ.

Sabine

Milton said his and Lara’s former neighbor, Sabine, accepted Christ “all because of friendship” 10 years after they initially invited her to church.

When Sabine’s house burned down, she returned to the body of believers who had been warm and welcoming while she had attended church years earlier. The group donated money toward materials to help rebuild the family’s home.

“She knew she had friends in that church who she could come to,” Milton said.

Since her baptism, both Sabine’s husband and daughter have accepted Christ, and Sabine has been sharing the Gospel with her mother and friends.

Mindaugas

Mindaugas Stonys was frustrated with the lack of explanation surrounding Catholic traditions, and accepted his friends’ invitation to the Baptist youth group Milton was leading in Šilute.

“They truly shared their love, and that maybe was the main point of why I wanted to come (to youth group),” Mindaugas said.

Then tragedy struck. Mindaugas turned to Milton and the Baptist congregation in Šilute when at the age of 19 he was the first to discover his mother who had hanged herself.

“I had big support from this church,” he said. “I am very thankful. I also know Jesus was always with me during this very hard time.”

Mindaugas currently hosts a weekly Bible study in his apartment in Vilnius, and said he hopes his older brother and father will soon accept Christ.

Please pray for Lithuanian believers to be bold in sharing the Gospel with their friends and family members, as well as strangers. Pray Lithuanians would respond wholeheartedly to the truth of Jesus’ salvation and then serve the body through Bible-based churches.

Want to have a hand in building friendships that point Lithuanians to a relationship with Jesus? Help believers in this country reach their goal of planting 12 churches within 12 years by contacting Milton and Lara at milton@everyheart.net, +370-611-212-72 or on Skype (username “miltonandlara”).

Find more stories on the Main Stories Page.

“We have seen a lot of miracles in this country,” Milton said.

Yet as they recall the blessings of the past 12 years, they also count the costs. Spiritual warfare has taken on many forms during their ministry, including death threats and the ill health of their two children.

Milton and Lara risked losing their visas and considered heading back to America when locals made it clear they were no longer welcome. Still, God proved faithful and gave them a clear call to remain, as He provided visas and the encouragement to press on.

Another trial came when Preston, their eldest child, nearly died from celiac disease when she was 4. The family saw God heal her of this illness at the age of 11. When their son, Peyton, developed a large bump on his head four months after birth, Latvian doctors told Milton and Lara the chances of brain damage were high and that it would be better if their son died. With their prayer network behind them, the family saw the bump grow smaller over a weekend. An amazed medical staff later pronounced Peyton completely healthy without medical explanation.

Recently Lithuanian believers witnessed Christ’s victory over Satan’s diversions while at a children’s home. Approximately 15 Lithuanian youth between the ages of 5 and 17 gathered to sing praise songs with the visitors and hear Milton talk about the eternal hope found through faith in Jesus. After the group shared snacks and Gospel tracts with the children, an 11-year-old girl, clutching one of the handouts, approached Milton with questions.

During the conversation the girl fought distractions from her older sister.

“The little girl … really had to concentrate on what I was saying because her sister kept coming and whispering things like, ‘You’re not going to do it. You are a liar,’” Milton said. “Finally I just told the sister … ‘In the name of Jesus, you need to go.’”

“It was a picture of how the enemy uses people to distract others from the way,” he said.

Yet truth prevailed—soon after the sister walked away, the girl and two teenage boys prayed to receive Christ.

God-given examples like this help Milton believe that one day they will need a stadium to hold a gathering of Lithuanian believers.

“We’re going to continue; we have to continue,” Milton said. “Being a missionary here isn’t always easy, but it is a blessing. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

To find out more about how you can be a part of what God is doing in Lithuania, contact Milton at milton@everyheart.net, +370-611-212-72 or on Skype (username “miltonandlara”).

From the hairdresser to the bank teller, Lara, her husband Milton and their two children Preston and Peyton are finding ways to bridge the gap to unbelievers living around them. One woman, who works as a supermarket cashier, has even begun sharing prayer requests with Lara. Preston has been able to witness to teachers and classmates, both individually and during class time, and Lara has given Bibles to all the third graders. Last year at Christmas, Preston and Peyton gave Bibles to all the teachers and workers at their school.

“We didn’t know how they would be received but they were all so excited,” Lara said. “We found that most of them had never owned a Bible. One woman even said she had always dreamed of having one of her very own. Another woman was overwhelmed by the gesture because in her 15 years of employment at the school, this was the first time she ever received a Christmas gift from one of the students.”

It’s this type of eagerness to share Christ that has led Lara and Milton to plant two churches as well as a drug and alcohol rehab center since coming to Lithuania 12 years ago.

“The Lord has greatly used them to open doors to people’s hearts,” said Sean Barron, an independent missionary who works with the Magalhaes. “Their vision is to see a church start in every town and city in Lithuania.”

Planting Again

In that vein, Milton and Lara have begun a third church, this one in their home city of Vilnius. It was begun after a citywide evangelistic crusade this past summer. A Global Impact Mission team was on hand to help—theybrought an orchestra and a soloist and performed daily open-air concerts. Volunteers and local believers distributed tracts, information about the church and invitations to the crusade while the music played. During the crusade, hundreds of people heard the Gospel and ten of those accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The last night of the crusade, Emanuelis, a long time faithful church member, was ordained as the pastor the Good News Evangelical Baptist Church in Klaipeda. One of the new converts was baptized the following Monday.

Following the crusade, theCapitol City Evangelical Baptist Church met and was well attended. One special gift from the crusade was a man named Arunas. He came to the crusade every night and has remained faithful to the church, even taking on preaching responsibilities with Milton.

“He has been a Christian for about 15 years, has been to Bible school and is a gifted preacher,” Lara said. “Now he is praying about becoming the new pastor of Capital City Church.”

Though the new church is small, it is self-supporting and eager to grow. Mindaugas, another faithful church member, hosts a bible study in his home every Wednesday night. Monthly game nights have brought unchurched families to visit worship services on Sunday mornings. During Christmas the church prepared boxes for needy families, enabling them to give adult bibles, children’s bibles and tracts along with the food.

“They received the Bibles with a lot of joy and invited us back to visit and share with them more,” Lara said.

A History of Blessing

The Magalhaes family is excited about all that God is doing around them and through them in Vilnius. Through their former church plants they know that God is faithful to bless their witness.

The first church was started in Silute and it continues to grow and bring others to the Lord through bible study and evangelism. It has faithful members who give and serve with joy. Last month, an entire family gave their lives to Christ. Rimas is the leader of the church and is mentoring others for ministry. This Spring they will have a crusade which will feature drama, music and “anything else to reach the people!”

“We plan to have nightly services and go into schools, childrens homes, and the rehab center,” Sean said. “All the churches will be together with teams from the States—it should be an awesome event. We hope to reach many for Christ!”

Klaipeda is the home of the second church plant. This church is growing through bible studies and is very active in community ministry. Through a rehab center, homeless shelter, narcotics center, prison and ministry at the city dump, the body of believers in Klaipeda is giving hope to the hopeless.

“I have seen people come to know Christ, and change their lives through this ministry,” Sean said. “Pastor Emanuelis and I talk together about the needs of the people, how we need to pray, ways to help the church grow, and how to start new works through establishing bible studies.”

Hope for the Future

These new lives are bright lights in a country often filled with darkness. Lithuanians are overwhelmingly secular and filled with hopelessness, a fact that is supported by their unusually high suicide rate. But Milton and Lara have planted their lives in this corner of the world and are bringing hope through the Gospel. To find out how you can pray or even come to Lithuania as a volunteer, visit their blog or webpage.

The Magalhaus are using every outlet God gives to share the Gospel among the lost of Lithuania. Join them in praying for a rich harvest.