Financial donations for the Mana - Spiritual Life Center and City Church can be sent to:

Grace Community Church

PO Box 3980, Clarksville, TN 37043.

Checks should be made out to Grace Community Church with Lithuania Mission in the FOR blank of the check. (This is a special PO Box we will use just for this purpose.)

Dr. Kyle Usrey, President of LCC International University, stated that this event will allow Lithuania to cross-pollinate leaders from business, government, educational institutions, churches, and religious organizations of all types. Dr. Usrey said, “It is the privilege of LCC to host this event on our campus and bring so many diverse leaders together with the common goal of honing leadership skills to benefit Lithuania.”

Pastor Saulius Karosas, Senior Pastor of City Church, is the Chairman of the organizing committee, and will be in Chicago, Illinois, USA at Willow Creek Church for the Country Leaders Meetings August 4-7. Pastor Karosas will also be in the Chicago area where one of the USA’s largest Lithuanian communities exists, and he is excited to meet with many Lithuanian-American leaders from the community.

In her State of the Nation speech, Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaite stated, “If we honestly seek to effect real changes in the state, we have to treat the individual as the highest value. We have to hold this principle as a guiding light for all.” Pastor Karosas and Dr. Usrey believe that by hosting the Willow Creek International Leadership Summit here in Lithuania, by Lithuanians and for Lithuanians, “we are holding true to the President’s speech. We know that it is important to continue the development of Lithuanian leaders in an multi-cultural, international context, so that the people of Lithuania can be held in the highest value and achieve their highest potential.”

Speakers for the 2010 International Leadership Summit include: Bill Hybels, Bono (of U2), Col. Colin Powell, Jim Collins, Gary Haugen, Tim Keller, Wayne Cordiero and Andy Stanley. Their speeches will be pre-recorded and translated into Lithuanian.
For more information about the event visit: http://www.pasaulinelyderysteskonferencija.lt/

From: LTnews.net

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Efz. 6:18

We invite you all to come to the prayer night, which will last for 24 hours. This is the special time and the special oportunity to sense what it means to be in the prayer. During these 24 hours we will listen to several speakers who will tell us more about the prayer. We will try out different methods of prayer. And how can a prayer night be without some worship?

The details of the event will be announced soon. Nontehless you can already mark the date: September 3-4th.

We believe that we are called to be one. Again and again we invite you to join. Invite others whether they are from this or other churches. We are very glad that our brothers and sisters from the Free christian church will also join this event.

Before this day arrives we urge you to pray for this event. After all our struggle is not against flesh and blood.

Furthermore, you can write down your prayer request for which we will pray during the prayer night. Please send these requests to info@m-b.lt .

The global leadership summit:

STIRRING UP AND CALLING OUT THE VERY BEST IN LEADERS!

Effective leaders are the agents of transformation. They call out what’s wrong, set goals, launch initiatives, motivate, challenge, and move people to action.

Far more than an annual training event, The Global Leadership Summit has become a galvanizing event for serious minded Christians in this worldwide leadership movement. Leaders representing an amazing diversity of race, cultures, ethnicities, languages, and denominations are coming together to give themselves to redeem and restore this broken world.

As God compels, we hope and pray that you will join us!

DATES AND   CITIES
October 15-16
LCC international university
Kretingos st. 36, Klaipėda

Artūras: It is important that we do not boast about our works, but we should boast about what God is doing in our lives. The things He is doing are wonderful. When you know God for ten years and you live with Him, the faith still remains even when you fall into darkness. However, you understand how hard it is to lift yourself up again. Sin imprisons you. The spirit of this world is very strong. Of course my faith was still inside me, but it was imprisoned and ineffective. I could not even talk with anyone about faith.

Lina: I would remember my faith only when the times were tough, when I was in pain. Then I would call out, “God, please help.” But, when everything was good, you go along the wide road and do not think about what you are doing. Until you reach this limit.

Artūras: Our relationship with God was disconnected, because at the right time we did not say, “no,” to the tempter. Sin came into our lives. Then everything started.

Lina: I started to look for hobbies. You can’t have a vacuum. You have to fill this emptiness with something. I started gardening, and Artūras immersed himself in fishing. Slowly, but surely, we moved away from God and each other. Going to church was the last thing on our minds.
Today, as never before, I understand the gospel verse which says, “Let us not give up meeting together.” When you do not go to church you stop hearing the word of God. You become insensitive to the Holy Spirit and your heart becomes hard, but, of course, the process is slow.

Artūras: We were on the brink of divorce as the worries of the world and our desires were ruling our lives. I could no longer seperate good from evil. It seemed like there was some kind of veil placed over my eyes. I almost left my family…two nights…But God didn’t allow me to go any further. He took away the veil of darkness and I understood that all of that was madness.

Lina: The high rate of divorce scares me (note: In 2006, Eurostat announced that Lithuania was among th countries in the European Union with the 25 highest divorce rates). There was a high possibility that less than a year ago our family would have been included in this number too.  When you think about the broken hearts of both the spouses and the children… I am sure that family is valuable. This is why I talk about my experience and why it is easy for me to talk about everything that has happened in our lives.  There may be a family similar to our’s somewhere, and maybe our words will strengthen them, they will look for the Lord, and call out His name. As it is written, “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1). Our own strength will only last until the next crisis.  I now know for sure that without God it would have been impossible to rebuild everything, because Satan had done too much damage.

Artūras: After I returned to my family,  it was seven months before we understood that there was still an abyss between us. We understood that our lives were shattering. We understood that if we did not return to Christ, then a catastrophe would occur and that would be the end.

Lina: In those days we were considering divorce. Of course, at the beginning, we tried to put the pieces of our family back together by our own strength. I thought, “Of course we can no longer live as we have lived. We have to change something.  Things that separate us should be taken out of our lives.” But how do we do this? What should change? I didn’t know.  Well, Artūras liked to fish and I decided to go with him and be there with him. We bought bicycles and went to the sea. We tried to find a way to kill this emptiness we both felt and grow closer to each other. Yet, everything was done by our own hands and our stength. Then we saw that the emptiness didn’t go anywhere and our strength was not enough.
If we wanted our family become tied together, our hearts had to be changed. We had to forget the wrongs we had each suffered and forgive each other. But how can you do it with your own strength? You can’t. After some time Artūras told me, “You know Lina, we have to come back to this place, where our paths began to seperate.” When you think about it, the beginning point was eight years ago, when we statred to drift away from church.

Artūras: Yes.  So this evening we talked about how we could continue to live together when there is no hope and we had tried to rebuild by our own strength and nothing seemed to work.  Lina started saying that it would be better to separate, but to my heart came an idea. I said to her,  “You know, there is still one more chance.  We have to come back to this place where our paths began to separate.”  What I meant was that we should come back to Jesus. To come back to this place where we were living the good life, when we were full of joy, and when we lived with God.
Once I said this, I downloaded all of Pastor Saul’s sermons and I started to listen to them all the time. One after another. One after another. As I listened they began to cleanse me. The word of God…I sensed that I wanted more and more of it.  I started to repent. I wanted to go to church so badly. Our whole family went to the church. From that moment God started to work, to rebuild us…so fast. With that kind of strength I wanted God.  I wanted his presence. The Holy Spirit touched me when I was sitting in my garage and I was weeping and sobbing. I understood that where I was going before was leading to hell.  God showed me Hebrews 10:26 which says, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left” . I saw that we were sinning consciously. We sinned consciously and we didn’t repent. As God came, in his light I saw how horrible this was.  I was so scared…as never before in my life. I cried as I asked for forgiveness. He forgave me, and at that same moment I saw His love. I cried and trembled out of joy. I said, “That’s it. Lord, I will never leave you again.” What I felt…Lord, You are so faithful and I am such sinner…He forgave everything. The joy that came! I wanted to live and I wanted only Christ.  I started to look for people of God. I said, “Lina let’s go out, let’s find some brothers and sisters, we will talk, and we will be together…” I do not want anything more. I’ve had my share of worldly pleasures. I want to work for God.

Lina: As we started to grow closer to God (that was in November) we also become closer to each other. God gave His love. I could fell it physically. I felt what love is for my husband and children in my heart . I was waiting eagerly for the evening when I could see all of them.  I fell in love even more than before. If you are only a person, you can’t love that much or forgive that much. It’s impossible. I thank God for the things He is doing.  He does more than you expect. Our children say, who are now teenagers, “Mom, the greatest miracle of all is our family”.  Because, they know what was happening back then and the situation now.

Artūras: I thought, that I would not be able to love my wife as I had loved her before, but when I heard Pastor Saul’s sermon in which he said, “Fall in love again.”  I started to pray, “Lord, You are love. Give me love, so I can fall in love again.” You know what? He gave me this love. I would not be wrong in saying that I love my wife even more now. It was given to me by God.  God gave the love. You only need to want and God will do so much more. All the glory belongs to Him.
We started to change very quickly. Everyone saw this - my mother, relatives, friends and children. They understood that this didn’t come from us. Very soon our children also accepted Christ. We have a daughter, our eldest, who was saved.  And now both our teenage sons have come to faith in God, because for them it was a great miracle and sign. They knew that God was real and that He works in our lives, so they accepted Christ.
For me this is the biggest miracle I have had in my life as a believer. I have been a believer for 19 years now. God has performed many miracles before. They were more material, but this one. There is no greater miracle in our lives than this.

Lina: God has purified our hearts. It was a painful experience, but now we understand that time spent with God is as valuable as a pearl. The time during which I didn’t go to church I count as lost. However, I have hope that God will make up for it.

Artūras: He already compensates for it! I want to boast about my God. He gives me double of everything. I see how you grow spiritually. I want to be with Him. I think about Him and about His word day and night. He grows. He gives so much, that I can hardly keep up. I say, “Lord not so fast - little by little, because I can’t digest so much at one time.” But this is a huge grace. I do not want it to end until He comes again.

Lina: Now I understand that as much as I open myself up to Him is as much as He will give me.

Artūras: So thinking back, we were so prideful.  We did many things which were wrong. Still, He cleansed us.  I hardly recognize myself. I ask God to change me. If we do not ask, He will not inflict change on us. We are created in the image of God. We have free will. He will not do anything against it. So, I ask him continually to show me everything. Our God is holy, so we have to be holy too. I want His will to be fulfilled in my life.
I beg him to make me want to change. He changes me. I was addicted to tobacco and light alcohol. After I repented my addictions seemed to disappeared, you could say, overnight. I just felt free. If I find something in me that is dark, I say, “Lord, this away from me also.” God is holy and He wants us to be holy too.

After the interview, I thought of one question I wished to ask: Was it possible that someone was praying for Artūras and Lina during this time in their lives? The answer to this question did not surprise me.

Lina: Yes. Two of our sisters in Christ were praying for us. I even got a text message from one of them which said, “Trust the Lord and He will turn your tears into rivers of blessings”.  I thanked when I saw her, the Lord has taken my tears and turned them in to smiles.

Artūras: Yes, I could also testify to this. When someone was praying for me I could feel it physically. You can’t forget this feeling.