Thanks for praying!!!

By now most of the short term teams have left and some have even returned with stories of how the Lord used them to share His life and hope with people around the world. However, for those of us going to Lithuania, we are still preparing and training. We are leaving later this summer because our objective is to meet college students as they return to school in Kaunas which is the second largest city in the country and a major ‘college town’.

Lithuania has a long and rich history dating back to the 1100’s, but is less known to most Americans than its close national relative Poland. For 400 years Lithuania and Poland were united as a monarchy and were a very significant military and cultural force in Europe. Lithuania was separated from Poland after the Russian Empire invaded in the 1800’s and remained under Russian Czarist rule until 1919 when WWI caused the collapse of the Russian stronghold. Freedom was short lived however as war continued with Poland and eventually Russia and Germany again during WWII. After the war Lithuania was ‘annexed’ into the Soviet Union. Finally, in 1991 the Soviets left Lithuania and independence was gained.

But freedom from tyranny hasn’t led to freedom of the heart and soul. Hopelessness is common as evidenced by Lithuania having the highest suicide rate in Europe. The religious tradition of Catholicism has done little to help and the people desperately need a relationship with the living God. Their churches are beautiful but empty just like their hearts.

This need led a team of seven people from Good Shepherd and Coram Deo to go to Kaunas for two years beginning in the late summer of 2006 to partner with Agape International working with the college students there. Their hope is to develop a core of Christian students who can begin bringing hope to their part of the world.

That brings us to our short term team and the reason you’re getting this letter.

There are six of us leaving on August 25th to spend two weeks meeting and sharing with college students in Kaunas. This will help the team that is already there make some significant contacts and relationships. It’s a pretty simple strategy but we need your prayer and financial support.

We need prayer more than anything because we’re only there for a short time and need to make the most of it with joy, enthusiasm, strength and wisdom. Please pray for the hearts and minds of the students we’ll be meeting as the Spirit prepares them even today and in the days to come for our meetings.

Each of us needs $2900 to make the trip and spend the two weeks ‘in country’. If you can help financially please do so. We will do our best to use it wisely.

If you are interested in supporting the team financially, please contact the church office @ 503.663.5050

Bob & Anita Bailey
Lithuania Team Leaders