[Ed.—The idea of a “camp meeting” in Lithuania is new. But this has turned out to be a very important activity for this little country that is about the size of the state of West Virginia. There are about 1,000 church members on the books and many less than this are active, due to the members being so scattered, few church buildings, and a lack of pastors. When Laymen Ministries began our work here in 1993, there were about thirty church members. Before the collapse of Communism there were only nine! So the concept of pulling members together from all around the country, having fellowship and Christ-centered revival meetings, is a tremendous boost to the church as a whole, especially with so many new members (Laymen Ministries Bible workers had about 55 solid baptisms in the year 2000). Camp meeting is a time for people from all around the country to get to know each other, enjoy fellowship, and strengthen their faith in God.]

As the months ticked by and time drew closer for this summer’s camp meeting, Jon and I spent more and more time finalizing details. Back in January we had called the campground we used last year to make sure we could reserve it again. There was no problem, so we felt this was one item we didn’t need to worry about. Then, within two weeks of camp meeting time, we received a call from Pastor Virginjius, one of our local pastors who was helping coordinate this event.

He said, “Are you sitting down? I just called the camp we were planning to use and they canceled us. We’re stuck!”

I called Jon right away and we sent out emails, asking people to pray. We did not know what was gong to happen, but Pastor Virginjius was sure God would provide something else. As it turned out, we ended up with a better camp, cleaner, more comfortable, and with adult-sized beds instead of the child-sized ones we slept on previously, and located right next door to last year’s camp. God’s ways are always better than our ways!

The day before Pastor O’Ffill and his wife were scheduled to arrive, Jon and I headed to Vilnius. We wanted to take care of a few last-minute details, and have plenty of time to meet their plane. We were excited, but also joked with each other as to what we would do if the plane was delayed or something. No, that couldn’t happen! Or could it?

The night before their arrival we got an email message that O’Ffill’s had been delayed in New York, rerouted on another airline, and would be coming in a little later. Pastor O’Ffill gave us the new flight information, and we called the airport to verify. We were told that this flight number did not exist! Since we knew which city they were arriving from, we met all of the flights from there, just to make sure that we did not miss them. Finally, at 10 minutes to 5 that afternoon, they arrived.

From the airport we went straight to the camp so Pastor and Mrs. O’Ffill could get settled in and rested, while Jon and I planned to spend that evening and the next morning running to the market and buying more food and other needed things.

We arrived at the camp one day early, and already 40 to 50 people were waiting. We began to be concerned that some people would end up sleeping in the hallways or outside on the grass. It seemed remarkable that as soon as all the rooms were full, people stopped arriving! By the time our meetings started, over 210 people were attending, and even more came just for Sabbath.

I had spent weeks working over the menus and shopping lists so there would be the least number of problems. After three trips to town and three cars full of food, I was sure we had enough. Well, I was wrong! We had to make many more trips before the meetings were over.

When we first asked for 100 loaves of bread at the market, the vendor’s mouth dropped open in shock. Two days later we asked the same vendor for 150 more loaves, and she just about keeled over. I heard her whisper something to herself about taking a vacation for the rest of the summer. When we saw her a week later, she was no longer just a vendor, but was supervisor of all the bread sales in the market!

This year’s camp had one very special feature that last year’s did not have—a really nice place to hold meetings outside, IF the weather would cooperate. For the preceding month, we had been getting rain, and when I checked the weather forecast it called for, RAIN, RAIN, RAIN. But as the first morning of camp meeting dawned, the sun shone on our camp and in our hearts and the sunshine stayed with us till two days after the meetings were finished. The umbrellas were sometimes useful, but only as shade from the sun. I really feel that God worked a miracle with the weather, because if the meetings had been held inside, it would have been very hard to hear.

Pastor O’Ffill met our new Lithuanian members on their own level of understanding. His messages were timely and practical. At the close of the meetings he challenged each of the listeners to take at least three things home with them.

1.) He challenged each family to be a family of prayer. “If you don’t already do it, please begin every day by praying on your knees. Have daily prayer with your families. Husbands, pray with your wives, and wives with your husbands. ‘Families that pray together stay together.’”

2.) Do something about the television. “The television is accomplishing in our lives just the opposite of what we are asking the Holy Spirit to do. . . ‘By beholding we become changed.’ Television takes away our conscience and takes away our pain. It steals the Holy Spirit from our hearts.”

3.) Be kind. “I don’t understand why we are always so unkind to our family members. We are kind to the people we don’t know, and unkind to those we are supposed to love! ‘And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. . . .’ Please, when you go home, be kind one to another.”

As the camp meeting drew to its close and people were beginning to pack up, I started wandering around, just talking with people. I wanted to hear what they had to say. One person’s comment really stuck in my mind above the rest: “It is too bad that more of our pastors could not have been here this week. The ones who were here will be going home much different than when they came.”

The Lithuanian Mission leadership also had these same thoughts, and together with Laymen Ministries, has arranged for Pastor O’Ffill to conduct a pastoral training seminar for all the pastors in Lithuania next April.

Pastor O'Ffill had an opportunity to meet with and encourage
the pastors and Bible workers. He is planning a training seminar
with them for next April.

This camp meeting was spiritually very uplifting, and I know that all of us are already looking forward to next year’s meeting. We want to thank the donors of Laymen Ministries for your prayers and support for the projects in Lithuania. May God richly bless you all, as He has us.

[Laymen Ministries is supporting the work of Jon Peoples and Joshua Miller, 12 full-time Bible workers, several Pastors, and subsidizing many of the other pastors, printing of literature, training for colporteurs, etc. If you would like to take an armchair visit to Lithuania to see this work, call our office and ask for our two Lithuanian mission videos. They are historical, cultural and heart touching. You will be blessed!]

By Joshua Miller, with
Jon Peoples
Joshua Miller (left) and Jon Peoples, the photographer for this article, are full-time missionaries for Laymen Ministries in Lithuania.

Pastor Richard O'Ffill and his wife Betty were the guests of honor at the 2nd annual Lithuania camp meeting. Pastor O'Ffill is a well-known speaker and author.

Joshua Miller directed the kitchen staff (top).
An army of willing helpers, several car loads of food, and a mountain of bread were needed to make sure that all of the 210+ camp meeting guests were fed.

Above) Sunny weather allowed for outdoor meetings.
Below) Gina Kapucinskaite, one of Laymen Ministries' key Lithuanian Bible workers, translates for Elder O'Ffill. The meetings were also translated into Russian.

Actiities and meetings for youth and children provided blessings for all ages.