Are you ever convinced, as one thing after another goes wrong, that the Lord has something special planned that the enemy is doing his best to ruin" We have come to expect great blessings from the annual Lithuanian camp meeting, so it should be no surprise that the enemy of souls tries to throw a wrench in the works.

I had been praying, "Lord don't give the people peace about staying away. Stir them! Have them come to this meeting!" And they did come! I expected great things from our Savior and His Holy Spirit, and great things happened—but not without trial.

Since Jon Peoples is now working at the main offices of Laymen Ministries, a lot more responsibility has rested upon me this past year—like organizing of our 4th annual camp meeting, for instance. I was thankful that Jon flew over the week prior to help with the last minute details and to shoot video.

Right after last year's camp meeting we began laying plans for this year. We wanted to get things ready so that everything would flow as smoothly as possible. Putting together a camp meeting for 300+ people is a lot of work, and headaches are plentiful if things aren't done just right.

For many years, we have been asking (maybe even begging!) Jeff to send Pastor Nicu Butoi to Lithuania, either to be the speaker at a camp meeting, or to hold an evangelistic series. Something had always prevented his coming.

A few summers back while I was on furlough in America, Steve Parker, a Laymen Ministries board member, Nicu Butoi, Jeff Reich and I had spent some time whitewater rafting in Idaho. It was a wonderful experience sitting around the campfire in the evenings, listening as Nicu shared his experiences in Romania. I knew that this was just what the Lithuanian people needed to hear. After waiting several years, it was finally going to happen!

Only weeks away from camp meeting time, the questions started running through my mind: "What is going to go wrong? How many people are going to show up? Are we going to have enough food? If a lot of people come will everyone fit in one cafeteria? Is Pastor Butoi's flight going to come on time?" There is an old saying: "If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong!" The Lord has been trying to teach me that it never pays to worry. No matter how hard we "work" to make things go the way "we think they should," and however much the enemy interferes, God ALWAYS has His plan, and things ALWAYS work out—with or without our worry. We need to learn to lean more on His arm!

Jon and I needed to be at camp a few days early to prepare. Plus, we still had to buy food for 300+ people! Tuesday morning as Jon was about to go to the airport to get Nicu, we received an email from Terri at the main office of Laymen Ministries saying that Nicu would not be coming until Wednesday. Jon and I did not know what to do. Nicu had written to me himself and told me that he was coming on Tuesday. We decided that Jon should drive to the airport anyway, just to be sure. A few hours later Jon confirmed that Nicu had not come. This was just the beginning of many trips to and from the Vilnius International Airport!

The Waiting Game

Jon drove back to Vilnius again Wednesday morning. He met all flights coming from Frankfurt, Germany, and any other possibility. As we did not know why Nicu had not come on Tuesday, we had to assume that he could have been rerouted to another airport. A call to Laymen Ministries' main office told me that Nicu should be arriving on the 12:20 flight.

Jon waited and waited for him to come through customs. After the last person came through passport control, Jon phoned to tell me that, once again, Nicu had not arrived. Needing to get some cables for the electronics at camp, Jon decided to leave for a few minutes between flights. I began to get worried. I called Laymen Ministries to find out what had happened. No one seemed to know. Jon talked with Lithuanian Airlines, but they would not give him any information. Finally at midnight Nicu called and explained what had happened.

Nicu's Adventure

Nicu did come in on the 12:20 flight, but had problems at passport control, as Romanians need a visa to enter Lithuania. (One of the only countries in Europe that requires a visa in advance!) Since Nicu did not have this, they insisted that he must return to Germany. Nicu pleaded with them, assuring them that someone was waiting for him. Finally two policemen escorted him into the main part of the airport to look, but Jon had already left for those few short moments. Immigration officials literally forced Nicu back onto the airplane.

After a long process of hassles and delays, Nicu was able to get a visa in Bonn, Germany, the next day. The Lithuanian Embassy called the Lithuanian Mission to inform them that Nicu would be flying into Lithuania at 5:35 p.m. on Thursday, and that he had his visa. WRONG! There was no way Nicu could make it to the airport in time! When the Mission called us, we were grocery shopping. We dropped everything, sped back to the camp to change cars, and rushed off to Vilnius to meet Nicu's plane. We were told that if we weren't there, they would not allow him into the country again!

We drove as fast as we could to the airport—again (mind you, each time this was a several hour trip!)—and we made it in time! Now we waited, and waited—and waited. No Nicu! We were exasperated to say the least! People were beginning to arrive for the camp meeting and the main speaker was not there, nor did we know if he was ever going to come!

Finally Connected

The next day again, Jon and I made sure we got the airport very early. We positioned ourselves as close to the arrival door as possible, and as we watched the people come out, I could not help but wonder if he was really coming this time. Imagine our relief with we actually caught sight of him! As we headed to the car Nicu told us that he only had a visa till Sunday, and his return tickets were for Monday. The embassy had told him in Germany that he MUST leave on Sunday. We headed back into the airport to passport control and explained to them the situation. They gave us an understanding smile, made a photocopy of Nicu's passport and tickets, and said they would pass the info on to the people working on Monday.

Back at Camp

Friday night was worth the wait. There had been much anticipation for Nicu to speak. Also, 15 people had prepared for baptism that weekend. I asked Nicu to have a special message for those who had not yet made a full decision for Christ. At the end of his talk a call was given, and five young people took their stand and said they wanted to prepare for baptism!

The baptism on Sabbath was the largest we have seen in Lithuania for many years. Everyone was full of joy. My wife, Inga, and I had studied with four of the candidates. Pastor Danielius, the Mission President, and Pastor Cerkesas, a Laymen Ministries sponsored pastor, and myself each baptized five precious souls! Many of these people had come to their decision as a result of Laymen Ministries' Bible workers!

Pastor Butoi shared his experience of being put in prison for distributing Bibles during the times of Communism in Romania. (If you have not heard his story, write or call Laymen Ministries and request his videos). As Nicu shared with over 300 people on Sabbath, hearts were touched and tears were shed. It was a subject close to the hearts of the Lithuanian people, who also suffered under the strong fist of Soviet occupation for over 44 years. After each sermon, many people formed a circle around Nicu and asked for special prayer.

Another highlight of the weekend was Jane Sabes. During her talks she was able to reach out to some of the young women who are from split homes, whose husbands are not of the faith, or who have other problems. On Sunday some of the women asked her to have a special meeting with them in another camp. They wanted an opportunity to share their concerns and pray together. Many were touched, and it has given me a new idea for next year. We need to have some meetings just to address the special needs and challenges of our Lithuanian Adventist women.

As I walked around camp the final day, people came up to me and thanked me many times for inviting Nicu to come. All were blessed to hear him, and went away with renewed strength and courage.

Despite many challenges, God has been good to us in Lithuania. The camp meeting is a wonderful way for us to reach out to the church members and allow them a chance to connect with each other for a time of spiritual growth and strengthening the bonds of fellowship. Thank you all for your prayers and support!

(If you would like to see a video overview of Camp Meeting 2003 and the current projects going on in Lithuania, contact our office and ask for Video #50, Lithuania: Help in Time of Need.)