The Fourth of July is one of my (Wayne) favorite days of the year. Photo to the right is on our farm Trinity Acres. So it was bittersweet when I first realized I would not even be in our country when celebrating our 250th independence day. Little did I know, however, that while in Lithuania I would have the honor of being there for one of their national holidays, July 6th, where it is customary for every citizen to step outside their homes and businesses, all over the country, at the same time of 9pm, and sing their national anthem. I was told that even Lithuanians abroad, no matter what time zone they are in, would join with the custom of their countrymen. Take a moment and watch this video (below) I took of this touching tradition.
Listen (below) to the Lithuanian blessing farewell sung over my teammates and I, as we departed toward the end of the Lithuania 2026 Living Waters training.
My take away from this trip could really be summed up with the word HONOR. I was honored by the above mentions, but also many other touching moments. One was being welcomed to sit family style at meal times, where everyone first gathered around the tables and waited for a prayer of thanks for the food before we sat down. Many of my tablemates at each meal, were delighted to share their customary soups, entrees, and the many pastry items. Our meal times were so intimate around the table, that you wouldn’t have guessed there were 60 or more of us gathered there (forty or so attendees from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, and Slovakia. 20 more of us on the leadership team made up of 4 from America, 1 from Great Britain, 3 Latvians, and the remainder being Lithuanians).
I was honored to hear from the hearts of many. Living under the shadow of constant threat of invasion, be it from Germany, Soviet Union, or another nation, the stories I heard in Lithuania were very different in comparison to other nations I’ve been to. And yet these dear people have been so resilient in the face of decades of fear. Whether it be Polish, Latvian, or Lithuanian, Eastern Europe is a very different place. And yet, each had similar struggles that are common to each of us, regarding family, past and present, identity, and just wanting to pursue Jesus with a pure heart.
My friend Sue, from England, a wonderful dear sister who was missionary to Thailand for nearly 3 decades, had a beautiful demonstration of taking your wounds to the cross and asking the Lord to take them. “Take it Lord I can’t bear it anymore!”
Lastly, since our training schedule is booked full on these trips, we don’t get many chances to see whatever nation we are in. However, we had one free afternoon to walk around the beautiful city of a Vilnius. (See photo gallery below) A new friend gave us a brief tour taking us to town square where there once were Jewish ‘ghettos’ during WWII. I learned that, comparatively, Lithuania saw the loss of almost its entire Jewish population during WWII, and the sight of the location was sobering. I have since done some research on this attempt by Nazi Germany to exterminate the Jewish people of Europe, and the plight of the Jewish people in Vilnius is so heartbreaking. Read about Vilna Ghetto AND know their story!
These kind of things inform the heart of a nation, and bring deep need for healing of inner wounds. I am thankful, and again HONORED, that I had the privilege of helping lead some of these dear ones, to new levels of freedom in Jesus.
Prayer & Thanks: 🙏
- We posted last week on our social media and email that one of our dearest young people whom we have known since he was a small boy, was tragically killed in his home, by two unknown persons. His family has suffered so much loss through the years. We will report more in next months update. But we wanted to thank each of you who responded to the need to cover the cost of burial. We were so grateful to offer relief of the sudden unimaginable burden of burying your son and brother at the age of 25 years old.
- Thank you to everyone who sent funds for this missions trip, where it was almost completely covered without straining our regular budget. And special thanks again to all who gave toward Fernando’s burial. Not only was it all covered, but extra came in to help family with other expenses derived from this tragedy.
- Thank you all for the prayer covering while Wayne traveled, and for family at home. We learned that the ministry in Lithuania also had a group of 60 intercessors not only praying before our team came, while we are there, but also continued to pray 9 days after. Means so much to us. ❤️
Voice Of the Bride Ministries... 