The Journey Continues

In the summer of 2004, our church mission team joined a UMVIM team of 11 others to renovate a former Soviet Recruitment Center into God’s house, a Methodist Church. This first mission trip was the reconstruction of a building and new relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ from across the sea.

When they returned home, the mission team committed to continuing to help the folks in Birzai. So, in 2005 they returned and continued renovating the church and building relationships. Trust is a vital part of building a relationship. As Emily, Libby, and Rick were taken out into the village area; the trust level was higher. There they met people living in extreme poverty. They met families who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, families with no running water or toilets in homes. They saw how alcohol had become the disease of many broken families.
From this experience, we created a Christmas Gift Box Ministry for the children throughout Birzai and now includes nursing homes, the orphanage, and the handicapped center (600+gifts). Each year a team collects the gifts here in the states and distributes them before Christmas in Birzai. From this experience, the Gifts of Grace Family Help Center was purchased, renovated, and opened in 2008 in Paceriaukste. In 2011 another Help Center opened in Papilys. Over these years, the families have received help through renovations of their homes. Running water has been installed, new bathrooms built, new windows, doors, and roofs installed to help their lives become healthier.
God made all this possible by working through relationships of love for our Brothers and Sisters in Christ in the church, the help centers, the children, and their families. Year after year, our Thankfulness to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ becomes Greater, for, without Him, none of this would be possible.

To see a video of our work, click here