What is your ministry?
Youth ministry is my primary ministry; additionally, I serve in the children's ministry. We also serve at Christian camps every summer for our church youth.
When did you trust Christ?
From a young age, my grandmother taught us about God's love and Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross. I started believing in God when I was about 4 or 5. One day, during Sunday school, the teacher asked if anyone had any prayer needs, and I thought about my birth mother. She left us when I was only 2 years old. The teacher prayed for me. After a few days, my birth mother contacted us. From that moment, I have never stopped believing that God is real, but as I was very young, I had to learn what that meant to follow and trust God. I was 15 years old when we lost my grandmother, and from that moment, I was furious, lost, and lonely. I decided that God somehow did not love me, and I was trying to run away from Him. At some point, I wanted to come back to God, but I was ashamed and scared that He would turn me down. One day, my younger brother invited me to Vilnius Evangelical Church. I realised that I needed to come back to God. I realised how I was craving God, His word, and worship songs; I remember that I started praying again. During the COVID period, I had a breakthrough, and I was baptised. My boyfriend (now my husband) was saved and baptised.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
One of the most significant defining moments of my Christian walk has been my infertility struggles. It is four years since my husband and I have been trying to conceive, and our desire to have a child is not fulfilled yet. During this period, God was and is constantly grinding my heart and changing every aspect of my life. Before, I was pretty selfish, and I admit that I usually thought about myself more than others. I tried to control every aspect of my life, which generally failed, and I would not understand why things would happen. But God used this situation to teach me how to submit to His will. I learned how to trust His way and will that He is my life's only truth and light. I learned that I cannot let my emotions control me, but I must seek Him first through His word and prayers.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I expect that after this Forum, I could benefit my ministry by sharing the knowledge I would receive during the sessions with other people from the ministry on how to apply a biblically-based view of life and ministry and establish a biblical mindset and approach to our work. I think it is really easy to lose the right mindset, but it is really important to help each other find it again.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
Previously, for several years, I volunteered for kids' summer camp and youth summer camp. During the summer camps, we invite teenagers from our church and their non-believer friends to the summer camps, where we try to preach the Good News about God and Jesus's sacrifice on the cross.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
Being in the ministry is my passion, and church growth is my goal. And I think I can contribute to developing young leaders and helping them grow by mentoring them.
