Uljana’s search for hope in Lithuania
Uljana first encountered God’s love through the ministry
of an AG church in Lithuania.
By David and Kandra Millsaps
Uljana has no memories of playing with toys as a child. There were always more pressing needs — like having enough food to eat or a place to sleep.
From her earliest days, Uljana seemed destined for failure. Her parents were alcoholics and — for all practical purposes — absent, leaving Uljana and her siblings to survive on their own. Often there was no food in the house, much less adequate clothing or toys.
By the time she was five years old, Uljana was caring for herself, her sister and two younger brothers. She quickly learned to dig through garbage dumpsters in search of beer bottles to redeem for cash and pick wild berries in the forest to earn money to buy food. Despite her efforts, her parents often took the money and bought alcohol instead.
Difficult childhoods like Uljana’s are all too common in Lithuania. The nation’s drug and alcohol problem is something for which society has no answer. Lithuania has the highest suicide rate in the world, and alcohol abuse plays a significant role.
Hope for Uljana came when an Assemblies of God church in a nearby town started an ongoing outreach in her village. For the first time she heard about a God who loved her. She also met people who cared for her physically and spiritually. “God saw me and my heart!” she says.
When she turned 16, Uljana moved to Vilnius to live and work. Eventually she began attending Kelyje, an AG church planted in 2005. Finally she found what she was looking for: the love, care and warmth that can’t be experienced without God.
During the last three years, Uljana has experienced the loss of both her parents. Her father died from alcoholism, and her mother was murdered while partying with the wrong crowd. But Uljana has found comfort in her new family at Kelyje—a family that has embraced and encouraged her.
Uljana knows there are many more people like her who need to find the same refuge. “More churches and Teen Challenge centers are needed in Lithuania,” Uljana says. “Only in this way can people be saved from eternal disaster and from hardships and big problems in their lives. Through the church, they can find out about God’s love.”