A Summer Camp in Lithuania Helped a Teen Choose a Better Path

LITHUANIA – When a child has neither a loving home nor a good role model to look up to, life can quickly turn grim and hard. For Mindaugas (16) in Kaunas, Lithuania, that was all too true. Mindaugas grew up in a state-run children’s home. With his parents almost completely out of the picture, he gravitated toward older, streetwise kids and became increasingly guarded and tough.

But there was a steady light shining on his life—True Friend Matters, a local Christian youth center you support through our Orphan’s Promise. This afterschool outreach provides wholesome hot meals, homework assistance, and the chance for kids to take part in fun, educational activities. It also offers them a safe place to build healthy friendships and connect with mentors who can help them solve their problems.

A Safe Place for Growth and Guidance

To at-risk teens like Mindaugas, this was a lifesaver. For over a decade, one mentor walked beside Mindaugas, encouraging him every step of the way. Then, during a life-changing summer camp in Lithuania run by the center, Mindaugas realized he had the power of choice—to turn his back on a path of emptiness and choose the way to joy, freedom, and a Christ-centered life. “You get to choose your direction,” his adviser told him. “You have to turn and walk that way—toward Jesus, toward truth, and toward the people who will lift you up.”

A Future Shaped by a Summer Camp in Lithuania

Today, Mindaugas wants to become a mechanic—to work in a garage and start his own business, so he can build something meaningful, both with his hands and with his heart. Thanks to your kindness, he has that opportunity. Through the impact of a summer camp in Lithuania and ongoing mentorship, he is choosing a future that holds so much promise.