“Can you come to our village and help a woman who is struggling?” The call came to Rytis, a ministry leader in Lithuania, on a spring day in 2025.
“Who is this woman, and what does she need?” Rytis asked.
“I am the woman who is struggling,” the woman answered. “My name is Lukné, and I need help.”
Rytis agreed to meet with Lukné. Within an hour, he arrived at her home.
More than expected
As Rytis began talking with Lukné, he learned that she had been searching online for answers to her struggles. That day, as they sat together in Lukné’s home, she began to share with Rytis more about her struggles.
A Lithuanian native, she had lived abroad for many years and worked on recreational ships in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Her life had seen many storms. To gain self-control, avoid anger, resolve health issues, and achieve success, she had turned to various spiritual practices. She actually believed all these practices came from God.
Lukné had unusual encounters with strangers, who would sometimes approach her in cafés and speak to her about her life and future. She also read many books that told her to trust in herself. Gradually, demonic forces gained influence over her, and she believed the lies of the enemy. Confusion, fear and panic attacks made work difficult for her.
Her work contract was terminated because of the ship owner’s financial problems, and she lost a large sum of money in an investment fund. She returned to Lithuania and lived apart from her parents. Her debts plagued her, and she could not sleep. She began to experience demonic attacks and tried many worldly ways to protect herself.
Finding hope again
“The day Pastor Rytis visited me, I confessed my sins to God and repented sincerely,” Lukné says. “I prayed a prayer of repentance, and deliverance came.”
She joined a group of believers for worship, prayer and Bible study the next Sunday. On Monday, she came to a prayer meeting. “I began reading God’s Word,” she says. “I’m an analytical person, and it was not easy for me to grasp spiritual truths. When the group of Christ followers prayed for me, I felt the demonic influence lifting off of me.”
Soon, Lukné left Lithuania and moved to China for work. “We kept in touch, prayed together, and studied God’s Word,” Rytis says. “At the beginning of September, she returned to Lithuania and decided to be baptized.” She is in the center of the photo.
Since then, Lukné has moved to Italy for work. Lukné’s mother has joined the group of believers in Lithuania so she can learn more about God.
“Sometimes, it is hard to believe how deeply people can be deceived by the enemy,” Rytis says. “The spiritual darkness can feel more real than the physical world to them. But thanks be to God for His victory on the Cross and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that sets them free!”
