{"id":7187,"date":"2017-09-05T06:42:53","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T06:42:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2017\/09\/05\/not-all-men-are-pigs\/"},"modified":"2017-09-05T06:42:53","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T06:42:53","slug":"not-all-men-are-pigs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/not-all-men-are-pigs\/","title":{"rendered":"Not all men are pigs!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>4 September 2017 | Kaunas, Lithuania [Victor Hulbert] It is astonishing that Rimantas Maru\u0161auskas made it to adulthood. With alcoholic parents, violence was a way of life. Scars show how he protected his mother from his violent father \u2013 and suffered the consequences. As a child he also, at different times, saved both parents from suicide. Yet God had a plan for his life and today, as a loving husband and father, he is helping troubled families in his home country of Lithuania.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Not all men are pigs!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FkS3Wx_czc0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas-age-5-sad.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignleft size-full wp-image-7183\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas-age-5-sad.jpg\" alt=\"Rimantas Marusauskas age 5 sad\" height=\"250\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: left;\" title=\"Rimantas Marusauskas age 5.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas-age-5-sad.jpg 664w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas-age-5-sad-249x300.jpg 249w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas-age-5-sad-350x422.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas-age-5-sad-560x675.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 664px) 100vw, 664px\" \/><\/a>Talking with Rimantas, he pulls out childhood photos. &nbsp;At age two, he is a happy, bubbly child. By age five, when the violence had started, he was sullen. &nbsp;As a child and teenager, he used to lie in bed at night waiting for his drunken parents to come home and wondering whether he would have to stop a fight. &nbsp;He had to be tough to protect not just his mother, but his younger brother and sister. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Yet something major was missing from his life. &nbsp;Picking up a discarded leaflet, he saw an invitation to some meetings by the evangelist, Billy Graham. &nbsp;He went. At age 16, for the very first time, he heard about Jesus \u2013 a man who never beat people, never used ugly words, but who was very kind. &nbsp;Three nights of meetings changed Rimantas\u2019s life. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignright size-full wp-image-7184\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1.jpg\" alt=\"Rimantas Marusauskas1\" width=\"250\" height=\"166\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: right;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1-700x466.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1-900x599.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1-1100x732.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Rimantas-Marusauskas1-560x373.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>He was invited to join a Pentecostal church, but lost the address. &nbsp;At home, he read the gospel of Luke and fell in love with Jesus. &nbsp;A year later Adventists arrived in his town. &nbsp;He attended a full month of evangelistic meetings and was baptised \u2013 much to the shock and anger of his relatives. &nbsp;However, over the next two years those relatives saw the difference that Jesus made in Rimantas\u2019s life. &nbsp;\u201cYou were from Satan and have become an angel,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<p>Changing the life of his parents took longer. He prayed for his parents and siblings for many years, even after he was invited to train as a minister. &nbsp;\u201cIt took 13 years,\u201d he said, \u201cbut in 2007 my brother was baptised. &nbsp;My parents are still on a journey.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignleft size-full wp-image-7185\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House.jpg\" alt=\"Marusauskas tries to find material help for mothers and children at Temporal House\" width=\"250\" height=\"188\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: left;\" title=\"Maru\u0161auskas tries to provide help for mothers and children in the woman's refuge.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House.jpg 960w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House-700x525.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Marusauskas_tries_to_find_material_help_for_mothers_and_children_at_Temporal_House-560x420.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>They stopped drinking and smoking five years ago and now, he says, \u201cwe pray together, hugging each other in a circle in their home.\u201d His parents have attended church several times and Rimantas\u2019s hope is that one day they will decide to study the Bible together and prepare for baptism. \u201cI would like people to know that God heals hurting hearts like mine and my parents\u2019. I love them very much,\u201d Rimantas says. \u201cThey are wonderful people now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignright size-full wp-image-7186\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus.jpg\" alt=\"Mothers and children from Temporal House at Messy Church in Kaunus\" width=\"250\" height=\"141\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: right;\" title=\"Mothers and children enjoy time at the Adventist run Messy Church in Kaunus.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-500x280.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-1100x619.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-700x394.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-900x506.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/images_news-2017_Mothers_and_children_from_Temporal_House_at_Messy_Church_in_Kaunus-560x315.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>Healing hurting people has become part of Rimantas\u2019s life mission. &nbsp;He has always been active in helping the dispossessed, but two years ago he was unexpectedly invited to help with a women\u2019s refuge, sharing with them spiritual principles for child rearing, family life, and God\u2019s assurance of value in their lives. &nbsp;His help is also very practical. Together with fellow church members, they will decorate run-down accommodation, supply fridges and furniture to women who need to start a new life separate from their abusive partners, and generally be there as a positive support. &nbsp;\u201cI want them to know,\u201d he says, \u201cthat not all men are pigs.\u201d [<em>ted<\/em>NEWS]<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>ted<\/em>NEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Deana Stojkovic, associate editor<br \/>119 St Peter&#8217;s Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3EY, England<br \/>E-mail:&nbsp;<span id=\"cloak1c6082dd5c87472bbc711a29faff2a9b\"><span id=\"cloak9104de432f8c33bf066dc06fdea34021\"><span id=\"cloak358cf9f50b7de1531be507ca8b1b4fb0\"><span id=\"cloak26dd4548b6fcc49a1a6b1d2840d8842d\"><span id=\"cloak910cff3318e3d5166bd1017ff235a582\"><span id=\"cloak58a0c9b1c1b6efee4cc2d7157a0e2e41\"><a href=\"mailto:tedNEWS@ted.adventist.org?subject=tedNEWS\">tednews@ted.adventist.org<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<\/span><br \/>Website: www.ted.adventist.org<br \/><em>ted<\/em>NEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>4 September 2017 | Kaunas, Lithuania [Victor Hulbert] It is astonishing that Rimantas Maru\u0161auskas made it to adulthood. With alcoholic parents, violence was a way of life. Scars show how he protected his mother from his violent father \u2013 and suffered the consequences. As a child he also, at different times, saved both parents from suicide. Yet God had a plan for his life and today, as a loving husband and father, he is helping troubled families in his home country of Lithuania.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1583,7,1577],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-estonia-latvia-lithuania","category-news","category-organisational-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}