Last year, TWR-Lithuania’s children’s program The Little Evening Star won an award for Best Television/Radio Children’s Broadcast, part of the annual Pragiedruliai Awards, Lithuania’s broadcasting “Oscars.” Meet the woman behind this award-winning broadcast, writer and producer Daiva Baueriene.
Where did you work before coming to TWR?
After receiving my degrees, I was an English teacher at a primary school. I worked in an orphanage for two summers and did dramas with the children. I started to write fairytales after my first child was born, and [they were published] in magazines. Also, I wrote scripts for radio programs.
How did you come to TWR-Lithuania and produce children’s programs?
Children’s ministry was always on my heart. I came here four years ago. The first year…I came as a volunteer. In that time, I learned how to make programs and how to do all the technical work involved. The Little Evening Star is broadcast once a week and is 30 minutes long. We also have a “Clouds Club,” where children discuss what they heard. We address different topics that concern children such as telling the truth, lying and sadness. The program also includes songs, fairytales and Bible passages. Also, I interview children in schools.
Do you distribute the programs to other places?
Our goal is to record CDs and send them to orphanages, blind schools, day centers and hospital radio stations. These programs go to many places. We also visit orphanages and hospitals to present dramas.
How did you come to faith in God?
I always believed in the existence of God. I went to church on Sundays, but in my heart I believed that Jesus was a legend. But at one point I got very ill. I was hospitalized, and shared a room with a woman who told us about how she came to know Jesus. We listened to her story with open hearts. Later that night, my eyes were opened and I understood that Jesus is the Truth. The next morning, the doctor came and said to me: “You are healthy; go home to your family.” I couldn’t believe what happened. As I was leaving the hospital, I thanked the woman, and she responded: “When you leave, ask God to lead you in the way that He wants you to go.” Asking Him to lead me changed everything.
What are some of the challenges you face in your work?
Children are a special audience, and they can tell if you are lying. Our lives have to be in line with what we present. When I get letters from children, it lifts my heart and I am happy. But there are times when I feel tired. Besides creative work, I have to do a lot of managing work [and] technical work, and answer children’s letters. I am very thankful to God for my team members who help me prepare programs.
What are your dreams for children’s ministry in Lithuania?
We already have a Web site and a children’s magazine. If it is God’s will, we would like to do a children’s TV program. I wish I had more time to visit children in blind schools and orphanages. I am very happy that I can do this work; this is where my heart is.
Adapted from an article by Kristina Valentova, TWR-Europe Journalist; InfoServ Vol. 13 No. 2