Lighting Lithuania: Happy Leap Day!

mom's note - Happy Birthday to our Kayleigh today! It's Leap Year Day and her 5th birthday I can't believe she is 20 but I am so proud that she is happily serving as a Sister Missionary in Lithuania. She wrote that she didn't get our package yet. It must have arrived at the mission home in Latvia after the 22nd when the mission president traveled to Lithuania. Her companion, Sister Bestenlehner did it up great for her by making signs and breakfast (notice her spelling :) and sharing presents. They were going bowling later in the day and I am sure her MTC buddies will add some celebration to her day.

Today another sister missionary that went to American Fork High left the MTC to fly to the Baltic Mission. Kayleigh mentions her in this email and she will soon have the card I sent with Sister Griffin and hopefully get her package from the mission home. She will just get to keep celebrating her birthday all week as that is what we do most years anyway when it isn't on the calendar!

This morning our family went out on the front porch and sang "Happy Birthday" up to the sky to her. We came back in and discovered this fun phenominun of the morning sun coming through the window from the other side of the house. It was our little gift from heaven. Oh, I love my girl!

Kayleigh

Our "gift" from Heaven

Oh man, it has been an awesome week to say the least! Wow, so much has happened. So last Monday we spent most of the day with the senior couple, Elder and Sister Nuttall.

Eating ice cream at famous sopranos

They are so great. Then on Tuesday we had Zone Conference, and it was the best thing ever! President Harding and Sister Harding are truly called of God, and they gave us such great guidance. We are focusing on teaching repentance and baptizing converts as part of the world wide missionary conference. It really just got me pumped and energized to get out there and spread the good news of the gospel!

All of us at Zone Conference

All the Sister Missionaries

Just me and my MTC Elders

We were also able to meet with a less active who had come to church on Sunday, so we were grateful for that opportunity.

Then we did some cool contacting Wednesday

A fun bendrab that we got to knock in, those hallways keep things interesting!

and Thursday because we wanted to go to the outskirts of our area, to the unknown, to find people who don't come across missionaries as often. It was super cool to see some country side and cute little summer homes out in the distance of the city. We were also knocking in a dome, and an little bob gave me a light tap on the cheek because she did not want us there. She kicked us out pretty quick after hearing we were there to talk about Christ, but all is well. We just kept on proselyting :)

Then we went to service on Friday

Us at service with our coffee :)

and worked with this cool teen who was interested in why we were there. We met with our investigator who really wants to quit smoking but is having a really hard time as he is very addicted. We are praying for guidance on how to help him.

On Saturday.... Sister Bestenlehner and I received the call that we are TRAINING! Oh man, we are super excited!!! Sister Griffith is coming our way! We get a trio and are super stoked. It will be an awesome transfer! We get to be in our same area, which is where I was trained! So we are happy. We will just squish her in with us :) We will be picking her upWednesday and are so excited!!!!!!!!

Today we are headed to go bowling, Sister Best made me Jerman pancakes this morning for my birthday, so she is awesome.

Cute Sister Best for my birthday!

But we are doing super great, super excited for missionary work here in Lithuania.

The sun is coming out more, it is sunny today!! I know that Christ lives today to comfort us and help us. His atonement works in our lives if we ask for it and allow it and are willing to change. I received a lot of peace from partaking of the sacrament yesterday. What a privilege each week it is to receive forgiveness from that ordinance if we repent. When we are sincere, it is if we are cleansed through baptism again. How incredible that is! I am so thankful for that opportunity.

I love you all! Thanks for the birthday wishes. Have an awesome week!

Su meile, Sese Dzerman