Happy Valentine's Day

Sesuos - Jerman, Madison, Brown, and Bestenlehner

Laba!

Hello, it's been a great week in Vilnius! We did lots of wonderful things and have stayed busy. It is crazy how fast time is flying. We were able to go bowling last week with both of the districts here in Vilnius, and that was super fun. Then on Wednesday we served at the food bank again, packaging coffee.

Vilnius Sisters serve at the food bank  . . . packaging coffee!

But it was great to be able to serve them. We also had zone training on Thursday where we learned a lot of great stuff about the gospel and about how to be better missionaries. I want to strive to be more obedient to the Lord's commandments and use every second I have out here to serve Him. After that, I went on exchanges with Sister Madison, my old companion! That was pretty awesome to be together again and learn from her great example. 

Then on Saturday we helped the elders in a lesson with a great woman. She is working to quit coffee, but we know that the Lord will help her. We are slowly working with our investigator, but are thinking we should pass him to the elders. He doesn't have a baptismal date because he needs more time to learn about the gospel. We need to see if he has true desires to know that the Book of Mormon is true. Real conversion comes from reading that book everyday. I have really seen the difference it makes in my own life.

The weather has been so awesome-it is so happy. I can't believe how warm it is and how much the sun is shining. Everything is awesome in Lithuania. We are talking to lots of great people, and the church members are so great.

I know that the Lord loves all of His children and individually knows each one. He sorrows when we are in pain and glories when we are righteous. True happiness comes from faith and repentance, from Jesus Christ. The gospel is such a blessing to each of us. I love you all so much. Have a great week!

Love Sese Dzerman!

written by her companion, Sister Bestenlehner - 
This week was miracles times ten. One day we had two lessons in one. Now if anyone knows in this part of the world that is really good. We had a lesson with a members family member. Now we have been trying to meet with him for a few months but he finally had time. As we talked the spirit filled the room. it was as thick as the fog is here(which i might add is really fun to walk in but not to drive luckily i don't drive:)) In the lesson we asked the member to teach about Joseph Smith. He did amazing, especially because his language held no boundaries compared to ours. At the end of the lesson i had to especially rely on the spirit to know what to ask. i can't explain how much the spirit is the teacher. I have learned how it can guide us to do the lords work and be his hands. I could feel the spirit talk through me as i could speak the language without hardly any flaws. I was convinced that i was not speaking. i can't even remember what we said just the feeling. Right after that lesson we had to take a taxi to make it for our next lesson across the city. that was a stressful taxi ride because one we only had ten minutes to get there and we only had eight euros and one cent. We were praying like crazy to make it there. The whole time we were about to abandoned ship but a small whispering told us to go a little further. when the taxi got to where it was suppose to go can you guess how much it cost?!?!?! Yeah you guessed it eight euros and one cent. It was a miracle from god. there was no way that that ride would have been so less money but god provided a way. 

written by her last companion, Sister Madison -  Also i forgot to share last week that Sister Brown and I got separated! Of course it was right after the district meeting reminder about staying with your companion at all times. We were bus contacting on a large busy bus, and i got up to get off, looked around, and couldn't see sis brown anywhere! After a few seconds of frantic searching i hopped off the bus thinking that she must have already gotten off. I called our district leader like "uhh Elder downs... i lost my companion" and it was so weird just being alone in Lithuania! But then i hopped on a bus to hopefully meet her at our apartment and then i saw the other sisters! so I recruited them in my search for sis brown. After riding the bus a couple stops further we spotted her and everything was okay haha. That was the first and i'm hoping last time i lose a companion.