Kayleigh's 1st day back home

Welcome Home Kayleigh!

Our 1st breakfast together again.

She unpacked her treasures

Her Nativity

She brought home several necklaces made from the amber that washes up on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Kayleigh Comes Home!!!

~ Look on Facebook for a video clip of her arrival.

Finally this day arrived!  We came to the airport wearing our yellow, with our yellow balloons and signs.

Ready

and waiting

So ready.!.!.!.!.

Finally!!!!

All together again

Granny and Granddad too

Our girl is home!

Dinner at Black Bear Dinner.

Welcome home, Kayleigh

Loving the Light (Her last letter! )

Christmas Eve dinner at Lucy's house

Merry Christmas!

This past week has been a very humbling and sacred week. I cannot even express my joy and love for the people here in Lithuania. I feel as if the Lord has overflowed me with blessings and opportunities everyday. I am just so extremely happy and rejoice to know that God is our loving Father and that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. They love us, each and every one of us. Heavenly Father answers every one of our heartfelt prayers. I have seen that and know it to be true. He will answer. 

One of the many miracles this past week involved meeting with new investigators, members, and less actives. It was amazing how many people were home and let us in! We were able to have a few lessons with some less active people, even those who are hard to reach. They were all at home at this Christmas time and let us right in.We had the tender mercy of being able to truly testify of Christ's purpose here on earth. That He was born, lived, died, and lives again for each one of us. That we can not only live again with God and our families, but become clean through the atonement each day as we repent. What an incredible gift. This gift has truly lifted and filled me. I know that it is real because I have experienced it!

After having a conversation with a person on the bus, a man leaned over to ask if I really was a believing person. He said that he had just learned about God a few months ago and was trying to do his best to follow him. We were able to have a lesson on Christmas eve and talk about the mercy of God and how He has given us the Bible and the Book of Mormon. He is a pure follower of Christ that just wants to give back to Him because Christ saved him from his addictions in rehab. He came to church on Sunday after attending his, and stayed the entire time. He plans to come every week and stay to learn all he can. He is already reading a few pages from the Book of Mormon each day and is excited to be able to better follow Christ. This person is so prepared by the spirit. I am so excited to see where the doctrine of Christ can take him. God is preparing His children to accept the gospel because He loves them. He gives us the opportunity every day to share that special gift of the atonement that He gave to us. It brings so much joy because it is true joy. 

We were also able to meet with a past investigator who hasn't been in contact with us. She suddenly decided that she just really wants to know why we have the Book of Mormon with the Bible. She desires to know the truth. I know that she and all of us can through prayer and study and acting. It will bless us more than we can know. 

I know that this is God's true church. I love His work because I love Him and am so grateful for His sacrifice to us. He is our father, and He will help us and strengthen us to be better than we can imagine. I love you all!

Love Sese Dzerman

                                         Doing service

                                        - stacking wood 

                                        at Roma's house 

                               Doing service as a district  :)

Miracle of Marius

Sesuo Dzerman and Sesuo Walles quilting in Klaipeda

Merry Christmas Family and Friends ~ Su Sventom Kaledom!!

This week was really fabulous and full of miracles. On Monday night we went knocking and got to have a short lesson with an older lady who let us in her house. She was pretty old but accepting of our message we had to teach. Her spirit was very strong and sweet. For our english class we played charades and discussed the importance of communication in our lives. We learned how communication truly makes our relationships with others. We have to learn how God communicates with us and constantly communicate with Him through prayer. This builds our personal relationship with our loving Heavenly Father. On Wednesday we went by a member who is struggling with depression but has been able to slowly overcome that with her true faith on Christ. She has been doing a lot better, and we were able to see her great knowledge and testimony of the gospel. That night we met with Victoria to talk about sharing the gospel with her family. We first knit a quilt to take by a member who cannot leave her house. She explained that she is a little nervous to invite her family to church but knows how the Book of Mormon can bless them. She plans to share one with them over Christmas break while she is in Spain!

On Thursday we had exchanges in Vilnius, and I was with Sister Hodson. We met with a member to talk about teaching and learning in the church. She is one of the best member missionaries I know. She literally hands out pamphets to people at bus stops and on the streets. I am so grateful for her missionary spirit! Friday we were able to meet with a couple of students from Nigeria who are very believing. They truly know that Christ is their Savior and have such strong faith. It was really incredible to be able to talk about prophets and how we are so blessed to be in another gospel dispensation with a living prophet today, just as in the Bible. It makes so much sense and gives us so many blessings! That night we met with Marius. He drove from Plunge, which is about an hour outside of Klaipeda, with his wife and kids to the church. We had a lesson on baptism and confirmation to prepare him to baptism. He was very ready. I find that he teaches us the gospel because he has such a strong testimony. He knows and can't wait to accept the gift of the holy ghost on Sunday. The spirit was just so strong and we were just amazed with his knowledge of the gospel. 

On Saturday we cleaned the font and prepared for the baptism. It was such a joyful experience because the uniting of a family is progressing. About four years ago, Mindaugas was contacted on the street and came to our english class. He then met with missionaries and was baptized. Two years later his mom was also baptized and then he left on a mission to serve in South Africa. Now two years after that, Mindaugas returned from his mission this pastTuesday to baptize his uncle, Irma's younger brother, Marius. All three of them can be sealed in the temple!! Irma and Mindaugas are such great support for Marius, it is a perfect set up. They drive from their city to Plunge to pick up Marius and bring him to church. So Marius gets to be taught by two stalwart members of the church. The spirit was so strong at the baptismal service, and their was so much happiness and joy. Irma was so grateful to have her brother finally accept baptism. Marius couldn't help but smile the entire time. After the ordinance, he bore his testimony on the importance of following the Savior throughout our entire lives. He has used the atonement and has received blessings from it. On Sunday he was confirmed by Mindaugas and could not express his joy afterwards. He said the closing prayer and thanked us for teaching him how to pray. A few weeks ago he had been struggling to know if this was truly the right path he should follow, to continue to come to church. After sharing how weak things can be made strong through Christ, he received the witness of the truthfulness of the gospel. It was truly a miracle to be and learn with him and see his family receive blessings from the gospel. I know that through our covenants made with the Lord that we can be with our families forever. That is the greatest blessing we can receive from the Lord, and I will be forever grateful for it. We are so blessed to have a loving Heavenly Father who wants to give the best to us, who gave us the very best, even His Son Jesus Christ. Because of Him, we will live again and can be clean through the atonement to live forever with God and our families in never ending happiness. He is the gift. 

Merry Christmas!

Love Sese Dzerman

I am happy and so so grateful for every day I have here.

Lithuania Christmas Devotional Photo

Merry Christmas, Elders & Sisters! 

Look at these gorgeous, light-filled Sisters! We love you!

Love,  Sister Harding    #LIGHTtheBALTIC

Here’s another Sisters photo—including Sister Hodson this time!

Christmas Devotional in Lithuania

This is President Harding with his white elephant gift from the christmas devotional, haha maybe don't post that one for his sake :) It worked out perfectly though that he got the santa suit

All of us with our white elephants

Even a poster of Elder Karlinzey, probably not to post this one either

All the sisters :)

Actually now all the sisters together

And a funny one too

Well, Here is my MTC group together here at the end. They are all such awesome elders

Hey there!

They lit this Christmas tree last week as a celebration for Christmas. We heard that it was packed in this little square

Hey there!
This week was a miracle week. We were able to meet with a lot of people and talk to so many new ones on the street. We had a Christmas devotional with the entire zone and President and Sister Harding. THe spirit of Christmas is so strong. I am so grateful for this special time that we have to focus on the Savoir and His birth, life, sacrfice, and resurrection for us. So that we can also be born, live, and rise again. It is such a hopeful message that so many people need. He is the true light of the world and is the only source of true joy. I love that.

This week we were able to meet with Victoria to talk about temples and family histroy. She is getting started on collecting her family history and do some of that work! It was an incredible spirit in the lesson that we felt. The spirit of elijah is here on the earth, and this work is so important so that our families can be together forever, starting now. She hopes to go to the Spain temple this Christmas season, which will be an amazing experience. I testify that families can be sealed for time and all eternity, and that is why we are here.

On Sunday, Marius came to church and we had a lesson after with a member about hte sacrament. The spirit was amazing. He will be baptized this Saturday, and we are very excited for Him. He knows the Book fo Mormon is the word of God and is ready to commit his life to the savior. It was a miraculous expereince. I love God and am grateful for His miracles. I love you all

Love sese Dzerman

Outside our restaurant in old town of Klaipeda

We are walking down the street to the Christmas tree at the end of the road

And we made it

It has sail boats on it?! That is Klaipeda for you

This could be the Christmas photo for you

And then just me

Here is the Christmas market center, a huge snow globe :)

They set up a carosel and other little houses that sell food

Klaipeda has so many lights down the streets of old town. It is so pretty. I have never seen so many lights though!