What a week!

These are the Sisters out right now, but the three in the middle will be leaving this week.

Most of the Vilnius missionaries! We got to go to the Lithuanian castle: Trakai!! So fun!!!!

Wow, it was such an awesome week. It was so full of missionary work, I couldn't even believe it! We were able to meet with a couple of new investigators and share our message about the restoration! The spirit is so key not only in missionary work, but in our everyday lives. That is how we truly receive the blessings that the Lord wants to give us. 

We were able to watch Women's Conference in english, and I loved how it focused on service. Service is such a great blessing to those around us and to ourselves. It truly helps us to become more Christlike. I want to be more service oriented in my life. We were also able to listen to General Conference in Lithuanian with our members at the church on Saturday and Sunday. I understood some of it, so that is good, right? I know that as we act on the revelation that we receive and apply it in our lives, we will receive so much joy in righteous living.

Here is a cute selfie - Sisters Jerman, Bestenlehner and Griffin.

On Wednesday I was able to travel to Riga to attend Missionary Leadership Council. We received a lot of help on how to better find people to teach. We talked a lot about referrals from members, as that is the best way to find. We then took this information to the missionaries in zone conference that we had on Friday in Kaunas. It was pretty short notice, but we all grew together as we discussed how to better help God's children here. We were also able to do service at the food bank. 

So yeah 4 sisters leave Wednesday, Oh man, this week I become the oldest sister but I know the Lord knows what He is doing! It will be great.  We got transfer calls! I will be with Sister Griffin and Hodson, as we are now the last 3 sisters here in Lithuania. We will serve this first week in Vilnius, taking over the other sister's area and keeping our own. Then next week we will travel to Kaunas to serve in Sister Hodson's area. (I get to serve in Kaunas!  The traveling trio | guess :) ) 

 Wow, I am super excited as this is pretty rare.
Luckily, we will be getting some more sisters soon. ( We are shocked there will be 5 sisters, but so excited!!)   Even though the future can seem scary, I know that as we put our trust in the Lord we will be blessed. He will help us through everything every single day. He loves us, and we have no need to fear tomorrow. I love you all so much!

Love Sese Dzerman

Blynai (potatoe pancakes) and boiled cepeliniai

Just pulled our money to pay rent :) Go Euors!

​Lots of beautiful churches EVERYWHERE!!!

The sister missionaries in Vilnius!

P-Day - Trakai Castle!!!

Cool statue on way to Traikai castle.

Cute houses and churches along the street to the castle. Trakai is such a cute lake town.

These are some more houses in Traikai.

Walking to Traikai castle, so many cute houses.

This is in Trakai on our way to see the castle. So pretty!

Pretty view of Traikai

Trakai Castle!!!

Traikai castle

The back side of Traikai castle.

Another cool view, it was such great weather! Best preparation day ever!

Another view haha.

Here we are again.

Cute compaionship pics.

Sister Griffin kissing the castle.

This is the toilet. 

Here we are all!

Here we are all on the dock.

Walking back to the train, so many pretty flowers!

Exciting News!

I got this email today from a MTC Missionary Mom.

Kaleen, you'll be excited to know the MTC has 5 sister missionaries learning Lithuanian right now. My son is a Solo Elder learning Lithuanian. So 14 missionaries going to the Baltic are currently in the MTC- 6 Lithuanian, and at least 4 Latvian speaking Elders. The other 4 I haven't heard about yet. Wow! - 5 Sisters in the MTC learning Lithuanian!  Sister Jerman (July- Sept.), Sister Hodson (Oct.- Dec.) and Sister Griffin (Jan.-Mar.) were all "solo" sister missionaries there.   This time there is a "solo" elder there!

It's April!

We had lunch (Kibiniai) with Sister Harding!

Here is the kibiniai up close

Hello Everyone!

We have had such a great week! We were able to get a lot done! 

In district meeting we talked about reverance and the importance of it in our lives. I love that it is attribute that we all can have in order to receive more revelation in our life. Reverance prepares us each week to take the sacrament and to worship our Savior. I love the difference that it makes in my life as I am more reverant.

We were able to meet with the mission president as part of new missionary training. We talked about the importance of sacred goals and how we should always be striving to becoming better. We should be asking Heavenly Father what we can do to improve all the time. He will surely tell us to help us become more like Him. We were also able to have interviews!! I know that our mission president is called here by God. All callings come directly from the Lord.

I was able to go on exchange with Sister Hodson! We went by a less active family and were able to meet with both the parents. We committed them to have family home evening as it doesn't ever happen in their house. So many blessings come from spending time with our families. They are blessings and priveleges from the Lord.

Waiting at the church for a lesson. It rained and hailed and snowed then cleared up :)

We were also able to meet with a guy that we met on the street and teach him the first lesson! He was super nice and even came to church. He thought it was all pretty overwhelming, so we hope to be able to meet with him again this week. It is amazing to see the progress of the Lord's work here in Lithuania, even if they are small and simple steps. 

We were able to go to service again as a district. We have such a great district! On Saturday we helped a member prepare for a baby shower for one of the members. It was probably the first baby shower ever in Lithuania! A great way to serve others and show them love.

 I actually wasn't able to watch General Conference yet. I will watch it in Lithuanian this weekend and hopefully try to understand as much as I can :) But I will see a couple talks in english during each district meeting for the next 12 weeks or so until we watch it all.

What a blessing to have living prophets on the earth today. I know that they speak God's words today to help each of us. As we apply His words and guidance in our lives, we will be helped and receive so much joy. God loves each of us and wants to help us. He does this every day if we look for His hand in our lives. As we willingly act, we show our faith. I love you all so much! Have a fabulous week!

Su meile, Sese Dzerman

Eating Italian food in Lithuania

Here we are at service, the Elders brought Belarussian cookies from their secret stash for us to "slam"

Here we are with food again :)

We played soccer on preparation day!

It was super fun!

What a great week!

Happy Easter! Lithuanians boil eggs with onions to die them like this

Su Sventom Velykom!

Happy Easter!

We had a really great week this past week! It was crazy fast as usual. We were able to make some Easter eggs for our members for Easter.

 We also had choir practice a couple times this week as missionaries to sing on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday was the Easter Activity for the branch. We watched the new videos from the church for Easter, and us missionaries got to act in a little play. It was about Christ and His light that He gives to the world. He grants each of us His atonement, so that we can repent and be clean. What a great blessing!

On Thursday we got to travel to Kaunas for Zone Training. That was the first time I have ever done that!

Catching the bus to Kaunas for Training

Our district traveling to Kaunas for Zone Training

Kebobs for lunch on the train

On our way there

Kaunas bus station

All the sisters together at Zone Training

We talked about consecration as missionaries and how our motivation should come because of Christ. He truly is the reason for all we are able to do. 

On Friday we were able to do service and then visit a member later that day. She gave us onion boiled eggs for Easter. That is how Lithuanians color their eggs; it is super cool. They love their onions :)

On Saturday we were also able to visit the KGB Museum, about the history of the Lithuanian people during and after World War 2. It was very humbling to learn about their past and all that they went through as a people. 

KGB museum

For Easter we ate dinner at a member's house.

At the Benders for Easter dinner

We were able to focus on Christ and truly celebrate His resurrection. It is such a blessing that He truly lives today for each one of us. He suffered, died, and lives again so that each of us can receive peace and happiness in this life every day. And so that we can live forever with our families after this life. I know that God loves and knows each of us. He sent His son because He loves us. Christ is always there to lift and help us each day. 

I love you all so much. Have a wonderful week!

Love Sese Dzerman

Coming back into vilnius

Cool view of Vilnius!

Just egg attacking a door for Easter

My first Indian Restaurant! So good

Our Lithuanian lunch from Delanos

Ready to eat

Sister Griffin's first stat dog! Our seconds.... :)

Easter is coming!

Trip to Riga for Leadership Training

Us on the bus

It was super great!

I saw Sister Webb from the MTC at the Riga Church! 

Hello!!!

We had a really great week here. We were able to meet with an awesome girl for the first time this week. We spent a lot of time talking about God and her beliefs.

She isn't really interested in learning more, but I really felt God's love for her in that lesson and for all His children. I truly do know that He is our loving Heavenly Father and that we can each have a personal relationship with Him.

I was also able to go on exchange with a sister here, and she is super awesome! It was weird to not be in a trio, but it was super great. We are still just contacting and trying to talk to lots of people. Love you all so much 

Love ses Dzerman

Second hand Sweater Selfie before Service

Sister Griffin wrote - Lithuanians here LOVE sour cream! So funny! We had an activity with popcorn and nachos and the members did not know how to eat popcorn so they started eating the popcorn with kidney beans and loads of sour cream. HAha!! They then came to us and asked what the recipe was for the popcorn and sour cream! I was dying laughing!!!

Us making nachos for the Meet the Mormon activity

Sister Madison wrote -  Friday night was our "Meet the Mormons" movie night for the public. We invited sooo many people and had a lot of people promise to come, but in the end i think there was one investigator and 5 members, and the rest were missionaries. We had a good time before the activity though helping the sister pop the popcorn and get nacho plates ready. The Lithuanians weren't sure what to do with the food we had set out on the table, so it was hilarious to see how excited they were about this great new "american" dish consisting of kidney beans, sour cream, and popcorn mixed together in a paper cup...and we also were laughing too hard to correct them.  

Cool view from the church

An investigator served us a traditional Lithuanian dinner

Pig ears - yum!?!

Fish on bread, wow. 

Gelatin filled with chicken or pig snout or some weird things

Us at the dinner :)