Monday, April 20, 2015

Week 15

April 20, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday-
Today was so good, we are determined to eat healthier, so all we bought at the grocery store was produce. After that we came home and we cut up all of the vegetables so that we would actually eat them. We then went to this delicious Mexican restaurant. I did not even know they had Mexican food in Lithuania. It is probably the only one in all of Lithuania. We then got to go to the senior couple's apartment for Family Home Evening with the singles in the branch. It was really fun, we played a game where we all had two slips of paper and we had to write on them something the others did not know about us, then we all put them in a bowl and we took turns reading them and guessing who they belonged to. It was really fun.

Tuesday-
Today we had a lesson with Jurga over Skype and it went really well. The lesson was about attending church and the importance, we had a member there who was amazing, she was so good, she is the Relief Society president, her name is Emilija. Before our lesson we got to watch some of General Conference. I was so excited to watch it in English. I really enjoyed President Eyring's talk about fast offerings. I thought it was really powerful with the emotion he was able to show while he shared stories.

Wednesday-
Today we had zone training. It was really good, the mission is really shifting their focus from meeting with active members to finding. They compared the branches to having a broken bone and the cast as the missionaries. When the bone is healed you need to take the cast off, or your arm will become weaker and weaker and you won't be able to use it. Now is the time for the cast to come off and the brace to go on. We can still support them and help them, but our focus is not in having lessons with active members. Sister Penrose and Sister Seaman spoke about companionship unity and attitude. when Sister Seaman and Sister Penrose were companions they did not get along at first, but they made list of everything they were doing by the end to turn it from the worst companionship to the best. It is a really good list and will be super helpful in our future companionships, with our spouses even. They also shared a poem that I loved, "inside each of us are two wolves...one is evil: It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. One is good: It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. Which wolf wins? ...the one you feed the most." I really liked it. I have found so far on my mission that "what you focus on increases," especially in my companionships. I find that as I look for those things I love about them, I tend to notice them rather than vice versa, looking for what bothers me. Same with the work, look for the things you like in the work rather than the things that might not be as fun. I also got to by in my first branch council this evening since Sister Seaman is Young Women's president.

Thursday-
Today Sister Seaman went on exchanges in Vilnius, so it was Sister Bestenlenher and I together again. We had English, where we only had one student. We read from the restoration pamphlet, we then went and walked around and spoke with people.

Friday-
Today Sister Bestenlenher and I were out walking around doing stop by's and it was sunny with a few clouds in the sky, then all of a sudden it gets really cloudy and it starts to sprinkle, then it started to pour and then it started to hail and it hailed for a good half hour before it turned back to rain. We were soaked, but it was really fun. We then got to participate in a lesson with a recent convert of the other sister's, Ade. We taught about the Plan of Salvation. It was great, he was just able to testify and talk openly.

Saturday-
Today we got to do a service project. We were scraping paint off of the walls in this dome (apartment building). It is a really old building, so if I get lead poisoning it is from doing this service project, we were covered in dust and paint chips by the time we were through. The woman we were doing the project for was a very sweet old lady and she fed us some apple cake and juice. We get to go back next Saturday to help some more. I am really excited because I am really starting to understand the language more and more everyday. I know that Heavenly Father is helping my understand since I am continuing to try to speak with and understand people. I am so grateful.

Sunday-
Today, right before Sacrament meeting, I am informed that I might have to go up and introduce myself and share my testimony. I didn't even have any time to prepare. Right away I pull out a paper and pen to start writing in Lithuanian what I want to say. Luckily, the woman who was supposed to speak showed up, so now I will not have to do it until next Sunday, I have more time to prepare now. The woman who showed up at General Conference Sunday last Sunday came to church this Sunday. I was so excited when I saw her. After Sacrament meeting she wanted us to do this survey about stress and religion, she must be doing some kind of research on how religion affects your stress level. She wanted all of the people between the ages of 20-25 to do it. I am afraid all of the missionaries may have skewed her research a little.

Love,
Sister Brown


 Me and Sister Seaman after getting caught in the rain and hail.

 Sister Seaman and I after the service project, we were so dirty.



 Eggs that we dyed.





 Silly with Sister Bestenlenher.






 Caught in the rain and hail with Sister Bestenlenher.



 Silly with Sister Seaman. 



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