Week 61

March 7, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

On Monday we were able to go bowling with all of the other missionaries to celebrate Sister Jerman's birthday. It was very fun. It was also Elder Peterson's last Monday before he went home. Elder Lyon got transferred to Siauliai, so it was also our last Monday with him. After we went bowling we went out to eat with a member from Kaunas who was in town and asked us if we would want to meet up.

On Tuesday we had District Meeting before the sisters had to go up to Riga to meet their trainee. While the sisters were gone we were able to go and decorate their apartment that evening. I used a confetti cannon thing and I was trying to figure out how to use it, then it exploded, but not where I wanted it to. It was so loud, I was not expecting that.

On Wednesday we decorated Elder Water's apartment for the trainee. We made these calendars for our members so we were taking those around to them all week. They all seemed to really like them. When we stopped by one of the families to just drop it off we ran into the mom and daughter outside and they invited us in. They were really nice to let us in and shared fruit and tea with us.

On Thursday we got permission to go outside of the city limit to visit our Relief Society President. We brought Sister Nuttall along since she wanted to help out with the organization of the Relief Society. We could kind of see that Nijole, the Relief Society President, was a little overwhelmed and alone in her presidency since they just keep giving her new members and less actives as her counselors. It was really great, we got to see the little city she lives in. She lives 50 kilometers outside of Vilnius, which is about 31 miles. We were able to kind of be her presidency. We are glad we brought Sister Nuttall since she has much experience with Relief Society. We were there for about 3 hours and then we headed home, but since we hadn't eaten all day we decided we should grab some dinner when we got back into Vilnius. We went to this delicious little Georgian restaurant, it was so yummy. Then we got a little dessert at this Belgian restaurant, then we headed home. It was pretty much an all day event. 

On Friday we went to service where we wore our ugly sweaters that Elder Downs and Scott bought for us at a used clothing store, it was fun. We also got to meet the newest member of our district, who just got in, her name is Sister Griffin, she is really nice. 

On Saturday we were able to meet the new elder when we met for Missionary Coordination Meeting, his name is Elder Scabeland, he is half Japanese. It was a great week.

Love,

Sister Brown

Calendars we made for members.

Fruit for District Meeting.

My District.

Vilnius missionaries.

Decorating the sister's apartment.

Easter FHE basket we made for the members this week. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Week 60

February 29, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was the last week of the transfer, it was a great week. On Monday we took kind of a chill day and went to the Nuttall's (senior couple) house. It was great to just chat with them and help them prepare food. Then we ate Hawaiian haystacks with them.

On Tuesday we had Zone Conference, it was great to see everyone. The conference was based off of a few talks from a recent worldwide missionary broadcast. They also connected what we learned to our members and the Eastern Europe area goals that we are trying to help them with. After Zone Conference, and many pictures, I went to Kaunas with Sister Hubert for an exchange. It was, again, so good to be in Kaunas.

On Wednesday Sister Hubert and I were able to go to the Bruce's (senior couple) home for some lunch and to help Sister Bruce with a project she has going on. It was just like old times being at their apartment.

On Thursday we made a plan for things we could do for the members to help them with the goals leading up to Easter. For next week, we decided to give them a scripture reading calendar that they will read one scripture passage a day until Easter about Jesus Christ, then after they read it we will also give them some little Easter eggs that they will cover the days they have read. We decided it would be good for all of the families in our area.

On Friday we had service at the food bank. After service we went to this restaurant called Boom Burger, they have delicious burgers.

Saturday was a super crazy, busy day. We had a Zone Training Skype with the other cities in the morning, then we got to see all the youth and young adults from other cities and say hi before they began their career fair they were having. We ran home to eat before we had to be back for our choir concert. Our choir concert went great, we were able to sing some songs about the Restoration and do a little performance. We actually had more people than expected since we didn't feel like a lot of people knew it was going on.

On Sunday we heard some excellent talks from Brother Miles, who is from America and works at the Embassy here, and his young son, on the Priesthood. Brother Miles is the Young Men's President and as he spoke he shared tender memories of his Priesthood heroes and some jokes within the Young Men's program here. He really got them listening when he started talking about nachos, as apparently, it is their favorite and their answer for things when they don't know the answer to a question. It was super good and hit so many Gospel principles that need to be taught here more often.

On Saturday we also got transfer calls and I get to stay here in Vilnius with Sister Madison! Yay!

Love,
Sister Brown

Week 59

February 22, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

On Monday we had a request from Mindaugas to play basketball at an indoor court he was able to get for a few hours. We went and played basketball and volleyball, it was a lot of fun.

On Tuesday we had District Meeting, which I have really been enjoying lately. We end up discussing questions we have or sharing what we studied throughout the week. In the evening we were able to go celebrate a late Chinese New Year. We made a ton of fried rice. It was a lot of fun, we ate Chinese food and then played a game called "signs." 

On Wednesday I went on an exchange with Sister Hubert while Sister Madison went to a meeting in Riga. Sister Hubert and I were able to go after Mindaugas was set apart to say goodbye and wish him good luck. He left on Thursday morning.

On Thursday morning I left with Sister Neeley back to Kauanas for an exchange. It was great to be back in Kaunas for the day. I was even able to see a few members who I love in Kaunas. I saw Edvinas and Valdas, they are great. I found out that Valdas is planning a trip to America next year, I hope I will be able to see him, as he wants to come to Utah to go to the Salt Lake City temple. On Friday I returned to Vilnius just in time for service, where we were able to package some more coffee. We then had a lesson with a woman named Rita, who the sisters found and were passing off to us. It was a difficult lesson, as Lithuanian is actually her third language and she actually does not understand it that well. She insisted it be in Lithuanian instead of Russian because she wants to learn Lithuanian. We will continue to try and meet with her.

On Saturday we set up a super awesome fitness plan. We are excited to begin, we hope it will help us be healthy. In the evening we were able to lead a language thought with the other missionaries. We played Scattargories, but in Lithuanian, it was really hard, but fun. 

Sunday was such a wonderful day. First we were able to get to know some of the members we don't know very well and make friends. The Primary children love us now, as we keep sharing cookies and treats with them. Sister Madison did great teaching the Young Women about our purpose in life. We again had so many English speakers in church that we ran out of translators. It was a great day.

Love,

Sister Brown

Here is my quad that I got bound! I love it!

Week 58

February 15, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

On Monday, for preparation day, we went to the church and played signs with all of the other missionaries. It was so much fun. I love that game and we can't wait to play again.

On Tuesday we had District Meeting and then right after we went with the Russian speaking missionaries to go out to this lady's house to bring her our books to bind and tell her what we wanted done with them. We took the elders because she actually is Russian and does not understand English or Lithuanian very well. It is always so beautiful and fun to get out of the city and breath some fresh air.

On Wednesday it was my birthday, so Sister Madison made the day really special for me. We went to service in the morning, which was fun as always, the elders gave me a little gift with gummy bears, a lime, and mint flavored soda, some Russian shampoo and this other type of bar that you eat that apparently has the consistency of sawdust. It was really nice of them. Then the sisters, as we were leaving, gave me a cute little cake and we were eating where we were not supposed to be eating it, so we got in a little trouble with the food bank. After service Sister Madison and I went out for a birthday lunch, we went to this restaurant called Vapianos and they sell really good pasta. They make it fresh, right in front of you. On Wednesday night we went to a farewell party for Mindaugas, since he is leaving for his mission next week. Since he is going to the Scotland/Ireland mission, Sister bender made all kinds of delicious traditional food from there. It was a surprise party. It is really neat because the missionaries are kind of like his family who have been helping him along the way, since he is the only member in his family.

On Thursday we were really busy. We were able to visit a member from the Russian branch who we had promised to visit. She told us some really amazing stories from her life. Afterward we went to meet the elders to stop by this man we had found in their area the other night, who we gave a Book of  Mormon to. We were able to talk to him, but he was on his way out to go to the doctor. Afterward the elders invited us to go with them to the orphanage to bring them toys and candy. We went and they were all so cute, they really appreciated the service we were able to give them. Afterward we went and grabbed some dinner at this cool taco place that we wanted to try, but it is never actually open, it just happened to be open when we tried. After we got done eating we heard these people speaking English, so Sister Madison asked where they were from and why they were here. He was from Connecticut and she is from the Ukraine, and he works for the Embassy. We asked if he knew the members that work at the Embassy and he did know them. It was neat, it is always fun to hear an American accent.

On Friday we went and heart-attacked some members who live out in the country, since we made a goal to heart-attack all of our members for Valentine's Day.

On Sunday we had so many visitors at church. We had people from BYU TV to make that film they are filming here. We also had visitors from some students who are doing an internship in Latvia. It is neat, they are all returned missionaries, most from Russia, but also one who served in the Ukraine, and one who served in Latvia. It seems like a fun program. We ran out of translators, there were so many English speakers there, it was great.

Love,

Sister Brown

Week 57

February 8, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

Funny story from last week that I forgot to tell. When we were coming back from immigration last week we have to take a bus to near the church, then get off and get on a different bus to get home. We get on the first bus and Sister Madison sits down and starts talking to this lady, so then eventually I go sit down with my back facing her near the front of the bus. All of a sudden I cannot hear her voice anymore and I wasn't quite sure which bus stop we were planning on getting off at. I start to try and look behind me, but the bus was really crowded. Finally I stand up after the bus had emptied out a little bit and I see she is no longer on the bus, she had already gotten off according to this old lady who saw me looking around. I then get off. Sister Madison has the phone, so I can't call her. I decide to start walking back to see if maybe she would be waiting at the stop before the one I got off. I had no idea when she got off. Then I get there to the stop before and she is not there. I keep thinking I should ask somebody to borrow their phone but decide to wait to see if a bus comes by with her on it. I wait for a few minutes and one bus that wasn't ours goes by, then I decide to start walking toward the next one. As I begin to walk away I see the number 10 bus, the bus we would be taking home, so I stop and look and there I see Sister Madison, Bestenlenher, and Jerman waving at me to get on. So I run a little ways back so I could catch the bus. I guess Sister Madison could not see me either so she got off early thinking I had already gotten off. She then called our district leader who just told her to keep going to where we were headed, which was home. Then somewhere in there she ran into the other sisters. I am so glad we were not separated for too long. I am proud to say that is the first time that this had ever happened to me in my whole mission. We then decided we should actually come up with a plan if we do get separated again.

In other news, we got to go to the dermatologist to get a little bump on Sister Madison's face layered off. We had service again where we unwrapped and stickered coffee again. We also had zone training which was really great as well. We were committed to begin to learn the members last names and begin calling them brother and sister with their last names. We have never really done that here because, first of all, they prefer their first names, and second, their last names are really hard and change according to marital status, age and gender. So I began working on those so I can address them all appropriately.

This week the sun has finally come out and has melted all of the snow and it feels so nice outside. I love when the sun comes out because all of a sudden all of the people are out with their families doing things together outside. 

On Saturday one less active member is in cooking school and she invited us to this thing where her school would be kind of showcasing what they do. We went to support her. It cost 5 euros and we were under the impression there would be just a bunch of free food to try, but we got there and there were a ton of young adults. We came to find out that it was actually a college fair and it was huge like all of Lithuania was there. We were afraid it was going to be a little hard to find her. As we were walking around we ran into her. It was good that we saw her so she could know we came for her. 

On Sunday we were able to go contact this lady who was a referral from another missionary's relative who bought a really nicely bound journal off of Easy from someone who lives in Vilnius. We went out to her house which is sort of in the country. She happened to be home and we didn't want to freak her out or anything and start teaching her the Gospel since she actually has no idea that was why we were there, so we talked about if she could bind our books and asked her questions about that. She didn't speak Lithuanian very well, or English, so she got her son who speaks English to translate. She said she could bind our books, so we got her number so we could bring our books back. We are very excited since they used to have a member in Riga that could do it, but she doesn't really do it anymore. All the missionaries will be really excited to hear. It was a really great and busy week.

Love,

Sister Brown

Week 56

February 1, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was crazy busy and fun. On Monday we got lost on our way to the church to make caramel apples for an elder's birthday. Eventually we found our way there. Then on Tuesday we had District Meeting and right before English class Sister Madison and I met Sister Neeley and Sister Hurbert from Kaunas so Sister Neeley and Madison could go up to Riga for Mission Leadership Council, since they are sister training leaders. Sister Hubert and I got to be together in Vilnius while they were away. Sister Hubert and I then went and taught English class. Then on Wednesday our companions were still in Riga, so we got to teach two lessons, one with an investigator, Arunas, and the other with a really intimidating family in the branch. I was really nervous because I hardly know them and they are really quite scary. I though, "oh maybe they will warm up to us as we get to know each other," but that was not the case. The lesson was about 20 minutes long. Every question I asked to get to know them was answered with a one worded answer, eventually I just ran out of questions to ask. It was good that it was short because then we got to meet with our other investigator, Mandy, at the young single adult family home evening. We watched the Stonecutter, it is really a good movie. Then the sisters were supposed to get back that night but Sister Neeley forgot her passport and made it up there okay, but they would not let her back on the bus to come back to Lithuania. The elders in Kaunas had to send it through the bus mail, then they finally got to head back Thursday morning. On Friday we had to meet Kestutis, who helps us with our immigration work at the immigration office, so I can renew my card that gives me permission to live in Lithuania. We got there and got a number, there were 39 people ahead of us so we decided we would try again on a different day. On Saturday we had the opportunity to participate in some service as a district at the food bank where we unwrapped coffee and then put their sticker on it. It was really fun to talk and work together. After that we had to hurry to the church because the branch historian wanted us to record our stories of why we came on a mission. I was a little nervous I wouldn't be able to express myself well in Lithuania, but it was actually really fun. After that the elders asked us to help in a lesson, so we helped them in a lesson then we went home to eat something. After that we had to head back to the church for missionary coordination and a language though with the other missionaries. It was a very busy week. On Sunday Sister Madison was asked to teach a primary class lesson right before because the teacher wanted to go to the adult class, as it was combined and they were talking about the new area goals. It was fun, the little girls were really cute, there were three of them and two of them are sisters. They range from 8-10 years old. Overall, it was a great week.

Love,
Sister Brown

"I ran into this sweet missionary at church in Vilnius today. She seems really happy. I heard she only has a couple more transfers to go. I bet you've been missing her. :)

-Christianne Kendall

Week 55

January 25, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

This week I got transferred across town to be with Sister Madison, and Sister Madison's companion, Sister Jerman, got transferred to be with my old companion, Sister Bestenlenher. So we just switched companions. I am excited to be serving with Sister Madison, she is just a wonderful social butterfly. I know it is going to be a great transfer. Our first day together on Wednesday after we switched companions we had a lesson with this really nice investigator, Arunas. He is really good and loves to read the Book of Mormon and General Conference. He learns a lot just from all the reading he does. He has a lot of good questions and he even has a baptismal date. We talked to him about staying for all three hours of church, he comes every week but ends up leaving after the second hour. We committed him to staying for all three hours. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to make it to our lesson we planned for Saturday or for church on Sunday because he got sick. On Friday we got to watch this really neat worldwide missionary and mission president training broadcast. It was really neat and they really expounded on those basic things that we really know because we study them all the time and expound on the to help us teach better and follow the Holy Ghost more. On Saturday we were able to have a lesson with a less active couple at the senior couples apartment. It went really well and I feel like we were able to help them see the importance of the temple and what preparation they will need to enter. We know that they really want to go to be sealed, but they need to understand what that means. We asked them to read the Book of Mormon five minutes each together for a total of ten minutes, and then five minutes personally each day. They said they would, we also asked if they would be at church and they said they would be there, or try to be there. They did come, it was only for Sacrament meeting, but they said they would come for longer next week. They are making some more progress now and it is really exciting.

Love,
Sister Brown

District photo.

Sister Madison and I.