Priecīgas Lieldienas!

Sveiki sveiki and Happy late Easter! 

It was an awesome week! We started a new transfer, us three are together still, but we are ready to have the best transfer ever! We set goals and high hopes and we are seeing great things! God is so good! Last transfer we focused a lot on miracles and faith, and my knowledge and testimony of them both have grown so much and have made the work so much better and more fun. We are constantly pumped to share the gospel. We've always been excited, but it's so much easier to keep it through the opposition. We have a greater perceptive and it has changed how I think about a lot of things. I know there's a purpose to all and if we just keep being excited for life and smiling though eventually all will work out.

Tuesday we had a lesson with a former investigator I met with often last year and it was so good. We were able to talk about how Christ helps us through all. We just need the faith and we need to put the work into it. We hope she can keep progressing! She has been meeting on and off with missionaries for about 14 years now and loves the gospel. As we were contacting on Tuesday there weren't too many people out. I said a quick prayer in my heart asking God to help us find someone who will even just talk to us. At the time we were at a stop light waiting to cross and it turns green and usually we start walking but for some weird reason I didn't and I just stood there and then right as I start to move forward and girl comes from around the corner where we couldn't see and she talked to us! We had a great conversation with her about the Book of Mormon and will hopefully meet with her soon! God answers prayers! He's in the details of our lives. He kept us from walking across the street so we were in the right spot to talk to her. We also had the best Plan of Salvation lesson ever! We were teaching Liga it for her after baptism lessons but we decided to act it out. So we got all the necessary things and went to her apartment and acted it out and it was so fun! She loved it and we were all so excited to learn more about the Plan of Salvation! We have been trying to make our teaching better and more interesting with adding analogies and object lessons and it's been amazing to see how the spirit is there more, we're all more excited, and they understand more!

Wednesday we found the coolest girl contacting on the street and she met with us the next day! We taught the Restoration and she understood it all and really took it in. It was the coolest thing to see. We have been trying to better teach the apostasy and we tried one of our new ideas and it just clicked in her! We are meeting again with her this week wahoo! We also got home that night to find our water had turned brown and had like exploded and our bathtub was full of brown dirt. So we had to hurry and go buy water bottles and then our landlord just told us it was normal haha.

Friday we went whiteboarding wahoo!!!! The season has started and I'm so pumped! Whiteboarding is one of my favorite ways to contact and it was a great first time this year! 

Saturday we served at the soup kitchen which was great and after we were walking back and guess what we found, mint chocolate chip ice cream! I've never seen it in Riga before, it was the best thing ever! We also had a lesson with Dace and it was amazing! She learned so much this week and it was so amazing to see it all connect for her! She also shared her testimony this week on Facebook and it was the sweetest thing to see. She is so amazing!

And then Easter! What a beautiful day! Church was so good that day! During Sunday School we watched the coolest video of the symbolisms of Christ and Easter and I learned so much from it. We also had a little branch activity after which was so fun and great food haha. This Easter was so special! We had been asking people on the streets what Easter means to them and it was a testimony builder to testify of Christ and all He did for us. Our mission president invited us this week to post our testimony every day on facebook leading up to Easter. It was amazing to see just how much we have because of Jesus Christ and see where my testimony is. I love Him and I know He lives and because He lives we have happiness and hope! We know through Him and will work out. 

Thank you for everything and have a great week!

Love,

Masa Brunere

Pics

1: Whiteboarding

2: icecream

3: Easter party!

4: eggs Diana gave us!

Vispārēja Konference!

Sveiki!

I hope everyone had a great week! This week was good for us here! We saw miracles this week!

To start off with probably the most exciting thing ever, I touched my toes for the first time in my life without bending my knees! It took a lot of work and dedication and help from my coach Masa Bosvela but I did it. And then I was sore for 5 days after it haha. 

Anyways, now to actually more important things haha. Wednesday we had zone conference! It was so good! I love being able to meet with all the missionaries and President and find ways to improve. This conference was focused on our smartphones and how to use them. It was such a good conference and we've already seen so many miracles from having the technology! We friended a potential from the street who never replied to us, but soon after we friended her she texted us and now we have a meeting set up with her!! We also have been able to get in contact with less-actives and formers who we haven't been able to. It's been such a miracle! 

Saturday we had an English class with someone we met on the street and her friend and it was so fun! They talked a lot about their culture and it was fun to learn more about it and how the school system works her. It was so fun!

This weekend we also got to watch General Conference! It was so good! I also realized what a blessing it is to watch General Conference in a different language because you have to be focused on the speakers to get a deeper meaning and so your brain doesn't have a chance to wonder. With staying more focused the Holy Ghost had a better chance to speak to me and I was able to receive so much more. I was able to learn more how the Holy Ghost speaks to me. 

I encourage you all to watch and study general conference! We can receive so much if we follow the prophet. It will change your life! I'm so grateful for a living prophet who can tell us the will of the Lord. This is the true church!

Have a great week!

Pics:

We wore pants for the first time this week! Wahoo!

One year in Latvija!!!!!

Sveiki visiem!

I can't believe it's already Monday again, I hope everyone had a great week!

Last Pday we went to the Radisson Blue which is a hotel here and it's super super tall and we were able to see all of Riga and it was the prettiest thing ever to be above everything and see. I live in the prettiest place on earth. 

We also had a lesson with Cameron! I met him last August and we had another lesson. Basically, he loves our church and tells everyone about it but doesn't want to join himself haha so he's trying to help us in missionary work which is great!

We also had a lesson with Liana and talked about the Plan of Salvation and it was such a powerful lesson that helped my testimony grow of it. I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who provided such a beautiful plan for us so that we could be happy in this life and have the chance for eternal life in the next. 

Wednesday was my one year in Latvija mark! Crazy that it's been a year since arriving. I love this country and people so much!! We were dropping by a member's place and we found this hole-in-the-wall Cebureki place, Latvian food. And it was so good. I haven't found fresh ones in Riga until that so we will be there often haha. 

Friday we had a lesson with Liga which also went great, I love her so much. We also met these two girls who came to sports night. They have a history project about architecture and they each picked a building in Riga and had to visit it and find out more, well one picked our address and came to it just as sports night was happening and they got to play and see not only the building but what we do and it was such a miracle!

Saturday we had a lesson with Dace which went super well! She's the best. We were talking about general conference because it's next week for us and we read the talk from President Nelson, "Revelation for the Church, revelation for our lives." and when we read about the part where President Nelson liked to go to the library to learn about the gospel she kinda flipped and was like, "He loves to learn about the gospel and so do I!" It was the cutest thing ever.

The weather this week was also amazing! One night I even went without tights, which is a big deal because I've literally worn tights every day for over 6 months, it was crazy! But one member said this week will be colder :( But grateful for our week of spring!!! We were also at a store this week and I was checking out and the cashier hands me my change and I say "Labdien" which means like "good day" instead of saying paldies which means thank you and I quickly correct myself but Māsa Bosvela calls me out in front of the cashier and calls me a dipstick and we just start laughing and leave the store. Doesn't sound funny but I promise it was and probably is just funnier in Latvian haha. We still laugh about it haha. 

This week we also had one day where literally everyone wanted to fight with us. After that day I studied more about how the Book of Mormon and Bible work together so I could better help them realize the need for the Book of Mormon and while doing that my testimony of the two grew so much. I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the direction we can receive from it. I have a strong testimony that we must read it every day. God still talks to us! He wants to help us through everything. One verse I read this week was Alma 39:17 "Is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming?" God loves us all, everyone who has lived, is living, and who will live. So look to Him and read His words. He will help and direct us just as people in the Bible and Book of Mormon. He'll give us an answer that it's true. Just try it! We've got nothing to lose only everything to gain. I have a stronger testimony and love for the Book of Mormon because I read it. 

I hope general conference was great! Thank you for everything and have a great week!

Love,

Māsa Brūnere 

Pics

1. View from top of the Radisson

2. Our Trio

3. Our District

4. Hedgehog pastry

5. 1 YEAR in LATVIA

6. Warm enough for no tights!

Liga and Liana's baptism!

Sveiki visiem!!! 

What a great week! I hope everyone else's week was great too!

On Tuesday we had a lesson with Liga which went super great but during the opening prayer which she was saying my stomach made a noise and Masa Bosvela starts dying of laughter which starts Masa Lu and I laughing too. But no worries after we explained what happened to Liga she cracked a joke and then we finished the prayer. After that lesson with her, we were just more excited for her baptism. We also met with Elza, one of our members, and she has the cutest baby and it was just so fun.

Wednesday Masa Lu and I had a training meeting on Wednesday so she got to see all her MTC friends and I got to see all of mine! It was honestly the best! Masa Lu also went contacting with an Estonian who she was in the MTC with, so basically all by herself and she killed it! It's amazing how great she is at everything!

Thursday we visited Velta! I love her so much. Going to her house is always a treat because she's the funniest and has the best food. The weather has also started getting sooo nice! It's spring! We are wearing lighter coats now without hats or scarves wahoo!!! Everything and everyone are getting happier!

Friday we had a lesson with Veronika, a less active member, and it was so fun! We met at a cute bakery and she just told us about her life and we read the Book of Mormon kopa! It was so fun! Then we had a lesson with Liana which went super great then we stayed and did language study with us which was so fun and super great to have her help, she's the best!

Then Saturday!!! Liga's baptism was at 5 and it went so good!!! It was such a happy moment and it was amazing to hear her experience and her feelings. And a lot of the branch was able to come which was great! Masa Teilore also skyped in and it was soo good to see her. Then Liana's baptism was at 7 and that was also so great. She invited close friends and had a cute testimony meeting which really brought in the spirit. I'm so grateful I was able to see their growth and I'm excited to see what they'll do! 

Then Sunday they were confirmed as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Wahoo! Masa Luisa was also back with her family and it was great to see them!

This week I was just super grateful for the many opportunities I had everyday especially this week to testify of Christ. We've been asking people what does Easter mean to you. And as I've been thinking about Easter and Christ I have so much gratitude! We have everything because of Him. This week I was grateful for the Book of Mormon. One day I prayed to find someone who would just listen to our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and as we went out and contacted we were able to testify for longer than normal to one lady and it was such a great experience. I love the Book of Mormon and no one can take my testimony of it. People here try to do that every day but I will never stray from it because of the peace and help I've received from God while reading it. It is our guide! We must read it! We will find what we need.

"For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss." Alma 37:44

Thank you for everything! Have a great week!

Love,

Masa Brunere 

Pics:

1: My cute comps

2: Liga!

3: Liana!

4: All the Bingham people!

5: My cute MTC friends