Līgo Diena

Sveiki sveiki! 

I hope everyone had a great week! This week was good for us! I don't know how it's possible how fast time is flying right now. Mondays come so fast!

Last Monday we got together with all the missionaries in Riga and played games and sports at the church and then got lunch together. We have the funnest zone! Today we're heading to Jurmala to spend a day playing more games on the beach! Wahoo!!

Tuesday we got to meet with Līga! She is still doing great. She's out of town right now but she told how she read the Book of Mormon on her flight and sent us all her pictures of her fun adventures. I love her so much!! She just keeps growing and strengthening her testimony. 

Wednesday we had a first lesson with a super cute girl. She is just about to graduate and has such a real desire to grow her knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ. We talked about Him and testified of Him extra in our lesson with her. You can never talk too much of Christ. After we went whiteboarding with some of the Russian elders and it was a blast!! Sister Bolander has been teaching me one Russian word a day and I was able to use some whiteboarding because one of the elders doesn't speak English. And then Thursday we also went chalking with them! 

Friday was a good day. Māsa Bosvela has been having some trouble with her knee her awhile and it hasn't really gotten much better and this week she had a skype call to see if she would be able to stay. Leading up to this call was prayer and fasting from the whole mission and miracles happened! Her knee still hurts but it got smaller meaning she gets to stay! It's truly been a blessing to be her companion through this hard trial. She doesn't give up or let anything bring her down. She has taught me about patience and trust in the Lord. And now we are continuing to pray for the pain to leave. 

Saturday we served at the soup kitchen! There were two new people there who were helping us serve and they are the best! They just got to Riga and wanted to serve! Hopefully they will be coming to our English night! After we headed to Imanta for our branch activity. It was the funnest day! We bought flower crowns for it too! We were celebrating Līgo Diena and everyone wears them and we wanted to fit in. But the party itself was great. We all played games and ate together with our members, returning members, and friends! Velta, one of the members, also taught us how to make plates and hats out of leaves. She was also wearing her traditional Latvian outfit and just made the day 10 times better. I absolutely love being in Latvija and spending time with these amazing people. At one point I was just sitting down and observing and I was overcome with charity for these people. They work so hard and just strengthen each other. I've been so blessed to be able to serve here. After we went chalking with the assistants which was also a blast!

Sunday two of the people we are teaching were supposed to be at church but they both slept through haha.. but that's okay next time!! I also saw Māsa Teilore! And her family! I love her and it was so good to see her again! We also visited Māsa Helena and as always it was great. She was born in 1922, think of all the history she has lived through! And her stories tell of it too!

This week I just wanted to share something one of our zone leaders sent us this week:

An elderly Chinese man had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the man bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the man one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old man smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them." "For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

Each of us has our "cracks" but with Christ He can make us more than we ever could.

Thank you for everything and have a great week!! 

Pics:

1: flower crowns

2: chalking

3: Contacting!!

4: more flower crowns

5: pretty Riga

6: whiteboarding!