Week 18: October 28, 2013

Hey friends!

This week was pretty great. We went to Klaipeda (a town 4 hours away) for exchanges with our sister training leader, S. Ramos. I did the exchange with her and it was seriously so fun. First of all, Klaipeda is exactly what I had imagined Lithuania to be like. The city is all old and pretty with cool architecture and cobblestone. It was a lot of fun because Sister Ramos and I get along swimmingly. She's from New York and I love hearing about her life and all of the things that she's learned, because it hasn't always been easy for her. She's the bomb. 

There's a senior couple there, the Yaskus', and until I met them I didn't realize how rad senior couples are and how sorely they're needed. They fed us lunch (and introduced me to this aloe drink that I'm sort of obsessed with now) and their apartment smelled like America! I can't really explain to you how incredibly comforting and lovely that was.

Moral of the story: If you're a senior couple and you're able to serve a mission, YOU MUST! Seriously, Vilnius would be doing a lot better, branch-wise, if there was a senior couple to run FHE or something.

Anywho, a couple of other fun things happened this week, too. We were invited to dinner with Elder Erekson and Elder Bolingbrooke at Tatyana Orlova's (previous member of the relief society presidency in the branch and just all-around solid lady). She's a classic Soviet woman because she didn't let the elders help make dinner while she had us help chop stuff. First time I've eaten raw tomatoes in, like, ever! Not too bad. Just another thing that I'm definitely going to be used to by the end of my mission. She made us some really good chicken cutlets and a salad, plus tea, of course. She has this little Yorkshire terrier whose guts I hate but it was pretty much on my lap the whole time during dinner. I literally threw it off of my lap like five times but there just came a point where it wasn't worth fighting anymore. Haha and also, Sister Weaver is more afraid of dogs than I am, which I just find hilarious. 

We also had dinner with Ludmila and all of my district, plus Alvidas. She made the same mushroom soup that I told you about a while ago, and then these huuuuge Khazakstanian meat pastry things. Plus this chocolate cake with cherries and cream in the middle and tea. The meat pastry was brutal because it had the consistency of a potsticker (it's steamed or something) and it's packed with meat and grease. I felt a little more prepared this time--I didn't touch my strawberry rhubarb tea until I had finished everything else--but I still felt a little bit like death. It always tastes pretty good, though. I mean, come on. It's Ludmila we're talking about here.

She's the world's #1 hostess because she did magic tricks and made us play games. Haha she's such a lovely person. You would love her.

Elder McClure (new zone leader, he came from Samara, Russia mission because he had visa problems and had to be sent here) said that he would finish reading the Book of Mormon in Russian before me and I sort of destroyed the fool. Haha we were challenged to finish it within our first two transfers and I finished three weeks early, so yay!

And speaking of Elder McClure, funny thing happened yesterday at church. I sat by Alena Elanskaya (8 yr old that we're preparing for baptism; lives in Trekai by the castle) and she drew a picture of a princess, then underneath she labeled her "Gooch". Haha so cute. And then she drew a picture of a girl with a dress on and labeled it "McClure" because he was sitting behind us and looking over her shoulder to see what she was drawing. Hahaha so funny. She thought it was hilarious.

So yeah, I'm doing well. Let's be real, though: missions are really hard, and mine is no exception. It's definitely the hardest thing I've ever done but I also feel like I'm surrounded with some of the most special people on earth and I'm learning more than I ever could have, had I not decided to come here. But I've noticed that my hardest days are always the ones when I'm counting my frustrations rather than my blessings. The most valuable thing I think I've learned so far is just basically what I was saying last week: who God is.
Here's what I know about Him: 

-He is not impatient. I always seem to project my characteristics onto Him. For example, I might feel like He isn't proud of me for the imperfections that I have and it might make me feel unworthy to ask for His help, but that's what's so rad about Heavenly Father. We may be impatient, but He is not. He has a perfect understanding of our capabilities and constraints. He only asks that you keep Him in the loop--pray; involve Him in your decisions and tell Him how you're feeling. It's a lot easier for Him to help you when you're seeking for His advice.

-He doesn't ask us to be something we're not. From the beginning, He has worked with and through His flawed children. He doesn't expect us to be perfect in order to be His. He only asks for us to develop the skills and talents that we were blessed with, and He helps us let go of the vices that we don't know how to get rid of. Which leads me to the next thing...

-The Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, is more powerful that I can even comprehend. Do you reallze that He can change our very nature? He can take the impulse that we have to be selfish and exchange it for the impulse to see things from His perspective. I can't imagine how much happier we'd be--and how much more of a blessing we'd be to those around us--if we just learned how to correctly apply the Atonement in our lives.

-He didn't give us repentance to punish us. In fact, it's the furthest thing from punishment that I can think of. Real punishment would be if He had just expected us to live without hope of being able to let go of all the guilt that we accumulate from our imperfect lives. He gave us repentance because it's the only thing that we have in this life that's going to lead to lasting happiness in the life after this.

-He's hasn't ever and won't ever do anything that isn't for our ultimate happiness. For real. It's just not who He is. He has a purpose for everything, whether we can understand it or not. I sometimes feel like my life would be so much less stressful and negative if I could fully grasp this concept. He doesn't give us this gospel and this church just because it's something that helps our lives today. I mean, that is part of the reason, but He has greater purposes. He's preparing us as individuals and us as families to have the greatest amount of happiness that we're capable of obtaining. Which I think is pretty cool of Him.

I don't have too much time left but it helps me to write you about this, so the sermon's gonna continue next week, haha. I really hope that you all realize how lucky you are to have the knowledge that you do about God. So many people don't, and their lives are a lot harder because of it. I also hope that you don't act ashamed of it--that you're sharing it. Not because you're supposed to, but because you recognize the worth of the gift that you have.

I love you all tons! Somebody better watch Hocus Pocus for me because y'all know that's what I'd be doing if I were with you.

-Sister Gooch