Week 40: March 31, 2014

Hey, fellas! I don't even know how to start these things anymore, so it's probably just going to get weird from here on out.

The picture of the little house with the Latvian flag was just one of the many times during the day that I look around and realize how picturesque the Baltics can be. The other picture attached is mostly there because I wanted to support my case that Daugavpils is the perfect place for a zombie apocalypse. I don't even like zombies so I'm not sure why I feel so strongly that you need to be convinced of this but anyway, there you have it.

We had a stellar week here in Dpils. One of the reasons that I loved serving in Narva was because the members are awesome, and I'm more than happy to say that Daugavpils isn't lacking in amazing people, either. 

I remember serving with Elder Bell and he told me a lot about a girl that he taught named Anna in Daugavpils, and how she's the coolest girl ever. It's really cool that I finally got to meet her and see that he wasn't exaggerating. Anna is Latvian but she speaks a bunch of other languages, English and Russian being two of them. We did an English lesson with her, which means that we just had an hour to talk to her in English for practice. It was fun to get to know her and really cool to see how much the gospel can mean to someone who hasn't had it their whole life. There have been a few people on my mission that have been familiar to me from the moment I met them, and she's one of them.

We taught Zita, our investigator, on Thursday. Lidija Spalvens helped us again because she's the world's greatest and it went so well! Zita is another one of those people that I just loved from the second I met her. She's really sensitive to the Spirit, so it's cool because you can tell from her physical reaction when something that you say was inspired. We taught her about the 10 Commandments and why we follow commandments in the first place, using "Obedience to Law is Freedom" by Elder L. Tom Perry. Or at least, I think that's what it's called. It's awesome when you can get to the end of a lesson and before you even extend a commitment, the person has already decided for themselves what they need to do. Zita said, "I've had a feeling that I need to come to all three church meetings on Sundays." She's a lovely human being, because she actually followed through with that and came to all of church this Sunday.

Another cool thing about this week is that we have been planning our faces off. I know that doesn't sound pleasant but I realized this about myself: I love to plan, whether it be parties, activities, English, or art courses. Speaking of which, we're starting an art class! I have had to (or rather, been able to) coordinate a little with Sister Dalley over the phone what kind of curriculum we need for that. We had the idea when we were together, but I'm pumped because I actually get to do it here!

Anyway, sorry I don't have a lot of time today because I spent most of it responding to individuals but I love you! Keep me updated on your lives, alright?

Sister Gooch and Sister Roy