YOU HAVE SPIRITUAL GIFTS!!

TERE!

Thank you all for your continued prayers. They really are making a difference! Even on the bus ride into town to write this email, I talked with a happy woman who believes in Jesus Christ! I told her about the Book of Mormon, and she seemed super interested in the fact that it answers our questions (which it does!). We are going over to her house this Friday to give her the Book of Mormon! Oh my goodness there are miracles everywhere, friends :)'

Elder Krommenhoek (middle) went home this week. 

We will miss him!

The work:

• One of the biggest miracles this week was a woman who has come to English night with her granddaughter but is now interested in the Church! She came to church last week and cried because she felt so much peace. She is so excited to read the Book of Mormon. She is truly just one of the dearest older women I have had the privilege of knowing, and we are excited to continue growing our relationship with her and helping her form her relationship with the Savior. 

• I don’t know if any of you remember this...but a few emails ago, I wrote about a woman we ran into on the street on our way into the library to write our families. We ended up teaching her about the Plan of Salvation on the library bench outside....any of this ringing a bell? Well, we met with that woman this week (again, on the library bench), and taught her more about the Plan of Salvation! That was our official "first lesson" with her. And guess what?? She said she wanted to be baptized once she knows it is true!! Miracles upon miracles upon miracles. 

• All the missionaries in the Baltic countries have started fasting every week together so that we can find more people to teach. Well, one of the things we were fasting for this week was that we could get in contact with the woman who got baptized a couple weeks ago. We haven’t been able to reach her for a week, and she won’t answer our texts or calls. We have been very concerned. But just hours after we started our fast, she responded to a text! It was a small miracle, but after a week of not hearing from her, it was a big deal. I believe in the power of fasting. 

• Zone conference this week!! All the missionaries in Estonia went to Tallinn on Friday. So much fun. Many missionaries go home this week...once they go home, there will only be 12 Estonian speaking missionaries in Estonia. 6 elders and 6 sisters. FEW IN NUMBERS BUT MIGHTY IN SPIRIT!

The funnies:

• An older woman in the branch (we call her our grandma here) saw we didn’t have sweaters on for a branch party we had outside. She went back into her house and grabbed us some of her sweaters, and we wore them over our clothes the whole night! It was so fun wearing babushka sweaters all night...and they were so warm :))) 

The culture:

• This weekend was Jaanipäev!! The longest day of the year! It is a two day holiday here in Estonia. Pretty much, everyone gets together in the countryside, eats a ton of meat, drinks a ton of alcohol, and parties around huge bonfires. The sun doesn’t really go down the entire night, so everyone just parties like crazy. This is how bright it was outside at 10 p.m. on Saturday night. 

• Our branch got together for a Jaanipäev party on Wednesday night, and I felt so Estonian! We sang Estonian hymns with an accordion, ate meat and a potato salad Õde Tullis and I made with our grandma from the branch (the same grandma who gave us her sweaters), and played games! HEAD JAANIPÄEVA TEILE! 

Spiritual thought:

Marvin J. Ashton's talk, "There are many gifts," talks about spiritual gifts. (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/10/there-are-many-gifts?lang=eng) He lists many gifts I had never heard of before, including “the gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost.” 

I hope as I listed those gifts, you realized you have some of them! God has given you so many gifts, and I hope you can see those gifts in yourself. There are also many gifts we can ask for. God has told us, "Ask and ye shall receive. Knock and it shall be opened unto you." We can ask God for certain gifts! But think of it this way - if you wanted a new camera as a gift from your parents, would you walk into the room and say, "Mom and Dad, can I please have a new camera?," then walk out again? No! They would expect you to explain why you wanted the new camera and explain how you would use it to grow your strengths, help other people, etc. Then, you would listen to their reasoning behind giving you the camera or not. It would be a discussion, not just a one-sided question.

The same goes for asking for gifts from God! We can’t just say, "Please give me the gift of charity today," then end our prayer (i.e. walking out of the room without discussion and listening). God expects us to explain why we need it and what we would do with it. So, is prayer a discussion? Yes! Does praying take mental energy and patience? Of course! You are talking with the Father of the universe! 

Prayer is something I am continually working on. This week I learned a lot about how to really discuss with God and explain why I need certain things. I keep a pen and paper right next to me and write down impressions I receive during my verbal prayers. I only started doing that this week, and I have absolutely loved it. 

So, friends, if you want a certain gift or if you want anything from God, do not be afraid to pray and discuss it with Heavenly Father. He WANTS to bless you with everything He can give you, but He wants you to learn how to humbly ask for things. I am still learning how to do this every day. I pray that we can all continue to learn together how to discuss issues with God in prayer. He wants a relationship with you! He loves you as His child. :)

I love you all. I am sending my love from the green plains of Estonia!

Trust in the Lord. Choose joy. Find peace.

Õde Smith-Driggs

Mosiah 24:14-16:

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.