6 MONTHS A JOYFUL MISSIONARY!

TERE!! What a joy it is to be writing you all from the beautiful, green land of Estonia!

Well, today 6 MONTHS AGO, I was set apart as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had the mantle and glorious opportunity to represent Jesus Christ in a very literal sense placed upon me 6 months ago, and today I could not be more grateful. 

During my 6 months as a missionary, I have learned more about Christ’s perfect love. I have begun to realize what it means to see people through God’s eyes. I have learned God is a merciful tutor. He always sees the bigger, better picture for me even though I may not see it. He loves me. He encourages me. He guides me. He is my best friend. Just as it talks about in my favorite poem, (http://www.footprints-inthe-sand.com/index.php?page=Poem/Poem.php) Jesus Christ carries me through trials and walks with me through the good times too. 

God has provided us scriptures and the opportunity to talk to Him in prayer as a constant way to feel peace and find answers regardless of circumstances, regardless of extreme situations, and regardless of extreme emotions surrounding us and inside us.

I’ve realized joy is a choice, and the only way we choose joy is if we follow Jesus Christ’s example and serve others. Jesus did 3 things while on this earth - He loved His Father in Heaven, He loved everyone else, and He obeyed His Father's commandments, no matter what, no questions asked. I have learned that when we strive to do the same, joy naturally floods into our lives because we are consciously letting Christ into our lives. 

I am so grateful to be a missionary!

Singing in Ukraine from last week:)

The work:

• I would like to share one final miracle that came out of my time spent in Ukraine. I don’t know how many of you read my mom’s insert into my email, "I’m going to Ukraine!", but she told about our family’s history with Ukraine. Long story short, 7 years ago, we tried to adopt many children from Ukraine because we felt directed by God to do so. There was one boy in particular, Volodya Stabrun, whom we all felt a connection with. He was allowed to come to America to live with us for 7 weeks, and when he went back to Ukraine, he was placed in the foster care system, making it impossible for us to adopt him. There were limited resources for us to keep in contact with him as he was only 7 years old at the time. Well, fast forward many years...as I was waiting to receive my mission call (the letter telling me where in the world I would be serving my mission), I had a dream. In the dream, I opened my mission call, and it told me I’d be serving in Kyiv, Ukraine. I was so excited, and I kept saying, "I’m going to find Volodya, I’m going to find Volodya!" Well, I got my actual mission assignment to Estonia! I couldn’t have been more excited. But I never forgot about that dream, and I thought it was interesting that I was assigned to a place somewhat close to Ukraine. Well, clearly God needed me in both Estonia AND Ukraine because I got deported to Ukraine for 3 weeks, as you all know! Before I left, I had a sliver of hope that somehow I would find Volodya, with God’s help. I believe in miracles, and even though it seemed impossible, I knew if God needed me to find him, He would help make that happen. When I arrived in Ukraine, I gave the office elders all the information I knew - Volodya’s name, age, and that he lived in Lviv (which is like saying he lives in Los Angeles...not very specific!). The elders said they could make some calls. It "just so happened" that just under one week before I arrived in Ukraine, mission boundaries in that area had changed...and the city of Lviv, where Volodya lives, became a part of the Kyiv mission. It was not part of the Kyiv mission one week prior. What a miracle. Over the course of my 3 weeks in Ukraine, there were many calls back and forth between the office elders and the elders in Lviv and many emails on P-day between me, the elders, and my mom (who had access to Facebook and was able to miraculously find the foster home where Volodya was living). This last Monday, the day I left Ukraine, I received an email from my mom with a screenshot of an email conversation she had with Volodya’s parish priest who said Volodya is an alter boy right now. He is happy,and lives in a family children’s home with his sister. So, friends and family, WE FOUND VOLODYA. I believe in a God of miracles, and I am grateful to have left Ukraine with a peaceful heart, knowing I did all God needed me to do there, including find his precious child Volodya. We will try to continue keeping in contact with him and his foster family, and I know miracles will continue to come! 

Rainbow when flying out of Ukraine.

• I am now serving back in Pärnu with Sister Tullis and Sister Durfee! It’s a PARTY!!! We love each other so much, and we love the Lord so much! 

• SUPER COOL gift of tongues experience this week! I tried to talk to a woman, but she only talked back to me in sign language. I only know a few words in sign language, but you can bet I used them! Long story short, in the short span of talking at the bus stop and on the bus (she motioned for me to sit next to her!), I found out she reads the Bible, goes to church, she invited me to her church, I invited her to our church, I told her she was beautiful, she taught me how to sign - "God loves you," and she left the bus with a dear smile on her face signing back to me - "God loves you too." AMAZING that God helped me communicate His love for her, His precious daughter, even though I couldn’t technically "speak her language." Incredible.

The culture:

It has been SO HOT this week! Almost 100 degrees fahrenheit with 100% humidity! Super fun! Haha all the Estonians are so shocked....one person said it hasn’t been this hot in 30 years!

We had the Adamson's over for dinner! Lasagna and discussing the gospel...

what else could you want on a Sunday night? :)

The funnies:

We had a little too much fun in Primary...

the 4-year-olds tied up Sister Tullis!

In a taxi, the man was talking about nature, but the word for nature in Estonia is "loodus," and the word for hope is "lootus." Pretty similar words, and I mix them up a lot! So I thought he was saying Christ was hope, so I agreed and said, "Jeesus Kristus on loodus," instead of "Jeesus Kristus on lootus."...While it is true that Christ created nature, I may or may not have taught false doctrine accidentally by saying, "Christ is nature." Hahahah when we got out of the car, Sister Tullis and Sister Durfee awkwardly said, "Did you mean to say Christ was nature..or...?" LOL super embarrassing but mis teha, pole midagi!

Spiritual thought:

I was reading in D&C 6 and recognized a very important, never failing pattern! Throughout the section, the Lord says, "If you desire...if thou wilt inquire...if thou wilt do good..." then, after the person who God talked to did those things (desired, inquired, and did good), the Lord says, "Thou hast inquired...I did enlighten thy mind..I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires...I am in the midst of you." So, my conclusion from this was very simple. If we desire, inquire, and do good, God will enlighten our minds, speak to us, and be in the midst of us. Amazing promises. 

I love you all, and God loves you all more! Have a fantastic week full of miracles and tender mercies - you’ll always see them if you’re looking for them! 

Trust in the Lord. Choose joy. Find peace.

Õde Smith-Driggs

1 Nephi 21:13-15: Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not. For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

P.S. If any of you need a peaceful pick me up video, I invite you to watch this video! It is one of my all time favorites! (lds.org.uk/jesus-christ-is-always-there-easter-2018?lang=eng-gb)