Tere!!
Over 15 months together in the Baltic Mission
The work:
First of all, I am so grateful to have seen "Emily" go to the temple last Friday. I wish you could all see the joy in her face as she described to us the feelings she had while entering the Lords house on earth!
This week, we met with three adorable older women want to be baptized on May 18! They are a threesome ("kolmakesi") that stay together always. Their whole lives they have been best friends. It’s adorable! Randomly as we have met with them, they stand up and say, "We want to sing a song to you about Jesus Christ." Or one time they said, "Can we sing our food song to you?" Hahaha they are hilarious. We sang, "I am a child of God" for them in return, and they sweetly smiled as our voices, testifying of our identity as children of God, penetrated their tender hearts. :) They are members of a different church and did not understand at first why they had to be baptized again. But after we explained how important it is to be baptized with the authority of God, and that even people in the Bible got baptized again after realizing they were not baptized with God’s authority, they all agreed to be baptized again. They are excited! Õde Lighten bore beautiful testimony about President Russell M. Nelson being the true prophet of God on the earth. I love these three babushkas!!
Leadership conference: I forgot my passport for the bus ride to Latvia, so I had to take a later bus. But I knew it was God's plan. Sure enough, God placed an amazing mom next to me on the bus ride, and we became good friends. Even though she was not interested in hearing more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, she agreed it was a sign from God that I took the later bus and met her. The things we talked about really made her think. I'm grateful God placed her in my path!
Funnies:
The threesome came to our English night, even though none of them really speak english (not YET...stay tuned). We played "telephone," and the phrase was "I’m the captain now." When it went through them, it came out on the other side as "mamamamama." Hahahah. I didn’t realize that is what English sounds like to some people!
Also I accidentally called chocolate mousse HAIR mousse this week....so I said hair mousse was delicious! Silly Estonian. :)
Culture:
"I give up" in English is "I give down" in Estonian. And "Write it down" in English is "Write it up" in Estonian!
Spiritual thought:
I read this morning Moroni 7:48 in the Book of Mormon:
"....pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with [charity], which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ..."
I never had noticed that phrase before. God has already given His true followers the gift of charity. I believe anyone reading this now is a follower of Christ because you are taking the time to read the words of a representative of Jesus Christ.
The prophet Mormon pleads with us to be FILLED with charity that has already been given to us. What does that mean? I believe it means we pray and ask God how to ACT with our charity.
I remember months ago I was praying to Heavenly Father. I was "praying unto the Father with all the energy of my heart" to be filled with charity. God said to me, "I have already given you the gift of charity. You need to ask me how to use it."
Wow, what a wake up call from my Heavenly Father! As I then prayed to know how to use my gift of charity, revelation followed.
If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, God has already given you the gift of charity. You need to be praying to know how to USE that gift to help your fellow brothers and sisters "be like him, see him as he is, and have hope."
For further study, please study the talk, "Pure love:the true sign of every true disciple of Jesus Christ." (Link: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=pure+love%3athe+true+sign+of+every+true+disciple+of+jesus+christ&view=detail&mid=3BCDB142DD00C4BD82C23BCDB142DD00C4BD82C2&FORM=VIRE).)
Trust in the Lord. Choose joy. Find peace.
Õde Smith-Driggs
Alma 48: 13, 17
13 Yea, and [Moroni] was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood.
17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.
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