The Blessing of Technology

TERE!

Happy Mother's Day!

The work:

I testify that God has given us technology as a tool to help gather His children from all across the world. This week, modern technology was able to help three of my friends and family from home to participate in lessons with dear Estonians here. My sister, Olivia, joined us via Facebook video chat for a lesson with "Emily" about faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Olivia and Emily are about the same age, so they were able to become friends! It is so cool for Emily to now be friends with Olivia, a strong, beautiful example of someone who knows she is a daughter of God and acts like it. Emily needs more friends like Olivia! 

Another one of my friends Rachel, a returned missionary from Taiwan and fluent Chinese speaker, was able to join us over Google Hangouts for our lesson with our Chinese-speaking friend! He and Rachel were able to speak in Chinese, and Rachel communicated to us some of his deeper concerns he had not yet described to us. So cool. 

AND my dear trainer and friend ÕDE TULLIS was able to testify alongside us via Facebook video chat as we talked to a woman Õde Tullis and I had the privilege of teaching and helping enter the waters of baptism last June. 

On top of everything, I was able to Skype my beautiful mother for Mother’s Day.  I love you Mom.  

Funnies:

Sister Sorenson

Sister Sorensen, the sister training leader from Riga, was up here in Tallinn this week. I am the sister training leader in Estonia, and Sister Sorensen wanted to do an exchange with me here to see how missionary work in Tallinn is done differently than in Riga. It was so fun! Next week, I will go down to Riga for a day to experience the missionary work down there. The purpose is for us to take what we learn from the other area and apply it in our own area. Well, Sister Sorensen had never been to Tallinn so obviously did not know her way around. On our bus ride home, I encouraged her to talk to people on the bus! I had given her tips earlier in the day on how to talk naturally with strangers on the bus to share the gospel message. Well, she took my invitation seriously!! I was talking to someone in the front of the bus, and she was in the back. She thought she saw me in the front still talking to people, so she proceeded to have 5 CONVERSATIONS on the bus!!! She was killing it!! Then the person she thought was me at the front turned around, and Sister Sorensen saw her wearing jeans. She panicked as she realized, "That is not Sister Smith-Driggs." I had called Elder Klintworth, our zone leader, once I realized she didn’t see me get off the bus 25 MINUTES EARLIER. Hahahaha so he called her, and he and his companion picked her up from a bus stop 25 minutes away from my bus stop. I was alone for about an hour in total...on top of all that, my phone died. So I was alone without a phone hahahaha. You bet I prayed so much to Heavenly Father that all would work out ok. And it did :) Hey but at least Sister Sorensen got past her fear of talking to people and contacted 5 CHILDREN OF GOD on the bus! Way to go, Õde Sorensen!! 

Elder Bunker and Elder Klintworth

Culture:

I have never seen lightning or heard thunder here....it rains a lot but rarely "storms." 

We pay for public bathrooms and water at restaurants. Pretty much the only thing we never pay for is bread at restaurants. :) Estonians love their bread!! 

People walk with their flowers upside down here. Like if someone gifts you a bouquet of flowers, you hold it upside down as you walk around with it. They believe it keeps the flower from wilting faster.

I love these sisters!

Spiritual thought:

I realized something about repentance this week. Repentance is an exercise of humility. Because God already saw what you did wrong. He sees everything we do. But when we come to Him in prayer and say out loud, "I did _______, God. I’m so sorry," then we admit to ourselves that we did that. Only when we humble ourselves do we truly repent and change.

Overall, in the repentance process we need to remember that God loves us. When we admit what we did wrong, He sees our humility and helps us become better because of it.

I invite each of you who are willing to pray right now (even if you’re at work so you can’t speak out loud...just pray in your head). I invite you to admit to God something you have done, knowing that He obviously already knows about it. Ask for forgiveness. Feel His forgiveness. Feel His love. He loves you.

Trust in the Lord. Choose joy. Find peace.

Õde Smith-Driggs

Jer. 16:15-16:

15 But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

16 ¶ Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.