First Week in Lithuania!

Aiii, I am here. I've been here almost a whole week, and my emotions and directions and everything is just everywhere. So, we left the MTC what feels like ages ago, but it's only been a week, and arrived in Latvia. They plopped us out on the street and had us contact people. Funnish...I was with a sister who speaks Russian, and we were in Latvia...so, I didn't say much :) But it was great to observe and try to get over my fear of stopping someone on the street. Mainly we all felt like falling asleep standing up.

 

But, the Boswell's are soooo kind, and they fed us such good food, and let us go to bed around 8, and then we had another full day at the mission home the next day as well, doing training and more contacting. Then, Thursday, I met my trainer, Sister McPhee (Mikfy, in Lithuanian). She's really really sweet. She got to Lithuania in August, and it gives me hope that she has learned so much and can communicate well, because that means it should happen to me too. Although right now, I don't know if it'll ever happen. So, she's technically still pretty new at the language and everything too, but she's my sole source of knowledge right now, and I'm so grateful. (I took a pic of us to send, but forgot my cam cord, so I'll have to send it next week). So, we are in Klaipeda.

 

Ooh, and before I forget, my address in Klaipeda is-- (only letters, not packages)

 Sister Madson

A/D 408

94198 Klaipeda 10

Lithuania

 

Mail takes about 2 weeks from the US, and, I found out, you can still send me Dear Elders too. But, they go to the mission home, so emails from peeps will probably be better, emails or actual letters. And actual letters you can send to the mission home as well. But, I should be in Klaipeda for 12 weeks.

 

Anyway, Sister Mikfy has been in Klaipeda her entire mish, so she knows the bus systems and streets so well, so, phew, because I'm still at a complete loss. Our area is split, north and south. 2 elders are in charge of the north area, we're in charge of the south. We live on the top floor of a members home. It's really great, but super interesting. The chimney is what heats pretty much the whole thing, so whenever we get home I just hug it, trying to warm up. It's super cold here. Like, I'm doing fine, but sometimes when it's windy, I can't quite believe that it's so cold. So many people are just totally bundled up, and that's fun. A sister who just left, left her coat here, and I've been using it, and it fits me great and it really warm, so I might just keep using it for awhile.

 

So, so far missionary life is soooo different from anything I ever expected. We study so much! personal, companion, language, and then since I'm training, another hour of comp. So, from 8-12, pure studies! The day after I got here, we had a lesson with a man and his wife, they wanted to speak English, cool. But, long story short, the elders came too, so there were 4 missionaries, and I didn't talk much. But this man came up to the elders and wanted to meet and get spiritual insight. Which is great! He's really well educated, and their family was awesome. And he especiallly loves Mormon kids and their values. He knows a lot of churches teach, but our members all seem to be something. He has so many ideas about God, and believes God is everything and wonders why we can't all be like Joseph Smith. I was listening, and just, had absolutely no idea how to answer his questions. And I realized that there is no way AT ALL I could ever do it, it's all going to have to be the Lord. Next lesson is just me and Miky, and we're both young and I don't want to say the wrong thing and it's just, this is someone real. Not a fake thing, but someone real who could join or not join based on our discussions. Sometimes it shocks me that the Lord puts so much trust in us. But I so badly want him to join the church because the branch could realllly use him. A new family would be so wonderful. The branch is small and there are a lot of inactives, but the active members are rock stars.

 

For example, that night Mikfy and I went with 2 members to an old folks home a little bit outside of Klaipeda. Holy. Cow. You know the videos of Romanian-ish orphanages? That's what this reminded me of! It was so sad. It was so dark and cold outside and just, sad inside too. We met with 2 members there, just to say hi (it was all Russian, so I actually didn't even say hi, but I smiled) and I was so impressed with the time these members took, on their Friday night, to come with us. No one else even knew they were there, they weren't getting any recognition, and they came to this sad place, and my heart just went out to the members and their faithfulness.

 

That actually kept happening this week. Whenever I felt some sadness for this area, people gave me hope again. We went knocking at a building and a formerly contacted lady opened the door and was so kind, and went all out, bringing out tons and tons of food to feed us, and it was so generous. Last night a member in the ward had us over for dinner, she's a cook at a Chinese restaurant and made us delish food, and wanted us to eat and eat, and yet, she and her daughter have so little, they live in a teensy apartment and I was just, overwhelemed at their generosity. The members here are incredible. I just, want to pick up 6 families from our ward and transplant them here, to help with missionary work and help lift the burdens that the members have.

 

Baltic culture, in some ways is so different. But in a lot of ways, the same. And honestly, I was expecting something, and what I found is so much better! I was expecting like, no couples and just broken families. And there is quite a bit of that, but at the same time, I see a lot of couples and people married, and it's so great! A number of people speak some English, so that's hopeful too. I don't know where to even start learning the language, but, oh well! I gave a 3 minute talk yesterday in church in Lithuanian--I'll probably laugh about that in a few months.

 

Thank you so much, if someone is still reading this. It's so long, and I know it's a typical mish email that I used to just brush over, but, it'll be for my posterity's sake. I will force them to read it.

 

Love you so so so so so much.

 

Oh, and funny, we went and visited an inactive lady, hahah, only spoke Russian. You can imagine how far our lesson got. She fed us tea that...might have been 17 years old, not sure, but it tasted like that.

 

Sese Madson

Last week in the MTC

I'm leaving in less than a week!

We're leaving here Monday at 7:40 am (so we have to leave the MTC at 4am, yeesh), and flying to Chicago. I get to Chicago at 11:50, and then leave there for Frankfurt at 3:50pm. From Frankfurt we're flying to Riga, Latvia, getting there at 1:35pm on Tuesday. Aiiii! So! I'll be calling you from my layover in Chicago. So fam, could you please all send me your cell phone numbers? And then answer a call from an unknown number on Monday :)

 

We're all so excited. It's pretty crazy. We have so much to do, but it's just so exciting. This week has been really, really good. I got a new teacher, he's 6'9" and even though I'll only have him for 1.5 weeks, it's been great, he just got home and has taught me a lot. I seriously love my teachers, I'm sad I have to say bye to them on Saturday. I wish they could all come with me and teach me there. Because I can't believe they're just going to plop me down with another missionary and expect us to get everything done!

 

Cals, I hope you're feeling better. Sister Zippro told me 'hi' for you :) it made me really happy. I hope the whole fam is feeling better, geez. Everybody was sick! Miss, Mands, how was the MK party? :) Dad, I'm glad your foot is healing. Dad, I love your idea for giving the YM PMG. There's like, so much to get out of it! And I could have been SO much more familiar with it before I came! There's so much good stuff in it. And I read it with one view, and then someone else puts a different spin on it, and it's crazy. I love PMG.

 

This week one of my goals has been to try to come up with analogies to use in my teaching. I realized that I absolutly love when people use them, and some people seem to just come up with them on the spot. So, pathetic of me to plan them in advance, but, whatever. The one I've come up with so far is, haha, my broken arm when I was little. How I broke it, and something didn't feel right, and it hurt, but I could still go about my life (through no choice of my own, ahem) and then it finally got so bad, I had to go to a doctor to fix it. That's like repentance--how something can be broken, but we're not sure what's wrong, or what to do, and we can still live our life, but not as well. But if we go to Christ, He'll tell us what's wrong, and heal us. Cool.

I've also been trying to think of my answers to questions that I keep asking investigators like, "What would it mean to you, that God loves you?" I ask them that, but, what does it mean to ME? It's cool, I'm trying to make myself think more :)

 

My district sang our departing song in Sacrament last week. We sang "How Firm A Foundation" in Latvian, Lithuanian, and then English. People like, thought I was going to do a solo or something, in Lithuanian...um..no. I was glad the Latvians were with me. But afterwards, some people said they liked Lithuanian better, just sayin'. It has a slight French sound to, it's pretty sometimes. I like it at least.

I have so many questions still, and have so much farther to go, I can't believe they're going to put me out there so soon! But, I'm so privileged to be a mish. Seriously, I'm so excited.

Love you fam, send me your numbas! (can I have them? can I? can I)