I hope everyone enjoyed the fourth of July. It wasn't really celebrated here except we had zone training and we sung a patriotic hymn which was fun. :)ﾂ
As far as the work in Latvia. It is slowing down. We only have two investigators who are in Latvia right now and that is hard, but oh well. What do you do? We contacted a lot more this last week and I'm quite tan because of it. We also have had some rough days of being yelled at and rejected but we keep pressing forward knowing we are doing the Lord's work and he is directing it. I'm willing to be persecuted for something that I know is true. And yeah, I've been persecuted since being here. Mostly just yelled at in Russian which doesn't mean much because I have no idea what they are saying. :) We just say "Visu labu" and keep pressing forward. (visu labu means all the best) it is a very polite farewell and it always throws them of guard.
This week is transfer calls and the odds of me being transferred are slim since I am in training, but you never know. I could be transferred next week. i guess we will see.ﾂ
So, this week in Latvia was the song and dance festival! It is a huge celebration that they have had for forever that they have every four years. I regret that i didn't really get any pictures. We also didn't get to see much of it since we live outside of the main Riga center where all of the festivities were happening. We did get to see a little bit after church yesterday. We were trying to catch a bus but it was crazy! They changed all the bus routes because the parade went down the main street. (the parade was just different dance groups walking and singing down the biggest street in Latvia) We had to walk for about 20 minutes until we were able to get a bus. It wasn't bad walking, and we got to see a lot of dance groups dressed in the traditional clothing. I really want some of these dance groups to come to Idaho for the International Dance Festival. They are talented and there costumes are so fun!! I love it! We'll see what I can do after the mission.ﾂ
Also this week, on Friday, we got stuck in an awesome rain storm! I have never seen it rain so hard in my life! It only rained for about 20 minutes, but there was about a foot of water on the street in some places! It was crazy and so cool. We had to walk in it for a little bit and then we caught a bus! I also love thunder here! it is so loud and sounds different because there aren't mountains for it to echo off of. It sounds different and honestly I like it better! It is so cool!!
On Saturday, another fun/interesting story. We were contacting. We stopped and talked to this really argumentative man for about 30 minutes. He didn't want to listen and kept talking about how awful America was. We just testified that bad things happen everywhere, but there is a God who loves us and that looks out for us. We left that situation. He didn't want to meet so we didn't give him our number and didn't get his. We didn't think anything would happen there. Well, 15 minutes later we here this guy behind us running and he yells, "Apgadiet!" which means wait. We stopped and it was this man. It was interesting. He wanted to know if there was a way we could learn more. He didn't want to set up an appointment, but we told about when we have church, that we could meet with him and talk abotu these things, and gave him our pamphlet and number. We haven't heard anything yet, but who knows what will happen there.
Also, this past week I have gotten to help two recent converts with family history! I love doing it. All we can do with them for now though is insert the information they already know. There isn't anything online available for them yet, but I loved just doing family history again. I miss it and I definitely will do it the rest of my life.
Here is a quick update from my letter to President Boswell about Inese. I love her a lot. :D "Inese is doing well. She took a Book of Mormon in that lesson with your wife. I'm glad Sister Boswell was able to helped. Inese really liked her testimony. Sadly, she wouldn't commit to read at all this week. She says she is really just too busy and that she can't, but she said she does want to read every time that we meet together. I am glad that she likes to read and enjoys the Book of Mormon, I just wish she could find the desire to read outside of our lessons with her. Our second lesson with her also went really well. We talked about Sabbath day attendance and what it means to keep the sabbath day holy. She liked the discussion, and agreed with what we said about it. We had Gunita (a member) with us on the lesson and she was great. We invited Inese to come to church this weekend and she said she would really love to and would try to come if she wasn't n the country. Gunita also told her about some upcoming relief society activities they had and swapped numbers with Inese so she could tell her more about the activities. We're hoping to have Gunita on a lesson with us this week as well. Sadly though, the next day after that lesson we texted Inese (we've been sending her english spiritual thoughts in text messages to help her with her English) and she told us that she would be in the country. I prayed that she will be able to come, but as of yet she hasn't. I'm not giving up on her and while she isn't progressing she has a lot of potential and i think she'll start progressing soon."
So, that is all for today. I love you all and miss you greatly. The church is true and the Book of Mormon is true. Cherish, read and truly study that book! I love you a ton! Know that I pray from you!
Love,
Mﾄ《a Klauvarda
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