Life is good. Don't let the title of the email throw you off, I'm fine. It just was a crazy, crazy week, but it is good and all will be fine! :) The biggest amount of stress has come from transfers which were crazy and really unexpected. So, for the big news.... I'm training again!! I'm also still serving as sister training leader. Looks life I'm going to end my mission with a bang and help Sister Berchtold start her mission off. We are serving together in the same area, so I will probably finish my mission her in my little Liepāja. I'm okay with that, but I am going to miss Imanta. I was really hoping that I could go back there, but I know the Lord knows what is best. Our district here in Liepāja really got mixed up! Every companionship is training!! We also have an extra companionship here now. We only had three companionships before and now we have four, two sets of sister, two sets of elders. Sister Ormsby is still here and is white washing (meaning she has never been in that area before) and training. She is still close by, but when to the furthest south part of Liepāja. I miss serving with her everyday, but I'm glad we are still close and get to see each other occasionally. Sister Mitton, our third companion and my former trainee, has gone to Jelgava where she is yet another threesome! The members here in Liepāja are really excited for the new missionaries, as well as I'm excited for the new missionaries and the hard workers they are.
A little about my new companion. She is 19. Her name is Sister Berchtold. She is from Brigham City, Utah. She knew Sister Ormsby before her mission as they played sports together in high school. She is super cute and love her to death!! She is already off to a great start!! Here is what I wrote about her to President Harding: "The training is going well so far. Sister Berchtold has great desires to be obedient and speak this language. She has a gift for understanding the language and is able to understand very well. I love that. :) She already on her very first Sunday was getting things out of the church meetings. She is a little bit more hesitant to speak and struggles with it. She shared with me today how she noticed that she is doubting herself and she had the insight that if she is doubting herself that she is doubting God which weakens her faith and the possibility that she could speak Latvian and that she would help her. I know she'll master the language. She has the desire and the work ethic. We spend at least the first half of Language Study together. We start by reading the Book of Mormon together out loud. This gives us each an opportunity to practice our pronounciation. She is really a good reader except that she can't roll her r's. :) We're working on that as well. We then spend time studying a grammar principle together and practicing it. She is learning and I have already seen an improvement in her language as she listens to it all the time and is able to start to use it. She is also very skilled at hearing how I say something and she can say it back to me just like I said it. I know that this will help her pick up the language even faster." I'm excited for these two transfers with her. :)
So, transfers was one source of stress this week. The other was spending time at the hospital. Don't worry!!!! I'm completely fine. I just needed to get some medicine for my back that the mission area doctor wanted me to have. I talked with him on the phone about my back and he diagnosed me and told me what I needed to do. He told me which medicines I need to take. Sadly, the medicines need a prescription and since he is not in Latvia (he is overall all the eastern european missions and live in Ukraine) he couldn't write me prescriptions from there. So, I had to go to the hospital (which is the only place in Liepāja with good doctors) and get medicines. I was there for two and a half hours!! It was so long! But after a urine and blood sample and a scare that I would have to stay in the hospital (they told me it was possible and so they would take the injection out of my arm after taking blood in case I needed an IV), I finally left with 4 prescriptions to take. :) I am already feeling a little better. I have some stretches I'm doing and medicine and in 4-6 weeks hopefully I will be all better and I'll start strengthening my back. So, that was fun. It through off our week which made the next few days stressful, but now we are back on track and looking forward to a relaxing preparation day.
The missionary work was slow this last week with all the other distractions, but we are pressing forward. Gundega is doing well and here is what I wrote to President about her. "We are working right now with one investigator who has a baptismal date. We are working with Gundega still. She is still progressing, but it is slow. She was unable to come to church yesterday because she was sick, but she said that she will definitely be there next week. We are going to meet with her twice this week. We want to teach the work of wisdom and help her start living it. We don't see any huge problems, probably just a problem with tea or coffee. She has be well befriended by another member, Indra. We asked Indra to sit by Gundega at church yesterday when she came and she was so cute and saved her a place right next to her. It was great. She was so cute and is such a great, sincere woman."
With all that has gone in the last little bit, I have learned one very big and important lesson, to rely on the Lord. We never ever should have to be alone. We have our savior Jesus Christ who can be with us always. I know that for a fact. It took me a few weeks to relearn the lesson, but I have. When the hard times come, we must rely on him and he can lift us up and threw it. As i have dealt with the stress of the last week, I know that the Lord has given me energy and an ability to learn and receive revelation. The problems don't go away, but he has helped me to deal with them. I know that he loves us. He completed the atonement, the biggest miracle in the world, so that we could get this help. Lets not waste the sacrifice that he has already given us. Turn to him in prayer, and then go and be obedient and he will help us. I know that this is so important. He loves us and doesn't want us to suffer. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior. He completeld the atonement for us. I say all of this in his holy name, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love you all. Rely on the Lord and don't give up!
Ar mīlestību,
Māsa Klauvarda
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