So I´ve had a very interesting weekend!! Last Wednesday I moved to Pärnu until the end of this transfer to work with Õde Bangerter (one of my companions from the MTC) since Õde Christopher went home! Pärnu is a cute little city, smaller than Tartu! With lots of old people! ...My first evening here in Pärnu we met with a man called Marko that the sisters have been teaching a while he had a baptismal date for the beginning of November but my first day here in Pärnu he said he wanted to move it up to Saturday 29th of September! So on Saturday we have a baptism!! ..Whoever said or thought "oh you´re going to Estonia.. good luck.. they don´t have too many baptisms there" - were very wrong! ;) I will have seen 2 baptisms within my 2 first transfers here in Estonia! ;) ..We are a hardworking mission and we have a lot of faith, we expect miracles and they happen! :)
So Marko lives with his sister who is married to a member (but she herslef isn´t a member - she´s been quite against the church actually but it seems like it´s getting better!) ..Since Marko started investigating and coming to church his niece and nephew have started coming along too (which hasn´t happened in a long time) the niece Amelia, is 8 and she has started taking lessons from the Elders!!
Well this past weekend we had a district conference with all the members here in Estonia! It was really good!! It was focused on missionary work. On Saturday we watched the session online in all our own branch buildings and Sunday we all travelled to Tallinn and enjoyed the session together! But during Saturdays session there was a part (about 20 min) where all the members split up and went out to do some contacting together with the missionaries. So I went out to contact with two of the ladies of the branch. They were very brave! :) ..Sunday was focused on being a member missionary and doing your part! ..Before my mission I always thought that the missionaries are the ones who can do the missionary work but as a missionary I have come to realize how much more you can do as a member! You can be there all the time and not just between 6.30-22.30. You can be an example at church, work, school, gym, store, cinema - wherever you go or whatever you do- you can always be a good example!
Anyways.. when we got to Tallinn Amelia ran up to me and my companion grabbed our hands and asked if she can get baptized together with her uncle Marko!! We were so excited to hear that!!! So we have yet another wonderful exciting week ahead of us full of planning and preparing for a baptism!!
President and Sister Boswell both spoke at the conference and they shared wonderful stories and testimonies about missionary work. President Boswell shared that withing the next few weeks about 40% of the mission will be new (I think I´m included in that..). He gave some advice to the members on how to help the new missionaries, he mentioned 9 points that I think is very applicable everywhere:
1. Only speak in Estionian at church - help to remind the missionaries only to speak estonian when at church! (Speak the language of the country you serve in.. members and missionaries)
2. When a new missionary comes, go up, introduce yourself, shake there hand and slowly tell them your name, repeat it so they can hear it and learn it!
3. Speak slowly with the missionaries.
4. Make them feel at home! Treat the missionaries as you would want your son or daughter to be treated!
5. Invite them to your home - ask them to teach a lesson to your family
6. Invite the missionaries to leave a priesthood blessing on your home (or in sisters case to pray for your home) - don´t let them leave until they´ve done so!
7. Share your own conversion story with them
8. Expect miracles and pray for miracles
9. Christmas is coming up in 3 months ..Give a Christmas gift to the savior - Read the Book of Mormon before Christmas!! I just finished reading it in english the other week and I´m finishing it in Estonian in about a week (President Boswell asked me to read it in my mission-language within my first two transfers). I will then start over and finish before Christmas, do it you too!!! :)
After the meeting Ardi came up to me, shook my hand and said: "T-e-r-e- ...m-i-n-u ... n-i-m-i ...o-n ...A-r-d-i!!" (Hello, my name is Ardi) - Very slowly - he payed attention to what was said during the session! ;)
So yeah.. today was a pretty long mail, but I hope you´re still awake! ;)
Have a great week and go out and be great examples!!
Armastusega,
Õde Peterson
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