The Baltic Traveler: True Love

Friday, January 11, 2008

True Love

The older widows in the Baltics unfailingly adopt the missionaries as their own and become quite protective and possessive of them. They overfeed them, over doctor them, and give them advice on just about everything. Nedezda (in Tartu) is the self-appointed guardian and protector of the Elders there, and it nearly breaks her heart when transfers come or missionaries go home. We get heart-rending emails and phone calls from her, pleading that we don't send "her boys" away to some other city. She loves them, pure and simple. One of our Elders was ill in December, and Nedezda sent me an email about his condition, using words like angina, pneumonia, death. I immediately called him to find out what was going on. He had a good laugh and then explained that he had a sore throat and was staying in for the day. He is in a threesome, so his companions had to stay home with him. Somehow Nedezda found out and felt the need to alert me to catastrophies ahead. She was sure he was on death's door and wanted him taken to the doctor right now! She also wanted one of the young sister missionaries to sit home with him so his companions could be out working. She just wouldn't understand why we wouldn't do this! Bless her heart, mother-of-the-world . . .

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Agnese and Astra

When we first arrived in Riga, one of the first groups of people we got to know well were the Young Adults. Agnese is one of my favorite people in the world. She has boundless energy, and knows EVERYTHING that is going on in the mission at any given time. I don't know how or where she gets her information, but she manages to always be in the know. 3 years ago her attire was jeans, T-shirts, and a baseball cap, usually worn backwards. I told her, after we knew each other really well, that the goal of my mission was to get her looking like a girl. I think I've arrived! Agnese and her mother Astra came for dinner, and Agnese was wearing girl clothes and some makeup. I think she's beautiful, and I think SHE likes it too. She just got her mission call to Yeketerinburg, Russia, and will leave for the MTC in May. She'll set the place on fire, to be sure!

The Cookie Jar

What's the most popular place in the mission home? Why, the cookie jar, of course. Keeping it full is a challenge. I came home one day to find the jar empty, and a laminated picture of the Assistants to the President, pointing to the empty cookie jar with very sad little faces. They had put the picture in the bottom of the cookie jar as a reminder that it needed filling. I told them they had shot themselves in the foot with this one - the picture makes me laugh so hard when I look at it that it's incentive not to put anything in there to cover it up.

Fashion Statement?

This is NOT the newest in missionary attire in the Baltic Mission. Elder Gardner came to the mission home pick up his new companion. While here, he asked me how long it would take to fix the rip in his suit pants. When he found out it was an easy, quick fix, he dashed into the Assistants' apartment next door, took off his suit pants, put on his sports/sleeping shorts, dashed back to our apartment, and handed me the pants. Although the suit coat/shorts combo is undoubtedly a comfortable, casual look, I don't think it will catch on here.

Caroling in Dome Square

The missionaries were invited to sing Christmas carols as part of an ongoing Christmas show in Dome Square in the center of Old Town. It was a good public relations opportunity - a chance to meet some new people and create good will for the Church. All the missionaries wore Santa hats and big smiles. I brought my flute to accompany them, but soon found that it's impossible to play outside in really cold, windy weather! My fingers got too cold to move, and I noticed that a drop of my saliva had frozen on the mouthpiece. I gave up playing and joined in the singing!

The Afghan

Elder Racker (a great missionary) is the original Renaissance Man - he does everything and very well. He took a bit of hassling, however, over his ability to crochet. He can whip out a hat in about 45 minutes. He's taught many of the other Elders to crochet as well, causing a little bit of concern on Russ's part as to how much time was being spent on this activity. So he had to issue a policy statement limiting the crocheting to Preparation Day! He thinks that we're probably the only mission in the Church that has need for such a policy. . . At the Christmas Conference in Estonia, Elder Racker presented us with an afghan he had made for us, which displayed the flags of each of the countries in our mission. Impressive!