The Baltic Traveler: March 2008

Friday, March 21, 2008

Baltic Missionaries

The title, Baltic Missionaries, refers here to missionaries that grow up in the Baltic countries and then accept mission calls to serve elsewhere in the world. Among the youth here who are active in the Church, it is practically a given that they all serve missions, the girls as well as the boys. Gunita Graudupe is one such wonderful young woman. (She is 4th from the left in the pink shirt.) She received a call to serve in the Salt Lake Temple Square Mission, and left for the MTC last week. She is brilliant as well as beautiful, speaking her native Latvian, and in addition, excellent Russian and English. Next time you tour Temple Square in the next year and a half, look for her to guide you through that historic site, and reminder her that President and Sister Watterson love her and are proud of her.

Departures

Each 6 week transfer period in the mission begins with arrivals and departures. I love the arrival days and dread the departures. We grow so fond of these great young men and women, that to send them home when their missions are over is a wrenching experience. If it weren't for the fact that I know there are ecstatic mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and sometimes girlfriends/boyfriends waiting on "the other side", I wouldn't/couldn't let them go. When my own children were due to return from their missions, I thought they were as excited to come home as we were to get them here. I now know that probably wasn't the case because I have watched the returning missionaries going through what amounts to a mourning phase as they leave. I have no doubt that if given the chance to extend, most of them would. But it's time for them to move on to the next chapters in their lives - school, marriage, families. . . .We host a departure dinner at the mission home the night before they get on the plane, followed by a testimony meeting. After that there is a dessert reception for parents who have come to pick up their missionaries, and for the senior couples to have a chance to say good-bye. Elders Foote, Gaggini, and McKee (top row middle) left in February. We love them and wish them well.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Arrivals

Receiving new missionaries is one of the most fun aspects of our calling. In February we welcomed 17 new ones to the Baltic Mission - our second largest group ever. When arrivals come in, we take them to the mission office for orientation by the staff there. Then it's off to the mission home, where Russ interviews all of them. We feed them dinner, show them the New Missionary Orientation powerpoint presentation, introduce them to their new companions, and then put them to bed. Sounds simple, but it's quite the operation. 17 people coming for 1 1/2 to 2 years, means a LOT of luggage, so we have them leave most of it at the mission office, and just bring overnight bags to the mission home. And 17 new arrivals plus their 17 companions means dinner for about 40, including Russ and I and the Assistants to the President. I do the cooking, with help from the young people, who are eager to pitch in. It's a good time for me to get to know them in the relaxed atmosphere of my own kitchen. Interviewing 17 missionaries and seeking inspiration as to who serves with whom leaves Russ a little drained. We keep the new sister missionaries in the guest room in our apartment for the night, and the new Elders sleep in the bunk room next door in the Assistants' apartment. We send them off the next morning with their companions, and then I tackle the mountains of laundry (sheets and towels) that that many people generate. Thanks goodness for automatic washers and dryers....

Hello, Goodbye

It seems like just yesterday that we were sitting in the New Mission Presidents' Seminar in Moscow with other brand new mission presidents and their wives - jet-lagged, nervous, excited, exhausted, and in my case, terrified. Now we're at the other end, seeing our release with a huge mixture of emotions. It's literally painful to think about leaving all the missionaries and friends we've made here, yet breath-takingly exciting to contemplate being with family and friends again. I remember the first year at Christmas I was decorating the tree, with tears in my eyes, thinking, "I have to do this 2 more times before they let me go home." The second year, while again decorating the tree, I thought, "I only get to do this one more time before we leave." Last December I remember thinking, "I'm not leaving this place and they can't make me." Funny how perspective changes over time. Good friends in this picture include the Andersons (Donesk, Ukraine), Davises (Kiev, Ukraine), and Sandbergs (St Petersburg). We entered our service at the same time, and will finish together in July.

Soggy Sochi

The Europe East Area's Mission Presidents Seminar was held in Sochi, Russia, on February 14 - 16. They brought us to Sochi because it is supposedly warm there, on the Black Sea. We were there a couple of years ago for MP Seminar, and it WAS lovely. This year, however, we had more winter in the 3 days we were there than we've had in Riga the whole season. It snowed, sleeted, rained, froze, thawed, and stormed the whole time. Oh, well, the Spirit and the friendships were warm -

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!