The Baltic Traveler: A Day Off

Monday, May 12, 2008

A Day Off

Saturday, May 3
Russ and I left in the morning for Klaipeda, Lithuania, to spend the day with Mindaugas and Zina Pečiuliai. President Pečiulis is branch president of the Klaipeda Branch, and he and Zina have been offering to take Russ and I on a tour of the sights around Klaipeda. Today was the day! We took Elder Gardner with us because he is recovering from a long term virus, and he can't work for a while. Anna Ransheva came with us to translate between our English and the Pečiuliai's Lithuanian. Anna's native language is Russian, but she also speaks Latvian, Lithuanian, and great English. She's an amazing, powerful, humble young woman whom I love dearly. So we toured old churches, outdoor museums, scenic little towns, and a rock museum (not music, the real metamorphic thing.) The rock museum was outdoors, and was really a sculptured garden with odd-shaped and carved rock built into the landscaping - very unique and beautiful.
After a full day of being tourists, we went to the Pečiuliai's favorite restaurant, Joseph's. It was a holiday, so there was quite a line and a long wait to get in. Zina disappeared for a minute, and then reappeared at the front door and waved us in. It was a test of courage to walk past all of the other people in line ahead of us and just sachet in, but we did it and were led to an empty table. Seems that Zina has a friend who works there and she pulled some strings. I forgot my guilt immediately when the food came. We stuffed ourselves, and then left there to go to Lucy's restaurant for dessert. Lucy is a Chinese member of the Church who owns a restaurant (of course Chinese!) in Klaipeda. She had wanted us to come by, and had her house specialty desserts all ready for us when we got there. Lucy and her daughter Meggie treated us like royalty and wouldn't even let us pay for the dessert. I am DEFINITELY getting spoiled - and rounder by the minute - from all this good food.

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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!