Hi everyone!
Thanksgiving turned out great! It's amazing to see how we missionaries can manage to pull out a full-on Thanksgiving dinner. The pumpkin pie I made needed to be baked a while longer, oops. But hey, not too bad for not having a recipe. I'm still kinda proud of myself, haha! We watched 17 Miracles, which was the second time I've seen it in 2 weeks. It's a pretty good film! Definitely makes you more appreciative of pioneer ancestors. :) Last week, we did family night with Keili and her cousin Maris came with her husband too. Keili made a superb chicken salad. Like a real American salad with actual lettuce. Oi, it was delicious. Estonians don't really make leafy salads, so that was a treat! Later that night, I realized I accidentally took home their version of Uno so we had to return it to her a few night later. When we did, we just played a few rounds with her and son Remo, and invited her to church, but she couldn't make it :/ She BETTER come the next 2 Sundays! She sorta promised me, so I'll try to use that to convince her to make sure and be there this week. We couldn't meet with Wentao last week because he had lab work to do for school. We've got some finding to do this week because the investigators we have are... well, non-existant now? They tend to get busy and then contact just sorta fizzles out... *sigh*, but oh well. That's what an Area book is for! Other news, I may be doing an exchange in Pärnu by the end of this week, for old time's sake :)
Yesterday was an amazing zone conference. Quite a finale, possibly one of the best I've attended. By the end, I was feeling pretty woozy (sp?), tired, and had a killer headache from tons of tears, but still awesome! Elder Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy was present with his wife, (they also spoke Sunday here in Tallinn). Surprisingly, Sis. Lawrence's presentation was probably the best part too! She spoke of the the house of Israel, its scattering and gathering and how it's that "believing blood" in the modern descendents that draws them to the Gospel and church. The amount of instruction we received in that hour or so felt like the equivalent of an entire semester of Institute xP Mind-blowing!!! Everybody was just in shock and awe. I couldn't help but think about Dad throughout, because I know he'd love this stuff. Don't worry, Dad, we'll talk. ;) Also from Zone Conference, we received our Estonian Triple Combinations!!! Got 'em before the members too. They are really lovely and will be a great help to the branches and members. This made all of the Russians jealous because they don't have Russian triples yet, but hey, at least they actually had D&C...
Sounds like you had a productive week with all the holiday preparations! I've already been listening to Christmas music for a long time, hehehe :) It hasn't snowed since last P-Day, just really rainy and windy. I'd give it another week, at this rate. But hey, some folks have told me it's not uncommon to have relatively snowless (less-snow?) winters, here. Kinda hard to believe, if you ask me, but now it's really got me wondering! Sorry to give you such a headache with the back-to-school issues. I will get to work a.s.a.p. Oh boy, dealing with logistical stuff is especially difficult long-distance. xP
Hope to give you some more amazing stories next week! Love you all so much.
Love,
Courtney
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
November 21, 2011
Hey, fam!
HAHAHA that is so peculiar, that you ALL have come down with colds because I got hit pretty hard with one this week as well! Oops, this is no laughing matter, sorry :P Kinda creepy to think about actually. It's like we're still connected...even halfway across the world~ Either that, or someone left my voodoo doll around the house so it caught the germs too, lol. I kid, I kid. ;P I've got my strength back now, so we're off to work this week! OH, and today marks the first snowfall, YAY!!!! I was starting to get a little worried if it didn't snow before Thanksgiving, haha. Today is really nice and gentle, pretty to watch the snow fall. I'm just hoping we don't have a blizzard on Thanksgiving like last year. That's when the snow fell and finally stayed on the ground until Spring. We've had a nice long, lovely Fall, so I can't complain.
Anywho, my sickness and Sis. Nef's hip problems sorta put us out of comission this past week, but things are looking up for us now! Tonight, we're doing FHE with Keili and her son~ And her member cousin, Maris and hubby Matthew are coming too! w00t! We want to ease back into teaching her, so if tonight goes well, that could be possible :) Wentao is still a cool investigator, but we had to cancel our appointment with him because we couldn't get a member or fellow sister missionary to come to our aid. Then he got sick and couldn't come to church, but he called just before church started and apologized sincerely. He's a really nice kid, so when he gets feeling better, we'll meet and hopefully we can invite him to be baptized on Dec. 24th! That's our plan, and I think he really wants to learn.
Back on Wednesday, we did service for a member family whose home burned down several years ago. They converted their garage into their home and have slowly added rooms to it over time. Our whole district spent 4 hours scavenging for whole bricks, (re-used to make a wall), and throwing branches and wood planks into piles to keep and to throw-away. We got nice and dirty, but it was so much fun! I think mostly because it was fun just chatting and laughing away with my district. We're rather nerdy too, so that's even more better. We talked about a lot of Star Wars that day, ha ha ha! We were able to make a large improvement on their property with just a few hours and a few extra hands. It still looks a lot like the aftermath did, but it's slightly more organized now :)
I think my companionship is in charge of the pumpkin pie and stuffing for Thanksgiving. I was given a pumpkin a while ago from a member, buuuuut I have yet to use it so I hope it's still edible... looks decent from the outside, haha. Next week in Zone Conference on Monday, the 28th, so we'll have P-day on Tuesday. Elder Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy will be at our church meetings on Sunday and at Zone Conference so that's exhilarating news too! One member came up to me after hearing the announcement in sacrament meeting just to explain to me the joy she's experiencing that a general authority is coming next week! She felt so blessed that the Lord is paying our branch a little extra attention and she was so excited to prepare the remainder of the week for Sunday. Yup. That was humbling. :) I love Sundays. It's so necessary to have the Sabbath to rejuvenate your spirit and to get you pumped for life. Even after a crummy week, you come out feeling so much better, at least I do here. That's one thing I think I'll miss, for sure. I love the dear members here and hearing their testimonies is so powerful. I'll have to make sure to keep my church worship in the future just as great. Really, it'll be a good as you make it.
I told you a little about Sis. Nef a week or so ago, so I'll let you look that up! But to add, she's the oldest of 4 kids, attends BYU-Idaho for elementary education, but she'd like to live in a nicer, warmer climate, much like her home near Fresno, Cali. (Hehe, she got called to serve here too :P) She's actually thought a lot about possibly transferring to ASU or at least working as a teacher in AZ, so that's neato! On Saturday, during our break from English class, Elder Downey revealed to us the Estonian triple combination which he stole from his last trip to Riga! Ok, so he had permisssion, but still, it's just as pretty as our English scriptures, if not more~ All it's really missing are the tabs! And might as well say the Bible too, because it has a sort of a combined bible dictionary/topical guide in the back. The mission will be gifting us the nicer copies, so that's grand. The members can buy those, or a simple hardbound copy (the branch has already ordered them, but not here yet. WHY IS IS TAKING SO LOOOOOOOONG??). I think that's about it for news this week. Thanks for the prayers and love. Good to know you're benefiting from it too ;)
Kalli kalli! (hug hug!)
Courtney
P.S. I just browsed a class or two for availability. They're filling up! Hope that gets worked out soon.
HAHAHA that is so peculiar, that you ALL have come down with colds because I got hit pretty hard with one this week as well! Oops, this is no laughing matter, sorry :P Kinda creepy to think about actually. It's like we're still connected...even halfway across the world~ Either that, or someone left my voodoo doll around the house so it caught the germs too, lol. I kid, I kid. ;P I've got my strength back now, so we're off to work this week! OH, and today marks the first snowfall, YAY!!!! I was starting to get a little worried if it didn't snow before Thanksgiving, haha. Today is really nice and gentle, pretty to watch the snow fall. I'm just hoping we don't have a blizzard on Thanksgiving like last year. That's when the snow fell and finally stayed on the ground until Spring. We've had a nice long, lovely Fall, so I can't complain.
Anywho, my sickness and Sis. Nef's hip problems sorta put us out of comission this past week, but things are looking up for us now! Tonight, we're doing FHE with Keili and her son~ And her member cousin, Maris and hubby Matthew are coming too! w00t! We want to ease back into teaching her, so if tonight goes well, that could be possible :) Wentao is still a cool investigator, but we had to cancel our appointment with him because we couldn't get a member or fellow sister missionary to come to our aid. Then he got sick and couldn't come to church, but he called just before church started and apologized sincerely. He's a really nice kid, so when he gets feeling better, we'll meet and hopefully we can invite him to be baptized on Dec. 24th! That's our plan, and I think he really wants to learn.
Back on Wednesday, we did service for a member family whose home burned down several years ago. They converted their garage into their home and have slowly added rooms to it over time. Our whole district spent 4 hours scavenging for whole bricks, (re-used to make a wall), and throwing branches and wood planks into piles to keep and to throw-away. We got nice and dirty, but it was so much fun! I think mostly because it was fun just chatting and laughing away with my district. We're rather nerdy too, so that's even more better. We talked about a lot of Star Wars that day, ha ha ha! We were able to make a large improvement on their property with just a few hours and a few extra hands. It still looks a lot like the aftermath did, but it's slightly more organized now :)
I think my companionship is in charge of the pumpkin pie and stuffing for Thanksgiving. I was given a pumpkin a while ago from a member, buuuuut I have yet to use it so I hope it's still edible... looks decent from the outside, haha. Next week in Zone Conference on Monday, the 28th, so we'll have P-day on Tuesday. Elder Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy will be at our church meetings on Sunday and at Zone Conference so that's exhilarating news too! One member came up to me after hearing the announcement in sacrament meeting just to explain to me the joy she's experiencing that a general authority is coming next week! She felt so blessed that the Lord is paying our branch a little extra attention and she was so excited to prepare the remainder of the week for Sunday. Yup. That was humbling. :) I love Sundays. It's so necessary to have the Sabbath to rejuvenate your spirit and to get you pumped for life. Even after a crummy week, you come out feeling so much better, at least I do here. That's one thing I think I'll miss, for sure. I love the dear members here and hearing their testimonies is so powerful. I'll have to make sure to keep my church worship in the future just as great. Really, it'll be a good as you make it.
I told you a little about Sis. Nef a week or so ago, so I'll let you look that up! But to add, she's the oldest of 4 kids, attends BYU-Idaho for elementary education, but she'd like to live in a nicer, warmer climate, much like her home near Fresno, Cali. (Hehe, she got called to serve here too :P) She's actually thought a lot about possibly transferring to ASU or at least working as a teacher in AZ, so that's neato! On Saturday, during our break from English class, Elder Downey revealed to us the Estonian triple combination which he stole from his last trip to Riga! Ok, so he had permisssion, but still, it's just as pretty as our English scriptures, if not more~ All it's really missing are the tabs! And might as well say the Bible too, because it has a sort of a combined bible dictionary/topical guide in the back. The mission will be gifting us the nicer copies, so that's grand. The members can buy those, or a simple hardbound copy (the branch has already ordered them, but not here yet. WHY IS IS TAKING SO LOOOOOOOONG??). I think that's about it for news this week. Thanks for the prayers and love. Good to know you're benefiting from it too ;)
Kalli kalli! (hug hug!)
Courtney
P.S. I just browsed a class or two for availability. They're filling up! Hope that gets worked out soon.
Monday, November 14, 2011
November 14, 2011
Boy, those kiddos really know how to party at Grandma's house!! I've been telling Sis. Nef stories of my memories at Grandma's and they were wonderful too, just in a different way, I suppose. Like jumping on the old trampoline, sleeping in Brigham beds, and driving up and down the driveway in the Power Wheels Jeep (with Flame decals!), and hammering nails in odd pieces of wood, just to name a few. Oohhhhh, those were the days~
Last week's game of Risk 2210 was intense, and I probably could have done a little better at the end, had I not accidentally nuked my own territories. I guess that's what I get for trying to control Asia. This week, we plan to play a customized version of Settlers of Zarahemla. I haven't played Settlers for well, over a year and a half, so we'll see how it goes. Apparently Elder Lord and Elder Jenkins customized their game months ago so that it mimics the Seafarers expansion set. This new game playing phase makes Preparation Days a little more fun-filled and plus it's great bonding time. Or maybe it disrupts our district's unity...? ;)
Onto more worthy news, I started to teach my first Chinese person last week! Yay! He's a new student at the technical university and he actually started talking to us on the bus last week. He says he's buddhist, but he really wants to learn more about Jesus Christ and he's really willing to come to our church activities. He came to sacrament meeting yesterday, and he'll be joining us at the Perrys' house for family night tonight! He's a good kid, so I'm excited to see his progression in the gospel. We plan to invite him to be baptized next time we meet. Also worth noting is that I talked to Maris at church and she said that she thinks Keili seems really positive toward the church again, so we should call her sometime to meet or invite her to something. I think all she needed was some space to think things over, and even her 5 year-old son has been asking when are they going to go to church. Last week, I sorted through TONS of teaching records to pull out all of the families I could find. We've prayed and fasted that we can find people ready to be baptized by the end of the year, because our branch president want us to really work towards that yearly goal for the branch. I think Wentao, (the Chinese student) is a really good possibility, and Keili could be too, if she realizes this is the right place for her and little Remo. As for sad news, recent convert Ivo is not so pleased with being a member, so I think that's why we haven't heard from him so seen him for so long. One of the branch counselors finally met with him last night, so the branch president told me the news. I guess he felt his progression a little to rushed so now he's thinking twice about his decision. We're praying he won't make any poor, rash decisions and have his records removed. Well that puts a damper on things, but all we can really do is pray and try to show our love, if he'll let us.
Sorry it's short, but well, that's all I've got. Love you lots!
Love,
Courtney
Last week's game of Risk 2210 was intense, and I probably could have done a little better at the end, had I not accidentally nuked my own territories. I guess that's what I get for trying to control Asia. This week, we plan to play a customized version of Settlers of Zarahemla. I haven't played Settlers for well, over a year and a half, so we'll see how it goes. Apparently Elder Lord and Elder Jenkins customized their game months ago so that it mimics the Seafarers expansion set. This new game playing phase makes Preparation Days a little more fun-filled and plus it's great bonding time. Or maybe it disrupts our district's unity...? ;)
Onto more worthy news, I started to teach my first Chinese person last week! Yay! He's a new student at the technical university and he actually started talking to us on the bus last week. He says he's buddhist, but he really wants to learn more about Jesus Christ and he's really willing to come to our church activities. He came to sacrament meeting yesterday, and he'll be joining us at the Perrys' house for family night tonight! He's a good kid, so I'm excited to see his progression in the gospel. We plan to invite him to be baptized next time we meet. Also worth noting is that I talked to Maris at church and she said that she thinks Keili seems really positive toward the church again, so we should call her sometime to meet or invite her to something. I think all she needed was some space to think things over, and even her 5 year-old son has been asking when are they going to go to church. Last week, I sorted through TONS of teaching records to pull out all of the families I could find. We've prayed and fasted that we can find people ready to be baptized by the end of the year, because our branch president want us to really work towards that yearly goal for the branch. I think Wentao, (the Chinese student) is a really good possibility, and Keili could be too, if she realizes this is the right place for her and little Remo. As for sad news, recent convert Ivo is not so pleased with being a member, so I think that's why we haven't heard from him so seen him for so long. One of the branch counselors finally met with him last night, so the branch president told me the news. I guess he felt his progression a little to rushed so now he's thinking twice about his decision. We're praying he won't make any poor, rash decisions and have his records removed. Well that puts a damper on things, but all we can really do is pray and try to show our love, if he'll let us.
Sorry it's short, but well, that's all I've got. Love you lots!
Love,
Courtney
Monday, November 7, 2011
November 7, 2011
Well....still here :) Sis. Lamar went down to Pärnu to be in a trio with Sis. Christopher and trainee Sis. Robinson and Sis. Nef came up to Tallinn. She is from Fresno (actually Clovis), California, has been here since August, the oldest of 4 kids, and a redhead :) I'm gonna miss that little goober, Sis. Lamar, ha ha.
Last week, Pres. Boswell wanted us to attend some "town hall" for U.S. citizens in Tallinn, put on by the U.S. Embassy. It was interesting and kinda fun really. The Ambassador spoke for a bit and then it was open for any sort of questions. After the meeting was like a social and I talked to perhaps the number 2 guy at the Embassy for a bit. He said he was learning Estonian, so Elder McGavin and I were talking to him about it. He's only been learning for a year, but our missionaries are better with a year into the language ;) Yet another testimony builder to me. Well, then again, he's sort of in an English bubble more than we are. I gotta say, the best part was overhearing two southerners talking about BBQ afterward. The lady was from South Carolina, but she actually prefers North Carolinan barbeque, but of course she's not allowed to say that at home, HAHAHAHAHA. Oh yes, I <3 America~ I relayed that story to Sis. Uibel and we had a good laugh about it on the trolley home. We're thinking of "BBQ tour 2012". ;) Sis. Uibel was transferred to Vilnius, Lithuania, and Sis. Dawson came in her place, whom I also love very much. She was here the first 2 weeks I moved to Tallinn, over 6 months ago now. Sis. Dawson hurt her foot a bit ago, so she is not allowed to stand on it for a long time, so last night, I went out with Sis. Hanks and Sis. Shnedere (ok, now I really need to ask her how to spell it!). Sis. Hanks and I sang the 12 Days of Christmas while waiting for a bus to go home. :) That reminded me of the 12 Days of Kwanzaa. I've been trying to quote some, and although I'm a tad rusty now, I can still get some laughs out of 'em!
I'm off to go start a game of Risk 2210 now! I say "start" because there's no where we're going to finish it in 3 or so hours. Sorry it's pretty short this week. But rest assured, life's been all fun and good recently! Things are going pretty well in the branch too, so if we work with them, we can expect some miracles. Thanks for all the lovin'~
Love,
Courtney
Last week, Pres. Boswell wanted us to attend some "town hall" for U.S. citizens in Tallinn, put on by the U.S. Embassy. It was interesting and kinda fun really. The Ambassador spoke for a bit and then it was open for any sort of questions. After the meeting was like a social and I talked to perhaps the number 2 guy at the Embassy for a bit. He said he was learning Estonian, so Elder McGavin and I were talking to him about it. He's only been learning for a year, but our missionaries are better with a year into the language ;) Yet another testimony builder to me. Well, then again, he's sort of in an English bubble more than we are. I gotta say, the best part was overhearing two southerners talking about BBQ afterward. The lady was from South Carolina, but she actually prefers North Carolinan barbeque, but of course she's not allowed to say that at home, HAHAHAHAHA. Oh yes, I <3 America~ I relayed that story to Sis. Uibel and we had a good laugh about it on the trolley home. We're thinking of "BBQ tour 2012". ;) Sis. Uibel was transferred to Vilnius, Lithuania, and Sis. Dawson came in her place, whom I also love very much. She was here the first 2 weeks I moved to Tallinn, over 6 months ago now. Sis. Dawson hurt her foot a bit ago, so she is not allowed to stand on it for a long time, so last night, I went out with Sis. Hanks and Sis. Shnedere (ok, now I really need to ask her how to spell it!). Sis. Hanks and I sang the 12 Days of Christmas while waiting for a bus to go home. :) That reminded me of the 12 Days of Kwanzaa. I've been trying to quote some, and although I'm a tad rusty now, I can still get some laughs out of 'em!
I'm off to go start a game of Risk 2210 now! I say "start" because there's no where we're going to finish it in 3 or so hours. Sorry it's pretty short this week. But rest assured, life's been all fun and good recently! Things are going pretty well in the branch too, so if we work with them, we can expect some miracles. Thanks for all the lovin'~
Love,
Courtney
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