It's been a great week here, and there's nothing like an Oregon Duck victory!!! wore my green tie on Saturday and I think that probably provided some kind of extra boost.
It's been really fun seeing Katya get excited for her Baptism this Saturday. She had her interview last Saturday and prepared for some of the questions by going through the Book of Mormon and finding answers in the scriptures! She's just so prepared and the branch members already love her. Now we're trying to get Tatiana, her mother, on board, and she's coming along and will be attending the baptism. She's way willing to listen and speak and laugh with us, she's very funny, but has still yet to read the book of Mormon But she did make a promise that she'll get interested once she sees a change in Katya, and I know that'll happen and is happening. I love the scripture in D&C 84:20 about how when ordinances happen, God's power is manifest. I think that Tatiana will feel something, and that'll spark her desire to learn. It's like Watching Remember the Titans before a football game-- it just pumps you up! Except in a more spiritual way.
I've been on a few exchanges this week, the first one last Friday in Daugavpils and then yesterday in Tallinn. I've said if before but I love exchanges because there's a lot of faith when you're with someone different for the first time, and faith always brings miracles sometime or later. In “Dpils”- I was with Elder Sakievich, an elder I served around in Vilnius because he used to be Lithuanian speaking until 2 transfers ago when he got changed to Russian because of the number of missionaries. It's ironic because his older brother served here a while ago, originally called as Russian speaker and then ended up learning Lithuanian too! He's doing really well though, and Daugavpils is the perfect place to learn Russian. It's a smaller city on the east side of Latvia that's literally 97% Russian. While knocking and talking, we talked to three people not in Russian: one guy from England, a kid who's living in Riga but visiting and then one woman who answered the door in Russian, went to Latvian, I responded in some Latvian and then she shut the door. Haha. Even though there are a lot of Russians in Riga, it is not the usual to only talk to three people in English/Latvian. It was paradise! We taught a few new lessons to some cool
people, and hopefully they will keep their commitments to read/pray. Yesterday in Tallinn was also really fun, I was with Elder Roberts and Elder Baird-- my friend from BYU who was in THE 55th ward last year with Bishop Simpson, Brother Wilson, and Brother Paxman. The All-star Bishopric. They are opening up a new city/area, called Keila, which is a 30 min train ride south of Tallinn We taught an jolly older guy with a white beard named Pehter (Pjotr in Russian) and another woman who's come to church twice and is really responsible and will be baptized soon hopefully! She's says she feels this really strong energy as she read the book of Mormon, came to church, and listened to the sacrament prayer. I say that's the Holy Ghost. Tallinn is a really exciting city, with a more modern feel than Riga, and has a bunch of Russian people. It'd be a riot to serve there someday!
Speaking of which, transfers are coming up next week (a week early because of Christmas) so preparation day will be on Thursday. Actually now that I think about it, the next three preparation days will be Thursday, because the following week is Christmas! Wow is that for real? Thanksgiving just happened!! Welp, time's flying, nothing new. I still have no idea what will happen next transfer but you'll find out next week! I don't worry about transfers though, because they really are inspired so they can never go wrong.
Thanks for you love and support, keep on keeping on!
Love, Elder Barnes #12
P.S. Elder Baird's grandparents live in Cottage Grove! They are Steven and Linda Ord, who I'm pretty sure I know. But if you see them, tell them their grandson is the man! I love him.
P.P.S. Also another family is in the Riga branch for the time being named the Wardells, also from the Eugene area. I talk to them every Sunday, but pretty sure I've never seen them before. Do we know them?
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