HEY! from Peter

Dearest family

Wow it's nuts that it's already preparation day! I usually track the weeks by wednesdays because it's the day when we sit down and re-cap what happened. A week usually flies by, but it feels incredibly quick when it's only been 3 days! But even then it's been a fun and busy week and a lot of good things have happened, so I have some things to write about—thank goodness! Thanks for the e-mails by the way, I really love hearing from you and look forward to knowing what's going on in your lives. I forgot to fast for the ducks yesterday, so that's probably why they lost. Bummer. But like Mom said, next year is looking good!

I was kidding about the fasting thing but I've really grown to enjoy fasting while serving here. I remember it used to be a struggle to even wait to get home to eat the fast sunday brownies, but it's become easier to go longer without eating—that's probably thanks to my first few transfers with Elder Glauser! Haha just kidding, but seriously I also think that understanding why we fast and having a reason helps a lot. That's a great idea for the 40 day fast in our ward, 3rd ward rocks. Have there been any cool missionary experiences or recent converts over the last while?

Yesterday Igor came to church and brought an investigator! Haha he had called him the day before and invited him to come-the man is named Maris and he was found the week previous by some latvian misisonaries in Imanta, he came to the baptismal service last tuesday and the missionaries had forgotten to catch up with him before sunday. Well both Maris and Igor bore their testimonies in sacrament meeting yesterday-- in BOTH russian and latvian branches. It was awesome! They did a really good job, way sincere. Maris talked about how his relationship to life has changed as he's thought more about God and Igor testified strongly of the book of Mormon and how you can't find the answers it gives to “all of life's questions” in any other book. The members loved it, and it really brought the spirit into the meeting. Fast
sundays are always exciting, but especially here!

I love the Baltics! Dad told me about his new travel guide and asked which cities I'd been to last week so here's the break down-- Lithuania- Vilnius, Siaulai, Kaunus and stopped in Panevjizs (no idea how to spell that one, there's no missionaries there but it's the pit stop between Riga and Vilnius and is infamous for being the next city to be opened but won't be opened any time soon), Latvia-Riga, Jelgava, and Daugavpils and Estonia- Tallin, Tartu and Parnu. I've not been in three cities where missionaries proselyte, Klaipeda, LT, Liepaja LV, and Narva, ES. I'm not sure how but it'd be fun to go there. Someday, somehow. We were talking with my companions though, and there are some things here that you'd just never see in the States—women in their 70,80's shoveling the snow on the sidewalk is just one example. But they really are beautiful countries with interesting history which I know little about now but would be fun to study sometime. And maybe in Russian!

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Tartu, Estonia for an exchange and then zone conference the following day. This round of zone conferences will be a little bit different than usual because we'll be gathering in small groups and not necessarily as zones. I think there will be 9 conferences total and we'll each go to 1 not besides the one in Riga, and then the zone leaders will lead the other ones. As much fun as it would be to go to all of them, I'm glad that we won't have to give the same presentations 9 times over. That's a lot! I don't think the missionaries will realize that President and Sister Dance will be doing their teaching over and over though, they both have histories in teaching and are really good at making things feel fresh, even if they're not. That's a skill!

Well sorry this is short but I'll write you again next monday, which will come in no time. I love you!! The church is so true!!!

love, Elder Barnes #12