Dearest Family!
I seriously can't believe that it's preparation day again! And the transfer is almost over! It's not this week, but next week. Time really is going by faster. But this past week was good. Not nearly as crazy as your week was, but it was still good! Last Monday we played settlers like I said we would. It was fun. We've done pretty much everything there is to do here in Klaipeda so on Preparation Days we mostly just play games or relax. There are a bunch of little museums here, but they are all closed on Mondays! So, there really isn't much to do on Preparation days. Tuesday was just a normal day of trying to find people but nothing happened really. We just did English class that night. Wednesday us four missionaries went to Kaunas for a mini zone conference. We have zone conferences once a month but this month we just had mini conferences. There are technically two zones in Lithuania but we just have one zone conference. But Wednesday it was just our zone so it was just the missionaries from Klaipeda and Kaunas. It was good. It's always nice to see the other missionaries and just get to sit and learn for a day. Especially since it's been SO hot here this past week! I haven't sweated so much in my entire life! It's been like 90 degrees PLUS humidity! It's insane... But oh well, that's life! So that was Wednesday. Thursday we didn't really do anything either. We just taught English class that night. Oh and we had a lesson with that family which was good. I mentioned that their dad is back, so the lesson was mostly for him. But I'll come back to that. Friday was a normal day (sorry, there just isn't much to say about stuff here! We just contact and knock on doors all day and there haven't really been any interesting stories to tell and nothing crazy has happened! ) but I went on exchanges with Elder Whicker that night and on Saturday. I really like Elder Whicker and he is a great guy. It was fun to be with him. On Saturday we had an activity with the elder’s quorum where we were going to go play soccer and eat and stuff, but no one showed up but the missionaries and two less active members! haha, but it was still fun. We didn't have any food but we went out into the woods and played soccer and though it was REALLY hot, it was still fun to run around. That night when we changed back, Elder Graham and I went to the church to have a lesson with the dad of that family. His name is Romanas. But they were having an activity with the women and his was there with his family so we just decided to join in. Lucy, the Chinese woman that is in the branch, was teaching everyone how to do Thai Chi, That cool movement stuff with the breathing. Kind of like on Karate Kid. So we joined in and learned all this cool stuff and it is supposed to help you breath better and stay healthy. So I'm going to start doing it every morning. :) So that was interesting and fun and then we had a lesson with Romanas afterward and that was way good too. We met with him without his family cause we wanted to know really what his feelings are about the church without the pressure of his family. And he totally wants to learn and we are hoping he will want to follow the example of his family soon! He is a great guy and I really respect him. So many of the men in this country are so irresponsible and and it is hard to find hard working guys that care about their families. But he was telling us that everything he does is for his family and that he just loves them so much. That's why he was willing to go to Norway for 8 months to help support his family. It's great to be teaching a guy that actually cares about something. So our meeting went really well with him and we will be having another lesson with him and his family tomorrow night and we will start teaching him everything starting at the restoration. We have high hopes with him and I'm so grateful to be teaching him. Yesterday, Sunday, we just went to church and we sweated our brains out the rest of the day! So that was my week!
Transfers are coming up next week and I don't really know what is going to happen. Anything could happen really. I could be staying in Klaipeda or I could be moving somewhere else. If I stay in Klaipeda I will probably get a new companion, but I don't know. I think if I move I will most likely go to Kaunas. But I think that if I get moved I well be in that next city for a lot longer cause President Dance is trying to keep people in the same area longer so that they can bond with the members there. So, we'll see what happens. I don't really want to leave Klaipeda cause I don't really like change and I want to keep working with Romanas, but we'll see. I have no idea what will happen! It's also crazy cause by November; my group will be some of the oldest missionaries in Lithuania! Elder Graham and Elder Warner (they are the group just before ours) will be the only ones older than us but we are all kind of the same group now! That is going to be crazy. The leadership is all going to be put on us and we will be the ones that all the younger missionaries look too. I feel like I just got here! We'll be the oldest for the rest of our missions. But I guess it will be a great growing experience for us and me especially and I've got to be grateful for that. I've grown so much already but I know that there is more to come. :) The mission really is a great thing and it turns us into men. I'm grateful that I could be here and I know that through my service, God will be able to bless the lives of so many people! I'm really so grateful for this gospel and I know that I couldn't live without it. It really is such a great blessing to all of us! I hope that none of us ever take it for granted. I know that back in Utah we live in a place that is surrounded by the gospel but out here it's so hard to find. It makes me so much more grateful for all that I have and that I have been so blessed to have the gospel in my life. This church is so true!
I'm glad that you guys liked the post card too. I have learned a lot about this city from the members and just being here. I've learned a lot about this part of the world in general and it is really interesting to me. I love history and geography so it's perfect for me. So, it's been fun to learn so much. I really liked reading about the things you have been studying and about understanding the spirit and stuff. I think that it the Lord really will bless us so much if we really look for answers and study hard. I've learned so many things that I haven't known before already and I'm so grateful for that. I coming to understand even better why you both love to study the gospel so much and it really is such a great thing. Have a great week and remember to smile!
Love, Elder Leishman
Here's some pictures I thought you might like! I took both pictures from our window this past week and I thought mom would like to see them. It reminded me of you, mom. :) It's one of the prettiest sun sets I've ever seen! Oh and it was taken at 10:30 at night here so you can see that we have a lot of day light! Love you guys! Enjoy!
180 days down, 550 days to go!!!
