Mar 4: Baltic Chŗonīcļe: Transfers, Moving stinks, Investigators, and Weirdness

From: Jordan Argyle

Date: 2009/3/4
Subject: Mar 4: Baltic Chŗonīcļe: Transfers, Moving stinks, Investigators, and Weirdness

All: 94,150 steps. 73.44 KM.

Pictures: So, the top one is what I call the "Creepy Babies." These are the mannequins at a children's clothing store, and they are probably the most terrifying thing I have seen...since some of the domes I've been in, anyway.

Next: This is Alise, one of the members here. Well...almost member. She is old enough to have been baptized, but her father is very inactive, and she has decided not to be baptized yet. I think she's waiting for her father, but he really doesn't want to do anything. So...anyway. She promised E. McLaren that she would read about the 2000 stripling warriors. She stole my triple to read it after church, while I was waiting for my meeting with the branch president. So, I nabbed a picture of her studying so čaklīgi.

Last: These are all the missionaries on the last day of last transfer. From left to right: Hagen Largey, Santa (one of the twins recently baptized), Romney, Beuhner (pronounced Beaner), White, McLaren, Patterson, Hansen, and me on the floor. Long story. Kinda...But, some of those aren't here anymore, because of transfers. More on that later

I was asked to describe what I see right now. It's a row of computers in a sweltering hot room filled with some random people and some missionaries. The screens are glowing with various games and a few people actually looking on the internet for stuff. I can't see out the window, but out there is a little courtyard. For Evil McDonald's. It's cool. Anyway, that's all. Really boring this week.

Songs for the Concert/Fireside(?) were in English, Latvian, Russian, and without words at all. Quite a successful concert, really. We even had a few pieces that were a cappella.
We announce our English classes in newspapers here. Also, we have our students sharing with people when it will be, and we tell people when we contact them. If they aren't interested in the gospel at all, or God, then we see if we can get them interested in learning English pie mums (with us? English is really hard).

"Any funny or unusual or memorable missionary moments this week?" Well...we got chased by a drunk Russian for almost half a block while knocking on doors the other day. We also had a very frustrating thing happen: there was a baptism this Saturday. We invited our whole English class (12 or so people), and we called all our contacts and invited them as well. And, when all was said and done, we had 23 people that we had invited. So, there we are, sitting in the church. You know how many came? I'll tell ya: 0. Yeah. People are so interesing. We also had a lot of good lessons that members helped with! It was really neat! Now, you are probably wondering about transfers or something, huh? Well, here goes.

Sister Hagen and Sister Wilson traded places (Wilson to Riga Center with Largey, and Hagen to Imanta with Norris). I was both saddened and excited for the change. Saddened because I love having Hagen in my district, and she and Largey were amazing together! They were basically tearing it up here, and their unity was amazing! So, I hate to see that go. The exciting part is that Wilson is basically me, but female. She thinks almost the same as I do in almost all things. So, now somebody will understand what I'm trying to say in district meetings, and she's basically hilarious. But she was doing amazing things with Norris as well, and so it's a big, hard change for all of them.

We also lost Elders Wineger (sp?) and Pratt, who both went to Imanta. And so did McLaren. I am now with Thompson (the other ZL--Zone Leader--for Latvian Latvia district; Brown is the other. Odd? Yeah, but whatever), and nobody is replacing Wineger and Pratt. They are thinning the ranks here...But we will get new troops (and quite a few of them) this next transfer! YAY!

I've decided that moving stinks. We've been moving from a stinky, weathered, old, rickety apartment to another one just down the street all day today. I think that I would almost be fine with just staying at the other one because I wouldn't have to pack up everything. We're closing that apartment, so it's not just our stuff we're packing. It's also silverware, irons, area books, and everything else. It's a mess. Oh, and now we need to clean and pay for two apartments this week. Whee...but, nekas. It's actually not something that matters all that much.

But, I did get a yellow-enveloped birthday card from somebody, and a juicer (I didn't even know that they had those plastic cones that you could juice stuff with) from the Carsons (a senior couple here), and a package from the folks. Thanks, all!

SISTER WHITEHEAD, DO NOT READ THIS NEXT SECTION. JUST JUMP TO INVESTIGATORS.
So, it turns out that next Sunday, the 8th of March, is Womens Day...again. My mission started with one of those. It's a seriously bizarre feeling thinking that I've been here in Latvia a year already. My brain basically melted not too long ago because of that...Anway, to all you women out there, we'll be celebrating you this Sunday. Also, Sister Whitehead goes home in three weeks. Yeah, mid-transfer. She's basically one of my favorite people ever. I knew her before the mission through a mutual friend, and we hit it off quite well here. So, it's weird to have someone else who has been a rock for me leave the mission. I'm tellin' ya, it turns your head in all kinds of odd circles. And in only another two transfers, my MTC sisters will be gone! That's when I'll know: I'm old. It's truly a bizarre feeling.

Investigators:
A. is still with us, and progressing strong. He has a baptismal date for the 14th of March. We'll have some things to talk about first (we have talked about all the commandments from a pamphlet for youth that states the standards expected for youth and basically explains things), so we'll hit them more deeply this week, and get him ready.
He's actually the only good one left. G. is in England (that's OK, though). When I first arrived in Liepāja, we were teaching a guy named Valdis. I taught him only once (maybe twice), then he went to Germany. We helped him find the missionaries and the church there, and he was baptized there. My last week in Liepāja, he came to church, and we got to talk. I know that it happens, and I am expecting it to happen this time to G. also. He was so ready for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

With Elder Encs (no clue how to spell than in English...ladna) leaving to Imanta as well (he was an assistant to the president), he left us a lot of good contacts, and we also have a lot from Elder McLaren and myself. We'll have some by next week. Elder Thompson is a champ. He just came from Jelgava, so we'll be ready to teach everything, and do it very powerfully. I'm stoked!

That's it! Have a beutiful day, y'all.

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Elder Argyle
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