Oct 15: Baltic Chŗonīcļe: Trakās Dienas, Investigators Change Lots, The Restoration

All: 55.76 (71484). We had General Conference and a lot of bus sitting time, so we didn't walk too much. Anyway...

Today marks the beginning of Trakās Dienas (The Crazy Days) at Stockmann shopping center. They have ridiculously good sales on a few items, decent sales on a large number of things, and minor sales on most of the rest. Then, they just have their usual stuff buried in the mess of people. It's absolutely insane! But, very enjoyable. I got myself an 8GB thumb drive (for 18 Lats) and 4GB in 2 SD cards (for cameras) for 7 lats. It was quite the sale of goodies. I would have a picture, but the computer I have this time doesn't have a card reader. Next week, I'll send you the "crazy days" ghost, and what the place looks like at night. It's quite crazy, indeed.

Beyond that, conference was amazing! My favorite talks were the last talks of the first and second sessions. One was about how faith, hope, and charity work together (that's the first session's one) given by President Uchdorf. It was amazing, especially because I've been trying to think of how those work together and I've been studying them quite extensively recently. So, it was most helpful. Another was by Elder Bednar about how we can make our prayers more effective (which went well with his last talk on the same topic), and I immediately tried it. The power of my prayers has changed a good deal already. I can feel it. And it came from applying the thankfulness principle. It's amazing! Anyway, you can read them here if you want to! I loved them! (http://lds.org/conference/languages)

Investigators: We just picked up some new ones. I don't know how they'll do, and I want all the time I can get for this next section, so I'll fill you in next week.

And now, I wanted to finish some thoughts about the foundation of the belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I spoke about the first part two weeks ago (Oct 1). Now, from the death of the apostles of Jesus Christ:

As people were not listening to the apostles, and even killing them, God retracted that leadership and the authority and power the apostles had. With no authorized leadership on the earth to receive revelation from God, the world fell into a great apostasy. Plain and precious truths were taken from the Bible, through erroneous translations and transcriptions as well as intentional removal by people who listened to Satan. What better way for Satan to keep the children of God from progressing than to make the truths of God hard to understand? Thus, mankind thought through religious questions and important matters (such as the very nature of God) through councils and after the thoughts of man, rather than seeking divine revelation from the Almighty. This resulted in much false doctrine being taught as truth, in ordinances (such as baptism) being changed, and the organization of the Church of Christ was changed. Twelve apostles and quorums of seventy were no longer found. And, most importantly, that authority to act in God's name was lost. For a long time, mankind searched for truth, but were unable to find it.

The apostles knew that a great apostasy was in the future, and warned the faithful saints of the Church of Christ to beware of it (2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3, 1 Timothy 4: 1-4, 2 Timothy 4: 3-4). They even forsaw the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His church: Acts 3: 19-21. And this is nothing new, for even during Old Testiment times, they knew about it. Amos taught about it in Amos 8: 11-12. There is an abundance of information concerning this found in the writings of Nephi, a prophet of the Book of Mormon. He wrote slightly less than 600 years before the coming of Jesus Christ about all the problems that would arise in the latter days (our days), concerning the Bible's corruption and the false teachings that man would propagate: 1 Nephi 13: 24-26, 29, 1 Nephi 13: 38-41, 2 Nephi 26: 20-21, 2 Nephi 28: 3-6, 2 Nephi 27, 2 Nephi 28, 2 Nephi 29. The last three are entire chapters that very clearly describe what happened. Included in the last chapter (2 Nephi 29) is a little about the coming forth of the proofs God provides of the restoration, and people's rejection to it. I will talk more on that in a moment.

So, for years (more than 1000 of them) mankind was in a spiritual darkness. Many good souls saw that churches had strayed from the truth (people like John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Calvin and others), and tried to reform the church they saw to conform with the teaching of Christ as seen in the Bible. This created a scene where religion was more thought about, and where people recognized the need for a reform. However, a reform could not return the fullness. A restoration was required. Restore means to return to the state it was in originally. It was necessary that God restore His authority, to restore the fullness of truth, and to re-establish His church.

In America, in 1820, there lived a boy who was seeking the truth. He saw the religious confusion in the world at the time, and wanted to know where God's full truth could be found. He attended many meetings of different churches, but did not feel that anything felt correct. He studied the Bible often, for he know that truth could be found in the Bible. One day, he was reading in the Epistle of James. This is what he read: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering" (James 1: 5-6). He said when he read these verses, they entered into his heart with great force. He thought about them again and again, and finally came to the conclusion that he needed to ask God, or remain in confusion.

He went out to a secluded location in the woods by his home, so as not to be interrupted in his prayer. He knelt, and began to pray aloud. What happened next is a miracle, and I wish to use his own words. He said, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" Think for a moment. Re-read what Joseph said happened as he prayed. This is the most important thing to have happened in the history of the world since Christ's resurrection. "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. In that vision, Joseph Smith learned that Christ's church was no longer on the earth, and that false doctrines abounded. He was then told that through him, the fullness of truth would be restored, and that all would be restored. Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet in these, the latter days.

I testify that through Joseph Smith, all that was in the church established by Jesus Christ Himself when he walked the earth is again on earth. All the authority, power, teachings, doctrines, and knowledge is available. If we were to talk about the difference between the LDS church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and other churches, I would tell you that only the LDS church has the full power and authority of God to govern the church on the earth. It is the only living church that receives direct revelation through a living prophet.

God, through Joseph Smith, provided convincing evidence of the divinity of Joseph's calling. That evidence is in a book. This book is the Book of Mormon. God, knowing that confusion and misinformation would abound after 1000+ years of darkness, provided another witness of Christ. The Book of Mormon, Another Testiment of Jesus Christ, is that evidence. Joseph Smith translated this book from ancient records buried in the ground. In its pages, we learn the fullness of the gospel, and we gain ever more convincing evidence that Jesus is the Christ. I do not want you to take my word for it. I know that these things are true because I followed the council of James. I have prayed to the Almighty God and asked if these things were true. I have received a witness that they are. I have not seen angels, nor have I beheld God the Father or Jesus Christ. I have had no marvelous visions. But the power of the Holy Ghost bore record so powerfully, that I cannot deny the truth of what I know. During the introduction of the Book of Mormon, the purpose of the book is made clear, as well as the requirements for one to gain a witness of that book: "We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost (see Moroni 10: 3-5). Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah."

This, I have tried, and know it to be true. This is why I want so much for all who read the words I type to begin reading the Book of Mormon. Either specific chapters or just from the beginning. You can begin reading it online here: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/contents. I testify to you that your faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, will grow and expand as you read this book. And through it, you can truly know all that was promised. Knowing that the book is true, you will know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. That means all that was restored through him truly comes from God. That means God's church, the one He leads through revelation, is again on the earth, with all the authority, power, and teachings thereof. I testify again that it truly is on the earth.

Again, prophets and scripture writers knew this was going to happen, and told us about it in the scriptures. There are many scriptures concerning this. I will simply list a few, and you can see how these scriptures support the truth of the restoration. First, however, I wish to start with this pair of scriptures:
Ephesians 1: 10. This is literally fulfilled. Doctrine and Covenants (the scripture that was recorded by latter-day prophets--they wrote the revelations they received just as Moses and Amos and all the rest of the prophets did) briefly summerized what was gathered together: D&C 128: 18-21. Now, for the other verses. Please read these carefully and prayerfully:
Isaiah 29: 13-14, Ezekiel 37: 15-19, Isaiah 29: 4 CR 2 Nephi 26: 14-17, Isaiah 29: 11 (CR Joseph Smith History 1: 63-65, 2 Nephi 27: 1-26), 2 Nephi 3: 11-15, 1 Nephi 15: 13, 2 Nephi 27, 2 Nephi 29, Mormon 8: 16, Revelation 14: 6 (about Moroni): all speak of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the restoration.

As for scriptural support of the Book of Mormon, please read the introduction of the Book of Mormon, then see the following references:
Concerning the people in the story: Genesis 11: 9 CR Ether 1: 33; Genesis 49: 22 refers to the family of the tribe of Joseph that traveled to the Americas. John 10: 16 CR 3 Nephi 15: 21-24 shows that Christ knew about the people in the Book of Mormon. The importance of a second witness are these: 2 Nephi 29: 7-11, 2 Nephi 28: 29-30.

And, because I want all to feel the joy and peace that I have felt from these truths, I would like to discuss prayer. Prayer is a true communication with God. Therefore, we pray in our own words. We begin prayer by addressing our Father in Heaven. Something as simple as saying "Dear Heavenly Father" or "Father in Heaven." We then speak the feelings of our heart. This includes thanking Him for our blessings, asking for help, asking if the Book of Mormon is true, etc. It's important to ask in faith, and truly be ready to receive any answer from God. We then end our prayers with the phrase, "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Christ is our mediator with the Father, and therefore our prayers go through Him. Therefore, we do it in His name. There are many references to prayer and how the Holy Ghost answers our prayers in the scriptures. I site only a few: James 1: 5-6, John 14: 26, Matthew 6: 6-8, Matthew 7: 7-8, Matthew 21: 22, Galatians 5: 22, Alma 5: 45-46, 3 Nephi 18: 20, Moroni 7: 26-27, 29, D&C 8: 2-3, D&C 9: 8, Moroni 10: 3-5.

You may also want to read the entirety of Joseph Smith's testimony, called Joseph Smith History. These are his own words as to what happened and his testimony of those things.

Now, if you so feel to, please read all those references and truly search for truth. I know that God does answer all sincere prayers. He loves us, and wants us to be happy. He, therefore, has given us all the knowledge we need to trust in Him, to love Him, and to know what we must do. I will share some of the doctrines that have brought such joy and peace to me in the coming weeks. Please study everything I say for yourselves, and pray to Him who knows all truth, even God the Eternal Father.

I love you all.
--
Elder Argyle
@..@
(-----)
( >/°¥< )
^^‾\/‾^^

Oct 8: Baltic Chŗonīcļe: Trip to Tallinn, and a Wonderful Investigator

All: 65.29 (83706). So, pics are these: A glimpse of the gorgeous countryside on the way to Tallinn! It turns out it's hard to take pictures out of dirty bus windows, especially when said bus is cruising down the highway! So, the country is actually a lot better looking than that picture, but that's one of few that actually turned out. So...yeah.

Then, a shot just outside the Prism (basically the same idea as Rimi--it's a huge supermarket with everything you could ever want in it) looking towards Tallinn. It's a gorgeous city! And, it has free wireless internet that you can use anywhere in the city. G3, too. Good on them!

Then, if any of you start to think gas is expensive where you live, this is a glimpse at the price per liter here. I saw this sign and thought you all would like to know that it could always be worse.

The final image is just one that I shot for fun. It was way gorgeous, and I couldn't help myself. It's very pretty here in the fall. I would recommend to all who wish to travel here to do it about this time of year. It's chillier, but much, much prettier. But, if you wait two more weeks, all the leaves will be gone (autumn is very short here), so you'll have to plan for the first week or so in October.

Quick note on zone conference: zone confereces are held in each country of the mission. Each country is divided into two zones: the language of that country, and Russian. So, all people cluster together in the country's mission's center. So, Estonia: Tallinn. Latvia: Rīga. Lithuania: uh...don't know. Terrible, huh? So, the missionaries who speak the two languages gather together in the city and we chat. So, for me, it's in Rīga. And, of course, they happen in English (as it'd be impossible to do Latvian and Russian at the same time!). We do practices and roleplays and such in our language, but the rest is in English. And that is zone conferences.

Now, I'll quickly tell my Tallinn tale, and then go through investigators and be done. I'm kinda short on time (we just finished zone conference and I need to go quickly to get to a meeting soon), so you'll have to wait until next week for the rest of my discussion on the foundation for our church.

Tallinn. So, once upon a time, I went to Tallinn. I got a stamp in my passport, paid a lot of Euros, and returned to Rīga. That was quite a long time ago. I then came from Beautiful Liepāja to Rīga to actually get the living permit. I was rushed leaving, so my suit coat jacket was left home. It wasn't until I was in Rīga that I realized my passport was in my suit coat. So...back to Beautiful Liepāja I went. I returned only a few days afterwords and got all my stuff alone. So, I had a valid living permit, good until May. Well, part-way through last transfer (so, probably 4-5 weeks ago) I get a call saying that my x-ray papers were lost (those are required to get a visa here...no idea why). So, I got those again. Then, about two weeks ago I get a call saying, "Hey, some of your papers for your visa are lost, so you need to go apply for it again." So, I signed everything and headed up to Tallinn yesterday (it's a 4+ hour bus ride there...5+ back (because of traffic, it took us 45 minutes just to leave the Tallinn...uh...rajons). (station?) I was with three other Elders: Widamin (who is Elder Brown's comp), Barnes, and Northrupe. We ate at a pizza place, then went to the agency. Anyway, Barnes had the responsibility for everything there. We got to the embassy, and he tosses all four of our packets down on the thing, and the lady takes them into the back to look them over. There's a line of other people getting their living permits who are serviced while she's looking through our stuff. It's down to two people and us. The lady comes back, calls over E. Widaman (no idea how to spell his name...sorry), and has him sign in the right place. He pays. He's good. Next up: E. Northrupe. Same thing. E. Barnes. No problem. Then me. "I have a question for you," says the lady working there.

"Why exactly do you want to extend?" I tell her I was told my papers were lost and I had to redo them so that all was well. Her: "Who told you that?" Our mission office told me. I could give them a call. I do. Actually, I call Valaris, who is our middle-man with the government. He tells me to call S. Harper (who works in the office), because she knows all of that stuff. I then call her. She tells me Valaris called and told her I had to do it again. She wasn't told more than that. So, I return to Valaris. He asks me to call tomorrow, when he can figure out exactly what's going on. By this time, the lady has checked all the records and comes back. "You have a valid permit in your passport. It's good through May. I don't see that it was rejected or canceled. What did you hear?" Well, I know no more than before. She tells me I'm probably good then, and I have no reason to be there. I get all my stuff back, and we'll see what happens and, as they say in Latvian, "Tieši kas par lietu." So, yeah. I returned with 10 (which magically became 9 on the bus ride home) boxes of the famed Alma Jogurt, baked apple flavor (which pretty much tastes like a liquid, creamy apple pie...way scrumptious!). These I sold today. And I didn't even break even! Curses! Oh well. So, basically, I spent 9 hours on a hot bus yesterday to read some 7 chapters of the Book of Mormon (in Latvian), a chapter in Lauva, Ragana, un Drebju Skapis (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in Latvian), and write a lengthy letter to some good friends. Oh, and carry back a lot of liters of jogurt. Whatever. I'm not overly concerned about it. The only bummer is that I missed our meeting with an amazing investigator.

Which brings us to: investigators!
A.: He's the amazing one. He's understood everything we've taught him. He reads. He prays. He fasts. He already has done all those things. He understands how to get answers to prayers. He's amazing! He went to visit his family last week. They are 7th Day Adventists. 7th Days are known for knowing their Bibles very well. The majority of them actually know what they believe, study the scriptures avidly, and strive to live the teachings of Christ. I have great respect for them. The only concern: will his family be ok with him joining another church? Well, from what I heard, he left several pamphlets with his family and they want some Books of Mormon, as they want to read from them. A. also wants to arrange a time when we can meet with his whole family to teach them. They live a good distance from Rīga, so it will be interesting to see when they can meet. But, I must say, I had re-affirmed to me that people who truly seek for the truth exist here, and are waiting for us to find them.
J.: This family is doing well. The daughter understands pretty much everything. The father understands things very clearly as well. The mother knows what she must do, but doesn't quite understand the doctrine as clearly. But, they are keeping commitments and doing quite well. I love them to death.
H.: Doing well. Haven't been able to get a hold of him this week. We're thinking it's work related. Or, maybe a letdown. We'll see.
J.: This is the older gentleman. He's doing well. He's reading, praying, and growing in faith. Good guy.
M.: This guy likes to sin, hates his life, and refuses to change. So, our meetings are basically teaching him how to use the atonement to lose the sin so that he can find happiness. Because "wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10). He's a good guy, though!

So, lots of good people!!! I'm way excited to see what lies on the horizon this week! Until then.
Es jūs mīlu!
--
Elder Argyle
@..@
(-----)
( >/°¥< )
^^‾\/‾^^

Oct 1: Baltic Chŗonīcļe: Sigulda, Birthday Parties, and Microsoft Chicken

For All: 62.62KM (80285 steps).

Sigulda. It was way fun. The view is gorgeous from the castle tower (IMG_0727), from the gondola (a suspended car above the valley that travels probably about .5KM across--way fun!) (IMG_0779), and everywhere else! I loved it! I also went strolling around Rīga a little, and found it's not as terrible a city as I thought! I actually found that it can be quite beautiful (IMG_1309). Please forgive the terrible quality of the shots: I only have a cheap point and shoot camera from a pawn shop!

Random humor: All who know me know I can't stand Microsoft, especially Windows. Windows Vista, humerically enough, translates into "Windows [foreign word, no change] chicken." So, who wants chicken running a-muck on their computer? Not I!

Elder Black is feeling quite better. Thank you all for your concern and care! He appreciated it. We both still have a little bit of something that bites occasionally, but it's not too bad normally.

Many asked about general conference. We'll be watching it one week late, but watch it we will. I will probably be able to understand it this time (I got almost nothing out of the last one!), so I'll have some inspiration from that. Everyone else, you can watch our general conference online (in your pick of languages: http://lds.org/conference/languages/). I recommend it. Here, several members have already received talks that general authorities will be giving, and have been in the process of translating it for the past little while. It will then be dubbed, and we'll watch it next week for that reason.

Another thing: Elder Racker had a little birthday shindig at TGI Friday's (the restaurant...yes, we have it here, too). We all went to enjoy that, and in Sigulda, we had a little party for him with our group at lunch time! I am currently planning the going-home "funeral" for Racker and Black (as they go home at the same time), so there are more zany festivals on the way!

There have also been some changes in the mission since President Dance came in. Here are a few of them:

We no longer count contacts. Our focus has shifted to working with members.

Culture days are no more, so we take field-trips on preparation days when occasion permits. Unfortunately, we can no longer go very far, as we must be back in town at 18:00 to keep working! Mission leadership changed a lot. We are focusing very heavily on getting 15 lessons a week. I am proud to say Black and I did that last week! And some other minor things....I think that covers all the major changes.

I think that, with that little bit of update, it's time for what I've promised. This is a little background information that we know to be true. It's important for all to know this background info, so that they know how God works a little better, and to know what and who God is. Here we go:

God is our loving Father in heaven. This is literal. God loves us. He knows us. He wants us to be happy in this life and return to live with Him again after this life. He wants to talk with us now. That's possible through sincere prayer. It's very important to understand this simple fact: God is not some unknowable thing controlling the universe. He is knowable, understandable, and personable. He feels love towards us, for He has thoughts, passions, and feelings. He has a plan for us that comes from His love for us. This plan allows us to grow and develop here.

God, as our Father, desires that we are successful in this life. He has given us several aids to do this. One of these helps is a family here. This gives us the opportunity to grow in a loving environment, and to support each other in all things. Families were designed by God to be eternal units, in which we grow to love one another, and then after this life, we have the opportunity to live together forever. Families also help us to grow in the gospel together. I also personally believe that as we live in a family, we come to understand God more. We feel those strong feelings of love towards our family members, our children, and we can understand how He feels towards us. It allows us to feel more confident in calling upon Him (Matthew 7: 9-11).

Before moving on to read more, perhaps you'd like to check in the scriptures where God's nature is described to us. Here you go:
Bible (only a few): Matthew 5: 48; John 3: 16-17; Acts 17: 27-29; Romans 8: 16; Hebrews 12: 9; 1 John 4: 7-9
Book of Mormon (again, only a few): 1 Nephi 17: 36; 2 Nephi 9: 6; Mosiah 4: 9; 3 Nephi 12: 48; 3 Nephi 14: 9-11; 3 Nephi 27: 13-22
Doctrine and Covenants (very few): D&C 38: 1-3; D&C 130: 22; (Pearl of Great Price) Moses 1: 39

God has given us another means of help in this life, so that we can clearly know and understand him. This is prophets. Prophets are people who are called by God. You'll remember Moses as an example of a prophet from the Old Testament. He was given power from God to lead the people of God from captivity. He was able to split the Red Sea with this power God gave him. God also gave His people commandments through Moses. Prophets have revealed to them God's will and commandments that they then give to God's people - those who have covenanted with Him, and therefore are His. Prophets are also given all the power and authority needed to do this: this includes the power and authority to to heal in Christ's name, baptize, and confirm the Holy Ghost (among other things). You'll recall from Acts in the Bible that the apostles had this power given to them from Jesus Christ (Matthew 10: 1 or Luke 9: 1). This is supported in the Book of Mormon, when Jesus Christ, then a resurrected Being, gave this same authority to his apostles that he had chosen on the American continent (Moroni 2: 2 (1-3)) This is again supported in Acts 8:18. In order to be a prophet for the world, one MUST be called of God and receive this power and authority from God by one authorized to give said power and authority (Hebrews 5: 4; John 15: 16). That is the key characteristic of a prophet. Through prophets, we know what we must do to know God, and to navigate through this perilous life. Prophets write their revelations and teachings down in what becomes scripture. These are available to us to learn from (Jacob 4: 4, 6). The Bible was written in this fashion, with some additional books of explanation, songs, and other writings to inspire and teach us. So was the Book of Mormon written. God has always worked through prophets (Amos 3: 7).

People, as we can see from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, don't always listen to prophets. How they reacted to Christ is the perfect example. One of His roles was to act as a prophet. He prophesied of things to come, He had the authority from God to heal and to do all that was necessary. People had fallen from the fullness of truth. Christ was there to restore it. He organized His church (Ephesians 4: 11-14). This was done so that the doctrine would stay pure and unchanged. Most importantly, however, He completed the atonement, allowing us to return to God again. This is the greatest of all gifts God has given us in this life. As Christ's atonement is at the core of the gospel in all things, I will talk about it again and again.

After Christ died, his apostles taught and continued Christ's church. But, people also rejected them, and eventually slew them. The power and authority of God to be a prophet, to give the Holy Ghost, to baptize--was lost. The world then fell into a great apostasy.
Terms: we are given two terms from scripture to describe time periods. A dispensation is a period of time when there is a prophet on the earth authorized to preach to the world. Apostasy is when an individual or group of people choose to disregard, distort, or disobey any gospel principal or ordinance, or when they reject the Lord's prophets. They fall from truth and are in a state of spiritual darkness. When apostasy is widespread and the larger group of people do those things, then God takes His prophets from the earth until the world is ready to hear and obey (thereby benefiting from this important aid God has given us).

But, as God has always done, when the world was ready to accept Him and His prophets again, we called another prophet. Next week (I hope), I will tell you how that happened in our days. I can tell you that I know we have a living prophet today. He has all the authority and power from God to do all that is required. He receives revelation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has 12 apostles, and we have the same organization as did the church during the times of Christ, for Christ Himself is at the head His church today.

Next week, there are two tricky situations making my writing a full letter questionable. We have preparation day on Tuesday (as our zone conference will be Wednesday), and I have to go to Tallinn, in Estonia. Latvia apparently (or someone between me and the office) lost my paperwork, and so Latvia has no proof that I have a visa. This means I need to go renew it (even though I registered in Liepāja with my valid visa and it's still good until May). Whatever. I'll let you know how that is. I will be doing that on Tuesday, so I will most likely e-mail on Wednesday quickly during lunch or something.

Es jūs milu! I pray for you all!
--
Elder Argyle
@..@
(-----)
( >/°¥< )
^^‾\/‾^^

Sept 24: Baltic Chŗonīcļe: Big City Thoughts and the Restoration of the Gospel

All: 66.57KM (85350).
Sorry. Apparently, some have gotten confused about what Šašliki is. Šašliki is...pretty much shishkabobs. It's meat grilled on a stick of some kind, usually with a few veggies or mushrooms or something like that. Way good...and Elder Raker makes a mighty fine Šašliki (pronounced shah-shleek-ee).

IMG_0695 is me falling into a pool of ridiculously huge lily pads at the Botaniskais Dārzs my last service day. The sign says "don't touch the plants!"
IMG_0709 - This is attack of the cats. I saw a cat, so I called to it. When I did, a virtual whorl poured out and this is only about half of the cats that appeared from quiet bushes and still grass around us. Kinda neat.

0714 is me right outside the church. We have these random grooves cut in, and I've seen other missionaries with the statue photo, and I wanted one for myself, as well. There you go.

OK, a few things. General impressions of Rīga center: Way too many people! But, when coming home from a meeting way out there, I looked to my right and saw a XXX Maxima (that's the biggest one...pretty much Walmart), McDonald's, and a GE Bank all glowing in the night. It looked pretty much like any American big city at that moment. I still don't like big cities--US or otherwise, but it's not so bad. Actually, we have had a good number of investigators, so in that respect I am quite liking this place. The church building is nice (it's a second floor that we bought and turned into our church a good number of years ago).

It's been a little tricky this week, as far as the work goes. My comp is sick, and therefore we spent most of our time not in meetings but at home napping. But, we have had a lot of meetings. One good thing about the hoard of humanity thronging the streets is that you can always find somebody to teach. Any time not at home or in meetings has been spent knocking with the Russians in this area. Things have been good. I don't really have any other impressions on the city yet (as I haven't really been out and about in it), but I'll keep you posted. It's nice to have public transportation come on time...

Investigators: This section is actually very full and exciting right now:
H.: He's a construction worker. Very humble, and praying about all we teach him. He's reading and building his own testimony.
J.: This man works for the president of Latvia as a landscaper (I'm fairly sure). He's excited to jump into the Book of Mormon, and he's moving right along. He's not from Rīga, though, so meetings and church may be tricky.
J. Family: This is an amazing family. They understand the gospel, the principles, and are striving to apply them in faith. I have yet to meet with the mother, but the father and daughter are doing very, very well. I love them, already!

I.: A young college student who just showed up at the church when our meeting fell through. He is amazing! He told us what he had read in the Book of Mormon (he got half a discussion on the Restoration from a Russian companionship...he, however, is quite Latvian and understands little Russia or English), and then he pulled the doctrine taught in those chapters right out. He accepted all the things we taught, and the Spirit was incredible throughtout the meeting!

A few more...next week.

OK, now, I wanted to go ahead with my discussion on what the church believes, and how we differ from from other churches. We, however, are going to Sigula today, and my time is depressingly short. So...I apologize, but I will talk about that next week, as well.

Es jūs milu!
--
Elder Argyle
@..@
(-----)
( >/°¥< )
^^‾\/‾^^

Sep 17: Baltic Chŗonīcļe: Transfers, Lido, Mega Homes, Locked In

All: 83.33 (106,839) this week, and 83.22 (106,738) last week. It would seem that I'm hitting a decent consistency, vai nē?

Pictures:
IMG_0577 is the scarecrow that Elder Raker (the fellow on the far left) constructed with his companion, E. Andrews. The other fellow on the far right is E. Wilkins. The scarecrow was erected because of the damage the birds were doing to the grass (seen in the background). It worked...a little. It proved ultimately to be ineffective. Latvian birds apparently do not honor the scarecrow.
IMG_0579 is Ausma Bedre (a member in Imanta) and her monstrous cat. This thing is one of the largest cats I have ever before beheld. I was actually quite terrified when I first beheld its mighty girth. But, it loves us, and so I grew to like the beast.

IMG_0603 is me at Botaniskais Dārzs. This is where we did a lot of service. This photo is during the festival mentioned last week. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's probably time you read things in chronological order, eh? heh heh

I would have had more photos, but I didn't bring my card reader, and this computer seems to be lacking in card-reading abilities. So....you get stale, last week or further back shots. Sorry.

Alright. So, transfers. Jes, I'm transferred. To my greatest possible nightmare: Rīga Center. I'm very much NOT a big city person, and Rīga center is very much a big city. But, I will withhold judgement until after I have taught here, and come to love the people. Then, I will let you know. I'm expecting a good transfer. We are informed about transfers via phone call, through the district leaders. They then call everybody else and inform them. Here's the new lineup:

Gray and Payne Imanā (that means in Imanta), with Sisters Morley, Wilson (who took S. Knight's place not too long ago mid-transfer), and Kelly also Imanā. They will cover the whole area of Imanta (that huge area about which I wrote only last week).

The Russians-speaking Elders are Elder Raker (Scarecrow maker and Šašliki chef extraordinaire!) with Andrews (no change), and Sister Tanner is with a new trainee. Elder Palmer is headed to Beautiful Liepāja, and I to Riga Center. S. Tanner's comp is going to Tallinn (Estonia). There is also one other companionship of Russians in Imanta, but I don't remember what's happening to any of them, or who will be there, so....yeah.

I'm know I'm with Elder Black as my comp (he goes home at the end of this transfer), and Sisters Knight and Hagen are in my district. Also Elder Brown (who is the district leader). So...this will be kinda like a reunion! (Elder Brown, Sister Knight and Sister Hagen were all in the MTC with me). I have no idea who else is in my district. More next week (probably).

I do believe that is all the questions...hmm...yeah. I think. Now, I got a letter, but I'm not sure who it's from (we were rushed at the office, and E. Palmer grabbed all the mail, and I have yet to get that from him...he's gone to Beautiful Liepāja already, but I do think that Gray has it. So, whoever sent it, thanks!). And...yeah. On to the week.

Oh!! Before that, Lido! So, look at the picture from last week. Looks nice, eh? It's a buffet-style restaurant, that has about anything you can imagine. Absolutely everything was delectable. There's only one problem: they have things priced per item. And it's not very expensive. So, you'll pile things on, thinking, "Oh, it's only 45 santimi!" but, you get to the register on your way out, and suddenly it's almost six lats! Totally worth it, though. They had amazing pancakes (more like crepes, for you in America accustomed to fluffy pancakes), Šašliki of all kinds, chicken, beef, salads, casseroles, lasagna, soups, desserts, drinks of all kinds, shakes, ice cream, pastries, breads, naked fruit, clothed fruit (covered in amazing sauces), noodle thingies, and mounds more of delectable edibles filing nearly an entire floor of a decently large building, the rich scent of goodness wafting in the air, filling you with a nearly uncontrollable lust for food and a dire need to fill your tummy with the bliss creating that succulent scent! In summary, it was good. Very good.

Now, moving on. It's getting cold. Very cold. Turns out that humidity makes chilly freezing. And there's plenty of humidity. Then you add a decently strong breeze, and suddenly your hands are changing colors in mere minutes from the door. I am again sporting my suit-coat jacket, and occasionally sweaters under that and gloves. And earmuffs. And...probably my overcoat soon. It's getting very cold very quickly. Only last week, it was still hot enough to spend the day in shirt sleeves. Now...you need at least three layers to not die. Interestingly quick, eh? But, I will survive.

English class starts tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about that (because English class is probably my second favorite part of missionary work...the first is gospel teaching. I guess I like it because I'm still teaching, even though it's not all gospel stuff).

Now, for a pair of humorous knocking stories. We decided to go knock on some doors (or mash some doorbells) in a part of town we have not been. Actually, two different parts of town that we thought people have not been to in a while. The first area contained a pair of monstrous residential skyscrapers, called the Panorama Plaza. We waved to the guards on our way in, and then took the elevator to the top. Floor 25. And it took about 15 seconds. This was the nicest elevator I have ever been in. The lifts in the other domes are rickety, old, and some make me fear for my personal safety. This one...I barely even felt it moving, and was well lit, roomy...beautiful. Anyway, when people began to answer their doors (the top 6 floors or so were uninhabited...or, nobody was yet home), we saw that the inside of people's flats were just as beautiful, if not more, as the elevator. We got a few return appointments. Each floor had automatic lights, and every person there spoke perfect English in addition to Latvian, Russian, and probably a few other languages, too. I've never seen anything even close to the same in all my wanderings. Then again, only in Latvia have I attempted to hunt down folks who live in palaces like that. But, unfortunately, around floor 11, somebody called security, and we were ushered out of the building in three languages. Good thing we got those return appointments, so we can go back!

The second interesting knocking experience was in another nice, new dome. We knew it was yet to be fully inhabited. Anyway, we found one with an open front door. A Russian lady was letting a friend out. So, we walked past them into the building. We then went knocking, and found about half of the 15 or 20 flats even had a resident (evident from the electricity meters kept out in the halls in almost every dome in Latvia...they read 000000). The biggest we saw was something like 001200. Not an old place. So, after knocking, we found that the front door was locked not only from the outside, but the inside as well! So, we went into the basement, finding only storage rooms and pipes. We found the door to the parking garage--locked both ways as well. Very interesting...we tried the few doors that had opened earlier...nobody. We called the return appointment we had there (today, if I remember correctly), and she wasn't there. The Russian lady wasn't there. There was no way out. We waited for somebody to come for about 15 minutes, and then the following 20 minutes we tried to escape on our own and tried the residents again. After about 15 minutes, we finally decided to hop out the second story window! We climbed onto the overhang, and then leapt from there to the ground. We then went home. Very humorous. And such is life. Oh well. It was overall good. And, we had several lessons we taught this past week--YAY!!!!!!

As far as spiritual thoughts go, I just have to comment on how amazingly fantastic Alma, Ammon, Aaron, Amulek, and all the others are. If you are not familiar with their stories, read Alma 4-30 (starting http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/4). Most particularly, the tales of Aaron and his brothers are amazing. Those are chapters 17-24 of Alma. (same link as above, but .../alma/17. ).From those, we see the power that God grants unto those engaged in His work. It's a lot.

Starting next week, I will be going over the basic doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I will begin with the story of how our church came to be, and how we differ from any other church on the face of the planet today. From there, I will go through some of the main doctrinal points. For those of you not LDS (a member of the above-named church), and are curious what we believe, stay tuned. For the rest of you, this may or may not be a good refresher. I will try to include a lot of scripture references. Anyway, that is what I'll be doing. So, until then!

Es jūs milu!
--
Elder Argyle
@..@
(-----)
( >/°¥< )
^^‾\/‾^^

Sep 10: Baltic Chŗonīcļe: English's End, Knocking, Rich Neighborhoods, Killer Conference, Beaver, LHC(!!)

All: No distance this week...my record is at the church right now, and I couldn't add it all up last night! But, next week, you'll get it.

Pictures: IMG_0609 is me PETTING A BEAVER! Yup! My comp, who took the picture, thought that I was fairly immature. But, I enjoyed it. A lot. Unfortunately, you cannot really see that it's a beaver....anyway. This was at the Rietums Festivals (Autumn Festival) at the Botaniskais Darzs (botanical(?) garden).
IMG_612 is from the roof of a 12 story dome, about sunset time. It's rather pretty, I thought (and you can see a hint of Rīga off to the right). It was a beautiful panorama (but I didn't take the panoramic shot from my comp this time, so you'll just have to believe me).
IMG_0569 is a shot of Lido. It's...quite a fancy place to eat. More on that later, also.

Letters received: Ashley, Lacey, Grandparents (both sets). Thank you much! I love reading all the news and updates!

Next item of business: I have found a pretty good Latvian-->English and English-->Latvian dictionary! The link is http://dictionary.site.lv . To change the language, just click on the flags at the top, or on any of the words when you're searching. Remember, that all words (almost) decline or conjugate in Latvian, so often you won't find the exact word. But, it's good enough.

Answers to questions:
English class is stopped until the 18th. We are running ads in the 5 Minute (a little free paper in Rīga) and we're hoping to see lots of new people! Amy said she'd come back, and she's bringing friends with her. And Tims was there Thursday (the last day of this session), which was kinda weird, but nekas.

Weather here has been odd. Rain almost every day, still. Monday was an actual thunder storm, and enough rain that several...uh...dzivokļi (apartments? I don't know what this is in English...it's where people live. A little apartment-type thing) flooded. Crazy...and on that day was a zone conference with President Gibbons (one of the presidency for East Europe...more on that in a moment). Thus, things have been hot, cold, normal, cold...and still humid, yes. I love it, now! Still not cold enough for a jacket, but chilly enough for sleeves (sometimes).

My typical day is this: wake up. Study. Leave. Talk to people. Sit for an hour or two on transport (and waiting for transport), knock somewhere, and teach a lesson when possible. It's been...rough for investigators the last little while.

Now, to other news:

I've already talked about English class. So, moving on from there. Since all of our investigators (save A., who is the interesting guy) have disappeared or no longer wish to meet with us, we have spent a great deal of time knocking on doors. We have been finding a little more than half of those we knock into are Russian. And areas we've been picking have not had great numbers of interested folk. But, on that note, we went out, almost as if going to Piņķi, but got off the bus before there and knocked an area of homes for three+ hours. This is the area with the Spilva factory, if any would care to find it via googleEarth or Maps. Zvaigžņu Iela and Spilva Iela is the street intersection I recall. Anyway, these homes were very, very nice. I do think that any of them could have fit in very comfortably in California (where I worked last summer). One even had a robotic lawn mower! It felt very much like a cross between outdoorzy Idaho and California's homes--the best and most beautiful of both! It was very enjoyable (pictures next week, maybe...). We've also gone on lots of splits with the Russian group of three missionaries, and found several good Russians to teach that way for them. Not a lot of interested Latvians...and the ones that are cannot ever meet (because they work 80+ hours a week or something similar...).

Then, we had a conference with President Gibbons. He's in the presidency for the East Europe area. President Dance went to a mission presidents' conference in Moscow, and both came back with the exact same message: Working with members is the only way to do the work. It was one of the most powerful meetings I have attended, because every single thing was on how we can be more effective in bringing souls unto Christ. Our primary focus should be with the members. As members, their focus should be on helping their friends accept the gospel. And it was stressed how easy it is. True, not all will be interested, but if done in love, and simply (as the gospel is a part of your life--you don't need to force conversation about it. Just simply state the reasons you do what you do, and people respect that and want to learn more), then none will be offended. Just do it. It was cool. We were then told how the priesthood organization works, and that with leadership positions come prieshood keys (authority), to preside over specific people and ordinances. The only thing the mission president has keys for is for convert baptisms. Everything else falls in the branch or ward. That means the branch/ward leaders are the only people authorized to receive revelation for the members of their branch/ward. That means we need to get working with our branch presidents throughout the Baltics! We were told we, as missionaries, can receive the revelation for our area and our investigators, for they are under our direct stewardship. But we cannot receive revelation for the branch, or for members, because they are NOT under our jurisdiction. But we can receive revelation for how to implement the shift to mostly branch-centered work in our areas. And so we have begun to do that. Obviously, we're still looking for people on our own, but the majority of investigators should come through the members. If anybody has any ideas on how to talk to friends, or how to build the faith of the members and such, send them this way, because I'm tired of not having investigators!

Already talked about the beaver. But, at Botaniskais Darzs, we have been offering to do service there. Because of that, we got free admission to this festival. There were vendors, activities, and we could tour the gardens. So, we did. It was very good. I enjoyed it a lot. And the garden is gorgeous..I have a mess of photos I'll send later.

Then, for any who foolishly thought the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) and CERN would cause a black hole, stand reproved. According to the 5 Minute, they tested the thing at 9:30 their time (10:30 here), and nothing terrible seems to have happened. And I, personally, am super excited that that thing is up and running!!! (Google LHC-CERN for more info)

Random side-note: my area is now anything across the river. This means any little sub-city of Rīga or anything over there is my area. I have from the Daugava (the river), and down and across. All of it. Technically, this means I have until Liepāja (300 KM away), but we rarely venture farther than Jurmala (13KM from here). So...my area's big. Transfers are next Wednesday, so if I'm sent elsewhere, I likely won't have time for a big email. I'll let you know at least where I was sent, though.

I love you all!! Good luck this week!!
--
Elder Argyle
@..@
(-----)
( >/°¥< )
^^‾\/‾^^

Sep 3: Baltic Chŗonīcļe: Packages, last week's things...Lido?

From: Jordan Argyle Date: Sep 3, 2008 4:59 AM

All: 83.5KM (107,102 steps).
The pics: IMG_0535 is a shot through the rain at night (I super wanted a shot like this...too bad my camera picks up a lot of noise at ISO 400...).
0552 and 0553 - We had a Sošliki (grill meat and eat it with stuff...good. Kinda like a kabob...). The people in the pics are (left to right):
0552: Benches - Hagen, Kelly (here from Liepāja for only a few days), Knight, Morley (really doesn't like having her picture taken), Wilson and Freeman. Standing up is sister Wilson (sister Hagen's trainee).
0553: Raker. Sitting is Palmer (my comp), Udee, Lindhart, Hansen, Weiderman, Edington, Brown (in the back there), and Gray (my other comp).

From last week: I have been wanting to say for a while: Argyle pattern sweaters are THE thing to wear here. Hundreds of folks are flocking around in Argyle sweaters all over the city. It's way cool!

I wanted to tell some stories about the members here (I didn't do so well telling you all why the people in Liapāja are so amazing...sorry about that), so I have a little there to say. And also, my English class (which just got...quite interesting again). Then, about what I did this week. Now you know. Let's go!

We met with the Šostaki family last Monday for Ģ.M.V. (Ģimenes Mājvakars--family home evening). They fed us pancakes, we chatted for a while, got to know each other, and then we shared a thought on charity. The family is so funny! They discovered I like to write all words I don't know down, so they began to use odd phrases and different words, so that I had more to write. When they saw me write, they'd know which word it was, and then go back and explain what it meant. It was great!
There's also a couple is this branch that is quite interesting. I do not remember their names (I've always been terrible with those things...names...), but he is from Liepāja, and she is from Salaus (in Lithuania). They now live here. They communicate much through English (great middle language that it is), and she is learning Latvian. She is quite hilarious to talk with.

I also had a great time with the youngest Senkans boy. We talked quite a bit last Sunday also.
Speaking of speaking on Sunday, I got to do that last Sunday as well. I was assigned the topic of baptism. I spoke, and almost everyone said that they understood me (I sure hope that they weren't just being nice...I did get mixed up a lot declining the word for "baptism" (kristīšanās...reflexive nouns decline weirdly), but otherwise did decently). For those who know me, I stopped before I had been going TOO long (15 or so minutes). It was fun, actually, because I do a lot better with just lecturing than I do teaching with questions and such.

On to English (kinda abrupt, I know, but try to keep up with my frantically running mind here, eh?)! At the beginning of this transfter, I joined Sister Morley in 3rd level English. We had two students: Amy and Tims. They are dating, and are a really cute couple. They were also a great deal of fun to talk with. But, me teaching with a sister wasn't to last (as that's not really a missionary-ish thing to do), so teachers were shuffled so that it was me and Elder Black. But then, he was transferred, so I taught them alone one week (we had a third member also join us...apparently he has come frequently, but hasn't been able to make it recently), which is also not kosher. So, we moved into the Russian third level class, which my students did not particularly like (as they talked a lot about sports there). Anyway, last Thursday was Tims final day with us. He is gone to Vencpils for school. So, I impulsively told them we'd have a farewell party. I wound up buying a bottle of "TexMex Salsa" (which barely tastes like salsa...if anyone has a good salsa recepie that doesn't require a blender, send it along! Or, if it's really good, send it anyway) and some chips, and we had that with juice. It was "The best farewell party I've ever had," according to Tims. "And your only," according to Amy, but the point is that it was his best. This week, Amy brought a classmate from school (she's in the 12th grade), and we met separately with a borrowed Russian-speaking missionary from the Russian tripanionship. It was one of the most fun English classes I've ever had! Too bad we're taking a break after this Thursday class..we'll start again on September 18th (for any Latvians who have found this...we're on Dumbrāja Iela, right behind the Imantas Kulturas Centers).

The best moment of my week was that English class. The conversation went from racism to explosives to sulfuric acid to not knowing any Latvian history to candy bars to schooling, to chemistry, to...etc. It was so random; I felt absolutely wonderful afterwards. And then we knocked into a cool family who said we may be able to come back. It wasn't very solid (meaning it wasn't solid at all), but it felt good to finally talk to a Latvian at a door for more than 10 seconds.

Both of my comps got packages this week (or, within the last two). So, that was quite exciting. We had American sweets and all kinds of goodness going on. I have been very careful with my salsa, and only just barely finished it off (yesterday). This would be the salsa from my package. Anyway, it was a good week that way, too.

Today we're going to eat at Lido -- a super fancy restaurant that every Baltic missionary has told me I must go to before I leave, for the food is beyond delectable and it is the best place to eat, and the atmosphere is great, and blah blah blah. We'll see what it's really like. I belive it'll be good. I'll let you know next week.

Last week, we had a feast of new investigators. This week, we didn't really get too much action in that respect, but here are the people (and why they're awesome!...or not):

K.: Way, way busy. He's way cool, though. We gave him a large reading assignment (3 Nephi 11-30), and he told me that he read chapter 11 three times, to make sure he understood it, and fell asleep mid-reading. He can't just put it down! That's exciting. But, he travels a lot for work, so meeting with him has proved to be tricky.

E.: Very interested. At first. Now, not so much. But we had a good hour long gospel discussion including a fairly in depth discussion on the great apostasy, this new dispensation, and those things. Please pray for his interest to be rekindled.
A.: We're probably going to have to drop him. He's pretty slow mentally, and we're going to keep with him on the phone. If he quits smoking, we'll see what happens, but right now he just reads and reads, but doesn't really understand or remember what he reads, so...good guy, through. It's always hard to drop people.

A.: cool young guy in Marupe. He's actually from a city far away, but works here. Again, hard to meet. In our first meeting, he told us that he was interested in seeing what we talk about, but he's not that religious.
G. and M.: Haven't had a change to meet with her, but he is still super analyzing the Book of Mormon. So, we gave him 3rd Nephi to read. If he doesn't feel the spirit reading that, then there's nothing we can do for him right now. We'll see where he goes.

D.: Cynical one. We got him to read a chapter from the Book of Mormon. We'll see how he felt to know if we keep teaching him.

Oh, and we have dropped S.--he is not really learning, reading, or praying, and we think he's there because we're good friends to have.

So, no real solid people that we can meet with often. We need to find some.

Spiritual thought: God lives. Christ is our Savior. "...there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives" (Mosiah 5:8). We enter God's kingdom through proper baptism. When we are baptized, we covenant with God to keep his commandments, and after a baptism of water (by immersion, as Christ was baptized), we then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. In the Book of Mormon, 2nd Nephi, chapters 31-33, these three chapters are all about baptism, both of water and of the spirit, and why they are so important. The chapters also clearly explain what the Holy Ghost does for us (there are at least 15 points...hunt for those). I testify that the authority to baptize in the manner that continues after this life is in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and this baptism, through the proper priesthood authority, is the first covenant--two-way promise with God--that we make in this life. It starts us on our path back to God and blesses us with the gift and guidance and comfort and direction of the Holy Ghost.

Anyway, it's true. I love you all! Know I pray for you all the time!!

--
Elder Argyle
@..@
(-----)
( >/°¥< )
^^‾\/‾^^