Week 40- Still Vibing in Vilnius

Hello Everyone!


Highlights from the last little while:

- We watched conference with our favorite Finnish member's house. He's here for Medical School but his wife was in Finland so we went full bachelor mode. We stayed at his house for all of conference (because our investigators were out of town, sad). For dinner we had frozen pizza and soda, breakfast we had breakfast burritos and soda, lunch we ate candy and soda and then for snacks we ate candy and ice cream. I'm glad his wife wasn't home because she loves eating super healthy. 

- This week was pretty slow as missionary work goes, most of investigator were out of town or ghosting us. We got to do lots of street contacting though and Facebook finding.

- Elder Yeyna left Lithuania to go to Estonia. The Mafia gang (relates to Elder Yeyna's New Jersey accent) will never be the same without him. 

- We've started whiteboarding (not to be confused with waterboarding), where we hold a whiteboard on a street corner and ask people questions like "what makes you smile?" or "what are you grateful for?" It has been really fun. Our favorite interaction was when a lady on the bus saw the board, waved at us, pulled down her mask and gave us the biggest smile. I will never know who she is but she is one of my favorite people in all of Lithuania. 

- Finally got my Temporary Residency Permit! Completely legal for the entire duration of my mission, yay!

- one person we've been teaching is named Skaistė. She's totally interested in the gospel but lives in Ireland so contact is super scare with her. Pray she'll be able either find out how to text or find a time after work she can call us.

- I shaved my own head (picture included). No particular reason, mostly an in the moment ordeal. I miss my hair. 

- I'm on my third tie in the tie schedule. Shout out to Cameron, he gave it to me. 

- One of my favorite conference quotes to close things out:   "Our future will be determined far less by our starting point and much more by our slope. Jesus Christ sees divine potential no matter where we start. He saw it in the beggar, the sinner, and the infirm. He saw it in the fisherman, the tax collector, and even the zealot. No matter where we start, Christ considers what we do with what we are given." (Clark G Gilbert) I love that God is focused on our progress. Elder Holland said "come as you are, but don't plan to stay as you are." It's so important to realize that we are not disqualified from God's love at anytime, nor will we ever sin enough to make us too unworthy to repent. Christ paid the price for a debt we owed because we owed a debt we could not pay. 

Viso Gero, 
Elder Smitas 

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