Weekly May 1

 (Elder Putnam)

Yoo, heres a recap of the week.

 

Monday: I arose early. Being compelled by Sister Lū we decided to be efficient in the morning. I got a solid workout in then showered and we headed to lidl. We went crazy again on the eggs and other high protein goods. I also found a new pastry there. Todays big purchase was a six pack of multifruit juice. Then we hit Rimi for a few items. I snagged Ramone (the purple car from Cars - ill include a picture). We also got tabasco sauce from Rimi which saved us a trip later. Then we met the former missionaries at the church to go to the Southern Forts. Ive never been there and so it was quite fun to check out. The Southern Forts are a bunch of cavish looking things made of cement. It was full of beer bottles and potato chip bags. We kinda just vibed out there for a short while. Then Elder Bastow and I did a lift (like the dancing thing where you lift the person in the air from the waist). Shoutout to James Lear for the pointers on that. The pictures not so great. We then went back to the church and played duraks and citrons, followed by Unstable Unicorns. I pulled like no useful cards for myself, but a bunch of downgrade cards. So I ended up looking like the villian when really I was only doing that which was effective. So finished up by sending off my email. Then we went to the Ščerbeniņi for Benja's birthday. Benja is the cutest little kiddo. We gave him cars for his birthday. I also got clowned for not having made siļķe kažokā (herring in a fur coat) which is just way not my thing. But I am a missionary. So I got seconds. Mamma, I dont wanna hear the echoes of old memories "on your mission youre gonna have to eat tomatoes" or "youre preparing for a mission so eat those mushrooms." And Father,,, I have not eaten a single chicken foot my entire mission thus far. For the most part, the food here is pretty darn solid.

Overall day: 9/10, lots of fun and relaxation

 

Tuesday: We had district counsel, went home. Did studies. Then we went whiteboarding in the rain with Ernests. It was not very effective but we talked alot about missionary work which was good. then in place of art night we had a lesson about the plan of Salvation with Emīls. He is starting to pick up the stuff that we put down. We just gotta poke him to get him moving (figuratively of course). Then we had a heart to heart with Raitis on the way home. I ate left over chicken pesto pasta for dinner.

But Ye Elders of Israel goes so hardddd.

Overall day: 7/10 not a crazy amount was accomplished. I also started to fall asleep during language study.

 

Wednesday: we started off by going to Miko bakery. Its so good. Very cheap for decent pastries. They have old bagged ones you can get by weight. I got maybe 20 little mini pastries for like a euro. Such a deal. Then we went to the church for Kristīnas Study. Garett was also there. He brought his dog, which im pretty sure is not allowed in the church, but I honestly have no idea what to do in that situation. Near the end, the former missionaries showed up to say goodbye. I must say, they are so cool. Like very respectful and kind. They seemed proud of us. Made me happy. Then we went home and did studies. Neither of us set a timer so im pretty sure it went over by like 30 minutes. But its ok. Then we went back to the church for seminary and the chosen night.

Overall day: 7/10 good day, but nothing overly significant.

Thursday: We went to the bakery again for comp study. my MSF is getting shot. English Night was alright. We were in charge of the beginner class which is just two 13 year old Russian girls. They are not at all focused. Then on our way home, Brālis Hilton messaged us and we found out that he, Brālis Bastian, and Jordan Harmon, who all served in Latvia 2 years ago, (and Brālis Hilton and Brālis Bastian taught us in the MTC). They’re dope.

Overall day: 6.5/10, the tougher days help you appreciate the better ones.

Friday: We started the day off with some finding. It got mad chilly on Friday just kinda out of nowhere. We went walking in a different direction and across the bridge. Its right next to the beer bottling factory. Anyways, nobody was outside due to the weather and the wind. There’s always the struggle of walking back towards home and then one girl is walking in front and keeps taking the same path that we need. It makes you look and feel like a stalker. But ya, then we went back to the apartment texted people, and did language study and lunch. Then it was Facebook and piano work until sports night. Sports Night was the first time we got to see the former missionaries. They are dope. I love them. Brālis Bastians was only speaking Latvian to us, which I was low key a fan of. Our friends liked them too. After Sports night we hurried home and grabbed our pelmeņi and a pot. Then we ate with the former missionaries and just talked about divine things.

Overall Day: 8/10, lowkey mad stressful, but definitely a fun time.

Saturday: We had a very stressful day. We wont say what started the day, but it was unsuccessful and a bit of a waste of time. Then we went home to fix our water filter, spending way too much time on that, and found out that the Suisses, who were gonna come up from Lithuania and teach an Art class, cancelled on us. So we spent a short sec informing a ton of people that we were cancelling an activity. It was tough. Then we went to the church and ate tacos with Lāsma, her kids, Raitis, Ernests, and the Māsas, kuras (klasisku māsu modē) nokavēja😁. Then we had a long game night. A part way through the former missionaries joined in and we had a solid time. I think the youth especially liked the returned missionaries. It gave them a tom of energy. After game night we talked for a long time with other people. I got to talk with Samanta and we just conversed. She taught me a new phrase. It was dope. Also the entire district leader call heard the last half of the conversation. It was good.

Overall day: 8/10, some good moments just kinda surrounded my chaos.

Sunday: It was good. the former missionaries spoke. I played piano badly in front of them. The church was very alive. Also, one of the newly called Stake Presidency members was there. He’s pretty cool, but his kids are absolutely crazy. They speak minimal Latvian and no English so I learned that Banan means Banana in Russian. Who woulda thought? After second hour we raced to do some Facebook work but just ended up talking with President Blūms about deep doctrine and how to improve the Facebook page. That Facebook post never did get written *sigh*. But President Blūms is dope. We like him. Then we had the classic Sunday calls. Elder Bastow and I have a new tradition though for Sunday dinner. But I wont include it here. Chicken Pesto Pasta for dinner.

Overall day: 8.5/10, good and also surprisingly chill for a Sunday.

Keep up your faith in Christ. He magnifies your efforts

Putniņš out✌️

Latvian word of the day: mieloties, meaning, to feast.

Mēs ar Talmadžu un Kraiganu mielojamies ar pelmeņus.

We feasted upon pelmeņi with Talmage and Cragun.

Spiritual Thought: We listened to the talk %1 better in Second Hour at church on Sunday. if every day you improve by 1%, you will be 38 times better of a person after a year. That’s an incredible difference. However, you have to have consistency. Keep the grind up. You wont see results day to day, but God will work His magic on you and through you.