Sveiki Visiems!!

This week was pretty bland. Elder Sherman had a fever, so we stayed in most of the week. He's more or less recovered now, which is good. Never fun to be sick.

We started off the week great. We had a lesson Monday night with a couple. The power went out in the middle, which was kinda distracting for a bit, they bustled around flipping breakers trying to get it back on, but it came back and settled down. We tried to teach a little at first and the husband kinda shot us down, but later in talking, the wife asked why there are so many churches if there is only one God? We were like, we can answer that and proceeded to tell about the apostasy and Restoration. It was fantastic. The wife was interested and said she would come to Church in a few weeks to see what it's like.

We met with a less active, Tadas Ž. He's about 20. He joined when he was super young and then kinda stopped coming for various reasons, but has come fairly regularly since I've been here. We just kinda wanted to befriend him and see if he wants to serve a mission. He said he would be interested, but would need to strengthen his own faith first. We responded that we would love to help him do that. He was interested which is good.

On Sunday, Du wei came to church, so I translated for him, which was exciting. It helps me to pay attention and also see what I know and what I still need to learn. Sunday night we gathered as a district, plus a member, and sang hymns in center. A few people stopped to listena dn some even applauded us, which was cool. THe sisters were also able to talk with some after we stopped singing.

I love Lithuania. Transfers are this week, I'll probably stay in Kaunas, but just wanted to give you a head's up. I appreciate your prayers and pray for you. Hope everything goes super this week, off school.

Love,

Vyresnysis Kanoris Hiltonas

Sveiki Visiems!

We had some interesting lessons this week.
We met with Du Wei and talked about the commandments to help prepare him for the temple. It went very well until the end, where he revealed that the business world is less than clean, but everyone does it, so...yeah. It will be something to work through.

We were waiting for a member to come so we could meet with an older woman, and we contacted a guy. He was a little drunk and happened to live in the same stairwell as the member. We tried to tell him we didn't really have time, but he wouldn't really listen. He said he would get his son who spoke English to translate. We went up to his apartment and sat down for a second, when a very drunk man stumbles in, his friend who let us in, pushes him uot and puts him in a room. We were just going to drop a pamphlet and peace out, but before we could say anything, his friend stumbles in again, stuttering something. The guy gets up and pushes him out into the kitchen. Glass shatters. We run out. Didn't really get to teach anything.

We ran into an atheist guy who we talked to for a few minutes and then his phone rang and he said he would be right back. While waiting for him, we taught another lesson, so he actually ran into and was taught by the other elders. While talking to us he said that the Bible was a barbaric, perverted, bronze age book written for a polyteistic society by leaders to help them control people. It was interesting.

We taught two lessons Friday that went quite well. One of them, Adas, was very interested and said his friend would be interested as well. He took the Book of Mormon and said that he would definitely read it. Was fantastic.

Saturday Elder Sherman and I taught the district about REvelation through Prayer. It went quite well. We had a good discussion and I think everyone learned something. Afterward we had a lesson with Vytautas, whom we had met with a few weeks ago. We had invited him to pray and he had not, so we got to put into practice what we had taught. It was a rough lesson. He wouldn't pray about the Book of Mormon or what we taught because he ' would need to be baptized and give up alcohol, girls, smoking, etc.' He also told us that we were psychologically unwell because of how much we talked about the Book of Mormon. But just prior to that we had read Moroni 10:3-5 and he told us that it meant we could get the power to scan minds,which confused me. Not sure where that came from.

Sunday night we sang as a district on Laisves, which was fun. Hopefully it softened some people's hearts.

I love Lithuania and everyone that lives here. I appreciate your prayers and pray for you. Good luck this week. Enjoy it all!

Love,

Vyresnysis Kanoris Hiltonas

Sveiki Visiems!

This week was kinda crazy. Friday was Lithuania's independence day, the Restoration of Independence after WW2, the establishment of Independence is in February. There was a huge open market on Laisves in the center of Kaunas. Booths all up and down the street, selling everything you could imagine. There were also more people than I've ever seen there. We tried to contact, but people were understandably a little preoccupied.

We had a lesson with an older couple. They invited us in and we started to teach. It was filled with every distraction possible, TV, kids, a dog, people entering and leaving, and the old man rocking back and forth on this squeaky stool. We listened through the distractions and were able to teach and testify of the Restoration and even invite the Spirit. We invited them to pray about what we had taught, so I hope they were enlightened some.

Sunday was a little interesting. Priesthood got a little out of control with comments that weren't necessarily the most uplifting or encouraging about missionaries in general. But, the Branch Mission Leader is very supportive and willing to help us in any way possible and undertakes his own personal missionary efforts, which is fantastic. Then we went to a member's house to bless it. The past week an extremely inactive member had come over, locked her in, and hexed her house, complete with cutting her hand and rubbing blood on the wall. We came over to try and restore some semblance of peace, since the member was understandably a little freaked out. We talked about the peace that can come from Christ and especially from reading the Book of Mormon, inviting her to do that. We then knelt and prayed to bless her house. It was powerful the testimony that we left of the peace that we can gain from reading the Book of Mormon. I know that all of us can have that, and it is something I have been blessed with, which I hadn't really connected back to the Book of Mormon, until that lesson.

I love serving in and experiencing Lithuania. It's the most fantastic place ever. I love the people, the language, the culture, everything about it. I appreciate your prayers and pray for you. I hope your next week is wonderful. Alistair, enjoy the return of your soul, be wise with how you use it, now that you know what it's like to be in bondage, haha. Good luck to all of you.

Love,

Vyresnysis Kanoris Hiltonas

Labas Visiems!

First some random things.

We knocked houses, which are rare and isn't a common activity, but resulted in a refferal, which is also a prized possession here in the Baltics and the first I have received on my mission so far.

We worked as a zone on building our faith by doing some activity or something with our companion throughout the day while working. Elder Sherman and I created Shields of Faith, inspired by the armor of God verses in Ephesians. I suggested it as a joke originally, but we couldn't think of anything else, so we did it. I have it in the front of my planner complete with a Lithuanian national symbol, the Gediminaichiu Stulpai (columns of Gediminas) and a scripture. They are to block all faith destroying thoughts. Pretty sweet.

We talked to a guy who told us about a new perfect energy source. Made from splitting the atom a different way which would give off kinetic energy and no radiation. At least that's what he told us. He also told us we needed to spread that knowledge to the world, so here I go. Haha, he's a bit crazy, it sounded like it would be sweet if it worked, but seems a bit unbelievable.

We met with Antanas and talked about the Word of Wisdom and other commandments, went pretty well, but he seems more interested in learning than doing anything. We'll see how that goes.

Also met with Du Wei, who realized that his life isn't as good as it could be because he's forgotten God. He told us what he needed to do to 'get more Holy Ghost' and testified that if he would do those things he would be blessed. We seconded his testimony and gave him some Liahonas in Chinese for him to read. Our goal now is to prepare him for the temple and Melchezidek priesthood.

Also met with Rimi, a man from our English class. He is very humble and focused on helping others. He believes strongly in showing our faith by our works, which is good. He's a very kind, completely unselfish person.

Last night we found a young couple who were interested in learning more. They are new to Christianity and want to follow Christ. Through the lesson as we shared the first vision I felt the Spirit stronger than any other lesson I've been in on my mission. It was fantastic. We have a return appointment set up tonight and plan on setting a baptismal date with them.

I love this work and Lithuania. I wish you all the best this week. I appreciate your prayers and pray for you.

Love,

Vyresnysis Kanoris Hiltonas