Baltics

I’m a little behind on the news for last week because we got to go on a whirlwind visit to the Baltics and now we have our oldest daughter and family visiting (hooray!).

Because of Jon’s responsibility as a “legal support missionary”, he and his boss (the paid attorney) needed to go meet with the local attorneys who handle the Church’s issues in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. They also wanted to meet with some of the local Church leaders to discuss the issues and provide support. Many of the issues have to do with visas and travel between countries for missionaries, financial matters, and managing chapels, etc.

While they were in their meetings during the day, I was able to walk all around the old town areas of each of the cities—Vilnius in Lithuania, Riga in Latvia, and Tallin in Estonia. They each had their own unique feel, history, and architecture—but all were so incredibly beautiful! We first flew to Vilnius, spent a day/night there, drove to Riga (4+ hours) and spent another day, drove to Tallinn (another 4 hours) and thankfully had two days there and then flew back to London from there. The only way to share ALL the pictures I took is in video form, so here they are in the order we traveled. (you can expand the videos to view full screen)

Vilnius, Lithuania - a UNESCO World Heritage site, considered one of the largest and best-preserved old towns of Europe - I couldn’t have asked for more beautiful skies!

My other favorite part—the old cemetery. Oh, my heart. It deserves its own little post of pictures:

Riga, Latvia - the biggest city of the three, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a charming old town area, and an area of beautiful Art Nouveau buildings.

While walking around the city, I saw one of the beautiful cathedrals, St. Peter’s (an evangelical Lutheran church), and noticed people up in the bell tower. I didn’t have much time but I decided to hurry inside and pay to climb the stairs to the tower and was relieved to find there was an elevator!

That morning both Jon and I had been having feelings of being overwhelmed by some of our responsibilities and wondering if we were up to the tasks we’ve been given as missionaries, along with concerns for our family and being so far away. As I walked into the cathedral, there were two young women playing beautiful piano music. I wish I could have recorded them, but no videos were allowed. I walked past this beautiful sculpture of the Savior carrying the cross. And then at the back of the chapel, behind the pulpit wall was this large, white statue of Christ. Much like the famous Christus statue, this one portrays Christ with His arms outstretched, and the prints of the nails in His hands as an offering and a reminder of the great sacrifice He has made on our behalf and His willingness to carry our burdens. His sorrowful eyes conveyed the message that He feels what we feel. Because of His Atonement for each of us individually, as it says in one of my favorite scriptures in Isaiah, He has carried our sorrows and with His stripes, we are healed. I know this statue is not really Jesus, but it was the reminder I needed at that moment to let Him carry any burdens I feel.

Tallinn, Estonia - one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, on the Baltic Sea across from Finland and Sweden. I hate to play favorites, but this one edged out the others by just a bit for its beauty and charm. And this was the only city that Jon had time to spend a few hours walking around with me, so that was fun! :)

My favorite part of Tallinn was a little collection of shops right across from our hotel called Katariina Gild (or Catherine Guild). It’s a group of women artisans who have come together to sell their work and also to continue traditions in the various art forms. We walked in to find beautiful shops filled with jewelry, ceramics, knit wear, leather crafts and more. We spent time talking with a few of the artists themselves as they were creating—so cool! I would have loved to buy a suitcase full of things to bring home but settled for just a few small treasures—a leather pencil case, a wood bead bracelet, and a Christmas ornament.

Finally, if you notice in the videos, we have some pictures with the various groups of Church members who we were able to visit with. We got to try lots of traditional foods from each country (I’m all about the potatoes and mushrooms!) and most importantly we got to hear their stories. All of the people we met are first-generation members of the Church, true pioneers in their countries and in their families. They are faithful and devoted even though their numbers are few and their challenges are many. They don’t take for granted the blessings of the gospel like it’s so easy for some of us to do who have been raised with it. And they take on more responsibility and service than most of us. I had an email conversation with one of the sweet sisters after our visit and thanked her for her faith and example. Her reply back to me was simple but profound:

“After all, we draw strength not only from heaven, but also from each other. You from us, we from you.”

What a gift to have rubbed shoulders even for just a few short hours with these faithful Saints. They might soon forget the random senior missionary couple who they had dinner with, but I will remember them for a long time and have been changed for the better by meeting them.

♥ Until next time, we love you! Cheerio! ♥

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Words of the Week:

(Words or phrases we hear “on the street” that either delight, confuse or amuse us.)

Wind them up - used by someone describing how everything she did was annoying to her teenage children, “Everything I do seems to wind them up.”

Loo - the toilet, “I’m just going to pop into the loo.”