"Bob", Trakai, and the YSA's

 

 

You might be wondering what Bob is doing sitting on a croquet set.  Well, sometimes we become delivery drivers....like every time we leave Riga and head off somewhere.  We deliver mail to the missionaries that has arrived in the mission office for them.  We are usually very popular when we deliver mail.  We deliver books to Senior missionaries and clothes back to the mission office. On the way to Siauliai, Lithuania, we dropped off mail and Antti mentioned he had something to take to Vilnius and would we mind delivering it?  Of course not...and what Bob is sitting on is what we were supposed to deliver to the YSA's in Vilnius.

 

Antti sitting at his desk in his new Seminary & Institute office! He is a great S&I Country Coordinator and very dedicated to helping all four Districts get their Religion classes,  YM/YW's programs and Institute Student Councils up and running they way they are supposed to. 

 

The day we went to Paneriai Holocaust Memorial with the Flakes we also got to visit the darling village of Trakai. Small streets, colorful houses, old churches and huge lake are what you first see as you enter the village.

 

 

Trakai is surrounded by a lake and at then end of the road,

you run into this picturesque place.... 

 Trakai Island Castle

 

It is a picture perfect castle...really, we took about 7 photos of it and every one of them was perfect.

 Trakai castle is the only one of its type in Eastern Europe. The castle is surrounded by waters on all four sides. Construction began in the mid-1300's by Grand Duke Kestutis and suffered major damage when it was attacked by Teutonic Knights in 1377.  Kestutis's son, Vytautas the Great, strengthened the castle into a defense fortress which helped preserve it in the famous Battle of Grünenwald. Okay, maybe the battle of Grünenwald isn't THAT famous, as Sister Davis had to look it up. This is what she found: The battle was one of the largest battles in medieval Europe and is regarded as the most important victory in the history of Poland, Belarus and Lithuania.

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Trakai is known as the town of lakes, as seen from this arial view.

During the 1600's the castle was used as a prison and was completely neglected as seen in this artists rendition:

In 1905 the Imperial Russian authorities decided to partially restore the castle ruins.  After World War II, a major reconstruction project was started; the largest portion was finished in 1961.

The inner courtyard:

The outer courtyard:

The old stone walls of the palace with the newer brick ones above:

 

 It is quite a large place:

 

Trakai Island Castle is a beautiful and popular tourist attraction:

 

We were all hungry from a day of sight-seeing and we needed sustenance. There aren't any McDonald's or Hess burgers in these small villages, so we had to search for a cafe and found one selling Lithuanian food. 

Outside was a photo opportunity for Elder & Sister Davis.

And for Elder & Sister Flake:

Silly Missionaries!

 

That night we had another opportunity for food. We were taking the Lithuanian Student Council out for dinner. Marina, Brigita and Aliona:

We were so impressed with the calendar of activities the girls had taken to their District for approval. They were organized and enthusiastic and their attitudes and service will help the YSA program grow in Lithuanian. They are wonderful YSA women...and you can see the love they have for their senior couple, Elder & Sister Flake.

That is what we have discovered on this mission. The young people need role models. They love the senior couples who sacrifice so much to come help them gain testimonies and offer support. They love knowing that there is always someone around that truly cares about what is going on in their lives. They love the feelings they get at Family Home Evening and at Institute...of being a part of a group that has the same beliefs and values they do. We senior couples love them unconditionally and can make all the difference in their young lives.