A Shining Moment: YSA Mini-Conference 2013

 Improve the shining moments;

Don't let them pass you by.

Work while the sun is radiant;

Work, for the night draws nigh.

We cannot bid the sunbeams

To lengthen out their stay,

Nor can we ask the shadow

To ever stay away. 

                                                         LDS hymn #226

Sometimes you get those "shining moments" that just stand out in your life; things that you remember because of the joy they brought to you. Our Young Single Adult mini-conference was one of those "moments". 

The day before the big event, Brigita, Marina and Valeria showed up from Lithuania to help with cooking.        Eva had asked if she could help us in any way and Elder & Sister Davis are very quick to say "yes" whenever anyone asks that. Since Eva knows the language, she ordered 75 pieces of chicken and enough salad to feed 40 people from our favorite Prisma store.  That meant that Sister Davis was only in charge of potatoes. She had the Lithuanian girls peel about 18 pounds of them and she set to work making scalloped potatoes with cheese on top. You never know how many people will actually show up for these events so you plan for a "bunch" and hope the food lasts.                              

                                                              That night after Institute was over, we started decorating.  We had about 5 show up to help. The Lithuanian girls had planned a date night with some of the Latvian YSA's and we were happy with that. After all, the Lithuanians had just put on a wonderful New Year's Eve party for everyone, so it was Latvia's turn to do the work.

Decorations were simple and free...we found everything in our extra bedroom, left overs from the previous missionary couples who lived here. Since it was the weekend after Valentines Day we went with a "hearts united" theme.

The chapel was divided into two areas...one for games and one for eating.  The dance was set up in the extra foyer where we could easily put up lights and hang tissue paper balls left over from Eva & Dainis's wedding. 

Saturday we had a few last minute chores to do before the YSA's started arriving.  Eva registered everyone at the door and passed out name tags.  We had 26 young people show up, 13 women and 13 men....

not a bad mix.

 Soon the games began...Do You Love Your Neighbor?

Viktoria in the middle.

Now Marina in the middle.

Now Julia in the middle. 

Wait!  Why was it always a girl in the middle? 

The group was divided into two teams for the next game. Each team has to get in a line with the oldest person on one end and the youngest on the other...and make sure their birth dates are in chronological order.

Next, each team had to get in a line with the tallest at one end and the shortest at the other.  It is hilarious to see everyone scrambling around each other trying to figure out how old  or tall everyone is. 

After we were sure everyone had come who was going to come, we had our welcoming devotional.  Elder Davis had set up projectors in two rooms. In one room, the CES devotional by President Uchtdorf  was shown in English and in the other room it was shown in Russian.  His topic was on "How to  find Truth" in today's world.  At the end of his talk, we brought the two groups back together for  an impromptu inspirational talk by the Baltic Mission President,   President Boswell.

Elder & Sister Bonner and Sister & President Boswell.

Two girls wanted to talk to President Boswell about serving missions. He is so good about saying, "Lets do it!"  He always finds time to talk to the young people of the church.  He is quick to say, "They are the future of the church and should be our priority."

Next up, speed-dating.  The YSA's are getting very comfortable doing this now even though when Elder & Sister Davis came here over a year ago, NO ONE had ever done it before. Now they are all "pros" at asking questions and visiting for 7 minutes. 

Elina to Romans,  "Wow, we are wearing the same colors. We must be meant for each other." 

Iveta to Verners,  "It's going to take a lot to impress me!"

Verners is from Jelgava, a city close to Riga. He just got back from his mission so speed-dating was a great way to catch up on all the girls in the Baltic Mission. 

Julia to Juris: "So tell me about yourself.."

Elina to Jefim: "I play ultimate frisbee...what do you do in your spare time?"

Jefim:  "Spare time, What's that?" 

Valeria to Oliver,  "Is it true what they say about Estonian boys?"

Oliver: "That depends. What have you heard?"

Iveta to Jefim:" You expect me to believe that?"

Matiss to Valeria:  "I've got all my questions on this paper."

Brigita to the photographer: "Are we nearly done?"

Modestas from Lithuania had a blast speed-dating. Where else in Latvia could you talk to 13 pretty girls, ask them questions, get to know them and it doesn't cost you a dinner or a movie?
That's right baby, the YSA Mini-Conference and no where else.

 Marta to Anatolijs: "I have a headache!"  

For real! Marta had just gotten off work and didn't get any lunch. She really did have a headache.

Well, time was flying, so while the speed-dating was going on, we left the potatoes warming in the oven and Elder & Sister Davis drove to Prisma to pick up the chicken and salad. We knew those YSA's were going to be hungry after all the work it took to get to know each other. And surprise, we found a whole new meaning to the phrase, "We picked up a bucket of chicken."

We took it into the church kitchen and Sister Davis had a good laugh about it with the other senior missionaries. Their are 75 pieces of chicken in that bucket for the low cost of $44.

Sanita and Eva were helping get everything ready for dinner.

 And then we served the food on trays to everyone. In no time at all, we fed 26 hungry YSA's.

Then someone mentioned it was Agneta's birthday!  The boys put her on a chair and lifted it up and down 19 times, one for each year of her life.

We just learned another Latvian tradition that we had never heard of before.

The next activity was planned by our Institute Student Council.  Teaching everyone a Latvian Folk Dance. 

 Aivars and Zaiga (two very good dancers) taught the dance to everyone. And they all seemed to have a great time leaning the steps.

Modestas and Sanita, have figured it out.

 Then if was finally time for the activity that everyone had been waiting for all day.... 

The DANCE!

Then someone says, "Oh, sorry Sister Davis, but we forgot the music." 

 "WHAT?!? Aye yai, yai! Okay, plan "B"- Brigita brought her music on a flash drive, we have our computer here, someone just needs to download a dance playlist off  her flash drive."  

After 20 minutes of downloading songs to another computer, the dance was back on.

And everyone was ready.  There was no awkward moment of no one dancing...the music started and people  danced.

Party On!

Is that our newly returned missionary, Verners?

 

Is everyone having a good time?  Juris sure is!

 Aivars is such a "cool guy". 

Not everyone was dancing...some were talking to each other.

 

But most were dancing...

                   Elina I.....& Marina and Romans

Jefim and Rihard sharing  goofy"moment. 

What was in the punch?
  
Oh, that's right....we didn't serve punch.  Maybe these YSA's were just so very happy to be together. After all, it had been 6 months since they  last saw each other at YSA conference. This is why it is so important for senior couples to make sure that activities like these get planned and actually happen.

Marina and Aliona,

The Dance ended fairly early because we had to clean the building for church services  the next morning. The YSA's were having a special testimony meeting in the Imanta Chapel at 9:00 AM, so we had to get everyone to bed at an early hour.  The girls stayed at Elder & Sister Davis's apartment and the boys were taken by car to the Senkan's home.

Slumber Party at the Davis's apartment!

Sister Bonner was just visiting...she had a hotel room across the street. Poor Elder Davis had 8 girls sharing his "space". It worked out fine since four of the girls went out on-the-town with dates, promising to be up for testimony meeting the next day. Elder & Sister Davis were fast asleep by the time the party girls got back.

Sanita and Marta slept in the front room on the couch cushions.

These young single adults are such special people to be around.  We love them dearly...they are faithful, valiant and it's makes us feel young and needed just to be around them. And they love us. These are the "shining moments" of our mission that we will never forget.

 Time flies on wings of lightning;

We cannot call it back.

It comes, then passes forward

Along its onward track.

And if we are not mindful,

The chance will fade away,

For life is quick in passing.

'Tis as a single day.