Day Five- Service and RTO

We took a bus to the Kingdom Hall in Rahumäe.  We were paired with Arne and Lorena, a newlywed pioneer couple.  

We worked apartment buildings 5 stories high (no elevators).  We had to use intercoms to get in, like we learned about in Our Kingdom Ministry a few months back.

I was nervous, but gave my little presentation in Estonian and was able to place an invitation!  So did Barry!  The morning was going good.  

Then a woman interrupted our work.  She spoke Russian, and I don't know what her issue was, but she started blocking our entrance to the door and was yelling at us.  

Eventually we left and found our husbands, and when we came back the lady was distracted by yelling on her cell phone (I hoped not to the police).  We snuck back in quickly to deliver the invitation, but she saw us exit the building.  She became extremely irate, and so we left.  She even took our picture as some sort of evidence.  It was very bizarre.

They said this was extreme, but even still, service at home is much easier.  I'm used to hearing no and seeing doors closed in my face, but there was an anger in some (not all) of the householders that was so different than the Bible Belt.  Many people here do not believe in God.  Even just wearing our convention badges around town that use the word Jesus, some locals give us a look that could kill.  

After service we toured the Estonia Remote Translation Office where they translate into Estonian, Estonian Sign Language, and Võru languages.  Our guide was named Siiri.

We took many funny pictures with old artifacts.

We even were deported to Siberia.

I was able to see where they edit video (they use Final Cut Pro on Mac!) and Barry was able to record a talk on old studio equipment and hear it played on an old radio.

We went to the School for Kingdom Evangelizers.  

Then there was an exhibit of an apartment during the ban.  They showed where literature could be hidden, and a hidden room where literature could be copied.  Some magazines were folded and stuffed into a hollowed out bar of soap or a table leg.  One book was sewn into a mathematics book cover.  

Then we saw Brother Silver Silliksaar (who I recognized from the Faithful Under Trials video) show us how he printed literature without even having access to proper equipment.  He used nylon dress fabric cut and soaked in wax & solvent.  It smelled terrible.  It dried quickly and then he typed out a page with a typewriter.  Then they could use the press to apply ink.  The holes where the typewriter punched out wax was how the ink was transferred to the page. 

Then the KGB came and arrested Brother Silliksaar.  

But Barry converted them!  

We received the best gift!

We spent the evening at a Russian restaurant.  We had stroganoff and a beef stew.  

Then we took a walk around Toompea, the big hill in Old Town.  

We ran into some great new friends like the Mendez sisters from Delaware.

We even met a sister from Barry's Tacoma Fern Hill Congregation.  Small world!

We even saw Marlene again!

We have met so many happy Russian brothers.  The government has deemed our literature as extremist and the brothers have not had access to new literature since May.  They are downloading new literature to their tablets and phones and are so happy just to have the new magazines.  I hope they get a special surprise at the convention.  

I have to end it here, as I am overwhelmed by all the amazing things I've seen today!

Day Four: Museum and Kadriorg Palace

We had a free morning with no tours, so we took a city bus to see the Museum of the Occupations.  

It was a small museum with artifacts from the years Estonia was occupied by Russia, then Nazi Germany, then USSR.  

The statues of the former Soviet leaders now frame the entrance to the restrooms!

Afterwards we had lunch at another medieval restaurant, this one specializing in elk meat soup and savory pastries stuffed with meat or vegetables.  They are sort of like a hot pocket, except they taste good and don't burn your mouth.  

We joined the brothers for a tour and they brought us to an Open Air Museum, which is a Scandinavian tradition of preserving old buildings by keeping them together in a museum.  The brothers and sisters were dressed in old-timey clothes and were playing accordions and fiddles.  

We had a snack (more Estonian hot pockets) and then we went out to the open field by the Gulf of Finland and played Estonian games.  

We made lovely Estonian friends!

Then we toured the Kadriorg- the summer palace of Czar Peter the Great.  We wanted to stay longer as the palace, art, and gardens were magnificent.  

There is a smell here I can't describe.  It's like a tree I don't know, or an herb I'm not familiar with.  It is quite sweet and lovely.

The people I've come across speak Estonian, Finnish, or Russian.  Most who speak Estonian or Finnish also speak English.  Most Russians do not speak English, sadly, as Russian was far too difficult for me to learn.  Our little Estonian phrases always get smiles of approval.  It hasn't been too difficult with language issues.  

We had dinner at an Estonian country restaurant.  Barry ordered a knuckle of pork.  Even with Barry's appetite he couldn't finish it.  

We ran into friends on the street, some only speaking Russian, and we communicated in signs and hellos and smiles.  

The McDonald's has things on their menu I've never heard of, such as a chicken Big Mac!

What a lovely day in Tallinn! 

Day Three: Haapsalu

How can I put today into words?

We took a bus west an hour and a half to the Baltic Sea.  The small town is called Haapsalu (pronounced HAP-sah-loo).

We first stopped at the Kingdom Hall for greetings and refreshments.  An older Russian sister hugged me tight and said, "I love you!" in careful English.  

"I love you, too!" 

And the tears began.  

We went to a train museum and there was a reenactment of the brothers being taken and sent to Siberia, complete with armed Soviet guards.  

Then they put 40 of us in a rail car and shut the door.  

I remember the story from the 2011 yearbook and thought about spending 18 days living in that smelly boxcar, scared out of your mind, and heading to who knows where.  It was so dark.  

We were very sad when we left there.  

Then we drove to the Baltic Sea and walked among the rose gardens.  Tchaikovsky stayed at this resort and was a fan of the beautiful swans everywhere.  

We ate at a restaurant that was famous 100 years ago because the Czar would eat there when he visited.

Some talented brothers and sisters performed for us.  Here is the restaurant with Veronika, our guide for the day.  

Then we toured the ruins of a castle in the middle of town.

While walking through Haapsalu we ran into an old friend- Marlene!  She made it!  She was the last delegate to arrive yesterday and received all their love.  

Finally, we went to an old manor where the congregation had a picnic for us.  

I finally was able to sing in Estonian with the sisters there.  The sisters said they needed me to return tomorrow to lead the singing group.  I wish!  Such a compliment from a culture that prizes singing.

We cried when we had to return to Tallinn.  What a special day!