June 30th letter from Elder Jacob

Dear family and friends,

It has been another great week here in Ussurisk, Russia. On Monday we were able to go to family night one more time at the Bryson's house. Sister Braithwaite and Elder Lyman bore their testimonies since Elder Lyman is going home to Texas and Sister Braithwaite is going to another city for her transfer. Sister Bryson made the treats for family night and made brownies and cinnamon rolls. She really put a lot of work into making treats that day before they go to Nakhodka.

We headed to Razdolnaya (in Russian the city name means far-flung or carefree) on Tuesday to teach Dima. Dima is the son of Brother Popkov whom we went to visit last week in high hopes of teaching his son. We went and Dima was there. We taught a great lesson and he committed to everything we asked and said he wanted to be baptized. He is a very nice kid and well mannered. 

On the way to Dima's house our bus broke down. We had to wait for 40 minutes for another bus in the middle of nowhere and it was rather funny. The things that happen are always random but never unexpected. Welcome to Russia!

We met with the Shatilovs on Wednesday night. I had prepared a lesson to get them ready for the broadcast which they will view on Sunday. I used Preach My Gospel and we read a few selected paragraphs together from the sections The Importance of Members and Go About Doing Good. I committed them to look for service to give every day and to prepare to do the things the broadcast tells them about and think about why we are having the special broadcast. They committed to it and we told them to pray for opportunities to serve and share the gospel and the Lord would give them. 

Friday was a long but interesting day because we went to Vladivostok for a leadership meeting for Elder Barney. We woke up early and went to the bus station. Once we arrived, i was temporarily with Elder Jukes. We went contacting and during the first few hours nothing happened. We had lunch then went way far on the other side of the city. We had people take handouts and a few talk to us but that was about it. It was hard to find men that would even want to talk to us (19 year old men) so we were rejected a lot and i enjoyed it.

We met Sister Morgan whom will be the newly assigned sister here in Ussurisk. She is very nice and we helped her take her things onto a city bus. I have never seen a bus more stuffed. At each stop no one would get off the bus and more people would get on every time till the very end of the city. I would say there was probably at least 60+ people on a small city bus. 

After we made it onto the bus to take us from Vladivostok to Ussurisk, their was bad construction traffic so it took us 3 hours instead of 2 to get back. We helped the sisters take their suitcases to their apartment and we had a very nice taxi driver who was very helpful to us and we gave him a couple handouts. We arrived home a lot later than planned so we quickly planned, ate and went right to bed to be on time.

Saturday was also a great day. We had our studies but then had to leave to go do some service for Sister Demchenka. She works for a day care and needed us to fix up some rooms. We (our district) took everything out of the rooms and painted the walls then we cleaned the floors and organized everything back inside. We had a blast painting as best and fast as we could.

Before we made it to the service project we were waiting for the other missionaries so we could show them where to go. A man was walking his dog to take it to the bathroom. Elder Barney said, "That dog is retarded". I looked and couldn't stop laughing so i had to turn my head. At first i thought the dog was drunk but i couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. The dog kept swaying/shaking like a little kid that doesn't know how to use his legs and then one of the dogs legs would randomly come off the ground so it was doing a weird shaking and hopping walk and running into all sorts of things. It tried to poop but the dog fell over so it had to walk at the same time. It is really hard to explain how funny it was. The owner was completely oblivious to his dog's problems and then another man came up to us and tried to sell us some stray dogs that were running nearby.

After service we called a taxi so that we could get to lunch. When the taxi arrived, the driver just happened to be Volva (The most recent baptism in the area). I forgot that he drove taxis as his job but he drove us to Country Pizza. There we were able to see Elder Lyman (now brother Lyman) and his mother because they are spending some time in Russia before he goes home. Volva was able to see Brother Lyman one last time too which is nice because he was the one to baptize him so it was all meant to happen today. 

Country Pizza was too full at the one we were at so they made a reservation for us at the other one. We got in taxis again and headed over to the other one. We were in luck again because the owner was sitting outside of the restaurant waiting for the reservation. The owner speaks English, German, and Russian so it wasn't hard to communicate with him. His name is Alex and we were able to talk with him for a while. 

Brother Lyman had his mother bring a texas license plate to put in the restaurant (since there are different license plates but a lot are missing and the restaurant is American based). He was very pleased with the gift and he sat with all of us to talk. We invited him to come to English practice and he was super excited to know there was somewhere to go practice. We are hoping he will come and i decided he would make a great member. He was very nice to put American flags in our pizza, show us a few things, sit and talk with us, and he even invited us back for the 4the of July. Wish you all a good week! -Elder Elwood 

June 24th letter from jacob

Hello Everyone

It has been yet another great week here in Ussurisk. We worked hard and had some great successes. We met with the Shatilov's (a family in the branch) and we taught the plan of salvation and asked several questions to try and get a referral. They didn't know of anyone so we invited them to make a new friend this week.

I gave some examples of what they could do and specifically to Artyom then i did a demonstration with him. In the end i suggested that he complimented, showed interest, and invited someone to an activity. 

We were able to help a lady in our ward this week too. Her name is sister Alla and she needed help painting. We went and painted a room and it is a lot different painting in Russia. We just put one coat of paint on the walls and painted around everything in the way. It was great and she was pleased so we were too.

Thursday was a really great day this last week. We had weekly planning spread out in big chunks of the day because we had a couple lessons. Planning went well as usual. We had a great lesson with Lev and helped him understand prayer better because last time he said he didn't understand it very well and we were starting to review commandments.

We went over to a family in the branch and taught a kid who just turned 8. We taught him a bunch of simple principles and started teaching him some things so he can be baptized soon. His family isn't super active but they are super  nice so hopefully their son will help them come to church. At the end of our lesson the mom asked where his brother was. He said in Russian, "He is sleeping." She then asked how since he has a crib and he wasn't in it. Then the 8 year old pointed and said, "like that." (also in Russian). We all looked on the side of the couch and his brother was lying on the hard floor sleeping in a really funny position. 

Artyom came to the church on Friday and we helped him with Duty to God. We had an idea and we tied Duty to God in with home teaching since there is a section for that. We thought it would be great if he could find someone else and go home teaching with them so we gave him a list and hopefully he will get started. It will be great because we have a lot of less actives, we will have people home teaching, it can help the missionaries find people and we could even go with him sometime.

After we were done helping Artyom, we had told him we wanted him to help at Baba's house. He came with us and we introduced him to Baba and he helped us cut a ton of wood. Baba liked him and we thought maybe he could come more to help her which would be good service opportunities for him. 

Sports night was great. There was a bunch of branch members but we also had all of the other missionaries this time. We were able to play a Frisbee game this time. We found a frog during sports night and that was fun. One of the girls in the branch brought her bunny which was fun too. I think it was good for her because she likes it but also because the branch members showed a lot of attention and this girl needs it right now. We went to the branch and gave Sister Aytelova a blessing again so that she could do the things she needs to.

Sunday was also another great day. We went and made sure everything was prepared before sacrament meeting. President and Sister Brinton came and everyone was in a great mood. During sacrament, everything ran smoothly.  Elder Lyman gave a talk because he is leaving to home soon. Before that Sister Braithwait also gave a talk because she is being transferred. I am not exactly sure what all of what they said was but they had powerful testimonies.

Sister Brinton spoke and expressed a lot of enthusiasm about how great the people of Ussurisk are and some other good things. She thanked the missionaries here and then talked about how the members are also missionaries. She finished and gave us a special performance on the piano and it was beautiful. She played If You Could Hie to Kolob.

President Brinton was last and he also was very enthusiastic. Many tears were shed around the sacrament room as he announced that Elder Bryson is the new branch president in Nakhodka so he probably won't be here much longer. There was a great feeling when he announced that we will have a new senior couple in August. The new couple is from St. Peterburgh so they are Russian. They are strong members and will really help here and it is what this area needs. They also speak English really well so it will be perfect. 

After church we were able to take the sacrament to Sister Pyskol. She has been gone and not answering the phone the last few weeks so we haven't had the chance to take her the sacrament. She is a very nice lady and we always try to offer help if we can. I listened to the broadcast which was on Monday for here and it was great. There was much said and i am not sure what is going to happen here yet but some new things will happen as the mission president directs. Love, Elder Elwood

This is jacob's letter from June 16th

Dear Everyone,

Monday was a very good day. I was able to write a lot of friends and family some long letters and hope everyone in America had a great Sunday on my Monday. 

After email i went and was able to get my first Russian haircut. Elder Barney helped explain that i wanted 8 mm on the sides and finger length on top. After cutting and washing and cutting again and a few other weird things, my haircut looked pretty good and even normal. I was glad that my first experience has been good.

I was able to get everything done very smoothly on P-Day Monday and it was a very good day. I tried to pay for something on Monday because they wouldn't accept a larger bill that Elder Barney had. They looked at the money strange and gave it back. I was confused and it turns out that i had found a bunch of money in the apartment that was not in use. They had changed the coins so i was carrying around unaccepted money. Elder Barney was wondering where i had all the coins and said to keep them.

We went and had family home evening with at the Bryson's house on Monday. Elder Bryson talked about the three things that every new member needs that is from President Hinckley. A friend, a calling, and nourishment. He talked about how we all are new converts in a way and how we need to make sure we are receiving all of those as well.

After that we played a game called 4 people on a couch. Everyone thought it was so fun that we just kept playing until it was time to go. I think it was really fun time and good bonding for the ward members and investigator Sergei.

Monday night through Tuesday night i had my first exchange and it was with Elder Lyman. We had a good exchange through Tuesday and did the same things i normally would for the most part. It was good to hear his perspectives and to go and teach a member family i don't get to talk to a ton because they are not in my area.

We talked about patriarchal blessings with Artyom after English on Tuesday. It went super well. He is a great man in the ward and always fulfills his duties even though he is the only young man or priest in the branch.

We had a very good lesson with Sergei on Thursday. He read 3 nephi chapters 11-19 and gave a lesson about Christ. It was very good and he did an excellent job. He put a lot of work into it. 

Thursday was a super great day. We had several people stop us on the street and just thought we were great people. It was really good and we had some great opportunities. 

We had a great baptism with Lev and the lesson went very well. We committed Lev to baptism and he progressing so well. I thanked God for all our opportunities that day. It was really great and i asked for more and so that we can use our opportunities better. 

During district meeting we talked about planning, finding, and teaching. There were some really great things we are working to apply and that will really help us. I am so thankful for the great things that have happened this last week and i can see progress being made here in Ussurisk.

I am so thankful for the things that i have prayed for and received from God. It wasn't right away but eventually, in his time, i received what was needed here. I am thankful for opportunities and they should be used not taken for granted.

Friday was a great day. We had a baptism for a man named Volva. Elder Lyman baptized him and the baptismal service was good. We had several investigators come and say it was good and President Bryson and Sister Bryson came. We are glad to have a new member in our branch and on Sunday Volva was able to receive the Holy Ghost during sacrament meeting.

This week has been yet another great week here in Russia and we are working to achieve higher and higher goals by helping others receive the gospel. I still hope things are going well wherever you are at. -Elder Elwood

Last P-Day went super well. Once we got to the church i was able to send a bunch of pictures that i was behind on and email everyone. After that we went shopping and got some good food. I was excited when i found some kind of pear juice. I actually really like it and it tastes like pears. I also realized that sparkling cider tastes like carbonated pear juice.

We rode the bus somewhere into town. It was my first time on the bus but it wasn't anything too crazy unless a car would pull in front of the bus and we almost hit a few so the bus driver slammed on the horn. We arrived at the train station where a woman who was previously interested in the gospel was working.

The woman's name is yelyena and she had attended english group at age 17 and was super interested in the gospel but her parents wouldn't sign the paper so when she was 18 the elders called back and she said she was super busy but to call back. Nobody had called back since and she is now around 20 and works as a hairdresser. Elder Barney had called and talked to her and she told him that she was a hairdresser which was funny because elder barney was going to get a haircut on the same day so he told her that and he got a haircut. She was really nice and said she would come to english class the next day.

Family night was good. I gave the spiritual thought and shared the scriptures D&C 46:11-14 and 82:10 and talked about spiritual gifts and some will know of christ and others will believe on others which will be enough then i talked about the other scripture and how we need to next do as the lord says and he will hold his promises. Afterwards we played this popular game where someone hides a pen in the room then everyone comes in and sits down when they see the pen. We also played a game where there is someone in the middle with their eyes closed and they have a tube in their hand. Everyone has a number and the person in the middle calls out two numbers and those two people have to switch spots before the person in the middle can hit them with their eyes closed. It was a very good Preparation day and i hope we get some new investigators from it.

On Tuesday after studies we went to district meeting. We talked about being positive and only saying good things about loving the gospel and the members of the church to set a good example. We had some great conversations and it was good for district bonding. Afterwards we called some people before dinner then headed over to English practice.

At English practice we had several new people whom had somehow found out about the group. They came in and one said that he was recommended for the advanced speaking group. I said that if he could say that then he was welcome into that group. Elder Barney and I were in charge of the easier group today. We played the game psychiatrist and they thought that was pretty fun. Unfortunately, two of our potential investigators didn't show up for good reasons but they said they wanted to come and will try for next week. We are super excited. I was able to invite some of the new people to the picnic that was on Saturday.

On wednesday we went to Baba's again and helped her with her garden. I have some pictures this time to show. We also met with a man named Vladimir and he was super nice. He said that he respects all religions but he doesn't really have one he is leaning towards. We are going to try and help him find the gospel with a lot of inviting.

Thursday was a very interesting day. We made it to the other elders' apartment at 730 then our companions left to Vladivostok for a training meeting and i was left with Elder Ostler for the day. Elder Barney is now the new zone leader here. Elder Ostler did our studies together and after lunch we left to our first appointment. We couldn't figure out what bus to ride so we asked someone and he said any of them so we hopped on a random bus.

On our way to meet a member for our lesson, the man called and cancelled our lesson. Eventually we made it to the right location for meeting the member but we weren't sure we were on the right bus still. The member, Sister Perfiliva, invited us to her house so we could give her family a lesson instead. We practiced our lesson for our next investigator, Lev, but we applied it to her and talked to her about her questions.

Afterwards, we went and had a lesson with our investigator Lev. The lesson went as planned and we taught the first half of the third lesson, the gospel of Jesus Christ. We split it in half so next lesson we can focus more on baptism. During this lesson Lev said that he wants to read the whole Book of Mormon before he is baptized. Next time when Elder Barney will be there to explain more clearly, we will try and get a baptismal date set.

We called a taxi after our lesson and right after we called, our next lesson was cancelled too. We went around looking for people we could find to meet and invite to the picnic activity on Saturday so we might find some more potential investigators. We weren't too successful but I have given out lots of invitations to members, to members to give to their friends, to nonmembers, less actives, etc.

I thanked Sister Perfiliva for helping us and asked her what we could do to help her. She thought about it and said she would have to think and then i asked her for a referral. She said that her friends are tricky and i asked her to keep thinking and she said that she would have to do that. I then offered some invitations to her to give to her friends to come to the picnic and she accepted them. I think a lot of the time that we don't think to ask people about service opportunities because we can make assumptions a lot.

Elder Ostler and i lead the discussion in english group on Thursday and it went well. We had some more new people and talked about going places, what we wanted to do and some of our favorite things at the places. It was fun and i think Elder Ostler really enjoyed leading it.

Elder Barney and I had a really good planning session on Friday. We have filled the whole week up with things we will be doing and want to work better with our goals. It is really good to not only plan every day but to know what your goals are for the week and what you want to get done so that the shorter plans and goals can be clearer to achieve.

Saturday was a great day. We had a picnic and played several games with everyone. We had a good turn out and 4 of our investigators were there. Some games we played were tug-o-war, guess what flavor of baby food we were tasting, and a game where your team mates toss balloons and you have to pop them to fill a container. It was a really good activity for members and investigators.

We had a few lessons after the picnic. I had a very spiritual experience in one of the lessons and i was able to guide and teach the lesson with the help of elder barney. I have never taught so much in a lesson so well.

In another lesson we taught lev and his wife. They both are really great people and i can see them becoming better and better. They said that we are helping them become better. I can really see their desire grow as they continue doing what we tell them too. I am so grateful for the investigators and members here and the experiences i have had.

Sunday was great. We had more people show up at sacrament meeting than we have had the last few weeks. One of our investigators, Lev, stayed for Sunday school again but this time we didn't even have to ask him to come, he told us. Elder Bryson and the Branch President, President Shadrohen, passed the sacrament to show that any of the priesthood holders could pass the sacrament. I think that it brought a reverance to sacrament meeting.

We also talked to Sergei on Sunday for a while that night. We had a good conversation about why he wasn't sure about baptism. Elder Barney and I shared several experiences. I feel like he really needed it. We have taught several lessons and shared a lot of spiritual things but those experiences felt like they did something extra.

Elder Barney and I are getting along great still and he is going to help me tell someone how to cut my hair today (finger length on the top and 8 mm on the side) hopefully it goes well. We are making good progress with our investigators and they are great, amazing people. I wish everyone well. -Elder Elwood

 

The pictures below are as follows:  a temple of another church in russia - he was disappointed that the car drove through his picture.  A ward picnic with investigators.  the next two are of a bridge with locks where couples put a lock after they are married representing staying together forever.  A sister in the ward and her son that is being taught the discussions.  jacob playing ping pong with his companion and investigator.  The couple missionary that is serving there.  next two Baba's garden that they help with.  and the last is a picture of the missionaries and investigators and members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2, 2013 weekly letter

Everything has gone well in the last week. Not everything was easy but we were successful in working hard. Last pday was pretty good. We had the opportunity to give both of the sister missionaries blessings because sister braithwait's eye was all swollen and you couldn't see her eye and the other sister asked for one when we got there because she was having an allergic reaction. The next time we saw them, they were almost all better and now they are back to normal.

I spent some time writing a response to a few emails i printed off so i can type them faster today. It is hard for me to get myself to take a nap because i always feel i have something to do which is nice because i get things done.

We went and bought a dvd player with a screen. They are super hard to find in Russia because who would really want one anywhere when you can get a tablet, laptop, etc. We found one and it was kind of expensive but it was the last one and the only one we can find anywhere.

We had family night at the Bryson's even though they were gone. We had a song, a thought and then some dessert. We played mafia and i don't really know how to play but it was also in Russian so i was super confused. It makes me wonder if the game was made by the Russians.

I didn't understand the game very well so it kind of messed with it a little bit because i wasn't understanding. I would say things in Russian and everyone was dying with laughter by the end of the game. I really don't know why people think i am so funny. It blows my mind sometimes. In fact, we had to resing the last verse of the hymn we ended with because it was super fast and hard even for the elders who have been here a long time and i kept slaughtering the words and making everyone laugh again.

While reading the Book of Mormon this week, i have gone back to the start several times while continuing with my daily chapter because i understand more and want to mark things i've missed. I take the time to look up deeper meanings to words and phrases and use resources like preach my gospel to explain things better.

I have been working on grammar and going through a grammar book this last week. I am finally understanding things and elder barney is very helpful at explaining things and that is one of his strengths, grammar.

We went to a place called Country Pizza on Tuesday with the district for lunch. It was good for Russia but any place in the USA would have better pizza and this was there best so it was interesting but fun. At least they didn't use mayonnaise (that is how most Russians make their pizzas and salads here). Afterwards we had our district meeting and talked about using the Book of Mormon. We also went to baba alovteena's house again to help her with her garden and chop wood.

On Tuesday's English group night i was supposed to give the story. Elder Barney said i should try to make it funny and i told him a few stories beforehand. I couldn't really think of anything else so i ended up telling a funny story about a friend and they thought it was super hilarious. They were slapping their heads about how oblivious i can be sometimes.

Sister rumnyatseeva brought me a bag of various delicious fruits this week. She had thought it was strange that i didn't eat much, didn't like eating, etc. She found out that i only like fruit so she brought me a bunch randomly one day. I thanked her a bunch but told her she doesn't have to get me gifts. She is very giving to everyone.

We had a few times this week where elder barney and i would study the same things during personal study without realizing it. We would study the same chapters of the book of mormon and preach my gospel because our purpose was the same. However, we tend to get different things out of it. I remember on wednesday we had studied the same things for the same purpose but i ended up planning a lesson for another investigator and we had two really good lessons planned by the end of companionship study.

Another miracle that happened was the lesson i had come up with during that study. I was planning for the same thing that elder barney was but then everything i was reading made me think of uri uta. We have taught him once since i've been here and nobody has really gotten anywhere with him. We called him and invited him to have a lesson at the church. When he showed up, we toured the church and he thought it was really nice and was surprised. Afterwards, we had a lesson and everything i had planned had been going well. The lesson also went well and we used the scripture i found in personal study. It was ezekiel 37:15-20 and i explained how the bible talks about the book of mormon and how they will work together. The lesson went well and we think we can get him to church soon. We also had a hole of time that day that we didn't know what to fill it with and we called him and he just happened to be available at that time.

The walk back to our apartment was very fun. When it rains here, it floods. There is no draining system so the water just goes all over the streets and everywhere you walk. The puddles are huge.

We went to the Shatilov's house on Friday and gave them a Book of Mormon challenge. We watched a video, talked to them about sharing the gospel and we all wrote our testimonies in a separate book of mormon to give to someone. We asked them whom they would like to share the gospel with and finally it came down to their son/brother. They will have to slowly work with him but they really want to develop a better relationship with him. Their family is very nice and they are also super giving. They didn't have much but they had something prepared for us to eat when we got there. The people here would give you anything if you asked for it.

During English on Thursday all of the people talked about me for about 20 minutes and then i finally found an opening to change the subject and they were kind of disappointed. They were so interested in how i was a manager of a restaurant. One woman couldn't believe how i could be 18 and manage a restaurant and know how so she kept asking questions, another wanted to know what i did there, another was interested in how much i made and if i would learn russian recipes and there were several other kinds of questions.

I went tracting for my first time this week. Basically, you find an apartment building and then start ringing numbers till someone answers their domaphone. When they answer, we talk to each one saying we are missionaries until someone lets you in. After that, we went in and started at the top by knocking on doors till someone answers then we offer them the gospel and see if someone will accept. We weren't in luck but maybe that will lead to something in the future and it was a good experience so i am glad elder barney was willing to take me.

We had a lesson with sergei and during weekly planning we had planned out a super spiritual week of events to keep him studying, praying, fasting, preparing, etc so that he might receive an answer. We don't know how well it will work but he will be reading and giving us a lesson. I am really glad for the inspiration i have received since i have been here. The ideas are fantastic.

Elder Barney and I called some people out of the area book last night and we found 3 people we are going to meet with and maybe get some new investigators. One just happens to be a hairdresser and elder barney was planning for a haircut today so that is convenient. She has been very interested in the gospel but was too young to learn because her parent wouldn't sign a paper and then when she was 18 they called but she was busy and there has been no contact since then. She has been super interested so hopefully everything goes well. I am super excited for our new potential investigators.

This week has been great. I have worked hard with elder barney and made new goals to improve. We play catch with a frisbee in the morning now to make exercise more effective. I hope everyone is doing great! -elder elwood

letter from 5/19/2013 this is last weeks letter and this weeks is just before this one

Finally I have time to write my weekly letter! I really haven’t written in two weeks though because I haven’t had a chance where I was allowed to because we skipped P-Day. I am just going to try and fill you in on all of the details of everything that has been going on.
The MTC was great and Brother Rutter told us some stories and was with a lot before we left. He is very nice and gave some great advice. I was able to finally get to Sunday and get through that. There was one meeting after the other about leaving and we had tons of pictures to take.
The next day, we got up at 4 and said goodbye with a handshake to the other sisters going to Novosibirsk and hugs for the elders of course. Our ride over was crazy. We were taken to the train station and we talked to people a little bit on the train but most everyone is Mormon or avoids us like the plague. Then we got to the airport eventually. We boarded our plane and we were off to Los Angeles!
Los Angeles was great and I had a window seat on the way there. It is amazing how big the city is and you can tell on an airplane at night because of all of the lights. Once we got to Los Angeles we got on a bus to get to another part of the airport. This man kept staring at me and eventually I said, “How are you?” then he wouldn’t look at me anymore. The other elders and sisters saw and said it was really funny.
We made our phone calls in the Salt Lake City airport and it was nice to have a conversation with family on the phone. Your arm and ear gets sore from pressing the phone so hard to your ear to hear but it is a funny experience. We boarded the Korean Airline and we were in for a treat. They have weird security. Well, weird everything really but you would be pampered to live there.
On the plane, I had the opportunity to sit by a girl from China. I asked if she spoke English and she said she did and then Sister Baum and I were at full attention. I sat next to the girl and Sister Baum was assigned the seat to my left. We talked to Flora about the gospel, gave her a Book of Mormon, talked to her about her culture, what she is doing, taught her some lessons and asked to be friends. We now will be emailing her about the gospel and I just found out that in one of our areas here in Russia that we have a member who is from China so he speaks Chinese. Hopefully something comes out of this. She was really nice.
About the flight. The flight attendants from Korea dress a lot different and it is kind of strange but most people actually find it cool or interesting. We were served weird food and the pop cans were in Korean which was crazy. I loved the meal where it was all fruit and a crescent roll. They kept bringing juice by mean and offering it and I am pretty sure that is how I survived the trip. I had mostly pineapple and guava juice. They have a lot of these juices in Russia too. They had really cool screens that could play games, watch movies, anything really. We weren’t supposed to use them as missionaries and our flight was 13 hours.
Sister Baum and everyone else slept most of the time. After you are done talking with people around you then as a missionary you can read and study a little bit or sleep. I studied a little bit but couldn’t fall asleep. I was stuck in the middle of a cramped row staring at the back of a seat for the last 10 hours with a few minor breaks. I didn’t sleep for 3 days but it was an adventure.
Eventually we arrived in Korea and it was interesting. The culture is different but the most interesting thing was the bathrooms. They have tiny toilets, more normal size toilets, remote control toilets, places to put your kids, etc. In fact, Elder Fletcher was too afraid to use them and I had to talk him into it because where else would he go.
Sister Baum was able to talk to someone going to Vladivostok in the airport and share some gospel lessons. We were waiting to find some food and it wasn’t great but I tried white hot chocolate with caramel. When we got on our last plane to Vladivostok, I had the opportunity to share the gospel with a man from there. He started a water bottle company two years ago and just got back from vacation.
I talked to the man about his beliefs and eventually gave him a Book of Mormon. I am not really sure what became of all of that but I hope it has a small impact or seed to grow for the future. Once we made it to Vladivostok, we met Elder and Sister Brinton. We met our companions briefly and we were already getting pictures. I am pretty sure I wasn’t smiling in a single one because of the lack of food and sleep.
The Brinton’s were very nice and things were crazy trying to get everything done. We had small devotionals and meetings about training and they took care of us at their lovely home. It was nice to shower after a few days and shave since I shaved right before I left but was a caveman when I arrived. The next day it was time for us to all leave to our areas! I had to repack and leave half of my stuff at the mission office and take one suitcase. We rode by bus 2 hours away to get to ours.
My new area is called Ussuriysk in English. Good luck with that one. My first day was great and I didn’t always know what was going but it went well. In fact, I almost never knew what was going on. I like our small new apartment and it is nice for it to be warm, small and cozy.
I have figured out how to do a lot of hard things already and learning words. My favorite way to learn is to read signs and find words that sound almost exactly the same. I have been able to study and plan really effectively because I have a real purpose and lots of things to study for. My purpose for doing things seems so much more real when it is in the field and it feels good.
We have had some good language studies as well and we went over how to make a language plan through preach my gospel. We have a lot of good goals in store! We went and helped a buhbooshka named Baba Alyevteena and she loves to talk. We helped her in her garden and shave gave me a nickname the first day as Oleg because she couldn’t figure out my “hard” name. Apparently it is good that she gave me one though because she doesn’t do that often with a lot of people and so she probably likes me already.
It was very funny to see her and Elder Bryson (Husband of the senior couple) argue in English while she was arguing in Russian. Elder Bryson is funny and likes to make jokes. I met him in English classes when I first got here. We were teaching Russians how to speak and talked about fruit. Well they were in for a treat because that happened to be one of my favorite subjects and they found that out fast.
So far I have been able to give lots of spiritual thoughts in Russian and I love to plan out what we will be doing during the week. We have talked about all of our investigators and I have had lots of ideas about how to help all of them and am excited to get to know all of them. It is really nice to apply things that I have learned throughout my life to my mission. There are a lot of things that we learn and wonder when we will finally get to use them and now is the time.
I am really excited to work hard and want to work hard to the point that everyone hears our names because we work hard and are annoyed of hearing about us. I want Elder Barney to leave at the climax of his mission. The president set up a competition for this month to see which area can get the highest percentage improvement for sacrament attendance. I want to strive for this!
I have had the chance of extending the baptismal commitment; quote the first vision, etc. It didn’t necessarily go as well as it could of but it planted ideas in the heads of the investigators. We are really close with one of our investigators named Sergei and I asked to meet on Sunday with him and Elder Osteler since the other two elders went to meetings. We struggled but were able to have a good lesson. He will be baptized as soon as he feels God is there and I asked him if he had been praying and he said yes and after further questioning I found out that he thanks God but does not ask for answers. I challenged him to do this and have been praying for him since. I told Elder Barney about our experience and hopefully something happens soon.
I have been able to cook different things so far and it is so nice. I have cooked chicken and French toast and made things when we have almost nothing. Today I am going shopping with a list so I can cook lots of things for Elder Barney. Surprisingly there are a lot of nice things to cook with here in Russia. They also have a lot of dairy and fruit products so I won’t die for now.
God has blessed me so much already and I can definitely see all of the blessings. I have felt so inspired and strengthened to do everything I need to. I just need to have faith to keep going. I have tried contacting a few times and it hasn’t been successful yet. One man said he was not interested in Russian then in English “ya gansta” and we also had someone who drove by in a car and said “Yankees go home” but his English was so bad that we couldn’t stop laughing later.
Sunday was great. We had several meetings and I didn’t understand much but it was good for me to practice Russian. We had a few teaching appointments and worked hard. I spoke in Sacrament and was able to do more than my testimony which is what I was asked to do. I don’t have much more time to write but things are great. Thank you for all of the emails. Happy Birthday to Dad and Hyrum!
About my companion:
Who is your trainer? Elder Barney
Where is he from? Draper, Utah
What have you learned from his so far? He gives great input, flexible and very nice
What does it look like? Small and feels retro to me like stuck back in the times with a few newer things of our time.
How is the weather? Rainy and sunny. I love it
How is the food? The food is alright so far and it is good because I can cook
How are your investigators? They are great! I am excited to teach them the gospel.
Are you in a ward or a branch? Branch
Now that you are surrounded by natives, how do you find your Russian? Alright and able to say more than I think but not super well.. yet!
How is your apartment? Small but cozy! I like it. The bathtub/shower is hilarious but I will be cleaning today!


Thanks for everything! –Elder Elwood

busy busy

Last week on P Day we went shopping and i found tons of different foods so for the last week we had a lot of great things to make and that has made eating a lot easier for me. Elder Barney was very helpful at finding foods especially since i would be cooking for him to eat it. They have a lot of yogurt and juices here and it is interesting. The stores are definitely a lot smaller here. I cleaned the apartment for a while because it was really dirty as in "dirt"y and throughout the week i finished it and had deep cleaned it so our house is really clean now which is nice and i reorganized things so that we have more room. We went to Family Home Evening at the church and were surprised at the amount of people who showed up and it was great to have the members so involved in cleaning the church.

Elder Barney and I have great discussions at night sometimes about different experiences. That is how i know we are getting along so well and i am thankful for him. I have found that some days i am really good at giving thoughts and ideas that i have and then sometimes i have days where i mostly just learn and don't feel the need to say as much. Both of those kinds of days are important for learning.

We have continued to help Baba Alovteena each week when she really needs it and she really likes us to come over. I think it is more than just the service because it seems like it would get lonely in her little place by herself. She gets along with me really well because i am quiet and she likes to talk. We have had English practice (group) at the church and we have worked on how to use past, present, and future verbs. It is funny to hear their favorite verbs because they think they are easy or sound funny.

I have found a lot of interesting books, pamphlets and materials this week in our apartment. It is very useful when teaching and i love using them. We have had some great lessons this week and we had a lesson with a man named Lev who apparently hasn't taken lessons that seriously in the past. He was nice and i told him how great a man he was and we needed more men like him at church. He came to church and committed to baptism but not with a specific date yet and he found a liahona at the church and was looking at it so i told him he could have it. I really hope for some progress from him.

All of the Elders and Sisters left to a piano concert this week put on by sister Brinton and her daughter who just got off her mission. It was just Elder Ostler and I left here and we had some fun and funny experiences trying to communicate with people and answer the phone. We had a good lesson with Sergei about the difference between the light of Christ and the holy ghost and how the holy ghost can work through the light of christ and it was good to have members present to help us out. Elder Ostler was fun to be with and he even ate all of the food off of both of our plates when we were at a members house. We both had just eaten and i didn't want it so when she left the room he just ate as fast as he could. There was so much food. I don't know how he did it but then she pulled out two big bowls of ice cream. She took half of my ice cream because we were asking to share one bowl between elder ostler and i. She made elder ostler eat the huge bowl of ice cream by himself. I was trying not to laugh. He is a great elder.

We helped clean the church this week and helped lots of members who called with their problems. We went to sports night and they all thought i was really good at Frisbee. I really enjoy playing with the great members and being able to learn what they are like and connect with them. We have good experiences together. I have had a lot of other experiences but it is hard for me to share them all so i have to summarize my week. It was very spiritual with good lessons and it was fun also but i have to keep working hard. I feel we get a lot of important things done and i have had some good experiences, a lot which i haven't been able to mention because of time. We met a less active members and i invited her to a siberian tiger activity soon where we will get to go and see ten tigers. She was super excited so hopefully we can get her active again.

Love you all! Elder Elwood