July 10, 2016

Dear Family,

Ok, It’s a small world just took on new meaning. My new mission president, President Ottesen and his wife Elizabeth (Liz) are from Poway, California. It just so happens that they were in Uncle Richard and Aunt Jeans ward. In fact, Sister Ottesen was Jean’s visiting teacher for years!!  President told us about the first time he ever met Jean. He said they were at church and she came up to him, lifted his tie off his shirt and looked at it for the longest time. Then she let it drop. Looked him in the eye and said, “That’s the ugliest tie I’ve ever seen.” Then she walked away and he mouthed to someone, “Who was that?” 

The Ottesen’s are great and I think will do a wonderful job here in Russia. A new law was passed in Russia that will change the way missionary work is done. You’ll have to look it up on the internet. The members will have to get more involved.

President went on a mission as a young man to Germany. He was in the same mission as President Schwab was. He told us at zone conference that at the age of 15 he started to think about the woman he would eventually marry. He prayed that she would be his sweetheart and friend. When he got his patriarchal blessing, he also talked about knowing his wife. He expected some physical attributes or something from that but no, it simply said he would know her.

When he went on his mission, he told us that his first night in Germany after the other Elders were asleep he crept out to a conference room and knelt to pray. He promised his Heavenly Father that he would work harder than he had ever worked before. He asked Heavenly Father to please, let him know when he met his wife.

When he got home expected to find her right away. Well one year went by then another then another and all his old companions and friends were getting married and starting families. Then 5 years later, he was somewhere (I can’t remember where) and he was looking at some of the young women. When he saw Sister Ottesen, she was holding her handicapped little brother and he knew there was something very different about her.

 1Nephi 13:37

37 And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.

When Sister Ottesen was about 16, she had a dream several times it showed her having a house full of boys. After she and President were married, they ended up with 5 boys. All five boys went on missions. When their middle son came home from his he had a reaction to some medication, had a heart attack, and died. This was a tough time for them, but because of what they know about the Plan of Salvation, they know that they will be with him again. In fact, they feel very strongly that he is here with them in Russia, with the intent of helping them while they are on their mission.

President said he worked so hard on his mission that some of his companions didn’t like him very much, but he put everything he had into to it but didn’t get to baptize one person. He told the Elders and Sister that the number of baptisms you get doesn’t show if you are successful missionary or not.

Helaman 10:3-7

3 And it came to pass as he was thus pondering—being much cast down because of the wickedness of the people of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and their plunderings, and all manner of iniquities—and it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him saying:

 4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

 5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.

 6 Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.

 7 Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.

Work as hard as you can, having faith, and the Lord will bless you. Analyze yourself and decide what, if anything, more you can do. Then do it.

The Ottesen’s were set apart by President Russell M. Nielsen. They were told that the true measure of their mission isn’t the 2 or 3 years they are here, it’s not the 10 years after they go home. If the Gospel is evident in the lives of the missionary’s children and grandchildren, it will be evident that it is rooted deep in the family’s hearts.

 Sorry this letter is so much about our new Mission President and his wife but that is really what’s been happening this week. Sister Ottesen and I took a taxi to Metro to grocery shop. Dad put the taxi app on her phone and she got us there and back. She will do great. She wants to get her license and drive.

 We are sending you some pictures of the activity on the Volga. The Russian words you can see say Tarzan and Trapeze. I thought the kids would enjoy doing something like that.

 The sunsets are still gorgeous.

Well, I love you all.

 Love,

Mom