Sunday, January 29, 2017
Dear Family,
I love Sunday’s!!! I love going to our little
NovoK branch and feeling all the love they have for Dad and I and each other.
They are truly some remarkable people. Sister Vera’s daughter is in the
hospital because of a problem with her eyes. She told me Doch (daughter),
hospital and pointed to her eyes. I said, Ya, which is I only it looks like a
backwards R, then I made the sign of praying with my hands and she said
Spaseeba, which is thank you. Vera’s husband, Lavon came today. He is a less
active that has become good friends with our mission president.
President and Sister O came to NovoK today and
took part of the second and third hour and did their family home evening about
putting on the armor of God. They have actual full size fake armor. I went into
the primary so Maria, President Krievov’s wife could go into the meeting. Dad
came in a little later and helped. This is tough because of not speaking the
language. I heard Deanna complaining that I didn’t understand Russian. They all
had a snack and then we got out a memory game that Sister Krievov brought. Her
daughter, Deanna, was laying out the game. Three other kids decided they didn’t
want to play so started playing a different game. Deanna got mad and she and Veronica
were arguing and Deanna hit Veronica. Veronica went out to tell her mother. I
was surprised I wasn’t fired.
Meanwhile, Camilla, Deanna and I started on the
memory game. We had a great time and eventually Veronica and Madison started to
play with us. All was quiet for a while. I had brought a treat, marshmallows.
The kids loved them. They continued to play pretty well together, so it was
quiet when Maria came in to help clean up.
Elder Buchanan, one of our AP’s, is a diehard
Patriots fan. He is trying to get Dad and me to support his team. I finally
told him that I was rooting for the Patriots just because I didn’t want to hear
him cry and complain for a solid month if they didn’t win. He was okay with
that.
This week was a busy one. President is getting
ready for zone conference next week and I’ve put together two PowerPoint
presentations for him. The last one was 62 pages long and there are pictures
and also 3 different videos embedded in it. It’s on Repentance. We had some stuff to read to prepare for our
zone conference on Wednesday. One of the things was a talk given by D. Todd
Christofferson titled “The Divine Gift of Repentance” from the November 2011
Liahona. One spot that really hit me was this:
When prophets come crying repentance, it “throws
cold water on the party.” But in reality the prophetic call should be received
with joy. Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life.
Pretending there is no sin does not lessen its burden and pain. Suffering for
sin does not by itself change anything for the better. Only repentance leads to
the sunlit uplands of a better life. And, of course, only through repentance do
we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation. Repentance
is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it.
It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the
celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration.
With our Mission goal of becoming a Stake in
Samara, repentance is a big message. So many new converts will fall back into
an old habit or do something that makes them think all is lost and quit going
to church. President is hoping by helping our Volunteers to really understand
this principle they will be able to pass it on to members, less actives and
non-members alike. We need to have 99 Tithe paying Melchizedek Priesthood
holders as one of the conditions of becoming a stake. We need to bring back our
less actives and support our members by encouraging them to pay tithing and set
a goal to go to the Temple.
Dad and I both feel very blessed to have the
knowledge and skills to be able to help and support President and Sister O and
all of our Volunteers. It’s like I spent the last 20 years working to get ready
for our mission. I know they don’t look forward to our leaving. Dad and I have
both put together a How To Handbook to help the next Office Couple or
Office Elders transition in.
Also this week I found, enhanced and printed off a
lot of Kyiv temple pictures. Sister O put them in frames. They are going to
give them to the Volunteers to leave with the members of their branch. I also
helped her with some primary stuff she wanted done.
This week we had the AP’s, Elders Quarnberg and
Buchanan to dinner today along with the Avrora Elders, Elders Nedelev (Russian)
and Kennedy. I made Taco soup, cornbread, I fried tortilla chips, and banana
cake. Also some sliced cucumbers in vinegar, well, Dad made that.
I heard a few cute things this week. At church
today I gave my NovoK Elders a treat. (I bring one for them every Sunday) I
brought each of them two, frosted, banana cupcakes. Elder Miller was eating one
of his and he looked at me and told me, very intently, that he would die for
one of my banana cupcakes. I just laughed and told him he needed to raise his
standards a little.
The other one came from President Ottesen. Last
Sunday the AP’s had a meeting with President O after our dinner. President told
me that his conversation went something like this:
Elder Quarnberg, “You know President, I’m kind of
a Mama’s boy, and being there with the Stewarts, with Sister Stewart for Sunday
dinner almost brings me to tears.”
President said he looked a little choked up. All I
could saw was AWWWWWWW.
I was up in the second apartment that is by the
President and Sister O apartment, helping Sister O go through stuff that had
been left in it as Sisters and elders come and go. Anyway while there I found
some letters that Elder Johnston left there and one was addressed to Dad and I.
He was telling Dad and I how much he loved us and what a blessing we had been
in his life. It was a beautifully sweet letter. I don’t know why he didn’t give
it to us himself. If I hadn’t gone up to help Sister O I would have never found
it.
It was time for me to head to the walking street,
last Tuesday, by myself, to get my hair cut. I jokingly told Dad he needed to
come with me and he said he would if I wanted him to. Part of me wanted him to
and another part of me scoffed and said to get a grip and go by myself. I went
and got back just fine. I showed her a picture of what I wanted my hair to look
like and she gave me a shorter version of it. Oh Well.
I love you all greatly; keep those emails and
Facetiming/Skyping coming!!
Love,
Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment