Sunday, April 03, 2016

  Anatoli came to pick us up at about 7:20 am for church. He and Dad still talk to each other the whole way and understand just a little. I was in the back seat reading the Ensign. Church doesn’t start until 9:00 am so Dad helped set up the sacrament table and then we read for a while. President Krevov brought his oldest daughter with him early to church and Dad entertained her for a while with his iPad.

  Dad and I go to church and hear voices. I know, you are thinking that just because we are on a mission that we shouldn’t be thinking that we have a direct line to the powers that be. Well, I guess we do and not because we are on a mission, we all have a direct line to God, its called prayer. 

  Anyway, we have a microphone and headsets that we use for translation. So I do hear voices, it’s just the Elders. The person doing the interpreting can sit anywhere and whisper to us what is being said. It works very nicely. Apparently last week I neglected to turn off the microphone and the battery for it was dead. It was back to whispering in our ear today.

  To break our fast today Dad and I decided on gourmet pizza. It came from the freezer and I thought I had picked out a pepperoni one but it turned out to be sausage. The crust was a little tough but hey, it’s pizza!! No bread sticks though.

  Testimony meeting was great. Elder Allred kept us up on what was being said. I did go up and asked him to interpret for me. He has been out about 5 months so wasn’t sure of everything I asked him to say but he did a good job. He and Elder Petersen went shopping last week and ran into a suit sale. It was buy one and get another one for one Ruble. So they got 4 suits for about $20 a piece. The weather is a killer on the missionary’s shoes. It’s always wet and muddy so holes develop quickly. Elder Allred says he has a pair with a hole and dirt keeps accumulating in them and the shoes are getting tighter. My black shoes look like I’ve worn them for 6 months. I had to wear them to and from work for about 3 weeks before I bought my boots. Dad and I don’t wear ours much now because We’re both wearing boots to and from work and then slippers once we are at work or home.

  The Russian people are a very honest and hard working group, at least the ones we met. A couple of store clerks and given us back money when we paid too much. They love their country and are very proud of their soldiers. They really don’t make eye contact with you on the street or in stores so we don’t get many opportunities to smile at people. The missionaries don’t go knocking on any doors because that doesn’t work here at all. They don’t wear their missionary badges outside of the office or church. They mostly do street contacting and with the no eye contact thing that turns out to be pretty hard. But one Area Authority told President Schwab that Russia was about ready to really take off, with people interested in the church, just as South America did. President Schwab then said that Russia was a lot further along than South America was in it’s first 30 years. I hope we’ll be here to see it.

  They rarely wash the cars here because as soon as they get back on the road it covered in mud again. The weather for the coming week or so gets up into the 60’s. I’m looking forward it, maybe Dad and I can start doing more walking. Although Dad’s heel is still bothering him so we’ll see. At least we can go for ½ hour or so. If we can find room on the sidewalk; sometimes it feels like everyone in town is walking along the Volga River, and they are bringing their kids and dogs.

Isaiah 62:6

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,

I know the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I believe it with all my heart. I know that Joseph Smith was instructed by God to translate those ancient plates into what we now know as the Book of Mormon. I know that Thomas S. Monson leads our church today and that he was called of God. I have a strong and firm belief that I was sent to earth at this time to my earthly family because Heavenly Father knew that I would be taught the things I needed to know in order to return and live with him again. I was indeed blessed with goodly parents. I believe that each one of our children chose to come to our family and that we knew and loved each other in the pre-existence. God wants Dad and I in Russia and he has opened all the doors necessary for us to be here. I know that serving here will help us grow in the gospel and in our lives. I love all of you more than you can possibly know. I pray for my whole family every night and every morning. Please be safe, please take care of yourselves, spiritually, physically and emotionally.

Love to you all.