You are all excited to hear what I have to say from the land of Russia, so I hope I can tell you as much as I can. Davaite (Let's do it!)
I LOVE RUSSIA. That is the first thing I have to say about my mission thus far. I love everything about Russia. I love the food, the houses, the culture, the language, and the people. The only two things I do NOT like are the mosquitoes and the traffic. You would never think there are mosquitoes in Russia, but there are. Second, the traffic is scary. There is no such thing as right-of-way for pedestrians. If they allowed us to drive cars in this mission, I wouldn't. But I am alive and happy.
Right now I am serving in Novokuznetsk, which is the youngest city opened in this mission, opened 2006. There is one branch, and my companion Elder Washburn, is the Branch President. I don't really know how many members there are, but there are some stellar people.
First, Elder Washburn is the most amazing trainer ever! He is totally dedicated to the work, and he is making me take part in it as well. I don't know how he does it, to juggle Branch duties, and be a missionary, but he does. I have learned so much from him. One thing that makes him so awesome is that he makse me part of things. I have no idea how to talk to people, but he makes me stretch and I do talk to people. He is from Chicago, which is interesting, because most of the missionaries Russians meet are Utahns. It is fresh and new, especially since more people know Chicago over South Weber. Go Figure.
It's terrifying trying to talk to people, but it works. The people in Russia are the nicest people ever. I couldn't talk to people in America, but in Russia, they are genuinely nice people. You don't know each other, and they treat you like a best friend. They LOVE learning about people's families, which is why we need those pictures. The pictures are almost as important as the scriptures, and I bring them everywhere.
Pictures you generally see of Russia are pretty accurate: there are a lot of apartment buildings, and they are filthy on the outside. The insides are actually pretty nice. They are not 5-star suites, but they are quite livable. Another thing about Russia is that there is a LOT of beer and cigarettes. Everywhere you go, people are drinking and smoking. It hasn't bothered me at all.
Our Branch building is a small building, about the size of our family room. The people that used it demanded we keep the SALON sign up on the front, so we call it the Salon Spacenye, which is the "Salon of Salvation." (You have permission to laugh.) Some of the members are stellar, especially Kurill, Sasha, and Uri Ivanovitch. Kurill served a mission in Salt Lake City, but had to come back early for some health problems. He is 20, I believe, and a total goof. He is so funny, and we make fun of each other. He is awesome at speaking English, and he makes fun of the language. Casha is a sister who is preparing to serve a mission, which I think is amazing. I see these people, and where they live, and to have the faith to serve a mission is beyond my belief.
English club, we have every Tuesday and Thursday, is awesome. We have different groups of different levels of understanding, and then at the end we have a story that is translated by someone from the club, and then we have a spiritual thought. I shared the story of when Mom accidentally used liquid soap instead of oil in making enchiladas. They don't have a word for enchiladas, which made it fun to explain. They laughed.
Uri Ivanovitch is a really old man, who doesn't have a good memory. We read from a illustrated version of the Book of Mormon. I believe that I sent one home in a package. It has a bunch of small pictures in it, and easy explanations as to what is happening. His brain was probably affected from many years of drinking, but his Spirit is so pure and simple, like a child. He's like a sweet dedushka (grandpa).
We have one investigator, named Pavil, who seems really interested in learing about the church. We met him while contacting on the street. We were at the Branch Building, and we called him, he had time right then, and we taught him a lesson. I hope things work out with him.
On Sunday, we had a turnout of 11 people. It didn't matter to me, because the Spirit's the same. I had no idea what they were saying, but I felt it. That is what's so amazing about this gospel. Languages can be different, but the message is the same, and the Spirit is the same.
I will try to send pictures, but I will have to see how. It can be dangerous to send pictures, because you don't know what viruses they have on these computers. We can't even put our flash drives in the Mission President's computer because the viruses will spread.
I don't have anymore time, I only have 30 minutes to e-mail, but I love you all, I am really happy being here. The food is good. The gospel is true. Serve a mission, you men! It's for your own good! Tell the ward I said that.
PAKA (peace, or bye)
Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)
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