Teaching with Power and Authority

Dear Family and the ones I love:
Wonderful things are happening in Novokuznetzk! First of all, the mission president, President Rolfe, came to train us. It is sad that I will only know him for a little while until the new mission president comes. He talked to us about teaching with power. You always hear power and authority put together, because you need both to teach. We already have our authority, as we were set apart as missionaries. What we need to focus on is teaching with power. This goes by teaching truth, and testifying about it. You can tell when you teach with power, as you feel that the person feels it too.
I have had many experiences with teaching with power this week. We have taught two Nicholais. One of them is a young man, who is a miner, but he wants to become an advertising designer. We began teaching him, and I felt when he read the Book of Mormon introduction, promising that people can know for themselves of its truth, and I knew it hit him. He even committed to baptism, and we are meeting with him today to teach the Plan of Salvation. He lost his father, and I know that this lesson will greatly increase his faith and desire to learn more, and be baptized.
The second Nicholai, is a very old Dedooshka, or grandpa. What is amazing about him, is that he had no idea what the Bible was. He had no religious background, and here we are teaching him the Plan of Salvation. But with my halting Russian, I told him that death isn't the end, but that we will live again, and that those who died without a knowledge, can have a chance to hear it.
With both of these investigators, I had the same good feeling that I had with Vladimir. I know that it is the Spirit testifying to me that these people are prepared to hear the gospel. It might take time, and it might mean that I won't be the one to baptize them, but they have been prepared to hear the gospel.
Another miracle that happened this week was the return of Galia. She is probably in her 20's and was very active in the church. Then she decided it was too hard to live like a disciple of Christ. We had members call her, pleading to come back. She did this week. She was miserable, and wanted the gospel in her life again. She came to church and other activities, and she is a different person. This shows that the gospel truly brings people happiness. Living in the world is misery, only through the gospel of Jesus Christ can we be truly happy.
We did meet with that family, Curik and Marina. They fed us, and we talked about our families. Those pictures are practically scriptures to me. What is amazing about this family, is that the Father knows his responsibility to take care of his family and stay faithful to his wife. That is rare in Russia, which is sad. Many people grow up in broken homes, without both parents, and this vicious cycle continues. We left them a copy of The Family: A proclamation to the world, and read how it says that parents should work together to raise their children righteously. I hope to meet with them later, and they want to meet with as well.
I have really been blessed on this mission. It is amazing that I have only been here a month, but I understand so much Russian. I can follow in a lesson when the investigator's talking, and I can speak back. It's funny, I don't speak a lot, but I listen a lot. Some people think that I am quiet and that I have no idea what's going on, but then I say to them that I DO understand and that I am just listening. I love teaching, and I am speaking more and more. I am really growing in my abilities, and I am learning how to better myself in learning the language. It's great to listen, but speaking is just as important.
There's just so much to say, but I don't have the time. Miracles are happening every day, and I love it. Some days it seems like nothing happens, no one's listening to us, but we still work. Because of our faithfulness and obedience, we are blessed in another way, such as a returned member, or finding an old contact we prayed to speak with.
Here are some pictures.
The one with me holding the cigaretter package is funny, as it literally says on the package "Smoking Kills" in big letters.
The other cigarette package is funnier, as it says that Smoking can become a way to a small and painful death. And people still buy them...strange...

The big fan is in this tunnel next to a chemical factory we visited on P-Day. It was really cool, so I thought you would like it.
The plate of food is goat intestines...just joking! They are actually stalks of a plant commonly found in Koreal, which people eat here.

The last picture is of me holding an old filter, replacing it with a new one. We have a filter on our sink, so we can have clean water to drink, and it's a three step filtration process. Yummy, huh?

I love you all, the gospel it true.
Obedience, faith, prayer, and fasting brings miracles.
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us all so much.
-Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)

P.S. Mom, you wanted to send me something just to see how long it would take, could you send me some contact lenses, possibly? Just send me my old ones. Also Reese's, or anything with peanut butter and chocolate. Maybe send me peanut butter. Russian's don't eat peanut butter, which I think is very sad. If it doesn't work, don't worry about it. I will survive. I don't need them.

The Power of Prayer

Dear Mom, Dad, Family, Friends, Nobles, and Countrymen! Lend me your ears!

That was pretty scary for Britton to be left alone off of the train, but it is another testimony of the power of prayer. Every time I think of the grandkids, I think of them kneeling next to their beds with their families, and they say prayers in my behalf. I don't think there is any greater power than a child's prayer.

I think that is why missionaries are successful, because they pray so much. It is so crucial to pray always, and for every occasion. But then with prayer you have to show your faithfulness through work.

Elder Washburn is awesome. He plays the piano, like me, he sings, like me, he likes fitness, like me, and he is tall, but not as tall as me.  He is funny and loves a good joke. But the most admirable quality of his is his dedication to the work. Even during these last few weeks, he is focusing on helping people, even if it means that he won't be able to teach them later. He leaves at the end of the month for home. I still have a long way to go, and a great adventure waiting for me.

I have grown such a love for the people I teach. Most of our investigators are the ones Elder Washburn taught, and I just came in the middle. One of my favorites is Vladmir. He is probably in his 40's or 50's, and he loves the gospel. Every time I talk with him, I just get a good feeling. (Which is amazing because I might only understand half of what he says!) I know that he is chosen to be taught. It doesn't mean that it will be easy, but it will happen. I really hope I can meet with him through the whole process. I don't know if I will stay in Novokuznetsk when Elder Washburn leaves, but I hope to.

Our investigator, Pavel, has many concerns about the gospel. He is very learned in the Bible, and constantly compares the Book of Mormon with it. One thing people need to understand when learning about the gospel is that you can't put the Bible and Book of Mormon against each other. They complement each other. What seals them together is faith. What we will be focusing with Pavel is how to receive an answer whether or not this gospel is true. No one can study the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and then decide whether or not the gospel it true until they sincerely pray about it. Prayer, again, is so important.

We had a senior couple in Novokuznetsk this week. The senior couples go through all the cities in our mission, and they teach English, teach in our discussions with us translating, (I even helped to translate for them!) and they feed us. Their names are the Huffakers, and they are from Colorado. Elder Huffaker is a full-on cowboy, which everyone in Russia loves. He shows them how to lasso and rope. It's really fun, and the people get a kick out of it. Senior couples have a very special spirit, one of dedication, years of faithfulness and experience, and long love for each other. Even with us translating for them, their messages are powerful. So I hope that when I am old, that I can return to Russia, and teach them with my wife. Mom, Dad, I would highly recommend that if you are able to serve a mission, do it. Every talk in the MTC, the speakers would commend the senior couples, and say how they need more couples serving. So, think about it.

One thing that Elder Washburn taught me is the importance of work. Work not only brings results in getting contacts, but also blessings in other ways. I don't know how, but God blesses us in different ways than what we thought. Elder Washburn said that many times he and his companion would go contacting, trying to get new investigators, but their efforts were fruitless in that area. BUT, they saw so many blessings as investigators would all-of-a-sudden progress and want to get baptized, old investigators want to hear the gospel again, and inactive members would start coming back. God blessed them because of their faith, based on their needs. That is my focus now, is to make more of an effort to speak to people on the street. I hope not only to get contacts, but to receive blessings for our investigators now.

There is one family, Curik and Marina, they have a daughter, and we have met them many times on the street. We haven't taught them, because other things get in the way, but they wanted to meet with us and we were dedicated to always try to meet with them. We saw them walking as a family, and I just had a good feeling about them. Elder Washburn had talked with them for a long time, but he also felt the same way that moment. We plan to meet with them today, which I pray will be successful.

Finally, one member, Sasha, is getting ready to serve a mission. She is an amazing person. She already speaks very good English. It's cool to see someone go through the things I did, preparing for their mission like I had.

Tell everyone I love them, I am praying for them.

The gospel is true.

Always pray.

Finally pictures...

Dear Family, Friends, and whoever might be reading this NEW EDITION OF THE SIBERIAN MESSENGER!!!

I actually wasn't entirely truthful about why I didn't send pictures. Yes, there is a problem with viruses, but the real reason is because I accidentally left my camera in Novosibirsk in our hurry to catch our train. But don't worry, I have it now, so the pictures are a little outdated. I will send more.

One picture is of me and our Branch Presidency at the MTC. The names from left to right is Bro. Mansfield, Cranney, and Childs. They were really awesome, especially Bro. Childs who was such a help to me at the MTC. I was really blessed.

The picture of me and the short elder is Elder Mantell, who is from London. I thought Dad would like to see him, and he is going to Yekaterinburg, Russia. The only foreigner in our branch.

The metallic-wirey building is the Moscow airport. That was my 1st look of Russia. Cool, huh?

The building that says something like MEBEL is a furniture store.

Russia is a bunch of apartments, and the picture of the apartment was a favorite of mine, because of the fancy design.

The orangish old-fashioned building looked pretty, so there you go.

The other old-fashioned building is actually a train station. It was cool as well.

The building with a chicken and POCTNK'C That is "Rostik's", which is Russian KFC.

Then there is a picture of our district, and our teachers Bro. Savage and Sis. Kuznetzova. Interestingly, Kuznetzova is a name meaning "smith" just like Novokuznetsk, which means "new blacksmith. The magic wand I made, because she really likes Tinker Bell, and I was bored one P-day.

The picture of a lot of elders is all the elders that left that week.

The other pictures will be on other e-mails.

So for what happened this week, our investigator, Pavil, came to church, which is a BIG plus. I also gave a talk that day about the role of families in the gospel. I did a pretty nice job. We will keep teaching him, and I really hope that he will accept baptism. He is really interested in our message, and is amazed how the Bible supports our message.

There is a man by the name of Dima, who was in the hospital. We came by and I annointed him for the blessing. I did it in Russian as well. He knew the elders for years, and this experience has him examining what we are teaching, whether or not the gospel is true. The next day, he called about how much better he felt, which shows the power of the Priesthood. I felt the power as I laid my hands on his head. He wasn't healed immediately, but I knew that he was going to be okay. That's the beauty of this gospel, we are speaking another language, but the spirit and power are still there.

Also, Elder Washburn and I held a fast on Sunday in order to get more help to find people to become investigators. The next day, we celebrated Uri Ivanovich's 74th birthday "Den Rozhdeneeyeh". An inactive member, Aleksi, came by and wanted to talk with us. He wanted to read the Book of Mormon with us and come to church. It was really cool. We really hope that he will come back to full activity. We just don't find people to baptize, but bring inactive members back to the gospel.

English club is so much fun, and I make a lot of friends. Every Tuesday and Thurday, we hold the club. At the end, we have story time translated by a member of the club, and then if people want to stay, we have a spiritual thought to tell of our purpose as missionaries. I shared a message of family, and how they are such a blessing to me. That families should teach their children to do good. I testified that families could be together forever.

I wish I could write more, but I need time to send pictures.

I love you my family and friends!

The gospel is true.

Miracles do happen.

Prayer works.

Elder Hoggan (Siberian Messenger)

P.S. Mom, how are the Ridgeway's doing? I just been thinking about my work here as a missionary, and I thought of them. Have the missionaries gone to their place? Either way, have them go over to their house (make sure their member friends are there as well) and tell them that Elder Hoggan sent them there to share an important message. The same message I am giving to the people of Russia, and that he wants them to hear it. It was just a thought.

Listen to the Holy Ghost

Let me just say first, that I LOVE TEA!!!

Now you can all sit down and be calm. I am keeping the commandments, and it would be foolish not to. In Russia, people don't drink tap water, just because it isn't safe. They drink a lot of tea, which is fine if it is a certain kind. Any black or green tea has the tea leaf in it and of course, we don't drink it. The tea members drink is herbs, such as ginger, and dried fruit. These things are perfectly safe, and are delicious. If you want to try herbal tea, make sure to put lots of sugar. All I have to say is that drinking herbal tea is so much better that drinking Mate! :)  It even says in the D&C that "mild drinks" are perfectly fine in the eyes of the Lord. Trust me, it's delicious!

In getting to Novokuznetsk, we took a train, which was my first train ride, and it was 8 hours long from Novosibirsk. We got to the city about 4 in the morning, we got a taxi, and we got to the apartment and slept until 6:30. Our apartment is small, but nice. The hot water never runs out, except when they clean the pipes. For a couple weeks in the Summer, they turn off the hot water, so they can clean the pipes that bring it. That happened this week, so we have freezing cold water in the mornings. It's awesome.

We have an amazing investigator, named Vacili, who is like "The Chosen One". He doesn't drink alcohol or coffee, smoke, or use drugs, which is one in a million in Russia. Elder Washburn knew him before I came, and he was reading the Book of Mormon, and he said that he had a good feeling when he read and prayed. He also has a slight stutter, which went away when he was reading. We testified that it was the Holy Ghost, and that he could feel that every day if he was baptized. He said yes! All he needs to do is come to church every Sunday this month, and we plan to teach him all the lessons. If everything goes right, He will be baptized at the end of this month. It's exciting!!

On Mondays, we have Family Home Evening at the branch, since many of the members don't have families of their own. Last Monday, we had "Nipponski Vecher", or Japanese Night. We made sushi, and drank herbal tea, which is when I found my love for herbal teas. It's funny, that the first time I have sushi, I am in Russia...go figure...

A funny moment happened. Elder Washburn had some American candy from his family for his Birthday, and he brought Pixie Stix to share with others. He gave some to two kids, and they ate them outside the branch. A babooshka (you call an old lady a babooshka, and they expect to be called one as well) saw them and thought that they were taking narcotics. We told her it was American candy, and she grumbled as she went away. It just was a funny moment.

Even funnier, during Nipponski Vecher, a person from English Club came and brought a present for Elder Washburn's birthday. She isn't a member, and when she gave it to him, she tried to kiss him on the cheek. Of course Elder Washburn got out of the way, and nicely said that those things aren't allowed. The present was a picture frame, and we put a picture of Joseph in Egypt trying to get away from Potipher's wife, just to remind us to stay away from temptation... It is okay to laugh!

My last experience I want to share is when we were talking with Andre. He is a pastor and is very firm in the bible. He read the pamphlet about the Restoration, and he wrote down scriptures to explain why this church is wrong. When he would talk, he got louder and louder, till he was almost shouting. He really seemed to just want to argue. At the end, I felt impressed to bear my testimony, and I simply stated in a still small voice that I followed what it says in James 1:5, and I received an answer that this church is true. There was power in my words, even without the loud volume. I don't know how he felt, but I felt it. I knew it was true. He called me a "Horoshi Chelovek" which means "Good Man". The lesson from this is that's how the Holy Ghost works. It's not loud, it's still, small, and powerful. There is power behind the words. And that is what converts the people, that power. My words didn't bring the power, but it was through them that the Holy Ghost was able to show His power.
I love you all, this Gospel is true

Listen to the Holy Ghost, for He is power.

Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)