Nikolai's Baptism--This is a gospel of happiness.

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been indeed one of the greatest weeks of my life! Let me tell you why...

First, an investigator by the name of Vlad went hunting for Cedar pine cones with his friends, and gave us some. He told us that we can eat the seeds inside, after boiling them for two hours. The boiling helps to get rid of the sap and makes the pine cones softer and easier to pick out the seeds. We tried it, and the pictures are the hilarious results. They were pretty tasty, almost like sunflower seeds. It was weird, to boil pine cones, and then eat them. It just was a wacky mission event.

The picture of the brownish lumps are my attempts to make no-bake cookies in Russia. They have no peanut butter, which is the saddest thing I have ever heard, and they have no measuring utensils. I also made a cake, but it turned into brownies. I brought them to English Club for the 5-year anniversary of the club. The funny thing was that they were the worst cookies I have ever made, but the people LOVED them! They were so excited, and they wanted the recipe. So Mom, in your next email, could you send me some recipes, desserts preferably, especially for homemade bread?

A little short note for English club. There are three groups in English club. First group doesn't know how to communicate in English, but they might know a few words or sentences. That is taught by Elder Sperry. Second group, taught by me, as my trainer taught when we were companions, knows more English, and they want to learn more words and grammar. They can communicate with us, and I have Kirill, one of our members, who translates for me. Third group, is entirely speaking English. They practice talking and they learn new things such as baseball, or cruises. I used to teach that with Elder Terry, but he teaches that with Elder Harrison. So that is English club in a nutshell.
As it was the 5th anniversary of English Club, it was also 5th anniversary of the opening of the gospel in Novokuznetsk. The tradition there is to go to this холм, or hill, and we have a devotional, cook chicken over a grill, and eat chicken and bread. It is probably the craziest thing, to see me in a suit, squatting on the ground and eating chicken and bread with no utensils on top of a hill. I think it's hilarious, but it was so much fun! The elders and I also sang Count your Many Blessings, jazz-style, and in Russian. The people really liked it. There were some wild cows there, which was cool.

Also this week, there was a group training for the whole mission. Missionaries would watch over skype as President Gibbons would give counsel. Novokuznetsk is so ghetto, though, that we listened over a cell phone. So we couldn't see any of the visual aids. It was funny to us, as he would ask, "Can everyone see that person in the corner of the picture?" and we didn't even know he was showing one. We just chuckled to ourselves.The reception wasn't the best, and some of it was garbled, but it was very good training. I know that President Gibbons is meant to be the mission president here.
My Russian has been coming along great, and my handwriting has improved. All Russians write in cursive, and so I have been practicing my writing by copying scriptures to help me memorize them. That scripture is 3 Nephi 27:19-20. Can you read it at all, even though it is in Russian?
But now I have saved the best for last. Saturday was the baptism of Nikolai. This was a very special one for me, as I was with Nikolai through every single lesson from the very beginning. I was fortunate to be the one to perform the ordinance for Karmakov Nikolai Viktorovich. We had originally planned for his baptism to be on Friday, as his work schedule is strange, as he works all day, then works from 5 in the evening to 11 the next morning, then the next day is free, and the cycle goes again. Friday he would work at 5, so we planned to have the baptism at 1. When scheduling the Lotus, there was a problem with renting the sauna, as we usually rented for Saturday, and Friday they have kids using the facilities to learn how to swim. Then Nikolai got a call from his boss, having him work on Friday. We got the news on Thursday, and of course my heart sunk. "What would happen? What do we do now?" But Heavenly Father in His infinite love, made it so that Nikolai wouldn't have to work on Saturday, or Sunday, making his baptism competely possible. So the baptism was very spiritual, and now Nikolai is the newest member of the church in Novokuznetsk.

He would constantly say, that he was very happy, and I could tell. He was always smiling, and he was talking and laughing with the other members of the church. I saw a change in his countenance, and he looked better. This gospel changes people, so that their brows aren't lined with worry, and their mouths hanging low turn into bright smiles. Their eyes light up, and the Light of Christ shines. That is the miracle of this gospel, is that it changes people for the better, and makes them so much happier. This gospel isn't just happiness, but a happiness that can never be taken away. He was very happy, and I was very happy too, because I had just gained another friend and brother in the gospel. As Christ said when he was teaching the people of the Ancient Americas, "Behold, my joy is full."

This is a gospel of happiness.
Miracles happen every day.
I love this work.
I love you all.

Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger, Сибирский Посланник) See-beer-skee Pos-lah-neek

Karmakov Nikolai Viktorovich

Andre was baptized!

Hello my Family, and welcome to this week's edition of the...

SIBERIAN TIMES

So, what happened this week?
Well, our little friend, Andre, just got baptized, making him the youngest member in our branch! It took a while with him, just because he is young and a little immature, but his heart is good, and he is very knowledgeable about the Gospel. He is 12 years old, so in a few weeks, he will receive the Aaronic Priesthood, and be the 1st Deacon. His mother has only been a member for about 5 months, and having her son baptized will be a great blessing in their life.

Andre, Elder Terry, Elder Hoggan

Talking about the Aaronic Priesthood, Elder Terry and I helped teach Vladimir how to prepare the sacrament, and he blessed the sacrament the first time last Sunday. Just think about it, there are 16 year-old kids that can bless the sacrament, and this 50 year-old man just recently is given the gift that I think many youth take for granted. I know I did. This is the only way that people can repent, through the sacrament. That is a special gift to be able to bless the sacrament, and allow others to repent, and I was so grateful to be able to give it to my investigator.
Vladimir has helped us a LOT in our lessons. He is a stellar member, and he is able to communicate what we wish to say, but can't with our limited knowledge of the language. Vladimir even gave a talk for Andre's baptism. I also gave a talk about the Holy Ghost, and I gave the experience about when our dog Ann ran away. I was very young then, maybe 8 years old. We were looking everywhere, and I was scared, so I prayed that I would find her. I remember feeling very calm, knowing that she would be okay, and VOT! (That's Russian for "look", "behold", or along the lines of that) I immediately found her. It was a small experience, but I still remember it. It was really interesting to give a talk to a kid, and Vladimir did a great job, too, making the talk perfect for a kid. He talked about super heroes, and that Andre would be like a superhero, when he would receive the Priesthood, and that since he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, he has 14 million brothers and sisters, that are working together to become greater.
After the baptism, we had sports night, but since it was pourning, it became Game Night. We made oragami, and took pictures. I thought they were pretty funny, so that's elders in Russia, with pieces of colored paper folded into flowers. This is what missionaries do for fun. Awesome isn't it?

One contact we had, Timur, we had no idea who he was, but he came to church! It was out of the blue, so that was pretty awesome, and we will meet with him tomorrow. The missionaries somehow lost contact with him or something, because there is nothing written on his investigator sheet. In every apartment, there is an Area book with information about contacts, investigators, members, former investigators, inactive members, and we fill it in with info about what lessons we taught, commitments they need to keep, that sort of thing. His page just had his name and number. Nothing else. We know that the elders talked with him, but we have no idea what, or when. It was interesting, and I pray for more success.
Nothing much has happened since last I typed, because it was only four days.
To answer the questions, P-day across the world is now on Monday. Every single mission used to pick their own day, based on the area. Now the First Presidency wants every mission having P-day on the same day.The First Presidency has given a list of things that the missions need to change, and that was one of the things. I don't know what the other changes are, because the mission president needs to figure out how he will do them for our mission. It's going to be a surprise.
Elder Terry has been back for a while now. They only spend about 2 days in Finland, and then they just ship them back. They want them back working as soon as possible. Elder Terry is from St. George, and he is a pilot. He flies small airplanes, and he wants to become a commercial pilot. He also loves dirt biking, and likes to race. Pretty much he is awesome, and he is an awesome trainer as well. He is totally dedicated to the work. We have a lot of fun laughing and cracking jokes. One joke we are doing now is that we both decided to stop popping our knuckles. It has been so hard not to do that, and we scorn each other when the other pops their knuckles, and then we laugh. We laugh at our mistakes, because what else can you do? Sasha gave me this great quote that I live, " Я не боюсь быть смешной" It means "I am not afraid to be funny" Because we have to talk to people, and we make mistakes. We can't let our weaknesses get in the way of the work, so we just laugh and get on with the work when we mess up.
I love you all, and I love hearing about what is happening over there back home.
Miracles happen here every day, and I am glad to be part of it.
Prayer works, along with acting on prayers.
I am so happy right now, being here in Russia.
Surprises happen every day, and you just have to watch for them
I love you all! Stay in tune for next week, for even MORE surprises!

Tell Britton only the cool smart kids wear glasses. Does he look like me? I just think that he is going to turn into a miniature version of me. Remember how I would use extensive vocabulary to dictate my pondering, and that I would desire to glance at newspaper clippings to gain a greater understanding of the goings-on in the area about?

Also, mom, I have attached a letter for Elder Dean. Could you send it to him for me? I don't know his address, and I think it would be easier and cheaper to send letters this way.

The Gift of Tongues is real!

Well, Привет моя друза   (Priv-yet, Ma-ya Druz-ah) Hello my friends

This has been a crazy week. We haven't really been in Novokuznetsk for a very long time since I last wrote, but things have happened, but not very much.
The picture of me and the bag is me and a bag of  Мороженое (Moro-zhono-eeyeh) or ice cream. Ice cream sometimes comes in a bag, and you just cut the top and squeeze it out. Russia has amazing ice cream, which is weird, since it Siberia. Well, go figure.



Russian Ice Cream--Yum!

 The other picture was the game we played for family home evening. It was my turn to pick the game, so we played "Don't Eat Pete" and that was the board, which I drew myself. They don't have this game in Russia, and we called it "Не кушать Пётр" or (Neh koo-shut Pee-yoter)

Don't Eat Pete!

The greatest thing was that my first convert, Vladimir, received the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday. The priesthood is such a blessing in my life, and I am grateful to share it with others. It is really the power of God. It is wonderful to see him progress in the church. I did in fact give my talk about the Holy Ghost in Russian. I would never give a talk in English. It is very rare to find people that speak English, and we only give talks in Russian. Vladimir really appreciated it. He has become a very good friend to me. He has helped us out in teaching lessons, because we don't speak Russian, and that has been a life saver.
Oh, and also, Little Andre is getting baptized this Saturday, which will be the first young person baptized in Novokuznetsk. He will become the first deacon, which is crazy!
Our investigator, Nikolai, is having his interview on the 20th, and I hope everything will be well with him. We went over the baptismal questions with him for a lesson, and We went in real depth, and he said he had no concerns, questions, or problems, so we'll just see.
If you remember the name Vecheslav (which I doubt) we committed him to baptism, but he declined, because he felt he hasn't received an answer that this church is THE true church. Fortunately, he still wants to find out, and he is reading and praying. He knows that prayer is important, so we pray that he will receive the answer. But it made Elder Terry and I very sad when he declined. One thing that I love about this work, is that I have such a love for the people I teach. They are more than friends to me, and I want to share this gospel to them, because I know their lives will be better because of it. I want to help my friends. We love our investigators, and we pray that they will fully accept the gospel. Vecheslav has come to church a few times, and he has really contributed. He is such a great person, and I feel that he could in fact accept the gospel. We will still teach him, though it is frustrating with our language barrier.
During English club, I shared a spiritual thought about why we keep the commandments. I shared the scripture in the Book of Mormon about how those who follow the commandments are blessed temporarily and spiritually. I talked about though we have many commandments, we don't drink, smoke, we have to read the scriptures, come to church, and pay tithing. But I testified that my life is better because of it. I have eternal joy because of it. One person, named Vlad, came up to us to ask why we don't drink green or black tea. He is a really fit person, and he doesn't smoke, and he only drinks "a little". It is funny to hear people say that, because it sounds like they actually know that what they are doing is wrong, but they justify it, by saying they are doing only "a little". I told him, that I didn't actually know why we don't drink green or black tea, but that I follow the commandments. I also said how interesting it was that this revelation was given to us over 100 years ago, back when these things were totally fine. We have just realized that they are bad. I testified to him that it was indeed true, and I gave him a Word of Wisdom pamphlet. He also wanted one in English, so I gave him one that I brought, and I slipped my testimony in it, saying that how this gospel gives me eternal happiness, no matter what happens in life. I don't know what will happen, but I pray that it will be an open door for us.
When my companion was in Finland, I never stayed in the mission home. I stayed in the place known as the "Palace", which is just a really big apartment that is not as nice as the mission home. I only stayed overnight, because we went back to Novokuznetsk by train, and slept there as well. It was a exception, because Elder Terry needed to pick up the new missionary he would train, and there are only 4 missionaries in Novokuznetsk. Transfers are every six weeks as well, but that doesn't mean I will go to a different city every 6 weeks and have a new companion every 6 weeks. I could still stay with Elder Terry here in Novokuznetsk for another transfer.
Well that is all that I have for this week, tune in next week, and I should have more.

I love you all, please pray for our success.
I know that the Gift of Tongues is real.
Obedience brings blessings, exact obedience brings miracles.

Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)

A great missionary teaches friends. You have to love the people you teach.

Well, this is interesting. My family has not replied to my e-mail yet. I thought my Mother would be all paronoid, and want to know why the e-mail was late, almost thinking about flying to Russia just to make sure her little boy was okay, and then reading it and finding out that his companion is only 12 weeks into his mission, and then REALLY think about flying to Russia! But I guess my family is having too much fun at the cabin that I have never been to. (Note from Aaron's mom:  We did get back from Island Park, and we did email Aaron, but I guess with the time difference and he being able to email Tuesday night instead of Wednesday morning, he didn't get it.  I just don't want anyone to think I'm a neglectful mom!  :)

Well, here is the Siberian Message from the Siberian Messenger.
Right now I am typing this e-mail in a library in Novosibirsk...again I am in Novosibirsk. It's funny how that happened. The new mission president, President Gibbons has arrived, and he is really cool. We are going to have training here in Novosibirsk, probably since there is a Zone Leader Conference and since the Novokuznetsk Zone has four missionaries, it is the smallest Zone in the mission, we hitch a ride too. The picture of the BIG statue, I don't know who it is supposed to be, but the new elder is Elder Harrison, who is being trained by Elder Terry. He's cool, just a newbie from the mission field. It is so weird to be only out for 6 weeks and see such a difference in me and him. I remember how scared I was about everything. I had no idea where we were going, and I had no idea how to talk to people, but now I just think, "Deladna", which is the Russian way of saying, "Whatever".

So the big news is that we may have TWO baptisms this month!! The first is little Andre, who is the son of Valia, one of our recent converts, about four months ago. He is twelve, and kind of a punk, but he is a good kid, and he wants to be baptized, so that's great! The second is Nikolai, my good friend Nikolai. We had a baptismal date for him about the 17th of September, but President Rolfe said that we should try to get him baptized sooner and we agreed too. So we changed it to the 26th of August. I pray that everything goes well with him, and that means I could have two baptisms, and it is only my second transfer...WHOAH...He is so cool, and we are really good friends.
I think that's a sign of a great missionary. We teach people, not lessons. A good missionary teaches people, a GREAT missionary teaches friends. So you have to love the people you teach, and that helps the spirit come as well, because who doesn't want to help their friends?
As we have been traveling across the country from Novokuznetsk to Novosibirsk and back, and then back to Novosibirsk again, we haven't had a lot of time to teach or contact people, but we find time and our efforts have paid off.
We have one investigator, named Vecheslav, who is really awesome! The big group picture is Elder Washburn's farewell party, which was Vecheslav's birthday as well. Vecheslav is the big guy on the left with the really big smile. That is what makes him so cool, because people in Russia don't normally smile that much. If you remember him, he came to our large goup discussions, and last time we met him, we taught him the Plan of Salvation. He said that he felt something, and he prayed for us...Twice! He knows that prayer is important, and he wanted to pray for him and his friend Vlad, who was in the lesson as well. He prayed for help in their work, and their families, so obviously this guy is golden. We wanted to commit him to baptism yesterday, but it was raining really hard before English Club, and he couldn't come before English to talk. Nevertheless, we will commit him, and we think that he could be baptized before the end of our transfer, so pray for him, and we will pray for him as well.

Elder Washburn's Farewell Party (Vecheslav on far left)

We have a contact, named Vitali, who we think was contacted by Elder Washburn on his way home. That's my Dad! (It is common lingo to call your trainer your Dad, and Elder Terry will be my Stepdad since he will finish my training) We met with him, and we talked about our families. He has a family, and he really loves them. I showed him my family pictures, and he asked if all were "Veryooshi", or "Believers". It means that you all are members of the same church. He also asked if they drink or smoke. I said no, and he said "Malatzi", which is "good job" He has really good teeth, which is a good sign in Russia. Good teeth means that they probably don't smoke or drink, and good personal hygiene is a sign of an understanding of what's important. Many people in Russia don't learn about the importance of brushing your teeth, so they have really bad teeth. That is probably why Russians don't really smile. But Elder Terry and I felt really good about him, and he talked about how he heard the Mormons were a "sektant" which is a sect, or a cult. He says he doesn't believe that, and that we are really good people with good family values. So it's kind of amazing that both Elder Terry and I understood what he said, even though we are still very very new in the language. That is just another sign that this gospel is true.
Lastly, I have a message for the young men in our ward, stake, and surrounding areas. Tell them this is from Elder Hoggan, a youth like them, serving a mission:
Serve a mission. Serve a mission. There is no excuse that you can have to not serve a mission. If there is something that may keep you from serving a mission, fix it. Prepare yourselves now physically, mentally, and spiritually to serve a mission. I have only been in Russia for 6 weeks, but I have received so much from this experience. I could not comprehend how my life would be if I was not serving a mission. I know that you have been drilled by parents, Priesthood leaders, Bishops, Stake Presidents, Apostles, and even the Prophet of the church "serve a mission, serve a mission". Here is another person drilling you. Please serve a mission, because your life can't afford missing the opportunity. There is so much joy in serving, that it is impossible to describe. Please serve a mission. Your Father in Heaven has given you so much, and all He asks is to give up a little of your time and He will open the way for you to receive even more, to the point that you can't hold all the blessings given to you. I know that to be true. If you have any doubts, ask your Father in Heaven, because I did that too, and I received my answer, "Serve a mission" The Spirit never deceives you, and I have never regretted that decision.
I love you all, this Gospel is true.
This is the Lord's work.
Miracles do happen.

Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)

P.S. Mom, I am concerned about two friends. Remember Alek, the convert in our ward? How is he doing? Also, I have a friend, Zach Freitag. I have not heard from him if he is serving a mission. Could you tell me how both of them are? Being here on a mission, I want these same blessings for my friends, and I rejoice when I hear that my friends get their calls. Did you know Michael Godfrey got his call to Texas? I was so happy to hear that! So please tell me about those two. You could probably reach Zach Freitag through Kristina McMillan. If they are not, tell them that Elder Hoggan commands them to serve a mission. Thank you! I love you!

Vladimir: First Baptism!

Well Family, Friends, and other people...

Sorry if my delayed reply didn't scare any people. I am quite safe right now in Novosibirsk. There are changes as my new companion, Elder Terry, is leaving for Finland for his first Visa trip, and I will be coming back to Novokuznetsk with Elder Sperry and his new companion (fresh out of the MTC) named Elder Harrison. We were on a bus for 6 hours, which I slept through the whole ride.
 


Vladimir's baptism @ Lotus Spa

 I am so thankful for the many blessings I have received thus far in my mission. First of all...DA DA DA DAAAA!!! I had my first baptism! It was Vladimir, if you remember him from a few weeks ago. He was so ready, and it was very spiritual. For baptisms, we go to this spa called the Lotus and rent out a sauna. It's like a small log cabin inside, and there is a room where the pool is. The water reaches about to my shoulders, which shows you how deep it is. I gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, and how it guides us in our lives. I told how I prayed to know if I should serve a mission, and the answer I received. I have never regretted this decision.

                      

So my trainer, Elder Washburn, has officially left for home. I still have a long adventure left, Mom, so just don't think about it yet. There are many changes as with the transfer. I will be staying in Novokuznetsk, thankfully, with Elder Terry, who has been out for 12 weeks. He is from St. George. Yeah, this is going to be awesome! Two greenie missionaries in the youngest city in the Mission! Don't worry, because I know that This is the Lord's work. That is just another reason that this is truly His work, because a companionship like this could not work for any other organization. Elder Terry is the missionary in the picture of us on the couch, and I have my arm on his shoulder. He is really funny, and hard-working. When President Rolfe was praying about transfers, he said he got a definite answer that this companionship had to be. He was really specific about that, that this was definitely supposed to happen. So, I am just excited for the work, and we have great investigators!

RIght now I am in the mission office typing this e-mail, but we first wrote e-mails in an internet club. It was hot, there was bad music playing, and many people just gaming. It hurt my head to be in there. Then Vladimir showed us the Biblioteka, which is a library. It was so quiet, and lovely in that place, so that's where we e-mail now.

For excercising, we go to this jogging track that has pull-up bars around. Pretty much it looks like a prison yard. The track is broken up, the bars are kind of rusty, and there is broken glass everywhere. It's awesome.

The first is Nikolai. Well, two are Nikolai. The first was a person who came to English club, a while before I came into Novokuznetsk, and was really interested to learn more about the church. He didn't give his information, but promised to come to church. He didn't, because his work changed. Elder Washburn prayed to find him again, and we did as we were walking home from sports night! Every Saturday night, we play sports with investigators, members, and other people from English club. We got Nikolai's info, and we taught him. We gave him a Restoration packet, and he filled it out completely, which you never find in an investigator. He knows it's true, and we have a baptismal date for him on the 17th of Sept. When we met with him the second time, he came in a white shirt and tie, because he read that you should wear that when you go to meetings. That shows how awesome this guy is! He doesn't smoke or drink, which is a major plus. He is a miner, because his father died, and he had to work to support his family. He is really intelligent, and he likes inventing, drawing, and advertisements. We gave him MormonAds, which he loved. His work schedule is really weird, and so I pray that he will be able to change his schedule, to come to church every week. We committed him to that, and he said he would do all in his power to change it, so please pray for him.

The next Nikolai is a 70-year old man, who has literally NO religious background. That doesn't mean he doesn't believe in God, but just he has no idea who God or Jesus Christ are. We watched Finding Faith in Christ, which was funny since he fell asleep a few times in the movie. But he liked it, and he came to church, which is a major plus as always.

Another person, which should be a baptism soon is Andre, who is 12 years old and his mother is Valia. He is a funny kid, but he is sort of emotional. He wants to be baptized, but he sort of has a short attention span. Just your normal kid.

Vladimir is pretty much the most awesome person I know. He is totally dedicated to the gospel, and he is willing to do all that he needs to do in order to reach the temple. One thing that makes me nervous is that he recently left to Moscow to get married. He met someone on this religious forum, and they talked on the phone and by e-mail, and they are getting married. He told her that he found a new church, and she is open to it, and is being excommunicated from her own religion, but we just don't know what she will think. You can't say to someone here that you can only marry in the faith, because there is just no one. He says things will be okay, and I don't doubt that he will just apostate, but there is a brother named Vania in our branch and his wife was baptized, but is super inactive and not-supportive. It's hard for him. I know that Vladimir wants to go to the temple, and I gave him a picture of the Kyiv temple with the "I love to see the temple" primary song written in Russian on the back. Just please pray for him, that things will work out, because I don't want to lose him.

You know you are truly teaching by the Spirit, because you are teaching someone you love, not just because you want to save someone. You are saving a loved one. I love all my investigators.

After the baptism, Elder Washburn, I, and Vladimir went to this old fort called the Krepic, which was really cool. It meant a lot to Vladimir as we just bonded. I wanted to make sure that I had a good relationship with Vladimir, as Elder Washburn would be leaving, and I would still be here. He is just such a good friend to me.



Elder Washburn, Vladimir, Elder Hoggan



Fort Krepic



I love you all, I love the work

This is definitely the Lord's work.

Prayers are answered.

Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)

P.S. Thank you so much for the letters you send me! I wish that I could reply back with a letter, but it is very difficult, and there literally is no time to do such. I will try to reply, but please don't be mad that I don't immediately reply. I will try.



Novokuznetsk Branch @ "Salon of Salvation"



And for a Christmas package, please send fun little American trinkets, such as keychains, or little things like that. The people love things like that. Also fun American candy, whatever your heart desires. I am in no place to be demanding. There are many people that don't have the luxuries that we have, and we even have a lot less in our apartment.