Follow the Spirit

Elder Patton and Elder Hoggan

Thank you for the recipe for cranberry salsa! I can't wait to share it with the other missionaries at our Thanksgiving feast.  Well, here is a picture of Elder Patton and I.  As you can tell, it isn't great--but think how bad the rest of them were, if this was the best picture!

So it is VERY cold in Novosibirsk right now. It is about -8 degrees Celsius every day, which is about 17 degrees in Fahrenheit. The picture of me in the coat is my new coat. Elder Patton and I were cleaning out all the old junk in our apartment, and we found these awesome coats! We thought they were seal, but they aren't. They are very warm, and very cool looking. I feel so Russian in it.

So we had Zone conference, and President Lawrence, and his wife spoke to us. I believe he is the member of the Seventy over the Europe East Area. His wife is very knowledgeable in the Old Testament and about the House of Israel. She talked about the people here are of the House of Israel, and that those of this house most likely taught the Gospel in the Premortal life in the war of Heaven. So that is why some people accept the gospel so readily, because they were taught it in the life before.  

President Lawrence talked to us about how to teach more effectively, especially in asking people to make commitments. It is so important to commit people, because that is the only way that they will exercise faith and know that the Gospel is true. How can someone have a testimony of the Book of Mormon if they don't read it? That is a commitment.

Sister Gibbons also talked to us, and she committed us to clean our apartments. Missionaries kind of leave things in apartments, and this clutter builds up. The Spirit can't reside in unholy temples, and it is the same with unclean apartments. It is very important to keep things clean. That is what you can teach the kids. The Holy Ghost can't be in a dirty room, so you need to clean it.

President Gibbons wanted some people to recite from memory the 42 points of doctrine from the lessons in Russian, and me and Sister Djurich were the ones who did it. It made me very happy because weeks ago President Gibbons asked me in an interview if I would memorize them, and I was able to recite them from memory at that same moment. He talked to us about being humble, and that God WILL help us with everything. It really helped me, because I was feeling that I had to do everything all on my own. We are never alone, and everything that happened definitely wasn't because of me.

The Zone Conference was very spiritual and exciting, and it really helped me. I was struggling just wondering what to do as such a young missionary in an area I don't really know, but I left feeling that all will be okay, and it is!

There is a member in Novosibirsk who knows how to dance really well, and he has been teaching me a Russian step dance. It is kinda like clogging, but without the shoes. So I hope that we can film it, so I can show it for all of you...It's pretty cool, if I have to say so myself.

Now I want to share the amazing miracle that happened this week. So in English club, we were teaching 2nd group, which I had never done in Novosibirsk. It was good, and I was talking to one of them who was entirely new to English Club. His name is Antone. We were talking for a long time afterwards, and then he had to leave. When he left, I immediately thought, "Why didn't I get his number?!" If you have a number, you have a potential investigator. If you don't have a number, then you might never find that person again...So I was angry at myself, and we helped clean up after English Club, and we went home on the metro. This was about 15 minutes after Antone left, and when we got on the train, Elder Patton pointed to a guy, and it was him! Elder Patton said to me, "It's fate! Get his number!" I went over and we were talking to him, but I didn't have enough time to get his number before his stop came up, and this stop wasn't ours. I thought, "Whatever! We are getting off!" So I drag Elder Patton off the metro, and we keep talking with him. We go outside, and he invites us to this cafe, and he bought us some juice, because we don't drink coffee, of course. We kept talking and we shared our message. He asked what made our church different than others, and we thought, "Yeah...we will tell you." So he was really interested, he gave us his number, and he asked us to call him the next day. So that was Thursday. I call him, and unfortunately he can't meet the rest of the week, but he says he will come to church. It is very rare that contacts come to church, but we called him every day, and he came to church! Besides that, Vova, from last week came to church as well, even though he worked till 8 in the morning! I thought to call him the night before church, and he said he was busy, but he would come to church, and he did!

This shows how important it is to follow the Spirit. If I didn't get off the train, we might have never gotten Anton's number, and he would have never come to church, and he would never know about the church.

I love this work, and the miracles that happen from diligent work and listening to the Spirit.

I love you all, and I wish you a happy Siberian Thanksgiving!

Be awesome, Be Faithful, Be thou an Example.

Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)