Hey mom, I DID get my package! I didn't open it yet, because I want to wait until it is actually my birthday. Thank you so much! I will send pictures, but in another e-mail обязательно (ob-yah-za-tel-no) This means like "Committed, I will do it." Russian has wonderful words to explain a whole phrase. I also sent a package home, and I hope that it makes it there. I will get rings for all the kids really soon, and I will send them home.
Dear Family,
Finland was again cold, wet, and windy. I guess I just have had bad luck every time, but it was awesome nonetheless. We went to the Zoo, and saw some really cool things. We saw turtles fight, which is exciting, even though they are so slow! We also went to this store which has American food. I had my first root beer in over a year...and it was wonderful! We also went to this Lutheran Church, which is very beautiful. It has statues of all 12 apostles around the sides. The reason that we couldn't go to the temple was that the cleaning schedule for the temple interferes with our visa trips. The temple is closed every 6 months for cleaning, every other time we are on a visa trip. It is hard to change a schedule made for a whole country for a couple of missionaries. It is sad, but I am grateful that we can still go to the temple every six months. We actually had some pretty cool experiences while traveling. We stayed at the Hostel again, like the first time, and we talked to this guy who is from Italy, but he knows English, and we talked to him about our church. We gave him this invitation to see Mormon.org. Another time, we were on the bus, and we saw this man with his family, and they are from St. Petersburg. They were really interested, and we gave them an extra Book of Mormon we carried around. I carry a new Book of Mormon with me during visa trips, just in case, and every time I have given it to someone. There was a guy in the Moscow airport that I gave my copy to. It just shows that missionary work never stops, even when you are in Finland.
So you want to know about the culture of Russia? Well, first thing I would say is how much they love bread. Every single meal has to have bread. I have learned that bread is the staff of life, and I can't work without eating a few slices every morning. People love eating Borsch, of course with bread. They also eat Pelmini, which is these dumplings filled with meat or cabbage. There is also Vareniki, which are dumplings filled with potatoes. Some funny sayings in Russia are like тише, мыши, кот на крыше (tee-shye me-shye coat na kree-shye) Which means "Be quiet, mouse, there's a cat on the roof. There is also У матросов нет вопросов (oo mah-tro-sev nyet va-pro-sev) It means "sailors have no questions" You say that when someone asks, "Any questions?" Istead of saying, "Cheese" When taking a picture, they say раз два колбаса (raz dva kol-ba-sa) It means, "one, two, SAUSAGE!" Children go to school just like kids in America, and they learn the same things, and have homework. Everyone loves to drink tea, and just talk for a while. It is very laid back and calming. Children are taught to speak very formally to their elders. There is the form ВЫ (vee) in Russian that is a formal way of saying "you" such to a teacher. The form Ты (tee) is very loving, used between friends, relatives, and Heavenly Father. It is very important to talk properly, and people usually appreciate being informal when you are good friends.
The members in Russia are very loving and supportive with each other. They realize that they are a small group of people in a world full of different values. They find safety being close together. What is really hard for some people is the work schedules in Russia. There is no Mon.-Fri. 9-5 schedule in Russia. Many people work strange schedules, such as work all day, no work the next day, then work from evening to the morning of the next day. People really have to sacrifice to be able to come to church. We live half an hour by bus from the branch, and it would take me 5 minutes to walk to the church building back home. They know it is important, and they sacrifice. People also have troubles getting enough money. It is hard to find good work with decent pay, but people still pay tithing, because they know they will be blessed. If you have any other questions, please ask, so I can know what to specifically say.
So Yulia is doing really great! She always talks that she feels that she is not home, like she is flying. It is true, since our home in with our Heavenly Father. I remember when I was baptized, and how I felt like I was flying. Your sins no longer burden you, and you are light as a feather.
Also, the Holmes have arrived! The first Sunday that they came, it was a party for everyone! They love them so much, and I can see why. They are so strong in the gospel, and I can't believe that they are serving for their 5th time and their 3rd in Barnaul! They are over 70 years old, and still going strong! I hope to be able to do half the things they do. I thought about you, Mom and Dad, and thought where you could serve. I just thought how amazing it would be if you could serve here in the Novosibirsk Mission. The people here are amazing, and I wish I could introduce them to you. I know it would be cold, but coats are warm, and the apartments are warm as well.
I don't know anything else about my companion, except he may either be a sports nut or a very intelligent person. They had visa problems, but everything is okay now. He will be here on the 14th of March. I am just so excited to be training again, and I wonder if I will train even more...We shall see, I still have another year of my mission left.
Even though I don’t begin my responsibilities as district leader here in Barnaul quite yet, I have already been receiving revelations as to what I want to do when it's my turn to serve. I really feel that God is preparing me to do something wonderful here, and President Gibbons expressed to me my responsibility here. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. This is definitely not my work. How could a 19 soon-to-be 20 year old man organize something like this in a foreign country without any divine help? If this was a business, it would fail. No one in their right mind would send kids out to represent a business in a far part of the country. The thing is, God has in fact called us to serve, and He calls us in our weakness. As to Him, I am nothing, but with Him, I am all-powerful. "You can do anything with two people as long as the other person is God." Elder Ortner taught me that phrase.
Dear Family,
Finland was again cold, wet, and windy. I guess I just have had bad luck every time, but it was awesome nonetheless. We went to the Zoo, and saw some really cool things. We saw turtles fight, which is exciting, even though they are so slow! We also went to this store which has American food. I had my first root beer in over a year...and it was wonderful! We also went to this Lutheran Church, which is very beautiful. It has statues of all 12 apostles around the sides. The reason that we couldn't go to the temple was that the cleaning schedule for the temple interferes with our visa trips. The temple is closed every 6 months for cleaning, every other time we are on a visa trip. It is hard to change a schedule made for a whole country for a couple of missionaries. It is sad, but I am grateful that we can still go to the temple every six months. We actually had some pretty cool experiences while traveling. We stayed at the Hostel again, like the first time, and we talked to this guy who is from Italy, but he knows English, and we talked to him about our church. We gave him this invitation to see Mormon.org. Another time, we were on the bus, and we saw this man with his family, and they are from St. Petersburg. They were really interested, and we gave them an extra Book of Mormon we carried around. I carry a new Book of Mormon with me during visa trips, just in case, and every time I have given it to someone. There was a guy in the Moscow airport that I gave my copy to. It just shows that missionary work never stops, even when you are in Finland.
So you want to know about the culture of Russia? Well, first thing I would say is how much they love bread. Every single meal has to have bread. I have learned that bread is the staff of life, and I can't work without eating a few slices every morning. People love eating Borsch, of course with bread. They also eat Pelmini, which is these dumplings filled with meat or cabbage. There is also Vareniki, which are dumplings filled with potatoes. Some funny sayings in Russia are like тише, мыши, кот на крыше (tee-shye me-shye coat na kree-shye) Which means "Be quiet, mouse, there's a cat on the roof. There is also У матросов нет вопросов (oo mah-tro-sev nyet va-pro-sev) It means "sailors have no questions" You say that when someone asks, "Any questions?" Istead of saying, "Cheese" When taking a picture, they say раз два колбаса (raz dva kol-ba-sa) It means, "one, two, SAUSAGE!" Children go to school just like kids in America, and they learn the same things, and have homework. Everyone loves to drink tea, and just talk for a while. It is very laid back and calming. Children are taught to speak very formally to their elders. There is the form ВЫ (vee) in Russian that is a formal way of saying "you" such to a teacher. The form Ты (tee) is very loving, used between friends, relatives, and Heavenly Father. It is very important to talk properly, and people usually appreciate being informal when you are good friends.
The members in Russia are very loving and supportive with each other. They realize that they are a small group of people in a world full of different values. They find safety being close together. What is really hard for some people is the work schedules in Russia. There is no Mon.-Fri. 9-5 schedule in Russia. Many people work strange schedules, such as work all day, no work the next day, then work from evening to the morning of the next day. People really have to sacrifice to be able to come to church. We live half an hour by bus from the branch, and it would take me 5 minutes to walk to the church building back home. They know it is important, and they sacrifice. People also have troubles getting enough money. It is hard to find good work with decent pay, but people still pay tithing, because they know they will be blessed. If you have any other questions, please ask, so I can know what to specifically say.
So Yulia is doing really great! She always talks that she feels that she is not home, like she is flying. It is true, since our home in with our Heavenly Father. I remember when I was baptized, and how I felt like I was flying. Your sins no longer burden you, and you are light as a feather.
Also, the Holmes have arrived! The first Sunday that they came, it was a party for everyone! They love them so much, and I can see why. They are so strong in the gospel, and I can't believe that they are serving for their 5th time and their 3rd in Barnaul! They are over 70 years old, and still going strong! I hope to be able to do half the things they do. I thought about you, Mom and Dad, and thought where you could serve. I just thought how amazing it would be if you could serve here in the Novosibirsk Mission. The people here are amazing, and I wish I could introduce them to you. I know it would be cold, but coats are warm, and the apartments are warm as well.
I don't know anything else about my companion, except he may either be a sports nut or a very intelligent person. They had visa problems, but everything is okay now. He will be here on the 14th of March. I am just so excited to be training again, and I wonder if I will train even more...We shall see, I still have another year of my mission left.
Even though I don’t begin my responsibilities as district leader here in Barnaul quite yet, I have already been receiving revelations as to what I want to do when it's my turn to serve. I really feel that God is preparing me to do something wonderful here, and President Gibbons expressed to me my responsibility here. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. This is definitely not my work. How could a 19 soon-to-be 20 year old man organize something like this in a foreign country without any divine help? If this was a business, it would fail. No one in their right mind would send kids out to represent a business in a far part of the country. The thing is, God has in fact called us to serve, and He calls us in our weakness. As to Him, I am nothing, but with Him, I am all-powerful. "You can do anything with two people as long as the other person is God." Elder Ortner taught me that phrase.
Love you all,
The Siberian Messenger
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