God prepares His children to perform His work.

My family, friends, and others that are not in an internet cafe in Russia.

This has been a crazy week, as I have been in Novosibirsk 2 times in the past week. First of all, I got my new companion. Elder Duncan is a stud. He is from Roosevelt, Utah, and he is 19 years old, making him the first companion I had who was younger than me. His father is a vet, and he worked with him, and he told me the most incredible stories they never tell you. He worked in a car dealorship as a job, he has a great singing voice, (though he disagrees) and he is the most hard-working person ever. He was validictorian at his highschool. He says he is not smart, but from his stories I know he is smart. He just works like a machine! It was just so much fun to be at the Mission Home again, with other missionaries, and the new ones with their fire and excitement.

The night before we left, Elder Smith and I made the Funfetti cake you gave us. We planned to give some of the cake to a less-active who's birthday was that day, but he wasn't home for the meeting we planned with him. We put candles, and lit them up, and it lit the whole kitchen. Did I tell you that the lights in our apartment don't work anymore? I don't know why, but the lights don't work. Elder Ortner flipped a switch, and they just went out. All other electronics work, but not the lights. We use lamps all the time, and it is just fun. Well we ate cake and icecream about 10:00 at night, and we woke up feeling horrible the next morning. I am no longer a little kid who can just eat whatever and feel fine. Elder Smith actually got sick, and had a fever and all, but he is okay now.

Then we went back to Barnaul, and we worked for a day. We had a meeting with Nastya and Alexander, the boyfriend and girlfriend. It was a great lesson, Elder Duncan contributed amazingly, and Nasya even prayed for the first time for us! They are surely progressing, and I hope to help them even further.

The other elders in Barnaul have reason to rejoice as their investigator Maria has set a baptismal date for the 14th of April. As district leader, I will have to perform the interview. I am pretty excited, and a little nervous, but it will be all okay.

The Holmes are an amazing couple. Elder Holmes is just like Grandpa Petersen, and I really respect him. They look similar, and they even have the same mannerisms! I sometimes imagine Grandpa looking down at me and laughing his distinct laugh as something funny happens to me, like a babooshka (old lady) yells at me or something.

Then we went back to Novosibirsk, as the missionaries practiced for some musical numbers for the conference. President Gibbons told me that there is a special talent to be able to accompany, and I told him about all my experiences in seminary, institute, and church. He said that they were to prepare me for that moment. I never thought about that, but it was really true. God saw a need for these such talents to be used right here, and he led me through my whole life. God really prepares His children to perform His work. God thinks things through--never forget that.

I have really grown here. I remembber when I first entered Novokuznetsk, and I couldn't even hold a conversation with anyone. Today, I held three conversations at one time on the bus, with an atheist couple, and a Babooshka wanting to invite me to her church. I can't believe I could have done that, and I know that God is constantly helping me. Elder Prokoptsev, who is from Latvia, told me how every time he talks to me, he sees a definite improvement in my speaking skills. It was very comforting to me. I really feel that God is blessing me with the gift of tongues especially for this time.

The conference was the most spiritually uplifting experience in my life. There were so many people, all members of this wonderful church. I was so grateful to have served in 3 cities thus far, as I caught up with old friends, and made new ones. Even the investigator Pavel from Novosibirsk was there. The most amazing thing was the reorganization of the mission. There is now only one district, and every single branch in the district has a full branch presidency. What was special for me was Banya Shabanov as the new branch president of Novokunznetsk, with Vladimir Shelkov as first counselor ( he was baptized my first transfer, if you remember), and Kirill Tsirkov as 2nd counselor. No more will missionaries be branch presidents, but native members. The branch president in Barnaul will be Alexander Pertzevoi, and I am so excited to work with them. I just had such a wonderful experience,  just meeting all of those people, all whom I love, it was almost like being in heaven, and meeting each other again. I can't wait until the stake is formed, and I hope that I will still be a missionary when that happens.

You can't describe the love you have for these people, and it is the most priceless gift I have been given for my service. It is probably only a taste of the perfect love that Heavenly Father has for all of His children. I know for a fact that God loves His children. He loves His children here in Siberia, and He is just waiting to bless them with a stake. When they are ready, they will become one. Our job is just to help them be ready. Once this stake is formed, Satan will have no power to overthrow the church here in Siberia. Even if missionaries were forced out of the country, the church would be strong and growing. Then after the stake, there will be a temple, and then Satan would lose even more power. The conference focused on the temple, as all of these saints never talk about the stake without the temple. The Kyiev temple in Ukraine is a very busy temple in the world, and it is because of the Russian saints. It is only a matter of time until a temple is built.

I have just been thinking about our efforts as missionaries. There is little praise from the world. Every action is so small, but in the eyes of Heavenly Father and others in heaven, they are the most wonderful things. Our decisions to serve a mission hasn't directly influenced the government, or improved the environment, but billions rejoice as we serve the Lord,  as one baptism turns into a branch presidency, and then into a ward, then a stake, then a temple. One small effort makes a world of difference. No effort is wasted, and your services will be recorded and honored in the annals of heaven. That makes it all worth it.

I love you all, and I ask for your prayers as this district prepares to become a stake.
I pray for you all, and wish you the greatest of blessings.

Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)