Yes in fact I did hear the message about the age change for missionary service. We were preparing for sacrament meeting, when the Zone Leaders shared a text with us that the age requirement was changing. We couldn't grasp our minds on the fact that missionaries will be younger, especially for the sisters. It was the strangest thing to hear. What I felt is that the time is getting closer. We need more and more missionaries to preach the gospel. Now young men don't have to worry about schooling or work. Just go and serve! President Gibbons didn't say anything more to us, but there is going to be a FLOOD of missionaries, and I don't know how we will take care of them. Well, this is the Lord's work, so He can worry about that. He will provide a way.
What can I say this week? First of all, this was a very easy transfer for us. I don't know how it turned out that way, but things seemed to work right, and all things went smoothly. It was wonderful to welcome all of the new missionaries personally. They are amazing, and they will do amazing things for this mission. Looking at them, and seeing myself, I sometimes wish I could start over. I have only so few months left, and I wonder what happened with the time. I wish I could have worked harder earlier in my mission, been more prepared, but I can't. This is the only mission I have, so any who are on the process of serving a mission, especially since there is greater opportunity to serve, do all you can to prepare. You do not want to have regrets on your mission.
It is definitely getting colder around here. Right now, it is incredibly wet, and it is raining. I am grateful for the coat that I have. Didn't I get that coat when I was about 14 or 15? I can't believe I still have it. The trees are so beautiful in Russia during the fall. Here is a picture of a park in Novosibirsk. Many people might think that Russia is dark and bleak. There are definite times, but Russia still is beautiful. I love it.
President Gibbons has given us new directions to carry copies of the Book of Mormon with us wherever we go. The Book of Mormon is our greatest tool for teaching people. I know this to be true, since during this crazy week, throughout all of the chaos that is transfer, I was able to personally give out two copies of the Book of Mormon, and we are meeting with one of them, Sergei, tomorrow. I just wonder, what good we could do if we had available copies of the Book of Mormon, church magazines, and other things? I remember reading a story of an area seventy, who asked a member barber why he didn't have church magazines at his salon. The barber promised that he would, and the area seventy returned months later. When he saw that there were still no church magazines, he questioned the barber. The barber said that he did put out church magazines, and that people would come, read, and ask to keep them. Some of those people were even meeting with the missionaries. All of this wonderful work, people becoming interested just by reading something left out by a member. I think I will want to keep a copy of the Book of Mormon with me at all times, even when I am at home. You never know when someone is in need of its enlightening words.
So here is the story with Sergei. We were in the metro, going towards our apartment, getting ready for the new missionaries to come spend the night. Our apartment is the biggest in the mission, and it is used to house all missionaries that are traveling to different cities, on a visa trip, or coming or going, I see this man look at my name tag, and I decide, "Why not talk to him?" I said hi, and he said hello back. In English. It was a little awkward, since, the metro was packed with people. The metro usually can have over 100 people per car, and people shove to get in. It is so much fun, especially in the heat of summer, everyone is stuck in this metal box, with barely enough room to bend your elbows. Anyway, I had little time to talk to him, before we had to get out. He actually stayed to talk even more, and before I could say anything else, he asks if we have a phone so we could call him. In surprise, I said yes, and I wrote down his number so I could call him. I had a Book of Mormon in my hand, and he saw it, and asked, "For free?" I was more than happy to give him this book, and I told him a little about the Book of Mormon, and I asked him to read it. The next day, I called him in hopes to set up a meeting, and he immediately recognized me, and he planned a meeting without me even saying anything. I didn't say anything about meeting, but he wanted to. He was really interested, and he actually read some of the Book of Mormon, even though he was busy on a business trip. I easily could have not said hi, but I am glad I did.
The members’ pictures are as follows. The woman is Zina, a member from Barnaul. We helped her clean her daughter's grave, and she asked me to bless her daughter's grave. I said a prayer that it would be protected from evil and that it would be a place of comfort and love. It was an honor to me to give the prayer, and I definitely feel the spirit. The other picture is some members of Novozuznetsk. The man and the blond-haired woman are a married couple, Ivan and Irina. Ivan is the branch president in Novokuznetsk. The other woman is Valia, who was a recent convert when I came to Russia. The branch is small in Novokuznetsk, but I hear that the work is booming there. They are really building up the branch there. I was glad to see them again, during the big district conference.
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| Zina |
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| Irina, Elder Hoggan, Valia, Ivan |
Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)
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