Letter #50 from Russia!

Hey Everyone!

First off, thanks for the package!! I was so happy! my teeth have gotten so bad here, (yellow, nothing worse, don't worry!) I can't even imagine that in America, there's water that is not only clean to drink, but regulated in such a way to help keep your teeth from being ugly!!! That's crazy! I have completely forgotten what it's like there, but from the way people talk about it, you'd think it was Heaven. 

 

It was fun to hear from all of you! Dad, congrats on fulfilling 54!   Happy Birthday!!!

It's really interesting, at the beginning of my mission, it didn't bug me being in a room with a whole bunch of kids yelling while playing computer games as I was writing home... but now I can hardly concentrate. The only words they know are... well... I won't repeat them. haha. 

Rachel! Sounds like you're having bundles of fun! Mom, sounds like you are too! Dad, it also seems that way! Mary, things will get better, trust me. Now, I may not be in the right place to tell you that, you know, since I get tons of baptisms and stuff. I know I probably couldn't possibly understand what it's like, so don't get mad when I say this, but... you won't die. ;)  David, It's nice to hear from you so often. haha.

 Honestly, reading your emails, I feel like we were a lot richer than I realized before I came to Russia. Is that true, or do I just have a different standard now? So this week, I was able to see Elder Stoddard, who is in Penza working with Stas, and he gave me this wonderful picture that his wife drew of us. It's super funny because she's an artist and an awesome lady. It's is a little comic about how we randomly showed up in their lives and changed everything. Like angels. There was a note by stas on the back to us and it was so adorable! haha! He even said a prayer in the note. He's so funny!  Rachel, I feel like I'm trying to compete with you. You always send stories of Boston being funnny and cute, and I'm here saying how funny my investigators are. Seriously though, they are like you little kids sometimes. 

This week I also had an interesting experience. I was sitting up front with a driver, coming back from Samara and I decided to talk with him of course. We talked and laughed and made friends, and I turned it over to the gospel. He said he didn't think God helped him or even cared because He didn't do anything about his son who died two years earlier. I testified a bit about how God did care. I asked him if he thought he would see his son again and I was surprised by his response. Tears began rolling down his cheeks and he said he didn't know. Russian men NEVER cry in public, unless they are tipsy. I talked with him more and just put my arm around him as he drove through the darkness of the woods around us. It was so interesting because suddenly, I didn't see him as the large, fifty year old, Russian driver anymore, but as a chilld, who was confused. Who didn't understand. who was scared. Who wanted comfort. I can't describe the love I feel for that man, even though I don't know if I will ever see him again. I gave him a book of Mormon, but that was it. It was a very strange experience, and I can't fully describe how I felt. But it was way cool, us not even knowing each other, but being able to to trust each other... I don't know it was just cool.

Welp, got to go. Loves!! 

Letter #49 from Russia

Wow, family.

Way to spoil the big news. We haven't watched conference here in Russia yet. we watch it this weekend... haha! Just kidding, I already knew! however, many missionaries don't know yet... well... know they probably know because they have all gotten emails about it! haha! That's CRAZY!!! I'm expecting  truck load of dear elders in like... three weeks all from random girls who are getting their calls... soooo weird!!! Sooooo awesome!!! I don't think the Russian missions will grow that much because we are already pushings the limits for how many missionaries we can have here, at least in our mission. the government only allows so many.  I also thought of Hunter, and some of my friends that were sophomores when I was a senior... crazy. But super exciting!

Chelsi! I get your letters! You must not be getting mine or something...!

Thanks for Tiffs address! Finally! haha! Also! I want to find out who the heck Heather married. Heather as in perri's daughter, my second cousin! I've been dying to know my whole mission who she married! He served here and I want to know who he was! 

So it was great hearing from Rachel about England! Right now things are not to different, but just watch, things will be getting more and more dicey as you live there. haha! It was the same here. kind of... maybe... in a different way. 

Hey so I was in Samara this past week and I was able to talk to Elder Stoddard, my old comp who is still in penza. He said that Stas is getting baptized!! He went all crazy for a bit because of his wife leaving him, but he came to church after a month or so and a member, baba katya took him aside and prayed with him and after she looked him in the eye and said "your wife is coming back." the next day his wife came back. Stas swears baba katya is a prophetess... haha! His wife came to an activity and then came to church and loved it, cried and really made good friends with a member and they talked about how the principles of the gospel can save their family. The branch loves them and their 4 year old daughter. They came to more activities and came to church again. Stas is counting down for the twentieth to get baptised. he is so excited! Man I love him! I just wish I could be there in penza with him! oh well, Im loving where I am and I know that the lord has people here I need to help him prepare. 

Well. I've got to go! I love you all! 

Elder Swartz!

Letter #48 from Russia

Hello again!

 

So it was great hearing about all of your weeks! Sounds like a crazy time with Rachel and Chris going to England... but that willbe an awesome experience for them! Are they going back to the places where he served? that would be interesting. 

 

HEY! I STILL HAVEN'T GOT TIFFANY'S ADDRESS!!!!!!!! I'm not writing home next week if I don't get it. ... okay,maybe I will still write, but I'm serious! I want her address. Right now! Get up and just check what it is! 

 

Mom: thanks for sending that for me! I haven't got any mail for the past seven or eight weeks, Ulyanovsk is out in the boonies... but I should be getting mail today, so we'll see. 

 

This week has been a rough one. this cycle has been a good one, but it got tough near the end. Nothing compared to what I've had earlier, but the Lord had really been blessing us for a while and we really felt like we were going to have a baptism work out for us, but they all just fell through. We still have some hope, but I got transferred to Novokuibizhevck, so I'm not going to be seeing any of them get baptised if they make that decision... Man. Missions are hard... haha! Hey! Matt Porter gets home this month!!! That freaked meout thinking about that! I feel like it was just yesterday that he was leaving! It seems so weird that one day that will be me! I can't even imagine that! My companion for that past six weeks has only three cycles left on his mission, and it was obvious where his thoughts were. I refuse to be like that.

 

hmmm... I don't really think anything happened this week that I wanted to share... and if I did, i forgot to bring my planner from last cycle where I would have written it... hmmm... oh well.  This cycle I'm whitewashing with an Elder Christiansen. Haven't met him yet, but he'll probably be here soon.

 

Well... that's about it! I love you all! The gospel is true!

 

Ct. Skvortz!

Letter #47 from Russia

Hey fam!

So this week has been really good. My companion is great. Really hard
working, but he's starting to catch the trunky bug... uh oh. haha!
Hopefully it doesn't get worse and I'll get transferred from him before it
gets too bad... haha! I love him though! I love my area. Ulianovsk is an
awesome city! I'm really enjoying the teaching pool that we have. We are
teaching a little baptist family who are wonderful, but I'm not sure if
they'll accept the Book of Mormon. Obviously I'm hoping they do, but they
have to read it first, and I think that will be tough. haha! We are
teaching a lady named Anya and she loves us and thinks we are angels, but
she has a hard time getting to church because of work. She has a pretty
terrible job at a meat stand, a dilapidated old shack... she works all day
to feed her kids, which she doesn't get along with anyway. She had a huge
business that did really well but it collapsed and her life fell apart. Her
husband died around that time as well... man. I feel like everyone who
lives here in Russia could be the main character for a Dostoevski novel.
However! We found a girl named Abigail and she is from Gahna (ghana?),
southern Africa! She is sooo cool and she holds a bible study group every
friday night in her dorm room. She's lived here for four years and she
feels like she is the only one around her who actually lives what they
believe. She always goes and knocks on peoples doors in her building
inviting them to the bible study group and always calling people to wake
them up for church because she knows it's important. She is probably the
the funniest person I've met in Russia. She reminds me of kevin sooo much
too! We taught her the first lesson and the spirit was way strong! It was
so refreshing because she just accepted everything and was even quoting
scriptures from the bible that supported about how God calls prophets and
how she has always felt like there should be prophets today. She said she
knew who we were right when she saw us because she has a "Mowmon" friend
back at home (she has an exotic African accent when she speaks Russian).
When we gave her the book of Mormon to read she was way exited that there
was more of the words of christ that she could read and was totally going
to pray if it was true. She also said she was going to invite her friends
to come and talk with us too. Man, she's too cool! She's super sarcastic
and always laughing and smiling. I wonder if this is what America is like...
This week, we were setting up sacrament, a little later than usual, and we
realized we had no bread because Ramil was sick and he was always the one
who brings it, and so we ran around the prehod... uh... church building...
branch! that's the word I was looking for! We ran around the branch looking
for bread or even really anything to use for the sacrament. Finally we
found some cookies covered with melted chocolate and sprinkles on them...
so we used those. My companion and I were really nervous about that because
we had an investigator at church who used to be a missionary for his other
church and we were worried that he would be offended that we used that kind
of a thing for the sacrament, but in the end there was no problem... haha!
Right now I'm in a city called Toliatti because my companion is going to
Lithuania to get his Visa renewed. So fun to always leave your area... not.

K, well. I got to go! I love you all!

Bye!!

Elder Skvortz!

PS: You still didn't send me Tiffany's address.

Letter #46 from Russia

Hello family!! So I really had a fun time this past week! We just had zone conference and exchanges so that was fun. Also, apparently a new girl in the mission is way good friends with Matt Porter. Her name is Heather Young and she's pretty much a boss missionary. So weird that He is pretty much home already! Soon it's all down hill and we'll be home before we know it! terrible!! I have so much I need to learn and achieve! Two years is not enough!! I got several letters from my old FHE sisters this past week, so I want to say thanks for those!! You guys are awesome! I don't really have any interesting news for this week or anything... I got a tazer pulled on me by this guy. He didn't touch me or anything, He said he uses it to drop cultists... I wanted to punch him in the throat, but I held back.... I don't like it when people threaten me with tazers. So pretty much... I'm done for today. I love you! Elder Skvortz!

Letter #45 from Russia

Hey, I don't have a ton of time, but I wanted to say that this week has been a good one. I feel like as soon as I moved areas, the Lord just blessed me a ton. Seriosuly, I've only been called a cultist once the enitre week. It's been really nice! I don't really understand what happened though, because I'm not doing anything different, but people here just want to meet with us. My companion says that this has happened to him his whole mission, even less than usual lately, so he was confused why I was so excited about it all. People will jst call us and say they want to meet, or I can just call someone and set up a meeting, and for one, they answer... which was rare in Penza. Second, they are down to meet AT A SPECIFIC TIME, which like... never happened in Penza. People were so capricious there. I'm super excited about this new area, it will be a good change. I loved Penza, it will always hold a place in my heart, but I was getting stale there and I'm really happy to be in a fresh situation. We had a lot of good meetings with really good people who sincerely want to know about the gospel, not because we're Americans either, they are just interested in changing their lives. How cool is that! My companion is a great elder with lots of success on his mission, really nice guy, but a lot of negative comments... so I'll have to talk to him about that... I'm in a city where we are the only missionaries, so we're completely alone. We have district meeting over the phone... yeah... all the other missionaries gather at a senior couples apartment and get fed awesome food while we sit at home and listen to them all have a blast... oh well, I'm fine with it... haha!

 

I really love you all! I have to go though!

 

Elder Skvortz!

Letter #44 from Russia

Hello everyone! 

So I'm getting transferred. Like right now. I'm in Samara and i'm at this super terrible internet place... thing. But whatevs. haha! So I'm pretty sad about leaving Penza again, but I feel good about where I'm going. I'm going to a place called Ulyanovsk. It's named after Vladimir Ulyanov, or for those of you who don't know his real name, Lenin. He grew up in this town. I'm going to go to his house too, missionaries always do. Supposedly this town is the prettiest in our mission, it's supposedly a bit better kept because of it's famousness... I'm excited about that. Elder Ross is my new companion. He's loud, and really energetic. I think I'll like him. I can't really concentrate right now... There are Russians yelling at each other behind me and freaking out calling each other idiots. Wow... This is fun. I'll miss this when I go home.

Stas is definitely NOT progressing right now. In fact, he's completely digressed. He was doing so well, but then his wife walked out on him and he went into a super depressive state. We called him the other day right as he was standing on top of a 9 story apartment building contemplating jumping. It was super sad to talk to him over the phone... and super scary because he was in a really sketchy situation.  His life really fell apart. We were able to help calm him down though thankfully and he didn't do anything. Man... if people just excepted and lived the gospel of Jesus Christ, there wouldn't have to be any of these terrible situations... I wonder what my mission would be like if I were travelling all over singing to people and signing autographs and still somehow getting baptisms even though I was gone all the time... Yeah... who needs that.

I felt personally that we really worked hard this week. We pushed ourselves and we worked with members a lot to help our investigators. This week seems like it's been a rollercoaster week. One with really high highs and low lows. I'm really frustrated though because it seems like everytime I find someone golden, they are crazy or the go crazy because satan is working so hard against them! I don't know how to protect them from the world because I can't make their choices for them! I feel like I always get so close to a baptism... and then everything falls. I really hope it isn't punishment of some sort. I really hope this is just how things are working out... but then I look at all of our leaders and they all are such successful missionaries! I need to sacrifice more to the Lord. I need to give him everything... I must be holding something back. And because of that, He's holding things back from me. I'll figure it out. If it takes me until the end of the mission, then so be it! If I come home from my missionary having become a disciple of Christ, then it is all worth it, right? 

Love you all! Got to go!

Elder Skvortz.

Letter #43 from Russia

Hello Family!

I love getting everyone's emails! I never fully appreciated communication with family... until I could't remember what they look like. Just kidding, obviously I remember... some of you.

So this week has been really nice in the fact that although it started off terrible because of the heat, it has gotten much better because of some rain. SO GRATEFUL!! I love rain now, even though it makes it harder for people to stop and talk to you, it feels so nice! The Russian habit of drinking hot tea when it's scorching hot outside is never going to be something I will adopt. They think it's good cuz it makes you sweat more , which cools you off... I think it's... ostrobogulous. 

So Laziz, one of the best members here in Penza is leaving back to Uzbekistan. I love the kid so much and he is so sad because he's really scared about loosing his faith. Pretty sure I'll be skyping with him a lot when I get home to help him keep strong. He's going to be learning Japanese so that he can move there after a few years in Uzbekistan. In fact, he wants to to live with him there, so I probably won't be coming back to America anytime soon. haha! Not really, but they got me a japanese dictionary so that I can learn Japanese through Russian when I get back home. The members here are so funny! And it's awesome because now I can ditch Russian and study Japanese! just kidding... I'll save it for when I get home. 

This week, we made cookies and gave them to our neighbors, well, we put them in front of their door. They didn't get touched for three days. We figured they were just at the dacha for the weekend, but then we came home from church and they had moved to cookies back in front of our door... Rejected. It was pretty awkard. haha! Also, fun fact! Russian windows are designed to open two ways. They they can swing open to the side for full wind coolage, or you can swing them down from the top a bit for partial wind breeze. I don't understand how it works, but I have no interest in finding out, I just thought I would tell you because there isn't really any other exciting news... it's frustrating. We would have had exciting news that Stas got baptized, but he didn't come to church again, and we can't let him get baptized if he doesn't have good church going habits. So sad! I'll probably get transferred before he get's baptized. We all feel like I am the one who'll get transferred because I've been here the longest. oh well. If he get's baptised, I'll know I helped him on that path! Which will be such a blessing! 

We don't really have any investigators that are doing to great right now in regards to preparing for baptism, other than stas. We are working hard, but it seems that the Lord is still trying us. We are definitely having more success than I had last cycle, but things still aren't really picking up. The fact that we had stas was a miracle, but since it looks like it's going to be a while before he can get baptised, the work suddenly seems so slow again. haha! I wish there was something I could do to shake things up so that we all got fired up again! It's just irritating because the government forbids like... everything here, so we can't do things that other missions can do for finding and stuff. Oh well, The Lord sent me here to work, not complain, so there's no point in getting irritated about something I can't change.  The mission is definitely the refiner's fire and theres no way you can come out of a mission like this and not be changed. Well, maybe someone has succeeded in doing it, but you've got to try pretty hard I would say. I'll definitely be different. 

Hey, I've got to go! I love you all! I'm so glad to be here, even though it seems like time is stopped at times, other times seems like it can't seem to slow down! I'm loving my mission!

Elder Skvortz!

Letter #42 from Russia

Hey Family!!

So this week has not been my favorite on the mission. It's fine, I'm still
happy and having fun with my companions, but Stas didn't show up to church,
and because of that he can't get baptized this cycle. So if I get
transferred, I won't get to be there for him. I'm really bummed about that.
He's one of my favorite people I've ever met and I'm frustrated at him for
being so unreliable! However, when I think about his life, I calm down.
He's going through a lot of changes and I can't expect him to come along
perfectly. That's actually the fun part about being a missionary. Each
investigator has their own specific challenges and concerns that can only
be resolved if YOU work hard and YOU work effectively.

Dad, thanks for your advice. I knew it all along, of course. But sometimes
you need someone to remind you of it. In my companionship we've really been
talking a lot about how we can be the most effective in our companionship.
As we kept digging to find the source of the problem, slash find the
solution, it went through a lot of things, ranging from poor circumstances,
personality traits, and desire. Honestly, we worked it down to simply
understanding the atonement. If you understand the atonement and it is real
to you in your heart, you won't be worried about if you are doing enough
because you will automatically be moving forward in the work in the best
way you can to help these people. The atonement is all about other people.
there was no thought in Christ's mind in regards to himself. He didn't try
to take the load off a bit because he felt tired. He didn't skip every
other hundredth person because he felt like "They probably won't accept
this anyway." He did it for every person, with out rest. That needs to be
our attitude as missionaries. We need to do everything we can in this work,
because if we don't then who will?  If you find yourself remembering
yourself too much, that's when you get lazy. You realize how tired you are.
You focus on how much you've already done and how you feel about what's all
happening. If you don't do that, then you'll keep going. It's a lot like a
headache. It's when you focus on it that it gets worse. Only when you
forget about it and move forward does it calm down a bit.

Sorry about the monologue... haha! So this week it has been about 42
Celcius. We are outside all day and my companions come home burned and I
come home whiter. I don't understand.  In our apartment it's been about 35
degrees on average. It's pretty satanic in our apartment. The Sartori's
were appalled at how hot it was. This is with our curtains drawn and a fan
on. We don't know what to do. Oh well, it's coolling down, so we'll live.
 I've got to go. I love you all I hope you are all doing well! Keep the
people of Russia in your prayers! Especially MY investigators because they
are the best! haha!

Love, Elder Skvortz!

Letter #41 from Russia

Hola!!

So... Pretty much... Thanks for all the recipes! I got on to email and had like, 17 new recipes for all these diferent kinds of pestos and tomato basil soups! I'm super excited to Try sister Pedersen's because it was always so good!! Please tell her hi for me, and Nikko! and the whole fam! I love them and I think about them all the time! They will always be a second family to me! 

So Tonight, I'm headed off to Samara... again... haha! As much as I love Samara, it's frustrating being pulled out of your area all the time, especially when it's so hard to get the ball rolling again each time. But whatevs, because right after that I'll be flying off to Kiev. We should be going to the temple, so that's always a blessing to be valued. 

Mary, Russia is extremely different. For example, we did our first real service project the other day, and it was picking up garbage. And we were only allowed to do that for two hours. The government is weird about sects or cults helping make the community into a better place, so it's hard to get permission to do stuff like that. Even then, our mission president doesn't allow more than 2 hours of service each week, or projects, so that would have never been allowed in my mission.  Knocking is typically ineffective in Russia... I can't really explain to you exactly why over email, so you'll have to ask about that when you get home. It involves a word that we don't have in English for some reason because it doesn't exist other than in Russia. There are rarely personal homes here, so honestly we are usually on the streets talking to people.  We rarely get contacts because any church other than Russian Orthodox is considered a sect or heretics. So most people have a hard time inviting people to meet with us because they don't want to loose their friends. I've never seen such prejudice when it comes to religion in my entire life. People who aren't from Russia all think it's pretty corrupt... but I won't go into that. We try to do activities, but the members haven't really been pulling their load on that, so we've decided that is our next project.  Here, I'll just tell you my average Key Indicators: 0,0,1,1-2,4,5,3,0,4,5,2 We usually drop someone if they aren't progressing spiritually after a few weeks, but we're always down to meet if they are ready to try again.

You should share with me how the work is there in Peru! 

This week I learned how to play the accordian at an investigators house. That was fun. Okay, not really, I just tried it for a second... and failed. I'll send you pictures.  So Sister Callister's parents came to Church last week and I gave them a coat that my hozaika (landlady) gave me. They should be bringing it by eventually... Hmmm... what else is new... We sang a sweet version of nearer my god to the in church... Seriously... it was awesome. The branch president stood and flipped out about how cool it was. I'm not trying to brag... but pretty much...nonetheless... it was classy. 

Last off Stas is super awesome!!! I love him! We had a sweet lesson with him and he always has these little proverbs slash moral tales that he tells to demonstrate points and they are always perfect for the gospel! He is super cool! He is a way better teacher than any missionary I've met! But he is so humble! If we tell him anything, he'll through out anything that contradicts it!  We're going over to his house tonight to teach him how to do family night. Pray that his baptism will go through in three weeks!

PS: Mother! It sounds like you're having a blast in Canada! I hope you are! Okay, so according to your explanations, I don't want earmuffs, I want ear warmers! The ones that are in a U shape. Not earmitts either, Russians think earmuffs look dumb enough. I'm just planning ahead. It gets terribly cold in the winter and I don't want to go through it again with out them. They do not come out in stores here during the winter. They don't exist here in Russia. The only place you can find them are in Moscow. I have no idea why, the Russian people are just wierd that way. They think the most important part is your neck. Your ears don't matter. It's totally the opposite for us Americans. So please send me the Ear warmers! Thanks for getting the teeth whitening stuff! My teeth have eroded here... Good thing my plans are to be a dentist. Thanks so much! I love you so much!

Letter #40 from Russia

So this week, I just got back from france singing with Carrie underwood and
Lead singer from the Killers, who actually is active in the church now. Our
mission president decided that I was a better singer than my sister and
that I deserved the absolute best. So their flying me to all the missions
in the world and perform with famous people, in about twenty different
languages obviously. It's pretty awesome. But man, travelling is a beast. I
bet Hermana Swartz is not even close to being as tired as me...

Okay, so that was my jealous rant.

So this week has been super fun though! My new comps are obsessed with
singing and area both really good, so we pretty much are a trio always...
singing. It's really odd, but it's been a drastic change from my last cycle
from it being silent all the time and my companion never wanting to talk to
me, so I'm welcoming this with open arms. We sing in church everyweek.

So also, I still haven't gotten that recipe for tomato basil soup... which
I need. NEED. Also, if anyone is sending me a package soon for whatever
reason... if you could fit a pair of conservative earmuffs in them that
would be really beautiful. Also, I want a recipe for Pesto still as well.
Please help me out.

So... Exciting news. I got my first baptismal date in three cycles!! It's a
guy named stanislav, but we call him stas. He's so wonderful! He's known
about our church for like ten years, but he didn't really do anything about
it until now. We've met with him a few times, and everytime, he ends up
teaching us a lesson instead of us teaching him, but even though he's super
spiritual, he's super humble and he feels that we are different. The other
day we had a meeting with him and before we even got started, he said "I
really love the feeling of this building. I love all the people here, they
are so different. I think it's because they actually have the Spirit. That
Why I want to join this church." All of our mouths just dropped and we
talked to him about what he would have to do to join and what would have to
happen for him to gain a testimony and he's so excited. He loves us and
loves the church already. He says his family isn't protiv... Is that
english? Against it... We have still yet to meet his wife, or his daughter,
but from what it seems, they are interested as well because of what Stas
has been telling them.  He also looked all this stuff up about joseph
smith, which usually scares people off... but he just said it made him want
to join even more. He told us that Jesus Christ had tons of people against
him because that's how Satan wanted it. He said that a good way to tell how
good a person really was is not only by their fruits, but also how many
people hate them and spread lies about them regardless of how good a person
they were. I really like him. The only problem is that sometimes he's
unreliable and doesn't show up to meetings or to church. We talked to him
aout that though and now he doesn't set up a meeting unless he can for sure
do it, so that's good. Essentially... he's awesome.

Also, German and Sergei are also looking pretty good right now! They have
been emailing president Sartori back and forth (they know english) and he's
really been helping their progress. If this continues and they keep their
commitments, there's no way that they won't get their answer.

I'm going back up to Samara this week to work with some leaders. It's fun
on one side because... well, it's always fun to go and work with other
missionaries and get advice and have fun together, but it's frustrating
because there's so much work that needs to be done in our area and I hate
leaving it! haha! But it's only for two days and then we come back and work
like crazy!! It's going to be awesome. Also, I hada Russian who knows
Englsih tell me that I speak with a Russian accent.... I'm pretty sure she
just doesn't know what she's talking about because you have to essentially
just give yourself an accent to get one. We speak way too much English to
have Russian Accents. Which, is actually not what I want.

Resolved. I will speak so much Russian that I will come home  with an
accent.

Also, I got this CD From the Assistants, AKA Elder Bresfkjl;fjsk;housen and
Elder Morris and it has some sweet folk arrangements of hymns, one of which
is Sufjan Stevens singing Come Thou Fount... So beautiful.

Hmmmm... Also... I don't know what to say anymore. I love you all, usually
I don't have this much time... I finished faster than usual with President.
I am excited to... uh... be a missionary still... haha!

Loves, Elder Skvortz!

Letter #39 from Russia

Hey family! Don't have a ton of time this week because of complications with transfers... haha! I'm in a threesome again. With Elder Stoddard, he's friends with Megan Mower. They were in soccer at SUU or something. My other Companion is Elder Elwood. He was actually in Evan and patricks and Spencer's BYU ward. He is good friends with Nate Garret. Still here in Penza, we also have a new sister coming in, so that will be exciting. Ouyr investgators are doing well, but they are unreliable at times, well, just some of them. Cergei and German are doing awesome, and they came to church last week, which made me so happy! I can't tell you how many times I have told him to come and he finally did! I really hope he finally realizes that the gospel will change his lafe if he just takes a leap of faith. I think most of the people here are afraid of being outcasts in society. It's a way bigger deal here than in America if you aren't the mainstream religion. Please, everyone pray for Cergei, German, Stas, and Tatiana! They are the people doing well in our area and with a little divine help, they would totally get baptized! I love Penza so much! I've been here 6 out of 8 cycles now. It is definitely my home here in Russia! I'm Already loving my new companions. It's going to be a party. A big, hardworking, productive, party. Mary, I'm so happy that thinkgs are awesome for you! I am excited for mission stories! And, you should expect a letter eventualy from me... I just need to send it... haha! 

So my teeth have like... died here in Russia... They've just gotten a lot yellower... sick. If some one wanted to send me crest whitening strips, you would be my best friend forever.  Serious. I need them. it's pretty bad. Also, we got hot water for the first time in a month! so Awesome!  I'm very happy about Christy having her Baby. I'm pretty sure that Boston is not more obsessed with Super powers than I am. and I love you all! 

Love, Elder Skvortz!

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID! I'm sorry you didn't here from me last week, I promise i didn't forget, I just forgot to say it on my email home!

Letter #38 from Russia

Internet is super slow today... I have five minutes.

Everything is going great! I love my district. I'm learning how to be a
better leader everyday. I'm getting more and more tired everyday. I'm
having more and more fun everyday. I'm getting more and more humbled. But
I'm still progressing at the language. There's rarely a conversation that I
can't follow, and I typically don't have troubles translating. Our
investigators are bums. (sometimes literally...) But, we keep working to
see if one day they will get an answer. All it takes is keeping
commitments... but there's just no time to pray these days or something.

I really hae to go. I love you all!

Elder Svortz!

Letter #37

Hello everyone!!! 

So this week has beenso awesome! This entire time back in Penza has just been a desert for missionary activity... But suddenly, everything exloded! We have tons of people to work with and a lot of people with good potential. It's been crazy and really helped our mood about the work. We had president Sartori and his Wife come to Penza and help us on a lesson with German and Sergei. It was awesome. They can say whatever they want and the spirit will just back it up like a bulldozer. It was fun having them in town. 

I need to know how to make tomato basil soup. Mother or Rachel, please send me a recipe. haha! I am really enjoying experimenting with foods. 

So this week my comp and I had a really good companionship inventory. He is always so closed off to me and it is really difficult to know how to please him, but he finally told me things that I needed to know. now I know how I can do better and I'm so glad for the opportunity to change! He told me I was a bad leader... he "was right of course, but it still hurt." however, because of that I've doubled my efforts and I feel better about myself now and the work than before. (the increase in success is not a result from this, just to let you know, this just happened) I really like constructive critisism. It's better then them keeping it inside and bugging them the whole time. However, he's ready for a new companion and I feel bad that I couldn't be the companion he wanted though. Oh well, that's what I came on my mission to learn how to do, be a better person. I can't expect to be perfect all at once.

It's been so much fun being able to serve the Lord here in Russia. The experiences here are priceless and I am learning so much. Did you know the average person here in Penza makes about 10 grand a year. 20 grand is only for the rich people. And unfortunately a lot of people here don't make any more than 2,000 dollars a year!! It's crazy. It's humbling. I love it here. 

I have to go. I love you all!

Elder Svortz!

Letter #35 from Russia

Man, it seems like life is so wonderful for everyone!

Mom, You must be having soo much fun in spain! I love getting your random
emails through out the week! I love hearing about all the little adventures
you're going on! So awesome! That is supah cool that you are gonig to
Africa for a day as well! Next year you should come to Russia for a day!
haha!
Dad, I know you may think that your life is not nearly as exciting as the
rest of your family's right now, which... okay... maybe it's not. haha!
BUT! Eating stake sandwiches and brownies and icecream with your daughter
and her family is something not to be taken for granted! Which, I'm sure
you don't anyway, but I'm just saying. There is nothing that I want more in
world than to eat a home made dinner from an American Mom. haha! I love the
Russian stuff, and I'm excited to bring some recipes back with me to show
you all, but I think I like my hot dogs with out horseradish. haha!
Speaking of recipes, I really want to know how to make Pesto! Rachel, I
need your help... again. haha! Also, a good replacement for ranch, or how
to make it... and how to slow cook stuff with out a crock pot. please get
back to me on that!
So this weeks been an exciting week. Elder Maksimov, an elder from kiev in
our district, had his 19th baptism or so...? He's going home soon and his
goal is twenty. so awesome! Some people are just blessed in different ways.
haha!  We had a successful week as well, just not a baptism or anything. We
found a lot of people who are interested and have been getting more
meetings with people in general. The Lord's really blessed us a lot this
week!
I love you! I'm getting kicked off!

Elder Svortz!

PS: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD! I love you and I know you love me to because
you send me more letters than you did to Rachel and David.

Letter #34 from Russia

Hey! How is life back home!!!

So I come home in a year from... yesterday I think... I'll find out exactly when as time goes along. It is so insane how time flies by here.. SOOO weird! I love it! Everyday is a gift from God, even the days (weeks? months?) that are the hardest where you don't have any potential prospects! Those are the times where you grow the closest to the Lord and learn to rely on Him the most! Even if I didn't come back from my mission with any success in baptisms or stuff like that, I will have come back just having learned how to rely on the Lord every moment for two years. At least it will change me. And who knows, maybe I'll go back in forty years as a missionary again or even just to live there and I'll be that much more effetive because I'll know Russian and the culture and how it all works! I know I'm not here in vain and I'm doing a marvelous work and a wonder for the Lord... That being said... this thing is tough as nails. The hardest thing is being in a district with people who are getting baptisms every month and have had twenty baptisms on their missions and stuff. I just don't understand what I'm doing differently than them! haha! Oh well, maybe I'll never know, but I'm certainly learning HOW to be a missionary here. I decided that's the thing I want the most from my mission, is to become a missionary. If I come back without having done that... well, I would say I failed. haha! 

Hermana Swartz! That's way cool that you are going to have sister assistants. Weird. We had travelling sisters in our mission, but shortly after I got here, the rules changed and it wasn't allowed. Sad. That's crazy though, it's just like the district, where the girl is like "I decided that I'm going to be the first Sister assistant to the president and my companion will be the other one" We don't have enough sisters in our mission to do that right now. All five of our experienced sisters are training right now, and then they all leave next cycle... getting replaced by five new sisters... meaning that the sisters who are getting trained this cycle are all going to be training next cycle... haha! That will punch them in the face. in a good way. hopefully. 

Mom, I'm glad you are having a great time in spain! Trains aren't all they're craced up to be. They're fun though, way more fun than 14 hour bus rides accross the mission. Luckily I haven't been in one of those cities. My cities have required trains! That's cool about the story at the temple! There really is such a difference in the spirit that you can feel. 

Dad, I;m glad you are having fun! Don't get too bored! You sould take up Russian if you get to bored! I love you gotta go! 

Elder Swartz!!

Destin's Latest email

So I don't have much time this week at all!

Man! I love my mission! It is the hardest thing I have ever done! But not in like a "I want to stop" sort of way... don't worry. In fact, I was talking to another missionary and we both felt like if we had the opportunity to stay another year, we would totally take it! the ability I would have as a missionary after two years! I would just be at my prime! Who knows what I'll really feel like at the end, but if I had to pick right now, I would stay.

Chelsi, I got your dear elder. I'll write back, I promise! Ne perezhivai (don't worry)

So... I have two minutes.... haha! Nothing happened this week other than people being rude or people being nice or people being drunk, or people being weird. We're still not experiencing any success right now, which is frustrating because we don't know what we need to do to fix that problem. We've been working hard everyday for so long, but no results! haha! It's now time to learn the difference between working hard and working smart. If you don't work smart, work doesn't work.

I am having a blast! I love you all! I know this church is true, even if no one else believes me!

Love, Elder Skvortz!

Letter #32 from Russia

Hey Family! I really enjoyed talking to you yesterday. It was so great to see you all! I really don't know what to say now though because, well... we just talked... So right now we're not really experiencing any success in our area. It feels like we're just swimming against the current in an ocean of butter. Russia is a tough mission. The people here are wonderful, but really difficult to get them interested in our message. They have all been taught that other than the Russian Orthodox church, all other congregations are a cult and have darker intentions behind their proselyting. You can go all week and not meet one person who doesn't think you're a cultist. It's really frustrating. We met this one guy the other day who said that all you have to do to repent is confess your sins to a priest and then pay them, and then you can go do whatever you want. It was so frustrating because so many people here are caught in that disgusting lie! It feels like Satan has his grasp so strongly on these people's hearts! They are nice people and you can't help but love them, but that doesn't save them. I think one of the biggest lessons I've learned on my mission is how to love the sinner but hate the sin. I cannot stand the things that people do and say here, the lies the priests tell and the terrible spirit that seems to haunt and hang over so many people. But I can't say that I don't love any of them. I love the people who do the terrible things. I love the priests because at least they read the bible. I just don't know how to get them to see the light. That there is something very vital that they are missing. People here know they are unhappy, but they are unwilling to change, even if we can PROVE that our message has changed our lives, our families and friends lives and countless others. There's a phrase they have here "Nam mnoga ne nada, no mnoga noozhna." It means "We don't need anything but we we need a lot." It's a contradictory phrase that plays fun at the Russian's stubborn nature about not wanting help from anyone but also illuminates the fact that they complain about not having enough. All in all, I'm having a great time! I'm loving my mission! We are definitely in a down slump right now, but that is what the mission is about! I love you all and I will probably miss you eventually! But as for now, Russia is my home, it's where I belong and I have no problems with that. Loves, Elder Skvortz!

Letter #31 from Russia

Aloha! Horosho! So everything is going well! The temple was awesome! I got sealed to The president and his wife for time and all eternity! haha! Well, sort of. haha! We got to do a session as well, so that was awesome! However, while I was in Kiev I had two really important envelopes in my backpack, one of which was for an elder's family who lives there that I was to deliever. The other one was all my registration to live legally in Russia... I got them mixed up and gave the registration to a temple worker in Kiev and flew back to Russia and then realized what had happened... so I'm actually getting kicked out of Russia for three months and coming back to Utah until we can get it sorted out... Just kidding. Nothing bad happened. They got the registration all sorted out. I just wanted to scare you. Yo My Oh just means my goodness, or something like that. It is most definitely not a swear word... at least where I'm serving. Maybe in some other part of Russia. Rachel, I loved hearing your story about Boston washing his hands in the Toilet, but at least it wasn't his Jacuzzi. haha! Mary, cool story about the guy totally turning around! I wish I could get that to happen! By the way, could someone send me Tiffany Johnson's address! That would be great! Thanks! So this wednesday is victory day here in Russia. If there was any holiday to drink more than New years, it's Victory day... so we can't leave the apartment again. haha! Bleen (dang) I only have like five minutes... So my companion is calling home at about 6:00 my time, which means I'll be calling about 7:30 - 8:00 my time. Which is like 9 or 10 your time or something. Karoche (in short), just be ready to for me to call sometime around then. Love you all! I've gotta go! I feel like there was more I wanted to say, but I forgot... oh yeah! Happy Anniversary!!! K loves! Elder Skvortz!