Letter #26 from Russia

Hello family!! I loved the picture! Haha! That's so funny! I'm really longing for spring right now. I mean, yeah it's coming... but so slow! It keeps wobbling back and forth between below freezing and... not below freezing. There are giant lakes everywhere because, well... there was so much snow... Speaking of which!!!! I was walking with my companion last week, coming home from writing emails and this giant icicle fell from a building and landed literally 3 feet in front of me!! The icicle was about as big as a car, people die from icicles everyday here in Russia, kstaty (by the way) and it was almost me!!! It even took out the roof guard that's supposed to protect from those things. Seriously it was huge! There was just debris everywhere after it fell! I thought about it and there was this guy in a car that I stopped by to give him a little brochure about twenty seconds before it happened, and I thought about not doing it because it was P-day and I wanted to get home, but if I hadn't done it, I would have died. haha! Awesome! I'm glad I was doing the Lord's work! We had a little Beatles concert here ourselves, actually! Okay, well, it was just a branch talent night, and they wanted us as missionaries to sing Michelle my belle, but then we didn't because it was inappropriate for us to sing as missionaries... so some other guys sang it, and they did a great job! I had a dream about Cade going on his mission spanish speaking just a few weeks ago! Cool! So I got this letter from Sister Arnold that I really enjoyed (She sends the best letters!) And it had a thought that I've really been thinking about lately. It was a quote from a girl who is serving people in Africa and it says "We aren't really called to save the world, not even to save one person; Jesus does that. We are just called to love with abandon. We are called to enter into our neighbor's sufferings and love them right there." I thought that was incredible and then I realized that I was doing the exact same thing... it was a strange realization to think that I gave up everything that I had to do that very thing, the thing that every kind of humanitarian person would want to do, but I get to do it a step further! I get to not only improve their lives for the better here on Earth, but change the outcome of the eternities personally for that person... wow... I bet the Girl would be jealous if she could hear my story. haha! I love you all so much! I have to go now though! I had a dream Christy was here and she got drunk! I was so disappointed in her! Then I woke up and was not disappointed in her. haha! i love you all! Bye! Elder Svortz!

Letter #25 from Russia

Hey Family!

So this week has been great! We had an awesome Zone Conference on my Birthday this past week and I thought I had gotten off safe, until everyone stopped in the middle of it and sang me happy birthday and gave me cookies... haha! It was really cool/embarrassing! It made my day though. Also, in Zone conferences, usually the Zone leaders, Assistants, President and his wife teach things things called "Break outs" essentially two hour lessons/practices with the missionaries, but this time, my companion and I were assigned to do one too for some reason. They've never that before and I thought it was just because my companion was district leader, but none of the other district leaders did it... So that was weird. My comp didn't really want to do it, so I had to do a lot of the planning and get him fired up for it! haha! It was pretty exciting! We did a lesson about Faith Hope and Attitude! If no one in that room got anything out of it, we did at least!
So last week, I was all frustrated at a girl because she called my language bad, but this week the president of our branch told me I should translate more because I speak better than everyone else and my companion was told by another girl that he couldn't speak at all, while she had no problem understanding me... haha! I've come to accept the fact that even to the end of my mission, there will be people who have no idea what I am saying and will tell me speak terribly, and there will be others who say I speak like a native. I've learned I need to ignore all of that because if you're teaching by the spirit, what's coming out of your mouth won't make a difference what language it's in. I think I came out with that in mind, but as I've learned the language, I really have tried to really too much on it.
I'm having a great time! I'm not being blessed with a hundred baptisms like those in PERU!!! But... I'm doing the Lord's work and I know that what I'm doing here will be a force for Good and a devastating force against Satan. I didn't come out here to just to be the Lord's tool, I came out here to be unusually effective in the Lord's hand, to do the things that only I can do.

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

Elder Svortz!

Letter #24 From Russia

Hello Everyone!

So life is going well! I'm enjoying my mission very much so. First off I want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER!! I meant to say that last week, but I was seriously in such a hurry I forgot to mention it! Thank you for all your birthday wishes that I have received! They have been much appreciated! So really this week has been a roller coaster of emotions! Like every week... First off, my whole mission I've felt totally fine about the language, but ever since we've been meeting with a certain investigator, I've felt so inadequate! She speaks so quickly and uses such big words, I can barely understand what she's saying. My companion is very good at the language so they communicate just fine, but whenever I talk, she just looks around as if wondering if anyone else is noticing how bad I'm speaking, or she'll try super hard not to burst out laughing when I speak because my grammar isn't perfect. After an outburst of laughter from her last night I asked her why she kept doing that and she said that it seemed I was just trying so hard to prove that I could speak well when in reality I couldn't speak the language at all. I wanted to punch her in the face. After that, I couldn't speak at all around her without stumbling because she kept putting her hand up to her mouth to keep from laughing. Man! People like that just irritate me! Then later we were walking her home she asked if she could link arms with me because it was slippery. I told her I had no idea what she said and turned and started talking to our member who was with us. What a punk.
haha! I still have a lot of growing to do.
Also the other way we were contacting outside and we asked this lady how she was doing. She raised her eyebrows in this manner like "This mere mortal dares speak with me?" And then she said "Vui yesho Zheevoi? Co Bcyem Uzhastna..." Which means "You two are still living...? That is simply disgusting..." and she walked away, totally serious. We just kept shouting blessings of health and love and joy to her as she walked down the block. I find it interesting how the Lord doesn't really let that bother us even though it's probably the most threatening thing I've heard in this city. It's important to keep your attitude up while people are tearing it down. There is such a big contrast in my fruitfulness as a missionary when I let things bounce off me like that rather than if I let them get to me, like with the girl who kept laughing at me. Missionary work is so much easier when you are in a better mood and your confidence is high...

My time is up... haha!

I love you all!

Loves, Elder Svortz!

Letter #23 From Russia

Okay. I have seven minutes. And I forgot my notebook of stuff that I wanted to tell you.

We met with Kevin this week. Thank you all for praying for him. He met with us and he was NOT in a good mood. We started the lesson and we knew something was up so we really pushed at him and he told us that he didn't believe in the Book of Mormon and that he didn't want to do this whole Mormon thing anymore. My comp and I were both panicking like crazy inside and just pouring our hearts out to God to help us and help Kevin. We didn't know what to do, but we really just listened to him and let him get all his thoughts out. But then somehow, God, in his Infinite Mercy guided our discussion and it slid perfectly into us being able to calm him down and get the whole story out of him. Someone had said something to him that really tore him apart and he stopped praying and reading and he was just angry at himself. He didn't know how to handle it and so he decided to give up. But after talking he understood that Satan was really just attacking him and he came out of the lesson beaming and with new resolve. The next day he came to church totally happy and even brought a friend! I am so grateful to the Lord and his guiding hand in this work! I could not do anything without His spirit!


Congratulations Amber!! I'm so happy for you! I have to go now! I love you all!


Elder Swerasdf

Letter #22 From Russia

Hello Family!

I'm glad you guys got the pictures! This next week you should be getting all the pictures that I've taken on my mission so far, so that will be good I guess... What you saw with me and the cups was not anything spiritual... it was a party... haha! An Allowed party! I promise! It was a branch activity to celebrate men or something because it was some sort of holiday that day that celebrated... well... men. We got an investigator to come, so we were allowed to come as well. Honestly, I had no idea what was going on, they just gave me a whole bunch of cups, so I made a cup tower! Apparently that is what I was supposed to do because I won. haha!
So It's been a week since Kevin was baptized and we're already worried about him. haha! He's still amazing and everything, but he didn't come to church this sunday and we found out that he had gone to his other church instead. Also, he has some hesitancies about getting the priesthood and it seems that he's still a bit attached to his other church. We're talking to him about it today. Make sure to keep him in your prayers! It's about 3 degrees Celsius today. Really warming up fast! So wet everywhere. I hate it! I'd so much rather have minus 20 weather! Then your not wet at least! But whatevs, this is what I signed up for! haha!
Also, I have been having some problems with my toe, it's been hurting and Sister Sartori said it's probably a problem with my arch. I need to figure out where to get inserts here in Russia... which will be difficult to find. Oh well, it doesn't hurt that bad. Too much work to do.
I feel like I get tired more and more every day. 8 hours of sleep is never enough. but it is so worth it! We're working with a girl named Anya right now, different Anya, and she's really accepting of everything. Hopefully she'll turn into something! Also, we found a guy who already has a copy of the Book of mormon in French and he reads it as often as he can. French is his native tongue, and he is from Africa as well! Apparently he met with missionaries a long time ago, but now he is ready to be baptized! He just wants to get his families support first. Which may be difficult.
Anyway, I'm out of time, Today was crazy and my email time got cut a bit! I love you all! Bye!

Elder Svortz!