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.