Letter #19 from Russia

Hello Family and Friends!!

So this week has been sooo great! We have been workign soo hard! We went on splits with the Assistants this past week and this next week I'll be going on splits with the zone leaders, leaving Russia for our Visa trip, and with the help of the Lord, baptizing our good friend Kevin! He's a black African who is sooo spiritual and knows no Russian. But He's learning. Pray for him so that he doesn't change his mind! Especially Matt Rowe (My cousin, not uncle). You need to pray for him so that I can baptize him just for you, just like I promised!
So this week, we were walking and I talked to this guy named AbnormallyAngryRussian and he yelled at me and called me a sectante (The best word for that would be cultist) and pushed me as hard as he could. My comp and I just laughed. Another lady who was walking with her grandkids started screaming at us: "I'M AN ATHEIST!!!!" I feel like that wouldn't be normal in America... but I'm really forgetting what America was like anyways, so whatver.

This next part is sad, so just a warning.

This past friday a member of our prehod (branch) hung himself. He was 24 years old and his name was Viktor. I'd never met him. Four years ago he was completely normal, a genius even. Way talented. (warning: gruesome info ahead) But there was an accident where a branch went through the cavity of his eye, not puncturing it, but going in and messing up his brain. After that he went schizophrenic and had all sorts of problems. He was still able to function, but totally changed. Apparently it was too much for him to handle. God will be the judge of that situation. It was so sad. But his family has seemed to take it okay and the mother was even smiling at the funeral luncheon.
Also, yesterday we had a meeting with an apartment full of... men oriented toward other males. However, a few of them were very intrigued in our message and I could feel like maybe they saw some light through all the darkness they lived in. However the other part of the lesson felt like being a missionary in Sodom and Gomorrah. They were good people, they just didn't see a lot of hope.
It is getting Very cold here. Very. Cold. But, whatevs! It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be though... ish. so that's cool right!? Also, I got a late Christmas present from Ashley, Lindsey, that other one, Liza, and Chelsie that I loved so much! So great! I wanted to say thanks for that! Russian mail is so slow! haha! It was from November. Hey! Also, I can't really take pictures very easily because my second camera got fried from a bad converter... so sad. I've been able to use other peoples cameras at times using my card, but I don't really get to take pictures of my areas that way. It's certainly better having your own camera... Hint.
I love you all! I found a shapka (fur hat) in the snow. I am not dead.

Loves, Elder Svortz.