So first!! I gave a member Chris's, Mom's, and Dad's Skype info. He said he already sent you the invitations, so you just have to respond! He wants to test it with one of you sometime so... just call him, or expect a call from him to see how it works. Also, he speaks English, really brokenly, but totally understandable! He's a champ!
This week has seriously been full of the Lord's guidance! I really feel like He is not leaving me on my own at this point in my mission! There have been times I've really felt that way, as if He withdrew Himself from me for a time in order to see how I would react, or for me to learn something important, and I'm not saying that is not an important part (because it is) of what I have experienced on my mission, but it is also really awesome to feel as though He Himself is walking with me, talking with me, and all around working with me in order to accomplish more fully His holy purposes! Last night, we had a lesson with a guy we found the other day knocking, and at the beginning, he wanted us to just play cards with him, and he and his friend would laugh and really treat lightly what we were saying, but as we really prayed in our hearts about what we could do to help them, the spirit began to work within them. The laughing stopped. The interruptions stopped. The looking around stopped. Everything seemed to just... stop. And that's when everything started! They listened, asked questions, we responded with the spirit and discerned. in the end, the friend was way interested, and they both wanted copies of the conference ensign! It was a waaay cool experience. It's an experience that you wish you could have everyday, but you understand that it's a gift to be treasured because it doesn't happen everyday. But what's cool is that we had the EXACT same thing happen the day after with an inactive and his friend! The Lord is really working with us!
I'm loving my mission! and I'm so happy I can work with Elder Christensen again! We found out that we're staying together again! I'm really hoping though that a third cycle with him doesn't make him realize that I'm completely uncool. I probably get on his nerves so much! He's such a champ! He's way patient with me, even when I myself know that I was wrong! He's turning out to be a fantastic missionary! Plus, he sticks to his goals. A really realistic elder.
It looks like we're going to get the baptism, Olga, as long as she can quit smoking. She only smokes one cigarette a day, but to some, that still may be a challenge.
Dad, your pictures are so great!! You always send the coolest photos! Your photography skills have gotten much better I would say! That's so cool! Also, the only intereseting thing here is that there is still no snow. This week the temperature dropped... a ton! On tuesday or wednesday or something, they said it got down to negative 26 celcius... I totally believe them. We were not expecting it... haha! But we were fine, don't worry! We dress warm enough! It warmed back up again abit, but it's still below freezing, which is good... still no snow yet... suuuper weird for Russia! All the Russian's are SOO confused.
So, with this new visa schedule that we're on, missionaries only get to go to kiev once every six months, which is saving the church millions!!! However, so apparently there were some Дурак missionaries who were on their Visa trip, and they fly into Moscow... wait... They flew in to Kiev. Yeah. They flew in to Kiev and they were supposed to go to the temple, all the temple workers were expecting them and everything, and the missionaries, no, the heathens I should say, decide that they don't need the blessings of the temple, and neither do the people they would have done the work for vicariously, and instead decide that it would be way cooler to check out the city.
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We have a word here in Russia for people like them... but I'm not going to say it, because I'm a missionary... unlike them.
So the Europe East Area presidency finds out and says. "So missionaries don't want to go to the temple anymore do they? Whatever, cheaper for us." So now missionaries don't get to go to the temple anymore when we go to Ukraine. Yep. It's times like these that I remember why I'm all for Captial Punishment.
In other news, Knocking has been a complete miracle for us lately. We'll be knocking, and the LAST door of the LAST building at the last few minutes of knocking, we've found someone who was waiting for the gospel! It's been so cool!! Man, I don't have any more time! This letter was long this week... haha!
K, well, Loves!! I hope you all send me letters!
Elder Swartz!
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