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!