Hello Family and Friends!
This week has been freezing! I am seriously dying for spring to come right about now! It is really effecting the work here because people will not come out of their houses when it is -25! But, despite all of the we are doing good! We are working hard and freezing our butts off talking to people on the street! I will just share two cool experiences with you all this week.
The first is of course about Alex again! The kid is awesome! I will send a picture of him to you guys this week! We met his mom and took him and his whole family to an organ recital yesterday because his mom loves organ music. It was pretty cool! His mom is awesome! Well, we had a lesson with Alex and we started out talking about Alma 32. Well, the lesson wasn't going bad but it wasn't going great. We got done talking about that and then for some random reason Alex talked about how he likes classical music. Well, on our Ipods I remembered that we have a video of the Mormon Tab Choir singing Come Thou Fount (the greatest song on the face of this earth) so went I plugged it into the TV and we watched it. The Spirit got so strong so fast! It was amazing! The whole atmosphere of the lesson changed! Well after the movie we asked the first question the came to our minds... "Alex how do you feel when you meet with us and when you are in the branch?" Alex just started smiling and laughing. He started to explain how he felt something really special... something like peace, and then he stopped himself and said that it wasn't a feeling of peace, but a feeling of clarity. He said that everything is just clear here. Wow! Talk about a good answer! You could really tell that he had thought about this before. So then came the classic question... "Alex do you know what that feeling is?" Haha of course he started laughing again because he knew what it is. It is the Holy Ghost. "Alex why do you feel that way here?" He said, "Probably, because you guys are good people." Haha which was correct but then we were able to explain that that is the Holy Ghost testifying to him that this is true. It was another great lesson with Alex!
Experience number two! So about two weeks ago we had an Activity as a priesthood body and so me and my companion called all of the less actives to invite them. Well, one of them came.. and not only did he come but he brought his girlfriend (haha he brought his girlfriend to the priesthood activity) It was awesome! His name is Stephen and he is from Nigeria. He is studying medicine here. It is so hard to understand him! But, we played some ping pong and became pretty good friends. Well, this week he came to church with his girlfriend again! This is the first time in my entire time in the city that I have seen him at church! And now, the sisters have a new investigators and she seems really interested in the Gospel! It is so amazing to me how the small and simple things help so much! A simple phone call and invitation can change a persons entire life around! But, that was another small miracle that we saw this past week!
Well, thngs are going great! This work has been the biggest blessing of my life! I love what I am doing and I love the people that I am teaching! I wish that I could take everything that I love about home and everything that I love about here and just make some super duper russian american wonderland! It is going to be so hard to leave this place! This gospel is true. This is Chrsit's Chruch. We have the truth. We have the responsibility to pass along the good news. People are searching and the field is white. Christ is at the doorstep and we have borthers and sisters who are waiting for us to stretch out a helping hand! I love you all and I want you to know that I appreciate your love and prayers and support! Remember who you are! :)
Elder Weihing
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
January 23, 2011 Letter from Mission President
Mission President’s Letter
January 23, 2011
Dear Missionaries:
We are finally through with the holidays. We are in the dead of winter. We are fortunate that even though it has been snowy in Russia, it has not been too cold. Our mission had a tremendous amount of energy and excitement as we came to the end of December with 16 baptisms, and many investigators. It was hard for many of you to concentrate fully on missionary work during the holidays because the people are so distracted and busy. Now is the time to re-dedicate ourselves to the work of the Lord.
Most of you have now been introduced to our mission goal: 31 by 31. We would like to have 31 baptisms by the 31st of March. This is the end of the second transfer. We hope that each companionship will have a goal to baptize at least one person during these two transfers. We know that the Lord will bless each of you in your own efforts to achieve righteous goals. These 31 are the Heavenly Father’s children who need the blessings of the gospel.
As part of our work, we can and should expect miracles. We are seeing miracles in our mission on a regular basis as missionaries are using every opportunity to talk with people. Let me share part of a letter from Elder Hofman from last week:
“My companion and I hit the street after getting a FIG. A lady got off a bus just a bit in front off us... we said something to her (I don't even remember what now!)... anyways, she wasn't expecting anything and our sudden effort to start a conversation scared her. She kept going, got mad, and started to kind of yell at us. We stood there and took it. I apologized and said, "Well, we just believe that this message we have is worth trying to talk to random people on the street." This is where it started... She started asking SO MANY QUESTIONS. She probably asked me 100 questions in 3 minutes... I am not even kidding... and nothing even about church really... just all about my life. And she just singled me out too... it was strange... but I answered them all for some reason. After this 3 minute question session she knew my entire life history and all of my future plans... pretty intense.
ANYWAYS, at the end of all this, she said, I want to talk to you more - give me your number. We swapped information and went on with the day.
We walked away just thinking that it was just super weird... well, it was.
THE NEXT DAY, we get a call from her (yeah, she called herself) saying that she couldn't stop thinking about our meeting on the street and that she knew that we were from God and that she needed to meet with us... soon!
TALK ABOUT A MIRACLE, HUH?!
We met with her and had an amazing lesson; she asked great questions... Then, at the very end of the lesson (after we prayed), she asked two questions: 1.) How do I pay tithing? 2.) When and how can I get baptized?
To the first one I told her that she didn't need to pay until she was a member... and then when she hit me with the next one... I just kind of chuckled and asked here to repeat the question because I thought I heard it wrong...
She repeated... I looked at Elder Andersen... who also looked like he just went into a coma. I couldn't say anything... and he just said "Well, we have a font." HA! That is all that came out! Oh man... I was just ready to bust. We went and showed her the font and explained things a little better.
Literally mind blowing. She was waiting... and all it took was a little curb-side scare from the missionaries to help her find what she was looking for. I have such a cool job!!!
We have a meeting with her today... we are setting a date... probably the 5th of February. AMAZING.
The best part is... she was talking about her husband and son and friend that she wants to bring to the meeting on Sunday to 'introduce them to God'... yep, another REFERRAL MACHINE.”
His encounter with this woman reminds me of a similar encounter Sister Moffat had on the street last summer when Nina walked up to her and wanted to know more about the church. I saw Nina today in church at the Tula Branch. She is now a strong member who is actively participating and filling her life with the gospel. The gospel is a great blessing to people’s lives, and that it why we are here, to bring them to Christ and bless their lives. We should look for and expect these miracles to happen in our missionary work. There are many people out there who are waiting and prepared, but we must open our mouths if we are going to find these people. We need to pray that the Lord will lead us to those who are prepared. If we are prepared and working hard, we WILL FIND THEM OR THEY WILL FIND US!!!!
As you experience miracles, I would really appreciate hearing about them so that it will help strengthen our resolve and our faith.
One of our Minsk, Belarus branches is focusing on missionary work. They are asking each branch member to pray daily at the same time, 1 pm, for the next month in order to unite the branch in their efforts to strengthen the church in Belarus and help the missionary work. This is a wonderful act of uniting in faith. As you meet with your branch mission leaders and branch presidents, you might suggest this or some other act of faith as a possible unifying idea for your branches.
I was recently reading in Matthew 13 the parable of the sower. Read verses 3 through 8 and 18 through 23. In this parable the sower is sowing seeds on various types of ground. Many of the seeds do not grow well. Some sprout and are burned up, however some of the seeds fall on good ground, which is “he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Vs 23. The important lesson here is that most people will not accept the gospel, or will accept it and fall away. However there are people who are truly prepared. They are people like Brigham Young or Parley P. Pratt, or so many of the leading saints here in Russia. When they are truly converted they are able to multiply the work many times and bring the blessings to many people. As missionaries, we are here to find those people and teach them the gospel so that the Lord’s kingdom will continue to grow and bless the lives of people all over the world.
Our next zone meeting in Kazakhstan will be Saturday January 29th. In addition we will have an all Russia (and Belarus) zone meeting in Moscow on Friday February 4th. We would like each of you to prepare a talk based on some principle the Savior taught in his sermon on the mount (Matt 5-7). Take just one short principle for the talk, not the whole sermon. We will pick a few of you to speak at the zone meeting. The rest will be asked to turn in their written talk.
We welcomed 5 new sisters and 2 elders to our mission two and a half weeks ago. In the third week of February we will receive 4 more elders and 2 more sisters. These new missionaries are a great blessing to our mission. We are so grateful for their enthusiasm and willingness to work hard. As we unite together in our efforts to strengthen the branches and to bring people to Christ we will continue to be blessed by the Lord and see many more miracles.
I want each of you to know that I know that this is the Lord’s work.
Much Love,
President Woolley
January 23, 2011
Dear Missionaries:
We are finally through with the holidays. We are in the dead of winter. We are fortunate that even though it has been snowy in Russia, it has not been too cold. Our mission had a tremendous amount of energy and excitement as we came to the end of December with 16 baptisms, and many investigators. It was hard for many of you to concentrate fully on missionary work during the holidays because the people are so distracted and busy. Now is the time to re-dedicate ourselves to the work of the Lord.
Most of you have now been introduced to our mission goal: 31 by 31. We would like to have 31 baptisms by the 31st of March. This is the end of the second transfer. We hope that each companionship will have a goal to baptize at least one person during these two transfers. We know that the Lord will bless each of you in your own efforts to achieve righteous goals. These 31 are the Heavenly Father’s children who need the blessings of the gospel.
As part of our work, we can and should expect miracles. We are seeing miracles in our mission on a regular basis as missionaries are using every opportunity to talk with people. Let me share part of a letter from Elder Hofman from last week:
“My companion and I hit the street after getting a FIG. A lady got off a bus just a bit in front off us... we said something to her (I don't even remember what now!)... anyways, she wasn't expecting anything and our sudden effort to start a conversation scared her. She kept going, got mad, and started to kind of yell at us. We stood there and took it. I apologized and said, "Well, we just believe that this message we have is worth trying to talk to random people on the street." This is where it started... She started asking SO MANY QUESTIONS. She probably asked me 100 questions in 3 minutes... I am not even kidding... and nothing even about church really... just all about my life. And she just singled me out too... it was strange... but I answered them all for some reason. After this 3 minute question session she knew my entire life history and all of my future plans... pretty intense.
ANYWAYS, at the end of all this, she said, I want to talk to you more - give me your number. We swapped information and went on with the day.
We walked away just thinking that it was just super weird... well, it was.
THE NEXT DAY, we get a call from her (yeah, she called herself) saying that she couldn't stop thinking about our meeting on the street and that she knew that we were from God and that she needed to meet with us... soon!
TALK ABOUT A MIRACLE, HUH?!
We met with her and had an amazing lesson; she asked great questions... Then, at the very end of the lesson (after we prayed), she asked two questions: 1.) How do I pay tithing? 2.) When and how can I get baptized?
To the first one I told her that she didn't need to pay until she was a member... and then when she hit me with the next one... I just kind of chuckled and asked here to repeat the question because I thought I heard it wrong...
She repeated... I looked at Elder Andersen... who also looked like he just went into a coma. I couldn't say anything... and he just said "Well, we have a font." HA! That is all that came out! Oh man... I was just ready to bust. We went and showed her the font and explained things a little better.
Literally mind blowing. She was waiting... and all it took was a little curb-side scare from the missionaries to help her find what she was looking for. I have such a cool job!!!
We have a meeting with her today... we are setting a date... probably the 5th of February. AMAZING.
The best part is... she was talking about her husband and son and friend that she wants to bring to the meeting on Sunday to 'introduce them to God'... yep, another REFERRAL MACHINE.”
His encounter with this woman reminds me of a similar encounter Sister Moffat had on the street last summer when Nina walked up to her and wanted to know more about the church. I saw Nina today in church at the Tula Branch. She is now a strong member who is actively participating and filling her life with the gospel. The gospel is a great blessing to people’s lives, and that it why we are here, to bring them to Christ and bless their lives. We should look for and expect these miracles to happen in our missionary work. There are many people out there who are waiting and prepared, but we must open our mouths if we are going to find these people. We need to pray that the Lord will lead us to those who are prepared. If we are prepared and working hard, we WILL FIND THEM OR THEY WILL FIND US!!!!
As you experience miracles, I would really appreciate hearing about them so that it will help strengthen our resolve and our faith.
One of our Minsk, Belarus branches is focusing on missionary work. They are asking each branch member to pray daily at the same time, 1 pm, for the next month in order to unite the branch in their efforts to strengthen the church in Belarus and help the missionary work. This is a wonderful act of uniting in faith. As you meet with your branch mission leaders and branch presidents, you might suggest this or some other act of faith as a possible unifying idea for your branches.
I was recently reading in Matthew 13 the parable of the sower. Read verses 3 through 8 and 18 through 23. In this parable the sower is sowing seeds on various types of ground. Many of the seeds do not grow well. Some sprout and are burned up, however some of the seeds fall on good ground, which is “he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Vs 23. The important lesson here is that most people will not accept the gospel, or will accept it and fall away. However there are people who are truly prepared. They are people like Brigham Young or Parley P. Pratt, or so many of the leading saints here in Russia. When they are truly converted they are able to multiply the work many times and bring the blessings to many people. As missionaries, we are here to find those people and teach them the gospel so that the Lord’s kingdom will continue to grow and bless the lives of people all over the world.
Our next zone meeting in Kazakhstan will be Saturday January 29th. In addition we will have an all Russia (and Belarus) zone meeting in Moscow on Friday February 4th. We would like each of you to prepare a talk based on some principle the Savior taught in his sermon on the mount (Matt 5-7). Take just one short principle for the talk, not the whole sermon. We will pick a few of you to speak at the zone meeting. The rest will be asked to turn in their written talk.
We welcomed 5 new sisters and 2 elders to our mission two and a half weeks ago. In the third week of February we will receive 4 more elders and 2 more sisters. These new missionaries are a great blessing to our mission. We are so grateful for their enthusiasm and willingness to work hard. As we unite together in our efforts to strengthen the branches and to bring people to Christ we will continue to be blessed by the Lord and see many more miracles.
I want each of you to know that I know that this is the Lord’s work.
Much Love,
President Woolley
Monday, February 14, 2011
Hello From Yaro
Hello Family and Friends!
Well what a week! President gave us a commitment last week when he was here to pick up two new investigators this week so we have been working our butts off to meet that goal and we saw miracles because of it! In the end we came out with three new investigators instead of two! We just had to show President up a little bit.. all of the new investigators are true miracles. We found one while contacting on the street. His name is Vladimir. We stopped him and he already knew who we are. He said a few years ago he was meeting with the missionaries and that it was very interesting and that he wanted to meet with us again and then he gave us his number. It was awesome! He is alone in life and does not have a family or many friends. He just works. He came to church on Sunday and talked about how hard it was to keep all of the commandments and so we sat down and talked about it... He is an awesome guy and is very humble. It really feels like he is searching and wants to do what is right.. he just doesn't know where to start. The next investigator is a man named Sergei. A few weeks ago we gave him a Book of Mormon. When we called him he said that he was planning on calling us, he has read the entire Book of Mormon and he wants to meet. So we met with him and we found out that he has been through a lot in life! He has literally died two times and been brought back to life. After those experiences he realized that God has a plan for him.. well it was perfect because that was our message to him! God does have a plan for him! So he seems to be pretty interested! Our third investigator was an old investigator in Tver. He moved here from Tver and we haven't met with him yet but they said that he is awesome. His family in Tver was completely against the church, but he loves the church. So now he is here and we will see what happens! His name is Aleksei.
So I know that Elder Nickols is going to be coming to Russia this next week. I think that Elder Brown is going to be training him! I don't know for sure, but that is what I think I heard. So that is awesome because Elder Brown is the Man! His trainer is one of the best missionaries in our mission! They will work hard and see miracles!
This week has been freezing! The past few days have been -25 and I am not liking it! The mission is going great! I love it! My companion is doing awesome! His jokes still don't make sense but that is ok because I realized that my jokes don't make sense to him either! He is working hard. He has a great desire to change himself and to help other people. Our work together is going great and we are praying for miracles! This city and branch has got to see a baptism so wake it up!!!
Yesterday we celebrated Sister Forsyths birthday and it was awesome! She helps us so much and always cooks for us so we made her take a break from cooking and we made some food for her. We sang a good happy birthyday song for her and made her a posterboard of our painted handprints. We also made her a new cookbook because her cookbook is thrashed and we put our pictures and testimonies in the cookbook. Of course this was not our idea because we are not that smart and could not think up something like that but it was a members idea :) SO it went great!
Well I love you all! Remember who you are!
Elder Weihing :)
Hello Family and Friends!
Well what a week! President gave us a commitment last week when he was here to pick up two new investigators this week so we have been working our butts off to meet that goal and we saw miracles because of it! In the end we came out with three new investigators instead of two! We just had to show President up a little bit.. all of the new investigators are true miracles. We found one while contacting on the street. His name is Vladimir. We stopped him and he already knew who we are. He said a few years ago he was meeting with the missionaries and that it was very interesting and that he wanted to meet with us again and then he gave us his number. It was awesome! He is alone in life and does not have a family or many friends. He just works. He came to church on Sunday and talked about how hard it was to keep all of the commandments and so we sat down and talked about it... He is an awesome guy and is very humble. It really feels like he is searching and wants to do what is right.. he just doesn't know where to start. The next investigator is a man named Sergei. A few weeks ago we gave him a Book of Mormon. When we called him he said that he was planning on calling us, he has read the entire Book of Mormon and he wants to meet. So we met with him and we found out that he has been through a lot in life! He has literally died two times and been brought back to life. After those experiences he realized that God has a plan for him.. well it was perfect because that was our message to him! God does have a plan for him! So he seems to be pretty interested! Our third investigator was an old investigator in Tver. He moved here from Tver and we haven't met with him yet but they said that he is awesome. His family in Tver was completely against the church, but he loves the church. So now he is here and we will see what happens! His name is Aleksei.
So I know that Elder Nickols is going to be coming to Russia this next week. I think that Elder Brown is going to be training him! I don't know for sure, but that is what I think I heard. So that is awesome because Elder Brown is the Man! His trainer is one of the best missionaries in our mission! They will work hard and see miracles!
This week has been freezing! The past few days have been -25 and I am not liking it! The mission is going great! I love it! My companion is doing awesome! His jokes still don't make sense but that is ok because I realized that my jokes don't make sense to him either! He is working hard. He has a great desire to change himself and to help other people. Our work together is going great and we are praying for miracles! This city and branch has got to see a baptism so wake it up!!!
Yesterday we celebrated Sister Forsyths birthday and it was awesome! She helps us so much and always cooks for us so we made her take a break from cooking and we made some food for her. We sang a good happy birthyday song for her and made her a posterboard of our painted handprints. We also made her a new cookbook because her cookbook is thrashed and we put our pictures and testimonies in the cookbook. Of course this was not our idea because we are not that smart and could not think up something like that but it was a members idea :) SO it went great!
Well I love you all! Remember who you are!
Elder Weihing :)
Monday, February 7, 2011
Hey from Yaro!
Hello family and friends!
Russia is great! This week has been surprisingly warm, but next week is going to get cold again :( We had Zone Conference this last week and so we went to Moscow yet again! It was a great conference! Our mission is going to be opening a new city in Kazakhstan in a few weeks so that is exciting! President came back with us from Zone Conference and attended church here. The members were so excited to see him!
Now the investigators! Alex is still doing great! Keep praying for him because every lesson gets better with him! This city really needs to see a baptism to wake it up because it has been to long and the city has been dead! So with Alex we talked about prayer and the Holy Ghost. It was a great lesson! He said that he prayed about the Book of Mormon one time but did not get answer yet, he said that he will keep trying. He said that he hasn't been praying in the name of Jesus Christ so we asked him to do that and he agreed. Honestly, Alex just feels like an old friend that I haven't seen in a long time. He left the lesson so grateful and said thanks because he has learned so much. He always leaves with a lot on his mind really thinking about what we talked about. It is really frustrating to know that all I can do to really help him is to continue to teach him and pray for him to get an answer! I wish I could just give him the answer! lol
Slava is also doing great! I was not able to be at the lesson because we were on splits, but I heard that it went great! They talked about the Trinity and the spirit was very strong! They got to meet his mom for the first time (she used to be against the church but Slava kept seeing our Church on the news when ever there was a disaster and the news talked about how much we helped and so Slava turned to his mom and said do you think that these people can really be bad? So she now is beginning to soften up to our church) The lesson went great and they said that they also left that lesson with him really thinking and pondering with what they talked about and shared!
Our investigators are great! The only frustrating part is sitting back waiting for people when they get to a certain point because you can't force this upon them! But, God will answer their prayers!
I am doing great! The mission is awesome and I can't believe how lucky I am to be here and to be an instrument of the Lord! How great is my calling! I know that you are all jealous of me so I will stop bragging about it... it really has been the biggest blessing of my life. I have learned and am learning more than I ever have about people and especially about the Gospel. I know that what happens here is going to bless my life forever! I love you all! You are great! Remember who you are!
Elder Weihing
Hello family and friends!
Russia is great! This week has been surprisingly warm, but next week is going to get cold again :( We had Zone Conference this last week and so we went to Moscow yet again! It was a great conference! Our mission is going to be opening a new city in Kazakhstan in a few weeks so that is exciting! President came back with us from Zone Conference and attended church here. The members were so excited to see him!
Now the investigators! Alex is still doing great! Keep praying for him because every lesson gets better with him! This city really needs to see a baptism to wake it up because it has been to long and the city has been dead! So with Alex we talked about prayer and the Holy Ghost. It was a great lesson! He said that he prayed about the Book of Mormon one time but did not get answer yet, he said that he will keep trying. He said that he hasn't been praying in the name of Jesus Christ so we asked him to do that and he agreed. Honestly, Alex just feels like an old friend that I haven't seen in a long time. He left the lesson so grateful and said thanks because he has learned so much. He always leaves with a lot on his mind really thinking about what we talked about. It is really frustrating to know that all I can do to really help him is to continue to teach him and pray for him to get an answer! I wish I could just give him the answer! lol
Slava is also doing great! I was not able to be at the lesson because we were on splits, but I heard that it went great! They talked about the Trinity and the spirit was very strong! They got to meet his mom for the first time (she used to be against the church but Slava kept seeing our Church on the news when ever there was a disaster and the news talked about how much we helped and so Slava turned to his mom and said do you think that these people can really be bad? So she now is beginning to soften up to our church) The lesson went great and they said that they also left that lesson with him really thinking and pondering with what they talked about and shared!
Our investigators are great! The only frustrating part is sitting back waiting for people when they get to a certain point because you can't force this upon them! But, God will answer their prayers!
I am doing great! The mission is awesome and I can't believe how lucky I am to be here and to be an instrument of the Lord! How great is my calling! I know that you are all jealous of me so I will stop bragging about it... it really has been the biggest blessing of my life. I have learned and am learning more than I ever have about people and especially about the Gospel. I know that what happens here is going to bless my life forever! I love you all! You are great! Remember who you are!
Elder Weihing
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Greetings from Russia from: Mark & Jamie Forsyth
Greetings from Russia,
Another month has zipped by. Winter has tightened her grip on Northern Russia and other than new layers of snow; there is very little change to mark the passing of one day to the next. That said, the Russian people are hearty and take the cold in stride. One morning as we walked past the park next to our apartment there were people walking and a mother watching her child moving about in the small playground area. People are bundled up warmly but their ability to move about in the extreme cold is impressive. We had been having large snowflakes, the kind of flakes that are the size of your thumb, falling that morning. They looked about the way you would imagine goose feathers would look falling from a large pillow in the sky. The temperature that day was forecast to have a high of 14 and a low of 4 degrees Fahrenheit. At home one would scarcely see people in that kind of weather but here it is business as usual. The Russians really are very robust and the locals tell us that February will be colder when the winds come.
As for today, the sun was shining which means it was several degrees colder in the shade but pleasant wherever the sun was visible. We did some shopping in the morning hours then spent the afternoon studying and catching up on anything we had neglected over the past week. This evening we went to visit an adult English class at a local school. It was well attended and the students asked many good questions about where we are from, how we like it here and what our impressions are of Yaroslavl and Russia in general. All of the students were beginner to intermediate English speakers. We enjoyed the experience.
It has been some time since we last wrote. We have been “anxiously engaged in a good cause”. We have been to Moscow on three occasions and we are going there again this coming Friday for another conference. We flew from Moscow to Kiev, Ukraine last Thursday to renew our Visas. We were in Moscow at the time of the airport attack but were fortunate not to be flying that day.
We are very sorry for the loss of life and sorry for the circumstances that would lead groups and individuals to believe that such acts are an appropriate venue for drawing attention to the issues they feels so strongly about. Violence begets violence. Actions of this nature do draw attention but not the kind they are wanting. Any sympathy for their cause is swallowed up in grief and returned with anger. In the book “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, it says: “for men who are truly generous are always ready to [be] compassionate when the misfortune of their enemy surpasses the limits of their hatred.” The limits of hatred do not seem to subside when a less fortunate enemy only knows to kick at his oppressors. Generosity or compassion, if there be any, will be slow in coming while there is renewed hatred to fuel the flames.
We have had a few personnel changes in Yaroslavl. As we mentioned, we knew that we were getting a set of sister missionaries. When we went to Moscow on January 3rd & 4th we learned that Elder Smith was being transferred to Minsk, Belarus and in his place we were receiving a new missionary, Elder Aniciforov, who was recently called from Odessa, Ukraine. He is good natured and already speaks the language. We were sad to see Elder Smith go. Minsk will be better for having him.
We assisted Elder Smith as he carried his bags with him. The handle on his large suitcase broke and he had quite a time dragging it through the snow. It was good to see the other missionaries. We each enriched our spirits, enjoyed good conversation, read mail from home, ate traditional holiday foods and participated in other festive activities. We put on small skits, sang holiday songs and ate a wonderful ham dinner with potatoes, yams, vegetables and warm wassail.
Before going to Moscow we busily searched for and found an apartment for the new sisters. We spent part of New Year’s Day cleaning it and getting it ready for their arrival. It is on the same street where we live and is about a ten minute walk from our door. After the party we all rode back in the mission van. As for the sisters, we received Sister Naleafkina who is from Sakhalin Island, just North of Japan, on the Eastern edge of Russia. She is a native Russian and has been in the mission field for nine months. She is already helping us with our Russian. Her companion is Sister Taggert from Puyallup, WA. Sister Taggert is a new missionary fresh from the Missionary Training Center. We actually met her when we were there in late October.
In the few weeks we have been with the new missionaries and our time with Elder Weihing, we have gained so much for which we are grateful. Following are a few brief comments on each of them:
Elder Weihing – Elder Weihing has proven to be an awesome missionary in all aspects of the work. We enjoyed working with he and Elder Smith. Elder Smith had a warm spirit and was very giving of his time to the members. Elder Weihing is strong at making contacts; he listens well and is organized in his study and planning. He was a very good companion to Elder Smith and they were focused on their work. We have found Elder Weihing to be compassionate and giving of his time and talents. He gives service, he is a good teacher and he works hard to understand the concerns and needs of each church member and investigator. Elder Weihing is doing a very good job as a trainer and organizer with Elder Aniciforov. He carries with him the Spirit of Jesus Christ and when he bears testimony it can be felt.
Elder (Анисифоров) Aniciforov – We were very excited for the arrival of Elder Aniciforov. For the first week he appeared to be somewhat shy but that proved to only be jet lag. (He was also at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.) He is very open with members and having come from a branch similar to those here in Russia he brings personal experience as to how the work is done in a smaller unit. In branch presidency meetings he is organized and not afraid to speak up and explain how things were done at home in his branch in Ukraine. He has a strong testimony of the Gospel. He knows that God lives and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. As are many missionaries, at the beginning of their mission, he has been a bit reticent when it comes to contacting but when Elder Weihing says this contact is yours, he will jump right in and speak without hesitation. We feel that he will be an awesome missionary.
Sister (налифкана) Naleafkina – The two new sisters are a delight. Sister Naleafkina is bold and she and Sister Taggert approach everyone they meet. They are settled into their apartment and are working hard to advance the work. She and Sister Taggert are actively engaged in contacting, visiting active and less active church members and teaching investigators. Sister Naleafkina is an excellent trainer and has a good grasp of the work. It is hard to believe she has only been a member of the church for two years. Sister Naleafkina exhibits a thirst for knowledge and continues to build her Gospel knowledge. She bears a strong testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ and her love for him. Sister Naleafkina is enjoys giving service, before each district meeting she is teaching Russian to us and her companion. It is our hope that she will be assigned here in Yaroslavl for some time.
Sister Taggert – When we first met Sister Taggert in the MTC we were impressed with her smile. The first week she was here that smile was a bit subdued in the hazy fog of fatigue. We are happy to report that she is over the jet lag and her smile has returned. She has a good memory and speaks easily. She is listening and learning and appears to understand more than she realizes. Sister Taggert has been a wonderful resource in the branch by playing the piano and helping in English Club. She is quiet and reserved in discussions, partly due to being new and the challenges of learning the language. She gave the spiritual thought in Russian at our district meeting and was clear in her speech. Sister Taggert has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ. You can feel her spirit and her love for the Gospel. Her lifetime in the church and her attendance at BYU has given her a wealth of knowledge to bolster Sister Naleafkina’s zeal.
It snowed heavily on our return Yaroslavl and it was late before we got the sisters unloaded and finally made it to bed. The next day, Jamie took them shopping for food and other items to make their apartment livable. She also helped Sister Taggert with her purchase of winter boots, a coat and scarf. Her new coat is brick red, with a fur fringe around the hood. She won’t be cold. At the coat store they were met by the shop owner. She was from her description, a tall, full figured, exotic looking woman; who knew her craft and was not afraid to take charge. She understood color and knew how to make a young woman look beautiful. When Sister Taggert was presented to the woman she was wearing a non-descript, sedate, gray woolen scarf. The woman took it off of her and asked in Russian, “What are you, a babushka (Grandmother)?” She had her try on several coats and each was a different shade of red. In the end the first coat proved to be the best. She then gave her a pretty, textured, pink scarf. Sister Taggert was now put together and looked very nice. Sister Naleafkina has a beautiful blue coat and when the Elders saw them, Elder Weihing complimented them saying, “You look like cotton candy.”
On the evening of January 6th, Russian Christmas eve, we had been invited by a local Pravslavic Priest to attend midnight mass at his church. We had spoken with him previously about service opportunities when he issued the invitation. In the spirit of friendship we were happy to attend. It was very interesting and in many ways similar to Catholic mass. The two churches were once the same and are still very similar in many respects. He was pleased with our offer of service and when the weather warms we will meet with him to see where we can be of assistance.
The missionary work continues to expand. We are still teaching the young Catholic man Sasha. He has been faithful in his prayers and reading of the scriptures. He has expressed a desire to be baptized. He still has issues in his personal life but has met with his grandmother in England and told her of his feelings. Sasha knows that the decision is his. He says that he has received an answer from God that the Gospel is true. We will be meeting with him again.
Alex and Tania, the brother and sister from Abkhazia have been attending church and Alex has been reading the Book of Mormon. They are both very sincere and good people. While we teach Alex, the sisters, in like manner, are teaching his sister Tania. They also come each week on Tuesday to practice their English at our English Club. They both speak very well.
We are teaching another young man from the city of Rybinsk. It is an hour and a half by train or marshootka. We have several members that live there and come here to Yaroslavl to church. His name is Slava, he is Baptist and very interested in the restoration of the Gospel. He came down to Yaroslavl each of the past two weekends to meet with us. We have held scripture study with him on both Saturdays. We discussed the scriptures which foretold of the restoration, taught about living prophets and answered questions regarding salvation, the nature of the Godhead, Priesthood and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He has attended church on Sunday and wants to know more. He read the Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price and is now reading the Doctrine & Covenants. At church he spent a considerable amount of time talking to Gregory, a former member of the Baptist Church. When he was at our apartment we would use Google translate to communicate. He would type his comments and questions in Russian and I would type my comments and answers in English. We would each read the scriptures in our own language. It was fairly easy to get ideas back and forth.
In other news, we attended a performance of the ballet “Swan Lake” when we were recently in Moscow. We had been attending a conference with the other senior missionary couples. It was held in the Stanislavski Theater. Tchaikovsky’s music, the sets, the dancers and the choreography were all exquisite. We have plans to attend a performance at Russia’s first and oldest theater, the Volkov Theater, in Yaroslavl.
There is always more that we could write but know that we are well and send our best wishes. Thank you for your prayers and letters. We always love hearing from you.
Love,
Elder & Sister Forsyth
Greetings from Russia,
Another month has zipped by. Winter has tightened her grip on Northern Russia and other than new layers of snow; there is very little change to mark the passing of one day to the next. That said, the Russian people are hearty and take the cold in stride. One morning as we walked past the park next to our apartment there were people walking and a mother watching her child moving about in the small playground area. People are bundled up warmly but their ability to move about in the extreme cold is impressive. We had been having large snowflakes, the kind of flakes that are the size of your thumb, falling that morning. They looked about the way you would imagine goose feathers would look falling from a large pillow in the sky. The temperature that day was forecast to have a high of 14 and a low of 4 degrees Fahrenheit. At home one would scarcely see people in that kind of weather but here it is business as usual. The Russians really are very robust and the locals tell us that February will be colder when the winds come.
As for today, the sun was shining which means it was several degrees colder in the shade but pleasant wherever the sun was visible. We did some shopping in the morning hours then spent the afternoon studying and catching up on anything we had neglected over the past week. This evening we went to visit an adult English class at a local school. It was well attended and the students asked many good questions about where we are from, how we like it here and what our impressions are of Yaroslavl and Russia in general. All of the students were beginner to intermediate English speakers. We enjoyed the experience.
It has been some time since we last wrote. We have been “anxiously engaged in a good cause”. We have been to Moscow on three occasions and we are going there again this coming Friday for another conference. We flew from Moscow to Kiev, Ukraine last Thursday to renew our Visas. We were in Moscow at the time of the airport attack but were fortunate not to be flying that day.
We are very sorry for the loss of life and sorry for the circumstances that would lead groups and individuals to believe that such acts are an appropriate venue for drawing attention to the issues they feels so strongly about. Violence begets violence. Actions of this nature do draw attention but not the kind they are wanting. Any sympathy for their cause is swallowed up in grief and returned with anger. In the book “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, it says: “for men who are truly generous are always ready to [be] compassionate when the misfortune of their enemy surpasses the limits of their hatred.” The limits of hatred do not seem to subside when a less fortunate enemy only knows to kick at his oppressors. Generosity or compassion, if there be any, will be slow in coming while there is renewed hatred to fuel the flames.
We have had a few personnel changes in Yaroslavl. As we mentioned, we knew that we were getting a set of sister missionaries. When we went to Moscow on January 3rd & 4th we learned that Elder Smith was being transferred to Minsk, Belarus and in his place we were receiving a new missionary, Elder Aniciforov, who was recently called from Odessa, Ukraine. He is good natured and already speaks the language. We were sad to see Elder Smith go. Minsk will be better for having him.
We assisted Elder Smith as he carried his bags with him. The handle on his large suitcase broke and he had quite a time dragging it through the snow. It was good to see the other missionaries. We each enriched our spirits, enjoyed good conversation, read mail from home, ate traditional holiday foods and participated in other festive activities. We put on small skits, sang holiday songs and ate a wonderful ham dinner with potatoes, yams, vegetables and warm wassail.
Before going to Moscow we busily searched for and found an apartment for the new sisters. We spent part of New Year’s Day cleaning it and getting it ready for their arrival. It is on the same street where we live and is about a ten minute walk from our door. After the party we all rode back in the mission van. As for the sisters, we received Sister Naleafkina who is from Sakhalin Island, just North of Japan, on the Eastern edge of Russia. She is a native Russian and has been in the mission field for nine months. She is already helping us with our Russian. Her companion is Sister Taggert from Puyallup, WA. Sister Taggert is a new missionary fresh from the Missionary Training Center. We actually met her when we were there in late October.
In the few weeks we have been with the new missionaries and our time with Elder Weihing, we have gained so much for which we are grateful. Following are a few brief comments on each of them:
Elder Weihing – Elder Weihing has proven to be an awesome missionary in all aspects of the work. We enjoyed working with he and Elder Smith. Elder Smith had a warm spirit and was very giving of his time to the members. Elder Weihing is strong at making contacts; he listens well and is organized in his study and planning. He was a very good companion to Elder Smith and they were focused on their work. We have found Elder Weihing to be compassionate and giving of his time and talents. He gives service, he is a good teacher and he works hard to understand the concerns and needs of each church member and investigator. Elder Weihing is doing a very good job as a trainer and organizer with Elder Aniciforov. He carries with him the Spirit of Jesus Christ and when he bears testimony it can be felt.
Elder (Анисифоров) Aniciforov – We were very excited for the arrival of Elder Aniciforov. For the first week he appeared to be somewhat shy but that proved to only be jet lag. (He was also at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.) He is very open with members and having come from a branch similar to those here in Russia he brings personal experience as to how the work is done in a smaller unit. In branch presidency meetings he is organized and not afraid to speak up and explain how things were done at home in his branch in Ukraine. He has a strong testimony of the Gospel. He knows that God lives and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. As are many missionaries, at the beginning of their mission, he has been a bit reticent when it comes to contacting but when Elder Weihing says this contact is yours, he will jump right in and speak without hesitation. We feel that he will be an awesome missionary.
Sister (налифкана) Naleafkina – The two new sisters are a delight. Sister Naleafkina is bold and she and Sister Taggert approach everyone they meet. They are settled into their apartment and are working hard to advance the work. She and Sister Taggert are actively engaged in contacting, visiting active and less active church members and teaching investigators. Sister Naleafkina is an excellent trainer and has a good grasp of the work. It is hard to believe she has only been a member of the church for two years. Sister Naleafkina exhibits a thirst for knowledge and continues to build her Gospel knowledge. She bears a strong testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ and her love for him. Sister Naleafkina is enjoys giving service, before each district meeting she is teaching Russian to us and her companion. It is our hope that she will be assigned here in Yaroslavl for some time.
Sister Taggert – When we first met Sister Taggert in the MTC we were impressed with her smile. The first week she was here that smile was a bit subdued in the hazy fog of fatigue. We are happy to report that she is over the jet lag and her smile has returned. She has a good memory and speaks easily. She is listening and learning and appears to understand more than she realizes. Sister Taggert has been a wonderful resource in the branch by playing the piano and helping in English Club. She is quiet and reserved in discussions, partly due to being new and the challenges of learning the language. She gave the spiritual thought in Russian at our district meeting and was clear in her speech. Sister Taggert has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ. You can feel her spirit and her love for the Gospel. Her lifetime in the church and her attendance at BYU has given her a wealth of knowledge to bolster Sister Naleafkina’s zeal.
It snowed heavily on our return Yaroslavl and it was late before we got the sisters unloaded and finally made it to bed. The next day, Jamie took them shopping for food and other items to make their apartment livable. She also helped Sister Taggert with her purchase of winter boots, a coat and scarf. Her new coat is brick red, with a fur fringe around the hood. She won’t be cold. At the coat store they were met by the shop owner. She was from her description, a tall, full figured, exotic looking woman; who knew her craft and was not afraid to take charge. She understood color and knew how to make a young woman look beautiful. When Sister Taggert was presented to the woman she was wearing a non-descript, sedate, gray woolen scarf. The woman took it off of her and asked in Russian, “What are you, a babushka (Grandmother)?” She had her try on several coats and each was a different shade of red. In the end the first coat proved to be the best. She then gave her a pretty, textured, pink scarf. Sister Taggert was now put together and looked very nice. Sister Naleafkina has a beautiful blue coat and when the Elders saw them, Elder Weihing complimented them saying, “You look like cotton candy.”
On the evening of January 6th, Russian Christmas eve, we had been invited by a local Pravslavic Priest to attend midnight mass at his church. We had spoken with him previously about service opportunities when he issued the invitation. In the spirit of friendship we were happy to attend. It was very interesting and in many ways similar to Catholic mass. The two churches were once the same and are still very similar in many respects. He was pleased with our offer of service and when the weather warms we will meet with him to see where we can be of assistance.
The missionary work continues to expand. We are still teaching the young Catholic man Sasha. He has been faithful in his prayers and reading of the scriptures. He has expressed a desire to be baptized. He still has issues in his personal life but has met with his grandmother in England and told her of his feelings. Sasha knows that the decision is his. He says that he has received an answer from God that the Gospel is true. We will be meeting with him again.
Alex and Tania, the brother and sister from Abkhazia have been attending church and Alex has been reading the Book of Mormon. They are both very sincere and good people. While we teach Alex, the sisters, in like manner, are teaching his sister Tania. They also come each week on Tuesday to practice their English at our English Club. They both speak very well.
We are teaching another young man from the city of Rybinsk. It is an hour and a half by train or marshootka. We have several members that live there and come here to Yaroslavl to church. His name is Slava, he is Baptist and very interested in the restoration of the Gospel. He came down to Yaroslavl each of the past two weekends to meet with us. We have held scripture study with him on both Saturdays. We discussed the scriptures which foretold of the restoration, taught about living prophets and answered questions regarding salvation, the nature of the Godhead, Priesthood and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He has attended church on Sunday and wants to know more. He read the Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price and is now reading the Doctrine & Covenants. At church he spent a considerable amount of time talking to Gregory, a former member of the Baptist Church. When he was at our apartment we would use Google translate to communicate. He would type his comments and questions in Russian and I would type my comments and answers in English. We would each read the scriptures in our own language. It was fairly easy to get ideas back and forth.
In other news, we attended a performance of the ballet “Swan Lake” when we were recently in Moscow. We had been attending a conference with the other senior missionary couples. It was held in the Stanislavski Theater. Tchaikovsky’s music, the sets, the dancers and the choreography were all exquisite. We have plans to attend a performance at Russia’s first and oldest theater, the Volkov Theater, in Yaroslavl.
There is always more that we could write but know that we are well and send our best wishes. Thank you for your prayers and letters. We always love hearing from you.
Love,
Elder & Sister Forsyth
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