Hello from Yaroslavl!
A crazy week like always! This week President came down to visit us. It was good to be able to chat with him and to get new suggestions from him. A day after that I left to go to Moscow because I had a Visa Trip this last weekend. It was my actual first real Visa Trip and it was insanely busy! We went to Kiev! Our plane was supposed to leave at about 8 in the morning but we ended up getting a three hour delay because there was big snowstorm outside. We planned to go to the temple in Kiev but were worried because the flight being delayed probably wouldn't allow us to do that. Fortunately, one of the missionaries who I went with used to live in Kiev and new his way around really well. So, we made it to the temple in time to do some Initiatories and had time to sit in the Celestial Room for awhile. It was the first time I have been in the temple in the field and it was amazing!!! The feeling that you get in the temple doesn't compare to anything else anywhere in the world! It is so calm and peaceful and warm. It was even cooler because I was there with a bunch of people that I came to Russia with from the MTC. It was the first time that I had seen them since we came so it was really cool to actually be able to communicate with each other in the language! Haha I was there with Elder Brown, Elder Waite, Elder White, Elder Breedlove, and with a Russian sister who was in the MTC. Also a cool thing, I was there with another kid, his name is Elder White, who I went to high school with! Small World!
Anyways, after the temple it was crazy! We were able to take a few quick photos and then one missionary with us wanted to stop by somewhere on our way to the Airport so we were in a hurry. This missionary was the one who used to live in Kiev and his name is Elder Hoffman. Great guy! Anyways, so he lived in Kiev teaching English, but while he was here he stayed with a family. The family lives close to the Airport and last time he was here he stopped by and gave them a Book of Mormon. We went back this time and they fed us and we sat and talked around for a little bit. They didn't read the Book of Mormon, but they are still an awesome family! So, that was pretty cool, but we almost missed our flight because we were over there for so long which would have been horrible! Everything worked our great though! I went back to Moscow and then headed back to Yaroslavl. I don't think I mentioned this, but this whole time traveling I was alone. Haha President Wooley trusts us a lot in this mission. I was able to leave my companion with the Senior Couple in Yaroslavl and travel to Moscow and to the office and then home again all alone. Haha I have never heard of that with any other missions in the world.
So this week is going to be a very crazy week as well! The APs are coming to work with us and then on Saturday we have a training for the Branch Presidency in Moscow. A lot of traveling!
Unfortunately, our investigators our still stuck in the same place. They are ready to be baptized, but have still not made the decision. I put their names in the temple and are hoping that that will help them get their answers!
But, we did have progress with one less active member this week. This less active member came to church for the first time while I have been here one week ago and when he came we invited him over for dinner. He came to dinner and we found out that he is very shy, humble, and quite. We had a great dinner and watched a short film about the birth of Jesus and talked about him. It was a very powerful lesson and you could tell that he was impacted by our message. We gave him a blessing and he started crying during the lesson. He told us a story about how he was living with a woman who hates the church. She made him choose between the church and her and he chose the church. He is a very humble guy! He came back to church yesterday for the second time and he gave me a pair of hand knitted shoes that he made for him. Haha it was really cool because when I paid him for the shoes he took the money and instantly paid it to fast offerings! We are going to continue to work with him. His name is Paval.
Well it is warming up a little bit here thank goodness! Today is only -10 so everything is going to be fine! Haha I was a little worries for awhile because it was really cold last week!
I hope everything is going great at home! I love you and miss you! Remember who you are!
Elder Weihing :)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Friday, December 3, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Ok so I know that Thanksgiving has passed but I totally forgot last week so I have to say Happy Thanksgiving this week! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know I had a good one compared to last years Thanksgiving in the MTC! We had investigators and members over at the Forsyths and we ate some dang good food! The only thing we were missing was some good old American Football and a classic Thanksgiving nap! But, it was still great!
So of course this week has been crazy yet again! The temperature has dropped fast and today it is -21 C and bitter cold! I hear it will only be getting colder! I go out side and it physically hurts my lungs to breath through my mouth or my nose turns into an icicle if I breath through my nose so I don't know which one to do! But, I had a sweet coat from Kazakhstan that keeps me pretty warm so no worries there.
Right now we have three investigators who are ready to be baptized. We are literally just waiting on them because there is nothing else to do! But, currently Elder Smith and I gave up big sacrifices and asked the Lord to intervene so we will see what miracles we will see in the not to distant future! I could sure use grandpas heavenly help right now with these people! There is Olga, Olessa, and Sasha. I will explain what happened with Olga a little bit later but Olessa is in a stand still because she is going to be getting married soon so that has preoccupied her mind obviously. Sasha, we found out this week, is studying to become a Catholic Priest. He was raised at Catholic and baptized by his granny in England, but he found out that our church is true. He knows it is true, but doesn't know what to do because he doesn't want to hurt his granny. He just has a few things to figure out inside before he can make that step towards baptism. All three of these people are ready to be baptized, they have just not made the decision quite yet!
So Olga... this is the wife of a current less active member. We had a very very strong lesson this week with Olga! She asked the question about the Holy Ghost and exactly what it feels like before baptism and after you receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. We focused an entire two hours on answering this question! Olga know what the Holy Ghost feels like. She has recognized it in her life. She has had a very good life and she herself said that she has not had anything horrible every happen to her. She knows that warm and comforting feeling that God gives her. Because of that she doesn't understand the difference it will be after getting the Gift of the Holy Ghost. We thought of a pretty cool idea to explain it. We had Sister Forsyth make some banana bread and we brought it over. We started out the lesson asking her if she wanted a gift that we had for her. Of course she said yes. We started teaching and had Sister Forsyth relate a story of how she had felt the Holy Ghost after baptism. It brought a great atmosphere for the lesson. After the story we asked her if she wanted her gift again. Of course she answered yes and so we let her see her gift and then took it away. We kept teaching and talked about and read verses from the scriptures about the Holy Ghost. After that we asked her again if she wanted her gift and she said yes. She took of the banana bread and let her smell it and then took it away. They talked about how good it looked and smelt. We talked again about the holy ghost and we all testified and related person stories. The Spirit was really strong! After that we asked her if she wanted her gift again and she said yes. We explained that we can explain exactly the difference between feeling the Holy Ghost after and before baptism. But, what she feels right now is only a taste or a glimpse of what she could have. We talked about the Holy Ghost being a gift and that it is free for everyone, but there is a second part of giving a gift... receiving the gift. She took the banana bread and we all ate it. We committed her to baptism and she said that she was still praying about it. We asked her how she felt. She said that she always felt the Spirit when we were here. She didn't take that as an answer. We asked her to pray about baptism in front of us at the end of the lesson and she did. She still said she had to pray about it more. We offered to give her a blessing and she allowed us. We gave her a blessing and then asked her how she felt. She said that she felt such power and warmth and love surround her during the blessing. She said that she still had to pray about baptism! What and experience! The Spirit was so strong and she recognized it every single time! She knows what she needs to do.. but for some reason is still holding back!
Well.. the work is still going forward! Winter is here and now people are really going to be mad when we want to stop and talk to them on the street! Haha it is going to be awesome! This week the President is coming and we are going to be hunting down a Russian Orthodox Priest which we helped with service and see if we can get a meeting with him. We do not have a good relationship with that church in Russia and we are trying to build one! Thank you all for your love and your support and especially for your prayers! I love you all! Remember who you are! :)
Elder Weihing
So of course this week has been crazy yet again! The temperature has dropped fast and today it is -21 C and bitter cold! I hear it will only be getting colder! I go out side and it physically hurts my lungs to breath through my mouth or my nose turns into an icicle if I breath through my nose so I don't know which one to do! But, I had a sweet coat from Kazakhstan that keeps me pretty warm so no worries there.
Right now we have three investigators who are ready to be baptized. We are literally just waiting on them because there is nothing else to do! But, currently Elder Smith and I gave up big sacrifices and asked the Lord to intervene so we will see what miracles we will see in the not to distant future! I could sure use grandpas heavenly help right now with these people! There is Olga, Olessa, and Sasha. I will explain what happened with Olga a little bit later but Olessa is in a stand still because she is going to be getting married soon so that has preoccupied her mind obviously. Sasha, we found out this week, is studying to become a Catholic Priest. He was raised at Catholic and baptized by his granny in England, but he found out that our church is true. He knows it is true, but doesn't know what to do because he doesn't want to hurt his granny. He just has a few things to figure out inside before he can make that step towards baptism. All three of these people are ready to be baptized, they have just not made the decision quite yet!
So Olga... this is the wife of a current less active member. We had a very very strong lesson this week with Olga! She asked the question about the Holy Ghost and exactly what it feels like before baptism and after you receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. We focused an entire two hours on answering this question! Olga know what the Holy Ghost feels like. She has recognized it in her life. She has had a very good life and she herself said that she has not had anything horrible every happen to her. She knows that warm and comforting feeling that God gives her. Because of that she doesn't understand the difference it will be after getting the Gift of the Holy Ghost. We thought of a pretty cool idea to explain it. We had Sister Forsyth make some banana bread and we brought it over. We started out the lesson asking her if she wanted a gift that we had for her. Of course she said yes. We started teaching and had Sister Forsyth relate a story of how she had felt the Holy Ghost after baptism. It brought a great atmosphere for the lesson. After the story we asked her if she wanted her gift again. Of course she answered yes and so we let her see her gift and then took it away. We kept teaching and talked about and read verses from the scriptures about the Holy Ghost. After that we asked her again if she wanted her gift and she said yes. She took of the banana bread and let her smell it and then took it away. They talked about how good it looked and smelt. We talked again about the holy ghost and we all testified and related person stories. The Spirit was really strong! After that we asked her if she wanted her gift again and she said yes. We explained that we can explain exactly the difference between feeling the Holy Ghost after and before baptism. But, what she feels right now is only a taste or a glimpse of what she could have. We talked about the Holy Ghost being a gift and that it is free for everyone, but there is a second part of giving a gift... receiving the gift. She took the banana bread and we all ate it. We committed her to baptism and she said that she was still praying about it. We asked her how she felt. She said that she always felt the Spirit when we were here. She didn't take that as an answer. We asked her to pray about baptism in front of us at the end of the lesson and she did. She still said she had to pray about it more. We offered to give her a blessing and she allowed us. We gave her a blessing and then asked her how she felt. She said that she felt such power and warmth and love surround her during the blessing. She said that she still had to pray about baptism! What and experience! The Spirit was so strong and she recognized it every single time! She knows what she needs to do.. but for some reason is still holding back!
Well.. the work is still going forward! Winter is here and now people are really going to be mad when we want to stop and talk to them on the street! Haha it is going to be awesome! This week the President is coming and we are going to be hunting down a Russian Orthodox Priest which we helped with service and see if we can get a meeting with him. We do not have a good relationship with that church in Russia and we are trying to build one! Thank you all for your love and your support and especially for your prayers! I love you all! Remember who you are! :)
Elder Weihing
Monday, November 22, 2010
I was glad that I was able to call and talk to you guys this week. It was hard to hear about grandpa's death and I needed to hear how things were going. It sounds like everyone is doing fine. I have been praying a lot for grandma and I hope that she is doing better. I can't imagine how she must feel! But, when I get home in a year or so I will take care of her! Obviously I have been thinking a lot about grandpa and all that he taught me and I am starting to come to the conclusion that he taught me at a young age. "When you get bucked off a horse you get back on again." Hard times come, but we always have a choice. We just have to get back on that horse and ride it until the end without any fears or doubts! I am hoping more than ever that I can carry my name with more pride and put extra energy into the work that am given to do. Grandpa would want that from me and I can give him that.
Well, yet another crazy week! We are slowly making progress with about fours investigators, thanks to the Forsyths. We were finally able to meet with Vladimir and Irina, the family, and they loved meeting the Forsyths. This could be a break through with them because the Forsyths bring an amazingly bright spirit with them. Olga, nonmember to an inactive, has also showed tons of progress because of their help! It is amazing to see how much more inspiration and bewilderment she gets from seeing a Senior Couple instead of us young Elders. She has really shown interest in feeling the Holy Ghost and really trying to recognize those feelings that God gives to her. We made a diary and wrote our testimonies in it and gave it to her to start taking note of those special experiences that she has. We are hoping this will help her to more quickly get an answer to baptism. Olessa has started praying about baptism as well. She is getting married soon and is planning on bringing her future husband to church next week! She has a problem with smoking so that is our next crossroad with her! She is a very inspirational young lady who grew up an orphan and has traveled poor all around russia finally settling in a small town and now has found the church! The people you meet in russia!
Well, it is finally starting to snow and get freezing cold here! Time to bust out the winter jacket and hit the streets! It is hard to talk in the cold, not only will we have bad accents but now bad accents and stumbled frozen words. well the week has been good and I am looking forward to see that we can get accomplished this week! Thanks for the prayers! Remember who you are!
Elder Weihing
Я люоблю вас
Well, yet another crazy week! We are slowly making progress with about fours investigators, thanks to the Forsyths. We were finally able to meet with Vladimir and Irina, the family, and they loved meeting the Forsyths. This could be a break through with them because the Forsyths bring an amazingly bright spirit with them. Olga, nonmember to an inactive, has also showed tons of progress because of their help! It is amazing to see how much more inspiration and bewilderment she gets from seeing a Senior Couple instead of us young Elders. She has really shown interest in feeling the Holy Ghost and really trying to recognize those feelings that God gives to her. We made a diary and wrote our testimonies in it and gave it to her to start taking note of those special experiences that she has. We are hoping this will help her to more quickly get an answer to baptism. Olessa has started praying about baptism as well. She is getting married soon and is planning on bringing her future husband to church next week! She has a problem with smoking so that is our next crossroad with her! She is a very inspirational young lady who grew up an orphan and has traveled poor all around russia finally settling in a small town and now has found the church! The people you meet in russia!
Well, it is finally starting to snow and get freezing cold here! Time to bust out the winter jacket and hit the streets! It is hard to talk in the cold, not only will we have bad accents but now bad accents and stumbled frozen words. well the week has been good and I am looking forward to see that we can get accomplished this week! Thanks for the prayers! Remember who you are!
Elder Weihing
Я люоблю вас
Monday, November 15, 2010
Grandpa Bailey
Early on Monday morning November 15, 2010, Kenneth Rone Bailey (grandpa) passed away. Kenneth is named after his grandpa and was even born a day after his grandpa's birthday. Kenneth had a very close relationship with his grandpa and will miss him very much. We are all so grateful that families can be together forever!
From Dad about Grandpa Bailey
This experience has been a testimony builder for me knowing that God really does live and knows the feelings of our hearts. We finally emailed Elder Weihing telling him of Grandpa Baileys medical condition. He was very close to his grandfather and talked about doing things together when he returned home. Many of his family came to visit him yesterday prior to his passing. He passed 11/15/10 sometime between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. Note that this email was sent to Kenneth Rone Bailey at 12:24 a.m. I'm sure an added angel from Heaven will now help in Moscow, Russia. We are comforted that someone will be helping him.
--Kam (Dad)
--Kam (Dad)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thank you for the letter about Grandpa. I am really glad that you told me finally. I sent him a letter that I would like you to read to him. It was hard because I really didn't know what to say, I took about and hour and a half to write it. Of course it is really hard for me to take that grandpa is going to move on soon but I know that things will be better on the other side for him and I know that I will see him again someday. Just tell him how much I love him. He is my best friend.
So, other than that I don't really have much news for the week. We just worked and worked. We are really busy especially with the Forsyths here. We have to help them out a lot with getting acquainted with everything. They have been a great help already and can't imagine how much more success we are going to have with them. We will probably be setting 2 dates of baptisms and having 2 baptisms within the month. This areas has been dead for the past year and a half and if we can get 2 baptisms it will be a miracle! We have a goal to get at least one by the end of the year. We have been working hard and I know that the Lord will reward us for our commitment and dedication. Well, Thanksgiving is coming up! I hope you all enjoy it! I think we will be having a small one ourselves with the Forsyths and some investigators and member! Thanks for the love and support. I love you! Remember who you are!
Elder Weihing
я вас люблю
So, other than that I don't really have much news for the week. We just worked and worked. We are really busy especially with the Forsyths here. We have to help them out a lot with getting acquainted with everything. They have been a great help already and can't imagine how much more success we are going to have with them. We will probably be setting 2 dates of baptisms and having 2 baptisms within the month. This areas has been dead for the past year and a half and if we can get 2 baptisms it will be a miracle! We have a goal to get at least one by the end of the year. We have been working hard and I know that the Lord will reward us for our commitment and dedication. Well, Thanksgiving is coming up! I hope you all enjoy it! I think we will be having a small one ourselves with the Forsyths and some investigators and member! Thanks for the love and support. I love you! Remember who you are!
Elder Weihing
я вас люблю
To Grandpa
Monday, November 15, 2010
To My Best Friend whom I will always love and never forget!
Mom and Dad finally gave me the update about you today. It seems like we wont be having another root beer float together or eating KFC. I'll make you a deal... I will work 5 times for free if... no I am just kidding. I am not going to tell you that I am not sad, I have been sitting in the internet cafe crying my way through these letters and my companion is just staring at me thinking I have gone mad or something. Grandpa, I really just want to tell you how much I love you and how much you mean to me! The hard part is that I don't know how I can explain that in words. I pray that you will just feel it. You are, have been, and always will be my best friend! I carry your name! I grew up with you and learned almost everything I know from you! I learned hard work and how to be stubborn!
I think about you everyday grandpa. I know that I will probably not get to see you again in this life and I just want to say thank you for all that you have done for me! You are my greatest example and I hope that I can carry our name worthily and become half of the man that you are! I love you so much and don't even know what else to say. I do miss you and I will always miss you. I know that you will be with me always. I will try so hard to make you proud. Thank you again and I love you so much!
Love,
Elder Kenneth Rone Weihing
Mom and Dad finally gave me the update about you today. It seems like we wont be having another root beer float together or eating KFC. I'll make you a deal... I will work 5 times for free if... no I am just kidding. I am not going to tell you that I am not sad, I have been sitting in the internet cafe crying my way through these letters and my companion is just staring at me thinking I have gone mad or something. Grandpa, I really just want to tell you how much I love you and how much you mean to me! The hard part is that I don't know how I can explain that in words. I pray that you will just feel it. You are, have been, and always will be my best friend! I carry your name! I grew up with you and learned almost everything I know from you! I learned hard work and how to be stubborn!
I think about you everyday grandpa. I know that I will probably not get to see you again in this life and I just want to say thank you for all that you have done for me! You are my greatest example and I hope that I can carry our name worthily and become half of the man that you are! I love you so much and don't even know what else to say. I do miss you and I will always miss you. I know that you will be with me always. I will try so hard to make you proud. Thank you again and I love you so much!
Love,
Elder Kenneth Rone Weihing
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