Hello comrades.
So first, this probably only pertains to my mom,
but they are only receiving packages that they have a tracking number for, so
send the tracking number to me or the mission office.
-We had ZC in Volgograd (the city where I serve)
so everyone came down a day early so they could see the huge WWII Memorial statue,
always sweet.
-President Ottesen explained how he wants us to
completely change how we do missionary work here. He was studying the
scriptures and came across the story of Ammon and felt very impressed that we
need to change or missionary work and to do what he did. So He asked us to
don't even bring up the church at all when we talk to them, besides if they ask
we say we are our volunteers for our church, and then say its name, and say
that we do service for our members and anyone else that we can, and then to
bring the convo off us and back on them. And if we meet them to not even talk
about the church at all but to just have deep conversations just about them and
to gain their trust. He also gave us a plan to bump up our service to the
members. I have been struggling for a long time on how we can improve the work
here with all these obstacles ahead, and I feel very strongly that what he
taught us and told us to do is divine revelation for our mission. They have
just been getting stricter and stricter on the law and we need to back off
even more. But I feel that this is what God wants us to do, and that it
will be more effective and do more good for the church.
- Bap date!!!! It's been the first bap date
I've had in months (and the other ones didn't work out), I'm so excited
for her! Her name is Irena. Her husband is a recent convert from Africa. It is
truly amazing how ready she is; we really haven't done anything, God has done
all the work, we really are just spoons, or at least that's how I feel.
-I might have gotten baptized in the Provaslavnic
church. There is no way of knowing for sure.
I was reading Ammon’s great missionary story
this week, and I love Ammon’s attitude. I love how when bad things happen,
instead of doing what many would do and be afraid as if all is doomed, he gets
excited because he realizes it as a missionary opportunity and an opportunity
where he can show the great power of God. I feel like so many times "bad
things" or inconvenient things happen, but if we could have the faith and
attitude as Ammon, we can make those experiences into great missionary moments.
This week, while on splits, we had the
opportunity to serve the branch president help build the foundation wall of his
house he is building. It was a miracle how we got there though, we only had a
marshrrotka(van) number and his address to go by. They lived in a different
city and we had no map of it and had no idea how to get there. We somehow saw
the marshrrotka at the first bus stop we tried (not knowing which one it stops
at) and we got into to the city, and no one in the van knew where that street
was or what stop to get off at, so we just decided that we would get off at the
next one, we did. We looked across the street and thought we would ask this guy
talking to his friend. He somewhat knew and was kind enough to walk us a
portion of the way there, and than roughly explained the rest of the way, we
overshot the road, and was lost in this little village. We asked everyone we
saw on the dirt roads which wasn't much, but nobody knew where that address
was. We somehow found our way on the right street, and had a wonderful service
opportunity and put some walls up. I also got to use the century old outhouse!
Elder VanB
Mom!
I love you so much! Sorry
that I haven’t been able to send any pictures or voice recordings. I thgouht I mentioned it to you that I have
no access to downloading pictures while I’ here in this area because we don’t have
access to the church computers and we don’t have a place to download at this
computer club. I have taken pictures
though. I lost my really cheap
camera, but I have my gopro, so I have taken some pics, but I don’t like to
take it with me everywhere because I don’t want to lose it. So can I buy a new camera or if you are
sending another package soon, have you send one? I’m sorry about the pictures. I’ll probably leave this area after another transfer. I love you so much. Thank you for what you do fe me and for
excessively caring for me. You are
the best! Love, Elder VanBuskirk
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