Dylan: I Remember Moroni

Addressed to my fellow comrades,

This week has been a busy rollercoaster. I got really sad or discouraged for a day or two in there, which I try not to do. But sometimes the thoughts of the adversary come and try to destroy me mentally. This mission is more of a mental challenge than anything, I think, for some obvious reasons that I don't feel like explaining. But when I feel down or like I am doing nothing, I remember Moroni and his example and promises. He has become one of my greatest heroes while serving on  a mission and I have grown an appreciation for what he had gone through for the Lord's cause.

2 ...the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed.

3 And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain aloneto write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not.

He was in the absolute worst conditions.  Everyone he knew had been killed.  He would not give up serving the Lord even when he knew it was hopeless for the people.  But he knew the power and mercy  of God and His great plan.  He could never deny Him.  I find it most powerful how he didn’t work hard for the people because they were absolutely wicked, but he didn’t let that discourage him.  He didn’t let the acts of others affect his faith and faith in God’s plan.  His faith was independent from what he was as we would see his own nation fall into wickedness.  He didn’t that that was over; that God’s work had to stop.

22 For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.

You would think someone who was the last righteous man of his kind might say otherwise, but he didn't need to see it to believe. His faith and diligence was only between the Lord and himself. 

26 And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak from the dead.

34 Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.

35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.

Because of his great Faith the Lord has shown him our day, and he knows, because now his faith has become knowledge that our day, the day in Russia where they say that miracles are no more, is the day when great and marvelous things will come fourth. Even as sometimes it may seem that I am just wandering around Russia hopelessly, I know that Moroni was looking forward to our day with excitement. I have no idea how long I or the people here will have to wait, but I know they will come, and I will do all that I can in my small, but humble, power to serve to prepare the way for the Lord's miracles. And with that in mind, how can I get discouraged or feel bad for myself, or complain, when all of time has looked forward for these days? When Moroni, in way worse conditions, was optimistic about the work of the Lord? Because he knows that today is the days of miracles, and as I read some of the words of Paul this week that the Lord uses the weak things of the Earth to do his work, and I have learned over and over again that I most definitely fit the descriptions of the weak things of the Earth, and I am so grateful to be a part of the Lord's heroic underdog story here in Russia.

This week: 

-We had to stay at a hotel because I had problems with my registration, so we went hard and got a ton of cheeseburgers!

-Spent all Tuesday for 7 hours going though all the people, active and inactive, in the ward with the branch president and made a plan for each of them!

-Had the most humbling experience with this old man with out any legs who lived in the worst living conditions. He had such a powerful testimony.

-Went on a day trip to a little city tried to meet with some inactives, but they weren't there. The roommate of a babooshka opened the door and she looked disgusted at the sight of us. When she asked if we had anything to pass on to her friend, we whipped out a chocolate bar and her face lit up. It was so cute.

-Went early in the morning all the way up the coast for almost 3 hours with our branch President to go visit a tiny group in this city called Tuapce.  They usually have 3 at church, but they had a record when we came and had 9!!! There group is under our branch and the Pres wanted us to go with him as back-up because he was trying to put some things in order. We met with some bobs after, and they fed us a ton of food. I'm still full. We than went to this little family with a grandma and her daughter and her 3 children who lived in this tiny shack. We gave each of them blessings and we did it right in time before the drunk husband came in. We were able to buy them a lot of baby supplies. Those children had nothing, but they were so happy.  It was a very moving experience and we had a long drive home and got home at midnight. 

Elder VanBuskirk

Here is our new mission president and his family!  I am so excited.  He is so young and Russian. I think 4 out of the 6 mission presidents here are Russsian and the other haven’t finished yet.  So I think that is very interesting.