So life couldnt be better. we are seeing great success and our zone is doing great work. Our zone is coming up on a few baptisms here on christmas eve, i hope they dont fall through, thats been a big problem lately. also, we have met with a guy from burma lately named Mo and he is a way cool guy, buddist and the nicest guy. buddism is really interesting to me. he has agreed to read the Book. also other great success. Roman who is ready to be baptised still needs to come to church. he is a great guy with incredible self defence knife moves. if you live in the republic of dagistan you have to be able to protect yourself, or you die.
We ate at TGI fridays the other night with Mo and had a grand time. on sunday i participated in 2 baby blessings. one of them vitaly gave for his sisters baby and it was the first time his sister was at church in 6 years, way cool. things are unfolding before my eyes and everything makes perfect sense, my studies have enlightened me and i am moving on to level 2-meditation. just kidding, but seriously. meditation for buddists is like prayer for us...but entirely different. there is a capsule in the middle of my brain where i store energy and in order to refill it i must perform at least stage 2 meditation, most likely stage 4.
Love,
Elder Paul
Monday, December 12, 2011
Diggin the Short Hair
As far as the pictures are concerned, i have no computer capabilities and i am afraid you might have to wait a couple more weeks before i hit up a different internet cafe. so i cut my hair really short again, like i did las year christmas time.i am starting to like it more and more and i wonder why i never cut my hair this short back home...i can almost hear your voice in my ear telling me how good my hair looks short and that i should cut it. wow is it only a few weeks until the phone call? time really does fly, and its been i while, i would still eat those fish sticks though. this week we met with Diego and his wife at the walkers and had a great meal and lesson. He has known the church for 10 years and she accepted a book of mormon in russian. they would be perfect in the church. We met with a young guy named Misha who loves his family. its awesome to see people who have such a great relationship with their family, that is getting more and more rare it seems.
as i continue to study the scriptures and share my testimony with others, my testimony is strengthened and one of the things that that helps with is prioritising. the stronger our testimony the easier it is to prioritise and schedule everything that we do in our lives. i see a direct relationship to this. I believe that the scriptures are answers to our questions, and when we read them we will not only find answers, but questions that we didnt realize we had. Never don't study the scriptures.
I love you all and i am grateful for the support that you give me. keep being great.
lOVE eLDER Paul
as i continue to study the scriptures and share my testimony with others, my testimony is strengthened and one of the things that that helps with is prioritising. the stronger our testimony the easier it is to prioritise and schedule everything that we do in our lives. i see a direct relationship to this. I believe that the scriptures are answers to our questions, and when we read them we will not only find answers, but questions that we didnt realize we had. Never don't study the scriptures.
I love you all and i am grateful for the support that you give me. keep being great.
lOVE eLDER Paul
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Daily Miracles
Dear Mom and others. Tell Jeff Harbach how much i love and appreciate him. His example greatly influences my actions. He is an angel. also, really great news that i faioled to mention last week for whatever reason, Vitaly got his mission call and he is going to saint petersburg!! we were there to see him open it and after i congratulated and he thanked me for helping him that time a year ago and that that helped him to make the decision to serve a mission. Words can not describe the joy that i feel. He is one of my favorite people here in moscow. So this week has been crazy. I wish i had more time to write but i dont. we got a new investigator this week and he is agnostic, awesome kid who speaks great english and on tuesday we are meeting with diego and his wife again. I have very little time cuz the landlady is coming to get rent at noon and my time is running out. also we had zone conference this week and it was a sucess and it was on companionship unity. i have a lot to tell you, miracles are happening daily and I am continually more and more grateful for my saviour Jesus Christ. I love the scriptures.
Love Elder Paul
Love Elder Paul
Monday, November 7, 2011
New Companion and Gettin Cold
So my new companion, elder Palmer, is from Layton Utah, for those of you who are unfamiliar, it is just north of salt lake city. He is a really nice guy and has been on his mission for 9 months now. He has two brothers and two sisters if i can remeber correctly and his older brother served in brasil. I am his third companion. he was actually in the MTC with elder Foster if that gives you a better idea. I am excited to serve with him and already we are seeing great things happening.
Vitaly Donosov should be getting his mission call any week now, so heads up for that. I love that guy. I recently realized that quite soon i will have been going to rechnoy branch for an entire year. I dont think i will ever get out of the central building, but thats okay because i love it there.
This past week we had one new investigator and next week we have a lot of potential. About two weeks ago we were singing at rechnoy vokzal metro station with elder hamp and roberts. after that we had 15 minutes so we went on a split and went contacti9ng in the park. we talked to a man named mihail and invited him to church and he said he would come when he has time. I called him a week ago and he appologized for not being at church and he wanted to meet with us. He just seemes more promising than the usual contaccts and i will let you know how it goes when we meet with him this week.
we have been singing contacting as a district lately and it proves to be effective. Its getting very cold though. already -8celc.
today was a parade on red square and we with district members went down to it and somehow, unintentionally i swear, surpassed security near st. basils. we got some great pictures of tanks and stuff and all of these pictures i can not yet send you because i an technologically un advanced.
Well guys, The work is moving forward and it is getting more and more obvious that patience is the most important Christlike Attribute for me right now. People just need to repent im sick of them just loafin around doin nothin with their lives.
Love you guys!
Elder Paul
Vitaly Donosov should be getting his mission call any week now, so heads up for that. I love that guy. I recently realized that quite soon i will have been going to rechnoy branch for an entire year. I dont think i will ever get out of the central building, but thats okay because i love it there.
This past week we had one new investigator and next week we have a lot of potential. About two weeks ago we were singing at rechnoy vokzal metro station with elder hamp and roberts. after that we had 15 minutes so we went on a split and went contacti9ng in the park. we talked to a man named mihail and invited him to church and he said he would come when he has time. I called him a week ago and he appologized for not being at church and he wanted to meet with us. He just seemes more promising than the usual contaccts and i will let you know how it goes when we meet with him this week.
we have been singing contacting as a district lately and it proves to be effective. Its getting very cold though. already -8celc.
today was a parade on red square and we with district members went down to it and somehow, unintentionally i swear, surpassed security near st. basils. we got some great pictures of tanks and stuff and all of these pictures i can not yet send you because i an technologically un advanced.
Well guys, The work is moving forward and it is getting more and more obvious that patience is the most important Christlike Attribute for me right now. People just need to repent im sick of them just loafin around doin nothin with their lives.
Love you guys!
Elder Paul
Sunday, November 6, 2011
7 - 12 - 2012 (execution date)
Hey, so i realized that last week i failed to wish zanna a happy birthday, so hope you had a good birthday. You are getting reall really old.
Your story about the disrespectful kids at the sacrament meeting has distraughtened me. Its really sad what is happening with the youth of the world today and what will happen to the next generation because of them. I see it a lot here in Moscow. Parents do not know how to raise their children and they become losers at such a young age. I see really young kids drinking and smoking all the time and i think that if the law wasnt the way that it is in the US, that it would be just the same there. Satan is doing his job really well. At least we already know hes gonna lose, but that cant keep us from fighting our hardest.
This week a few significant things happened. We found out our transfers that will be in effect as of thursday at 13oclock Russian Standard Time. I will be staying in this area as zone leader with elder Palmer. Elder Palmer has spent his whole mission in Z-grad and has most recently been training and district leading. I am really excited to serve with him and to remain in this area and see people progress, probably for the next two transfers. I will let you know more about elder Palmer next week after i get to know him better.
Other big news, i asked President when my execution date is (only not in those words) and i will end on july 12 2012. The end is within view and i really wish it wasnt. It is scary to think that it will all be over within the time that it takes a baby to be born. In a way it is good because i know that i need to work harder, as in a race, when the finish line is within sight, you sprint.
A funny thing happened on the metro this week. I was sitting on the middle of a bench and the metro was full of people. A healthy sized man was sitting opposite of me and he say my tag. he started freaking out and asking me if i knew what it meant and how pal means fall and saying "God Fell!" I leaned forward to explain it to him but when he kept freaking out i decided not to bother with him. I told him that i didnt want to argue. he said "what you cant argue?" and i sat back in my seat and smiled. he pointed me out to the whole metro cart and everyone, hearing the guy freaking out, stared at me for a good time. all the time Elder White was standing behind the guy laughing. I would have laughed but i figured the guy would have reacted negatively to that. On one of the stops he got out with his friend (who seemed somewhat emarassed of him) and right after that the lady next to me started asking about my tag and another older lady came over and was interested as well. Elder White talked to the babushka while i talked to the other lady, who said that she would love to come to english club. Its funny how when people oppose us they dont realize that most of the time they are actually helping us.
I dont have too much more time, but i think thats most of what i wanted to say. Our investigators are progressing, and, as always, we are making a greater push to find new investigators. I love you all and wish you a happy halloween. I almost forgot it was Halloween.
You Know, Love,
Elder Paul
Your story about the disrespectful kids at the sacrament meeting has distraughtened me. Its really sad what is happening with the youth of the world today and what will happen to the next generation because of them. I see it a lot here in Moscow. Parents do not know how to raise their children and they become losers at such a young age. I see really young kids drinking and smoking all the time and i think that if the law wasnt the way that it is in the US, that it would be just the same there. Satan is doing his job really well. At least we already know hes gonna lose, but that cant keep us from fighting our hardest.
This week a few significant things happened. We found out our transfers that will be in effect as of thursday at 13oclock Russian Standard Time. I will be staying in this area as zone leader with elder Palmer. Elder Palmer has spent his whole mission in Z-grad and has most recently been training and district leading. I am really excited to serve with him and to remain in this area and see people progress, probably for the next two transfers. I will let you know more about elder Palmer next week after i get to know him better.
Other big news, i asked President when my execution date is (only not in those words) and i will end on july 12 2012. The end is within view and i really wish it wasnt. It is scary to think that it will all be over within the time that it takes a baby to be born. In a way it is good because i know that i need to work harder, as in a race, when the finish line is within sight, you sprint.
A funny thing happened on the metro this week. I was sitting on the middle of a bench and the metro was full of people. A healthy sized man was sitting opposite of me and he say my tag. he started freaking out and asking me if i knew what it meant and how pal means fall and saying "God Fell!" I leaned forward to explain it to him but when he kept freaking out i decided not to bother with him. I told him that i didnt want to argue. he said "what you cant argue?" and i sat back in my seat and smiled. he pointed me out to the whole metro cart and everyone, hearing the guy freaking out, stared at me for a good time. all the time Elder White was standing behind the guy laughing. I would have laughed but i figured the guy would have reacted negatively to that. On one of the stops he got out with his friend (who seemed somewhat emarassed of him) and right after that the lady next to me started asking about my tag and another older lady came over and was interested as well. Elder White talked to the babushka while i talked to the other lady, who said that she would love to come to english club. Its funny how when people oppose us they dont realize that most of the time they are actually helping us.
I dont have too much more time, but i think thats most of what i wanted to say. Our investigators are progressing, and, as always, we are making a greater push to find new investigators. I love you all and wish you a happy halloween. I almost forgot it was Halloween.
You Know, Love,
Elder Paul
Monday, October 24, 2011
Member Missionaries
Dear Family and Friends,
So in the past five days we have been working hard, one think we tried doing the other day for a few hours with our district members was singing hymns outside the metro. i cant sing very well, so i just contacted. Pretty much everyone was friendly except for a matushka, a nun lady from the russian orthodox church, i started to walk up to her ans she said, you better not walk here. and then she flipped out on me and said that i was jehovas witness. i told her that we werent and then she said that we dont have a patriarch and then i told her that we did and then she went on again about how we were jehovas witness and how she hated our guts. but its all good, cuz i talked to this family who was way loving it, and although i didnt get their number, they have a bunch of information about the church. seed has been planted.
So singing might be happening more often, cuz we have some good singers in our district.
When we were on our way to singing, we bumped into someone who i had met 4 transfers ago in arbatski. his name is diego and he is from italy and he has a russian wife. we bumped into him and his wife, whom i had never met, and they are the happiest couple in the world. He had known the missionaries in italy since he was 19 but never got baptised, was caught up on a few things, but he loved the activities of the church and he always went to sports day and stuff. we will hopefully meet with them in the coming week and maybe even make italian pizza with them!
President Sorenson's Daughter and her family are in town and on saturday their grandson was baptised and we went to the baptism with maxim and he enjoyed it. Yesterday we had 4 investigators at church, so that was really good. One of them is kinda muslim and he is the captain of a ship. he enjoyed church and said he would come again. The ward is doing a really good job at bringing their friends to church and doing missionary work, its nuts, ive never seen it so good. Two sundays in a row now there have been two or three nonmember friends in attendance. If we are ever going to get a temple here, member missionary work is going to have to explode, and from what i can tell it is doing just that.
This week we helped a member take all of her possessions to a train station across town. there were three of us and 6 of the heaviest bags you can imagine, it was exhausting and i am still sore.
I am at 72 push ups right now, and i have been really hungry lately.
So the reason for the money spending is i got Michael and Sterling and Michaels Mom, and you guys some little christmas presents, the only thing im worried about is the cost to send it out. we will see what happens, but i think i might...be getting better at budgeting my money..well im working on it.
Still dont know about transfers in a week and a half, and i still dont know about my release date, im trying not to think about it, but as the late Elder Nielson warned me, It really does end. Its really all about taking it day by day and giving each day your all, and the same applies for life, because it really does end, and we have such a limited time. Our charge is to help as many people as we can feel and act upon the love of Christ and recieve the blessings that our Father is so willing to give us.
I love you guys way mega a lot and think about and pray for you daily.
Love, Elder Paul
So in the past five days we have been working hard, one think we tried doing the other day for a few hours with our district members was singing hymns outside the metro. i cant sing very well, so i just contacted. Pretty much everyone was friendly except for a matushka, a nun lady from the russian orthodox church, i started to walk up to her ans she said, you better not walk here. and then she flipped out on me and said that i was jehovas witness. i told her that we werent and then she said that we dont have a patriarch and then i told her that we did and then she went on again about how we were jehovas witness and how she hated our guts. but its all good, cuz i talked to this family who was way loving it, and although i didnt get their number, they have a bunch of information about the church. seed has been planted.
So singing might be happening more often, cuz we have some good singers in our district.
When we were on our way to singing, we bumped into someone who i had met 4 transfers ago in arbatski. his name is diego and he is from italy and he has a russian wife. we bumped into him and his wife, whom i had never met, and they are the happiest couple in the world. He had known the missionaries in italy since he was 19 but never got baptised, was caught up on a few things, but he loved the activities of the church and he always went to sports day and stuff. we will hopefully meet with them in the coming week and maybe even make italian pizza with them!
President Sorenson's Daughter and her family are in town and on saturday their grandson was baptised and we went to the baptism with maxim and he enjoyed it. Yesterday we had 4 investigators at church, so that was really good. One of them is kinda muslim and he is the captain of a ship. he enjoyed church and said he would come again. The ward is doing a really good job at bringing their friends to church and doing missionary work, its nuts, ive never seen it so good. Two sundays in a row now there have been two or three nonmember friends in attendance. If we are ever going to get a temple here, member missionary work is going to have to explode, and from what i can tell it is doing just that.
This week we helped a member take all of her possessions to a train station across town. there were three of us and 6 of the heaviest bags you can imagine, it was exhausting and i am still sore.
I am at 72 push ups right now, and i have been really hungry lately.
So the reason for the money spending is i got Michael and Sterling and Michaels Mom, and you guys some little christmas presents, the only thing im worried about is the cost to send it out. we will see what happens, but i think i might...be getting better at budgeting my money..well im working on it.
Still dont know about transfers in a week and a half, and i still dont know about my release date, im trying not to think about it, but as the late Elder Nielson warned me, It really does end. Its really all about taking it day by day and giving each day your all, and the same applies for life, because it really does end, and we have such a limited time. Our charge is to help as many people as we can feel and act upon the love of Christ and recieve the blessings that our Father is so willing to give us.
I love you guys way mega a lot and think about and pray for you daily.
Love, Elder Paul
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