Well it's my first day with Ст. Shwartz. My first morning [in a new apartment] and the water is off. It was so cold. You would not believe how cold it was. I did my head first and then face and shaved. Then I got back in and decided to wash the rest of me. It was cold, baby.
We had big biscuits and thick gravy for breakfast. I could only eat 1 1/2 because they were so big. I'm getting a radio and my cd player back from [Ст.] Woolverton. I bought his radio. It's cool. So huge. I love it. Well I guess I'd better study.
Showing posts with label Elder Woolverton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elder Woolverton. Show all posts
5/22/11
3/22/11
March 13, 1997 - Thursday
Tonight sucks for some reason. Today I almost had my problem, but I held off at the last minute. We went over and had a D with Малу [Malout], that was good. Eric cancelled on us and so we came home and ate, then left to mail some stuff at the почта [pochta - post office].
[mid journal chat - Eric is another of the Africans that we are teaching the discussions to. He spoke English, french and an african dialect...swahili maybe? Virginia, Eric or another friend would help us with Malout, because he didn't speak English, or Russian very well - only the african dialect and french.]
Then we headed an hour early to English Class so we could practice a song that we are going to sing in church Sunday. I hate singing. I F(^^&%ing suck. That's probably why I'm in a bad mood. That and it was in Russian - I'm self concious about Russian and singing and Ст. Woolverton was teasing me a little.
Then I went into English Class and talked to Sharieef for an hour. It's hard to talk to him because he is learning a lot and his life is pretty bleak right now. No job etc. Then Dennis said some comment that Elder Burghardt made about me being pathalogical. And my converter [between 110 volt/America - and 220 volt/Russia] is not working. I lent it to Ст. Larsen and now it doesn't work. Freak am I in need of some serious prayer. Okay, I just read an article in the Ensign - a balm to my troubled soul. night
[mid journal chat - Eric is another of the Africans that we are teaching the discussions to. He spoke English, french and an african dialect...swahili maybe? Virginia, Eric or another friend would help us with Malout, because he didn't speak English, or Russian very well - only the african dialect and french.]
Then we headed an hour early to English Class so we could practice a song that we are going to sing in church Sunday. I hate singing. I F(^^&%ing suck. That's probably why I'm in a bad mood. That and it was in Russian - I'm self concious about Russian and singing and Ст. Woolverton was teasing me a little.
Then I went into English Class and talked to Sharieef for an hour. It's hard to talk to him because he is learning a lot and his life is pretty bleak right now. No job etc. Then Dennis said some comment that Elder Burghardt made about me being pathalogical. And my converter [between 110 volt/America - and 220 volt/Russia] is not working. I lent it to Ст. Larsen and now it doesn't work. Freak am I in need of some serious prayer. Okay, I just read an article in the Ensign - a balm to my troubled soul. night
3/21/11
March 9, 1997 - Sunday
Today went pretty good. We had regular church service and then we came home for a nap and [to] eat some pizza. Then we left for a[n] all Moscow conference that was at a movie theatre we had rented. Well we got there and it turned out that someone else was using it. Another church group uses it every Sunday in the morning. Well a kindergarten class had some прaзник [holiday] and the church group's first time was taken. So they either decided to just steal our time, or the director goofed or decided to screw us or something. Anyways we couldn't meet there.
So everybody went up to Водный Стадион [Water Stadium - it's where we met for large group meetings - like the Mission Conference I had the first day in Russia]. Ст. Woolverton and I stayed for a little with Сты. Whiting, Sefcik & Russel. Ст. Woolverton and I went back home to get some tickets which were our proof that we had rented the "театр." We got back and Whiting, Russel & Sefcik were still there. So Сты. Russel & Sefcik went to a D and we all went and listened to it [meaning the other church's meeting].
[The other church's meeting] was a lot like the rest of the non-denominational [churches] that I had been to. Except for some weird stuff. They stood together and put their arms around each other and started swaying back and forth as they sang. That's not even half of it though. They blessed and passed the sacrament. A woman said the prayer [for] the bread (dried blini [like crepes]) and a guy blessed the win (real). Then about 12 girls & 2 guys passed it to the audience at the same time. A member lady came in and though it was our sacrament and so she took it. She saw us sitting there and thought it was ours. I feel bad for her, nothing is going to happen to her or anything, but I'm sure she feels bad.
Then we went over to Ст. Whiting's to wait for his companion. Ст. Whiting is a funny guy. I like him. He's a cool guy and really funny. He doesn't judge either. He knows what's right and wrong and is a pretty righteous missionary without being hypocritical. It's really cool. well night.
Oh yeah - I peed out the window tonight. It's pretty cool from the 9th floor. night
So everybody went up to Водный Стадион [Water Stadium - it's where we met for large group meetings - like the Mission Conference I had the first day in Russia]. Ст. Woolverton and I stayed for a little with Сты. Whiting, Sefcik & Russel. Ст. Woolverton and I went back home to get some tickets which were our proof that we had rented the "театр." We got back and Whiting, Russel & Sefcik were still there. So Сты. Russel & Sefcik went to a D and we all went and listened to it [meaning the other church's meeting].
[The other church's meeting] was a lot like the rest of the non-denominational [churches] that I had been to. Except for some weird stuff. They stood together and put their arms around each other and started swaying back and forth as they sang. That's not even half of it though. They blessed and passed the sacrament. A woman said the prayer [for] the bread (dried blini [like crepes]) and a guy blessed the win (real). Then about 12 girls & 2 guys passed it to the audience at the same time. A member lady came in and though it was our sacrament and so she took it. She saw us sitting there and thought it was ours. I feel bad for her, nothing is going to happen to her or anything, but I'm sure she feels bad.
Then we went over to Ст. Whiting's to wait for his companion. Ст. Whiting is a funny guy. I like him. He's a cool guy and really funny. He doesn't judge either. He knows what's right and wrong and is a pretty righteous missionary without being hypocritical. It's really cool. well night.
Oh yeah - I peed out the window tonight. It's pretty cool from the 9th floor. night
3/20/11
March 8, 1997 - Saturday
Well yesterday and today (Fri. and Saturday) we kind of took a vacation. We got back from service yesterday and I made granola and then we took a nap. I made corn chowder which I am eating right now and then it took me a while to get to sleep. Ст. Woolverton is pretty sick so it was also because of that. Today we got up at about 10am and ate and went to the CD reenik. I now have 45 [CDs]. 3 more and my case is filled up. I'll list them...[actually I won't because that's kind of boring]. About half of them were the "Very Best of" cool huh.
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| CD Reenik - photo taken at the end of my mission. |
I've had terrible gas for the last couple of days. I'm wondering if it is because of the granola. Man it is so good. It tastes so good in milk. I don't think that I get enough fruit in my diet. Well I'm going to close now. night.
3/2/11
March 2, 1997 - Sunday
Well today is also weird - well not weird - just a little slow. We had church, came home and ate some more borscht [борщ] that Ст. Woolverton made. Its really good. We also had some melted cheese sandwiches. Then we planned for a half an hour or so and Ст. Larsen called. So we went up there and he [Larsen] cut our hair. On the sides mine is pretty short.
While I was there I was talking to Ст. Larson, notice the o, about surfing. I asked him if he knew any professional surfers. He said who and I asked him about Joel Fisher. He served a mission in Boise, Idaho and was in our ward for a while. I told him a couple of stories about him and he said he used to be in his ward and they surfed at the same places.
Now we are back at the house chilling. And I'm watching "the Rain Man." I'll have to go now to watch it.
[Post journal chat - Larsen & Larson had been companions the same amount of time that Woolverton & I had been. Larsen was from UT (I think) and he was companions with Woolverton when Ст. Barnes & I tracted them out on my first full day in Russia. Larson was from Cali and had been companions with Ст. Paige while I was with my trainer.
When Larsen was cutting my hair he would get to the cowlick at the back of my head and it wouldn't be to his liking so he would cut it shorter. Then he would have to cut the rest of the sides to be the same shortness. Then he would go back to the cowlick and cut it shorter again. He did this a couple of times and I wanted to stop him after the first time. That's why I mentioned in my journal that "On the sides mine is pretty short."
This was back before missionaries had to have a discernible part in their hair - so it was dang, dang, short!! The only other time that I had a really short hair cut was when I had about 2 1/2 months left in my mission, and I buzzed it. 3 weeks after that I had my interview with the President and he said I had a nice short haircut. I said thanks, and told him that I got it cut 3 weeks ago. Yeah...he didn't like it that much.
Now let's talk about borscht [борщ]. This was probably one of my earliest times eating it, most probably my first time helping make it. All through my mission I loved to make and eat it. In Russian борщ is just so much shorter than in English...here is why. бор is bor. A ш has the sh sound, but notice that борщ has a щ. Its a ш with a tail. The tail gives it a little shch in stead of the sh sound.]
While I was there I was talking to Ст. Larson, notice the o, about surfing. I asked him if he knew any professional surfers. He said who and I asked him about Joel Fisher. He served a mission in Boise, Idaho and was in our ward for a while. I told him a couple of stories about him and he said he used to be in his ward and they surfed at the same places.
Now we are back at the house chilling. And I'm watching "the Rain Man." I'll have to go now to watch it.
[Post journal chat - Larsen & Larson had been companions the same amount of time that Woolverton & I had been. Larsen was from UT (I think) and he was companions with Woolverton when Ст. Barnes & I tracted them out on my first full day in Russia. Larson was from Cali and had been companions with Ст. Paige while I was with my trainer.
When Larsen was cutting my hair he would get to the cowlick at the back of my head and it wouldn't be to his liking so he would cut it shorter. Then he would have to cut the rest of the sides to be the same shortness. Then he would go back to the cowlick and cut it shorter again. He did this a couple of times and I wanted to stop him after the first time. That's why I mentioned in my journal that "On the sides mine is pretty short."
This was back before missionaries had to have a discernible part in their hair - so it was dang, dang, short!! The only other time that I had a really short hair cut was when I had about 2 1/2 months left in my mission, and I buzzed it. 3 weeks after that I had my interview with the President and he said I had a nice short haircut. I said thanks, and told him that I got it cut 3 weeks ago. Yeah...he didn't like it that much.
Now let's talk about borscht [борщ]. This was probably one of my earliest times eating it, most probably my first time helping make it. All through my mission I loved to make and eat it. In Russian борщ is just so much shorter than in English...here is why. бор is bor. A ш has the sh sound, but notice that борщ has a щ. Its a ш with a tail. The tail gives it a little shch in stead of the sh sound.]
3/1/11
March 1, 1997 - Saturday
A new month has dawn[ed]. At interviews with [Pres] Jarvis it went good. He said that my last few letters sounded a little down about my problem. He said not to worry about it. That I was a great missionary and that I just needed to improve, not to be perfect. He also added a little bit of psychology into the interview. He said that if I got up every morning and exercise. I would have more energy overall and I would wake up and I would expend energy and be tireder [is that a word?] at night.
Then here's the psychological part. He said to put my hands above my head, maybe do some hand touches while jogging. Raising your hands above your head does something for you he said. Raising your hands is the international symbol of a winner.
I also took the #7 lesson test and passed it [I do not even remotely remember any tests. I assume that I had already taken the #1 - #6 tests, but no mention is made about them before this. I wonder what it was]
Friday we went over to Перь's [Pierre's]. He was pretty sick and we asked him if we could give him a blessing. So Ст. Woolverton sealed my anointing. He blessed him health but also help with his many problems. Then we left because the spirit told Ст. W. that he [Pierre] was too sick even to listen.
well later
Then here's the psychological part. He said to put my hands above my head, maybe do some hand touches while jogging. Raising your hands above your head does something for you he said. Raising your hands is the international symbol of a winner.
I also took the #7 lesson test and passed it [I do not even remotely remember any tests. I assume that I had already taken the #1 - #6 tests, but no mention is made about them before this. I wonder what it was]
Friday we went over to Перь's [Pierre's]. He was pretty sick and we asked him if we could give him a blessing. So Ст. Woolverton sealed my anointing. He blessed him health but also help with his many problems. Then we left because the spirit told Ст. W. that he [Pierre] was too sick even to listen.
well later
2/28/11
February 26, 1997 - Wednesday
Today was P-Day. I wrote 5 people: mom, Vernae, Mike, Kat[r]ina [evidently I forgot how to spell my sister's name] & Mary Repp. She is Ст. King's girlfriend at home. Then we went up to Охотный Ряд [Ahotni Riyad - I don't remember what it means] and tried to get money out of the bank and we mailed some letters.
Coming out of the metro we ran into a group of Elders who had just gone to see the Kremlin. Ст. Starley works in the office and is really good friends with Ст. Woolverton. He knows of the changes coming up in March. It seems that Ст. Woolverton will move up to Филиовский Приход [Filiovsky Branch]. I don't know who I'll be with next, but I don't have to move again.
Then we went to Спортивный Вечер [Sport's Night]. We played volleyball and then a little Амереканский Футбол [American Football]. It's like ultimate Frisbee except with a football. There was also a Sister there who served a mission in St. Petersburg. I asked her if she knows Annanich [a missionary who served in Boise from St. Pete's]. She said yes and she is going to get his address for me so I can write him. That is so cool. Plus I can get on the Internet at a business here in Russia. It costs about $3.60 for a half an hour. It sounds really expensive though. I don't know if I should do it.
Coming out of the metro we ran into a group of Elders who had just gone to see the Kremlin. Ст. Starley works in the office and is really good friends with Ст. Woolverton. He knows of the changes coming up in March. It seems that Ст. Woolverton will move up to Филиовский Приход [Filiovsky Branch]. I don't know who I'll be with next, but I don't have to move again.
Then we went to Спортивный Вечер [Sport's Night]. We played volleyball and then a little Амереканский Футбол [American Football]. It's like ultimate Frisbee except with a football. There was also a Sister there who served a mission in St. Petersburg. I asked her if she knows Annanich [a missionary who served in Boise from St. Pete's]. She said yes and she is going to get his address for me so I can write him. That is so cool. Plus I can get on the Internet at a business here in Russia. It costs about $3.60 for a half an hour. It sounds really expensive though. I don't know if I should do it.
2/25/11
February 21, 1997 - Friday
Wow next week is March. About a month more and I will be with a different comp. Maybe in a different branch. Who knows. We are having pork chops tonight. Mmhmm mmhhmm gooooooooooood!! [I really wrote that many m's h's & o's.] Ст. Woolverton makes really good pork chops. I make pretty dang good gravy I might add. And some pretty tasty mash potatoes. Well I'll write later. We have to go talk to the president of the Branch about some stuff. later dude.
[Post journal chat - I still remember the first time that I had pork chops on my mission. It was the first time that I saw someone making gravy. Dang it was goooooood. It was at a big lunch after church on one Sunday. I remember Ст. Johnson was the one that showed me how he was making the gravy with some rue.
At this time in my mission I've been mentioning picking up the mail and working with the Branch President. I think that Ст. Woolverton was the District leader. I would go to the office to pick up mail when I was with Ст. Barnes as well, but that was just because Ст. Barnes liked to travel. We used to go across town to do service. By "across town" I mean all the way across Moscow.
Metro stops were about 3 minutes apart. Between where our apartment was and service, it was 18 metro stops with two line changes. So it was easily over an hour of just travel time for us to get to the school where we did our service...which was just an hour long. Then it was an hour travel back. So we often would stop by the office to pick up stuff.]
[Post journal chat - I still remember the first time that I had pork chops on my mission. It was the first time that I saw someone making gravy. Dang it was goooooood. It was at a big lunch after church on one Sunday. I remember Ст. Johnson was the one that showed me how he was making the gravy with some rue.
At this time in my mission I've been mentioning picking up the mail and working with the Branch President. I think that Ст. Woolverton was the District leader. I would go to the office to pick up mail when I was with Ст. Barnes as well, but that was just because Ст. Barnes liked to travel. We used to go across town to do service. By "across town" I mean all the way across Moscow.
Metro stops were about 3 minutes apart. Between where our apartment was and service, it was 18 metro stops with two line changes. So it was easily over an hour of just travel time for us to get to the school where we did our service...which was just an hour long. Then it was an hour travel back. So we often would stop by the office to pick up stuff.]
2/24/11
February 18, 1997 - Tuesday
Well today I got up at 6:30am by golly. It wasn't that hard actually. But if I don't get my companion to get up with me it's harder than heck. We studied in the missionary guide. It was kind of weird but pretty OK. Now we got to shave, shower & stuff some food down us before we slide off to the office.
Okay its after D[istrict] meeting. It was pretty cool. Ст. Woolverton had some good ideas on what we should work on. The pouch didn't come in but I got some e-mail from home. My parents just got an e-mail address. Cool huh?
My friend Allen Balzen is getting married on May 24th, '97. About 16 days after my birthday. I want to be home - but I'm not. Oh well. I hope that I get some letters from friends and stuff. I want to hear from Allen & Doug mostly. And of course Melissa & Michelle. But they don't seem too much like the constant writing type.
Okay its after D[istrict] meeting. It was pretty cool. Ст. Woolverton had some good ideas on what we should work on. The pouch didn't come in but I got some e-mail from home. My parents just got an e-mail address. Cool huh?
My friend Allen Balzen is getting married on May 24th, '97. About 16 days after my birthday. I want to be home - but I'm not. Oh well. I hope that I get some letters from friends and stuff. I want to hear from Allen & Doug mostly. And of course Melissa & Michelle. But they don't seem too much like the constant writing type.
2/14/11
February 8, 1997 - Saturday
Well ladies & gentlemen it is 3 days from departure for my trainer. We were with them today and yesterday. Just a little each day. Now I'm on a split with Ст. Hughes because I'm going to a play called "The Ideal Husband." It should be interesting. This last week since I wrote last we haven't done squat. P-Day we wrote letters and shopped a little. Bought a heater so the apartment has been nice & toasty. Thursday & Friday I don't remember what I did, but it wasn't proselyting.
Last night we went over to Barnes' & then to Larsen & Larson's. I lost in chess, to Paige & then to Woolverton. Tuesday night we watched "Money Train." It was pretty cool.
Today, Saturday, Reenik Day, I bought 22 cds. No Doubt, Spin Doctors, R.E.M., too [or two if you're not mixed up about English] really cool alternative discs, the Who, Bon Jovi, Joan Osborne, Cranberries, the list goes on & on. It's amazing. The new Hootie Album that I didn't even have back home. I bought Madonna's Immaculate Collection, I really don't remember the rest.
I saw this cd I really want called Smash Hits and I asked how much, but the guy that ran that part of the tent wasn't there so he didn't know how much. That sucks. That is my favorite. It has all these cool songs on there like "Turn the Beat Around." I also saw a greatest hits of her, Gloria Estefan. But I didn't buy it because it didn't have that on there. Well we are about to go to the play, so I'll talk to you later, bye.
Okay back from the play. It was pretty.....weird. It had some funny parts in it and stuff, but we couldn't follow it because we didn't understand everything. It was from Britian originally. You could tell with all of the cop uniforms and stuff. The stuff would be the British sexual humor like Benny Hill. We decided to leave at 10pm if the play didn't end because we still had to make some stew and eat. Well it got close and the finale came. You could tell that the play was about to end.
The stew took until 11:40pm and now I'm writing in my journal so it can cool down. The stew is dang good though it's like so chock full of everything. It's amazing. We, Hughes helped, made some pretty dang good stuff.
Last night we went over to Barnes' & then to Larsen & Larson's. I lost in chess, to Paige & then to Woolverton. Tuesday night we watched "Money Train." It was pretty cool.
Today, Saturday, Reenik Day, I bought 22 cds. No Doubt, Spin Doctors, R.E.M., too [or two if you're not mixed up about English] really cool alternative discs, the Who, Bon Jovi, Joan Osborne, Cranberries, the list goes on & on. It's amazing. The new Hootie Album that I didn't even have back home. I bought Madonna's Immaculate Collection, I really don't remember the rest.
I saw this cd I really want called Smash Hits and I asked how much, but the guy that ran that part of the tent wasn't there so he didn't know how much. That sucks. That is my favorite. It has all these cool songs on there like "Turn the Beat Around." I also saw a greatest hits of her, Gloria Estefan. But I didn't buy it because it didn't have that on there. Well we are about to go to the play, so I'll talk to you later, bye.
Okay back from the play. It was pretty.....weird. It had some funny parts in it and stuff, but we couldn't follow it because we didn't understand everything. It was from Britian originally. You could tell with all of the cop uniforms and stuff. The stuff would be the British sexual humor like Benny Hill. We decided to leave at 10pm if the play didn't end because we still had to make some stew and eat. Well it got close and the finale came. You could tell that the play was about to end.
The stew took until 11:40pm and now I'm writing in my journal so it can cool down. The stew is dang good though it's like so chock full of everything. It's amazing. We, Hughes helped, made some pretty dang good stuff.
2/4/11
February 4, 1997 - Tuesday
Today we gave two Ds. The 3rd for new members and the 4th D for investigators. It went pretty good. In the D with Virginia [the new member] she seems so much happier. She understood everything about what were talking [seriously - I wonder how bad my grammar is going to get. I assume I meant "we were talking about"]. Also Argily's brother Christyon was there. Ст. Woolverton invited him to hear the discussions. He seems interested.
Then in our D with Алисия & Жаром [Aliciya - prounounce Aleeseeya, Jarom] we used a plastic model of the Plan of Salvation. It went well. I got up early and studied really good today. You know, like I should everyday. well night
Then in our D with Алисия & Жаром [Aliciya - prounounce Aleeseeya, Jarom] we used a plastic model of the Plan of Salvation. It went well. I got up early and studied really good today. You know, like I should everyday. well night
2/2/11
January 31, 1997 - Friday
Today went pretty good. We had a Zone Conference this morning [A district is several companionships, and a zone is several districts]. It was on how to have more effective discussions. At first we were taken aside (all those in there 1 - 3 months in the country), and we had a little meeting on our parts in the discussion and how to effectively study for discussions.
Then I went on a split with Hughes - we went to the office and I picked up money and then went to the post office to mail my letters. Then we came home to my apartment. We met Woolverton & Johnson who changed and we all ate spaghetti and then they left to go to a soccer game. We [Ст. Hughes & I] were supposed to study - well we both fell asleep and then picked up a pop, and a dan cake [? no idea what I was talking about] to watch some movie. I didn't catch what it is called though. Because Ст. Jurvelein called right as it was starting and I had to go answer the phone as the movie started.
Now Ст.Woolverton is back and we are watching a different movie called "Ironclads." Just before they got back Ст. Paige called. He's a cool guy. I like him and will miss him & Barnes & Johnson pretty soon. Barnes goes home on the 12th, and Paige goes home 3 weeks later and Johnson goes out to Nizhny at transfers on the 12th also. It's a pity. well night
Then I went on a split with Hughes - we went to the office and I picked up money and then went to the post office to mail my letters. Then we came home to my apartment. We met Woolverton & Johnson who changed and we all ate spaghetti and then they left to go to a soccer game. We [Ст. Hughes & I] were supposed to study - well we both fell asleep and then picked up a pop, and a dan cake [? no idea what I was talking about] to watch some movie. I didn't catch what it is called though. Because Ст. Jurvelein called right as it was starting and I had to go answer the phone as the movie started.
Now Ст.Woolverton is back and we are watching a different movie called "Ironclads." Just before they got back Ст. Paige called. He's a cool guy. I like him and will miss him & Barnes & Johnson pretty soon. Barnes goes home on the 12th, and Paige goes home 3 weeks later and Johnson goes out to Nizhny at transfers on the 12th also. It's a pity. well night
January 29, 1997 - Wednesday
We had a really good D on Tuesday with Alicia & Jarom. We went and read from the Book of Mormon. We read 3 Nephi 11. I'm sure they read it before, but it was good to read it over with them. They asked questions and we discussed a lot. Ст. Woolverton said they might be getting a little bored so we wanted to get them excited about the Book of Mormon. I read pretty good and I got to explain things and asked one question - I think? That is something that I need to work on. I need to ask questions more.
Jarom shows the exact same characteristics that Grandma Johnson showed. It's hard for him to read, slightly slurred speech, loss of motion skills on one half of his body. I imagine it's pretty hard for him. I don't think he works. That would be pretty scary. Later I was talking with Ст. Johnson & Ст. Woolverton about the mission splitting and then Ст. Burghardt told us at District Meeting that it is official.
I need to crack down and study. I could get a greenie soon and I want to be in charge of myself. I've been doing good with my problem, none since Sunday. It's been cool. Well night.
I think it was what Elder Johnson told me. It kind of scared and excited me. I need to be the best I can be. A darn hard working missionary.
Jarom shows the exact same characteristics that Grandma Johnson showed. It's hard for him to read, slightly slurred speech, loss of motion skills on one half of his body. I imagine it's pretty hard for him. I don't think he works. That would be pretty scary. Later I was talking with Ст. Johnson & Ст. Woolverton about the mission splitting and then Ст. Burghardt told us at District Meeting that it is official.
I need to crack down and study. I could get a greenie soon and I want to be in charge of myself. I've been doing good with my problem, none since Sunday. It's been cool. Well night.
I think it was what Elder Johnson told me. It kind of scared and excited me. I need to be the best I can be. A darn hard working missionary.
1/31/11
January 30, 2011
I was on Facebook yesterday and I had uploaded and was tagging the pic that I put in the Jan 25 '97 post. I was looking for my companion, Marcus Woolverton, on there. I couldn't find him under W, or M for either name. Then as I was scrolling down the list I noticed something that made me very sad..."in Loving Memory of Marcus Woolverton." I guess that I haven't looked up some of my companions lately. Marcus died last year on Jan 16th. It's been a year + 2 weeks since his death. I haven't found out what he died from, but I miss him. I had so much fun with him during our 2 months together. So here's some of our photos together. walt
p.s. - the look he's giving me in the first picture is the look I got during my first tracting experience when Woolverton pulled a gun on me and demanded my companion's watch!!
p.s. - the look he's giving me in the first picture is the look I got during my first tracting experience when Woolverton pulled a gun on me and demanded my companion's watch!!
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| Elder Woolverton & Virginia at her Baptism |
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| Mickey Ds & Playing Scum After Gatorball on a P-Day |
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| May 8th, 1997 (my B-Day) at Victory Park in Moscow |
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| Watching a Movie over Thanksgiving |
1/29/11
January 23, 1997 - Thursday
[Pre-Journal Chat - Small things added together build up to big things sometimes. Looking back on this journal entry, I can't believe the big things that were going on, but you can see the small things in the previous posts. But - I hope that you'll realize that I improved on my mission starting with my next companion.]
Today was P-Day. Ст. Woolverton went and played Gatorball. He left at 9:30am or so, and I went back to sleep until 1pm. Woke up and did the dishes, then wrote a lot of letters. [Ст. Woolverton] got home at 2pm and we didn't do any[thing] tonight. We watched a show called "Primal Fear." It was pretty good. Pretty suspenseful and good. I wrote a lot of letters today. It was pretty good. Well I'll talk to you later - night.
Today was P-Day. Ст. Woolverton went and played Gatorball. He left at 9:30am or so, and I went back to sleep until 1pm. Woke up and did the dishes, then wrote a lot of letters. [Ст. Woolverton] got home at 2pm and we didn't do any[thing] tonight. We watched a show called "Primal Fear." It was pretty good. Pretty suspenseful and good. I wrote a lot of letters today. It was pretty good. Well I'll talk to you later - night.
1/24/11
January 19, 1997 - Sunday
Right now I'm watching a pretty dumb movie. It's called "A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell." It's not even a B movie. It's like a C or even worse. It's an R movie - for Retarded.
Today we went over to a 20 year old girls house to get Ст. Woolverton's CDs back. Her name is Ira (Ира) and she lives with her mom & dad & grandma. Her grandma and her are the only members. Her grandmother's name is Ira Ida (Ира Ида). They are pretty cool. They are in the Taganski branch. She (Ира) speaks and understands English pretty good [I love it when I see myself speaking poorly - I find it hilarious]. They live outside of Moscow though. We had to get on a train and pay for tickets & then pay for the bus ride back, instead of using our единый [yedini].
They have Автобуси (Aftoboosi - regular buses)
Today we went over to a 20 year old girls house to get Ст. Woolverton's CDs back. Her name is Ira (Ира) and she lives with her mom & dad & grandma. Her grandma and her are the only members. Her grandmother's name is Ira Ida (Ира Ида). They are pretty cool. They are in the Taganski branch. She (Ира) speaks and understands English pretty good [I love it when I see myself speaking poorly - I find it hilarious]. They live outside of Moscow though. We had to get on a train and pay for tickets & then pay for the bus ride back, instead of using our единый [yedini].
[mid-journal chat - единый explanation - yedini means the one or all in one. Moscow's public transportation system is huge. With the единый you can ride all of the following except the Electrichki. It cost about 100,000 rubles(about $18 at the time).
 |
| Aftobus |
They have Автобуси (Aftoboosi - regular buses)
 |
| Tramvai |
Трамвай (Tramvai - like the trolley buses in San Fran),
 |
| Trolleibus |
Тролэйбусси (Trolaybussi - NOT like the trolley buses in San Fran - but like buses but they follow a route under electric wires),
 |
| Electrichki |
Электрички (Electrichki - usually on the outskirts of cities - Trains that run under electric wires),
 |
| Moscow Metro |
and the Метро (Metro or the subway - trains that run with the electricity coming from under the train.).
I loved traveling through Moscow. A lot of times we had to take the metro over and then a bus or tram or a taxi to the destination.]
Well it's about 9:12pm. It's after Virginia's baptism. It's a really awesome feeling to go to a baptism. Just being a part of it feels cool. I didn't really went that feeling to end. We spent a couple of hours there and now, we are home. I got in 8 hrs of proselyting today. I'm going to go to bed early tonight, because I am so tired tonight.
1/22/11
January 17, 1997 - Friday
Well I'm still having my problem. I had my interview with the president yesterday. It went pretty good. He knows I have a problem. He said not to let it terribly bother me. I can still have the spirit with me. I need to improve on it. One thing that will definately help, is to stop watching t.v. This is two nights in a row. That is down right wrong and I know it. I need to stop watching t.v. so I can study at night - since I sleep away my study in the morning, that would be a good idea don't you think?
I'm also totally out of money until the end of Jan or the first of Febuary rolls around. Oh yeah, on the 14th, Tuesday, I gave my first baptisimal commitment. It was totally sweet. Gotta run, bye.
I feel much better now. We went and visited some inactives. A sister Tatyana [Татьяна] and her daughter Yulia [Юлия]. They are really nice. Like Elder Woolverton was telling me it was nice to see her (Yulia) as a pretty little woman who was just cute. She's fifteen and a lot of girls start dressing really slutty around 15. She was pretty interested about church too. She asked at least twice if anything new was happening at church. Any new faces etc. Well it's time for bed. Good night.
I'm also totally out of money until the end of Jan or the first of Febuary rolls around. Oh yeah, on the 14th, Tuesday, I gave my first baptisimal commitment. It was totally sweet. Gotta run, bye.
I feel much better now. We went and visited some inactives. A sister Tatyana [Татьяна] and her daughter Yulia [Юлия]. They are really nice. Like Elder Woolverton was telling me it was nice to see her (Yulia) as a pretty little woman who was just cute. She's fifteen and a lot of girls start dressing really slutty around 15. She was pretty interested about church too. She asked at least twice if anything new was happening at church. Any new faces etc. Well it's time for bed. Good night.
1/13/11
January 13, 1997 - Monday
[Pre-Post Chat - So my greenieship ended Jan. 9, and I became partners with Ст. Woolverton]
Well this last week was pretty cool. We (Ст. Woolverton & I) went shopping, and I found out that I have a pretty cool companion. He's from California. Our apartment is pretty cold though. We've been spending the last couple of days trying to find a heater to buy. We've been eating pretty good lately too. Well time for nighty night.
Well this last week was pretty cool. We (Ст. Woolverton & I) went shopping, and I found out that I have a pretty cool companion. He's from California. Our apartment is pretty cold though. We've been spending the last couple of days trying to find a heater to buy. We've been eating pretty good lately too. Well time for nighty night.
1/6/11
January 4, 1997 - Saturday
Today we went and played football in the snow. Americansky [Американскый] football. It was a blast. This is the third time we've played a team (get together) sport and my team one [won] this time too. It was cool.
Then we came home and I'm starting to get his [Ст. Barnes'] cold. My nose is running like a phosphorescent tractor in a muldoon circus tent. Try them panties on for size. It's final. I am going with Ст. Woolverton this next week. It should be pretty cool.
Well I wrote my president's letter today and we only had 8 1/2 hours of proselyting. That pretty much sucked. Oh well. I hope I'm not really slowed down this week. Fingers crossed.
I wrote my president's letter in English. I'm so much better in English. I actually like to write so I'm going to keep writing in English until I can write in Russian as well and then I might begin to write to the President in Russian. Well night.
[Missionary Weekly Report - Like I talked about above - each week we write our Mission President and we list hours proselyting (actually being out and finding or teaching discussions), service, activation (work with members), hours missed for illness, days reading BOM, and study language etc. It's a way that we can see hard #s and not just have a feeling about what we did that week. We also add a little bit in a letter to the president. Here was mine for that week.
"Dear President,
Sorry for the bad hours this week, my companion was sick during the middle of the week and I think I just caught it from him. Hopefully it won't hit me as strong. We had a good Discussion with a less active member Friday night. I was very impressed - I almost understood everything they talked about. I've seen an improvement in comprehension and it excites me. New Years felt more like normal than Christmas did. It's all weird. thankx"
I had 8.5 hours proselyting, 4.5 hours of service, 3 hours in activation. Personal preparation. I read BOM 7 days, studied other scriptures 3 days, used the Missionary Gospel Study Program booklet - 0 days, studied the language 5 days.
So that's a typical missionary weekly report - mine at least, from 12/29/96 to 1/4/97. I was in the Южносокольнический Приход (Yuzhnosokolnichesky Branch - or southern circle branch) от метро Ясенова (off the metro station Yasenova).
Here is a very cool metro map of Moscow. Yasenova is on the orange line - its the second to last metro stop from the very bottom. That's where I lived for the first 2 months in Moscow. The walk from the metro station to our apartment was about 5 minutes, and there was a steep downhill part right before our apartment building. Until I bought boots I fell almost every single time I went down that sucker. I could almost slide most of the way, but my Doc Martens were too slippery. The boots did much better. ok, bye]
Then we came home and I'm starting to get his [Ст. Barnes'] cold. My nose is running like a phosphorescent tractor in a muldoon circus tent. Try them panties on for size. It's final. I am going with Ст. Woolverton this next week. It should be pretty cool.
Well I wrote my president's letter today and we only had 8 1/2 hours of proselyting. That pretty much sucked. Oh well. I hope I'm not really slowed down this week. Fingers crossed.
I wrote my president's letter in English. I'm so much better in English. I actually like to write so I'm going to keep writing in English until I can write in Russian as well and then I might begin to write to the President in Russian. Well night.
[Missionary Weekly Report - Like I talked about above - each week we write our Mission President and we list hours proselyting (actually being out and finding or teaching discussions), service, activation (work with members), hours missed for illness, days reading BOM, and study language etc. It's a way that we can see hard #s and not just have a feeling about what we did that week. We also add a little bit in a letter to the president. Here was mine for that week.
"Dear President,
Sorry for the bad hours this week, my companion was sick during the middle of the week and I think I just caught it from him. Hopefully it won't hit me as strong. We had a good Discussion with a less active member Friday night. I was very impressed - I almost understood everything they talked about. I've seen an improvement in comprehension and it excites me. New Years felt more like normal than Christmas did. It's all weird. thankx"
I had 8.5 hours proselyting, 4.5 hours of service, 3 hours in activation. Personal preparation. I read BOM 7 days, studied other scriptures 3 days, used the Missionary Gospel Study Program booklet - 0 days, studied the language 5 days.
So that's a typical missionary weekly report - mine at least, from 12/29/96 to 1/4/97. I was in the Южносокольнический Приход (Yuzhnosokolnichesky Branch - or southern circle branch) от метро Ясенова (off the metro station Yasenova).
Here is a very cool metro map of Moscow. Yasenova is on the orange line - its the second to last metro stop from the very bottom. That's where I lived for the first 2 months in Moscow. The walk from the metro station to our apartment was about 5 minutes, and there was a steep downhill part right before our apartment building. Until I bought boots I fell almost every single time I went down that sucker. I could almost slide most of the way, but my Doc Martens were too slippery. The boots did much better. ok, bye]
1/5/11
January 3, 1997 - Friday
Today I found out Woolverton will be my новый напарник [novwie naparnik - new companion].
Здорово да? [zdorovo yes? or great huh? Let me tell you that it was pretty dang weird to me. Remember that he was the one who pulled the gun on me during my first tracting experience. Now I was going to be his companion - and move over into the apartment where the prank had gone down.]
Anyways. We went picture taking with Elder Moyle who is leaving soon and then ate at McDonald's. Came home. Went to a D with this girl named Ana Molodova. I think? She's pretty cool. She skies, speaks English really good [well. Better than I do huh?] She's been a member for more than 5 years. Almost from the beginning. Well it's time to hit the hay. night.
Здорово да? [zdorovo yes? or great huh? Let me tell you that it was pretty dang weird to me. Remember that he was the one who pulled the gun on me during my first tracting experience. Now I was going to be his companion - and move over into the apartment where the prank had gone down.]
Anyways. We went picture taking with Elder Moyle who is leaving soon and then ate at McDonald's. Came home. Went to a D with this girl named Ana Molodova. I think? She's pretty cool. She skies, speaks English really good [well. Better than I do huh?] She's been a member for more than 5 years. Almost from the beginning. Well it's time to hit the hay. night.
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