June 11, 1997 - Wednesday

Actually it's 40 min. after midnight on the 10th, well 11th.  Today showed me just not to worry about things.  We went to district meeting and I didn't get any mail.  It's the first week I've never gotten mail.  I was pretty pissed and I had a really bad mood.  Which was really bad because we had a D with Лариса [Larissa].  So I was sitting on the metro and fuming when after praying for God to "take these bad feelings from my heart."  After I prayed I was sitting a couple of seats to my left.  This old couple were sitting across from me and they smiled at the baby.  Well seeing this weathered old Russian man's face brighten up really touched me and I couldn't be mad or depressed anymore.  It's weird how the Lord answers prayers. 

Then while at the D with Лариса, which went really well, I really felt the Spirit and she did too.  It was cool.  She committed again to pray for answers about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  I explain[ed] why it was important for her to know.  Then she'd know for sure about what we're talking is true.  I think I got her to see a little about how it would help her.



Sister Vera Yagadkina, Nadia Yagadkina, Sveta Borisova & Sasha -
evidently the two girls not too happy with me taking a picture.



Then we came home and sweated in the apartment while eating dinner.  Man it is so humid lately.  So hot.  Getting to the point of where I started about things always working out.  Last night we got told that there would be this New Era thing.  A reporter was coming - we were supposed to set up a FHE.  Well Elder Reagan said to meet the reporters or Ст. Gammon & them in the metro at a little before 7.  The Family Home Evening was to be at 7 over at Ягодкина's [Yagadkina's] house.  Well I worry a lot about it - we were suppose to plan a game and Саша [Sasha] planned a spiritual thought.  So we worried and waited in the metro until about 7:10 and then just decided to go to the place.  So the whole ride to the Ягодкина's I was fuming - dang Gammon etc. because I was afraid the night would flop.  Well we got there at 7:30 - a half an hour late - expecting to have to tell them that the reported hadn't showed.  We even had a game planned and we brought drinks.  So we showed up and 'lo and behold' the reporter and Сты. Gammon & Ludwig are already there with the reporter. 

It turned out all cool and the kids  - Саша [Sasha], Света [Sveta], & Надя [Nadia - hahaha kids - Sveta might have been 16, but Nadia was 19, and Sasha was 18 or 19 as well.  A note about Sveta's name - Svet is light, and if I translated it into English I would call her Lucy???  Lucent - glowing with light, Lucid - shining or glowing, Lucifer (not the best example) - son of the morning etc.  So...the the kids] gave some really good answers to his questions.  It was really cool.  Then after the reporter and the future A.P.s [Assistants to the Presidents - future because we had learned that the mission was going to split on July 1st, and Сты. Gammon & Ludwig were going to be the new president's assistants when he got here.] left we drank the pop and ate this cake Сестра Ягодкина [Sister Yagadkina] made for us.  It was pretty good.  Then we went to the Red Square and hung out with [Ст.] Woolverton and ate at McDonald's and came home late.

[Post-Journal Chat - OK folks do you like how use the brackets[ ] right after the Russian word and give what it sounds like or translates to and sometiems it goes a little long, or would you rather that I did a footnote kind of thing?  or monkeys?]

June 1997 - The Conversion Chronicle & McDonalds

Well I thought that I would add in the June 1997 edition of the Conversion Chronicle - that is the mission newspaper that comes out monthly.  Unfortunately I don't have every single one - that would be awesome!! 

So I thought that I would show you one.  Usually different people are chosen to write (I too will have my chance later), missionaries that have been out maybe a year, or more - so they will just be hitting their stride in both the language, and in the skills as missionaries. 

Plus and here is the best part.  Any child of God can expect revelation pertaining to his or her sphere of influence...as missionaries we could expect revelation for ourselves, and for those Russians that we taught.  If we were discrict or zone leaders, or assistants to the presidents, then our sphere of repsonsibility increased, as well as the amount or degree of revelation to help those in our sphere.  As well as when we were called upon to talk in conference or write in the mission newspaper. 

Thus these talks are the missionaries' form of the Ensign, or a General Conference talk.  I know that when I prepared my article, I prayed and pondered on what the Lord would want me to say, and then went to work!!  Even rereading now, while not a missionary any longer, I feel the spirit. 

There are also a few actual bits of news - who was getting baptized, who was leaving and arriving the mission, and sometimes articles like Dr. Huish's in this one on how to avoid summer sicknesses.

Sometimes in my letters home, I would do a pictorial tour of my mission.  Here is one picture that I started such a letter with...yes I am actually in this picture - you can see the back & left side of my head.  I'm almost in the foreground - in a white shirt, with green lettering, and I have a black strap going over my left shoulder.  Here's what I wrote on the back of the picture...

Dear Mom & Dad,  

              Here's you're start of the guide to Moscow.  McDonald's - mmhm.  Such good food.  And like you can see, there are so many people there.  It is always like that.

Unfortunately at this time I couldn't find other pictures in this pictorial tour-letter, so this will have to do.  But all through my mission I went and ate at McDonald's.  It is weird, and you may not believe me, but McDonald's chicken nuggets tasted better in russia - and the biggest reason was the sweet & sour dipping sauce.  That is because the franchises in Russia come from Canada, not America and they have different sauces.  I am not lying - but they are better than at home!  and I'm out!

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.