June 15, 1997 - Sunday (about Sat really)

Yesterday [Saturday June 14, 1997] was pretty fun.  We had a празник [holiday] for the 150 yr anniversary of the pioneers' trek across the U.S.  We met at the opening of Измайловский парк and we walked through it to a lake in the middle.  Then we had a couple of talks by some church members and on by През. Jarvis [Pres.].  Then I waited in line forever for a hot dog that basically sucked.  Then everybody played soccer or volleyball.  I played volleyball.  My team - all guys one [won] 3 in a row and we were so tired that we kind of let the 4th one go.  It was just so hot. 

I had the handkerchief Mike [Herrick - my brother] gave me wrapped around my neck so I wouldn't get a bad sunburn.  Well I kind of forgot about my face.  It's not too bad.  Just a little red, but my face will definitely be darker.  I have a pretty good tan now. 

May 22, 1997 - Thursday

Well today we [Ст. Shwartz & I] did practically nothing today [from the Department of Redundancy Department].  It rained so much.  Last night I had a visit from the Runs.  It was about 11:30 pm before I could get to sleep.  It lasted for such a long time.  So this morning I stayed in bed until about 8:30 am.  I was so freaking tired.  I think it is from the runs & a little sickness. 

I also had my problem in the shower today.  It had been 4 days - a pretty good amount of time lately.  I wanted to go a really long time.  Like up until next interviews with President Jarvis.  It will be our last with him, I think.  He's a cool guy.  I've always come away from interviews with a better feeling about myself.  But I want to show him that I am getting better and that I can be trusted and am a hard worker.  So I guess that means that I had better be a good, hard worker.  So far this week we've been slackers.  We had better do a lot of work in the next two days or it'll be a total waste and then I'd feel like crap. 

Tonight we stopped by a less active member and dropped off some stuff for her.  We also shopped earlier.  As we were walking along we got stopped by a lady in a shack and she wanted to know if we taught English.  But she didn't listen to us enough, or we just couldn't get our point across because she didn't understand us. 

After English [class] today Сты. Ганху [Gangkhu] & Wright came over to our house and we had casserole and it took forever to make and eat.  1-4 pm they were over here.  Right now I have freaking hurtful farts.  The kind that really hurt because I'm constipated or something.  Right now I'm listening to my Alternative Best #2 because I've never listened to it before.  I have all these cds that I have to get used to.

May 20, 1997 - Tuesday

Today was interesting.  We had district meeting which was a lot of bashing against Pres. Jarvis and his new rule about not going above the ring line at all, even on P-Days.  It'll be hard to live that rule.  Then we came home and ate peanut butter sandwiches.  Well we went and picked up some milk and peanut butter at Stockman's [which incidentally right on the ring line]. 

Then I slept for an hour and we went to a беседа [discussion] with Евгенния [Yevgenniya].  We got a Russian lesson and then we went over D&C 89 before leaving at 9:00[pm].  It was a great responsibility to teach and testify and make - mistakes.  At one point I went off on some thing and I stopped at the end of a sentence and asked Ст. Schwartz "where was I going with that."  Then I just testified to her about something.  Well it's time to get a snack and hit the sack.  bye.

[Post-journal chat - Peanut butter is pretty expensive compared to in America - that's why we had to go to Stockman's to buy it.  Stockman's is a pretty big grocery store.  Well when I say pretty big, I mean big for Russia.  Most of their stores are Circle K size places.  Stockman's was two or three Circle Ks put together.  It stocked several American, or European items that you can't get anywhere else.  They have milk from Finland & it comes in 3.5%, 1.5% & .5% in stead of 2%, 1% & Fat Free like here in the US.  The 3.5% makes corn chowder sooooooo goooood.  Very creamy.]

May 2, 1997 - Friday

Had a cool D with the Басовы (Basovwi).  Today is so awesome day [what?].  First yesterday Пьер (Pierre) had his interview with President Jarvis and everything will go forward for the 11th of May.  That is so awesome.  It was [a] pretty busy day for us yesterday.  We went signboarding in the park and I didn't like it as much.  Then we dropped off a degree of specifications by Брат Локшин [Brother Lokshin].  When we got home I called Ири Магалевский [Yuri Magalevski - I'm not too sure about the last name] because we had a book he wanted called Наше Наследия, Our Heritage.  Well he invited us over right then to give it to him.  Well we went over and talked to him until 10:30pm - then went to bed.

Well today I was on splits with Ст. Shwartz.  He's a pretty funny guy.  We went signboarding and then we had a huge lunch.  Tacos.  It was 2 hours though.  Then we went signboarding again down on the metro by Юго-запедная [Yugo-Zapednaya or South-West] and I talked to two really cool people.  One walked around after we talked and read the BOM [Book of Mormon].  Okay, then we left there and went to Алла's [Alla's].  It was so rad.  The Spirit was really strong and I thought I spoke really good.  It was because the Spirit was there so strong.  She opened with prayer and I could just immediately feel the Spirit.  We read the D's but she was really patient and she kept trying to feed us soup or to warm up our чай - which might have been real.  We committed her to baptism.  So we scheduled her to be baptized on the 9th of June.  Then we came home and I called Евгений [Yevgenii] for tomorrow.  Well it's late so we'll go to bed.

March 28, 1997 - Friday

I had a full day yesterday.  I went on two splits.  First I went on a split with Ст. Sefcik, we went out to the обж. and were going to give Малу [Malout] the 3rd, but no one was going to let us in.  Then one of the bosses let us in and we went up to Арман & Вержиния's [Arman & Virginia's] apartment but they weren't there.  No one.  I knew Вержиния wouldn't be there because she was at the office having an interview with Pres. Jarvis.

So I heard noise next door and I knocked (at Алисия's) [Alicia & Jarom's] and Steven answered and got Арман.  He forgot we had a D with Малу and maybe even forgot to tell him.  But he went and got Малу and we read Alma 32 with him because Арман had to babysit the kids in the other apartment and he couldn't be there to translate so it was basically worthless.  Oh well.

Then we met at Park Culturiy and dropped Sefcik off and picked up Ст. Josh King.  We went to English Class because no one else was going to be able to make it.  After that we waited forever at Парк Културый [Park Culturiy] for Сты. Gammon & Morris.  It was 9:30pm almost when they finally came.  We got home, ate some cheese & ham sandwiches and went to bed.  Ст. Gammon slept in today because he feels like crap.  He caught my cold.  Yesterday I just felt like crap.  I felt like all day I didn't do anything at all of worth.  I felt like I didn't be myself at English and I didn't help anybody etc.  Oh well. 

OK its now 9:30pm at night.  We just had a D with a member who moved from Южнозамоскворецкий Приход [Yuzhnozamoskvaretzky Branch].  She is now, I would dare say a JW [Jehovah's Witness].  I think she planned to have a JW there with us but I guess the JW couldn't make it, which is alright with me.  At one point I thought my companion was going to get mad at her.  She was nice enough at first, but then she started spouting the same stuff the JWs spout - according to Ст. Gammon.  I don't know because I haven't listened to them here [in Russia].  It just makes me glad I have a testimony and I know what is true.  well night.

March 6, 1997 - Thursday

Today I got up at 7:20am and jogged in place for 16 minutes.  It helped.  Got me warmed up so I wasn't cold and expended some energy.  Pres. was right.  I even put my hands above my head like he said:  the international sign for victory.

We are having lunch with our собран[ие] округа [District Meeting - sobraniye okrooga] today.  An AP will be here today also.  I wonder which one.  Yesterday night we went over to Larsen & Larson's and had some cookies.  I played Ст. Larsen in chess twice and lost twice.  I am pissed at him.  Not really because I lost.  Well...not ALL because I lost, but because he is such a poor sport when he wins.  He's just a dick.  He thinks he is God's greatest gift to the earth and it gets boring.  He is really generous though.  He gave us some root beers etc. from Mick's and he is always nice.  It just last night it built to a head.  oh well.

March 4, 1997 - Tuesday

It's actually 1:10am on the 5th, but it's still Tuesday night.  Today was Ст. Paige's last full day in the country.  He leaves tomorrow - the big freak.  What a lucky punk.  I hurt my leg again today.  I jumped an ice patch and went down.  I laid there for a while, but had to leave because of everyone else kept walking.

I nabbed a lot of tapes and a CD from Ст. Paige.  Also today in the Announcements was the President [Jarvis] saying that we shouldn't listen to screw music.  And also if we bought any CDs at about $3 - $4, then it is probably pirated and we shouldn't get it.  I haven't decided what to do yet.  He didn't say not to buy any etc. but he encouraged us not to.

[Mid Post Chat- Can you believe the rationalizing going on here??  You can definitely tell that I'm in with a pretty trunky crowd still.]

I got a letter from Ст. Kindred in Rostov and he said that he was very busy and had a huge area.  I also received my deodorant and a letter & pen from Gib.  It's a pretty cool pen - it says "Elder Walter Dale Herrick Russia Moscow Mission" engraved on it.  I also received another letter from Gib and he told me he was beat up about 2 weeks ago.  Then just recently sprained his ankle and had to say in bed for 2 days.  He seems pretty fired up about everything and thinks he will be a senior [companion] pretty soon.  He has the language down and everything.  He asked me if I was fluent yet.  Hah!! 

Then I got a letter from mom that says everything I heard in a fax I got two weeks ago.  Kind of silly.  I also got my deodorant though.  I bought some here but it is only deodorant and it wears off pretty fast.  She sent me some deodorant/anti-perspirant - musk scented.

Well I have three more lines to go until I can sleep [until the end of the page in my journal], and I am going to write a run-on sentence, until I end, bye.

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