Quiet Promptings

So I opened up mom's letter today, and she had attached the picture of Amber when you had root beer floats and Sister Olga, the Visa clerk here in the office comes in to my office and looks at the picture of her and says, "Elder Eborn, I really hope you're planning on dating that girl when you get home, because I approve!"

Steering away from way trunky subjects, this week was pretty good.

We were in Omck last week and took President and Sister Gibbons to the рынок (market) and bought them some winter gear before the prices start to go up. I must say my haggling skills have gotten pretty good here in Siberia, I was able to get 5000 rubles taken off President's jacket.

We spent the rest of the week here in Novo working on transfers and having the first ever video training for missionaries! It was cool; we got all the trainers and new missionaries throughout the mission together on Skype and were able to have a hour training with them. It was way cool! Sometime's I'm amazed at how far technology has come since I left. Sometimes it feels like we're in our own little bubble here. Sister Gibbons brought her smart phone with her from home and it has this thing where you just drag your finger across the key pad and it types the word you want it too (predictive text). Here I felt special having the brick that made a mark in my pocket. I don't know what I’ll do when I get home and have to re-learn how to use technology.

This last week we had an interesting experience. We were called about 10:25 right before bed time, and it was a contact that we'd met a few weeks ago and invited to meet with us. He told us he'd been thinking a lot about our offer, and wanted to meet with us. So, we set up a meeting for later in the week and then went to meet him. I had this really weird feeling about the whole thing. I've never ever in my entire mission had some one call us and tell us they'd rethought about what we'd said, plus he invited us to come to his house. We never have that happen. Russians are very careful about whom they invite to their homes, and I think I’ve only had 2 or 3 first meetings that haven't been in the branch building or at a member's home. But, we went any way, maybe the Lord was going to bless us with some new awesome investigator who's super ready to accept our message.

We get to the apartment building and head up to their apartment. The young man lets us in, He's probably 23-24 years old, and he introduces us to his friend who's probably mid 40's. We sit down and start getting acquainted and they stop us from saying anything and start into a sale's pitch trying to get us to join their Amway team. I felt like an idiot for not listening to what the Spirit was trying to tell me first of all.

The meeting ended up being a good learning experience for me. These two men did a lot of what we as missionaries do. They explained their product and explained the benefits and even как бы bore testimony about it, they invited us find out for ourselves if what they were saying and trying to get us to do was true. The thought occurred to me while this whole thing was going on, "is this how people feel like when we try to teach them the gospel?" And then I realized what was missing from their little presentation. The Spirit. These two men knew their stuff; they knew how to approach it. But they didn't have the one thing that touches people’s hearts, the one thing that helps Every Person in the world to know that what we are saying is true. They didn't have the Holy Ghost with them to witness to their hearts that the things that they are hearing are true.

Being on the mission has been a very interesting experience. You hear about how spiritual the mission is, you go to the MTC and listen to Apostles come teach you and instruct you, and then they send you on a plane halfway around the world to the middle of Siberia, where you have to learn how to take the blows of Satan. Who's trying to drive every ounce of spirituality you've got out of you, and why? Because he knows that without the Spirit, you're no better than the salesmen. D&C 50: 14 gives kind of the "what and how" of missionary work. "To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth." The Holy Ghost is an amazing thing. He can tell us truth that would seem illogical to just believe but you know in your heart that it is true.

One of the true tests of this life is learning to listen to what he has to tell you. Whether or not you're trying to learn whether or not God even exists, or What you're supposed to do with your life. Like the Prophet Moroni promises us, "by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things..." I only have like 3 months left as an official representative of Jesus Christ, So I exhort everyone who reads this to humble themselves and learn to listen to the quiet promptings of the Holy Ghost. It will bring you Peace, Happiness, and a Sense of Being that only those who have experience it can imagine.

We'll I guess you're probably all sick of reading my silly letter, and I should probably get off my soap box here (jumping down now).

We're going to the zoo today! ha, Elder Stewart and I have a goal to ride a dinosaur. Yeah, you thought they were all extinct, but little did you know they all just came to Siberia! ;)

This week we'll be traveling back to Omck to go on splits with the Elders. This will be my last time there as a missionary. I love you guys!! Thanks for all your support and everything you do for me. I couldn't be here without you!

liveSTRONG,
Elder Eborn

Mom & Dad – Hey…no worries on the $ I should be fine on money for a little bit. I'm going to need to buy some things but I will let you know when so you can figure things out. Thanks for your support-always.