Recognizing the Spirit

Hey!

Can you believe that it's really this close? I've honestly been trying to keep
myself as busy as humanly possible to keep myself from getting distracted
and it's working! I feel kind of bad though, Elders Carr and Erickson are
probably not enjoying skipping lunch and dinner and just working all day, I
just feel like I need to sprint the last little bit into the finish line
and so that's what we're doing. The wrestler in me just says to work as
hard as possible and eat later and the voice of Elder Danny in the back of my
head keeps yelling, " you can sleep when you're dead!!" So we've just been
trying to do everything we possibly can this last week of my mission.

Last week we went into Novo for a leadership training, I ended up
translating for the Russian sisters the whole time. Kind of fun being
bilingual. We brought back Elder Brock Erickson
from SLC to Kemerovo with us. He's going to be training a new Elder and
opening up a new area.

President Gibbons finally heard my whinning about needing another set of
Elders here in Kemerovo and is sending them this next transfer. Elder Carr
will be staying in Kemerovo with Elder Krushinsky. I'm so pround of him,
he's come a long way in the last 3 months. His training is offically over
and he's ready to tear it up, I'm sure he's going to be ten times the Elder
I have been. Elder Erickson is with us for the next week until I leave, President
wants me to help him learn the city and learn the branch. I got a good laugh at that.
There's only 14 people in the branch, not to hard to learn :) he's going to be with us this
last week. He and Elder Carr leave for Finland this week and I'll be on
splits with Elder Capps who'll be coming up from Novokuzz. So yeah!


This week in Kemerovo, like I said we've been very busy. Running around
trying to meet with as many people as possible in hopes of helping them
come just a little closer to Christ. It's been pretty cold here, No wind
like you've been having but it's been getting closer and closer to -20.
Elder Carr's latest contacting method is, "are you cold? Would you like
to feel warm inside?" so far not many takers, but we'll keep trying. For
some reason this week on all of our meetings, I've been feeling the spirit
very strongly. We met with our friends and I can't explain how I felt.
It was чудесное. Thats how they've all been lately. One
thing that've learned on my mission is the importance of recognizing the
spirit. Learning how the spirit works with you and being able to help
others understand when Heavenly Father is working through the
Holy Ghost. It takes practice, and its not always the same,
but when you learn how to recognize that the Heavens are opened to
you, and Heavenly Father is working through you, you understand what it
feels like to be part of something amazing. And there is
no better feeling. I may not have baptized thousands of people, but I've
felt the spirit work with me. And, I know that when that happens the Lord is
with me. да будь смирен; и Господь Бог твой поведёт тебя за руку и дасть
тебе ответ на молитвы твои. (D&C 112:10)

I don't know if this will be my last email from Siberia or not... it's
possible, I  leave next Monday morning from Kemerovo to Novo. I have to be
there Tuesday for some departure stuff.. So if this is it, I will see ya
in SLC, ha but I am thinking I'll get  to write even if I write from Novo
Monday. SO you got one more Email to send my way :)
Love you all!

liveSTRONG
Старейшина Иборн!!

Mom and Dad - is our home Phone still the same? LOL I figure I'll probably give
you a call in NYC to let you know when I'm back on US soil.