Hey,
Just a quick note, I have a leadership conference here this week so we
won't really have a P-day...so I will probably write home about my week,
when I have a break and can stop by a net cafe, but I wanted to drop a line
and let you know that I got my package! It had been cut open and
everything had been gone through (even the Reese's peices ha) the card
games were ripped open as well, but you did a pretty good job hiding the important stuff
---it was still there between a pack of cards. So I've got it :) so idk, it all worked so no worries. Oh, and I am sorry if my last email was a little scary ha no worries. President won't take away my Christmas call. he wouldn't want to have moms wrath. LOL
Well I'd better get going. We've got a lot to do today and time doesn't seem to want to wait!
I love you guys :) Thanks for everything. I will send you another email tommorrow.
из руссию с любовью,
Elder Eborn
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Hello? Dude! It's Your Dad!
Hello!
So getting a phone call from dad was a little unexpected at 1:30 In the morning last week. lol but any ways, I wrote President Trejo about it seeing as how he already knew via you guys. I hope everything will be alright.....I am little nervous I might lose my Christmas Call because of it, but we'll see. Ha mom might not be to happy about having to wait untill May to hear from me but, if that's what happens.... then that is what'll happen.
This week has been good, just working hard trying to get this whole peoplewanting to except the gospel thing rolling! ha but what can ya do, we all have agency and get to choose for ourselves. We've been getting a lot of little project-like things rolling here. Trying to get new ways of finding people. We started a Strengthening the Family Program that the senior couple here leads on Tuesdays and doing a lot of contacting trying to find new people lol it's fun. I enjoy talking to people and ithelps my Russian when I speak with Russians on the street lol. Alot of funny experiences, thats for sure lol.
We talked to the branch president about doing an end of summer bbq or something for the branch to invite in actives, and some investigators too and yesterday he told me that I am in charge of it and that he'll buy the food and take care of all the cooking...but, I am in charge of the agenda. We're going to do it Saturday so we'll see what happens. I have some planning and stuff to take careof for this to work out. thats kind of how Russians work, there isn't a lot of planning that goes into anything. it's alot of quick thrown up jobs that for some reason or another seem to come together. I will have to pull a play out of the old JT and Danny hand book and "just wing it" and be flexible.
So we had English last night and a young guy was there and after we finished story time and spiritual thought, he asked Elder Birtcher and I, if we had a few minutes to talk to him. It was way cool. he actually has heard from the missionaries before but he kind of told them off and thathe didn't want to meet any more. He asked me how I found out about the Church and how I obtained my testimony. It was such a good meeting. I told him about how the gospel has blessed my family, and me in my life and how I know that he could find out for himself. he said that he felt something andthat he wanted to keep meeting with us. It's amazing, while I was talking to him, I stopped and realized that I was actually speaking Russian and it was all understandable lol. I couldn't believe it! Man it was amazing!! Littlemiracles every day thats for sure.
Well sorry this letter's short, next week will be better, i hope. lol I love you all! Thanks for everything!
liveSTRONG,
Elder Eborn.
Mom & Dad - hey :) Havent got the card... yet but we check the mail everyday. Hopefully it comes and if not we'll see what happens ha. I confessed to Prez Trejo too. Gotta repent... I guess all part of becoming better. I was thinking of stuff I wanted for Christmas... and I want a copy of the Transiberian Orchestra cd lol. it would be sick if you could send me that :) love you guys.
Lorin - whats up first love! ha good to hear from you , sounds like things are going good for you. when is your roomies friends leave for the mtc? ha he might be here soon! who know's maybe I will be his trainer. any ways, send my love to Taryn, Whit, and all Gotta run saving lives and all!
Tanner - so let's hear the story about how you found the room big guy lol.
Sisters - miss you guys! :) Be excellent to each other!
So getting a phone call from dad was a little unexpected at 1:30 In the morning last week. lol but any ways, I wrote President Trejo about it seeing as how he already knew via you guys. I hope everything will be alright.....I am little nervous I might lose my Christmas Call because of it, but we'll see. Ha mom might not be to happy about having to wait untill May to hear from me but, if that's what happens.... then that is what'll happen.
This week has been good, just working hard trying to get this whole peoplewanting to except the gospel thing rolling! ha but what can ya do, we all have agency and get to choose for ourselves. We've been getting a lot of little project-like things rolling here. Trying to get new ways of finding people. We started a Strengthening the Family Program that the senior couple here leads on Tuesdays and doing a lot of contacting trying to find new people lol it's fun. I enjoy talking to people and ithelps my Russian when I speak with Russians on the street lol. Alot of funny experiences, thats for sure lol.
We talked to the branch president about doing an end of summer bbq or something for the branch to invite in actives, and some investigators too and yesterday he told me that I am in charge of it and that he'll buy the food and take care of all the cooking...but, I am in charge of the agenda. We're going to do it Saturday so we'll see what happens. I have some planning and stuff to take careof for this to work out. thats kind of how Russians work, there isn't a lot of planning that goes into anything. it's alot of quick thrown up jobs that for some reason or another seem to come together. I will have to pull a play out of the old JT and Danny hand book and "just wing it" and be flexible.
So we had English last night and a young guy was there and after we finished story time and spiritual thought, he asked Elder Birtcher and I, if we had a few minutes to talk to him. It was way cool. he actually has heard from the missionaries before but he kind of told them off and thathe didn't want to meet any more. He asked me how I found out about the Church and how I obtained my testimony. It was such a good meeting. I told him about how the gospel has blessed my family, and me in my life and how I know that he could find out for himself. he said that he felt something andthat he wanted to keep meeting with us. It's amazing, while I was talking to him, I stopped and realized that I was actually speaking Russian and it was all understandable lol. I couldn't believe it! Man it was amazing!! Littlemiracles every day thats for sure.
Well sorry this letter's short, next week will be better, i hope. lol I love you all! Thanks for everything!
liveSTRONG,
Elder Eborn.
Mom & Dad - hey :) Havent got the card... yet but we check the mail everyday. Hopefully it comes and if not we'll see what happens ha. I confessed to Prez Trejo too. Gotta repent... I guess all part of becoming better. I was thinking of stuff I wanted for Christmas... and I want a copy of the Transiberian Orchestra cd lol. it would be sick if you could send me that :) love you guys.
Lorin - whats up first love! ha good to hear from you , sounds like things are going good for you. when is your roomies friends leave for the mtc? ha he might be here soon! who know's maybe I will be his trainer. any ways, send my love to Taryn, Whit, and all Gotta run saving lives and all!
Tanner - so let's hear the story about how you found the room big guy lol.
Sisters - miss you guys! :) Be excellent to each other!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A Package To Send?
Letter From the Siberian Battalion
Dear Missionary Family,
As the holiday season fast approaches, we want to remind you of a couple things:
1. Your missionary loves getting mail from family and friends.
2. NOW is the time to send your holiday greetings- cards, letters, or packages- in order for your missionary to get them for Christmas. Packages from America can take 2-3 months as the season gets busier. And then they only get the packages when someone is going to the city where they are serving and that could be only once a month.
3. They love special treats that are consumable and non-perishable. Remember, our missionaries move often and carrying extra “stuff” is very hard for them. Please keep this in mind when making your gift selections. They may not transfer or go home with more than 2 bags 20 kg each and some are collecting a lot of things. Please don’t add to that. Also remember that someone has to carry those packages to their cities and if there are 12 missionaries in a city and each one gets several packages that weight 20lbs each, you can see it will be difficult to get the packages to them.
4. Please don’t send any electronic equipment. Missionaries are not permitted to use them (but family tapes are fine).
5. If you send CD’s remember that just because you find it in Deseret Book does not mean that it is missionary acceptable. The only music that does not need pre-approval by Sister Trejo is Tabernacle Choir, classical music and EFY (and some of that is questionable). Sister Trejo can approve other music but some that has come has not been acceptable. Please help your missionary obey the music rules. Music can be a great aid or a great distraction. And sometimes CDs doesn’t make it through customs.
6. As missionaries have come through the office I have asked for ideas they like in packages. These are only a few and you will need to adjust this to your missionary’s particular tastes. Missionaries can buy just about anything they NEED here in Siberia manufactured in Russia. In other words, don’t send shampoo or deodorant or socks unless they like a special brand from home. There are plenty of candy bars but some special kinds not found here are 100,000 Grand, Butterfingers, Nutrageous, Rees Peanut Butter Cups are a few. They do have Snickers here.
7. Other ideas: Past and current pictures, Koolaid, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce dry mix, Tide pens, Spray and Wash stain sticks, dry cider mix, vanilla, maple and rootbeer extract, games (no face cards), games that can be used for family home evenings or Single Young Adult gatherings that could involve a lot of people, things to be used for object lessons, stickers to use in other missionaries’ journals, American souvenirs or pins to give away, jerky, dry BBQ sauce, any favorite spices, homemade candy, Doritos, hot sauce, dry taco seasoning, ranch dressing mix, jello. Missionaries spend a lot of time traveling (buses, trains, planes) and an inflatable travel pillow may save a few necks. They only carry their backpacks on these trips so there is no room for anything that can’t be deflated.
8. If you will write Merry Christmas on the outside somewhere or put on a Christmas sticker so we know that this is for Christmas, we will try to save it for Christmas time if it comes in early.
Send your mail/packages to the mission office address:
630102 Novosibirsk, Russia
ul. Kirova 46
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Russia Novosibirsk Mission
Elder/Sister ___________
Our missionaries are the very best of Heavenly Father’s servants. We love and appreciate them, as you do. Thanks for sharing your missionary with us and the good people of Siberia.
Love from Novosibirsk office couple,
Elder and Sister McCauley
Dear Missionary Family,
As the holiday season fast approaches, we want to remind you of a couple things:
1. Your missionary loves getting mail from family and friends.
2. NOW is the time to send your holiday greetings- cards, letters, or packages- in order for your missionary to get them for Christmas. Packages from America can take 2-3 months as the season gets busier. And then they only get the packages when someone is going to the city where they are serving and that could be only once a month.
3. They love special treats that are consumable and non-perishable. Remember, our missionaries move often and carrying extra “stuff” is very hard for them. Please keep this in mind when making your gift selections. They may not transfer or go home with more than 2 bags 20 kg each and some are collecting a lot of things. Please don’t add to that. Also remember that someone has to carry those packages to their cities and if there are 12 missionaries in a city and each one gets several packages that weight 20lbs each, you can see it will be difficult to get the packages to them.
4. Please don’t send any electronic equipment. Missionaries are not permitted to use them (but family tapes are fine).
5. If you send CD’s remember that just because you find it in Deseret Book does not mean that it is missionary acceptable. The only music that does not need pre-approval by Sister Trejo is Tabernacle Choir, classical music and EFY (and some of that is questionable). Sister Trejo can approve other music but some that has come has not been acceptable. Please help your missionary obey the music rules. Music can be a great aid or a great distraction. And sometimes CDs doesn’t make it through customs.
6. As missionaries have come through the office I have asked for ideas they like in packages. These are only a few and you will need to adjust this to your missionary’s particular tastes. Missionaries can buy just about anything they NEED here in Siberia manufactured in Russia. In other words, don’t send shampoo or deodorant or socks unless they like a special brand from home. There are plenty of candy bars but some special kinds not found here are 100,000 Grand, Butterfingers, Nutrageous, Rees Peanut Butter Cups are a few. They do have Snickers here.
7. Other ideas: Past and current pictures, Koolaid, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce dry mix, Tide pens, Spray and Wash stain sticks, dry cider mix, vanilla, maple and rootbeer extract, games (no face cards), games that can be used for family home evenings or Single Young Adult gatherings that could involve a lot of people, things to be used for object lessons, stickers to use in other missionaries’ journals, American souvenirs or pins to give away, jerky, dry BBQ sauce, any favorite spices, homemade candy, Doritos, hot sauce, dry taco seasoning, ranch dressing mix, jello. Missionaries spend a lot of time traveling (buses, trains, planes) and an inflatable travel pillow may save a few necks. They only carry their backpacks on these trips so there is no room for anything that can’t be deflated.
8. If you will write Merry Christmas on the outside somewhere or put on a Christmas sticker so we know that this is for Christmas, we will try to save it for Christmas time if it comes in early.
Send your mail/packages to the mission office address:
630102 Novosibirsk, Russia
ul. Kirova 46
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Russia Novosibirsk Mission
Elder/Sister ___________
Our missionaries are the very best of Heavenly Father’s servants. We love and appreciate them, as you do. Thanks for sharing your missionary with us and the good people of Siberia.
Love from Novosibirsk office couple,
Elder and Sister McCauley
Visa Trip II
This last week has been way hectic, but, super awesome. The last couple weeks when p-day came around I felt like "eh just another day". But, last night when I was getting ready for bed I was just super stoked! I just miss you all a lot and reading your letters makes me feel closer to you even when I am on the other side of the world.
Any how, you're probably all wondering how my trip was, so I will give you a little run down of what happend
We got up Wednesday morning.. and got to the tiny airport here in Omsk at about 5:30 AM and got on a little bus which took us to our plane. We flew into Moscow, met up with everyone else in our group, and then went to TGI Fridays in the Moscow Airport. Let me just say, a good burger every three months is like heaven! mmm.
We were all standing in line to get checked into our flight and we heard the faint sound of English being spoken with American accents. We turned and saw group of about 50 americans standing in line behind us. ha it was so nice to get to speak American English with some people lol. It was the most understandable conversation I've had in months! It was fun, they all sat with us on the plane and we talked about Russia and why we are doing what we're doing ..it was cool. There was one lady who actually is LDS and she was super excited to see the missionaries! When we all landed in Helsinki and got threw customes and stuff we all broke off into seperate groups. With the Temple being closed, we were going to be staying at a hostel in down town Helsinki so we went checked in and then hit the Helsinki streets! It was gorgeous! It was warm the sun was out, the trees were starting to turn colors and we had the entire day to explore the city.
We went to this cool church called the church in the Rock (above), which is like a Catholic Church but it's carved out of the rock. Then we went to what was called the island. We took a ferry out in the middle of the bay and got to walk around this island which had a huge fortress on it.
I got to watch the sunset (or sunrise for you guys) over the ocean with these sailboats just everywhere It was so sick! I was a little trunky for that part but oh well. I couldn't get sailing out of my mind the rest of the trip!
The next day we woke up early and got to the airport and headed back to Moscow where we had a 12 hour lay over so we took the express train into down town Moscow!
It was sick, I got to see a whole bunch of cool stuff. Unfortunately, Red Square was closed due to a concert going on that night but I got to walk around and got as close to St. Basil's as possible.
We got to see a scottish pipe band play "Praise to the Man" or something that sounded like it... on Red Square though it was so cool. It was way fun and needed. my flight to Omsk was at like 12 am and we landed in Omsk at 6 am. It's funny how time changes when you fly to Siberia. we got off the plane and I don't know what happend. It was beautiful in Moscow and Finland, but it seems like in a day, the weather has turned to Winter. The sky's grey and it was snowing ha it was crazy! Well it's a good thing I got most of my stuff for winter already. So we got in a taxi to go home and the driver was all scared and asked us if we were mafia ha we got a good laugh out of that. but he tried to charge us like 3000 rubles for the ride but we told him how it wasn't nice to take advantage of American's especially one's who speak Russian, ha it was funnny. So yeah I slept for like 10 hours then got up and went to district meeting at the Nicholiasens it was pretty much my visa trip in a nut shell. lt was good and much needed.
I got back to Omsk and have been working ever since! we're trying to get a family home evening deal set up in order to find some new people to teach, and it's been way fun, we made some new invitations and then went contacting with our senior couple here. it was way funny lol. Sister Nicholiasen would walk up to someone and just start speaking to them about this program that could help strengthen families and then I'd walk up and translate for her we actually got quite a few people interested.
Thats basically whats up with me! just working. but I love you guys, thanks for everything I miss you like crazy!
liveSTRONG,
Elder Eborn
Dad - Hey, so I am not sure about what to do with the card, I will just send you my address or the address of the senior couple here in Omsk and you could probably just send it to them. I will talk to Elder Nicholiasen today. Let me know the details I will check my email in about a couple more hours to see any updates on that. but yeah sounds like you're getting ready for the big race. I wanna see pictures, I wish I could be runnin with ya pops. I miss ya.
Mom- Mommy! All is well here, I am healthy, working, and not dead. No worries :) The package was super sick. I am saving the fun fetti cake for a special day ha idk when yet, but it'll be good! I need to by some winter boots so I will probably buy those this week it'll be like 150 bucks or so. Ha in Finland I realised I am too much... like my mom... I bought a bag because it was "black and I liked it" lol. but its a good thing :) Love you mommy!
Tanner - Alright bamf mama jama, you want the location of the Senior Wall??? You need to do the following and my next letter will contain it's location... I need Jake and Kendyll's email (my Idaho Bud's) and you also need to get on my facebook and up date my status to "I am in Siberia!" and put a cool pic up of me here with my Shapka. Got it? You do this and I wiill send you the cooridinates... love ya broski ! keep running hard retard.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
And The Box Goes To ..... Elder Eborn!
Elder Birtcher and I have been talking and we've actually got some really good ideas that we are going to be doing this transfer, it's going to be a lot of work, but man it's going to be worth it! Our city is not going to be the armpit of the mission any more when we're done with it! Omsk has the reputation of being the city where no one wants to serve. So we're going to fix that!
So when Elder Birtcher got here he had a big bag that was labeled mail on it.... and he started handing out letters and stuff and there was a box that was visible in the bottom, and guess what it had my name on it!!! :)
Thankyou so much ha! I've been munching on peanut butter, making some delicous chicken and when I get back from Finland, yep you guessed it, I am making a fun fetti cake! ;) It's always good to get a little carepackage from home everyonce and a while----the timing was perfect :)
So we've got some people that are here in our area who we've been working with trying to help them do what they need to do and stuff like we missionaries do. But any ways, there is a young man who was recently disfellowshipped, he's got a lot of problems, and needs a lot of help. He has been meeting with us regularly to get back on the path he needs. His girlfriend is one of the sister's investigators and we had a meeting and shewas there, she asked if she could sit in on our meeting. She said that she felt something when the missionaries were there and she likes it alot. It was a cool little experience, People can really tell there is something different about us, and people want it in their lives. Later in the week we had a correlation meeting with some of the branch leadership, just talking about who we'd been working with and what help we needed. We brought up this youngman's name and one person started to laugh and told us not to waste our time, he was beyond help, that there were plenty of active members who would love to have us over. It kind of got under my skin and I dont know if it'sjust the fact that I've been in Russia for a while and their bluntess is rubbing off or what but, (I didn't keep quiet) I told him straight up.... "No that is not what is needed, that doctors don't spend their time with the healthy, but the sick and Christ didn't spend his time with the righteous but with the sinners, I am here to help strengthen those who need to be strengthened , to uplift those who need to be uplifted."
I am glad that my mission's not easy, if it were I'd come home and wonder why I wasted 2 years of my life. The Lord knows what I am capable of doing, and thats why he sent me to Siberia. I've got a work to do.
I love you all! Thank you for everything. I miss you like crazy! I'll talk write you next week.
liveSTRONG,
Elder Eborn
Mom - Thanks for having the missionaries over... the pictures looked way fun. You should all think of some way that you could help them. Invite someone over for dinner when they come, someone that needs the Spirit in their life. I love ya mommy :) Thanks for the yummies! :)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
I Will Contend With Them
Hey there, it's me again, and man I am super tired. This week has been rather rough ...not going to lie.
We had Zone Conference this last Friday, and well it was not what I was hoping for. It seemed to me that everything talked about was stuff that I had already figured out this last transfer. The assistants kind of ticked me off and my mini missionary made me want to pull all my hair out and just go run away. Don't get me wrong, I had a great talk with President Trejo, my interview was way good and I felt good about what I am doing after it. Something President told me has been running through my mind all week though, he was kind, he talked about how I was one of the missionaries he didn't worry about and that he knew I would do the work, an did get done what I needed to here... on this mssion. He stopped and looked at me and said, "The Lord's expecting great things out of you Elder Eborn". I hope that can live up to it. This was a hard week.
After Zone Conference we got our transfer assignments, I will be here in Omsk for another 6 weeks and will be with Elder Birtcher. It'll be way cool I am excited, I've met Elder Birtcher before (last time I was in Finland) so it'll be fun. This week, I wasn't alone (mom don't worry). As different as my mission is from the rest of the world, as long as I am not traveling, I am always with some one. I was with a mini missionary who, well he's got a lot to learn about what it means to be a missionary and how to treat people. It was a pretty stressful week with him, he told me I wasn't doing missionary work the right way and that I was a horrible missionary, yet he wouldn't study, and if we had a meeting with someone who actually needed some help he would get all upset and try to find some way out. He's got a lot to learn about service. We had one meeting and after, I was feeling very confident about my skills with the language, and I walked out smiling we had a great meeting with a family and my mini looks at me super mad and tells me that I was the most un understandable missionary he's met, and that I'll never learn Russian. It made me sad...it was rough, last night we sent him on a train to Novokuznetz where he'll serve a 6 week mini mission with a full time missionary, and everyone kept asking me why I looked upset....and he says, "he's just mad because I'm a much better missionary than he is". I didn't think missionary work was a competition...ok, sorry .. I am done complaining about my week with my mini.
I am with Elder Petersen right now he's the ZL here and last night we had to go pick up someone for the trainstation at like 2:30 in the morning, and we called for a taxi and they wouldn't take us. (I will explain Russian customer service another time) and so Elder Petersensays, " what should we do? We need to be there in 45 minutes, and I looked up at him and smiled, saying, " let's run..." . run to the trainstation ha. It was 10 kilometers from their apartment and man I tell you... sometimes you just need to run.
It was such a good feeling to get to the trainstation! When we met the sister that came in to just be drenched with sweat and grime having my lungs burning, my legs sore with the feeling of a good run. It was so good.
We got home and some of the stress and the bad feelings I had the pastweek were gone, I felt just amazing I opened my scriptures when I got home, I kind of felt bad about running to the trainstation, we probably should have done something different to get there, so I sat down opened my scriptures (still feeling down)and read the verse in 2 Nephi which says, "but thus saith the Lord, I will contend with them that contendeth with thee..." its on page 69.but after I read that I just knelt down and thanked my father in heaven and prayed. A lot of time I feel like I just need to do everything I can possible do in order to help someone here, to be the very best missionary I can be, and sometimes it's so much harder than I ever thought it would be. But in that instant I caught a glimpse of how much he really does loves me (loves us). He know's each and everyone of us and he knows what we need.
I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who blesses us with tender mercies just when we need them the most. Sorry, this was not like a super missionary email. But yeah, it's life. I love you all, and I am so grateful for the support and love you all give me, there's a lot to do here, and I need to get back to work, these people don't know what they could have, and they won't unless I let them know (even if I can't say it perfect or don't do it all right) what else is out there.
liveSTRONG,Elder Eborn
Mom - Hey mommy ....ha so I got a package this week when President Trejo came but it wasn't from you lol. Am sent me some reeses peanutbutter cups and pictures of their trip to nauvoo. So nope I havent got it yet, but the ZL's are going to Novo this week and we'll see what we bring back. I am doing fine though, I will be in Finland next Wednsday so if you want to write me I will be taking care of all my pday stuff Tuesday which means email then. I love ya mommy :) Thanks for everything.
Dad - No worries if their is anything that is that scary I will let you know, there hasn't been anything major that's happen....I mean I got mugged at the Layton Hills Mall and I haven't had any problems here yet. So no worries. Love ya pops, Run hard.
Tannner - Dude that is so sick! I can't believe you're a senior, I will let you know the location to the secret room but you've first gotta earn it by doing something freaking BAMF. ..not illegal, Just BAMF. Let me know how things are and keep me updated! Tell Andersen, and all them I say "whats up".ha. oh and find out if anyone of the guys's like Kyle and Deven and them are getting ready to come out ....yet or not. love ya Broski.
Amber - Hey missy :) I went into my interview with President Trejo last Friday and he holds up this little box, and asks me, "Elder Eborn, Who is Amber? " ha man it was so funny. I can't thank you enough for the package.
Grandma & Grandpa Eborn - Hey, I know I haven't written you back in a while, but I wanted to let you guy's know that I love you :) and I am very grateful for you're example and you're love :) thanks for everything... Love your Taterbug
We had Zone Conference this last Friday, and well it was not what I was hoping for. It seemed to me that everything talked about was stuff that I had already figured out this last transfer. The assistants kind of ticked me off and my mini missionary made me want to pull all my hair out and just go run away. Don't get me wrong, I had a great talk with President Trejo, my interview was way good and I felt good about what I am doing after it. Something President told me has been running through my mind all week though, he was kind, he talked about how I was one of the missionaries he didn't worry about and that he knew I would do the work, an did get done what I needed to here... on this mssion. He stopped and looked at me and said, "The Lord's expecting great things out of you Elder Eborn". I hope that can live up to it. This was a hard week.
After Zone Conference we got our transfer assignments, I will be here in Omsk for another 6 weeks and will be with Elder Birtcher. It'll be way cool I am excited, I've met Elder Birtcher before (last time I was in Finland) so it'll be fun. This week, I wasn't alone (mom don't worry). As different as my mission is from the rest of the world, as long as I am not traveling, I am always with some one. I was with a mini missionary who, well he's got a lot to learn about what it means to be a missionary and how to treat people. It was a pretty stressful week with him, he told me I wasn't doing missionary work the right way and that I was a horrible missionary, yet he wouldn't study, and if we had a meeting with someone who actually needed some help he would get all upset and try to find some way out. He's got a lot to learn about service. We had one meeting and after, I was feeling very confident about my skills with the language, and I walked out smiling we had a great meeting with a family and my mini looks at me super mad and tells me that I was the most un understandable missionary he's met, and that I'll never learn Russian. It made me sad...it was rough, last night we sent him on a train to Novokuznetz where he'll serve a 6 week mini mission with a full time missionary, and everyone kept asking me why I looked upset....and he says, "he's just mad because I'm a much better missionary than he is". I didn't think missionary work was a competition...ok, sorry .. I am done complaining about my week with my mini.
I am with Elder Petersen right now he's the ZL here and last night we had to go pick up someone for the trainstation at like 2:30 in the morning, and we called for a taxi and they wouldn't take us. (I will explain Russian customer service another time) and so Elder Petersensays, " what should we do? We need to be there in 45 minutes, and I looked up at him and smiled, saying, " let's run..." . run to the trainstation ha. It was 10 kilometers from their apartment and man I tell you... sometimes you just need to run.
It was such a good feeling to get to the trainstation! When we met the sister that came in to just be drenched with sweat and grime having my lungs burning, my legs sore with the feeling of a good run. It was so good.
We got home and some of the stress and the bad feelings I had the pastweek were gone, I felt just amazing I opened my scriptures when I got home, I kind of felt bad about running to the trainstation, we probably should have done something different to get there, so I sat down opened my scriptures (still feeling down)and read the verse in 2 Nephi which says, "but thus saith the Lord, I will contend with them that contendeth with thee..." its on page 69.but after I read that I just knelt down and thanked my father in heaven and prayed. A lot of time I feel like I just need to do everything I can possible do in order to help someone here, to be the very best missionary I can be, and sometimes it's so much harder than I ever thought it would be. But in that instant I caught a glimpse of how much he really does loves me (loves us). He know's each and everyone of us and he knows what we need.
I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who blesses us with tender mercies just when we need them the most. Sorry, this was not like a super missionary email. But yeah, it's life. I love you all, and I am so grateful for the support and love you all give me, there's a lot to do here, and I need to get back to work, these people don't know what they could have, and they won't unless I let them know (even if I can't say it perfect or don't do it all right) what else is out there.
liveSTRONG,Elder Eborn
Mom - Hey mommy ....ha so I got a package this week when President Trejo came but it wasn't from you lol. Am sent me some reeses peanutbutter cups and pictures of their trip to nauvoo. So nope I havent got it yet, but the ZL's are going to Novo this week and we'll see what we bring back. I am doing fine though, I will be in Finland next Wednsday so if you want to write me I will be taking care of all my pday stuff Tuesday which means email then. I love ya mommy :) Thanks for everything.
Dad - No worries if their is anything that is that scary I will let you know, there hasn't been anything major that's happen....I mean I got mugged at the Layton Hills Mall and I haven't had any problems here yet. So no worries. Love ya pops, Run hard.
Tannner - Dude that is so sick! I can't believe you're a senior, I will let you know the location to the secret room but you've first gotta earn it by doing something freaking BAMF. ..not illegal, Just BAMF. Let me know how things are and keep me updated! Tell Andersen, and all them I say "whats up".ha. oh and find out if anyone of the guys's like Kyle and Deven and them are getting ready to come out ....yet or not. love ya Broski.
Amber - Hey missy :) I went into my interview with President Trejo last Friday and he holds up this little box, and asks me, "Elder Eborn, Who is Amber? " ha man it was so funny. I can't thank you enough for the package.
Grandma & Grandpa Eborn - Hey, I know I haven't written you back in a while, but I wanted to let you guy's know that I love you :) and I am very grateful for you're example and you're love :) thanks for everything... Love your Taterbug
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