Another Week in Kemerovo

Well another week here in Kemerovo and I am not dead yet! When ever I write that I'm in Kemerovo I always think of those days when we would drive through Kemmerer Wyoming. I do miss those days! When we drive 5 hours up to the Wind Rivers and back, Scout chasing deer. Good times! The pictures of you all out on Antelope Island made me way excited to come home and see you all.

This last week was well I guess you'd say a normal week in Siberia in that the weirdest things always seem to go down. But don't worry Elder Carr's safe and no one has died. We had been working very hard to figure out what to do here in Kemerovo and some of the members told us how successful an English Club would be so I made few calls, printed a bunch of invitations to English Club  up, and  got to work inviting people to our big start of English Club party. The day we started was last week and we had probably 30 people show up and we only had 2 missionaries and our "Aunt Terri" her name's Ulia, She's our visa registrar but I call her Aunt Terri because she looks a lot like Aunt Terry and she's always about making sure that we are ok and taken care of. She's taken us out to lunch like 3 times since we got here and she's awesome.

Anyways we had 30 people show up, Elder Carr and I acted out the skit "The King, the Queen and the Gate" and invited some of the people to come and try and translate. It was hiliarous, we had some of the people rolling on the ground they were laughing so hard. We also made them Rootbeer and brownies. it was all fine until I stepped out to get the refreshments and I hear someone ask Elder Carr if they can hug him, and he goes, " Uhh, well I wanna, but uhh... I don't know what to say..." so I yell into him come help me and "Aunt Terri" ...huffs in to save the day and lays down the law about English Club lol. She threw it down pretty hard ha it was pretty cool not gunna lie (no hugging the missionaries). The best part was that every person who came to English gave us their number and asked us if we'd share the gospel with them at some point or an other. I was in awe. It was so legit!

We've had all sorts of other funny experiences too. I don't know why but all new missionaries love to talk to drunk people. I've had to pull Elder Carr away several times before someone tries to hit him. His Russian's coming a long very well but like anyone, it takes some time before you start to understand. He and President Gibbons this weekend decided they wanted to contact a group of kids who all had bottles of beer in their hands. As soon as they started to talk, one of the members in the crowd started calling us Sektanties, which means Sektist, who sacrifice children, and all sorts of bad things. I took him aside and tried to calm him down when I told him that the Church of Jesus Christ was the only true church he said he was going to kill us so I grabbed President Gibbons and Elder Carr and high-tailed it out of there. Elder Carr got to meet another woman this week too. She was very nice until we invited her to come to church. Elder Carr said as we walked away, "she seemed like really nice lady." (ha if only I didn't understand what she'd said). Anyways, we're having a lot of fun and many adventures.

Our investigators are doing awesome, Their progressing. Galina had an intereview with the Mission President and is prepared to be baptized whenever she desires. She hasn't accepted a set date because she's scared but she has a testimony comes to church every week, and wants to be baptized. Alexey wants to live for ever, and has a hypothesis that if we don't drink, smoke or take drugs we'll live forever. We agreed to try it if he agreed to try the gospel ;) . Lena is a nice girl who's got a lot of questions about things but every question she asks can be answered by the gospel. It's amazing how the gospel can do that right?!

We took a trip up to Tomck this week and had a district meeting that went well. The district leader in Tomck asked me to share with them the secret to missionary work. I'm one of the oldest missionaries in Siberia now and they had a question and answer session with me. I was like, "guys, I don't go home for another 10 weeks... I'm still here" It was kind of a sad realization. This last weekend President Gibbons came up with Sister Gibbons and I had my last intereview with him as a missionary before my departure intereview it was way weird and wonderful. We talked a lot about what is going on in Kemerovo and in the mission. His son is on his mission in Mexico right now and was put in a similar situation like me (except he's on the beach and I'm in Siberia ha). We talked about many things and he asked me what thoughts I had about the rest of my mission and what I was going to do.

I told him I'm going to help Elder Carr become the best missionary he can and help him be ready to train another missionary at the end of his training, and that I'm hoping to help the branch here in Kemerovo have a good foundation on which they can grow from after I'm gone. I shared with him the verses from D&C 31.7 Which read,'' I will open the hearts of the people and they will recieve you, and by your hand I will create my church".

I've only have 10 weeks to go, and I pray that the Lord will do with me as he will and give me the strength to do all that he's asked of me."

Well I think thats about all that happened this week. We're goint to be trying a lot of new things. This week, Elder Carr was called to serve as 2nd Counselor in the Branch Presidency so we both can help train and support President Filipov. They're going through the Temple in a month and I'm way excited :) They were baptized literally 3 days after I entered the MTC, and now they're going to be sealed with their family for time and all eternity.

I love being out here in the middle of the Siberia. Like Elder Carr says' "we're the lone wolves out here!
I love you guys! have a great week You're in my prayers.
liveSTRONG
Старейшина Иборн!

Mom & Dad - Love you guys!