Keep Us In Your Prayers

So our library was having some technical difficulties so we had to run to our internet bar so I'm sorry this is a little later than usual. We had a lot to do today and so we had to push emailing off for a little bit. No worries! I dropped a piano on my toe but we're all good.  Woke up to Elder Carr yelling...."I'm going to make a wave pool in Kemerovo!!"  :)

President and Sister Gibbons, Elder Eborn, Elder Carr and President Filapov and Son‏

check out Elder Eborn's laughing..... love that  (mom)

This week was a great week. We worked our tails off literally. We did a lot of service for the members this week because we love and care about them.I'll send pictures next week, they're hilarious! From white Ninjas to piano movers we've been coming home and almost passing out before we get done with planning. It's been legit. I think that being with Elder Carr has been helping my English get better. Who knows maybe you'll be able to understand me when I get home.

We've been working hard to try to grow things, and it is going well.  Our English Club took off and now we have more than 30 people coming every Tuesday and Thursday. If we could get them to all become members of the church then we'd be in good shape :). We're going have a Halloween party next week for it. I'm way excited because this will be my last Halloween in Siberia (I love the holidays at home!). I'm a little sad about it though, I love these people.

There are quite a few people who we're working with that are progressing and doing very well.

It's visible that Satan does not want us to be successful here in this city.

There is a lot of oppression against us here, The Orthodox Church has told people that were a Satanist Sect, and things have been very hard. That's why one of our investigators hasn't been able to be baptized her family is so against the church that they won't even talk to us. Things haven't been easy for our Branch President's family either. They are preparing to go to the temple next month, and are having all sorts of obstacles…life.

However, we finally got to watch general conference this weekend.  A lot of times things are so very hard. But, I know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the way.. He is the light and life of the world, and in Him we can find peace. I know that. I love being His missionary. I know this is where he needs me to be.

Please keep our little branch here in your prayers. We may be in the neither most part of the vineyard, but The Lord himself works with us here. I love you guys. Thanks for everything you do for me.

liveSTRONG
Старейшина Иборн!

Mom & Dad - Just so know I bought my Russian suit. It's pretty slick you'll see it when I get off the plane. Let me know what kind of things you would like me to bring home, P-days are becoming rare commodities now a days...

Tanner - Love ya Brosky!
Megan - Love ya Megashake
B- Love ya Maddie :) Kiss the brown one for me!

Pictures Worth a 1000 Words

We were so blessed today, not only did we hear from our sweet siberian missionary, we were lucky to get some pictures from a wonderful, kind hearted man. 

This is the Kemerovo Branch Building

Some of the members of the branch with President Gibbons and his sweet wife.

Sister Gibbons, President Gibbons, Elder  Eborn and Elder Carr

The new Kemerovo Branch members giving the missionaries a gift.

Elder Carr, President Gibbons, and Elder Eborn

Remember this?  The 5K they ran with the President.  Elder Stewart and Elder Eborn

At the startline of the race.

@ their apartment in Kemerovo, this week.

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!

Serving in the 'Neither Most' Section

Sounds like you guys have been having quite a bit of fun back there in the Good ol' US of A :) I'm looking forward to being able to run with you next year in St. George Marathon it'll be fun I guess I'll have to show the badger that this young pup still has some run in his legs ;) Way to go Dad, I'm proud of you!

The works going well here, we had 11 people at sacrament and were able to get a few new investigators this week. Elder Carr is a stud, ha he's not afraid of anything! I put him on the side of the road that has people walking and he just talks to everyone ha and when they don't understand what's going on I come in and talk to them. He's going to be a much better missionary that I, he's got a strong testimony and is ready to work. The Lord couldn't ask for better.

We're getting ready to have General Conference some time... Out here (where the devil lost his pancho), we don't get a lot of contact with the rest of the world and don't know exactly when we'll get a copy of Conference to watch but when we do I'm sure I'll enjoy it! Weird to think that next time I'll be able to watch it in my own home or even at the conference center live. We are so blessed back home. Some of the members here get to see the conference and that is what they think is the church. a giant conference center and a whole bunch of little branches like ours.

This week's been pretty epic (not gunna lie:). We take a trip to Tomck every other week to take part in district meeting (it's like a 5 hour drive) but this week we had a training in Novosibirsk so we got to go back down. it was way good, I learned a lot. Elder Newenschwander from the quorum of the 70 was there with us and he taught us some very good things that brought peace to my soul. In Kemerovo we have 4 Melchizedek Priesthood holders and two of them are missionaries. This last Sunday, as a matter of fact I set a part a sister to serve as the Primary President because our Branch President, who's a wonderful man trying to do everything he can, has never given a blessing and asked me to teach how. It was a really humbling experience.

I've also been asked to teach the temple preparation class for those who would like to go to the Temple in the near future. I'm teaching the branch president his wife and one other sister who is in her 80's and wants to go to the temple more than anything in the world. We've been starting from scratch basically, trying to teach the members how to manage their own branch, as well as trying to find those who are prepared for the gospel and help them come closer to their Heavenly Father. Many nights I've laid awake just wondering what am I suppose to do? How is a 20 year old suppose to establish the Church of Jesus Christ in the middle of Siberia? Elder Newenschwander described his experience working in the church and helping the church come into Russia 20 years ago, and he had a lot of the same feelings I had been having. But he shared an experience with us that I felt was straight to me. "This is not our work, It's His. And He is very much involved in it. We have stewardship for a while, and we are expected to do the very best that we can, and He'll fill in the rest." I felt like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I know that this is the Lord's work, and I'm very gratfeul that I can serve like it says in Jacob 5 in "the neither most section of the vineyard. " There's nothing I'd rather be doing. :)



We'll that's about it for me... I can't think of anything else that you'd care to know about. We're starting an English club tomorrow, we'll be heading up to Tomck on Thursday and The Gibbons' will be heading up this
weekend to meet the branch president. so ya! I love you guys! Thanks for everything. I miss you like crazy!

liveSTRONG
Старейшина Иборн

Mom & Dad - Love ya guys :)

Grandma & Grandpa - You guys are in the temple everyday any idea how to teach a temple prep class? I love you guys! Thanks for always writting me ever week . You guys rock.

Be Faithful Unto the End

Shalom!

It's starting to get cold outside. That's a funny thing to say while you're living in Siberia... We were out without our jackets going to get groceries today and some бабушка got all up in our faces about not wearing coats. I guess it's that time of the year when all the leaves start to fall and the streets start turning to ice. It’s weird to think that I won't be here to see the thaw this next year.

This city is so beautiful, there are trees all down the streets that are full of orange and yellow leaves and the weather is wonderful to гулять. So we've been taking advantage of it before the winter hits to talk to people on the street and share our message. It was pretty good we've found a lot of people who want to meet with us and also are getting ready to start an English club here in Kemerovo. It's been fun; we're basically starting from the ground up so we get to decide everything. Some of my friends from Omck found out that I got sent here and sent me a whole group of contacts, friends of theirs in Kemerovo they wanted us to meet with and we've been able to find some new investigators from it.

Elder Carr has used one of his new favorite phrases quite a bit this last week, "when you know this is true, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized?" and then he smiles :). He's a great guy and is a great missionary. Plus, he makes me laugh way hard. We were on a bus the other day and I was talking to a man and Elder Carr went to this бабушка and asked if she believed in God. She asked him immediately are you a Jehovah’s Witness? I heard it in the back of the bus and knew Elder Carr didn't know what she was saying, and before I could yell out "no", He smiles and says, “Yeah, I have a testimony of it” it was a good thing we got off on the next bus stop and I explained to him what had happened and we had a good laugh at it. Being a Trainer is a lot of fun, I remember how Elder Lambson use to just laugh at the things I would do while I was trying to get my feet on the ground. I'm sure it's kind of like how Dad must have felt with me for the last 19 years of my life, just sitting back and laughing as I lived and learned.

We have quite a few people that we've found this week that want to meet with us. It's been amazing people just seem to be flopping in our lap. We were invited to dinner last night by a lady who wanted us to come and meet her family and share our message with them. It was honestly, the first time I've ever had that happen on my mission. We also had another lady walk into the branch 3 minutes before sacrament meeting and ask “what is this building? I felt like I needed to come in here for some reason so I did”. We invited her to stay for sacrament and to meet with us afterwards. During sacrament I looked up at her and she had a huge smile on her face and tears rolling down her cheeks. Afterwards, we met with her and she told us how she'd left the православная church and didn't know what to do, but that she found our church and everything just felt so right. Elder Carr invited her to be baptized as well. Ha that's my boy ;). There are miracles here every day, I love this city. I don't know what it is or why, but I feel like this is where I'm supposed to be.

After last week, I was a little discouraged and I'm sorry if it seemed like I was down, but I was reading in D&C 31 again (It sees to bring peace to my soul for some reason). I love the words that are in the very last verse. "Be faithful unto the end, and lo, I am with you. These words are not of man nor men, but of Me even Jesus Christ, your Redeemer.." Whether we're one of 2 missionaries in a city of half million people in the middle of Siberia, playing volleyball, studying in college, working hard, or getting ready to run a marathon. I know that we are never alone. He's always near.

I love you guys :) thanks for everything. Were heading to Novo this week for a training and will be back by the end of the week! Keep us in your prayers.

liveSTRONG
Старейшина Иборн

Dad- Good luck this weekend Badger just remember...... “Run Dammit!”
Mom - Love you mommy :)

A Lot of Work to Do

Sounds like you guys already know about Elder Carr, he's a stud, I love him to death. The first day we were together he caught a pigeon and asked what it was called and stopped every person he saw and then would say, '' uhh.." and turn to me. His Russian is very good for just getting here. He loves to stop people and ask them if they've surfed and then shows them his pictures and says, " the only thing that makes me happier than surfing is the gospel". I have no doubt he's goint to be an amazing missionary.

So Thursday last week Elder Carr and I loaded up all of our stuff on to a bus and headed off to Kemerovo, we had no phone, no nothing ha just the address of our apartment and the keys to the branch. I wasn't to worried I figured we'd figure it out on the way, but we ended up getting into a conversation with a man on the bus about the gospel and in the space of 5 hours were able to teach him basically all the missionary lessons Elder Carr was stoked. We pulled into the bus station switched numbers and he took off. We're hoping to meet with him this week some time. Our Visa registrar met us at the bus station to our surprise and helped us get everything taken care of and even took us to get some groceries for the next few days. Elder Carr crashed as soon as his head hit the bed. I sure remember how that felt. Elder Lambson and I  also shotgunned and area but didn't open a city. I laid awake most of the night just wrestling with my thoughts and trying to figure out what we need to do, where we need to start, and how is the best way to help this city explode with the gospel.

We were able to take care of all of the things we needed and get our apartment in order and then hit the streets we set up a meeting with President Filapov who is the branch president here.  He's a good guy, has a strong testimony, is worthy to be the the branch president and he's ready to work. Sunday we came an hour early for presidency meeting to discuss the members and how to help those we need to and got ready for sacrament meeting. I sat and studied my scriptures and these verses from Mormon 6 kept popping in to my head. So I opened up and read verses 17-20.

17 O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!
18 Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I amourn your loss.
19 O ye afair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have bfallen!
20 But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return.

I thought to myself why did I think of those verses? They're all sad and not very happy. Then 11 o clock came around. and the only people in sacrament meeting were President Filapov, Elder Carr, and myself. President Filapov just kind of put his head down and didn't know what to do. I told him President if no one comes let's partake of the sacrament, and then I have some thought's I'd like to share. 20 minutes later it was still just us. So I blessed and Elder carr passed the sacrament to the 3 of us the I opened up my scriptures and read those verses that had pressed on my mind. In a city of half a million people, only 3 partook of the sacrament this Sunday  We have a lot of work to do and I am grateful the Lord is with us to do it.

Keep us and the people in Russia in your prayers
I love you guys,

liveSTRONG
Elder Eborn

That Last Leg of the Race

Dearest Family & Friends,

So I've got a lot to let you know and not much time to do it in. We've been officially kicked out of the office so back to using internet cafe's to do internet and they always seem to skimp me on time. Anyway, all of the administration changes have been put into effect, and will be active starting next week with the end of this transfer. I have a new and rather unique assignment that I'll let you know about here in a bit but first of all...


This week has been quite an adventure, working hard with our investigator trying to help them to progress and gain that spark that'll ignite their testimony. We had planned to work with our investigator and help him to set a goal, a baptismal date. And we studied way hard, we prayed, fasted, and were very well prepared for the meeting with pavel. We were expecting to have to use quite a few scriptures and help him to understand how to recieve personal revelation a bit more and this is how the converstaion went.


EE- " hey, whats up?"


P- "Not much guys, I read the liahona you gave me about temples. That night I prayed before going to bed, and while I was a sleep I had a dream I was in the temple; dressed in all white. A man came up to me and took me aside, we had an interview and he told me the day that I needed to get baptized... does that normally happen?"


ES- (In English) " You've gotta be kidding me!"


Our whole lesson plan went out the window and we had a good long laugh. But now he has a goal, and something he's working for his fire's started and I have no doubt it will go through even if I'm not here to see it.


Saturday here in Novosibirsk was the Sibierian Festival of Running. Elder Stewart and I talked President Gibbons in to running the 5K with us. We didn't register the right way, We were supposed to get a doctors note, and permission from all of these people ha we just walked up to the registration booth and said, "hey we're American, and we wanna run the 5K."


They all flipped out and let us run for free and even gave us t-shirts that were supposed to be only for the half marathon relay. It was fun :) I'm way out of shape though, I kept telling myself I should be running this at a 6.30 pace but 6.59 isn't to bad for a fat kid.


It was an interesting/great experience, Standing at the start of the race, President Gibbons puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "this is the last race of your mission, leave it all out there." While, I was running I was thinking about my mission, and I kind of thought of it as a few huge rocks that the Lord has put me in front of and told me to get them moving. It started in Tomck, where when I started we hadn't had any baptisms in the city for 8 months. After 3 months of working hard the city became the top baptizing city in our mission. I was then transfred to Omck, which unfortunately was called "the armpit of the mission" at the time". After 9 months of work there the work began to progress and we started having success. Now I'm looking back, at my service as assistant and seeing the things that I've been able to help get started that are going to revolutionize the work here in Siberia. I feel that I've been able to in some small way get these rocks moving. Now I've got an even bigger one to work on.


In March of 2011, I had the opportunity to go with President Trejo to the smallest branch in our mission, Kemerovo. There are probably 4 semi-active members there, and our purpose in going was to announce that we would no longer be sending missionaries to the city of Kemerovo even part time as we had been. The members were devestated, and left the branch in tears. That same day a man who's been a member of the church for a year and a half moved from St. Petersburg to kemerovo because he felt he and his family needed too.Three months later he was given the Priesthood and set apart as branch president. This guy's been a member as long as I've been on my mission and he's the leader of a branch. The Lord calls he qualifies those he calls. This last transfer we decided we needed to re-open the city to fulltime missionary work.

I personally had been hoping to return to Omck, and finish my mission training a new missionary in a place where I knew. One day while driving with President Gibbons, he turned to me and with tears in his eyes said, "Elder Eborn, I want to keep you as an assistant for the rest of your mission, however I know the Lord needs you to help re-open Kemerovo." Talk about a big rock that needs to be moved.  I'll be taking a new missionary, Elder Conrad Carr, from Malibu California with me, where I will train him.

We'll be the only companionship of missionaries in the city and yesterday President Gibbons assigned me to serve as First Counselor in the Branch Presidency to help, support and train President Vladimir Filapov how to be a branch president.. So, this week I'll be heading out.


An Elder here in our mission, after finding out called me, and in a lowly voice said, "Elder Eborn, I was reading in the Doctrine and Coventants and I thought of you, I'd just like to share with you the words I read in D&C 31 (if you want to read it go a head it was really sweet an brought tears to my eyes. :)


I love this work, I love these people, and more importantly I love my Heavenly Father, and I'll do what he asks me to do.  Keep me in your prayers, I am going to so need it!


I love you.
liveSTRONG
Elder Eborn

Things Are Not Always As They Seem

Sounds like you all have had a pretty busy weekend. It's always fun to do a little manual labor that is for sure. Every time we get a chance to do some actual service, not just English Club, we jump at the opportunity! So I hope you're all enjoying and working hard.

This last week for me was an interesting one. We traveled to Omck and went on splits with every companionship of Elders there. They've been having a hard time... I felt that when I left 6 months ago we had just got the ball started to move with the work there but with new missionaries getting their bearings it takes some time to get in the groove of things and tear it up. Plus,every companionship of Elders in the city has had some type of medical emergency in the last transfer. So we got to go back and spend a few days working with the companionships there and also did some training at their district meeting. The district meeting with the whole zone was cool and all but what I really enjoyed was being able to have some one on one time with the elders there. Talking about how the work is going, how they're feeling, and to just spend some time with them. They are amazing missionaries. The last 6 months I've been able to do a lot of administrative things, so it was nice to do the ministry side of things. Maybe next transfer will hold something different for me. I'll let you know next week whats up but, I'll say that this unfortunately was my last trip to Omck as a "Elder Eborn"..

While I was on splits I got to work with a young elder. He's in his third transfer, and doing awesome. It was interesting their one investigator in the area is an excommunicated member who's on her way back to the church and, is working with the elders. I had the opportunity to be on a meeting with this Elder and teach this young lady.

She was not very excited that I was there, and gave me a hard time that I wasn't Elder Sargsyan, who she's use to working with. We started to talk, and I just kept quiet letting my companion start off with the lesson  that he'd prepared. We were talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and, how through the Atonement of Christ we can be cleansed from all of our sins. When we started to talk about  repentance, she sat back looked at us and said, "what do you two know about repentance... you're 20 years old, were born and raised in the church, and are here just to mark off that you served a mission, so you can go home and get married... You don't know anything."

My young comp didn't know what to say and looked at me. I sat there in silence trying to think of what i could say to this woman. Then, I found myself reaching into my bag and pulling out the picture of my family that I always have with me. I showed it to her, And she said, "wow, yet another perfect Mormon family.. I bet your mom waited for your dad on his mission right?'' 

Things are not always as they seem....I then began to tell her about us, and about some of the things we've gone through. I told her about my Mom, and about what happened to our family,what we have experienced.. I looked her in the eye as she began to cry and I said, " The Atonement is real, I've never killed anyone, I've never committed adultery, but I know the Atonement is real if we allow it to work".

I've had some pretty spiritual experiences out here serving but this one made me really cry pretty hard. I'm not a crier (at least I try not to be). I'm really grateful that our we have a Savior, and that His Atonement is real. It was as if He were standing in the room with us from that point on.

I don't know what will happen with that sister, I'll probably never see her again, but for some reason I feel that that 30 minute meeting was one of the reasons I was sent here.

The rest of the week went well, we  finished up in Omck and came back to Novo for the last time. We've got a lot of changes coming our way here in Siberia, and I'm glad I can be a part of them. We met with President Gibbons and got the final preparations figured out for the big administration shift that will start next transfer.

It'll be effecting me pretty major.  We had a great meeting with another investigator, who had just returned from young single adults conference. He had no idea that the goal of the conference was to get as many young single adults married as possible ha. He came back and complained about these girls following him around the whole time and giggling ha. But, he, it seems, has gotten his answer :). He came to our meeting in a white shirt and tie, with just a glow in his face, a light with in him. He said, " I think I've learned how the Holy Ghost communicates with me.." with a big grin on his face. We're looking forward to meeting with him and helping him get ready for baptism here in the near future we're hoping!

Elder Eborn and Elder Stewart

trying to give the dinosaur a Book of Mormom

Well that's about it for this week... We've got ZLC this week and also Elder Stewart and I are searching for a new apartment. so yeah! Thats what we're up too! You're probably sick of reading my junk any way ha. We've only got 3 months left so enjoy the peace and quiet while I'm not around!! ;) I love you guys. Have a great week!!

liveSTRONG

Старейшина Иборн! 

Mom - Alright 1/2 time sounds like a plan. Don't worry I'll get  you some матрёшки. I'm planning on getting some items as well as some шапки. and some cheaper little things for everyone else. The suit thing, I'll probably be alright Russian suits are just way legit and super cheap. So I'll keep an eye out.

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.

Your Personal Sacred Grove

Dear Family!
Sounds like you guys had an awesome weekend! The pictures of Camp look way amazing ...I'm thinking that I may look working next summer there, if I can convince a few good people to come up and work with me.

It sounds like a you had a great time. Way cool that you got to meet Todd, he's a great kid. Way to make me tear up Megan! The whole comment about my life jacket made me realize how much I really miss you guys. I love you guys that's for sure.

I'm here in Omck right now, it's been quite the week running around Siberia with the Gibbons. We've had a lot of really funny experiences with them. Eating Shaurma, joking with Sister Gibbons, and as much missionary work in as possible.

Things have gone well.... We traveled from Krasnoyarsk - Barnual - Tomck - Omck all in this last week. I think I may have finally learned how to sleep on a train though...it's been fine. We've been working on restructuring the mission. There are a lot of things that we're going to be doing that may differ than what been done in the past. But as mom Mom said in her email, "the only thing that is constant in life, is Change" and as President Trejo use to say, "if you always do what you always did, you'll always get what, what you always got". So, I'm really looking forward to what's going to happen.  I'm going to definitely be having an adventure the last 3 months of my mission that's for certain.  Love it!

I haven't had a lot of time to do a lot this last week, we've been working the majority of the time trying to make sure the Gibbons don't get lost as we get around the mission (kidding). But, I have had time to sit and to think. As a missionary you're with your companion 24/7 not a lot of alone time. So you learn how to be alone with your thoughts, and to kind of shut out the world and find what President Gibbons calls "your personal sacred grove". So while traveling from Barnaul after stopping and taking pictures I had a lot of thoughts going through my mind. It's very interesting how the Lord can communicate with us when we put ourselves in those kind of situations. We've got a lot of things that compete for our attention in life and we kind of put the Lord on the back burner.  However, when we can put everything that kind of messes with us aside even if it's just while your driving in the car and spend a little one on one time with the Lord. You really learn who you are and a lot more about what the most important thing is for us to do. He really does know each of us individually and he knows exactly what we need and give us what we need. And some times it's not what we want, but it's always what we need.

The Gibbons are doing well and are getting use to the mission and to Russia. They're learning what's going on and they're having a lot of fun. Amazing people.  I've only had to translate for President Gibbons maybe twice and it was for sacrament meeting talks. His Russian is good, by the end of their mission he'll be better off than most of the regular missionaries. It's kind of interesting having been an assistant for three Mission Presidents. I've learned so much from each of them.

Our investigators are doing well, he is going to the youth conference this week, we're hoping and praying that he'll come back with great spiritual experience. He's been living for all the commandments and is reading the scriptures daily and praying. It's like he's a camp fire that has been kindled very well, and dosed with gasoline. We're just waiting for Heavenly Father to drop the match on him! We found another new investigator this week while were in Novo who hopefully start progressing very well.

So that's about it for me this week! I'm taking the Gibbons the the Market today to find them some winter clothes. This could be very interesting experience! We're here in Omck and it's been kind of bittersweet, I think this may be the last time that I come to Omck. however, whatever the Lord has in store, I'll do what he asks. Like Nephi says, " he always provides away"

Sometimes he just makes us take a few steps in the dark before he shows us what we need to do.

I hope you all have a great time with school starting and such --one adventure ends and another begins! I love you all, Have fun be safe, You're always in my prayers.

liveSTRONG
Elder Eborn

Mom & Dad - There's a note in the box I sent with some treats so enjoy!