Best 2 Years!!

21 April 2006
"Well, I am officially not a missionary. That is sure a weird feeling. I just slept a good 8 hours last night, and that felt good. Life is good here and I am going to enjoy it. It will be hard as I terribly miss everyone. So after the flight earlier. I took my time to get to my family and to see how they were. They were all glad to see me, but I must admit that it was sure a strange feeling. We came home and just chatted about life and how all is going. I drank real milk and had good Mexican food and my Mom got it all ready. It was sure a weird feeling. I met with the stake president and had a good spiritual meeting where I officially became JC Tenney again. I went to bed about 12. I have a lot to do, and it will be weird to open all my stuff up again. Life is weird and I miss my friends but life will likely move along. I will never forget my best 2 years serving the Russian people."

Flying Home

20 April 2006
"My mission is coming to an end. I am on the first of 3 flights to get home, and it is crazy. I don't know what to think. We had an interesting day so far and it is only almost 10 by Penza time. First things first - I didn't sleep all that well as I knew I was leaving. After that, we got up at about 3:30 this morning, showered and got all ready and then headed off with Роман. We went to the office and then to the airport. So there, I exchanged some money and then we just waited. We talked with an American so that was cool and we chatted a bit about the church. We saw Лилия who helped us out a ton. We set up everything so it would go smooth. When we left Лилия gave me a hug - it was crazy, but felt good too. Now we're just flying...I hope that I can keep busy for the next several hours, and I will write my feelings as I can.

7:00 PM (Penza Time)

I am going by Penza's time because that is what I have on my watch. That's not so important as is what's happening. Nothing really amazing but a few interesting things. In Germany we split up with Elder Paulsen who flew alone to Chicago while we are headed to Denver. We talked with a few people who wanted to know what we were doing and all. So here on the plane I have been going out of my mind. We have just eaten, but before that, I just sat. We still have 7 hours of flying ahead, and so that should be fun. I am going to write some people and watch something probably. Here on the plane is an Elder Cummins that knows my brother. He just talked with him this morning and was in my brother's zone. I guess it's a small world.

4:00 AM (Penza)

Well, I am on the last leg and almost there. It is sure insane and I can't believe it. It doesn't feel real. It will be even crazier to be home, and see the family in just over an hour. So the last flight ended pretty well, and I slept a bunch and watched the film and all. It was sure crazy but I made it. We went through customs and all before parting with Elder Alton. One of the things I did was ran and got a drink from a water fountain. It felt so good! I jumped on this plane and will soon be home. It is weird to look out the window and see real mountains. Its been so long since I have seen the peaks. It is also strange to hear only English. It has been a long time since I was part o the majority. Well, I want to do a few other things so I will write again later."

Love

19 April 2006
"It is over with. My mission is almost complete. Today was a long day and it just flew. I don't know. We didn't even really do anything. We got in this morning and came to the office where we sat around for awhile. We had our last interviews with President which went pretty well. He told me to continue my study and do the things that I know are right. He thanked me for my service and asked how I felt about my mission. I told him that I love the people so much and that I am going to miss them. I can't express my great love to these people. Well, we sat around a bit more before going to lunch which was awesome. We ate amazingly. Well, after lunch there was nothing to do. We sat around forever. I wrote some e-mails. We went and walked around, and tonight I have just been sitting here a long time again. I am bored and want to do something. I miss my friends in Penza and want to return to them. I hope that someday I will be able to return and see these people. I love them with all my heart, and want to remember them. These are my best friends ever. My goal is to return next summer. We will see how that works out! As for tonight, enough thinking. I need to do anything and not just sit here."

Unsure

18 April 2006
"It's done with in Penza. I have officially seen my friends in Penza for the last time (as a missionary). I am going to miss everyone, but at least I have a calm feeling. I have been busy reading and trying to keep myself busy to keep my mind off of what will be in the next couple of days. Right now we are on the train to Samara and will be there tomorrow morning. I have a really weird feeling of unsureness. I know that all will be alright though and will work out. So today we didn't do a whole lot, but did sleep a lot and we got a bunch of pictures developed. We ate with Boster and Olsen in Трио Пицца for one last time. Like I said I slept a bit and got my last things together. We stopped by quickly to see Раиса and then tonight we went to see Вася and his family. I was at my last meeting, and I can't believe it is almost over. Like I said though, I feel peaceful as though everything will be okay. I know that the Lord will help me as I make thing big change back to life again."

Almost Done

17 April 2006
"Today was a very interesting day and I feel so crazy. I don't know, it was just a good and bad day all in one. It was bad because I only have one more day left on my mission - well a few more, but one real working day. Well, we went contacting this morning and that went alright. I only have one more time. We then headed off to собрание округа - that went alright. It was awesome and I had a good time talking about the work and seeing everyone. We ran off and stopped by to see Баба Нина who is doing well. I absolutely love her to death and cried when I said my goodbyes. I feel like I really helped her out and I hope that she will continue to be active. We then went and had a meeting with Шавкат who is doing alright. He complained as usual, but I am going to miss him anyways. I love him. We ended the night on the branch apartment where we had my going away bash. It was awesome and I love the youth here. I am going to see them all tomorrow, but I will miss them. We just sat there and played and I will have some good pictures. We gave Анна Ф a blessing as she asked for it and so that was cool. She has a big test tomorrow and hopefully she will pass it. We are now home and I have a lot of people to talk with. I love this place."

Time Flies

16 April 2006
"It is coming to a close, and I can't believe it. Everything is going way too fast. It was my last Sunday in Russia on my mission. I can't believe it. We went to the meeting this morning I had mixed feeling. i don't know what to think. I had a talk about how we must become something and about the gospel makes us that. The gospel isn't just a part of my life but it is our very selves. Well, it was a pretty good talk and I was sad to say goodbye to everyone. I am going to miss people and I feel a part of the branch. So I will miss everyone here. We came home and we worked on packing - well I did, and I have all my stuff put away. I slept a bit as I was tired. We then headed out to Андре's place where we met with him for a while and had a good time. He is way funny and I like him a lot. It was cool, and then we came home. So, we are getting ready for tomorrow, and it will be crazy. I am super tired, but all is well. I don't feel as though I am leaving and I wish I did. Life is sure interesting right now, and it will be crazy in a few days. Time flies."

Sad

15 April 2006
"What an amazing day. It feels so good to be busy. I had a good time this morning and got my talk all ready for tomorrow. We then went and did contacting as always, so that was good. We then had lunch and ran off to see Изольда. She is doing pretty good and she is in the hospital right now. Well, we chatted, and I am sure going to miss her. We then went back to the center to look at pictures and go to собрание миссионеров. That went well and it was my last one. We chatted for a bit and then we quick like changed before heading to sports. We played for a while in b-ball - in fact over an hour and I was dead tired. Well, we played and then took off. It was sad and I am going to miss sports. It is so awesome to just be able to play. We are now home and getting ready for tomorrow."

Packing

14 April 2006
"Life is pretty good, and I feel a lot better. So we went out contacting this morning and that went pretty well. We had a good time and then we met up with Андрей and I gave him my discs. Well, he walked around with us for a bit before we came home and grabbed a bite to eat. We then did our planning session which was more like me packing and working on my talk while my companion planned. So we then chatted for a bit before heading to service with the other elders which was fun. We cleaned walls in a hospital and washed the floors. It was cool, and there were quite a few people there."

Headache

13 April 2006
"Today was a pretty good day, and I enjoyed it a lot. I had a decent time planning and studying. It was good, and then we went and had contacting. That went well, and as always we enjoyed it. We didn't have much luck, but that is part of life. So we had lunch and I started to think way too much. I thought about life here and about what it will be like. We luckily had service at Раиса's place and she is doing alright. We cleaned things up a lot there and so that is good. She is the funniest grandma that I know and I love her to death. I will miss her. After service we came home and I took my 15 minute power nap. That went pretty cool, and I felt a bit better after that. The best part was that I developed some pictures and so I have several new ones. We were at the scripture class and then молодежный вечер which went okay but there wasn't a ton of people there, so that was sad. My head hurt a bit, but it was all good."

Last P-day

12 April 2006
"Today was a pretty sweet p-day and it was my last one! I can't believe it. I was in a bad mood this morning and so that was no good. One of the main reasons is because the family didn't say a word about me coming home and so I felt really crappy. Just it was weird and right now I have all kinds of feelings that I just can't express and I am very emotional. After we wrote home we went to a few disc stores and that was pretty cool. I bought several discs and got what I wanted. We grabbed some трио Пицца and that was good as always. We came home and I grabbed a few zzz's as I was a bit out of it. I then got my discs all organized and that was way nice. We took off to take some pictures and so now I have several. We had English tonight and that was good. It was my last English night and so that is a little sad. Well, we looked at an apartment for the sisters and found one, and so that is good. Now we are home."

Scary

11 April 2006
"Today was a pretty sweet day other than I was dead tired. So we started the day with a meeting at a members house. We were doing home teaching with Анатолий Смолькин and that went well. So that was alright other than the fact that he repeated the Lord's prayer at the end. Well, I got back with Elder Christensen and we headed to see Раиса who is doing well. She had a good time with us, and I am going to miss seeing her. We then did one of the scariest things that I've done yet on my mission - we bought my train tickets home. It was a really weird and I feel weird. We went and looked at an apartment for sisters who are going to be serving here. We had a meeting then with Баба Нина and that was cool. I enjoyed it, and I love her a ton. She is an awesome lady. Well, then we went to the branch apartment where we had a meeting with Владик. He is doing alright, but needs some help. I love the guy to death and am going to miss him. He is truly awesome. We were then at the branch apartment for a bit before we left. Things are alright there, but I was dead and now I want to sleep. I almost forgot that I gave 2 blessing today and the spirit was very strong. I blessed Сестра Макарова and Люда Герасимова. It was awesome!"

Exchanges

10 April 2006
"Another day gone, and it also just flew by. So this morning we got up and had a good time. We studied and all that good stuff before we went and did our contacting. that went well, and we had a good time even though we didn't have much luck. We headed to собрание округа where I slept for a bit before we started our meeting. The meeting went alright, but nothing all that great. We grabbed a bite to eat before we went on exchanges. I went off with Anand and we headed out to the country to find some former members. We found out they had all moved or else they are против. We came back into the city where we stopped by to the apartment for a minute before we headed to our FHE with the Филипповы. That went fairly well, and I enjoyed it a lot. We chatted forever and I showed them a bunch of pictures from the mission, and all in all, it was a lot of fun. I felt really good there, and I enjoyed it. We are now home and I am headed to bed. Another day ahead of us tomorrow."

Hospital

9 April 2006
"Once again the head was pounding and I wanted to sleep all day - just like I want to right now. So this morning we got up and got all ready to got, so all is good that way. We then went to the meeting where like I said, my head was pounding. Things were all right there. Well, we had a good time relaxing before we went to the hospital with Сестра Макарова. She told me that I had to as my head hurt so much, but as I expected, there wasn't much of anything for them to do. We came home and a had a large meal before we rested which felt really good. We went out to work but nothing worked out. No one was home, and we just walked around and go tall muddy. We had a good time though and now we are home. So, I don't know what to do or what to think. I am going crazy. I just need to relax and to work and all will be good."

Sports

8 April 2006
"Today was a pretty good one and we didn't sit and do too much nothing so that was good. We got out this morning and did some contacting so that was cool. We had a good time that way, and we got several lessons before we came and ate пельмены. We then went out and had a meeting with Баба Женя that actually went well. She is a cool grandma and I like her a lot. We walked with Максим to the branch apartment where we had a good time with the other elders. We had собрание миссионеров and that went pretty well. We ended the night playing sports and that was cool. We had a cool time there and I played hard. I really enjoyed it, but my head hurt after we played b-ball so I sat down for a bit and relaxed. I then chatted with everyone for a bit before we came home. So things are going pretty well, but I am dead tired. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I can feel good."

Theater

7 April 2006
"Today was a decent day. We had a good time contacting, so that was cool. We got into it fairly well. So then we came home and ate before we had our planning time. That was alright, but it was really hard to focus. It was my last planning session, but all the same we got it done and it went pretty well. We had some extra time so we relaxed and I took a short nap. So today we had culture night that was pretty fun. We went to the theatre and watched a play called "Moscow Spring Break." It was cool and we enjoyed it. We went and ate pizza afterwards that was pretty good but I realized that I don't have much of an appetite anymore. I want to eat but I don't care what we eat. Just need to put something in there, but it doesn't matter what. This morning my comp and I discussed an interesting topic of about how we can become Gods. We read a talk about this from Joseph Smith - the King Follet Discourse. We talked a lot about it, and it was pretty crazy. I don't know how to comprehend it but is is a crazy topic that isn't very clear so we need to be careful with it. Right now I am pretty tired and want to sleep a little bit. Here's for another day!"

Dying

6 April 2006
"I am certainly dieing. It is super hard for me to concentrate on anything at all and I don't know what to do. This morning I didn't get a very good study in because it was so hot. Well, we then went out and did some contacting and that was cool. It didn't really go all that well, but its all good. We came home and ate some pasta that was pretty good. We then chilled for a bit before taking a long walk to a members home who wasn't home and so we chatted with her husband. We then just came home and I slept for a bit as I am super tired. Well, I got up and we went изучение С.П. and that was cool. We had молодежный вечер after that which was alright and we just chilled and had a decent time. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I have lost it today."

Quick One

5 April 2006
"So we didn't do a whole lot this morning - we just cleaned the place up a little bit. So then we went out and wrote home, and that was okay. The family is doing well and they are busy. It will be strange to be going home and not have all my friends so close. Well, we then headed to another big store that didn't have a whole lot of good stuff as we were hoping. We came home before going to eat at a steak house that was good. It was tasty and good to get some real food in me. We headed off to English which went well as we had a lot of students there. We stayed for seminary which is cool. Now we're home."

Dream

4 April 2006
"Today was a pretty sweet day and I feel a little better. I had a good time this morning do service for a lady. We cleaned up her art studio and threw out a lot of trash. She was way happy that we came and we helped her out a ton. We ran quick like home and then we ate our rice and tomato paste. That didn't go down so well, but I guess that all will be alright. So, we then ran off to see Раиса who is also doing alright. She still has little desire but we are trying to help her. We stopped by to a couple of places before coming home and helped the other elders get moved out. We are now here without them. We relaxed a bit before we went to a meeting who is doing alright but I guess President knows something always before it will happen. We then came home and now I am relaxing. I am still not feeling great, but I feel better. That is for sure. So I hope that things will be better tomorrow and that I can start to focus again. I feel like I am in a dream and so hopefully I can get out of that mode. Off to bed!"

Hospital

3 April 2006
"It was the weirdest day of my mission yet. We did really weird things. I felt and feel like I'm in a dream. My head has been pounding most of the day, and I have been super tired. It is hard to concentrate, and so it was a weird day. So today we started by going to the hospital where we were at for several hours. I gave blood, but there was not really much to do. Some of my numbers were way off and so we called several doctors and we went to another hospital where they did more tests. The did an ultrasound and it was weird to get undressed in front of the doctors (removing the shirt) and Sister Макарова. So we came home, had собрание округа, ate, and then ran to our other meeting as my head hurt and I was tired, but it was good to get out. We met with Настя и Люда and that was good. Later we met with the grandmas and Анна Ф was with us. We watched Legacy there with them, and that was fun. We then went to see Вера и Костя Червяковы and that was good too. We talked about pride a lot today and read President Benson's talk - "Beware of Pride." Like I said, my head has been hurting today and I want to just sleep."

Going Crazy

2 April 2006
"I am going crazy. I literally think that I am losing it. I am probably just sick, but I don't know. I took some ibuprofen and hopefully all will be better but I don't know. I almost lost it today at the meeting, and started to cry but luckily I didn't. Сестра Макарова saved me and chatted with me. I think the big thing was that Владик isn't getting baptized on Friday because President Makarov feels that he is not yet ready. I worried way too much about it and so I think that was the big thing. We were at Ward Council today and that was long. We came home, ate and that was basically all. I have rested a bit, but I don't know."

Fool's Day

1 April 2006
"April Fools Day, and no good jokes. There was nothing really that happened that was way funny. We joked around of course with people but no one fell for it. We then had the interview for Владик this morning and all went well. He is ready for baptism and he is excited. So, we then went with the other elders to Трио Пицца - Elder Paulsen was here and so it was cool to see him. We chatted for awhile before setting up a contract for a new apartment for the other elders. We are finally going to have a 2-some again. Well, we then came home and we found out Max that can't go on a mini-mission and that no one has told him yet. Well, we then went to собрание миссионеров and that went alright. There were several people there, and all seems to be going well. We then went off to sports which wasn't as good as usual. It was alright, but just boring as we played only volleyball and soccer. So, we came home and now I am ready to sleep. Things are hard right now. I am worrying way too much about Владик's baptism and I just need to not think about it. Владик is doing well and I think he will be a great member. We are fasting for him and for his baptism so that all went well that way."

Knowledge

31 March 2006
"Another good one passed by today as we didn't have anything planned this morning. We had a good time contacting this morning and then we came home and ate and planned. Planning went well and we should have a good week. After we planned we went to check out another apartment that we are going to rent for the other elders. Its about time they get out of here -its been about a month! We ran over to Андре's place and talked a bit about the 2nd coming. This is sure a deep subject and something that we don't know a lot about. Attaining gospel knowledge is such a joy and there is always so much more to learn. We came to the conclusion that there are some things that just are not to be opened at this time. Well, I also found out that I am down to 190 and it is all because of the rice diet that Elder Christensen likes - we eat rice and a red sauce every day basically. I will be a sick soon. We ended the night at Малышев's place and talked a bit with him about how we need to come to church as the Lord is always preparing ways for it. He has several excused but hopefully he will get back on the right path. I can't believe how time is flying. Goodbye March. What insanity. I love to be busy."

Great

30 March 2006
"Today was a sweet day. We had a good time contacting this morning and we talked with one lady who already called us and wants the Book of Mormon. She should cone on Sunday. We got out and did some service today for the first time in a long time. We went to a school and shoveled snow off the roof. It was pretty fun and it always feels good to help out. My back hurts a little but it is all good. We finished the night off at the branch apartment with the scripture class that went pretty well, and then youth night. That was a lot of fun. We played a lot, and there was a ton of people there."

Talking

29 March 2006
"It was another quick p-day. It was not nearly as boring as usual, but we still had plenty of time to sleep. This morning we didn't do a whole lot but we got this place cleaned up and so things are a lot nice here. We then went out to write home, and all seems to be going well for them. I can't believe that I only have a couple more times to write home. We then went to the branch apartment and watched the concerts that we put on here in Penza. It was alright and we ate pizza. We went and checked out some cds that I bought a few of. We walked around for a bit before we came back here to sleep. Tonight we went to English and had a good time there. We had several student there, and so that was way cool. I enjoy teaching English and I will miss it. We then went and did home teaching with Гладков at the Мизюркины's and that went well. Гладков loves to talk and we talked about free agency. It went well and it helped them a lot. Well, another day ahead of us. It should be a good one."

Changing

28 March 2006
"We have had an awesome day, and ending it tonight with Владик was the best. He is working hard and preparing for baptism. He understands so much more after having talked to him, and helping him to understand. The Lord is truly changing him and he is striving towards this big change in his life. We had a good time contacting this morning and felt like several good people talked with us. We then went to Раиса's where we had a good time talking and chatting with her. I wish that she would just stop smoking and get baptized, but we can't force her. We had lunch and dinner and that went well. We then had a meeting with Баба Нина and all went well that way. She is a great lady and I am going to miss her. She said that she doesn't know what she is going to do without me and I hope that all will be alright for her.

We then had a look at an apartment before meeting with Владик. That went well and had a good time with him. Now we are getting ready to have a good one tomorrow. I feel a lot better about the work and am doing better concentrating. I am going to miss everyone. I love them so much."

Correction

27 March 2006
"Today was a sweet day. We had a hard time staying awake but worked hard and had some good luck. We talked with some interesting people, and hopefully all will work out well. So, then we came home and headed to собрание округа at the other elder's place. It went well and we had a good time there. The other elders fed us too, so that was sweet. I had to do some talking with the other elders as they are having some problems and so I chatted with them about it. It went alright, and we hope that they can change their actions. I don't really love to correct missionaries but that is my calling and the Lord is helping me to fulfill my calling. So we came home before going to Шавкат's place. It went better than I expected and Мариям said that she would come one more time to the meeting. We then went to the Сорокины's house and talked about missionary work. It went pretty well. They are great people and it was awesome to work with them. We are home once again, and trying to get to bed. I am dead tired, and hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. I guess we shall see for sure."

Crazy

26 March 2006
"Today was a decent day, but I was dead tired. We changed the time forward and so lost an hour of sleep. Well, the meeting went well and we had a good time. Владик bought a new white shirt and wore that today. He is not smoking right now, but he says it is hard. We are praying for him. We then went and chatted for a bit before coming home. Here we grabbed quick bite to eat before we took naps - we would have died if not I bet. Well, we then went with Гладков to Баба Катя's place and had an interesting meeting with her. She is sure crazy. So, we then chatted with Гладков a bit and had an interesting time that way finding out about members and how to help them. Well, we then came home and have been getting everything ready for the coming week. Hopefully all will work out better this week, but we shall see for sure."

Dead

25 March 2006
"Today was a pretty good day, and once again we have a refrigerator. So, we went out to started to contact when we found out that they were bringing over the refrigerator so we quick like came home and then we went to grab a bite to eat before we started planning. So that went fairly well, but nothing too amazing. We should have a good week as is always the case. Well, we chilled for a bit and I took a quick power nap. That felt really good as I was super tired - we didn't get a hole lot of sleep. So, we went to the branch apartment for собрание миссионеров. That went really well and we had cake afterwards that was awesome. So, we came home and then went to sports. That was fun and we played for a nice long time. I was super dead and I want to sleep."

Last

24 March 2006
"Talk about a long day - that is what I felt like today. I am way tired as I woke up at 5 and it is now almost 11:30. The weather was really bad and so we drove for a long time. This morning we got there and immediately started everything. It was an alright conference, and I enjoyed it. I had to conduct her but it was still fairly good. We tried hard to think up new ways to find new investigators, but we are not exactly sure how. We are going to try several new ideas. Well, it was weird to be at my last conference and it just doesn't seem real. I can't believe how fast time is going. It is insane. I saw the other 2 guys that came with us, and they are doing well. I had a good chat with President, and he calmed me a git. He said that it will be hard, but that I just need to focus more. Don't worry about dumb things and just work. President is an awesome man and is truly inspired. So tonight on the way home from Engels we were in a really bad storm, but luckily we were safe. It was a long trip, but we are home now, and tomorrow will be a long one too."

Spins

23 March 2006
"Today was a good one. We had a lot going and did a lot (That makes no sense what I wrote there). So this morning we went out and contacted and that went pretty well. We talked with several people and then we came home and grabbed a bite to eat. We then ran off to a meeting with Мизюркины that went fairly well. Ирина was with us so that was cool. After that, we stopped by to see Наташа Фаюстова and she is doing well. We invited her to come Sunday. So then we went to see Анатолий and we talked with him about receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood and he wants to got to the temple. We came home and chilled before we went to the scripture study class and youth night. It was a lot of fun and we had a good time playing. We are now sitting home and waiting for pizza. Tomorrow we are going to Saratov. So, I am having a hard time concentrating each morning as my stomach just spins. It is hard, but I am trying."

Relaxing

22 March 2006
"It was a fairly quiet day and we had a good time. It was another p-day and so that was fun. We cleaned up this place a bit and so now we can live here nicely. We took off to write home this morning and that went well. The family is doing well and they are busy. They haven't said anything about my coming home, but I am sure they have been getting ready. We went and grabbed a bite to eat and that was cool. We ate a decent restaurant and I got my fill. We came home after awhile there, and just relaxed and slept a bit. Well, we were just chilling when we took off to go to the English lesson. Well, we then went and I helped a girl who didn't know a whole lot of English and Анна Ф. helped me out. We came home and we have just been chatting about the mission and how things are and how they used to be. So, I feel tired and I have to plan things for tomorrow. Hopefully we can do a lot tomorrow. I guess we shall see."

Faith

21 March 2006
"The days just seem to be flying by and I can't slow them down. So this morning we did the normal routine of studying and contacting, so that is cool. We then had a meeting with Раиса that actually went alright. Маша had a little fight with her, but I think that all will be good. Раиса is trying to do better and she wants to change her life but says she has little faith. I think that is one of my problems also is that I have little faith and so things don't work out for me. I don't know really what to do, but just work and hope the Lord will help me out. After that, we searched for a couple of addresses and didn't have much luck so just came home. Well, I fell asleep and so we were late in getting to our meeting. It was alright though as the meeting fell through - it was with a less active member. Anyways, then we headed to a meeting with Владик. That was cool and we have a baptismal date for 7 Апреля. He has some work to do, but we know he can do it. That is awesome and we are praying hard for him. We were at the branch apartment a bit longer and now we are home. Another p-day tomorrow...time if flying."

Clean

20 March 2006
"Today was a sweet day, and we had a good time relaxing. We got out and did some good contacting and that was nice. We talked with some interesting people and had a good time that way. So, we came home and we had district meeting that went pretty well and it was pretty cool. We have good elders. After that I had to have interviews with each of the missionaries and it was interesting. Well, I chatted with each of them, and I had to ask a ton of questions and it was a long process that really wore me out. We ate right after that and I felt better. We headed out to Шавкат's place and had an interesting time there as always. As he was praying in the end, 2 drunk guys that live with him started to yell and swear really loud. I sure wish that I didn't understand, but I do. We then headed out to see the Макаровы where we had a good time with them and had FHE there. We had a lesson about how we need to have a clean apartment and then we played for a bit. It was pretty fun. We then came home and are trying to solve problems. I am ready to pass out so hopefully I sleep really well."

Broken

19 March 2006
"We had a good Sunday finally and worked hard. So the meeting went well, and we had Владик there with us. Well, I was really tired today for some reason and it was hard to not close my eyes. It went well though, and by the end, all was well. We went with Вася after the meeting to see Фаюстова Наташа. She is a nice young lady who has a lot of problems, and who is lost right now. I gave her the ultimate cure - read the Book of Mormon. This is something that will always help if people will just do it always. After our meeting, we came home and grabbed a bite to eat and relaxed a bit. I worked on setting up some meetings and on getting all worked out that way. We took off this evening to see Брейкины and had a decent meeting with them. They have a lot of problems but are good people. We also were with Илья there. We came home and as always am dealing with problems. Our refrigerator stopped working and so we have to get that fixed."

Beat

18 March 2006
"Today was another fairly good day. I am absolutely beat right now, but over all we had a good time. So, this morning we got out and contacted a bit and it went well. We had 4 lessons and people actually wanted to talk. We came home and had lunch and then chatted with the other missionaries for a bit. We went over to the рынок and we bought ourselves some decent blankets that we can sleep with now. They are fairly nice they should be warm. We met with Илья right before the meeting and talked about how we can make собрание миссионеров better. We had some good ideas, and hopefully all will go well there from now on. So, we then had собрание миссионеров which went well and the work is going decently here. We headed to sport and that was pretty fun. We played basketball as usual and had a good time finally doing something physical. I am dead tired now, but it was worth it and I am going to be in better shape because of it. So, we should have a decent one tomorrow, and hopefully all will go well."

Magic

17 March 2006
"Today was decent day and it was good to be able to do some service. So this morning we had to head out to help the other elders bring all their crap back here to get all settled in. Well, it went alright and the Макаровы's were there and I guess that the land lady got the bad end of the deal because she cant have anyone live there until the 31st. We made it home and then we grabbed a bite to eat before we did planning. We ran through that fairly quickly. We should have a decent week, but we are going to be busy. We took off to do some service at this ladies apartment in our area - a grandma. We helped her to clean up her house as she has troubles to do all that she needs. Well, we then ran to changed before gong to see the Старостины who are doing well, and we did some magic tricks for them. It was cool and they enjoyed it. Tonight I ate a lot and so am getting fat. All is well though as we are working hard and having a good time. The work here is sure awesome!"

16 March 2006
"It was a fairly good one today other than the fact that I am tired. We were on the train overnight and so didn't get all the sleep that was needed, but I will survive. So we got to the office this morning and then council got started and so that was cool. Everything went well, and the good thing was it all went as planned. We talked about how we can work better with members to get referrals and how to get the work going better. Well, Elder Christensen and I talked about how we can help Penza and decided that we need to work better with President in order to get things going. Well, I taught a bit about how to correct missionaries, and that went alright - i don't have a lot of experience. So, we then ate really well and after council I ate McDonalds so I ate too much. Tonight I got to see all the people that I served among in Samara so that was awesome. I love those people and love to see those whom I served earlier on my mission. It was truly amazing and I love them a ton. We walked to the vokzal and now we are just waiting and getting ready to leave. It is super boring here, but we have some good ideas on how to help, so hopefully we can implement them."

Boring

15 March 2006
"Another p-day of dwindling and perishing in unbelief. Well, we didn't have a ton of fun today but I am in a really good mood. So we went to write home this morning and the family seems to be doing pretty well. Not much news other than that. We went and bought several things for the coming week and we should live. We chilled at home for a bit before going to grab a bite to eat at the local трио пицца. That was good and we were walking around when we decided to just come home. We worked on nothing for a couple of hours. I solved the rubix cube and triangle cube so many times and it was crazy. I was super bored and p-days are not the most exciting. Tonight was English and then seminary. That was pretty cool and we had a good time. We had a good time chatting with everyone and I loved it. Well, we then came home and now we are getting ready to leave to Samara. I love being here and to serve the Lord this is truly his work!"

New

14 March 2006
"Today was a sweet day and I had a good time working. Well, we had to go on transfers this morning and so I was with the new guy - Elder Olsen and we went out contacting this morning. It was a lot of fun and we had some good success and talked with a lot of people. I had several memories come back of what it is like to be a new guy. There are a lot of things that have changed especially how I look on things right now compared to when I only came. The main reason is that I understand everything that is going on. Well, we went to see Раиса and that went well. She is doing pretty good and will try to read the Book of Mormon every day she said. We gave our passports for registration and then we came home and grabbed a bite to eat. We then switched back and Christensen and I went to see Максим who is doing well. We had a good time laughing with him and so that was cool. Well, we then ended the night with a meeting with Владик. That went alright but I guess that he has started to smoke again. He is really trying but just can't get rid of the habit. We had a good meeting and are going to be praying for him to stop smoking. We are now getting ready for p-day and hopefully all will go well that way, but we never have any idea what to do."

Sane

13 March 2006
"Today was a pretty cool day. We had a good time contacting this morning and talked with a lot of people. We even talked with a guy who was going to get us the phone number of another American here in the city. We headed to the branch apartment for district meeting tonight and we had a decent time there. We have good missionaries and I am really glad to be working with them. Well, we had pizza on tortillas and it was pretty good. I chatted with Elder Schwab for awhile about the work and our missionaries here, and i love to talk with him We then went to see Баба Нина and she is doing well. I love her to death, and it is great to be working with her. We then went to see Шавкат and we had a good time with him. He talked a lot about his family and about the problems that he has . We came home, and now we are chilling . Today was a sweet day and I feel good about being a missionary. I love the work a ton. I talked a ton with Маша и Люда today and they are doing well. They are keeping me sane I think - all the youth that is. I love them to death and what a joy to serve here."

Good Sunday

12 March 2006
"Today we got out and worked a little, so that was good. We went through the normal routine this morning and had a good time at sacrament meeting. The good news is that Владик и Раиса were both there. The meeting went as usual - and hopefully things will get better that way, but who knows. We came home and ate some rice with some sauce that Elder Christensen made. We then chilled home for a bit before we went to see Алексей Гладков. We tried to help him with his fax machine, but we not figure it out. We ended the night with the Поваров's and that went well. We tried to explain to Наташа that because Christ was with the Nephites they could pray directly to him. She is just trying to disprove the Book of Mormon, and does not want to accept it. Well, now we are home, and having a good time with the missionaries here. Elder Christensen is a funny guy, and I like him a lot. He is still getting use to things, but he is a good guy, and things should go well for us."

Reincarnation

11 March 2006
"We got all of the hud done today that we needed - there was a lot of it at that too. This morning at about 8 we headed out to do all the registration stuff that we needed, and that is a good thing. The bad thing was that we stood there for about 3 hours and so wasted a lot of time basically. We came home for like 2 seconds before we had to pay for some more registration stuff and head to вокзал to take care of some ticket problems for us to get to Samara this next week. Another hour there, and then we came home and ate lunch. We later went out and went to собрание миссионеров. That went well other than the fact that Илья said that we might believe in reincarnation and the prophet has made no statement on it. I opened up Preach My Gospel to where it says we don't believe it, but he didn't listen. We headed off to sports night and that went well other than the fact that we had few people there. We played a ton and now I am dead. We're living in a 4-some which is a lot of fun, but it is really hard to focus on things that we need to get done. I hope that can all stayed focused and have a good time. Tomorrow we will have a better day I hope."

10 March 2006
"Today was a fairly interesting day, and we had a good time together. Well, we started out contacting this morning and that went pretty well. We were in the center so we took a new route, and found some cool things. We then went and looked at a few things on the рынок before going to check out an apartment. Well, it was a nice place, and I would like to live there, but it is a bit expensive. We came home to Elder Anand's area and went to a grandma - Валентина - and had a meeting with her. She said that she would be here on Sunday so that will be good. We came home, grabbed a bite to eat and then took off to Филекс to chat with him. He has a lot of problems with the Book of Mormon and so we tried to help him understand, but it is hard because he knows so much about the Old Testament and I know little. He asked a lot of questions about the Jews and it is something that I need to study a little more. We took off and are at Anand's place just waiting right now. That means I have nothing to study or to look at as his things are in Mongolian. Well, I will soon be happy to be with Elder Christensen and get to work again here in our area. Hopefully they get here too late or it will be super fun tomorrow."

Skipping

9 March 2006
"Things went fairly interesting today. This morning we were sitting here studying and there was a ring at the door. It was no other than Андре. Basically he was skipping class and needed somewhere to chill. We chatted for a bit, and then we went and contacted with him for a bit. It didn't go to well in a 3-some and snow was coming down but we tried. Well, we came home and grabbed a bite to eat before we headed to see Раиса. Маша was with us for that, and things went fairly well there. She still is having a hard time with smoking and is not sure how to quit. She said that she is smoking less though, so that is a good thing. Well, we then went over to see Баба Нина and all is going well for her and she is happy. We had a meeting before taking off to buy tickets for us to get to Samara next week. We came home and chilled before we went to the branch apartment for service. We cleaned everything up really well, and then we were sitting there when they started to listen to all kinds of music and just chill. Well, I went to the kitchen and just sat and thought and then prayed so that the Lord would help me to do something. Well, I went in, turned the music off and asked what we were going to play. Well, it went way awesome and we all laughed and had a good time. It was truly an answer to my prayers and it was a great strength and reassurance from the Lord that he is always willing to support those whom he calls. Tomorrow with Anand and then Christensen will be here!"

Women's Day

8 March 2006
"What a crappy day. Well, it was alright. I am with Elder Anand and today was the big праздник - Women's Day. Well, that meant that everything was closed almost. We had to go to the other elder's apartment and get things for Elder Anand. We then found out that things were closed and so we didn't know where to write home. We went to a Chinese restaurant that had some alright food but nothing amazing and I basically left hungry. We then went in search of an Internet place, and found one. I guess one of the biggest things is that we have a new stake president whom I don't really know. We went to look at some cds and other stuff that wen alright before we went to the branch apartment where we should have had a meeting with Vladik whom didn't show. So we chatted for a bit and now we are home. I made the popcorn as I usually do, and now we are chillin. I thought today about how weird it is to be w/o someone after being with them so long. I can't imagine what it will be like when someone dies who is close to me as I am so use to them. Love is an interesting thing and we always want more, but sometimes it an hurt us. I have thought a ton about it, but now I need to get on to other things."

Leaving

7 March 2006
"I guess it has finally happened - the comp has taken off. I must say that it is going to be weird without him the next couple of months. I just got use to him and so it will be weird w/o him. I am with Elder Anand right now and will be with him until Friday night. Today was actually not a terrible day. It could have been a lot worst. Or it even could have been really bad, but we got out contacting this morning before we went searching for a few things for my comp. I got my pictures back, and the new went to the branch apartment where we helped Маша a bit with her computer and got it running all right. We ate Шуарма right before that, and that was not such a great idea. We ran off to Люда's house where we had a pretty cool meeting with Марина - an investigator. She asked why we have to be baptized again if we were already baptized in another church. It was awesome to actually be at a meeting and to feel the spirit working through us as we answered her questions. We the came home quick before we ran to the concert which was actually pretty cool. We had a good time and the best part was probably when we sand "Don't worry, be happy." It was cool and then right after that, we quick like came home, grabbed Steiner's crap and then went to вокзал where we said our final goodbyes. Missionary work is one of the hardest ever, but the most rewarding."

Desire to Succeed

6 March 2006
"I am sure glad to be in my shoes right now. My comp has his last day waiting for him tomorrow. He is going crazy. I think. At least we worked a bit today and had a good time. This morning we got out and contacted as usual, so that was way cool. We met a guy that knows Андре Кириленко and we talked a bit with him about b-ball. It was pretty cool. We headed out to the other elders house where we had собрание округа. I talked a bit about what Elder Schwab asked me yesterday - he asked what keeps me going and wanting to work? I thought a lot about it and I guess the biggest thing is the desire to succeed. I don't want to have that feeling of not having success on my mission. Well, I talked with the elders a bit about it today, and I think it will be all good for them. We then headed off to the store to buy a few things for Elder Steiner as he is leaving soon. We decided to head to the FHE for the grandma's and that was pretty cool. We talked with them for a bit and watched Восстановление. I talked with Schwab for a bit again and all in all it was a good evening. We are now getting ready for the last big day. It should be fun!"

Burning

5 March 2006
"Today was a pretty good day. It was nice to be able to go to the meeting and to partake of the sacrament today. It was such a nice break from the normal wear and tear of missionary work. It was good because Владик was there and he is doing fairly well. We set up a meeting so that will be good. After all the meeting, we chilled there at branch council and talked about everything that is going on in the branch. One of the things that bothers me the most is when we are at such meetings and people are just chillin and goofin around. It is always like that and I wish that people would pay attention. Well, after that we came home and stuffed ourselves - chicken cordon bleu and then we ran to see the heathen holiday. Basically they burned the "winter witch" and it should be the end of winter. Well, for some reason the snow keeps coming down so that is fun. We are now home, and my comp is packing things up, so I guess he is really leaving. It will be strange when my own time comes in a couple months. I guess for now I need to just focus on the work, and things will be fine."

Diving

4 March 2006
"Today was a pretty sweet day. We went to go contacting this morning, but it didn't go all that well. I guess the main reason is that it was snowing like crazy again. Well, we just walked around and didn't have much success. We stopped in to the store and bought ourselves breakfast and lunch for the next couple day. We then came home and ate our fried noodles before I took a short little nap. We then headed over to the branch apartment where we had собрание миссионеров. That reminds me that this morning we went to the branch apartment to set up the договор again and the lady yelled at us for it being such a mess. Sister Макарова helped out a ton. After собрание мисс. we went to sports night which actually went fairly well. We went from there to come home, and there was so much snow it was awesome. I went and jumped in head first and it went way cool. The snow was so much. We came home and now we are almost ready for bed. Tomorrow is fast Sunday so that is way awesome and the blessing are way needed."

Fell Through

3 March 2006
"Things fell through like crazy, and I don't remember what to do when that happens. It has been awhile since anything like that happened. Usually all of our meetings fall into place so I wasn't so sure what we should do. We ended up coming home a few minutes early. It was actually a fairly good day. this morning we did our normal planning and that went well, but the companion goes home next week so he is having trouble concentrating. We should have a decent week, and hopefully all will work out for us. We ate fajitas again, and then we took off to do some stuff. We ended up standing in the Вокзал for like an hour in order to get the tickets for transfers. We walked out to Афина's place for a fairly useless meeting but Маша really wanted to go there so we did. Лудвиг - Afina's brother - is pretty cool though and we invited him to come and see what things are like, and he said that he might and wants to. We then tried to meet with Брейкины tonight but our meeting fell through, and so we bought some stuff to clean and came home. I am doing laundry now and then I am headed to bed. I need to focus a bit more and work."

Blizzard

2 March 2006
"They brought in the blizzard today. It snowed all day, and it was way awesome. There is so much snow on the ground and it is all fresh. We went out contacting this morning and it actually went well for the weather that we have. We talked with a ton of people, and lots stopped to listen, but once again, not much seemed to come from it. We came home and we made the best lunch that I have had in a long time - fajitas. We made fresh tortillas and everything to got along with them. We had to open the branch apartment for the other elders and then we headed to Андре's place where we did a short spiritual thought. We then had the scripture study class, and that went alright, but there were very few people there. We ended the night with Молодежный вечер which was actually a lot of fun. We kind of just chilled a bit and then we went to have a war in the snow. It was actually way cool and I got buried in it several times. We were soaked after that, but it was sure worth it. I am trying to set up a decent day for us tomorrow, and it is going alright, but I still need to call people. We'll see how all works out tomorrow."

Fun One

1 March 2006
"Today was a pretty good p-day. This morning we headed off to Gene's place where we had some practice of the songs that they will be singing at the concert next Tuesday evening. It should go alright, but they have a lot of work to do. We then went and wrote home where things seem to be going fairly well. My brother is having a good time and quite a bit of success. Well, we took quite a few pictures and then we stopped by to Вокзал where we bought tickets for missionaries that are leaving. I found out that Elder Christensen is going to be serving here, and I am way excited about that. He is way funny, and full of energy. I was glad to hear that he will be coming here. Well, we ate at Трио Пицца after which we took a few more pictures and then went to "help" Маша и Аня. We went to English which was actually a lot of fun, and I had a good time there. I was with Elder Theurer and that was fun. We came home and now we are having a good time. I am ready to sleep."

Once In A Lifetime

28 February 2006
"I would have to say that today was a good day. We had a fairly good time contacting and we had some success. At first nothing was going for us, but we kept at it, and in the end it worked out and we were able to talk with several people. We stopped by to Раиса's and had a good meeting with her. She is a really great grandma, and we talked with her about the priesthood and that went well. She said that her faith is not enough right now, but then we took pictures with her and had a good time. We then came home and ate. That was cool and then we went to Баба Нина. She is also a way cool grandma and we had a good time talking about Christlike attributes and how we must rely on them. We are always working to do better. We can't do all at once, but we can go step by step. We then headed over to Шавкат's place and had a long discussion with him. he talked a lot, but it was all good and he has a lot of problems right now. We stopped by to the branch apartment to close it and now we are home. We had a cool experience today as we were going to Шавкатs and walking through the snow, we both thought how this is a once in a lifetime experience to be here serving the Lord. I am so grateful to be here at this time in order to serve and know that this has changed me a lot for the better."

Counter Strike

27 February 2006
"Today turned out to be a fairly good day. We wanted to do some contacting and so we got out and did that which we wanted. It actually went all right, and I can't complain. We didn't have any big successes but nothing to complain about, and it was nice to work. We then went to the почта and paid for our phone and then headed to the other elders house where we had собрание округа. It went well, and then we chilled for a bit and it was cool. I talked with Schwab for a bit and that was fun. He is a cool elder and I like to talk with him. We then headed to a meeting with Любовь Заря and that went well. She is a great lady and she said that she would come on Sunday, so that was good news. We went with Андре to his place where he showed us some crap on his computer but as soon as Counter Strike came up, I decided it was time to go. tomorrow we should have a good day and I hope that all will go well."

Apartments

26 February 2006
"It was another quick one, and we didn't get a whole lot done, but we had a couple of good meetings. Well, we started out the day by going to church as usual. All went pretty well but Владик didn't come and so we couldn't set up a meeting with him. There was not that many people there as they had to work since the 23 was a holiday. Well, we came home and ate some pretty good rice that we downed fairly quickly and then we threw in a power nap to energize ourselves. We headed out to take are of some problems with the apartment in the other area - I am tired of so may problems with apartments. We stopped by to the other elders house where we chatted for a bit. Tonight we went to meeting with Гладков to see Малышев. That went really well, and they are both good men. I caught a glimpse of the Olympics - skiing and shooting - so that was cool. Гладков then came home over here where he bothered us for about an hour while I gathered stats and other stuff I did. Tomorrow we will have a couple of meetings so that is cool, and all should go well. I want to serve the Lord with all my might these last 7 weeks. I know that is I will, my life will be so much more blessed and I will be satisfied with my mission and all that happened. "

Sweat

25 February 2006
"Today was sure a good day. I enjoyed it a lot although we didn't do a ton. I needed a day to rejuvenate. I have been working on playing "Верю в Христа" on the piano, and it is going decent. I am getting better, but I still have a lot for work to do. We headed out for some contacting this morning, but there was so few people on the streets. Well, we then bought a few things before we went and had a bit to eat at a little Russian cafe. It was actually decent, and a lot better than what we have been eating. We had собрание миссионеров and that went well. It was crazy how loud everyone was. We then went to sports night where we had a pretty good time. I love to play because I work up such a good sweat, and it is nice to do something once a week. I talked with Ирина (подруга Ани Ф.) for a bit and that was cool. She is a great girl and she wants to hear the lessons but her parent won't let her unfortunately. Well, I feel better today as I was able to relax a little and let some of my load off. Tomorrow it is back to work we go."

Better

24 February 2006
"Today was a lot better day than yesterday. We had stuff to do, and we did it. It was cool, and we had a fairly successful day other than the crappy news from Афина that she could rather not have any lessons with us and doesn't want to go to church. It was really bad there today. This morning I chatted with Elder Scwab for a bit and that was cool. He upped my spirits and then we had our planning session. That went well, and we had a good time talking about our investigators and how to help them. We ate and then we headed out for an adventure. We went in search of some members and we had some luck in finding them. We walked a ton and we thought we would never find this place, but we finally did and we had a nice chat with the lady there. We then had the really bad meeting with Afina after which we went to see Старостины. That was awesome, and I love them to death. They are really good people, and they love to chat with us. We are now home, and I am tired from so much walking. I feel a lot better about the work today, and I love the feeling of being a missionary. The Lord lifts you up so much, and give you the energy that you need. I love to serve the Lord."

Holiday

23 February 2006
" I have very little energy! I want to fall over and sleep. Today was one of those day. They seem to be coming and going often the last little while. Well, this morning was good as we had a fun time contacting. There wasn't a whole lot of people on the street as today is a holiday - С Днем Зашитников Отчества. We walked around a bit before hitting up the рынок to get some stuff for the party that we had tonight. Well, we bought the stuff we needed and then we came home. Well, we ate lunch which was our famous пельмены soup. That was cool, and then we chilled for a bit. I actually slept for like an hour and then we took off to the branch apartment where we had a meeting with a guy who came to English yesterday - his name was Олег. He is an alright guy, but not too interested in the gospel. We mainly just chatted with him and then we finished and we had изучение с.п. Well, we then had молодежный вечер which went all right, but could have been better. We played the stick pulling game, and beat all the other elders. That was cool. We then played in Viking like last week and it was pretty cool. We came home and now I want to sleep."

Slow

22 February 2006
"Today was pretty sweet day, and we didn't really do anything. We kind of just took it easy. This morning, we cleaned up the apartment and got things in order around here. We took off and wrote home where things are going as usual. My sister is moving back home for a bit, and BJ is working well. We wrote home and all went well that way, and then we took off and bought our food for the next week or so. We went to the branch apartment where my come helped Маша with her computer, and I worked on cleaning the joint up a little bit. It was really bad there, but it is a lot better. Well, then we ate at Трио Пицца and they had the Olympics on (cross country skiing) and we glanced every now and then. It was way sweet and I love the Olympics. After that we stopped into a book store and did a lot of looking around. It was cool and then we had English. We ended the night that way, and it should be a good one tomorrow. I feel a bit better today, and hopefully my headache will disappear once we start to work again."

Spinning

21 February 2006
"Today was certainly a good day. We had a lot of work go down for us and Elder Theurer is way cool. We did some good studying this morning and then we headed out to do some contacting in the snow. My head was and has been spinning all day. Contacting went alright, but nothing amazing. We talked with several people and greatly enjoyed that and then we went home, and ate some really really good stir fry that Elder Theurer made. It was one of the best things I have had in a while so that was cool. We then went to a meeting with Людмила - I was there with Schwab a few weeks ago. That didn't go as planned, and she doesn't want to talk about the church so that was interesting. Masha was with us, and she helped save things. Well, we stopped by to a couple of addresses and so that was cool. We ended the night with Felix. He is an awesome guy who has big doubts about the church and the Book of Mormon. It was insane. We talked a lot about there was a break off from Jerusalem, and why it happened. He got offended on people in the branch. We then came to the center and Elder Steiner and I are back together. Like I said, my head is spinning, and I need to sleep."

Pride

20 February 2006
"As we can see, I forgot my journal but I want to write everyday so I am here writing. I came to the other elders house tonight and I am with Elder Theurer on exchanges. He is a good elder and it is cool to be with him. So today we started out well by having a good study and relaxing a little. We then headed off to do some contacting. That went alright, but it could have gone better. We stopped by to grab some food for lunch, and then headed home for собрание округа. That went good too, but nothing amazing. We attempted to make some macaroni and cheese but that didn't happen that great. We tried to make 2 kg of noodles and that was way too much. After we ate, we chilled a bit before we headed off. Elder Тайр and I came back this way where we decided to stop by to a few addresses. We didn't have much luck, but just a couple people lying to us and saying that they weren't home. We went to see Наташа and that went cool. This lady is way awesome, and we chatted about a lot with her. We read 4 Nephi and talked about how much the people changed and what caused the change. Sometimes pride is the easier choice, but in the end, it doesn't bring happiness. I hope that she can feel better and start to come again. Аня Ф was with us and so we walked with her home before coming home ourselves. We are just eating and getting ready for tomorrow. Hopefully the day will go well."

Manifest

19 February 2006
"Today was an interesting day. It is always that way. We went to church today, and that went well. Владик and Раиса were both there today, and that was cool. Владик is doing all right, but not great. I wish that he would just understand the importance of the Book of Mormon. Well, after the meeting , all 6 of us missionaries went to see Изольда (gypsy) and that was an amazing experience. Her parents are very против but she is a great example to them. She asked for a blessing on her health and we gave that. The spirit was strong and her faith is very strong that she will get better. We then blessed the sacrament, and once again the spirit was very strong, and she felt better. The spirit was very strong as the power of the priesthood was made manifest. We headed home where we grabbed a quick bite to eat, and took a short nap after which we went to the Поваров's where we had an interesting meeting. Наташа talked about how the Book of Mormon isn't true and that Joseph Smith thought it up. We sat and tired to help her think otherwise. Were not too successful, but pray that she can know the truth. We came home, and now are preparing for a couple of days that should go well."

Late One

18 February 2006
"Wow - I am dead tired. That was after a ton of sleep that I got today. We slept in 2 hours to make up for the 4 that we missed yesterday. Well, that didn't quite do it for me, but I had to live with it. Well, that meant everything was moved back a couple of hours. I had a good study as always and feel pretty good about that. I made some muffin things that didn't really turn out. We then had our planning session that went pretty well and we should have a good week on the next one. Well, we also planned a good activity for Thursday and we will see how all goes that way. We ate something and then we took off to собрание миссионеров. That went pretty well, and we talked a lot about how the work is going. I was a bit tired, but everything was alright there. We changed quick like and took off to sport's night. Everything there was okay but there was way too many people. We played b-ball before I played ping-pong. It was fun but not as good as usual. Well, we then came home, and I chatted with Ирина about how she can help her parents so they weren't against the church. She will hopefully be able to help them, but we shall see. Off to bed once again, and another one ahead."

Tired

17 February 2006
"Today was sure a long day. I can't believe how tired I am. We woke up bright and early this morning – 5 – and took off to Engels. So, we had a nice 4 ½ hour ride and it was fun. We got there basically at 10 and so conference immediately started when we got there, and all went well that way. I have to say that conference was good, but it was super long. There was a ton of trainings and it went a little long, but in the end it was all good. We had pizza for lunch and that was cool. We talked about planning and how we need to use time better. After conference I typed a talk in Russian that Elder Kotov helped me with. After that I saw a ton of people that I knew. Аня from Engels was there and somehow she remembered me. I also saw another girl that we were trying to teach. It was awesome. Not only that but then I saw Сестра Gugelskaya and that was awesome. She is a way awesome sister. Basically, it was awesome to see all these people. We finally left at 7 and we drove for about 4 ½ hours so got home about 12. I am going to die I am so tired. Tomorrow will be a quick one."

Crazy

16 February 2006
"I have to say that things are sure crazy around here. We have 4 other elders over here with us right now and so it is hard to concentrate. Also, Гладков is here trying to take some stuff, and I can't get him out of here. Well, he is way funny so that is good. Today we weren't home at all. We took off early this morning to help President out to take some stuff up to him – we carried up his new coat rack and helped him put it together – we got lunch for that. We then went to the store where we found a washing machine for the elders that are moving. We went to see Максим and talked with him for a bit about the Olympics, and I want to watch them really bad. We talked with him a little bit about the branch and how to help after which we went to get some Шарумы. We planned some training that we have to give tomorrow, and then I went with Гладков to a meeting with Мизюркины and that was cool. Алексей is a way good guy and he really wants to do what is right. I went back to the branch apartment and played some games and now we are here. Off we go to Engels tomorrow. It should be a blast!"

Headache

15 February 2006
"We had a crazy meeting today. I don't know what to think. Many head hurts, and I am ready to go crazy. The day started out well, and we had a good time cleaning up a bunch here and making it look nice. We went to the рынок and picked up grub for the coming week. We got a bunch of good stuff, and we should have a decent week with food. We decided to then go write home. Well, that went all right but we were there forever because we had to wait for Elder Steiner to get his pictures on a disc. We headed back this way, and I bought a keyboard that has Russian on it and Harry Potter in Russian. I will read that at home in a few months. Well, we then ate and took power naps before helping to move a couch for the elder to there new place. Гладков drove us and we went with him to a meeting with Владик. Well, that was crazy. President Макаров was there and that a nice loud conversation and I couldn't really say much. Владик will not just say that he received an answer that this is true. He knows it, but he is scared of something. The meeting ended alright and things will be OK. I hope that all will work out. I love this work and to be serving. This is truly where I should be."

Symphony

14 February 2006
"Today was another good one. We had a fairly decent day. I was with Elder Boster today and we had a good time studying and working together. He is a pretty cool elder and he wants to do the best he can. So we went contacting this morning, and that was cool. We met a Buddhist and I think that it is the first time on my mission – I have no clue what they believe in, or what they do. Well, we then met with Раиса and she is doing well as always, and she is a great бабушка and I love her to death. I wish that she would stop smoking. We came home, ate, and then we went out to see Баба Нина. She is doing fairly well, and she is a great lady. I love her to death and she is a good friend of mine. Tonight we went to the symphony and that was pretty good. It was cool, and people sang and enjoyed everything that way. We came home a little early and I am trying to work things out for tomorrow, and I guess we shall see how things go. Ст. Стайнер told me that Ирина К. Is also having problems and that we need to work with her and Тома. I hope that we can help them, and that all will be alright that way. I feel like it is my fault although I know that is not completely so. I need to rely on the Lord and just work. The Lord will bless those around us."

What

13 February 2006
"Today was an insane day. We had some crazy meeting. So this morning, we went contacting and had quite a bit of luck. We talked with several people, and it felt awesome to finally be out contacting again. We headed out to the other elder;s house where we had собрание округа which went pretty good. We had some good practice there, and learned a lot. After собрание округа, we ate as a district, and then we went on splits. I am with Elder Boster here in our area. Well, this is when all the fun really started. We decided to stop by an inactive member, and she is interesting. She led the lesson basically and wouldn't really let us say a word. I made the mistake of telling her that we were headed to see a lady that she knows. She invited herself there. She insisted that to pray you must stand (that's a first for me on my mission), and she wanted to only read from the Bible. We were at Любовь Заря's place with her, and also Анна Ф was with us. It was alright, but we couldn't really teach. We finally got out of there, and had a good laugh. We then went to a meeting with Шавкат and that was interesting as always. He talked a lot about nothing and we were confused. He is also an interesting guy and has a lot to say."

Changed

12 February 2006
"Today was a decent day. We had sacrament meeting this morning, and that was good. Владик was there as usual, and so was Раиса. We enjoyed the meeting, and it was a good time. After that, we stopped by to Алексей Гладков's and took some papers that need to go to Samara. We came home, and we made ourselves some decent food. We chilled around for a little bit and then we went to Андре's place. We had a little spiritual thought with them, and then we helped Андре out with his computer. That was basically all we did today. Tonight, I talked with Elder Schwab for awhile, and things went well that way. He is a good AP and I like to chat about how things use to be. It was way fun. Also, I have been trying to help Тома but she is trying to avoid me. That is not cool, and I will get through to her soon enough.

It is interesting to think how much I have changed on my mission, and how much I have grown. I talked with Schwab about it today, and we had a good time remembering what we use to be like. This truly is a wonderful time to learn and to grow. My mission has truly blessed my life."

Exhausted

11 February 2006
"I don't really know how to explain the day. I am absolutely exhausted as we walked a ton and played hard tonight. Well, this morning started out slow and we didn't have much to do. We sat and thought for a bit what we should do and we finally went to stop by some addresses, and contact a little. Well we found out a lot about several of the members in our area, but none of them were home or else they had moved. We didn't have a whole lot of success, but it was good to get out and do something. We bought some meat and came home to eat some stir fry. That was good, but I ate way too much and was hurting after that. We went and walked around a bit with some contacts, and chatted with them a little bit about the church, but they were more interested to just chat and not find out about the church. Well, we finished that and then we went to собрание миссионеров which was alright besides there was very few people. We headed off to sports night where we had a sweet time. We played some b-ball and I was absolutely dead tired after that. I could barely move and so went and lifted some weights which I haven't done in a long time. Now we are home, and I want to sleep. Tomorrow we hope will be a good day, and that we will do a lot."

Date

10 February 2006
"Talk about a crazy day. We ran all over the place, and we have an investigator with a baptismal date! That is right - we set the date for Владик on the 25th but it might get changed. Илья was with us and he helped out a bit. Владик told him, "Elder Tenney baptize me" He has a really strong pull to me, and I love the guy to death, but I am afraid that the will get too attached to me. He is an awesome guy, and he wants to know the truth. I love ending the night with meeting with him.

This morning we had our planning session as usual and that went well, and we hope that we can help all of our investigators. We then went and payed for an apartment, and went to the other elder's house where we ate terribly. We went with Sister Макарова and we rented another apartment for the two elders there as their landlady likes to drink and party and yeah. We sat and worked on the contract for awhile and then we finally took off. We wanted to meet with Шавкат but they were not home. We stopped home and then went to see Владик.

When we were home, I pulled out some of my mission pictures, and realized how much I have grown and learned on my mission. It is a little painful - I miss the places and the people - to look back, and wish that I could return. I must continue on, and work hard to finish my mission."

Good One

9 February 2006
"We had a crazy day running all over the place. We were starting the day out by having almost nothing, but everything worked out for us. We went to see Баба Женя this morning and she is a cool grandma. She showed us a ton of pictures and that was cool to see all the former missionaries that served here. We talked a little about missionary work with her, and she is always trying to serve other and do missionary work. Well, Аня Ф. was with us and that went well. We ran home to eat and then to Баба Нина's place where we talked a bit about faith. She is doing well, and is fairly happy today. I hope that she will continue to come to church, and keep her commitments. We then went to Afina's place, and had a decent time there. She is doing better, and she came with us to youth night, so that was cool. Youth night was ok, but nothing all that great. There was few people there, but we made it fun. We played a lot of games, and enjoyed ourselves that way. We finished that and then came home. We ate some sandwiches and now we are getting ready for bed. I am a little sick, but nothing major. Off to another day tomorrow."

8 February 2006
"Today I just about had a mental break down. These girls - Маша и Аня - are driving me crazy. We wrote home, and all is going well there. I wrote a little less than usual, but with the new rules, all is well. My little bro got baptized so that was the really good news. I was happy to see some of the pictures. We had English tonight, and that went pretty decent, and we had several students. Later, we sang, and that was fun and now we are chilling.

The best news today was that we cleaned the joint up, and it looks great here. We cleaned a ton up, and I can live here now without problems. We bought food for the week and although it is cold (-30C) we will eat well this week. I have to plan something to do, or we won't do anything tomorrow. Off to work I go!"

Turnaround

7 February 2006
"I have to say that today was one of the most interesting days of my mission. We had some way interesting and great blessings come to us today. I thought that it wasn't going to be that great of a day, but it went really well. We started as always with a really good study, and we planned all that would be. We started off with Раиса, and we thought that it was going to be a bad one, but then she promised to come to church on Sunday,. Blessing #1 of the day. Well, we came home, and we had lunch and while were were home a guy called and asked why we are here, and wanted to meet with us - #2. We headed off to see an art gallery that one of our members really wanted us to see. Well, there was nothing special there, - I am not a big art fan. Well, we started to talk with a lady there and she said that we could come free to the symphony and she wants to know more about the church - blessing #3. We went home and ate again before finishing the night with Владик. He is a great guy, and we talked about Священство. At one point he leaned back and said "Мне надо креститься!". It was way awesome meeting. Blessing #4! I guess a higher standard of obedience brings greater blessings!"

Change In Attitude

6 February 2006
"An alright day I guess. I feel better today as we didn't waste a ton of time, and we chatted with several people - about the Gospel that is. So that was good. I started the morning out with a good study session. We didn't have anything to do this morning, and so we went and bought a cake, and talked with people in the store. We then had собрание округа which was way awesome. We talked a lot about the rules, and studied the white handbook together. We talked a lot about how the rules are a lot stricter. Our missionaries accepted them well, and are very happy to be able to change for the better. We will be doing a lot of work here in our zone to have complete obedience. One of the main things that will change I think is our attitude toward the work. Well be more ready to do the Lord's will. We went to Баба Катя's house, and gave a spiritual thought and a blessing. Following that, we went to look at an apartment and that was alright, but nothing amazing. We headed to a party for Маша for her b-day, but it was fairly boring. Tonight I chatted with Тома and she is doing alright. She got offended at the missionaries because we were very lax in tour work. I talked a lot about the new changes, and also about how the missionaries are not the most important thing. I think that it will help her, but I guess we shall see."

Talking

5 February 2006
"Today was a fairly relaxing day, and I feel a lot better. We didn't do a ton, but we tried to do some important things. Well, this morning we went at 9 as usual, but we had an awesome opportunity to hear from the Ehlerts and hear about being completely obedient. It was awesome, and in order to receive blessings, we must be obedient to some law. I translated for several of the Russians that were there, and it was way cool. We then had sacrament, and that went well as usual. I translated for the Ehlerts there also, and if act the whole time. Well, we had good lessons, and Владик was there for the whole thing and at the end he chatted with President Davidik for awhile and it was way awesome. I didn't hear much, but I think that there was a lot cleared up for him. My comp and I were at branch council before we headed back here. We slept for probably an hour or so, and I really needed to. If I didn't then I might be sick right now. We finished the night off by working on the map of less actives for the branch so that we can find to where all our members are, and how we can help them. This is an awesome project, and will greatly clear things up here, and help the members grow. What a blessing!"

Fasting

4 February 2006
"Talk about another sweet day - that is what we had today. This morning we were once again with the APs on splits. Things didn't seem like they were going to well but then 2 meetings worked out for us. One was for Elder Schwab and I, and we went to help Баба Нина told me over the phone that she didn't want to come to church anymore, and that she would not tell why. Well, Elder Schwab is a great elder and so he bore testimony to her of the truth, and the spirit was very strong. She committed to try to activity no matter how hard it was going to be. It was away awesome. Well, we then went and ate at Трио Пицца and that was really tasty. We ran to our house and then to change comps back. I fell on the meeting with Гарик (meeting 2), and that went fairly well. We thought we should have a meeting at 2 but the contact didn't show up. We went to the store, and then came home before we went to собрание миссионеров. That went decent before we went to sport. Well, we switched comps and Elder Anand went with me while Elder Steiner translated an audit. Sports was good, and there was a ton of people there again. I am dead, and I started fasting at 6 for Владик. It is hard, but it is sure worth it. Fasting brings great blessings."

Running

3 February 2006
"Today was a way sweet day. I am so tired, but we ran all over the place and we worked hard. This morning we got in to the city, and we came home. I wanted to sleep, but instead we went to the branch apartment and paid for it. We came home, and had a bunch of planning. I planned with Elder Schwab and then I planned with Elder Steiner. We had a good 2 hour planning session and we talked about all of our investigators and how to help them. It was nice to have a good planning session for a change, and it should make for a good week. Well, we then headed off after a good meal of hot dogs and mashed potatoes to a meeting with a doctor we had met several weeks ago. That was pretty interesting because he wasn't there. Well, we then went in search of a lady that Elder Schwab taught when he served here. We found her, and that was good to chat. She really likes to talk, and to talk about random things, but it was alright there. We quick like ran off, and we went to Андре's before we quick like ran to the branch apartment where we had a meeting with Владик. Talk about insanity. He talked about how it is written "Gods" in Abraham, and read a ton from the Bible. Elder Schwab and I basically just chilled not saying much, but in the end, things went well, and he is doing well with all. The Lord is blessing us to be able to teach such a person. I love to serve the Lord, and help his children."

Obedience

2 February 2006
"Today was an awesome day. We have so much to think about. We had an amazing совет today, and we found out some crazy things. It seems the the quorum of the 70 found out about some crazy stuff that is going on in our mission - sleeping little, watching all the movies they want, playing cards all the time, and basically just not missionary work. Well President get a special visit from the Area Presidency, and they got the problems worked out for the most part. Well, today we talked a lot about obedience and about how we can improve. President has not been too strict about it up to now, but he said he is going to be cracking down. We heard a ton about obedience, and I am ready to serve with all my heart, might, mind and strength. I don't want to let up. I want to finish strong. We were there for about 7 hours with a good lunch break. Well, I then typed a little of the pride talk before Schwab and I went to a meeting. Well, the meeting fell through, but we chatted with the Lunt's for awhile, and we had a good time. They are such wonderful people, and are always wanting to help. We are now waiting for our train and we will be back to Penza. The APs are with us, and we will be on exchanges with them the next couple of days. It should be a lot of fun!"

Flying

1 February 2006
"February...I would have to say that is sure weird. Time is sure flying. Today was a good one though, and I had a good time. This morning, I got up a bit late, but that is because we stayed up fairly late last night finishing the map. We got it done, so that is good, but we headed off for a tough day. We stopped by to a store where they have a tone of discs and they are way cheap. After that we went to some more stores, and I found some good stuff. We then went to play pool, but I didn't play because I am not a huge fan. I went with them and just ate some bread that I bought. I watched some guys playing slot machines and thought of how much a wast those games are. They just suck people in. We went and wrote home, and I typed the talk up in Russian by President Benson. It is a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end. We had English, and there was a couple of girls there, and that was cool. We sang in choir, but that didn't mean much. We came home, and are getting ready to take off to Samara. The joys of the mission. Time sure flies."

Map of Death

31 January 2006
"So, this morning we went and had a meeting with Дима and he is doing well. He said that he wants to come to church on Sunday, and he wants to meet new people. Well, after we met with him, we did some contacting. We weren't too into it. We needed to find some stickers to make a map of the active and inactive members here in our branch. Well that was not such an easy task. We were in probably every store at least once, and we searched for 2 hours, and no one had them. We came home for some lunch before we went searching again. We had some really tasty плов and it was awesome. We started the search again with not much luck and only 1 1/2 later we found some stickers that would do. We brought them home, and started the map of death. We had to hole punch these stickers, and then put them on. We worked for a bit before we went to our meeting with Владик. He is doing well, and we taught him several things. We will be fasting with him on Saturday, and hopefully that will be good. We are now home, and we have to work on this dang map. It should go well."

Goals

30 January 2006
"We worked fairly well today, and I would say that we had a decent day. We started out the day as normal by studying, and then going contacting. Nothing major happened that way. Following that, we stopped by to get some food. We came home, made some soup and then we had собрание округа. That went decently and we have a lot to work on, and especially on achieving goals. This is one of the hardest things on the mission - to reach the goals we set. We too often forget about them, and therefore are unable to attain them. Well, we sat around, and I worked on translating a talk that I finished this evening. We then went with one member to see Шавкат like home teachers. That was interesting and the guy that we went with, simply just read from the gospel principles. In the end, he prayed with the Lord's prayer. It was sure strange. We then stopped by the store, and bought a couple of maps for the Good Shepherd program. We headed out to Афина's place and Анна Ф. was with us. Well, Афина told us that she doesn't want to come to church, and that things aren't that interesting to her. It was weird, and we are praying that she will understand."

Freedom

29 January 2006
"We had several interesting meetings today. Well, a couple and so that was good. We had sacrament as usual, and that all went fairly well. Владик was there as usual, and he is still trying to quit smoking. We need to keep praying for him, and we hope that he will be able to overcome something and we know it will be hard. Well, after the meeting we went with Гладков to his house where we had a decent meal, and enjoyed some pelmeni. We sat and chatted with him for a bit- he is crazy. He showed us how to fake people out with money, and he talked about how much has changed and how the government is taking advantage of so many people. Someone on the top is getting rich, and everyone else is getting conned. He talked about how much help people need. We chatted, and then we went out to visit one of his families that he needs to visit - Sister Нина Краснова. She is doing well, and the 2nd week in a row was at the meeting. After that, we came home and I have been getting things ready for the next couple of days. I thought about how lucky I am to live in a country where I am free to do what I want, and where the law watches out for me. It truly is a blessing to live in the land of the free and have so many rights."

Translating

28 January 2006
"It turned out to be an all right day. We had nothing planned this morning, and so we were a little worried but luckily something turned up. So I started to translate President Benson's talk on pride this morning, and that will be cool to have that in Russian. We then headed out to do a little contacting and that went pretty well. We didn't have a ton of success, but things went as usual. After contacting, we got some things and we made some Russian плов. It was actually really good, and we did a decent job of making it. Following lunch we had a meeting turn up with some young people. They really wanted to meet and so we set up a time today. They were fairly young and were interested. There was 2 Alexs and then Мария. I walked and talked with her most the time, and she had a lot of questions about what we believe. We finished that up, and then we went to the branch apartment where we had a fairly ineffective собрание миссонеров but there was a good spiritual thought about being here on a mission. People are always watching us and looking to us as an example. We must show them who we are. Following the meeting we went to sports tonight where we had a pretty good time. There were a ton of people there, so that was insane, but we played hard and had a good time. Afterwards I walked to the stop, and little Костя walked with me, and it was a crazy feeling, but a good one to have this little guy looking up to me. There are part of the joys of the future."

Typical Day

27 January 2006
"Today was a pretty sweet one. We did quite a bit, and I feel good. We did some planning this morning for next week, and all is well that way. We should have decent week, and we are excited. We talked a lot about how to help out our investigators. We then made a cool plan of salvation outline for a meeting with Брейкины. We headed off to meet with Сестра Мизюркина and talked with her about милосердие, but she didn't really have the desire to change. She says that it is too far to go in order to visit others. Тома was with us (I woke her up at 10 this morning) and she helped us out a bit. We grabbed some шуарма and came home. We then went to Афина's where nothing worked out. She is really losing desire right now, and her friends seem to hate her. Well, I wanted to hurt myself as she showed very little respect towards us. We left to a meeting with брейкины where things went well. We talked about reading and prying together. Brother Брейкин really wants to, but feels little support. We hope that things will work out for them. After that, we came home and ate hot dogs and now are chilling. Back to work tomorrow we go. I love missionary work."

Upset, Confused

26 January 2006
"Today was a weird day. I was really out of it today. I didn't have much energy, and I sure didn't know what to do - we had a meeting fall through and I had little energy. Anyways, this morning we went through the normal routine, and then we started to contact. At one point, I was really upset with my companion as we had walked about 45 minutes and he didn't talk with a single person. I said something to him, and he decided to talk with people, so that was cool. We walked for a bit, and then we went to Раиса's place where we had a meeting with her about being ready and doing the Lord's will right now and not later. She feels like she can't give up smoking, but she has been trying. We want to help her with that but it will be hard. Well, we came home, and had a decent bite to eat before we went to the branch apartment and should have had a meeting with Афина. We got there a few minutes early, and so I worked on cleaning up some of the dishes. Well, it turned out that Афина couldn't come, so we just chilled for a few minutes, and then we came home for a couple things. We had our scripture study class, and that went well. We read Mark 2 and I am still confused by the entry of the Lord on the donkey. We discussed it for awhile, but not much helped. We had youth night, and that was about all. I have a ton to plan, so I am off."

Burst

25 January 2006
"I am ready to die I ate so much today. I feel like bursting. Elder Theurer had a b-day today, and so that meant that we had pizza, and cake and lots for that matter. Well, I also ate some soup just barely so I am going to waddle in and plot on my bed to get some sleep. We started the day out by writing home for a change, and that went well. Things are well at home, and I have noticed how everything seems like a dream there. They tell me what is going on, but it doesn't seem real. Well, I worked on a couple of other little things and then we took off. We went to the branch apartment where we ate and watched Robots. It was cool, and we had a good time. We went out and bought a couple of discs, and found some way cool places to buy them. That is cool, and now we have a lot of discs. We went and waited to start English lesson and things went well there. We came home after that, and now we are just relaxing and having a good time. I am trying to plan and as always that is fun. Well, off to work and plan I go."