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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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!"

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."

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."

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."

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."

Fun

19 January 2006
"Put another cold one in the books. That was today for sure. I am a bit cold, but fairly well. We didn't have a ton going, but it went alright. We actually sat home for a bit this morning as we had no idea what to do, and we didn't know who to stop by to, but we were still happy. We worked on a puzzle for a bit but that got boring after a bit. I made onion rings and baked potatoes for lunch, and they turned out all right. We then went to give a film to one guy we met on the street, but his wife told us that he was too old and was crazy. We then did something crazy. We decided to walk to Афина's place. That was crazy because it is so cold on the streets. We were happy to finally get there and to be able to warm up. We had a pretty cool lesson with her and talked with her about how she needs to do something. She is a great girl, but she has no friends really in the ward, so it is hard. Well, after, we went to Изучение Священных Писаний и молодежный вечер. It was probably the funnest youth night since I have come, and we had a lot of fun playing and relaxing. There was also a lot of people there. All in all, everyone had a good time, and that's what most important. There was also less active and non-members there, so that means it was successful. Right now I want to pass out, and go relax. Tomorrow should be a decent day. Off I go."

Reading

12 January 2006
"Today was sure a long day. We did almost nothing. We didn't have anything planned and so we kind of just walked around. Elder Ананд is not really sure how to be senior companion, and so we didn't have much planned. We did go out contacting this morning, and that was cool. We talked with a lot of people and had a good time that way. We then came home for lunch, and had ourselves пельмены sandwiches. I started to read Harry Potter in Russian, and that was cool. We headed off to hunt down some members, but didn't have any luck. No one was home, and if they were, they didn't want to meet with us. We came home after a few hours and had dinner - I just read. We headed off to the scripture study class, and that went well. Well, Mark 9 really kicked my butt, but other than that it was good. We then had молодежный вечер which would have been cool other than Маша и Аня вместе. We had a cool time playing and all, but it could have been better. Now I am back home with Steiner have a good time and tomorrow we should have a good day. I hope that all will work out as we want."

Busy Busy

2 January 2006
"The second day of the New Year, and it was a good one. We had a ton to do, and we were running all over the place. Well, we started out the day well. We did exercises and ate well, and just felt good so that are studying well better. It was interesting how much better I actually felt. We went contacting this morning, and that was good. There weren't too many people on the street, but most of the people were really nice, and were willing to talk. We talked with a grandma on the rinok and even got a contact out of her. Собрание округа was good, but we didn't have a ton of time. We talked about how we had little work, and how we can find more.

Elder Steiner and I ran off to Нина's where we had a nice little lesson about Jesus Christ, and she enjoyed it. She is such a great lady, but has a lot of worries and health problems. We then went to Афина's house where we had a really good meeting with her. She was very calm and in control compared to usual. She is getting ready for baptism, and we hope that she will be completely ready. Following her, we went to the branch apartment where we had a cool little New Year's party. We made pizza, and had a good time chilling with the youth. It was fun, and one of the most useful activities I have been to yet here in Penza. It was a good chance for everyone to get to know each other better. It was a good day, and tomorrow will be too."

Party

15 December 2005
"What a night. We partied everything away. So we had a big going away party for Stapleton and Brimley. We ate a ton of ice cream, and drank a bunch of im-bru. In fact, a couple of the members drank way too much, and it was like they were drunk. They laughed at every little thing and were going crazy. I sat and talked with a bunch of the members, and it was way cool. I love the youth here. We were there really late, and I was ready to kill everyone (I wanted to leave), but it was fun.

This morning we had a goal to talk with our 10 people, and that went well. We talked with all of them and then we stopped by to the store to buy a bunch of crap for this evening. It was cool, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. We spent a lot of money, and then we came home and ate. We went to the рынок, made some keys, and then we went to Афина's house.

We talked with her about baptism, and about what it means. She seems to understand well, but she has way too much energy sometimes it seems. Well, we set a baptismal date for her in about a month, and we'll be working towards that. We hope that she will be ready and are praying hard for her. We then went to молодежный вечер and that was exciting and all. Back to work tomorrow."

Weird

1 December 2005
"We ran all over the place today. It was sure crazy, but it was good too because it meant that we were busy and had a lot of meetings. This morning, we met with Раиса and she is doing well. She is fairly sick, but at least she is happy as usual. She can't give up smoking, and we are unsure how to help. We were there for a long time, and we finally left to another meeting.

We met with another guy named Димитрий that is interested mainly just in English. It is fairly pointless to meet with him as he doesn't really want to get baptized. We are trying to help him, but he still doesn't want to give up his religion. We talked about baptism and about how it is important. He said he would think about it - and that is all.

We then ran to a meeting with a guy named Виктор. He is an interesting old fellow who also smokes plenty. He only has one lung, but he smokes anyways. Well, we talked about the Book of Mormon, and he said that it is true, but doesn't need to pray about it - for that he didn't know how to pray also. He kicked us out because he didn't feel good. Talk about weird meetings.

We then stopped to вокзал to buy some tickets, and then finally had some time to eat. We went to Трио Пицца and ate as we had no energy to make anything. We ended the night at молодежный вечер which was actually set aside for a missionary and his parents. It was fun, and nice to talk with people. I love the youth here, and I love to be able to work with them. They are a great help to us. I love it."

Party at our House

30 May 2005
"Another long day at the office. Everyone asked me to do everything. Well, I worked on several things - getting going home packets ready, talked with everyone on the phone, and got stats ready. Well, we were there until about 6:30 and then we came home and there was a youth night here at our house. That was a lot of fun and weird that it is here where we are living. Well, I guess that's about all for tonight - life is weird here."

Programmer

26 May 2005
"What another exciting day in the office. We learned a lot more, and I feel like I helped out a bit. Well, we didn't do much else. I read some interesting stories about missionaries that have had scary experiences here in Russia. It was crazy to see how lucky I am - no incidents. Well, tonight we went to a youth night that was pretty boring - no one came. We are now home. The office life is sure different. I never really understood until I came here. Well, I sit at the computer most the day, and just type and make plans. What a life - I'll get use to it."

Diskioteka

25 March 2005
"Once again, we were super busy today. In fact we barely did any missionary work because we had to plan and then tonight we had молодежный вечер and that was awesome. We did the Book of Mormon in like 10 minutes. It was really fun and funny. We had a good time and everyone seemed to like it. There was suppose to be a Дискиотека and Elder Coleman was suppose to DJ but Elder Soleberg - ZL - didn't go for that. Well, we left with Soleberg still upset and mumbling. We also made it to Баба Рая's house this morning. She is doing well, and crazy as always. Other then that, we didn't do much just ran around and we did things that we had to. Tomorrow we have полный день."