We have depleted our first tube of toothpaste, my hips are adjusting to the springs in the mattress, and Elder Peterson has found a Russian version of the Mounds candy bar. I guess we’re settling in! If only we could tell people where we need to go and what we have to say, we’d have it made!
We were able to participate in a mission highlight on Saturday. A sister was baptized in the New City Branch which was terrific. A lot of the branch members attended to support her, and we know she really appreciated it. It was interesting that people brought her chocolates and flowers, apparently a custom here. She bore her testimony the following day in Relief Society and expressed how she felt like people who were meeting her for the very first time at church were just like her sister. I love that the Church members allow that feeling of love and fellowship. She is a 23-year old woman, has a 3-year old son and has a wonderful spirit about her. You can see the peace and happiness she feels through her countenance.
After the baptism, we attended an Exotic Fish exhibit at our local museum as a district for our cultural event of the cycle. We all agreed it wasn’t worth the $5 admission price, but it was good to be together. An investigator came with us and three of the young single adults from New City. They like to be with the missionaries.
We have been given the assignment by Sister Sartori to do apartment checks for the 4 sets of missionaries in our district so we accomplished half of them this week. It motivates them to clean at least a little bit a few times a year! I’m tempted to take one of them on as a service project, however. It’s an apartment that has been in the district since the beginning, so probably close to 15 years. Elders leave things they no longer want or that no longer work, and there’s a lot of stuff that could be cleared out.
We were able to meet with the dad, Igor, and his son, Andre, who we met on the street last week. They came to our apartment and showed us their photo albums and also brought us a thoughtful gift of a book about the history of Toliatti, the area in which we live. That was such a thoughtful gesture from someone who we had just met days before and didn’t know hardly at all. This gentleman is very friendly, seems to be very proud of his family, and is open to making friends. Elder Ceimers and Elder Malloy were here too so they could help translate. Knowing that Igor has an interest in boxing, Elder Peterson put together a little slide show from pictures on the Internet about his uncle’s brother who was a world middleweight champion several years ago. Igor told us about surviving a car accident last year when his car went into the water, and he had to get out by himself. We asked him if we could pray before he left, and he was hesitant, but he allowed Elder Peterson to say a short prayer. We hope we will be able to see them again soon along with the mom.
We have been invited to Lingo Club, a community group of young adults who get together and learn English. The director is from Bulgaria and two of his assistants are from Germany. It is a chance to learn about the similarities and differences of each of these countries. The first time we attended, we talked about food. Last week we talked about education. I don’t know what they have cooked up for us this week, but we enjoy being with them and hope to have a positive influence that might result in an interest for someone to find out more about why we are really here in Russia.
We spoke in church on Sunday. Elder Peterson gave the majority of his talk in Russian, a result of many, many hours of marching around the apartment practicing sentences. I said about five sentences in Russian and relied on a translator for the rest. The church members are very patient with us and help us to speak correctly. It is challenging to simplify what we want to say and still say what we mean. We just pray for the spirit to do the teaching. Elder Hale sang, “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.” He has a beautiful baritone voice, and it added such a great spirit to the meeting. Unless the missionaries provide a musical number in Sacrament Meeting, they don’t happen so it’s nice for a change. One of my goals is to be able to teach the primary children a song in Russian so they can sing in Sacrament meeting one week.
Our District President Zolotov, his family, and a couple of other branch members drove to Kiev, Ukraine, this week to attend the temple. They try to go twice a year. They drive in a small 5-passenger car (and 5 passengers is pushing it) and take two days to get to the temple. They spend all day, every day for four days in the temple as ordinance workers, as well as proxies. It is a highlight of their year! The Zolotov’s leave their two younger daughters at home with a grandma, and their 17-year old daughter goes with them to do baptisms. They had us over for dinner again this week. We absolutely LOVE spending time with them! They are truly becoming treasured friends. They are so dedicated to their callings, to the members here in Tolitatti, and to making a difference in the lives of others. When we visit other members and they show us their pictures, the Zolotovs are always in them and have had part in bringing many of the members here into the church. They have been members for 13 years. President Zolotov has been a branch president twice, the first time after only being a member for a year. Sister Zolotova is serving as the District Young Women’s President—for the fifth time!
It is snowing again today. The streets were starting to melt yesterday, turning into ice rinks last night so new snow will be good to soften things up again. We thought we had put away our fur hats for the season, but it looks like we might have a few more surprises ahead of us. It is actually a good thing because if all of this snow were to melt at once, it would be a real mess. As it is, the drainage in our town is undesirable and you have to strategically choose paths to get where you want to go when the snow is slushy and puddles are in the streets.
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