Feb. 5, 2012 from Stacy

We made it through January!  February has made itself known with subzero temperatures.  It has been twenty-below-something Celsius all week which converts to about ten to fifteen below Fahrenheit.   But, have no fear, it will be warming up this week to -11C, or 14F. Life goes on as usual here; "It's Russia!"  We had to take our gloves off for a brief moment this afternoon on our way home from church when we were stopped by the police officers for not crossing the street in a pedestrian zone and asked to see our documents.  It didn't take long for our hands to go numb!  The snow literally squeaks under our feet when we walk on it.  I made the mistake of setting a spare bottle of cooking oil in the cabinet out in the enclosed balcony only to find it starting to freeze within a couple of days.

We had our third Young Single Adult Family Home Evening last week.  We had eight attend including one investigator and two less active members.  A recent convert shared his testimony and the blessings he has received from being baptized.  He is a 25-year old single gentleman who recently finished chemotherapy treatments.  He has a thirst for knowledge and does all he can to learn more about the church.  It was good for everyone there to hear his journey in determining truth and being baptized.  He has become a good friend, as well as a good example.  He invited us to meet with his nonmember mom last week.  There was such a good feeling while we were there, and we know some day she will want to know more about the church.  There is a misconception amongst some Russians that the Mormon church is a cult and that we sacrifice children.  There is a lot of propaganda on TV that really works against us.  We ask them why they believe such a thing and they say "I don't know"?  After a few questions many don't believe it any longer and it leaves doubts about the source who pushed the falsehoods.  So it is good when people can see we are normal, loving people.  We played a couple of fun games.  You can see in the attached pictures the game where you had to work together as a team to get a "ball" (we used a rolled-up sock) to wind around a stick.  It's funny to watch people maneuver their hips and make it work.  We are hoping to have successful activities so that the kids will talk amongst themselves and encourage others to come.

We went with the full-time elders to a family's home for their Family Home Evening.  The Branch President and his family were there too.  They fixed us pizza which was so thoughtful.  They made the crust themselves which was triple-deep bread and very delicious!  Everyone shared their feelings on a particular topic.  Elder Peterson shared a thought, and I testified, simply for the fact I lack vocabulary!  It is so frustrating to not be able to express yourself and every time you open your mouth it sounds completely unintelligent!  Generally people are very patient and encourage us to keep trying and not give up.

We love having the missionaries over every Friday for district meeting and lunch.  They tell about who they are teaching and are able to help each other with different concerns.  The two sister missionaries are from the Ukraine.  It is fun to have fellow sisters to be with, Sister Ostopchuk and Sister Braginyets.  Sister Braginyets speaks very little English and Sister Ostopchuk essentially speaks no English except for "sounds good."  Miraculously, we are able to communicate spirit to spirit, as well as with the help of the dictionary.  Sister Ostopchuk has been a member for ten years and is the only member in her family.  They have such great spirits about them and strong testimonies, as do all the missionaries.  I don't know what I will feed them when winter leaves.  All I know how to do is big pots of soup, chili, etc, which are less desirable in the hot summer months.  I found a store that sells french bread similar to American style bread.  I increased the quantity from two loaves to three because they love it so much.  We marvel at how much butter they spread on it but figure they need the layer of fat to help keep them warm on the street:) 

Today in church was our "kick off" in presenting this year's vision of home teaching and visiting teaching.  Currently, and for as long as I am aware, this hasn't been happening.  This is such an essential way to watch over the members of the church and help them feel loved and needed.  The District President feels strongly that if we can follow through with home and visiting teaching that the individual spirituality of the members will increase and that we will be able to rescue less active members.  We are praying for a miracle; there is such a need for unity, respect, and love in this area.

As we were skyping with our daughter Kallie this week, she saw Elder Peterson doing his exercises in the background as we were signing off.  He routinely marches around the apartment with flashcards in hand, studying his Russian words to the beat.  Kallie sent a humorous note that her dad was taking this belonging to "God's Army" a little too far, and that he didn't need to be marching:)   Even so, we feel blessed to be here and are hoping that what seem like insignificant offerings might in some way make a difference.