stay warm

I always seem to get caught up in making things work when they don't want to.  This week was General Conference.  We are in a weird gray area in our city because the Branch President finished his mission and is now home in Tyumyen (however you spell it in english) about 5000 km from here, and we haven't been able to have a new one sustained.  That kind of leaves making sure things go well and happen to me...just how it goes I guess.  Well after buying a new DVD player (only to find out that Nina could get the old broken one to work after all...there was no way I could get anything out of it) I spent about all day Friday trying to make the discs that we got from Novosibirsk to work with our various players and tv's.  Long story short it worked ok...except that the copies of the discs were made from satellites and were bad copies at some parts.  Oh well.  We made it through transfers and conference, and we're still kicking, so no worries.  Nothing changed for me this transfer.  Elder Bush was moved to Sakhalin, and Elders Spjut and Conley (yes, that Conley) came to serve in the North area of the city.  It should be a cool transfer. 

 

We watched General Conference this weekend.  I was just blown away at how much there was to learn.  There were a lot of cool themes that came out.  It was interesting that at least 3 times Alma 41:10 was quoted.  "Wickedness never was happiness."  That is a good theme to remember throughout your life.  Follow the Prophet and be happy, reject him and be miserable.  Have faith.  Trust the Lord.  Show gratitude for the things that you have. 

 

I have an interesting gratitude moment from last night.  I got a call at about 10:30 from Elder Stewart saying "so what should I do if there is water leaking from our ceiling?"  That made for a fun little crisis.  I hope that being on the phone with the Mission President at 11 at night doesn't happen too many more times for me on my mission.  As I began to pray after that, I thought of the things that President Monson taught about gratitude, and wondered what I might be able to show gratitude for in a situation like that.  To my surprise my mind flooded with blessings.  I'm thankful that we have cell phones so that we can reach each other as soon as problems happen and be able to fix them, for the apartments that we have that don't usually leak water from above, and the list went on.  The Lord blesses the grateful to see His hand in all things.  "In all ways acknowledge Him and He shall make straight thy paths."  Those words are absolutely true.  Even in the most difficult of times we can find things for which to give thanks.  Thanksgiving is still a month away...but it's never too early to get in the spirit of the season.  You don't need Christmas or Easter to remember the Savior, and you don't need New Years to make life changing goals.  Start today, go the right way, in the end you'll say, hey! that made my day!  (So I got a little bored writing...what can I say?)  :D 

 

I'm working right now with our Branch Priesthood leaders to plan a talent show...my goal is to get my companion to do a rap with me...he is very opposed right now...so I'll let you all know how that goes in about a month.  Hopefully I'll have some good pictures to share.  Sometimes my goals might not be the most earth shattering...but I always have goals. 

 

 My Mom asked me to share a little about foods that I've been eating...so as boring as that probably is...I'll tell you.  Ha ha.  I've really started to love cooking lately.  I think my companion gets frustrated that I always take over the kitchen (it isn't big enough for both of us to be doing really anything at the same time there.)  Mostly I just experiment with things.  My white sauce is now famous mission wide, and I've started experimenting with chicken breading too.  Last week was cinnamon baked chicken...it was actually really good.  Someday I'll learn how to make borscht and some other Russian foods, promise.  Also I made chocolate chip cookies this week...they were kind of weird because brown sugar here has really big grains, like bigger than white sugar in the States...it was weird but I heard they were good.  Oh well.  Ok, I've bored you all enough, I'll let you go back to your fun exciting lives.  You should tell me about them sometime...I always love a letter. 

 

Wishing you're warmer than I am, (Today it's a wee bit nippy out)

Elder Fife

And I think t Myself What a Wonderful World (I heard that song the other day and it made me really happy!)

Tatiana's baptism was great on Saturday.  She is going to be such an incredible member of the Church.  I really was blessed to see the miracles that we saw as she learned and accepted the Restored Gospel.  I'm really not sure what to write about...this week went really fast and was mostly filled with preparations for the baptism.  I sent a lot of pictures home this week, and those should say about a thousand words each...so I figure that I wrote a pretty long letter this week already. 

 

There are lady bugs everywhere!!  I can't even explain this crazy phenomenon...but on Friday I started noticing lady bugs...and on Sunday there were hundreds of them flying around the Church.  I guess that lady bugs migrate or something, and that for about a week every fall they stay in Ussurisk.  The name lady bug is a really weird one to translate...but the translation from Russian is even better.  In Russia they are called "little godly cows."  Weird huh?  So there are hundreds of these little godly cows flying around, it's awesome.  But they aren't really out as much today, because it got cold again.  Yesterday was really warm. 

 

There has been a lot of really cool lessons that I've learned lately.  Most of all I've learned about charity.  I don't think I ever really understood before what it feels like to give unconditional love.  It's sometimes really hard, but the more you care about someone the easier it is to forgive them when they do those little things that everyone does.  As we work on developing Christlike attributes it has become really obvious to me how closely connected they all are.  Sometimes in order to learn how to forgive you really need to develop more charity.  If we developed the kind of love that the Savior has then it would be easy to forget the things that others had done wrong, and "remember them no more."  Christ is our example for literally every thing that we need in life.  If there is anything that is not going right for us, we might take a step back and ask "what am I doing differently than what the Savior would have done?" or "what qualities of the Lord have I grown weaker on lately?"

 

Well my time to write home is about done today, they're about to take their lunch break again.  I hope everything is going great for all of you who read my little thoughts and stories each week.  Have a great one!  (Maybe even 2!)  :)

 

--

Elder Sam Fife

boy scout training to the rescue!!!

Sometimes I have those moments where I just have to let my Boy Scout show and I can't stop...this morning was one of those times.  Sister Pratt gave me permission to build a stand for our drying rack for our clothes...she didn't know what she was saying... :D  So while Elder Gmeiner was in the shower this morning I took apart a few broken chairs we had at the apartment...used the good pieces to make so that we had 2 good chairs...and then took the "escape rope" from our balcony and used it to lash the chair frames together...and then unwound the remainder of the rope, cut each strand, and used it to lash the drying rack to the feet of the chair that I had lashed to the top of the other chair...I took pictures but didn't bring my cable to hook my camera to the computer...I'll make sure to get those for next week.  It was so much fun.  Thank you pioneering projects at scout camp and Cedar Badge.  You are now drying my towels and rags.  :D

 

I also had a little potato digging experience this week...I've decided that it is absolutely pointless to try to teach people what they should really do with potatoes.  My 6 generations of Idaho blood didn't convince anyone...but I felt really good to be digging in the dirt again.  I felt like I was back on Mecham's Farm...only without any machinery, trucks, equipment, and I was digging in the ground for spuds with my hands...other than that it was basically the same.  Ha ha.  My poor companion is a city boy and was just in a state of confusion with 3 Idahoans in a potato field.  Of the 6 Elders in my city 3 are from Idaho, 2 from the South East US, and one from Siberia...weird huh?

 

This week has been a little more difficult, but we are still seeing wonderful miracles.  Pavel and Natalya were baptized on Saturday.  They are a great couple.  Pavel investigated the Church something like 8 years ago, but then the Church moved to a different location while he was on a long work trip and he wasn't able to find it again for 6 years.  They both have great testimonies and are wonderful members of the Church.  I conducted the baptismal interview with Pavel and it was such a great experience.  I felt really unqualified to be holding an interview with a baptismal candidate, but the Spirit was really strong and it was really neat. 

 

Before the baptism we found that the small swimming pool that we use as a font was missing some parts.  Actually someone threw away the 12 poles that make the frame of the font and keep it standing.  Boy Scout Fife to the rescue! (with the help of a Siberian)  We made new poles out of PVC and it...didn't flood.  President Pratt was really uneasy when he saw it...well everyone else was too...But oh well...good times. 

 

We're having a wonderful time teaching the Gospel here and are seeing great success in Ussurisk.  We set a baptismal date with Tatiana on just her second lesson with us.  She is so incredible and the members who help on our lessons are nothing short of inspired.  I'm so thankful that the Lord is giving me opportunities to see so many miracles and to be in the midst of them all. 

 

I'm sure the best is yet to come.  Have a wonderful week, and enjoy General Conference for me!  I won't get to watch it until the 16th of October.  It's crazy that it's already time for General Conference again.  I am already really excited.  Well, have a great one.

 

Elder Fife

Too Blessed to be Stressed

Well I don't feel as bad about writing really short last week, since this week didn't really work out at all.  The server was down when we tried...so I had a very relaxing P Day without writing home.  I took a nap for a little bit, even made chocolate chip cookies.  (I bought a mix at an American store in Korea last time I was there.)  It was great.  Well I decided to write a little bit, a day late, before I go to lunch and then District Meeting. 

 

So I don't know who started upping their prayers for me...but thank you!  We have seen so many incredible miracles this week.  I think I have seen more accomplished in the last 4 days than in any other stretch of time like that in my entire mission.  We had a meeting with a really less active investigator, who lives in this apartment that looks like Zombies should live there...I get creeped out every time I go there.  One time I swear we saw a zombie there...it was awesome.  It can't be chance that next door is some kind of bacteria lab...creepy.  Anyway....so we went to meet with this member, and he told us that there were people at his apartment and wanted to sit and talk next door.  It sounded to me like an adventure so of course I was all for it.  Especially in the Zombie Dome.  (That is what I call it always.)  Turns out next door was his nephew, which was OK.  So as we are starting to talk we invited the nephew in on the lesson and he began to listen and participate.  To make a kind of long story short, the next day we met with him again and set a baptismal date for him in November.  It was absolutely incredible.  I have never taught so much in unity and with the Spirit as Elder Gmeiner and I taught that day, we even took turns playing with his kitten.  The Spirit's presence was felt so strong by all of us.  Soon we are planning to meet his wife and we'll see how well we can help her see that the Gospel will bless her life too.  It was so great. 

 

Then, on Sunday before Sacrament meeting we had a lesson that was set up for us with a friend of the Relief Society President in our Branch.  I have never met someone so accepting of the Gospel.  (Unless they're crazy or too drunk to understand what they are agreeing to.)  She felt the Spirit so strong, and understood the message so well.  I can't even describe how incredible it was.  There are so many people, everywhere you go, who are ready to accept the Restored Gospel, and do what it takes to follow Jesus Christ.  When we asked her what she expected to get out of our lessons, I don't think I could have thought of a more miraculous answer myself.  She said "I want to learn how to pray, how to workship God, and I want to change my life."  That is what we do as missionaries.  We teach people who they are, who God is, and what our real relationship with Him is.  Once you really understand who you are, then you are already a hop, skip, and a leap closer to your Father in Heaven.  You are devine, and you should know that. 

 

There is absolutely no substitute in Missionary work for members.  The testimony of someone who doesn't go around with a white shirt and nametag every day, and who does the things that normal people do, is so powerful.  When our great Relief Society President testified of the restored truths of the Gospel there was a Spirit there so strong, and that was when understanding really began to take place on all levels.  The best part is that they only met each other a few months ago at work.  The people who you can help to find the joy of the Gospel don't have to be life-long friends.  It could be.  But it could also be someone you met just yesterday.  Ask the Lord to help you do member missionary work, and He will bless you. 

 

The message is true.  There is no question in my mind about that.  Prophets and Apostles walk the earth today.  God's power has been restored.  You can find happiness.  Seek, and ye shall find.  I'm so grateful for the opportunities to see the blessings of the Lord each day as I invite others to come unto Christ.  I couldn't ask for anything better to do with my life. 

 

Have a great week, and happy birthday Tara!  Also to Ammon last week...I didn't forget...they just kicked me off before I could write it.  Love you all!

 

Elder Sam Fife