1 Month Then Russia!

Family!!!!!!!!!!

I love P days!!!!  The other days are good as well but P day is always awesome!  We get to go to the temple in the morning and then we do our laundry and write letters home and try to plan a lesson and get to the gym to play some volleyball or 4-square or basketball!  The amount of things we can fit in a day when we plan our day the night before is outstanding to me.  Never knew how much time was in a day.  We had a super good speaker at the devotional last night!  He was an emeritus 70 and he told us 10 steps that if we do we will be a happy and successful missionary.  The steps were simple, and nothing I haven't ever heard before.  And then it hit me.  It's not a complicated thing to be a happy and successful missionary.  All I need to do is trust in the Lord, forget about myself, work hard, love the people and my companion, obey the mission president, love the scriptures and there were a few other steps, but it is basically that simple!  The gospel isn't complicated.  I didn't know of a surety that the gospel was true when I first left my mission.  I believed it was true and that's why I chose to serve but I know now that I'm here.  My testimony has grown and I know this church is true!  I love reading my patriarchal blessing!  I never realized until I was out here but my blessing predicted my mission call to Russia!  

At our district devotional last night a traveling counselor was in our classroom.  He goes around to different districts around the whole MTC.  He was telling us how going to Russia isn't going to be like just going to another part of the world.  It's going to be like going to Mars.  He said there won't be much we recognize besides that there are people there.  They eat food like we do although it is different and they want similar things out of life as we do.  I'll totally be out of my comfort zone but that's a good thing!  One of our teachers said, "There's not much learning found in a comfort zone, and not much comfort found in a learning zone."  That's when I'll learn and grow and gain experience not just for my mission but for my whole life.  In the devotional last night the man said that all mission calls are inspired from God. And he said more importantly than what language your learning, the country you're going to or even the people that are in your area that you will teach, is your mission president.  So basically he said that you get called to your mission president more than you get called to a mission.  When we met our mission president it was amazing!  I couldn't even believe how great he was.  He will have a huge impact on my life and I'm so lucky to have him!    

Our zone leaders left to Russia Monday morning at 3.  They are going to St. Petersburg.  They were great Elders and I'm going to miss them.  I've realized that no matter where you are you will make friends.   It felt that I have known those Elders far over just 4 weeks.  My teacher Brother Clark was telling us how we can't compare ourselves to anyone.  If we just do our best that's good enough for the Lord and he will take care of the rest!  I think about the scripture that I chose for my plaque.  When I am weak then I am strong!  Without the Holy Ghost I am nothing.  But with Him I can do all things!  The speaker last night said we should come back tri-lingual. I should know English, Russian but most importantly the language of the Spirit!  I love it in the MTC.  And yes mom the suit does fit!  The time goes by fast.  On Thursdays we change our bed sheets and every Thursday it feels like I changed my sheets the day before.  But Wednesday to Wednesday takes forever.  Time is a super weird thing.  Still teaching in Russia almost everyday.  I'm getting a lot better at the language!  Me and my companions just go in with the pamphlets for the lesson we are going to teach and the scriptures.  When I first got here I would write everything down I was going to say in a notebook and then underneath it write how it sounds in English!  Haha a lot has changed.  I can talk about some gospel topics really well but just normal conversation is something I don't know how to do.  We were playing rock paper scissors in Russian and the loser had to speak Russian the rest of the day and it was like 11 A.M.  It was best of one.  I pulled out paper and Elder Perry did scissors.  Let's just say that was the quietest I have ever been my whole time here.  I love thinking about the future and how I will know Russian and basically only little Deeds will know what I'm saying.  I really like having him here!  We played spike ball yesterday and it was so fun!  

Well things are going well here!  I was called here for a reason.  The Lord knows I can do it!  

Love

Elder Wilding

Last Sunday with the Elders

Last Sunday with the Elders

Our classroom mascot Vlad

This is for you mom.

Russian Hymn Book - Inside of hymn book with thumb and without

It was suppose to look like I was sitting on a throne of packages but
it just turned out awful haha

Last picture of Elder West *** Last pictures of Elders Larsen and Crookshank and Elder Berrios in the background **** "INVADE FOR MOTHER RUSSIA" *** One of our sisters got a wedding announcement from her crush haha

We put 6 pounds of gummie bears in Elder West's pillow

Pano of classroom

 My desk