RUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm in Russia!  Like I'm actually in Russia and it's awesome!  Everyone looks like Taylor haha!  The people smile and are mostly nice!  When we street contact I say, "Hi, we are from the Church of Jesus Christ, are you a believing person?"  Most the time they say they don't understand English even though I am speaking it in Russian haha.  Sometimes they just keep on walking but more than I expected people stop and talk to us for a little bit!  Only have seen a few drunk people, everybody wears way short shorts even the guys and all the Russians have the same shoes haha!  The ones with the holes everywhere.  All the buildings look scary and gross from the outside but once you go inside they are pretty nice!  My apartment is really nice and we have a better shower than we do at home haha!  The branch in Angarsk (where I am serving - Siberia) is super strong!  There is a man here named S who has read all the standard works four times and he has been a member less than a year.  Crazy how strong and committed members are, they sacrifice so much for the church.  We are teaching a man named R.  He has a baptismal date this Saturday but we had to push it back a week because Elder Lyman, my companion, has to go on a Visa trip tonight so I'll be in Urrkookts for like 2-3 days.  R is amazing and when he talks about the gospel he says our church instead of your church!  He says how when families fall away from the church the family falls apart and he isn't even a member of the church yet!  There is a ping pong table in the chapel and the branch president says he wants to play us in ping pong sometime!  Guess it's time to school some Russians in Ping pong haha!  

The language is difficult but I know I will learn it!  So many words that I don't know but I get better everyday!  Everyone in the branch is way nice and says that I know Russian really good!  They're so nice because I don't at all!  I bore my testimony in church which was cool!  I have to give a talk next week haha!  I also passed the sacrament.  Church is only 2 hours here.

On my trip from Las Vegas to Korea the airline was amazing!  They gave us fruity drinks and 2 meals and a hot towel but I was asleep so I didn't get the hot towel :(!  I slept basically the entire time of the 13 hour flight!  Everyone else stayed up like fools because our teacher told them they would adjust to the time change better but she has never been more wrong!  We got there and it was morning so I was well rested and everyone else was tired!  President and Sister Perkinson picked us up at the airport!  They drove us to the mission office for a second and then to the mission home.  The mission home is sooooo nice!  Sister Perkinson is a really good cook!  

My trainer and companion is Elder Lyman from Highland Utah.  After the mission he is going to play baseball at BYU.  I really like him and we get along well!  He is a really good cook and we made a Pizza my first day here!  He has been out just barely under a year.  Apples means orange in Russian haha!  I think today we are going to go to a book store.  He said that the Count of Monte Cristo was there in Russian and while we can't read it on the mission it would be definitely cool to have for when I get home so maybe I could send it to you or something.

Like I said Russia isn't what I expected at all.  Landscape is a lot like Alaska and I really like that!  The branch president here served us cake and apple juice when we went and visited with them which was delicious!  Just your average Heavenly Father's children in Russia, they aren't a whole lot different from Americans in a lot of ways.  Tracting is pretty fun to see people shocked that two Americans are talking to them haha!  It's hot!!!!!  I did not expect Siberia to be this hot!  I know it will cool down though haha!  A lady here said -40.

I love you all!   

Старейшинa Wilding