Many Are Called But Few Are Frozen: Happy Easter

Dear everyone,

This week was awesome! It started off by me buying a way stylish hat from a store nearby. I don't know how to describe it other then by a movie I have never seen but all the other missionaries call it this. A "newsies" hat. Or like a golfing hat. It is great. So many people wear them down here. I got a gray one to match my suit. Apparently it makes me look English though. We went back to the hospital this week to try to speak with the doctor. And when his nurse was talking to him she said that two English men want to talk to him haha. We went in to see him and he asked us what we wanted to know and stuff. But we were only planning on setting an appointment so that we could come back later with planned written down questions but he wanted it now so I asked how he became a doctor and he said something like 6 years of school and then something online and then he told us that until I was studying that anything he told me would be of no use to me because I wouldn't be using it and then we left. Even though it didn't go how we planned, we learned something. You have to go with prepared questions or they will kick you out. We are going to try a different hospital next week.

While going through the area book we came to a mans name and this is what it said "АКОП" but the last letter was written to look like n. And we thought it might possibly be the singer. So I called him and said "Hello, is Akon there" haha. Turns out his name is A_ _ _ and he is mostly from yzbakistan or something because that is not a Russian name. There are a lot of people like that here.

Lesson with V_ _ _ _ _ _ was pretty good. We said that God was his Heavenly Father which he kinda struggles with understanding. And he also prayed! But the shocker is when he arrived to church for sacrament meeting! He came right after the sacrament was administered but he still came! This is huge - he has never come before! Elder Crabb called him and told him it was his last Sunday in this city. Speaking of that we got transfers this week. Elder Crabb is going to Vlad to be with Elder Lyman and I am staying in Ussuriyisk and will be training again. My new Trainee's name is Elder Roosa. I know nothing about him besides the picture that I have seen on the transfer paper. He looks like a great guy though. I am excited to train again but this came as a huge surprise. I thought for sure me and Elder Crabb were going to be together another 6. I am going to miss him. I have been immensely blessed with great companions on my whole mission. Training is fun but the fact that I will be the one with the most Russian is always a little daunting. But I have learned that the Lord qualifies those he calls. A promise that I am the uttermost thankful for. I couldn't have made it this far without that promise. God is good. Elder Roosa arrives is a few days and I will take a bus down to Vlad with Elder Crabb and then he will go on his visa trip and I will spend a day or two in Artyom with Elder Gardner until Elder Roosa arrives and then I think we are going to get a ride back in a van. Logistics for this mission are crazy. I don't know how they do it.

On our weekly service this week for Brother Constantine. The other elders found 3,200 rubles on the ground in the middle of the street. They picked it up figuring it was ours and then came and did service and then after when they realized that it wasn't ours we didn't know what to do. So we prayed that God would inspire or give us revelation to whose money it was. After the prayer we still didn't know, so then we knocked on doors. We went door to door asking if anyone had lost money. We didn't want to do this at first because we figured that everyone would just say yes and then try to guess the amount but to my surprise and pleasure everyone was honest and actually tried to help us find the right person. It might have just been because we were four Americans in a tiny little farm land place but the word got around and people started popping out of their houses to come watch us. We went to this Asian lady's house and rang the bell and she came out and said that she lost nothing. So we headed back out to the street when she comes running out of the house with her son and asks how much we found and we said we wouldn't tell her and then she said was it 3,200? And we were surprised and said yes and gave her the money. It turns out her grandson was walking home and it fell out of his pocket. It was a miracle for God to answer our prayer that fast and directing us where to go. Then after on the way home we all stopped and had a prayer of gratitude for the help.

Thank you so much for the birthday package it was awesome! Somehow I manged to wait until my birthday to open the presents. I love the presents! Also Sister Perkinson called me and wished me happy birthday which was so nice! I had a great birthday. I didn't really do anything but Elder Crabb gave me a jar of peanut butter which was much better than a cake!

Thanks for all the letters and support. I love serving out here!

Love,

Elder Wilding