Many Are Called But Few Are Frozen: Merry Christmas!!

Monday, December 26, 2016

Merry Christmas!!

С Рождеством!

It was awesome to see you and talk to you on Skype! Crazy to think that next Christmas I will be there. I honestly don't want to leave. I was planning on telling you how we are in Russia and didn't even have a white Christmas but today the snow picked up and we are in the middle of mini blizzard right now. Who knows maybe we will end up with a foot before it ends just like you. My Alaska's (my boots) have hardly had any tests this whole winter, but I think these would be warm even in Siberia when it is -40. Hopefully snow won't stop until Russian Christmas (7 January).

As I mentioned in my Skype call we have our investigator Nikolai on date to be baptized on the 14th of January. We found him in the area book, his chart looked great and for who knows why the elders stopped meeting with him. He looks a lot like Putin and Harry Potter mixed. Ever since we committed him to baptism he has stopped smoking. He has tried in the past with no success but he said this time it is easy for him. Prayers have been answered every day and he is on his 5th day already!

We went sledding on what seemed to me like a pretty lousy hill with some branch members but it turned out to be super fun! We bought sleds for 70 rubles a piece (they tried to charge us 346 for one, but we caught it, it was a problem with a price tag) and those babies flew!

The Severukins were in our district meeting and we also held a mini MTC for them since them just started their mission 2 weeks ago and didn't have anything like it. It went well, we have plans to go serve at a orphanage and maybe a few other places. Actually we took about half a day with the sisters and just walked around town from building to building asking if we could serve. Most people told us that they had nothing for us to do then we went to a Japanese museum and were met with the same kind of talk, we persisted and the manger lady came down and told us that we could and gave us free tickets to the museum right on the spot! It was a miracle!

Thanks for all that you all do! New Years has a lot more celebrators in Russian and I haven't heard yet but we will probably go home early on New Year's eve. The branch is having an activity but we can go. Have a Happy New Year!

Love you all!

Elder Wilding

Christmas tree making

I was a wiseman

Sledding

Christmas Party

SKYPE!!!!

With Elder Lawrence

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Who are you, boy? Poem to Missionaries from Russian Convert, circa 2000

Who are you boy? For a boy you are journeyed to this land of ours, this land where I've endured my days. And felt oppression kill my soul and force me into some tight mold. And teach me that I should not hope unless I care to smell the smoke of dreams that the Red Army tamed. Who are you boy, from this land of plenty, teaching God, if there is any. You have all; we have none. Do you know what that feels like, son? And yet, you ask me to believe in something that I cannot see; some force you say will bring me joy. Do you know what that feels like, boy? Where you're from, faith is free, but it has a price for me. When I have pain, I have my bottle. Hurt dies quick when you down it with Vodka. That's enough to warm my soul. I work, I sleep, the days go by--I'm waiting for the day I die. You don't understand this place. You say believe, obey, have faith, live life well, serve and give. Here in Russia, we just live. Who are you, boy? Why did you come? To save a soul who once was numb. To teach a wretched, hateful, man who cursed your help, refused your hand. I thought that we were worlds apart. So how is it that you knew my heart? A fraction my age, you calmed my rage; mercy paid my generous wage. I should have been left behind. It is hard to love my kind. Hope in your heart, power in your hands, why did you come to this distant land? I know now, it was for me. The Red Curtain fell, but I was not free. Until a boy from nations away brought me my Lord, I bless the day. He led me to weep at my Master's feet, the American boy I met on the street--new and naive, still in his teens, with a message to bring the world to its knees. I thought that the truth would come from another--I did not know this boy was my brother.