Snow Is Upon Us

Dearest family and friends,

Snow is on the ground!  And that means that we are just that much closer until it is covering the cars.  We talked to a woman today that said you can go to sleep with not much snow out and then wake up and open your front door and only see white.  And then she proceeded to do swimming motions showing how see gets to work when it's that bad.

Transfers came and went without any changes on our end.  Me and the King are together another six.  I was nothing but glad.  I don't really have any desire to leave this place and am hoping to spend as much time here as possible.  The sisters stayed as well.  

We took a hike on Monday in a thick fog.  We didn't have much of a view when we reached the top.  You could say we were in the clouds.  I wish I would have had a jar on me to catch a cloud in.  I've always wanted to do that ever since I was a little kid.  We climbed to see an old crashed USSR airplane which everyone had heard about but no one had seen.  That remains the same to this day.  We couldn't find the thing.  It was a shame but alas, we had a good time.

In the coming week we may be participating in an English club at our local library.  We'll see where that goes, we might have to make some kind of power point.  I don't know. Anyways, my sisters that where in the MTC with me go home at the end of this transfer.  Talk about time flying.

A large part of our week was spent working on less active work and making lists and seeing who we can go visit and whose info is correct and whose isn't and so forth.  We got into 2 houses with positive people inside.  We are hoping to bring them back to the fold and I think we have a really good chance with one of them.  The work of this next week will be largely spent on going out to more people.

I taught priesthood in church.  We had a home teaching appointment.  We made a huge batch of chum chum that lasted us more than half the week.  President has us send him every night a miracle we saw that day.  We are truly blessed.   I would invite you do do the same.  Expect and record the miracles you see.  If you don't expect them they won't happen consistently.

Life is good!  I love the members and love it here.  

Elder Wilding

King's coat inside out

With statue of Lennin

That says Utah smoke, Soback

What a beauty - Sakhalin temple

What we built, smile rock, fog

 

In the Hollow of my Hand

My beloved family and friends,

Life on a mission is like a train that takes a long time to get going but once it picks up speed there is no stopping it. But time on Sakhalin (I have been spelling it wrong this whole time) is like that train except that train grew space ship wings and is now moving at the speed of light.  I love it here!!!

"What even happened this week?" is what me and King always ask each other before we come.  I hope I can remember more this week.  So Monday we bought groceries, wrote home and then we went home and cleaned our house. You might say it was revelation because our landlords came over and told us we have to move.  Their house is getting repaired or redone and they are going to live in our house.  We spent a good chunk of time on the internet searching for new apartments.  We are hoping to be out in 2 weeks.

We had Russian practice and I learned that in English we used to have the ты (informal word for you) which is thee but the language changed and nobody uses it anymore.  Who knew?  We also got interviewed by one of our local Russian leaders and the whole thing was in Russian.  Speaking of Russian we traveled to a Russian Orthodox temple to see if we could serve with them.  We got the number of Father V, but due to one thing or another we haven't got to call him yet.

We had the chance to do a little home teaching.  We found like 10 museums we could go to and ask for service.  We also found a chess club and even some volleyball courts.  We went to one of the museums.  They didn't really have service but we might come back with a member and it will go better.  Then we had institute and I was the object lesson.  I was tied to a chair to represent the fall.  During the lesson however I managed to untie myself unawares to the others. Plus our teacher made cinnamon rolls after!  

On Friday we went on a beautiful hike with a investigator and some of the members.  We hike up a ski resort that had a gondola.  Even though there is no snow they still ran it but we didn't take it on the way up.  We hiked passed it and almost got lost in the forest that had many fallen trees until we reached the top of a different mountain then we had originally planned haha.  The peak was amazing!  We sat at the top and ate sunflower seeds because Russians love them.  We ended the day with sport's night.

We had a great fast Sunday and strengthened our relationships with the members.  Conference will be shown next week but I was able to hear about half of the women's general session including Elder Uchtdorf's talk.    

It was a good week!  I love it on the island!  

Love

Elder Wilding  

Temple in Sakhalin

 The hike

 With Elder King

 Gondola

In the cabin you can get fresh clean water.  Gondola

The hike

A Sobaka, the temple

Giant nesting doll

Possible new apartment for you mom

      

Grand Week

Dear всe,

Grand week it has been!  I got burnt pretty bad at our branch picnic but now it is turning into a way nice tan.  I cut so much wood this week!!!!!!  And went on splits with Elder Sieboch. The weather keeps on being nice and we even went to sleep to a rain storm last night with thunder and lightning!  It was wonderful!

Last Monday after finishing up with the weekly email service we went to a Russian Orthodox temple or a храм.  We had to change out of our missionary clothes into our street clothes.  They were having some kind of service when we went in.  Three men singing praises and a few people in there.  The priests kept on coming out and reading the scriptures but singing them!  It was really cool!  They have beautiful voices and the art in there is very interesting.  All the women have to cover their head with a towel or something when they go in but other than that most of the people in there besides the priests were just wearing normal clothes. 

We met with Mr. W our Chinese investigator who is trying to learn English about everyday this week until Friday when he had to go back to renew his visa.  He is starting to believe in God and he loves to study the gospel!  We go through the restoration pamphlet with him in English and he studies it before our lessons and then we go over it with him and after he has us quiz him to see if he understands!  Since we knew he was going to be leaving soon we gave him a Book of Mormon in Chinese.  If is a really really slow process to teach him so we hadn't even got to the Book of Mormon.  When we gave it to him he said, "No I don't want it I need to study the gospel" haha!  And then we explained what it was and he said he would read and pray everyday!  His prayers get better and better every time we meet with him.  His prayers are very simple but so very sincere.  He is amazing!  It is so sad that his visa had to run out and now he is going to be gone for a month.  

On Sunday we had a man named B attend.  He said we called him but I don't remember it.  He wants to become a member of the church he said and he really liked sacrament meeting.  When I was talking to him I learned that he has 3 sisters.  All of them are doctors haha.  And one of them lives in Australia and has forgotten many Russian words he says.  He speaks faster than anyone I have ever talked to but I am excited for the challenge!  We are going to meet with him tonight after family home evening.

Like I already said in the introduction, I chopped so much wood at C's!  I don't know what was up but I was on fire and was one swing splitting almost everything!  It is a day to be remembered!

Yesterday while on our way to a lesson, this little boy about 5 years old came running toward us screaming as if someone was chasing him.  He ran right past us and kept on going until he was out of sight.  Haha no one ever came chasing him, he was just running and screaming.  Earlier in the week we had a picnic near a big blue lake.  We roasted shishkabobs.  They were marinated to perfection!  And we had more than enough!  We had a really good time relaxing near the water skipping rocks and playing soccer.  President Z even took a swim and grabbed the soccer ball when it got kicked in the water.

On Tuesday night Ussirysk might as well had been called America.  We met more people who speak English than I have ever met in my life.  P and his brother A, we just met outside the church and Peter spoke perfect with no accent at all.  I had to keep on questioning if it was Taylor or not because they were twins.  But I guess that isn't anything new.  Coach Funk, Uncle Scott and Taylor that covers about 60% of Russia's population.

Love you all!  Thanks for all the love and strength given to me through you letters and prayers!  

Elder Wilding

Happy Victory Day!

Also Happy Mother's Day all who are mothers.

What a crazy week.  I was probably away from Elder Roosa this week more than I was with him.  With the visa trip, and 2 times being on splits, that will do it.

I was getting butterflies before my trip to Korea and the temple.  It was so great there!   It was just me, Elder Perry and Sisters Merrill and Young.  They rest of our group was in the west and went to Mongolia.  Who knows, one day I might be in the west again and go to Mongolia just like I predicted so long ago in that one game of risk at the cabin.  The temple was beautiful!  We were able to attend one session.  Sister Young met a girl she went to high school with.  Small world.  (She was a missionary too.)  There was also an American couple down there to pick up their daughter who finished her mission.  Me and Elder Perry had some time in the morning to go around the grounds and take pictures.  The weather was perfect and the flowers were in bloom.  Every time I'm there I think of how lucky the Korean missionaries are to serve there but then I think of how cool Russia is and think they should be jealous.  I was glad I don't have to learn Korea.  We went to eat at Ashley's (a buffet), and I covered just about everything I ate in melted cheese and somehow Elder Perry ate a mini octopus.    It was a legendary night.  And I came to 2 conclusions.  Koreans are the super nice and their children are adorable.  The airport has been rated number 1 for 11 years in a row.  It is so clean.  We saw so many American soldiers in line and talked to a lot of people from the states.  It went fast though, we were out in 24 hours or less.  

The Russian's celebrate Victory Day super hard.  I have never seen so many people on the streets.  Den pa-bed-ee, as they say.  They had a parade and there are military men everywhere in their uniforms. I have seen sooo many soldiers this week.  I saw some people doing the Andrus knee dance.  I need to learn!  In the center square there are concerts or performances going on throughout the whole day.  We can't be proselyting after 6.  We are going to the circus in an hour and then have a meeting with our new investigator E at 7:30 so we will be out, but only to get to places.

Splits were fun! I was first with Elder Sieboch and then Hess.  Me and Elder Hess found D and went in the church and played ping pong with him and his girlfriend.  He is way cool and told us if anyone ever tries to mess with us to just call him.  We are making friends left and right now.  Everyday it seems that we see someone we have already talked with and became friends with and it's cool to talk with them.  PS: if this letter sucks it is because the keyboard I am typing on is the worst.  We actually had this guy being annoying today and D saw us on the road and told him to leave.  There is a lot of alcohol consumed on this day.

Sorry this is short - it took so much effort to even type this much because of that keyboard.  But all was well this week!

Love you all!

Elder Wilding