Monday, November 8, 2010

From Russia with love

Howdy!
What a week this last one has been. Time is finally picking up and no longer dragging on an on. which is bitter sweet. it would be just sweet if i actually knew this language. let's see... mom, i just got all of your letters that you sent before eisley's birth. tree pictures, kennady stories, texas trip etc. I'm unsure whether or not you are yet satisfyed with the information you have about russia... so here are some things.
Coat, i bout a good one for about 5000 rubles.. which is something like 160 bucks. it's superwarm, kinda heavy, has lots of pockets (two perfect sized pockets for Book of Mormon and Kneega Mormona... yes... i have to carry both around so i know what's going on) i unzipped the hood for a while, but i'm thinking i'll need to zip it back on soon.
food. this one i'm learning to deal with. My companion has habits with food, and i'm not sure that his habits are going to be my habits. I think he might be a little frustrated with me because i seem like a really picky eater. which maybe i am, but really i'm just a simple eater. i like my apples (good apples here... if you can find the unbruised ones) i like cereal. i'd be happy with t\just those two things really. but once you start trying to get creative is when i get a little frustrated. i'm much as i was in highschool again.... i'm just always hungry. unusual from the dustin of the last two years that never did any work and therefore was never much of an eater. for me, its quantity over variety. for him its variety. but i'm not starving... tho those 12 lbs i gained in the mtc... gone. and then some. i've lost like 6 kg since i've been here... which is ... i dunno.
it snowed for the second time this week, but its now melted again so everything is just mud again. mud mud mud. so much mud.
oh... i'm thinking i may not be sending much of anything home for christmas. everyone has planted seeds of doubt in my mind that anything ever makes it... so yeah. i'm going to give you a running list of things that i want or need that i cant get here that you can put in a package whenever you MIGHT send one. don't feel like you have to. first thing on the list Signo 207 gel pens. buy the pack of 8 colors. my ink is running low and my letters need COLOR. infact, send 2 packages. i love those pens. um.... oh and 3x5 pictures: STL temple, family, me and owen, kortney ben and kennady together, kendra nathan and eisley together, eisley, king kong, cardboard castle, hollywood way museum castle, house, house in the snow.
ok, running out of time quickly so i'll tell you a bit about this last week.
This last week started out pretty rough... and stayed pretty rough most of the week. We simply cannot get people to set up times to meet with us and then ACTUALLY COME. so frustrating. Don't they know that ALL we want to do is to help THEM. I think i understand God a little more now though. His whole work and glory is to bring about the eternal life of man. aka all he wants to do is to help US to be happy. Therefore, he gives us commandments and helps us to make covenants with Him. Following commandments and keeping covenants lead us to happiness. How frustrated He must be that we are constantly making it hard for him to help us.
But, we stayed diligent, and stayed hopeful. finally yesterday we were able to meet with volva. volva is about 22 and attended a baptist church a couple years ago in a different city. he believes in God, but said he hadn't felt his love much in his life. So we met with him and talked about how we can better feel God's love as we strive to become closer to Him. Much like a fire, we can feel the heat the closer we get. if you get too far off than we stop feeling the heat... but that in no way means that the fire is not burning. We have high hopes for volva, he's already overcome 2 of the major russian barriers. The tradition to be russian orthadox, and before he met with with us his aunt told us everything bad that " 'mormons' do and believe". this morning he actually called us to set up a time to meet. elder crookston and i just laughed in surprise.
funny story: last night as we were contacting we ran into a older man named... you guessed it: sasha (everyone is named sasha, or sergei it seems like" and upon shaking our hands he went on and on about how good my wife was going to be, and how my wife was going to be a MUCH better wife than elder crookstons. He wouldn't let it go either. he just went on and on and on about it. quite funny. elder croockston didnt like that man much... and just kept talking about how he can do more pushups than me. which i think is true, but not by much... and i don't sound like i'm giving birth when i do push-ups.... so whatever that is worth.
well times running out!
i hope all is well at home! i love you all!
love,
elder ellis

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