3.29.11 Update

Andrew's e-mail this week was so great! It even brought a tear to his sister's and mother's eyes. He seems to really be loving the work, and it is wonderful to hear him wanting to work so hard. Please continue to pray for him - he really can tell when you do.

Yesterday morning and this morning, all the elders and sisters from the three older districts in our zone left for the field. As you read this, most of them will be either on long flights or long layovers. They're going everywhere; Novosbirsk, Samara, Donetsk, Npropitrosk, Vladivostok, Baltic States, Moscow, Moscow West, Ykaterinburg, St. Petersburg, you name it. The Russian-speaking missions are about to get a  HUGE boost in awesomeness. I'm so grateful for all the awesomeness they showed us when we got here, and even though I likely won't see many of them again in this life, I'm pretty excited for the giant party we'll have after the second coming. Two elders have stayed behind; Elder Shannon, who is had a biopsy for some kidney issues today, and Elder Zhalkovsky, one of the native elders who just had a surgery on a cleft palate. Both of them will be leaving within two weeks. Elder Shannon goes to Vladivostok, and Edler Zhalkovsky is going to the Salt Lake mission.

 

During gym this week, I was playing basketball and twisted my ankle. I didn't think it was a big deal at all until the next morning when it was a little swollen and wouldn't hold any weight. So I headed down to the sports clinic and they took care of it. I had a couple of days of strengthening exercises and ice and limping everywhere, but I'm about 99% back now. Played basketball yesterday. The purpose of this story though, is to explain the roughly $30 debit to my card: because my ankle is now apparently at much greater risk for being injured again, I had to buy a brace and wear it every day in gym if I want to participate, and it was kind of ridiculously expensive. Sorry.

 

On Wednesday or Thursday I think, one of my teachers, Brother Rutter, shared a story from his mission. Short version, he was on the plane home at the end of his two years. He was flying from Seoul to LA, and got some pretty nasty food poisoning that made his trip less than enjoyable. By the time he disembarked at LA, he had literally puked out anything that was left inside his body and didn't have enough strength to stand. Two other elders returning with him had to carry him to his connecting flight back to Salt Lake City. On the plane, he was feeling a little better but still couldn't hold anything down and had no energy. He was sitting in the seat and thought something like "What a great opportunity to sit back and rest after two years of giving my all every day." Then he realized, "No. I'm not released yet. I'm still wearing the tag, and I'm still a missionary, and I still have work to do." So even though he could barely move, he turned to the person next to him and talked to him throughout the plane ride. The person was receptive of the gospel, and accepted a Book of Mormon. As they landed, Brother Rutter found he had strength to get up and get off the plane on his own. He literally spent it all getting to the escalator. While he rode down the escalator and his family came into view, he used his last modicum of energy to put his fist in the air. He had done it. He recalled thinking how wonderful it was that the Lord blessed his family so much while he was gone. Two of his siblings who had fallen away from the church just before he left had come back and been married in the temple. He knew that this was only because he gave his all every single day, even when he didn't have the energy to get between two flights on his own.

 

Hearing this story inspired me to be that kind of missionary. Anything less than 110% of what I have every single day is not enough. Wasting my own time is stupid, but wasting the Lord's time is awful. I want to be the missionary who wears himself out in the work. Who seeks not his own life in serving others, but finds it again because of that service. Who realizes he is just an instrument in the Lord's hand to do what He wills. And when I get back, I want to look back on my mission and be unable to think of a time when I could have given more effort or tried harder.

 

This church is the true church. Jesus Christ is our Savior. How could I even think about serving any kind of mission besides the one he wants me to? Two years isn't enough to pay back even a fraction of the debt I owe him. All I can do is give my all, every single day of the mission.

I love this work. I love what the mission is transforming me into. But that's just a nice bonus on the side. I'm here to serve the Lord how He wants me to serve, and to bring the gospel to the people in Samara, so they too can know of the wonderful plan that God has for each of us.

 

Your prayers are much appreicated. I feel them every day. I'm going to need them every day. Tomorrow marks the first day when all the teaching I do for the rest of my mission will be in Russian. It's going to be interesting. But I know I can do it with the Lord on my side. There is nothing in the world that two people cannot accomplish, as long as one of those people is the Lord.

 

One week from tomorrow, we get new missionaries. My goal is to befriend them just like the older missionaries befriended me. The first week of the MTC is ridiculous and so hard. Anything I can do to soften that blow, I will do.

 

I love you all. Thanks for helping me get where I am, and thanks for helping me to keep going.

 

Love,

Elder Andrew Broekhuijsen

Photos (3.24.11)

Andrew and his roommates have been decorating their bedroom with paper cranes

Once they have to leave, Andrew says they'll pass it on to another Elder

a package from a friend in Texas - the candy was "basically destroyed"

Andrew's tiki man for his bed post

These are the 5 Elders in his zone going to Samara

someone didn't get the memo

Practicing his Russian cursive

3.22.11 Update

We got another e-mail from Andrew today! So good to hear that he's doing well. Enjoy some excerpts!

...we had a Zone activity where we practiced teaching to individual needs out of the scriptures, on the spot. We all took turns being investigators and mixing up companionships. Whoever was an investigator would come up with a concern they had about joining the church, and whoever was teaching them had 60 seconds to find an appropriate scripture and share it to help meet that need. While I was teaching Elder Zhalkovsky (one of the native elders), he brought up the concern that he didn't want to betray his country by joining and American church. While I was desperately flipping through scriptures, my Book of Mormon literally fell open to a scripture in 2nd Nephi about how God doesn't value the people of one nation above another. It was awesome. The church is so true, and the scriptures can answer ANY question we have.

A funny thing I learned about scriptures from Brother McCleary this week was that apparently some missionaries have had trouble with mixing up 1 Ne. 3:7 and 3 Ne. 3:7 when committing an investigator to read a section and ponder and pray about it. I'll let you read those and discover how hilarious that mix-up is on your own.

My companion Elder Angerhofer was telling me a funny story today about his brother, who has been in the Ukraine Kiev mission for about a year. Apparently he ran out of deodorant and where he was, he couldn't really get more, so he had some sent up from home. Well apparently it's important to address packages and letters to missionaries in eastern Europe IN CYRILLIC. The post employees there often see English writing and open it up so they can steal from the rich Americans. Anyway, I guess when he opened his package and took the lid off his deodorant, there was a bite taken out of it... the postman who got into it wasn't sure what it was and evidently decided maybe it was edible... haha!

So I really appreicate all the letters and DearElders everyone has been sending me. They really brighten up my day. But we had a lesson this week about not getting too hung up on letters and mail and in a way, being tied to strongly to our old lives through the post. I'm not saying I want you to send me fewer letters or anything, but I made a goal personally not to get too hung up on it. So if I don't respond to you personally, please understand it's because I have so many things to do and I can't always get around to responding to everyone's letters. Just know I get them all and really appreciate anyone who takes the time to write. President Harrison (my Branch pres) told a hilarious story about a missionary who, even though he knew it was against the rules, decided he would write his girlfriend every single day because he was SO in love with her. 3 months into his mission, he got a wedding announcement... she was marrying the mailman. Poetic justice at its best.

Last night I was looking around for my companion in the residence hall. When he wasn't in our room or the bathroom, I went out in the hall and just yelled "Gdye mui naparneek?" (which means, "where's my companion?). Elder Reingard, one of the native Russian elders in our Zone (who speaks basically zero English), poked his head out his room into the hall and said, "Oh. I kill." I busted up and pretended to get all upset at him. He just shrugged and said, "Sorry," then disappeared back into his room again. I don't think I'm as worried about adjusting to the Russian sense of humor as I was before.

Well I'm down to a couple of minutes left to email. I want you all to know I love you and I'm so grateful for the support you all provide. This gospel is true. This is where I'm supposed to be. I'm absolutely sure of it. How could I ever turn down the chance to share this gospel to those who don't have it?

Love,

Elder Broekhuijsen

Photos (3.17.11)

Even without his DSLR he manages to find ways to be artsy
(taken on the Provo Temple grounds)

Provo Temple (one of the best shots I (Melissa) have ever seen of it!)

These are the four Elders in Andrew's room. The red ties were for Red Scare Day.

Shaking "President Obama"'s hand - ha!

This is the fire escape route posted on their door.
Andrew says it actually tells them to go downstairs instead of leaving the building!
(So they covered it up with a picture of Nephi)

3.15.11 Update

Some excerpts from his e-mail home today:

Sunday I got to perform in a small group in Sacrament Meeting. We sang "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy," one of my favorite hymns. The first two verses were in English, then the last verse was in Russian, then we repeated the last chorus again in Russian as well. One of my favorite hymns. Hopefully before the older districts leave to go to Russia/Ukraine/Baltics, we'll be able to put together a cool musical number to sing in front of the whole MTC at a fireside. We'll see how that goes.

I finally got a haircut last week. It was horrendous. They cut it dry, did not use scissors (instead the barber seemed to prefer the "use a comb in conjunction with clippers" method), and then complained about how I had product in my hair that made it hard to comb through. But in the last few days, it's grown in a little better. I will definitely be dropping by when it's not the same barber next time though. We get one free haircut a month here, so I figure I might as well take advantage of that while I have it.

So I have a couple of requests for the general public: stickers, and addresses. I have a few stickers, and a billion "I Love Primary" stickers (thanks Melissa), but I feel I could do better. So if you mail me stickers, you will have my eternal gratitude, and I'll make my companion draw you a picture of a Pokemon of your choice (enclose your preferred one in the letter with the stickers). Deal? Deal.

Well the church is true. I think I'm figuring that out more and more every single day. It's awesome knowing God is trusting me with finding some of His children so I can tell them that and share the happiness and salvation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I love you all.

Write me letters.

Elder Broekhuijsen

Pictures (3.10.11)

Andrew's companion, Elder Angerhoffer, in the language lab (or as Andrew likes to call it, "helicopter pilot training")

Provo Temple

Elder Dahl, a friend of Andrew's from Lone Peak

Two Elders from Russia who are here in Provo to get training in discussions and learn English

Provo Temple with the mouth of Rock Canyon in the background

Picture in the MTC of a baptism in another Russian mission that is supposedly warmer than Samara! He may have a picture of his own like this one day!

The ever-growing tie collection

3.8.11 Update

Here are some excerpts from Andrew's e-mail home today, he starts by answering some of the most frequently asked questions he's received.

Are my teachers RMs?

Yes, both of them served in Russia. Brother McCleary served in Novsbirsk (sp? I only know how in Russian) and Brother Rutter served in Vladivostok. They have both been back for 2 or 3 years.

Are there other elders going to Samara?

Yes in my District there are 5 elders going to Samara and 5 elders going to Ukraine Donetsk, although obviously we are all Russian-speaking. In the other districts in our zone there are probably 3 or 4 more Samara-bound elders, and 1 or 2 sisters. Elder Johnson (Ian) isn't in my district, and I actually think he's not even in my zone, but all the Russians have Gym at the same time slots, so I play volleyball with him all the time. He makes me look even worse at it than I already am.

Are there sisters in my district?
Nope. Which is probably a good thing. Less distraction during class. There are some sisters in my zone though. They are all awesome, for reals.

What is different about the MTC than what I expected?

Hm. Everything. I never really gave much thought to the concept that it was a campus, so for some reason, I had it in my mind as one building. So there's that. Stop laughing. The food is similar to the Canon center, which is also not what I was expecting. I dunno. I feel like whatever describing I do, it's not really going to give anyone an accurate idea of what it is. Once my schedule normalized, it's pretty straightforward. Wake up, shower, breakfast, lunch, dinner, MDT, Class, and Gym, just in different orders and different quantities depending on the day.

Am I loving it?
Of course! It's awesome. Once I adjusted I started having a ton of fun with the elders and sisters in my district and zone and the teachers and everything. My roommates are particularly hilarious.

How is the food?
I've never had to judge food based on more than one day of experience with the same meal. While everything tastes pretty good on the way down... let's just say Pepto Bismol is currency here. That sounds like complaining. I really do enjoy the food. I just need a couple more years for my system to adjust.

Companion?

Lots of questions were asked about my companion. Nobody actually just wrote a letter that said, "Companion?" Don't worry. Anyway, my Companion is Elder Andrew Angerhofer. We're both from Highland, both going to Samara, and both of our grandmothers guessed our missions correctly before we received our calls. I didn't know him before because he went to AFHS, but apparently he lives really close to Mrs. Jolley and knows her really well. So tell her Elder Angerhofer is my companion, Garrett! So yes, Elder Angerhofer is my MTC companion and will be the entire time I spend here.

How do classes work?

Anything that shows up as "class time" on the schedule can be either MDT (Missionary Directed Time) or actual Class Time with either Brother Rutter or Brother McCleary. MDT is when we do our own studying. Personal study (like reading the BoM, etc.), Companion study (where we primarily plan lessons for our TE investigators) and Language study, which is self-explanatory. It's good, but sometimes I feel like we have too much MDT to use it all effectively.

Am I excited for Russia?

No. (I got a little bit sick of answering this question before I left. Of course I'm excited!)

How long am I here?

My projected departure date is May 9th. So assuming my Visa comes in on time, etc. then around 8 1/2 more weeks.

Anyway, to everyone who has been writing me DearElders: thanks for the mail. I love getting it. But I don't have enough time on P-days to respond to every letter I get individually. A hint though: handwritten mail gets higher priority :D For everyone who I don't get back to personally, I'll try to include you in the emails I send weekly. I've gotten DearElders from Dwayne & Melissa, Vance, tons from the immediate family, and a few other people that I'm sure I'm forgetting right now. Thanks a ton for writing! Getting mail rocks, it gives me something to look forwards to even when my brain is being assaulted by ridiculous Russian grammar.

A quick update of things around here:

-I'm still learning Russian. It's hard. They have 6 cases and 3 genders, which basically means that any given adjective can have 18 different endings based on its role in the sentence. It's a little bit crazy, but at least it's not as bad as Finnish (16 cases). There are also dozens of verb endings, which is kind of frustrating, but I'll get it. Practice + the Spirit = Russian-speaking Andrew (eventually).

-I'm also learning tons of stuff about how to teach effectively. There are all sorts of cool tools and resources here. My favorite is the TE, where you can sign up to teach "Progressing Investigators" -- people who work here that have created real characters for you to schedule and teach multiple times as if they were actual investigators. In 3 weeks, we are limited to teaching them in Russian, so I better get a move on and take advantage of the time I have left to practice in English.

-Gym time rocks. I'm going to be so ripped when I get back. Just so you know.

Thanks for the letters and everything. I know this church is true and I'm way excited to spread the gospel to those people who haven't had the chance to receive it yet. It's an awesome opportunity.

First batch of pictures!

Andrew mailed home the SD card from his camera so we've got pictures! He was able to record a voice note for the pictures as well, so we got a little audio caption on a lot of them.

Enjoy!

Official name tag - can you believe they fit all those letters on one line?

Name tag again - he drew the Russian Flag on the clip with markers

His companion - Elder Angerhofer (ang - er - hoe - fer, not hoffer)

Russian Book of Mormon

Russian Hymn book

Andrew with Elder Ian Johnson (a friend of Melissa's)

On Sundays they get to walk around the temple

Andrew with his companion

This is "more or less" his Zone

"Conquests" of his first Sunday-night MTC tie exchange!

3.1.11 Update

We got our first e-mail from Andrew today! He only has 30 minutes to write e-mails, so it wasn't a novel, but it was good to hear from him. Here are some excerpts:

The MTC is amazing. If I had showed up here on day one and one of my teachers had said, "Elders, in six days, you will know how to read Russian, sing in Russian, bear testimony and pray in Russian, introduce yourselves and contact people on the street in Russian," I wouldn't have believed him. Truly the gift of tongues is manifesting itself. I have had experiences where I couldn't get a word right for the life of me (For instance, свидетельство, testimony, which is pronounced svee-dyet-yell-stvo). And suddenly the next morning, I have wanted to say it and it came perfectly to my head and I pronounced it exactly right on my first try, instead of my awkward English-speaking mouth failing to make Russian noises the right way, like it did 100 times the previous night.

Although the Spirit is absolutely helping me, it's still really hard work. Every night I go to bed with my head completely packed with Russian. It just bounces around in there, but it usually kind of solidifies in a day or two. I can't believe I used to think the word for "hello" was so hard.

Thanks for all the letters and packages. Good stuff. I love getting mail here. It's the most exciting thing ever. Especially when you get a package slip and the rest of the day you get to be curious to how big it is, who it's from, what's inside... etc. We can't open mail until we are back in the residence halls after 9:30, so it's kind of a nice way to end the day.

I'm having some trouble adjusting to the sleep schedule, but I'm sure it will even out quickly enough. We're getting 7 1/2 - 8 hours of sleep every day. That's plenty.

Then he concludes:

First off, thanks to everyone who sent me letters, namely Danielle, Blake, and Dwayne (immediate fam doesn't count, although obviously I like getting mail from you too). I love getting mail. It's seriously such an awesome thing here at the MTC. I think I already mentioned that, but for reals. It's the best.

Second, every single day I know more and more that this church is true. There are miracles all around this place, and it's filled with insanely awesome people.

Third, for those of you who are getting ready to come in soon (I'm looking at you Miguel), avoid the Mexican food and the orange juice in the cafeteria. It tastes fine, but there are... repercussions.

Thanks for everyone's support. I'm having a blast here and working harder than I ever have in my life. I'll do my best to write back to everyone but I doubt I'll be able to do handwritten letters to everyone I received mail from. So keep checking the blog; I'll be sure to at least include some kind of reply if you send me something.

Love,

Старейшина Broekhuijsen

P.S. You chamber kids owe me a bucket of postcards.