Happy Halloween!

After reading today's email, I was tempted to title this post "Heppy Helloween" but just couldn't quite bring myself to do it.  :-)  Anyway, today's email was certainly a "treat" - not a "trick."  (Sorry, I had to make some kind of lame pun - I am related to Andrew, after all!)

Heppy Helloween! Funny story to start off the day: The Tol'yatti district (not the missionary district, but the "someday will be a stake" district) had a sweet Halloween party on Saturday. We had tons of investigators and members come in from as far away as Kazan! It was so cool. It was a way fun party. But the funny story part is how the poster they designed and hung up in all the branch buildings said "HELLOWEEN" in huge capital English letters. I laughed. I think I may have a picture... I'll have to look.

Anyway, the big news you've all been waiting for... I got transferred again! I'm a Zone Leader again! This time in Samara Zone. So my area isn't too far away from the Mission Office and the Assistants' apartment and stuff. The area is called Bezimanski (which means "Nameless" - heh). My companion is Elder Wood! He's been a Zone Leader here for about 3 cycles now, so a little over four months. He's awesome. He's super hilarious, which I already knew. But I've only been with him for about 30 minutes now, so I'll tell you all about him next week. 

One perk with being in a new area is that there is a 99% chance I'll be able to send photos now! I think New City North is kind of the only area where the internet place the missionaries use blocks USB ports. And boy. I have LOTS of pictures to send you. 

So anyway I don't have a whole lot of news about the zone or anything because I haven't even been to my apartment yet. Elder Wood and I just left from the Assistants' apartment this morning, and stopped at the post office on the way home to send email home. 

Last cycle was amazing. Elder Lewis is a champion. He's going to be awesome. Elder Walton, my first companion and trainer, Elder Kuzmin, my second companion and second trainer, Elder Eyers, the "constant" unchanging force in the mission (as the Assistant who welcomed me to Russia back in May), and Elder Fearn, a really awesome missionary I knew while I was serving in Saratov, are all on a plane home right now. Elder Walton and Elder Fearn are somewhere over the Atlantic presumably. Elder Eyers may actually be in England already. And Elder Kuzmin is likely already released from his calling as a full-time missionary, as he lives in a little city called Vyburg right outside of St. Petersburg - not far from Samara at all. I can't even believe it. It's devastatingly sad. 

Elder Morris, my ZL companion from Saratov, is now the Assistant with Elder Hale! Awesome, I'm looking forward to working with him again! 

Seeing changes in the mission like this has really made me reflect on what I'm doing. Last night I really made a firm resolve to not waste a single second, as I spent my last few minutes with Elder Kuzmin that I will spend with him for a really long time. My last few minutes I will ever spend with him while we're both full-time Samara missionaries. I've made that resolve before, but I have to remind myself now and then. This mission goes by quicker than I can blink. I've already been out for more than 8 months. WHAT?

Last cycle was successful! At the end of September, we had a district meeting in Old City, Tol'yatti where together as a district, we kneeled together and got inspiration to set a baptismal goal for the month of October. Then we got to work. And the miracles started flowing. As of Saturday the Zone met its goal. V* from New City is getting the Aaronic Priesthood next week and has been called as a Gospel Principles teacher. Life is awesome.

Anyway. I had a hard time saying goodbye to the awesome members in New City last night, but it's unfathomable to me that I wouldn't see them again on my mission. I will. I've still got like 16 months.

I'm so sure I'm supposed to be here. Yeah there are hard days. They happen. There are discouraging days where nobody will even so much as take a pass-along card on the street. There are days when I wonder if we're really getting anything done here in Russia.

And then there are days where we baptize a family and get them on the path towards being together for all eternity. Those are the days where we get to metaphorically punch Satan in the face. I enjoy those days. I'm looking forwards to many more of them on my mission.

I love you all. I love my mission. For the first time last night, I realized that if I was sent home today, I would be SO unbelievably sad. I would be devastated. I need to be here. This is my life. 

Have an awesome day, and an awesome Halloween! Thanks for everything! I'm sure that the 16 months I still have ahead of me will pass by "as if it were a dream" (Scripture reference: somewhere towards the end of the last chapter in Jacob, if I'm not mistaken). 

Peace out. 

Elder Broekhuijsen