Receiving email from our favorite "Russionary" is always such a great way to start off the work week! He sounds great!
First off, of course, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! I hope your birthday was magical. I didn't send you anything. Sorry. Sending a package entails lots and lots of time wasted standing in line at various post offices for hours only to be denied services for no really good reason (oh yeah, the lady who ties the brown string on the packages is on vacation until July, sorry). So I'm not going to try to send anything. I'll just bring it all home. I've got lots of room in my suitcases, because the majority of my souvenirs are pretty small physically, and because I have learned how to pack REALLY efficiently on my mission.
So I had a list of stuff in my planner that I wanted to write you all about, but I didn't bring my planner to this place with me. Smooth.
Here's some cool stuff from over here in Russia:
- We annihilated Orenburg on exchanges. Elder Glad and I randomly decided to go knocking apartments during the afternoon, and he followed a prompting to pick which one. So we loaded up some Liahona magazines and went knocking. On the top floor, we set up a return appointment with a family on the 3rd door we tried. Then we knocked the 4th door on that floor and set up another return appointment with another family for 1 hour after the first one on the same day. The next floor down we also got a return appointment with a family. Moral of the story: knocking is rad, and we need to do it more.
After that, I worked with Elder Treter in Orenburg North (in the Stepnoy area, for those who were curious. Which is nobody). He is dang hilarious. We walked outside and it was snowing. So Elder Treter, in his new-missionary-(yet-very-proficient-for-how-long-he's-been-out-here)-Russian, says, "It is snowing." Then he pauses, and says, "It is raining." Another pause, and suddenly a crooked smile twists his face. Using a Russian grammar principle in a way that had never occured to me, he says, "It is sausaging." That was definitely a good involuntary image. Идёт снег. Идёт дождь. Идёт колбаса. Oh, man. I was laughing so dang hard.
The next day, after we had gotten back into Samara, the Orenburg North Elders went knocking again and set up 4 return appointments in 2 hours. Reiterated moral of the story: knocking is rad.
In our own area, we had approximately "over 9000" potential investigator meetings fall through, but we did connect with a cool potential investigator named S* who wants us to come and talk to a hostel full of post-rehab people who have recently gotten un-addicted from alcohol and drugs in a center that is run entirely by volunteers. Now THAT'S a manly referral. Woot! More to come on that one, either next week or the one after that probably.
The last couple of days have been weirdo weather; with very warm temperatures for this time of year (and they were all promising -50 back in October), and 48 straight ours of thick fog everywhere. I took some epically awesome and creepy pictures in Park Gagarina. Especially the one with the hazy ferris wheel at night. Man. Cool stuff.
This coming week is Zone Leader Council for two days, and then Avrora exchanges for two days, so we're once again not going to have a lot of time in our own area to work, but we're getting used to that and we're positive that the Lord will take care of the area in ways that we can't.
Yesterday, we met with N* and M*. They're doing great. We've taught them mostly everything, but they're having a hard time getting to church. But the Spirit was super strong on yesterdays meeting, and we're really optimistic that they'll come this Sunday and hopefully even be baptized before the new year rolls around.
Other than that, things are quiet around here. That is to say, things basically are not quiet at all around here. And that's the way I like it. I don't want to end my mission "quietly." I want to end my mission with the loudest bang this side of the Volga.
Love,Elder Broekhuijsen
P.S. I got a letter from Elder Davis. He's so rad. I can tell just from the letter that he's a rockin' missionary.
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