Quickly getting Hot

WOW!! It is getting hot very quickly here in Chely. It was as if Spring was one week and we just ran right into summer. The weather is awesome and allows Elder S and I to get out and exercise. We have been running everyday this past week with our Ward Mission Coordinator and his friend. He seems somewhat interested in learning more about our church and in playing some basketball with us. This past week was great as we have been awaking from the kind of hibernation of the winter into running to transport then up 10 to 18 story apartment buildings finding less active members and investigators. Takes me back to last summer in Пермь (Perm).  Elder S and I have been seeing the great success in our area rise from since the first transfer when we both walked into the area blind.

Our family home evening lesson last week went well with our investigator who came and enjoyed the good amount of refreshments at the apartment of the M,s. We talked about Jesus Christ, due to Easter in the Western World or the Catholic calendar. Иисус Воскрес!! (Jesus is Risen). The lesson went well as we bore our testimonies at the end about Jesus Christ. Later in the week we visited our other investigator, who said on General Conference that he wants to be baptized! YEAH!!! ...Maybe, we will see when we meet with him this week, but I have faith that he will be baptized and along with our other investigator next week. We will be booked with lessons getting them ready for that day!

This past week our Mission Ward Coordinator had a week off from the plant that he works at on the edge of town that makes all the electricity and hot water for the city! He drove us there with the M's one night and I got some cool pictures!! (which might come down the road, due to the fact that I am horrible at sending pictures.) We went running to addresses, as he was fully committed to helping us out and finding everyone on his home teaching list. Which is has about 500 names. We rode around with S and his car zipping everywhere in the city. It was fun being stuffed in the car with the M's. The M's ROCK! Zone Class was super good as we talked about finding and the need to be dedicated in order to succeed. Talked about Alma and Amulek in the prison and overcoming afflictions. 

This past week we saw Conference in Russian. We had it planned to be in English, but we had investigators come, who did not have anyone sit next to them, therefore we did. I picked up about twenty new good words to use in my daily life here in Russia. How cool is that. I thank the Lord every day for the opportunity to be here and all you back home for the support and guidance to lead me here. My favorite line from Conference was, "Just STOP it!!" - Elder Uchtdorf. We can put that in other terms and say, "Don't be hating'!" So, me and Elder S are waiting for the General Conference English edition to get in depth. 

Love you ALL! Всего Доброго!!  (All the Best)

Elder LeFevre

Great Week

What a great week in Chely. The sun is shining and it is time that I try to get a little more color on my legs as we go out and shoot some hoops for P-day. Lately, we have been getting into some crazy meetings both good and the others different. The sisters gave us a referral for a man they met on the street by a member's house and I decided to give him a call the other day after we went looking for one of our investigators with a baptismal date. The investigator that we were looking for lives in a dormitory set up where there are many families that share one apartment and each renter receives a room in that apartment. At first, I didn't realize that but we knocked on the door and another lady answered and had no idea who we were talking about. It surprises me that people didn't know their neighbors even when they live in the same apartment. So, after that little adventure I called the man on the phone and he was super interested in learning about out church! It turned our spirits right around, until the meeting actually happened between us. He had been reading and summarizing all the religions in the world for many years and now wanted to do the same with our religion. He had some really interesting theories but they weren't true and we ended up testifying to the man and sent him with a commitment to read. It was such a meeting of frustration, as the man wouldn't listen. After a bit, you just know that the person is not going to listen and therefore we had to end that meeting. 

However, our super awesome investigator who has a baptismal date for April is doing well. He is very accepting and loves the progress that he has made in coming closer to his Heavenly Father. This is the joy in missionary work and teaching. I love seeing the progress in others. This message helps everyone and it is true. This past week Elder S and I taught our zone the importance of using members on lessons with investigators and not being afraid to use them on the first meeting because this only ensures your purpose as a missionary. Therefore, we are only left to teach that person. 

I only had the chance to watch the Saturday session so far in English of general conference. It was super good and it was great to listen to talks on not being offended and how to move on being ACTIVE IN THE GOSPEL! "Be where you are supposed to be and do what you are supposed to do. Then, the Lord will bless you!" So true!! Tonight, we are having a Family Home Evening at the M's and a testimony meeting with our investigator. We are super excited and hoping all goes well! I love you all! Thanks for the hot sauce Uncle David and Aunt Melissa! My companion thinks I ruin the food every time I pull out one of my hot sauces and make sure that it causes my nose to run! ha-ha  

Love,

Elder LeFevre

Warming up

Such a warm day in Chely today. Lately we have been heavy laden with snow and then walking in giant puddles everywhere!! It is almost impossible to keep those shoes clean from the dirty mess that has been created as the snow melts. We had a great week last week in our proselyting efforts on the street and among the homes of our investigators. We now have two baptismal dates for our area! I am so excited to keep helping them forward towards baptism! We found one man on the street, which we hadn't been able to keep in good contact with for a while, but one day we came in off the streets and decided to give him a call and found that he was down to meet and learn more about the church! We had the first lesson with him and we invited him to be baptized. He said he had to think about it and pray and read. The second meeting he said "YES." We have some good progressing investigators in our area right now as we have seen blessings from our labors on the streets and talking with people at English Conversational group. We are right now trying to help them see the need to be baptized and teach towards their concerns and questions. One asked a tough question on a meeting with him as we discussed our purpose as missionaries to him, he cut us off and told us he knew why. He then asked us ,"Why do we do the whole church thing?" We both shared testimony on how the knowledge of the gospel simply guides us and gives peace in this life, which the same happiness is achievable after this life. 

We like to call our zone the "white horse" because we are trying to become missionaries who keep the line of investigators coming even after a baptism and not try to work back up. It is going great and we met our Senior missionaries last Saturday morning after our five hour bus ride to Yekaterinburg! Yeah I know, it was a long ride and the bus was not too nice of a ride itself. It was super hot and packed with people. Well, we picked them up and headed back to Chely to acquaint them with the apartment. We have spent good amount of time getting to know them well and have enjoyed the great spirit they bring to the work in Chely. We got in and helped them with settling in to the apartment and faced connection problems with the filters and the fridge. No worries, however, the maintenance guy took care of all the problems there! Yeah! We love the Senior missionaries!! The members are super excited, as well as the missionaries. Today we will be going to Zone Leader Council in Yekat again! Whoo Hoo, Another bus! Then we will return and meet with another investigator who is close to moving with baptism. This has been definitely the hardest couple of transfers I have faced on my whole mission and the funnest too! Love the mission and the Norwegian chocolate too! Thanks for the chocolate it is definitely good! 
Love you all!
Elder LeFevre