May 28, 2012

Cotton season is back and there is a ton of cotton flying everywhere like snow. Reminds me of last summer when I came to the country in Perm. This past week was a busy week for us here in Chelyabinsk with meetings, investigators, and a whacky visa trip! Oh, and by the way we got transfer calls from President R this past Saturday and our companionship is being split. Elder S is going to
be zone leader in Perm in my first area, while I am staying here in with Elder B as my new companion and fellow zone leader. It will be fun serving another transfer here. The members are
awesome and the zone is pretty much staying the same except we get a short term missionary from Per and now need to translate on meetings that will be conducted in English.

This past week we got a call from a member with a referral for her boyfriend and we got super excited setting up two meetings with him, and while I was in Finland he accepted a baptismal date. He is already reading the book of Mormon and praying. He came to church again this past week already in a suit and tie. He is super cool and we will be getting him ready for an awesome baptism by continuing to teach him. Then our other investigator is including the goals which he
has made on a list and implementing them in his actions to experience the blessings of living the gospel. We taught him that he needs to pray about Joseph Smith and about the Book of Mormon in order for him to gain greater strength and build his testimony.  He is doing awesome. V, our new member is getting involved in the branch at every opportunity possible from participating in class to preparing the sacrament. You couldn't have asked for a neater member. He is really happy that I get to stay and talk to him about engineering and science more and to help boost my vocabulary in that aspect!

The visa trip was alright and not really special. Elder A and I got up very early in the morning after going to bed at 10:00pm the night before. All tired and exhausted we get on the flight and sit behind
these guys that became friends at the bar before getting on the plane and ordered some more vodka for the plane ride. That was a sight to see! ha-ha. Then we all landed in Moscow and went to Red Square, which was shut down by a ton of police for some celebration going on and then we decided to just go eat Mc Donalds right next door for thirty minutes. We went out to the rally point and some of the other missionaries were late there. We went back through the metro and back to the electric train with our tickets and found out that some of us didn't buy tickets for the return trip. We missed the train and waited for the next and arrived at the airport fifty minutes until our flight! We ran and I mean literally ran to make it to print off our tickets and go through security and into the terminal. That was a miracle that we got on and made it without missing the flight. We arrived in Helsinki to know that we don't have that much time to go into the temple to do anything and relaxed in the hotel there. That was really nice. I got myself a huge liter of chocolate milk! Then we came back on Saturday and unfortunately we had to close English Group.

I am so happy I get to be in Chely for another transfer with the awesome members here and their great support and to be in the midst of great missionaries and a senior couple. The mission is awesome and the Russian language is super! Всего Хорошого! Я вас всех Люблю!
( Have a nice day! I love you all! )

Elder LeFevre