Week 33

Hi Fam!

Wow.. I've got some news for you! THings are going great out here and my new companions name is Elder Wilson. He is from Lehi Utah and he is fresh out tha MTC. haha. Its so funny.. Its bringing back old memories thats for sure..

Anyways.. We have had an awesome week and things are going great!

I told you a little bit about Dorris last week. We have been able to teach her 2 times this week and things could not be going any better. We set a baptismal date with her for Oct 16th and she accepted. The lessons we have are so jammed packed with the spirit its unbelievable! She's definately been prepared by the Lord! And we are becoming to be way good friends! Haha we're always joking around and i feel like she is my grandma out here in Iowa! So fun!!

We had one lesson with Dorris at a members home who's name is Trudy Fuhriman. She has one of the strongest testimonies i've ever heard, and her son Peter has become my real good friend too! They both did an awesome job in the lesson and they have become Dorris's good friend as well! Things are workin out for us right now and i'm loving it!

Anyways.. In the little college town that we are in right now.. They're are 32 different nationalities that go to the college. We have been talking to some Pakistan people.. Haha and also some people from France, Germany, Russia, and all over europe! I always ask them why they chose to come to Fayette IA of all places, for college. And they almost always say they didn't care where they went to school as long as they came to the USA! It made me realize how lucky we are! Pretty sweet..

I've got sick these last few days. With a cold or somethin.. ITs not fun. Haha pray for me.

I've gotta go now. We challenged Peter to a basketball game and we gotta go kick his but! Haha just kidding he's really good. But still..

i love you fam! Thanks for everything. Keep being safe. And remember. Dont do anything i wouldnt do. haha just kidding.

loveyoulongtime

Love, Elder Russell

Week 32

Such a solid week.. So much to tell you.. And so little time.

First off last Friday we went to Nauvoo! And it was great. I love being in the temple. There is no better place. And then after the temple we decided to go to Carthage Jail!! And that was unbelievable! Such an amazing spirit. They play this tape and i envisioned in my mind the mob running up the stairs and the shots fired, and then Joseph jumping out the window and it felt so real!! SO amazing. Loved it! and Dad yes angel moroni is facing west on the Nauvoo temple. and on all the others its facing east. And a temple worker told me that one of the many reasons they did it is because they wanted angel moroni to watch over and protect them on their journey west! Pretty sweet!

Next off.. IM A DADDY!! haha.. So in our mission and probably a lot of others.. When you train a new missionary you become a dad. Haha.. So Elder Ferrin was my dad, and tomorrow im gettin my first boy! Pretty exciting! Our district is a district of 4 missionaries.. And elder Parkinson, the guy who was in the MTC with me, my real good friend, is also training! haha so its gonna be us and the new missionaries and i have been called as the district leader as well. Pretty exciting stuff.

Next off.. The baptisms of Lexy and Marilyn went AWESOME! such a special spirit. i love when hard work pays off. Thats truly missionary work! I also love using the priesthood. Nothing better.

Also.. We found a very solid investigator! Her name is Dorris Miller and she's a 62 year old woman! She is so awesome! And has just searching for the truth! She said back when she was in Colorado, she would see the missionaries and kind of just hide, or not answer the door, and what everyone usually does. But when we found her she said that something was telling her that we had the truth that she was looking for! I was blown away when she told us that.

She told us a little about her and how she has had a really rough life. Her husband is very rude to her and she goes into diabetic coma's everyonce in a while! One time she went into a coma and layed on her kitchen floor,dying, and her husband just walked over her and went to the car races in town. My heart just dropped for her and i felt so bad. I told her that she could find happiness with our message and we also gave her a priesthood blessing and she loved that. She said she felt so good inside. So that was an awesome experience! We talked about baptism and she "well of course!!" haha! Its great to be a tool in the Lords hands! So much happiness can come from it!

I feel like i have more to tell you, but i left my planner at home. Haha.. Thats always a bummer. We played basketball with some branch members this morning for some excersize and that was great. Me and this guy named Peter Thompson here in the branch have become really good friends! And we bring out the best in eachother when it comes to sports! haha!

Anyways.. of to transfer meeting tomorrow morning! im pretty excited! change is a good thing on the mission i have decided. and im definately reaady for a new companion! haha.

I love you all. thanks for the emails and prayers! you all mean so much to me

Love elder russell

Week 31

another epic week has gone by! and i love it!!!

Haha.. But i have noticed lately that i am so tired.. All the time. I guess that's just the life of a missionary!

Also.. I have been a master chef lately.. Haha.. we have awesome breakfasts, and when members dont feed us we have way good dinners. I was SO sick of microwave pizza and top ramen and toast.. So i decided to put an end to that! I love it. Its so fun!

Haha random thought.. I have had some CRAZY dreams this week.. With people in them that i haven't thought about since i left! So funny. I wake up in the middle of the night and i just start laughing. Soo weird.

Anyways.. things are going great out here on the mission.
Yesterday at church we gave a lesson in our Gospel Principles class about Charity. It was an AWESOME lesson and our investigator Jennifer was in tears! SHe is so awesome. And has such a soft heart.

Anyways.. Talexis(lexy) and Marilyn are going to be baptized this upcoming Sunday after church! They are so excited!! Haha they have become pretty good friends because of the church and they have a countdown going on and all that good stuff! There is something about teaching younger kids the gospel that is SO hard.. But SOO rewarding. At any rate.. They are very excited and Lexy wants me to baptize her! So that will be a special experience for the both of us!

Anyways.. I have been studying Christ life a LOT lately... I've been reading things in Jesus the Christ and the other day i read the Sermon on the Mount! And that is awesome! I've read it before but something clicked this time i read it. When it says "that the mourner shall be comforted because he shall see the divine purpose in his grief" that hit me so strongly! And it made me realize that challenges really are here to make us strong. And one day we will fully realize that!

I think that I am enjoying my mission so much because i finally feel like i'm doing exactly what i'm supposed to be doing. Before... Life was good. But there were a lot of things that i was missing out on! Im grateful for this time that i have to serve. Life is good...

Anyways.. Things are going great.. And transfers are coming up here pretty soon. We got permission to go to Nauvoo again! Haha so we're going this Friday with some members here in Fayette! Im really excited. I love the temple!

Things are going good.. And im keepin very busy.

I love you all!!

Love Elder Russell

Week 30

Wow.. This week has been.. Especially Delicious.. Hahaha Nacho!!

The weather is finally cooling down and i LOVE it! :) Haha.. not excited for winter tho.

Anyways.. We had a ton of awesome things happen this week!

First off we have a few new investigators! One's name is Sara Flores. She is a single mom of 3 kids and we found her by knockin doors! Which is pretty rare in these parts of the mission. We taught her the first lesson and she LOVED it. She is anxious to learn more and read and pray! So I really hope all goes well with her. She has been prepared!

I've told you all about Jennifer before... We've been teachin her for a while now! She can't be baptized just yet, but she wants her daughter Marilyn to be baptized and that is prettty awesome!! So we set a date with her and things are going great!

The miracle of the week took place on Sunday. We've been workin with this Less-Active member, and his name is Jack Rainer. For some reason missionaries in the past had given up on him because sometimes he wouldn't answer the door, or avoid them, and all that.. So we met with him last week and he told us that he was just about done with everything.. And he was going to give up because he always felt so depressed and so angry and had said that church wasn't doing anything for him. So we told him to come to church and we told him that he would find his answer and that God would prove to him that He does love him. So come Sunday morning, Jack shows up to church and he's being his usual quiet self. Then during the priesthood meeting he said that something over took him.. And that he felt so happy.The lesson was on "finding peace within" and it was absolutely perfect for him. He said he felt like the world had been lifted off his shoulders and he was soo happy! He's a totally different guy! He wants to come to every lesson we teach now with us and he also wants to bring all his friends! haha! it was soo SWEET! Im happy the Lord delivered the promise that we made Jack!

I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary! It's so awesome and so life changing. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Love, Elder Russell