I'll probably bring home some dogs to be friends with Oakley

Volga river. I walk across
this river every day.

It is so funny here. Everything cracks me up. There are hundreds of stray cats and dogs here! It’s common for random puppies to just come and try to play with you. haha The funniest sight is when you see 10 cats following a babushka. haha Some of the things I see makes me think about you guys and what you would think about it. haha

For some reason this week we got triple the money in our food budget. We called the office and they just told us to make it rain. haha We ate really well this week! Cooking’s good. My comp likes to cook so that is nice, most of the time we have the same desires for food so that is awesome. Grocery stores are cool. There is such a strange variety! Nothing too strange though. I have not had tacos. They have flour tortilla here but no corn.

You asked about the picture I sent last week with the keys. The saw key is how we get into the building and the other big one is for locking up the place with a double. The mission house has ten deadbolts, a couple on each side and top and bottom of the doors. I think ours has 5.

Did not spend the extra food money
on any of this.

Red Army (district of Volgograd) is tough. There hasn't been a baptism here in over a year, and my comp has never had a baptism. So that is a bit discouraging. But I am going to try and fix that. Every person I look at I can see needs the gospel. There is just something missing here.  We street contact and do a lot of tracting, The work is infinite here. There is this person that always yells upstairs. We laugh but sometimes we really worry for the family! This guy was straight up screaming at the top of his lungs! It made me think about dad. haha We don’t have any investigators, but we have English class with three potentials. Hopefully get to teach someone soon!

Area is not bad. It is just super muddy! For the most part I’m never really worried! It is just super different here. haha It’s been really tough, not gunna lie. Have really been focusing on the subject of happiness as a choice and dealing with my current situation. The language is hard, but that’s okay.

I think we are going to see the Motherland Statue next  pday. And yeah my comp filled me in in our history here. I have been trying to talk to him about those things. He really likes history so we talk about it a lot.

Our branch is great! We only have 10 active members and there are about 60 inactives! The 10 people that are active though are so solid! We are going to have a big Christmas party and invite a lot of people so I hope that goes well. We are doing this play where I am a lion, and I roar in it. Though in Russia a lion’s roar sounds more like a kitten purring. haha They just sent Elders here for the first time in over a year so maybe some change will give it the boost that is much needed!

Well this week I have never struggled more. It has been really hard to feel like I am a missionary, and no matter how hard I work it doesn't seem to make a difference. So I just smile and try to grind through it, and just be happy, because I love this Gospel.

I love you all 

Elder Weston

My new Russian coat