Visa Trips Rock!!

Something always happens to me at the airport when I'm on a visa trip. This time was probably the craziest. Everything was going to plan. Our itinerary was: go to Volgograd Center - 1 hour bus drive; fly out to Moscow - 2 hours; fly to Armenia - 2 hours; fly back to Moscow - 2 hours; fly to Rustov - 2 hours; then 9 hour bus ride home.

Bumped into the K dar zone in
Moscow. Took a pic with most of
my MTC district!

We were just getting off our flight from Armenia to Moscow and I was trying to get my registration cleared. Everyone got through except for me and Elder Von Niederhousen. The lady said I was going to have to talk with security and tell them why I was coming to Russia, because our registration didn't say that we are on a service visa or something. When security arrived, I did all the talking because Von doesn't speak Russian very well under pressure. I told security that we were missionaries and he says he is going to have to go get his boss, and it goes down the line, his boss, then his. The next thing you know I am getting interrogated by a cop and his bosses that run the airport. They started asking me questions and wanted to know if I had a brochure or something. That is when I flipped out my restoration pamphlet and taught them the first lesson. Though then the guy started asking me strange questions. He asked me when was Joseph Smith born? I told him 1802, and then I said oh wait i mean 1794 ( I had no idea ). Then he said "okay, okay, what day and month was he born." haha I said I had no clue. Thats when he got kind of mad and said someone on a visa as a missionary needs to know all of this information.

Said goodbye to Ol' Sergei. Gave
him one more fresh haircut!

I told him that information doesn't really matter and it wasn't our message, that our message is that Joseph Smith restored the true church of Jesus Christ. It ended up all working out, after they were done questioning me, we called our lawyer and worked everything out. While this was  happening they tracked down the rest of my group and brought them back to where I was and took all their passports. After a long conversation with our lawyer we got through security and ran to catch our flight. It was pretty cool, a worker escorted us and he looked exactly like Dave Franco. We were all just booking it in our suits with this fresh guy who looked exactly like Dave Franco! I swear I was in 21 Jump Street or something!

Walking home from Ol' Sergei's.
Rained day before so streets were
bad. One zillion mosquitos. Ol' Sergei
had us break off little branches
and wave them in front of our faces.

Anyways we ended up missing our flight, and we had to stay overnight in the airport for another 14 hours! Not only that, the flights got split up so I was alone going back to Rustov! It was wierd. I was alone for 4 hours.

So that was my visa trip. Can't wait for the next one in a few months.

And that isn't everything. I got transferred to Volgograd Center!!

I won't actually be completely in the Volgograd Center branch. They are reopening a group in Center call Trachtorny. It used to be a branch with 30 people attending, but then a couple years ago some stuff happened and they shut the whole branch down! I hope while I serve there that it will become a branch again.

Saying goodbye to my branch/mall/
yoga/nightclub buidling

My new companion will be Elder Osborn. He's been in Center for a while so I know him. He only has two months left on his mission, which means he will probably end his mission with me. In mission speak, we say that means I am going to kill him. I'll try not to do that for reals. He is very good at the language nnd he always corrects me! So it will be good to be with him and learn from him! Most of my time will be spent in Trachtorny, but some of it will be in Center! Which I love! The youth there are so great and also all of the Africans are there! I flipping love them! So that will be way cool! I will go to Center church for the first two hours and then we will conduct a sacrament meeting in Trachtorny!

Still walking home from Brat (brother)
Sergei's house. He wanted us to take
a picture in front of an advertisement
he painted.

Saying goodbye to Red Army has been pretty sad! It felt pretty weird packing. This has been pretty much the last six months of my life! It was very sad to say goodbye to some of the members, especially Sasha. Sacrament was great though. We started off singing Families Can Be Together Forever. Now Russians aren't known for being good singers, but this time it was so bad the branch president just told everybody to stop and we were going to continue with our meeting. It was pretty funny. Our piano player was sad. I couldn't stop laughing. Being in Center, I'm glad I will still be able to see these people from time-to-time.

Love you guys!!!

Elder Weston

Elder Barlocker is leaving Volgograd. I am
going to miss him!