Winds of change

Volgograd

This week we spent all of our time contacting! The days weren't too bad. When we got tired or hot, we would just go to a shop and get a snack or go to the church and cool down. It has been way hot, but I like the summer better because everything is green and everyone is a lot happier.

Okay, you'll notice a couple of McDonalds purchases this week. Sorry about that. I took Nikita twice. It is very interesting, I don't think he eats much. McDonalds is the nicest place he has ever eaten at!

Volgograd. Love this city.

The upcoming change will be an adjustment for our work here in Russia! For the next two weeks we'll have extended district meetings several times a week and we will meet a lot with less actives and actives. For nonmembers, we can only meet with people who have a baptismal date! Going forward, all new investigators will come from members now!

Me, on my way up for what
was a monster dunk.

I had a sort of rough week two weeks ago. I'm grateful for all the encouragement from my friends and family at home. The same feelings of unworthiness and inadequacy creep in here and there. Friday was particularly tough, though I made it through the day and finally went to bed. As soon as I hit the bed I got a huge migraine. After rolling around in my bed in for a couple hours, I threw up and decided to take a shower. In the shower I was thinking about all my shortcomings on the mission, and how I felt inadequate to be here. All these thoughts were going through my mind until I thought of a scripture Jeffery R. Holland shared in his last conference:

Our district president

Joshua 3:5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

Me and Nikita

I didn't think too much about the words, but they gave me enough strength to get out of the shower and go to bed. The next day all of our lessons fell through with our progressing investigators, so, this being our third-to-last day to contact, we went on the street. Within a few minutes we started talking to this Ghanian named Joseph. We brought him in the church and had a really spiritual first lesson with him and set a baptismal date with him! After the lesson I remembered the words the Spirit told me the night before. Sanctify yourself, for the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.

The mission is definitely at times a refiner's fire, though I am so glad I am here in Russia serving! We will have to work a bit differently here but that is not going to take away the sacredness of my calling! I know I'm here for a reason and the Lord has called me here to help the Russian people.

Love you

Elder Weston

Getting something out of the font. No, the water
is not green.