Hello Family,
This has been an interesting week, and it sounds like you have all had interesting weeks. Shane has been here and there, but stuff like that happens, more often than one would think. I hope you're doing well Shane. It sounds like the journey was successful and fun. Erik will have to tell me about the cruise, and I hope the rest of the family is also doing well despite surgeries.
This week, the patriarch was in Perm (1 of 3 in Europe East area), and I had the opportunity to spend some time with him. Patriarch Rodgers. He is American, knows Russian, German, and taught at BYU russian and russian literature for 31 years. He is very nice. Our mission president was also here, so we got to spend some time with them. We helped the sister missionaries move apartments, and will will move soon about a 5 minute walk away. Russia is generally really safe mom, and the apartments we have are quite nice, but we just have to move due to a new law.
The snow is finally melting, and it is warming up outside so that it is not very often below freezing, so that is very nice.
A few of our investigators, we have not been able to get a hold of, and even a few people that were seemingly very interested had stopped answering their phones, but on the other hand there have been a few exciting things happening with our other investigators. We met with женя and had committed him to a baptismal date. He wondered why we committed him to a date, but he said he would be baptized this week if his mom were not against it. He is older than 18, but respects his parents and lives with them. He says that she is also growing more open to his association with us. He is regularly coming to church, but we want him to stay the whole time and help him increase his commitment level. Hopefully his mother will see that and be okay with him joining the church. He has met many members now, has a connection with them, and hopefully his mom becomes okay.
Another investigator, надежда katia's mom has agreed to a baptismal date and has a desire to find out if the church is true. She also invited a friend to be on a meeting, and it seems like he will be interested as well.
This week I had an interesting experience. We saw a drunk man in the middle of the street. He could hardly even move he was so drunk. I had made a selfish, haughty remark, and my companion caught me. We decided to help him, with the help of another person on the street so that the man would not get frostbitten, and to open up the street. At first I had looked at him like an animal rather than looking at him like person. After I had carried him and served him, I saw him differently. He, even the very drunk man, is a child of God. Although we shouldn't be around those people or talk to them because they do not have any sense, that event has caused me to look differently at others. I know service is really important, and if do serve others that our love towards them and God will grow. I love you all. Bye. -Elder Larson.
