Things were going along somewhat uneventfully this week when suddenly on Friday, I get a call from President Woolley. I have been transferred. This Tuesday I leave Nizhny for good and head off to my new area, the city of Smolensk.
And thus my week has become quite hectic as I have been rushing to pack everything I need and also try to get lessons with the people I cared about the most while serving here in Nizhny. Honestly, I think it is harder to leave a city then to leave home on your mission. At least leaving home you know that you will see everybody again, but it's been hard to think that this might be my last time to see all of the people in the city. I really am going to miss this city. Nizhny has been a big experience in my life. I came here as a new missionary who could not speak Russian and am leaving with significantly more language skills and a ton of experiences that have really changed my life for the better. But, now it is time to move on and go see a new city in Russia and have a gamut of new experiences.
Here is what I know about Smolensk: Smolensk has been demolished by nearly every invasion of Russia in history from the Mongol tribes to Napoleon and even the Nazi forces during World War II. Somehow, Smolensk always ends up on the invasion route of Russia's enemies. As such, there is a lot of history in the city but there is also a general distrust of foreigners and a little bit of anger towards God for all the things that have happened there. Interestingly enough, Smolensk is also one of the main cities for the Russian Orthodox church, and in fact the second biggest Orthodox cathedral in Russia is located there (the biggest being in Moscow, which I've seen [it was awesome]). There is not many church members there, approximately 15 to be exact, and most of them are youngish girls. I will be companions with Elder Jewkes, who got transferred from Kazakhstan (just if your curious things have been very interesting in Kazakhstan lately. The government signed a new religious law that should help us get missionaries into the country. The problem is that nobody knows what the law allows so our missionaries have been unable to get proselyting licenses and thus most of our Kazakhstan missionaries are leaving the country since they are not allowed right now to talk on the street) after serving with Elder Dannenberg, my old trainer. We will be sharing the apartment with another companionship of Elders, Elder Melling and Elder Mitchell (who was in my MTC group). Elder Melling is the branch president and it should be interesting because neither Elder Jewkes or I have served in Smolensk before so it will be new for both of us. The cool things is that we will be in the biggest apartment in the mission, and it should be a party because I know all three other Elders and they are all awesome guys.
Because of my transfer I have been going around giving my "dying testimony" to members and investigators. On Sunday I gave my farewell talk in church which was interesting because afterwards members came up and talked to me about how they could understand nothing I said my first Sunday but now they could. I was really touched by all of the compliments that the branch members said (especially when they kept telling me to thank my parents and friends for sending me to Nizhny) especially because most of the times I don't feel like an amazing missionary, but the simple humility and love of the members really touched my heart. It seems so weird to be leaving, but I am also excited to be in a new area especially one that has a lot of work to be done and is considered to be one of the harder areas in the mission.
And thus, on Tuesday I leave Nizhny on a night train. Wednesday I have to go to Kiev to get my new Visa (three months have passed since by last Visa trip! Time goes by so fast!) and on Thursday Elder Mitchell, Elder Jewkes and I leave Moscow and head towards Smolensk. I'll be sure to let you know how things go next in my next letter. This really will be quite the adventure.
As Always,
Elder Zachery Brasier
Moscow Time
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