Today we were talking in district meeting about what the church could do to hasten the work. We thought: Maybe the general authorities should change the mission age lower. Maybe one less year for Elders and maybe 19 or 20 for the Sisters. Maybe that would work, but we try to avoid all sorts of idle speculation and let the general authorities decide what they should do to make missionary work hastened. I just thought I'd let you know what we talk about it in our free time.
This week has been a bit of a slow week. We've been meeting with all of our old investigators and also found one new investigator. Well technically we didn't find her, the Elder's in Moscow found her, but now she has moved to Ryazan. Her name is Natalya Alexanderovna. Interestingly enough she has a son who is on a mission in Yekaterinburg who really wants us to teach her. I am really excited to help this Elder out and try our best to bring his mother to the truth that he is now spreading in another part of Russia. She is one of the few people that we meet with in their own homes, and her home is way out in the boondocks of Ryazan. We took a bus and kept getting farther and farther from the center of the city until we finally reached our stop. We were the last ones to get off the bus at the end of the city. After hiking through muddy and slippery dirt roads we finally found her house (actually due to a navigation error, we took a huge circular route to find it) and met her. The trek was forth it because she is a great lady.
In other news, the Sisters have committed Vitaliy's girlfriend Angela to baptism, and I did the interview yesterday. She is great, and I can really see how our friendship has payed off with Vitaliy. Sometimes it seemed that we were meeting with him for no real reason, but now I understand that it was at least partially to give Angela the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel. After the interview, she shocked me by asking me to baptize her! That was pretty novel, so I am really quite honored that she would want me to baptize her. I'm hoping things go through. The baptism should be in two Saturdays.
Unfortunately that is all I really have, so I am going to send you some pictures today! (Also I'm rather tired after writing a ton of letters today [incidentally, thanks everybody who wrote me letters, it was sure great to receive so much mail, I'll be responding to them all as soon as I have the time]). Also, I am aware now of the mission age change! (The little anecdote at the beginning was just my way of making a joke. Feel free to oblige me with a small chuckle to yourself at this point.) No, I haven't watched general conference yet. In fact, nobody in the mission has watched conference, but of course, that sort of news travels very quickly. I was blown away when I heard the news. I really felt a strong confirmation that this is what the Lord wants. We have all been talking about this new change and I can really see the wisdom that is behind this decision. It will be so great to see the increase of missionaries in the coming month, and is such a blessing that everybody can serve earlier now. My testimony has really grown that there indeed is a living prophet today who is authorized to make these changes and decisions based on guidance from God. I am of course jealous for all the young men who can now serve earlier. This is truly an historic time, and I'm happy that I am on my mission for this change. I am more thrilled for the prospective missionaries who will be able to tell all of their posterity that when the prophet made the change and made the call, they responded and rose to the challenge. The world will truly be blessed by this change in the missionary program and everybody who now steps up and serves at the earlier age will be blessed for heeding the prophetic call and truly showing that they are on the Lord's side!
Well that's all, I hope you enjoy the pictures!
As Always,
Elder Zachery E Brasier
Me pondering life on the banks of the river
P-Day hike
Trying to find Natalya Alexanderovna
On the road
Still trying to find Natalya Alexanderovna
Graffiti!
Graffiti!
A classic Russian tire garden
A street in fall
A tree in fall
Street show on Victory Square
This crazy monument to Polish-Soviet cooperation. I'd rather think that it's a monument to Quidditch
A detail shot of the monument. Unfortunately they are riding machine guns, not broom sticks.
A tree
In the woods
Me, being whimsical
Elder Merrill and I in a park
The forest
Me on the train tracks.
The tracks
Moscow Time
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