Well to start I would like to wish you all a very happy and joyous Thanksgiving! However, I would also like to ask you all to take a moment of silence for the many turkeys who gave their lives to contribute to this splendid holiday. Without their sacrifice for the greater good we would not be able to correctly celebrate our thankfulness for all that we do have. Here's to you, random turkeys!
Life has been flowing along here in Ryazan. I will officially be going to Moscow on the 26th to meet my new companion, Elder Steele, from Canada. I've been really fortunate in that for more than half of my mission I have served with people who aren't American. I've served with a Swede, a German, a Russian, a Ukrainian and soon a Canadian! That is pretty cool in my opinion. Due to my transfer of the near future I have been saying goodbye to everybody here in Ryazan, which is pretty sad, but that is life, and so it goes...
Sunday was pretty interesting. We were fortunate to have a branch conference this week. That meant that President Sorenson came down to talk to the branch and also Anatoly K. Reshetnikov, an Area Seventy here in Russia come down with President Sorenson in order to do some branch business. It was pretty awesome. Elder Reshetnikov was a great guy, and really instilled some enthusiasm into our branch. I was also very touched by how interested he was in our missionary work and testified often that we were great missionaries and doing a good job in Ryazan. He even helped us on a lesson with Anton! It was the first missionary lesson I ever had with the help of a General Authority! (Also, later in the evening we had a dinner at the Ottly's and as I was doing the dishes he insisted on helping, so that was also the first time that I cleaned dishes with a General Authority).
Speaking of Anton, things are going quite well for him. We've taught him all of the lessons and he had a great baptismal interview. He will be baptized this Saturday. I am super excited for him and I am really amazed how this all happened. He investigated two years ago, never went anywhere with it, and decided to randomly walk into church a month ago, and now he will be baptized. It really is a miracle. One lesson that Anton's teaching has really taught me is that when we are in the line of duty and doing all that we can to continue the work of the Lord, God will bless us in ways that we don't really expect. We didn't contact Anton, we had absolutely no hand in finding him, but somehow, through God's will, he was able to motivate himself to come to our church meeting and eventually get baptized. We truly are blessed.
Well, I'm half in a food coma right now due to Thanksgiving so I hope that you don't mind that this is short. Anyways, I'll be sending another e-mail on Monday! I hope everybody has a great Thanksgiving!
As Always,
Elder Zachery E. Brasier
Moscow Time
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