Monday, October 3, 2016

4 down 3 to go

Hey everyone! Hope you had a great conference weekend! We will be watching this weekend and I cannot wait for that spiritual feast! 

It was a quick week, busy as always! 
We got to go back to the Animal Shelter this week, it had been awhile since we've been able to get there and it was great to see the people and help out. We have the volunteers in Zapadny and Center helping out there and they are really grateful for it! 

We went to our English school a couple times, we just continue to have great experiences there. We went in to one class just to talk with the students and one immediately asked us, "Are you from Salt Lake City?" Turns out he met the missionaries 4 years ago and went to the English Club we used to have and told us how much he loved it, that was a sweet tender mercy! We have become so close with the workers and they are just so nice to us. One, named Jan, somehow found our Instagram profiles and after seeing the Salt Lake Temple she decided that she has to go there someday. She told us she could serve a mission like us and just "serve others and save the world." It is honestly hard to not share the gospel with them at the school, but we are planting good seeds and we pray for miracles so that they can return to their Heavenly Father someday! 

Saturday we got to do some service at the mission home but the best part was seeing and catching up with Sister Miner who has been gone almost all month! Thanks Mom for the package and for helping her out while she was in town,(she was in town for her daughters wedding and she had some minor surgery), she spoke very highly of you! The whole mission has been missing Sister Miner and we are so glad to have her and her positive attitude back in Rostov. We did some weeding in their yard and then got to eat some lunch with them. The MIner's are true followers of Christ, always working and always focused on their purpose! So grateful for all they sacrifice and do for us! 

Thursday was my 4th visa trip! Wednesday night we welcomed the Novocherkask Elders to our apartment so I got to reunite with Elder Weston who I had not seen almost all year. He is a great friend of mine and a great volunteer, we are so happy to have him in the zone! Woke up at 4 AM on Thursday morning and flew to Moscow, then Armenia, then back to Rostov. In Armenia, we ran into the Elders and Sisters from the Krasnodar Zone so I got to see Elder David and catch up with him, love my MTC companion! Ate lots of junk food and bought some souvenirs but also got some scriptures memorized and some other phrases in Russian. While we were checking in to our last flight in Armenia, our Branch President's wife got in line behind us. We were pretty shocked to see each other. She sang some hymns with us at the famous piano in the Armenia airport. She also helped us get some things figured out with our Migration Cards when we got back to Rostov so that was another tender mercy. Everything went smooth and I was in bed by 11:30 which is good! While on a flight, I realized that I probably only have 3 visa trips left. They come and go so fast, that kind of freaked me out! 

Friday we had a great coordination meeting, we are finally getting our member work split up by area which will help us get to more people and know who to focus on.Friday we also had a solid District Meeting, our district is smaller than usual but a really great group. Our new district leader, Elder Kempton, did a great job leading his first meeting! At night we had our weekly Game Night and our potential investigator Yura came! Sister Inkeles brought him to church many weeks ago but we have just been thinking about him recently and we had goals and plans to teach him. He is such a great younger guy and already has a solid connection in the branch with Sister Inkeles so we hope that he will be open to hearing the message of the restored gospel! 

Saturday we had a branch activity and I am not sure how it translates into English but everyone brought old clothes to trade with each other. I donated some of my old stuff and there was tons of clothes but not tons of people to take the clothes. It still went well though! Saturday night we cleaned the branch with the Sisters and the Selmash Elders. 

Sunday was a solid Fast Sunday, I love hearing the testimony of others! I got to translate in Sacrament Meeting for the Taylors which is always a good challenge.Sunday School went really well, we did not teach but we still attend the class on our off weeks. The kids are participating more and committed to invite a friend to a family home evening or to church and they had to choose specifically what friend it would be. Took the Sacrament to Sister Ludmila and visited/sang with her. She told Elder Shumway earlier this week that when she was holding my hand last Sunday at district conference, she just felt like it was her deceased son sitting with her, I love her! 
Sunday night we were making Chocolate No Bakes to take to some members, long story short, our phone got dropped in the toilet by me, that put a damper on things. But all is well now! 

We are trying to get involved more with the Less Active members. We keep calling and going to them but have not had much success. Just about an hour ago, one that we called a while back to meet with invited us over tonight so we are going right after this! We continue to see miracles and the Lord doing his work through us!  Thanks for all the love, support and prayers!!

Till next week!
-Elder Tucker//Старейшина Таккер
Строка за строкой

Pictures -   Fruit drink that never tasted so good!!, Sisters decorated our door, 3/4 of the Rostov Mom Club -wishing Elder Thayer was with us, Reunited with Elder David in Armenia, Rostov and Krasnodar Zones in Armenia, 
Service at the mission home.  









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