SPRING

Hey everyone! 

It has been a sunny, warm week in Rostov! Spring is here! 

It has been a good week, even though it was pretty tough to meet with people. We have dropped a couple investigators and some people that we have been working with were not able to meet this past week so we are really trying to find new people to work with! In an effort to do so, we went to Selfree, the English school we used to serve at, last week. I had not been there for a really long time and the workers were so excited when we came! They have a lot more students and they are all in the age group that we are trying to focus on from 18-30 so we hope that our service there will lead to teaching opportunities. We are going back tonight! 

We are still working with Alexander V. who continues to progress! We fasted with him and his wife on Sunday for strength to overcome weaknesses and temptation! He keeps reading and coming to church and yesterday he even set out all the hymn books before sacrament meeting started! All the members have been really supportive in his return to activity and we will continue to meet with him and strengthen him in hopes to get him the Priesthood soon! 

Elena is a golden investigator! She is so prepared which is pretty evident by the fact that she lives on the same street at two active member families and another member from Armenia just moved onto her property, the odds of that are just too slim! She has read all the lesson pamphlets we have given her, twice. She loves the Book of Mormon and is already in the book of Mosiah. We taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ this past week, but she had already started repenting on her own thanks to her Book of Mormon reading. She read that it is a commandment to not use the Lord's name in vain which is a habit she has had since childhood because she hears it all the time. Since reading that, though, she has been really trying to stop and has even been correcting people that are with her that take the Lord's name in vain! She explained that when she repents she really feels a relief from the burden of sin that we all carry! She has been experiencing some opposition at home from relatives that try to convince her that we are nothing but a sect but she responds to it by reading the Book of Mormon to back up what she believes and by responding confidently, "I am going to get baptized!" She is on track to be baptized at the end of this month! It has been incredible to see her discover the good news of the Gospel and to see the scriptures and teachings of Jesus Christ  which have such a powerful impact on her. She is definitely tasting the sweet taste of the fruit of the Gospel. All because some members of the Church were bold enough to invite her to meet us and were willing to share their testimonies! 

Friday night we had an activity with all the Young Single Adults in the Rostov district! They asked all the American volunteers to put on a cooking class with some American food. We decided to make Sloppy Joes with everyone and it was a success! We had a good turnout and a lot of fun! 

Saturday night we got to meet with Sister Natalia B! Elder Norton and I had an extremely powerful lesson with her a couple months back but have not been able to meet with her, since then. We talked with her a little about the Plan of Salvation and the importance of this life to prepare for the next life. Although inactive, she has such a strong testimony. She knows for a fact that the Church, Book of Mormon, and Plan of Salvation are true. She wants to come back to Church so bad it is just hard and scary,  due to her family situation and due to the fact that she has not been coming for many years. But she is taking steps to coming back and we are going to meet with her this week with one of her good friends from the branch and help her on the path back! 

Sunday was a great fast and testimony meeting as always, there is so much power in fasting. It is hard to fast but there are so many blessings that come with it! Testimony meeting is just the best of the month in Rostov! A lot of primary kids bore powerful, short testimonies! Sister Luda was also able to testify once again! It was a bit of a hectic Sunday with members coming up to us with different questions and other things. We are the assistants to the Branch President and the Mission President which sometimes results in a lot of people coming to us for interviews but it always works out with the Lord's help! 

We hope to have a great, miracle filled week ahead of us, as we strive to find new investigators and push the work forward in this great city. 

I will be heading on a visa trip on Thursday so please keep us in your prayers as we fly!  Thanks always for the love, support and prayers!!

Loves!

-Elder Tucker//Старейшина Такер

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Pictures - Stuck in the Elevator, Making Sloppy Joes for activity