A New Year

Hey all! 

The New Year has started out great!!  It has been such a solid week, once again. We are working with so many great people and not only are they great, but they are truly progressing. We are seeing people change their lives and so many miracles along the way! 

I would like to challenge you all really quick to read two talks from Elder Bednar that our whole mission is studying in preparation for our Mission Conference that will be in February! "Bear Up Their Burdens With Ease" and "The Atonement & The Journal of Mortality" will give you a newfound appreciation for the Atonement of Jesus Christ that was not only performed for our sins but also to take what is good and make it better! Give them a read! 

We will start the weekly report with last Tuesday. Tuesday is typically our day in the office because we have Staff Meeting and we try to get everything else done so that we can work every other day. After getting all of our work done in the office, President and Sister Miner took us and the Taylors to an awesome dinner before the Miners came teaching with us! We had a really powerful lesson with Zhenya, a recent convert, about the Fall of Adam and Eve and repentance in general. President Miner helped so much with his scriptural knowledge and Zhenya just lit up as he found answers to his questions and felt the Spirit. He committed himself to read the Book of Mormon more and since then we have just talked about the Scriptures and where they come from and why we study them. Last meeting he brought his Scriptures with him and told us about what he has been reading. He is making so much progress and always feels the Spirit in our meetings. 

Wednesday we had the Zone Leaders from Volgograd in town for a split! It was so good to see them and teach with them. I was with Elder Nelson and we taught Sasha the investigator who recently returned from America. Elder Nelson actually found Sasha in Rostov over a year ago so it was awesome to see them reunite. We talked with him about daily scripture study and he asked me to send him a daily reminder to study in the morning and as I have done so, he reports back on what he has read. He is going to be a great member when he gets baptized hopefully this year, he is heading back to America on Sunday. 

We were also able to meet with Aleksander, another recent convert, that we have been working a lot with. We had Brother Igor K. come with us for one of the lessons and he was a huge help in inviting him to make some changes in his life. We have been talking with Aleksander a lot about repentance and the atonement and he has such a strong desire to change. After our last lesson we talked about how he already looks different, he is making lots of changes and overcoming lots of challenges but is well on his way back. He came to church again on Sunday and continues to read the scriptures. It has been a testimony builder for me to see him rediscover the hope that the Atonement brings. 

Thursday was mostly spent with the Elders in Crimea, our Russian Zone. We skyped in to their District Meeting and we watched last year's worldwide Missionary Broadcast in preparation for this year's, that will be in a couple weeks. Last year, Elder Bednar taught that the Holy Ghost is the real teacher. We are just the worthy vessel to bring the Spirit to those we teach. I have recognized that so much this week that when we prepare for lessons by the Spirit and bring the Spirit with us, their is a visible difference in the lesson. The people we teach have a clear understanding and they even give themselves commitments. We prepare, the Spirit does the rest! That broadcast also focuses on teaching repentance in order to baptize converts and we have been teaching repentance a lot lately, usually to people that are already baptized but were just not fully converted at baptism. It has increased my knowledge and testimony of the importance of repentance which is ultimately what we do in this life! 

We had a couple lessons with Zita this week, our investigator. She was not understanding the Restoration very clearly so we simplified it and she is a perfect example of when the Spirit just took over and it just clicked in her mind. She is taking the first steps of reading and praying and we hope to get her to church next Sunday! 

We also met with Ruslan this week, a miracle, recent convert. He lives in a city a few hours outside of Rostov where there is not a branch or any other members. He found the Church online and was taught and baptized and continues to read his scriptures and has permission to bless the sacrament in his home. He has a solid testimony and we talked to him about sharing the gospel with others and hope to start preparing him for the temple!

Sunday was a full house in the Rostov Center branch because we had the Severny branch with us because they have a remodel going on. In fact, so many people were there that the coat racks fell off the wall they were so overloaded! It was powerful to have such a big Sacrament meeting! 

I was released yesterday as a Sunday School teacher and was called to be an assistant to the Branch Presidency with Elder Norton. A lot of the Sunday School kids were sad that I will not be teaching them anymore and I do miss them but the new calling allows us to help the Branch President with his big work load and I love it! 

I am going to end with a huge miracle. Yesterday after church and fulfilling our calling, we headed home for dinner. After we ate, our plans fell through so we were calling people to try to set something up when some members called and said that some guy just got to the branch looking for the tall blonde missionary he met in the Summer. They assumed it was me and we got there as soon as we could. Turned out there were two men, Roman and Griorgi, who recognized me although I did not recognize them. Roman is a taxi driver who has driven people to and from the branch and Griorgi apparently talked to me this Summer probably back when we could street teach and he said I gave him a card but he kind of sent us on our way because it was not a good time. He said now they are looking for the truth and are wanting to know more! When we walked in, two members had started teaching the Restoration, having both served on missions, and we hopped in and finished the lesson with them. One member asked them if they would be baptized if they got a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and he said, "of course, we would not have come otherwise." We committed them to being baptized on February 12th and they said they are going to read and come to church and they really have sincere desire to know the truth! Afterwards, we were just in shock. Elder Norton and I have a goal of how many people could be brought to the waters of baptism while we are together and we also had high weekly goals and learned yesterday that when we set goals in faith and do all we can, the Lord does the rest. He does his work and we are merely instruments, He is preparing people in this city, He is our Savior and Redeemer and leads His Church- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Thank you all for the love, support and prayers!!

Till next week!

-Elder Tucker//Старейшина Такер

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Pictures - sorry did not get very many taken this week but this one, coat racks that had fallen down

Merry Russian Christmas

Hello everyone!

It has been such a solid week on the Don. It was a really busy week, full of miracles! We were able to teach the Gospel to lots of people and we both think this was one of our favorite weeks on our missions! 

I am just going to write about the great people that we worked with this past week and the progress being made in their lives! 

We met a few times this week with Alexander V. who is a less active recent convert and is the father of a family full of members. We started meeting with him last week and he has a great desire to make some changes in his life and he has a good understanding of the Gospel. We committed him to start the Book of Mormon and he did! He has been reading daily and rediscovering the great truths found in the Book of Mormon. We love meeting with Alexander and we always feel the Spirit so strongly when we meet with him. He still has a testimony and we are just trying to get him acting on it, and so far he has been! He came to church on Sunday for the first time in a pretty long time and it was awesome to see how many of the active members were so welcoming and happy to see him! 

I wrote last week about Vitaly Motok who we helped with some new winter clothes last week and we met with him once this week. He is also a recent convert with a strong testimony. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and just how simple it is! We had a cool miracle while we were there,  a woman walked in with whom Vitaly and his mom had shared a little bit about the Gospel. Her name is Zita and she told us right off the bat that she wants to get baptized! She just moved to Rostov from Moldovia and has a family coming soon. She is really awesome, we have only taught her the very basics of the Restoration but plan on working with her more this week! 

We had a few solid meetings with our investigator Georgi who continues to progress slowly but surely. We actually talked with him about procrastination and the danger of it, in regards to being baptized and he understood it well. We met with him later in the week and retaught the Restoration, focusing on the importance of prophets and Priesthood in Christ's Church and also talked more about the Great Apostasy and the Restoration itself. He has a great understanding of the Bible so we used Bible verses to support the message of the Restoration. He understood it all and even answered some of his own questions. He is continuing to read and pray and come to Church and we hope to help him recognize his answer soon! 

We have another investigator named Armen who is a deep thinker and has lots of questions! We only had short meetings with him but he committed to starting the Book of Mormon and we are trying to help him find answers to his questions! 

Zhenya is a young man, also a recent convert that we have been working with. He has great questions and just loves to learn more. We have been talking a lot about repentance with him after he had some promptings while at their Institute class and we had a couple great discussions about it. At first, he was convinced that repentance is not manly and just had a misconception of it but we studied it out and he understands now that repentance is personal and necessary for all of us. He went to church yesterday too, but to a different branch. After our meeting on Saturday night, he thanked us for meeting with us. He told us that he is a hard person but we do a good job with him.

Other than that, we had Mission Leadership Council on Friday and it went super well. It was different attending that meeting as an assistant and not as a zone leader but still just as powerful! Elder Norton did a great job conducting and we discussed our mission's Standard's of Excellence as well as getting the members involved in the work which is our 'next big hurdle' in our mission according to President Miner. We are trying to work with the members to strengthen them and so that the less actives and investigators we work with have a permanent link in the branch because we will leave at some point! President Miner gave an incredible lesson that was great for us as leaders and future parents about how to correct behavior. I loved how he said that when we see something that needs to be corrected we must first ask ourselves if we ourselves exemplify the standard and if we have taught it well enough. President Miner understands and teaches the principle of agency really well and he taught us that neither side wins when someone is forced to do something. He also counseled us to not sweat the small stuff, just be good examples and teach but always allow others to use their agency. 

Sunday was a way great one in Rostov. In the Center Branch, our attendance varies anywhere from 100 to 55 depending on the day which we are trying to get more consistent. Sunday we had a full hall and fast and testimony meeting is always my favorite, the Spirit is so strong! We had a lot of less actives and investigators in attendance as well. Sister Ludmila was also able to come to church and bore her testimony even! She talked about how she sat home blind for 5 years but the Lord was always with her and that He sent her us to help her and now she can see and was able to bear testimony. That was a really happy moment for me to see! It was just a solid Sunday in the Rostov Center branch, afterwards we just felt so good about the bright future of the Church in this city. 

A lot of great things are happening in our area and in the Rostov mission. It is an exciting time and I feel blessed to be here working with Elder Norton! Thanks for all the love, support and prayers

Much love!

-Elder Tucker//Старейшина Такер

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Pictures - Finally got our beds set up (no more sleeping on the floor), First sunshine in 3 weeks, All alone on a bus, dog followed us forever.

2017 - Happy New Year

Hello everyone and Happy New Year! It is crazy to me that it is already a new year! My one full year as a missionary has come to a close and it has been the greatest year of my life! Lots of changes and growth, and still lots more to go! 

It was a pretty chaotic week, especially the first few days. Elder Norton and I, with the help of the Zone Leaders, got the old apartment all cleaned out and got moved into our new apartment. Took a lot of time but it had to be done! We only moved a couple buildings away and now we live in the same building as the Taylors which is great because we can help them out when they need it! 

Tuesday I attended my first Staff Meeting in the Mission Office. We went over the calendar for the next few months and time is just going to fly with all the great things coming up in the mission. I am still adjusting to my new calling but I am really enjoying it so far, especially being able to work closely with the Miners and the Taylors! 

Thursday we had a combined District Meeting with the Zapadny District and had a powerful discussion about how we are the means of salvation for these people. We talked about how we find joy by helping others come to know the Gospel and their Savior, even if it is just one person and even if that one person is ourselves. We got exciting news last week that when we talk to people now we can say that we are here to help strengthen people's faith in Christ and exchange phone numbers so we practiced those conversations as a district. Elder Norton and I have seen great success since we have been able to do that, almost all those we have had the opporunity to talk to have given us their phone number! 

Later on Thursday we had 'Train the Trainers' in the Mission Office. Neither Elder Norton or I have ever trained but we discussed with President Miner and the trainers about our experience as trainees including the good and the not so good. We have some solid volunteers that are training our new volunteers that arrived this past week! 

Thursday night we had a powerful meeting with a less active member who I have wanted to meet since I got here and was finally able to! He is a good man and has a solid knowledge of the Gospel. He told us he wants to start reading the Book of Mormon at the New Year and he knows that he needs to come to church. We are going to be working with him and supporting him on his journey back! 

On Friday morning we had orientation for the 3 new volunteers, one from America and two from Russia. We went to the mission home early to cook the blini (pancakes) and help the Miners prepare. I conducted the meeting and had a little part on obedience and Elder Norton spoke about the gathering of Israel which is always interesting because a lot of the tribes of Israel can be found in Russia! Elder Norton and I also went over some different tricks and tips to Russian studying as well as safety protocol. It was a different orientation with translating and everything but it went well. All three new volunteers are here in the Rostov Zone and will be great additions in their areas.  

Saturday was a special day! We had a meeting with our investigator Georgi and the Spirit was strong in his humble home! He is a long time investigator and just has a few doubts and a hard time recognizing his answers. He reads the Book of Mormon and comes to church and said he feels good when he does both of those things. We taught about the difference between the Light of Christ and the Gift of the Holy Ghost and he understood that well. We invited him to be baptized and he said he is not ready. He has made a lot of progress from what I have heard though and we will continue to bring the Spirit unto his heart and hope that he will let it in! 

Saturday afternoon we used the money given to me from the home ward  P-1, to help someone in need! We chose to help the Motok family, some less active recent converts who are refugees from Ukraine. Elder Norton knows them well and knew that they really needed some help during this holiday season, and he was right. We got new coats, boots, socks, gloves,  and scarves for Vitali, his daughter, and his mom. We also got lots of food for them so they could have a good New Years meal. When we got to their place, we had to wait for them and when they got home they went right to the heater to warm their feet and hands because they do not have suitable shoes and clothes for a Russian winter. They live in a shared home on a refugee base with not much besides their two beds in a small room. It was perfect timing to give them all their new clothes and food, big thanks to Parley's First Ward. They were absolutely in shock and kept saying how happy they were and how unexpected it was. Vitali told us that his daughter just the other day asked him why they do not see any miracles in their lives and he told her to just wait a little longer and something will happen and he said that this was their miracle. He immediately wanted to pray and thank our Heavenly Father and it was a special moment that I will never forget. 

Saturday night, being New Year's Eve, we had to be home by 5 PM. I wish I could explain what New Years is like in Russia but I either would not do it justice or you would not believe me. Let's just say we were woken up from 12-1:00 AM on January 1 due to constant flashes and booms. It is the loudest, constant, brightest night of the year that you just have to see to believe. 

Then on New Year's the streets are dead but we still had a pretty good turnout to Church, the faithful members of Rostov did not let the New Year festivities prevent them from being at Church and partaking of the Sacrament. We only had a two hour block and in Sunday School we talked about Christmas which will be on Friday here and discussed the Savior and his birth. It was probably my last time teaching the Sunday School class as I will be getting a new calling soon but I have sure loved seeing those kids grow and they have taught me so much! 

After Church, the Matekina family invited us over and we had a discussion about how we can keep our prayers and scripture study sincere when we do it so often, something Elder Norton and I have been discussing recently. We came to the conclusion that we can pray for help to do so, that we need to remember that Heavenly Father is listening every time we pray, and that although we should not do it out of repetition, it is better to do it out of habit than to not do it at all. The Matekina family is so awesome and treats us so well, I love them so much! 

We were in by 5 last night as well and will be in tonight as well! Setting goals for the year and getting caught up in my journal during all the time being in our apartment!  

I am loving serving with Elder Norton and we should have a great week ahead of us! Thanks for all the love, support and prayers

Much love, 

-Elder Tucker//Старейшина Такер

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P.S.  Side note - December was the highest baptizing month in the mission since Pres. and Sister Miner arrived in July 2015.  7 Baptisms with a number of people being prepared for January.  2016 surpassed the baptisms in 2015. At our peak we had 67 volunteers we are now at 48.

Pictures: Happy New Year, Me and departing missionaries/volunteers, tree in center Rostov, It is a tradition that the Assistants cook blinis for Orientation Breakfast

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!!  Since we called home yesterday, which was great to see and talk to the family, we have a lot to do today with moving and such, this will be a shorter one! 

It was a very special week with Christmas and the great Spirit that comes with it. At the beginning of the week we were busy with lessons and the end of the week was packed with Christmas activities and so on. 

Last Tuesday we met with Sasha who just got back from America! While he was there he attended church and finished the Book of Mormon! He will be going back to America in a month and plans on getting married and baptized in 2017! We went over the Plan of Salvation with him and answered some questions with him, he is such a great man and has found the happiness that comes in the Gospel. He comes to church every week and is close with a lot of branch members, it is great to have him back! 

Wednesday we had interviews with President Miner! He asked me if I was ready for a change since I have been in Rostov for 6 months which is usually how long we stay in an area. He told me that I was moving... to a different apartment in Rostov! So I am staying in Rostov but moving a to a different apartment a couple blocks away from my current one. I will be serving with Elder Norton as an Assistant to President Miner which will certainly be a growth experience! I am so excited to serve with Elder Norton, him and I have already gotten super close and our companionship has not even started. He is awesome!! I look up to him in so many ways and he is such a great volunteer, not to mention he speaks Russian like a native! 

After I found out,  I gave Elder Norton a quick hug, then got right to work planning transfer travel plans. This transfer is effecting a lot of people and it is pretty complicated getting everyone to their new areas usually hours away on a bus or train and of course always with a companion! We got it all figured out though! 

Thursday we had a really powerful Christmas District Meeting. The Miners asked us all to watch "Winter Thaw" which is about an hour long about a Russian shoe maker and it was so good. We were all in tears after, everyone should give it a watch, it is on byutv.com! 

Friday night we had a Christmas gathering in the Mission Home with all the Rostov Zone of 24 volunteers! That was a night I will unlikely forget, the Spirit was so strong as we sang Christmas hymns and read scriptures under the guidance of President Miner who was conducting the event. As we sang "Hark the Harold Angels Sing" President asked while getting choked up, "What if we were some of those angels that announced the birth of Christ?" Sister Miner made us an incredible roast beef meal with mashed potatoes and gravy and it was just an incredible evening that I was blessed to be able to attend! 

Forgot to mention that since Thursday I have been serving with Elder Randall and Elder Norton and we will continue to do so until Tuesday when Elder Randall gets his new companion. It was great to be with Elders Randall and Norton, two good friends of mine, on Christmas Eve and Christmas. 

Saturday night was our Branch Christmas activity and it went really well! We had about 60+ people show up and many of them were less actives and non members! The primary kids and young women put on an incredible nativity skit and then we had lots of food but none of it was left over! Was a successful activity in the Center Branch! 

Sunday we only had an hour of Church like everyone,  although the 25th of December is not Christmas in Russia and we also had a baptism! (definitely a White Christmas)  Daria from the Severny Branch was baptized and we had a great turnout to that. I translated the baptism for the Miners and Taylors but was still able to feel the special Spirit that presides at baptisms. That was the greatest Christmas gift of all! 

It is going to be a crazy week with transfers and new volunteers coming in! Till' next week! Thanks for all the Christmas wishes and gifts!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Elder Tucker//Старейшина Такер

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Pictures - All our gifts, the district, Me and Elder Norton, Christmas Eve in our PJ's, Christmas District Meeting

Visa Trip and Baptism

Hey everyone!

It has been a good week although this week, a lot of our teaching appointments fell through. We had a lot set up, but last minute cancels were common. We learned the importance this week of having solid back up plans that is for sure! 

Last Monday we met with Illya and will meet with him tonight for the last time about Home Teaching and next week he is giving everyone in the Elder's Quorum their assignments! We hope to see an increase of unity between us and the members as we go to work together! 

Tuesday turned out to be an interesting day. Our plans fell through and then our apartment building power went out right when we had to take a large suitcase of stuff to the office. We live on the 14th floor so we got a good workout in on Tuesday! We got to go back to the English school after not being there for a few weeks. Everyone was really happy to see us and they ended up helping us with our Russian questions more than we helped with English. 

Wednesday we gathered for District Meeting and Coordination Meeting. In District Meeting, Elder Norton gave a great spiritual thought about giving our all and had us all share times when we gave everything we had and times that we have held back a little. He taught that the difference is in the little things and that is so true! I am trying to give my all more often and even do the little things that count in the long run! Our District Leader, Elder Kempton, lead a discussion on faith and our most valuable time to build our faith and testimonies which is in Personal Study. I have gained such a testimony of Personal Study and the effect it has on my day. It truly is how we "obtain the word" before we can declare it to others! I was asked to teach the Language portion and for the first part we discussed why we speak Russian all day every day and talked about how it is good to open our mouths, better to speak Russian all day like we have been asked by President Miner, and best to actually learn from it, to progress and improve and not make the same mistakes tomorrow that we make today. To do that requires a lot of humility and it is far from easy, but it is the standard that has been set for us. Then taught about a Russian grammar principle that would not make much sense to any of you so we won't get into the details! 

After District Meeting, we had the Assistants over and we made lunch. It was Elder Wride's last day so had to say goodbye to him. He had such a great impact on me and set the bar high for all of us as leaders. He is already deeply missed in the mission and the Rostov Center Branch. 

Wednesday night we met with Yura and talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. He read the book of Enos which was his commitment and we talked a little about that before committing him to read the Book of Mormon from the beginning. He ended up getting sick a couple days later so we have not seen him since but plan on meeting with him this week! 

Thursday I was up at 4 AM and off to the airport with Elder Clark for our Visa Trip! I was deemed 'trip leader' because I am getting old out here but our group is experienced and knows what they are doing. We had a good trip, had some delayed flights that actually worked out for our benefit because we had some time to eat! Flew to Moscow, Armenia, and back to Rostov. All went well with the new visas and we were home by 9 PM like a normal day, but those trips take their toll on me. It was the last visa trip for the sisters that came to Russia with me which we just could not believe, we felt like we were on our first trip just the other day not knowing at all what we were doing! Time flies! 

Friday we got our new registration started with our new visas and planned our upcoming week that will be really busy with Christmas activities and lessons! 

Saturdays and weekends in general are typically super busy for us. This Saturday we were out in Bataisk in the Anderson home with both the Andersons and Savenkos. They made us some awesome pizza before we talked about the Plan of Salvation. The Savenko boys are pretty opposite from each other but they are both great kids. One really wants to start coming to church with their mom and the other does not for now. They both have a problem with getting out of bed on Sundays which I completely understand from when I was a little younger. 

We ran to the branch from the bus stop after Bataisk for the baptism! Tatiyana from Novocherkassk was baptized! Novocherkassk is one of the smallest branches in the mission and has not had a baptism in 3 years. They have now had two people get baptized in the past two months and will have a third shortly. Miracles! There is a special spirit at baptisms and it is always a special day when someone makes that decision to take the Savior's name upon them! Sasha came to the baptism who is a long time investigator that has been in Florida for the past three months. Him and I have emailed while he has been in America and I was so excited to reunite with him. He is so solid and went to Church there and continues to come here and just needs to get married before he will be baptized! 

Sunday I got to bless the sacrament with Illya,  Elder Taylor and Elder Norton gave some last minute talks in Sacrament meeting. Elder Taylor talked about the importance of the Sabbath and Elder Norton talked about improving our prayers, they both did a great job. Sunday School went really well! Sister Taylor and I always say that in Primary and Sunday School we either take 10 steps forward or 5 back. This Sunday was a 10 step forward one. I rearranged the seats in class that helped a lot and everyone participated in our discussion about leadership qualities and how Christ is the ultimate leader and follower. I will attach a picture of the board from the lesson!

After Church we all stayed back to help the Branch President set up for our Christmas Activity. It was quite the process and we did not leave until it was dark outside but got everything ready for what should be a pretty solid Christmas party this weekend. 

Took Sister Ludmila the sacrament and got to see her for the first time with her glasses! She is seeing pretty well now and even cooked for the first time in 5 years. She gave us some of the pies she made and they were great! We talked with her about faith and how faith does not grow accidentally, we must choose to act and then our faith grows. 

It is going to be a busy week and Christmas will be here before we know it. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and remember the true reason we celebrate this time of year. Take the time to appreciate the Savior this week and share His light with those around you! 

Loves

-Elder Tucker//Старейшина Такер

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Pictures - Sunday School Lesson, City decked out for Christmas and the New Year, Final Picture with District, Burger King in Moscow, Somewhere between Moscow and Armenia, Elder David and Elder Boyce sent me a Christmas gift(front and back of it).

A More Excellent Way

Hello everyone! It has been such a busy week with Zone Conference and lots of teaching opportunities- my favorite kind of week! We were able to reach a lot of our goals this week and the Standards of Excellence which felt good after putting a lot of work into our area. It was hard but it is possible with lots of  faith! 

Last Monday night we were in the Letyagin home for Family Home Evening. There little son Toma always tells me that we need to come over and it was good to be with them. Brother and Sister Letyagin are just incredible, I am so grateful for them and all they do for the Rostov Mission and for the Branch/District. We talked with them about finding peace in this life and they shared some awesome spiritual experiences they had when they served on their missions. 

The rest of Monday night was spent preparing for Zone Conference that we had on Tuesday! We put a lot of study, time and effort into preparing for Zone Conference and it went really well. As I mentioned last week, our theme for Conference was, "A More Excellent Way" just all about how we can improve our work in some specific areas. Sister Jameson taught about faith and always asking ourselves where we are on the ladder of faith that Elder Kacher of the Area Presidency showed us last year. Elder Vasiliev talked about how we must love the work before we recieve joy from the work and just that what seems impossible is really possible. President Miner had many volunteers share about recent miracles that would just not be possible without the Lord's help. I taught about organization and just how we need to use our resources (planners, area books, members) better. Many volunteers come into an area and do great work but it does not get written down and passed on to the next set and it really hinders the work from moving forward so I talked about how it is crucial to be organized and keep a record! Elder Randall taught about planning and compared it to the Creation of the world and it was way good! The Miners led a discussion about the Savior and Christmas that was powerful and got us all in the Christmas Spirit. They also gave everyone their own shoe horn- a must have in Russia. The Spirit was so strong throughout the meeting and many people have expressed to us how much they got out of the Conference. We are now applying all that we learned and seeing the miracles that come from it! 

We met with Yura twice this week which was good after not being able to meet for awhile. He has so many questions and concerns and continues to find different things on the Internet about the church and last night we just testified of the basics- reading and praying. We promised him that answers would come he just needs to read and pray, we cannot do much else. We are sticking to those basics and will even do them with him before moving on to anything else. He is always so thankful for our patience and for us taking the time to meet with him and we love him and hope he can feel the Spirit of the good, simple news of the Gospel. 

On Thursday I was on splits with Elder Burwell who was actually in the MTC with me so it was fun to be with him for a day. We took Sister Ludmila to an eye appointment and back home we had a nice talk with her about the Commandments. Elder Burwell then took me to a nice lunch at a restaurant called "New York"- I will attach pictures. We also got to meet with Illya to share with him what we know about the members in our area so he can get Home Teaching organized! 

Saturday was such a solid day, one of the few days on my mission where everything just worked out as planned. We went back out to Bataisk on Saturday and had a cool miracle! Friday night, Sister Andersen called to invite us over and we asked if the Savenko boys (recent converts) would be there and she said probably not but come anyway so we prayed that they would be there so we could meet them and teach them and we prepared a lesson for them. We got out there and one of the boys was there and the other one came a little later, Sister Andersen said she was shocked that they came! We started teaching the Restoration but mostly focused on families and how the Gospel can bless our families. The two boys do not have a very good relationship with each other so I talked about my brothers that I used to not get a long with (hah) but are now my best friends. We challenged them to pray together and come to church which they were not able to, but hopefully can next week! 

We met with Slava - less active member- out in Bataisk as well and got him a new pamphlet that will help him make some changes in his life! We also read in Ether 12:27 about how the Lord gives us weaknesses so that we are humbled and turn to him. He has such a great desire to change and improve and he knows we are here to help him! 

Saturday night we met with Nikita and Bogdan. We had a great lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and even commited them to being baptized on December 25th. They fasted in preparation of their dad coming and hoping he would give them permission to be baptized. Their grandma called us last night and said he came and long story short said no and they are not even going to be able to come to church for now.. It was pretty hard for us to hear, but their Grandma said that we did all we can and it is true. We taught, prayed, fasted, and hoped for a miracle but at the end of the day, everyone has the ability to choose- a truth of the gospel that is sometimes the hardest on others! We hope we will be able to see them soon but for now we just dont know. 

Sunday was a little hectic at church. Sunday School went alright, some of the kids are so good and want to learn and participate and some are just in a whole other world. Love those kids though! 

Sunday night we went to Andrei, a less active that we have been working with for awhile. He has really started to warm up to us and by the time we left yesterday he commited to reading a Liahona article- a small but significant step. He also is thinking about coming to our Christmas Activity on the 24th. When we left he said something along the lines of, "10 years without going to Church and you two are bringing it back." Line upon line! 

That is all for this week! I am off to Armenia on Thursday so keep us in your prayers! Cannot believe it is already time for another Visa Trip, time flies on the Lord's errand! Thanks for all the love, support and prayers!!

Love you all! 

-Elder Tucker//Старейшина Такер

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Pictures - Picture from Zone Conference(not very focused, it was on a timer), Elder Yashanin and me, Lunch in New York (LOL), and basically all that I have seen all week (stormy weather).

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SNEG!! (Snow)

Hello everyone! 

It has been another good week, we had so many tender mercies this week including the big snow storm on Saturday! There is sneg (snow) everywhere and I love it, although it is so hard to walk around and not fall! 

The tender mercies all started last Monday night when we got to meet with Illya and Makar who make up the Elder's Quorom Presidency. We have been working closely with them and helping them get a home teaching plan. The work moves forward much more effectively when it is done with members!

Also on Monday night we got to meet with our investigator Yura. We talked a lot about prayer because he has had some questions and concerns about why we pray the way we do. He is open to praying, just did not have a full understanding in the past. We had a good discussion about it and commited him to continue to read the Book of Mormon and pray. 

Tuesday morning we were with Sister Ludmila to take her to her second operation. Everything went really well and she is seeing even better now than she was last week. When we got in the taxi after her appointment, she even told the driver that he was cute. She is now just waiting for some special glasses to come in from Moscow and once she has those, she will be able to read, sew, and come to church which is all she wants!  

Wednesday we had a coordination meeting with the Crimea Zone Leader and with the Sister Training Leader here to plan for our Zone Conference! Conference will be tomorrow morning and we are super excited to share with everyone the messages we have prepared. I have studied and prepared all week for my part which will be on organization and it has been incredible to see how the Spirit has really guided me to certain scriptures or thoughts that I will share tomorrow. We hope it will go well and everyone will know how to work in a more excellent way! 

On Wednesday we also went over to the Inkeles' to meet with Bro. Inkeles but he was really busy and had to run to work so we ended up meeting with Sister Inkeles. She gave us a lot of valuable information about different members and their families that will help us to get in touch with them! She knows everyone so well and is often times the only one that still keeps in touch with some of the less active members we work with. We also talked about the temple and she talked about how they are truly pioneers here in Russia and she started talking about the day when a temple will be here and just had the biggest smile on her face while tears filled her eyes. The members here continually inspire me! 

Wednesday night we had our first "birthday miracle." We made a list of every less active member in our area's birthday and we try to get to them and take a treat or something in hopes to get our feet in the door and meet them! We went to one and we only had her address and a cake, no phone number. We got there and knocked and waited and after a little bit a man came out and gave us her phone number. Her phone was busy and after waiting we just left the cake with a note and about 5 minutes after we left, she texted us and thanked us for the cake and said she would call soon. So we got her number and hopefully planted a good seed! 

Wednesday night we slept in Severny and did splits with the Severny Elders on Thursday. After their district meeting, I was with Elder Andersen in Rostov Center. Elder Andersen and I knew of each other before the mission and he just got to the zone after serving in my first area Volzhiky for 6 months so it was good to catch up and serve with him for a day. On our taxi ride into Center from Severny, we had a great conversation with our taxi driver who informed me that he knew I was not Russian not from my accent but from the fact that I asked how his day was going when we got in! I thought that was pretty funny and says a lot about the Russian culture, but it made for a great conversation! Got to translate a temple recommend interview for President because the Assistants were out of town and then we had another "birthday miracle." We knew this one less active lives in the same building as Sister Ludmila and that it was her birthday so we got some donuts and with Luda's help, we got their correct address and got the donuts to them! Then that night our friend Vanya called to meet us at the branch and we had very little time but talked to him and invited him to church!

Friday we got to reunite with the Assistants after they were in Krasnodar and Elder Norton said that a bunch of members down there told him to tell me Hi. Yegor, the youth we worked with a lot in Krasnodar, also gave him a note to give to me and it was the sweetest thing ever. We went with the Assistants back to the Pavlovs to do some service. They have a not so friendly dog named Cesar that was not loving Elder Tucker and while I was shoveling by his dog house, he lost his temper and tried to bite my leg! It was a little scary, but luckily he only bit my pants and long johns... Then that night we had a great turn out for game night! One of our less active youth came and brought his non member friend! 

Saturday was a special day! Started with the snow in the morning and got even better as we made the trip out to Bataisk, a little city outside of Rostov. We were supposed to meet some recent converts out there in the house of some active members but they could not come. On the bus out there, an active member sat right next to Elder Randall and neither of them knew each other but they made the connection and it turned out she was going to the Andersen's house as well! It was a big tender mercy for her because she did not know where to get off so we showed her and walked together. We had such a powerful meeting out there in the Andersen home. They were playing American Christmas music and fed us a great meal before we had a spiritual feast! Sister Andersen and the Sister that came with us on the bus just talked with us about the Plan of Salvation and about how our efforts in this life are enough and how we see the Lord's hand in our daily lives. We all had our scriptures open and just shared verses, thoughts, experiences, and testimonies. It was the most powerful lesson with active members that I can remember. One of the sisters said how she just felt like we were in a whole new world in that house and did not want to leave. The other said that, like it says in Matthew 18:20, when we are gathered together in the Lord's name, he is with us. They both expressed their gratitude to us and said we do not even see all the good we are doing. And they both teared up talking about their lives and how the missionaries changed everything for them. We found out that it was Sister Andersen's birthday and she said that there was no greater gift than having us over. 

While out in Batiask we were able to meet with a less active named Slava. He actually called us today and said he has been thinking about things a lot recently and wants us to help him get his life back in order and quit smoking so we will be working with him and doing all we can to help! 

Sunday was Fast Sunday and our Sunday School homework from last week was to share their testimony in sacrament meeting! 3 bore great testimonies in sacrament and one more wanted to but time ran out,  so she testified in class for us. Two of them testified about how much Sunday School helps them and how the homework we give has really helped them come closer to God. It was extremely rewarding to hear that our efforts in that class are really helping,  at least a couple of them. I love being a Sunday School teacher! 

The work is going well and I am so happy here in Rostov. I love this branch and the people here so much! I feel so blessed to be here at this time and to be on the Lord's errand. Thank you for your continual love, prayers and support. 

Loves!

-Elder Tucker//Старейшина Такер

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Pictures - Branch Snowman, Note from Yegor, More Sneg (Snow)!