Dear Family,
Well how do I start this email off. First off it is a blizzard today. Today is the first day that I got to throw on the big puffy coat. I love my fat, puffy coat. This coat keeps me so warm. I am going to be coming home in this coat haha. So today is the first real snow storm. It is still coming down pretty hard out there. I love the snow her because that means I get to throw on the shoes and go sliding out side. There are two kinds of Russian missionaries. There is the one that wears his boots all the time and there is the other missionary that throws on his normal shoes and goes sliding outside in the winter. I am a slider. Today I got my first slide. I am so happy.
Okay for the out of the ordinary news. About twenty minutes ago Elder Riddle and I walked into the library to do email. As we sat down started email the lady across from us started to spaz out. She then fell out of her chair and started to have a seizure. We ran over to her and my lifeguard instincts kicked in ha. The funny thing is when I was a life guard nothing really happened. But not being one something does happen. I am thankful for the knowledge that I have so that I could help this lady. For seizures there isn't really much you can do for the person. Really all you can do is just place there head on your lap and make sure they don't loose conscious. As I sat on the ground with her head on my lap i felt helpless. Then came the idea to say a little prayer. As she was shaking I grabbed her hand and started to pray my heart out. I asked Heavenly Father to help this lady. I was really worried becuase I really didn't want to give cpr. After a minute she started to calm down and started to breathe normal. I am so thankful for the power of prayer. I knew that my Heavenly Father heard my little/simple prayer. I am so thankful that I could do some much needed service today. Next time I would prefer like helping someone move or something.
This last week was a big growing opportunity for Elder Riddle and I. We went to training so we didn't have a lot of time in our area to work. Last week it felt that all of our prime Investigators left. Alla has gone on a business trip for a couple of days and Calvin isn't anwsering his phone. I felt like everything fell through last week. But that meant that Elder Riddle and I had the opportunity to go out and work harder to find. Sometimes i really was in the dump but as I looked forward every day with faith my Father in Heaven blessed me. I know that trials come from love. Love from our Father in Heaven. He wants us to grow and be stronger. He knows that we can face these trials. If he didn't why would he give them to us? Our Father in Heaven sometimes cuts us down, he does a little trimming to us, but that is becuase he wants us to grow back more beautiful and stronger. I am so grateful that we get to face our trials with Faith. We are able to face them with our Saviour, Jesus Christ. He knows how we feel, he knows us perfectly. He will help us as we conquer our Garden of Gethsemane. He has been there and he knows how to succor us. I am so grateful for the Atonement.
Last week were able to meet with Natalia. We went over to her apartmen and her son was there. We invited her son to simply come and listen as we taught Natalia. He agreed and came and sat down with us. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and tryed to involve him. He was way interested in what we were teaching. It was so cool to be able to teach a member of Natalias family. I know that in the future her family will listen to the message. They will see her example and how happy she is. They will want what she has. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to know Natalia. I am so grateful for all of the friendships that I have been able to make while on my mission.
So this is the last week of the transfer. Elder Riddle and I have been together for almost 12 weeks. I have been in the city of Perm for almost 6 months. I was thinking about it today. I have seen every season here in perm. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. It is crazy. I love this place with all of my heart. Due to the fact that I love the people here. The members are so great. I amso greatful that I have been able to serve here.
Next week I get to go on my visa trip. I am way excited to go. I always love going to Finland. But most of all going to TJI Friday's!!! Time for a Jack Daniels burgerrrrrrrrr!!! and a shake yayayayayaa. I can taste it in my mouth as I write this right now. I will make sure to take some photos. I can't wait.
Thank you all for your emails. Please tell Melody thank you so much for the letter. Tell her that I got it exactly on the day of Halloween. Give her a big hug for me and tell her that she is awesome.
Well I love you all. This time next week I will have transfer news so be ready! Love you
Elder Flitton
November 12, 2012
Dear Family,
Well this week is transfer week. Last week we got transfer calls from President. Elder Riddle will be staying in Perm and getting a new companion. I will be leaving Perm and going to serve in the City of Ufa as a zone leader with Elder Oneill. Yah when President called I asked him what he was thinking. I can't believe that I am going to Ufa to serve with my old companion Elder Oneill. I am way excited to go to another city and serve. But the only thing is that with leaving,is that you have to say Good by. I don't like doing that. Yesterday was really hard to say goodbye to everyone. I am pretty sure that some tears were shed. It was really hard to say goodbye to members who you have grown so close with. Especially those who live in you area. It was really hard to say goodbye to Natalia. Last night we met with her and I decided that reading from the scriptures and having a testimonyould be perfect. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to serve in Perm. I love that city and will always remember all the friendships that I made there. I spent almost a half year there and I grew a ton there. I learned so much from all of the different companions that I served with and around. I love this mission so much and all of the great people that I am meeting.
This week is my Visa trip. I am actually in the city of Yekaterinburg right now writing this email. We got on a train with all of my luggage at 6:30am. We got here at about noon. We will be staying at the assistants house tonight and in the morning we will be flying to Moscow. I am excited to see everyone in my group. I love Visa trips but the only thing that is a stinker is that you are really tired after it is all done. That is ok because I will fly back here and then get on a train for almost 18 hours. I can't wait!!
These last couple of weeks have been really good for Elder Riddle and I. We have really grown close together. I am really sad that I have to leave him. We have really done a lot of great work in the city of Perm. I am really sad that I hvae to leave because there is so many great things going on right now. For example Natalia's daughter Tanya has been meeting with us. She has a baptism date for the 8th of December. She came to church yesterday with her son. It was so cool to see. We are way excited for her and all of the progress that she is making. Alexandra our grandmother has a baptism date for the 8th also. She came to church yesterday and we were able to meet with her a couple of times last week. She is probably one of the funniest Russians that I have ever met. I am really sad that I have to leave. I hope that all works out with her. We have another investigator named Alla. She went on a business trip last week but should be returning this week. Ahh there is so much going on in Parkovy Perm.
Last week we had a great lesson with a member named Igor. Igor is trying to decide if he is going to serve a mission or continue to work. He has been struggling to figure out which one he needs/wants to do. We read with him from a Liahona a couple of years ago. It is a message by President Uchtdorf. It is called "I'm committed". Probably one of the greatest articles that I have ever read. President Uchtdorf talked about how we cant live our lives and be 50% committed to the Lord and then when He comes again say that we are 100% committed. That made me think really hard. Am I really 100% committed to the Lord and if I'm not how do I become? I read a scripture the other day ago that said "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ". I love that scripture, forgive me I forgot where it is. But it so true, that day WILL come and how much better will it be when we can bow and confess with 100% confidence that Jesus is the Christ. As we talked with Igor we helped him realize the importance of choosing for yourself but letting the Lord help you in knowing what to choose. Those who are committed to the Lord will be able to see clearly and recieve that help in which they stand in need of. I love commitment and that is something that I am trying to accomplish here on my mission. Being 100%committed to the work and goals and most important to the Lord. I am so grateful for the power of commitment.
Well next week I will be writing in the city of Ufa. I am very excited to get to work after the Visa trip. Thanks all for the emails and support. I am so grateful for all of you and please know that I love you so much.
Elder Flitton
November 19, 2012
Dear Family,
Well it is just another day here in the Yekaterinburg Russia mission. I am now here in Ufa and I love it. My new area is a very classic looking Russia. I love it here. It is a winter wonderland here. It snowed all week last week. I got to pull out my big puffy snow coat and my really warm boots. I am very warm so no need to worry. I can't believe that this week is Thanksgiving. We as a zone haven't really decided if we are going to do a dinner or something. Most likely we will. I wish I was in Perm because then I could just go to Sister Pocock's for Thanksgiving dinner. But it is alright life will go on.
So a little about last week:
1. Visa trip- I left monday morning at 6am to go to Yekaterinburg from Perm. I had all my luggage so it was kind of a pain. It was really hard to leave Perm. But Elder Riddle and I got to Yekaterinburg and had all day. So we went to Burger King and then walked around the city. It was really fun. I got to spend some good time with him before we got seperated. That night we stayed at the Assistants and the next morning we went to the airport. President was at the airport because we had a senior couple going home and a sister going home. So we were able to see him. We actually flew with the senrior couple and Sister Denning to Moscow. It is really weird to see missionaries going home. Honestly I don't like it because it freaks me out. We had about 4 hours in Moscow so we went to TJI. It was awesome as usual. I love that place with all of my heart. After we headed to Finland. Finland is probably one of the most prettiest countrys in the world. I love Finland. We were able to go to the temple while we were there. It is so beautiful. After the temple we went back to the airport and flew back to Moscow. We then waited in Moscow and flew back to Yekaterinburg. We got home in the morning so we went and slept at the assistants for a couple of hours. We then headed to the train station where we met up with everyone. I then got to take a 18hour train ride to ufa. That was all sleep time ha.
2.UFA- Ufa really is a pretty city. The church building is so nice. It is almost like one back in the states. I will take a picture of it and send it with my next email next week. The members here are awesome. Here in Russia they like to call people by threre first name so like Brother Keaton, and President said that we have to call them by there last name. Don't even get me started on some of the names. THere are some really difficult names here. When I hear them I have to ask them to repeat it. I have never been really good with names so it is going to take me awhile to memorize them. But it will be done ha.
I had my first Sunday yesterday. The first sunday in a new area is always stressful. But this one wasn't to bad. I still feel like the akward companion because everyone just knows Elder Oneill so they go to him. But it is just going to take some time to gain the trust of the members. I am way excited to be able to work with them. The saints here are awesome. They are so happy and they are willing to help with anything. I am so happy to be here in Ufa. It is still taking me some time to adjust to everything. Especially being a zone leader. I want to be a great zone leader. I want things to be fun here in Ufa for the missionaries. I feel like things here have gotten a little boring. But that is going to change. i am so grateful that the Lord has trusted me to be here in Ufa. I am starting very quick to fall in love with this place.
Funny story-
Last night we were on the street contacting and we saw a lady laying on the sidewalk. We ran over to her to help her up. She was very drunk. We asked her where she lived and we walked her home. And then this random dog came up to us and started to jump up on us. We helped the lady and everything and then started to walk to our next appointment. Well the dog decided to walk with us. He followed us for the next 15 minutes. When we got to the apartment of the members we went inside and shut the door behind us leaving the dog outside. The dog started to whine and scratch at the door. After the meeting with the member who lives on the top floor of the apartment building, we walked out of the apartment and there was the dog laying in the stair well waiting for us. I couldn't believe it. So we walked to the bus stop which was about 10 minutes away, he still followed us. Getting on the bus was a little weird because he wanted to get on the bus with us. I felt really bad because the doors shut on the bus and he wasn't able to get on. Elder Oneill and I werent able to find anyone out on the street last night but we did find a follower.
This last week has been quite the growing week for me. I have gotten down on myself multiple times but I know that the Lord has given me these trials so that I could become stronger. I am so grateful for the responsibility that I now have being a zone leader. It has already been quite the experience. Please pray for me. I need your prayers. I love you all so much. Thank you for all of the love that I feel here in Russia. I am so thankful for all of you. Please know that I love you and that you are in my prayers. Also have a great THANKSGIVING!!!. Just think next Thanksgiving I will be there...
Thank you Grandma Crystal for the Christmas gift. I love you so much!
Also Uncle Sunny could you send my your adress. I have a email in my bag waiting to go in the mail. I just need your address.
I love you all.
Elder Flitton
Well it is just another day here in the Yekaterinburg Russia mission. I am now here in Ufa and I love it. My new area is a very classic looking Russia. I love it here. It is a winter wonderland here. It snowed all week last week. I got to pull out my big puffy snow coat and my really warm boots. I am very warm so no need to worry. I can't believe that this week is Thanksgiving. We as a zone haven't really decided if we are going to do a dinner or something. Most likely we will. I wish I was in Perm because then I could just go to Sister Pocock's for Thanksgiving dinner. But it is alright life will go on.
So a little about last week:
1. Visa trip- I left monday morning at 6am to go to Yekaterinburg from Perm. I had all my luggage so it was kind of a pain. It was really hard to leave Perm. But Elder Riddle and I got to Yekaterinburg and had all day. So we went to Burger King and then walked around the city. It was really fun. I got to spend some good time with him before we got seperated. That night we stayed at the Assistants and the next morning we went to the airport. President was at the airport because we had a senior couple going home and a sister going home. So we were able to see him. We actually flew with the senrior couple and Sister Denning to Moscow. It is really weird to see missionaries going home. Honestly I don't like it because it freaks me out. We had about 4 hours in Moscow so we went to TJI. It was awesome as usual. I love that place with all of my heart. After we headed to Finland. Finland is probably one of the most prettiest countrys in the world. I love Finland. We were able to go to the temple while we were there. It is so beautiful. After the temple we went back to the airport and flew back to Moscow. We then waited in Moscow and flew back to Yekaterinburg. We got home in the morning so we went and slept at the assistants for a couple of hours. We then headed to the train station where we met up with everyone. I then got to take a 18hour train ride to ufa. That was all sleep time ha.
2.UFA- Ufa really is a pretty city. The church building is so nice. It is almost like one back in the states. I will take a picture of it and send it with my next email next week. The members here are awesome. Here in Russia they like to call people by threre first name so like Brother Keaton, and President said that we have to call them by there last name. Don't even get me started on some of the names. THere are some really difficult names here. When I hear them I have to ask them to repeat it. I have never been really good with names so it is going to take me awhile to memorize them. But it will be done ha.
I had my first Sunday yesterday. The first sunday in a new area is always stressful. But this one wasn't to bad. I still feel like the akward companion because everyone just knows Elder Oneill so they go to him. But it is just going to take some time to gain the trust of the members. I am way excited to be able to work with them. The saints here are awesome. They are so happy and they are willing to help with anything. I am so happy to be here in Ufa. It is still taking me some time to adjust to everything. Especially being a zone leader. I want to be a great zone leader. I want things to be fun here in Ufa for the missionaries. I feel like things here have gotten a little boring. But that is going to change. i am so grateful that the Lord has trusted me to be here in Ufa. I am starting very quick to fall in love with this place.
Funny story-
Last night we were on the street contacting and we saw a lady laying on the sidewalk. We ran over to her to help her up. She was very drunk. We asked her where she lived and we walked her home. And then this random dog came up to us and started to jump up on us. We helped the lady and everything and then started to walk to our next appointment. Well the dog decided to walk with us. He followed us for the next 15 minutes. When we got to the apartment of the members we went inside and shut the door behind us leaving the dog outside. The dog started to whine and scratch at the door. After the meeting with the member who lives on the top floor of the apartment building, we walked out of the apartment and there was the dog laying in the stair well waiting for us. I couldn't believe it. So we walked to the bus stop which was about 10 minutes away, he still followed us. Getting on the bus was a little weird because he wanted to get on the bus with us. I felt really bad because the doors shut on the bus and he wasn't able to get on. Elder Oneill and I werent able to find anyone out on the street last night but we did find a follower.
This last week has been quite the growing week for me. I have gotten down on myself multiple times but I know that the Lord has given me these trials so that I could become stronger. I am so grateful for the responsibility that I now have being a zone leader. It has already been quite the experience. Please pray for me. I need your prayers. I love you all so much. Thank you for all of the love that I feel here in Russia. I am so thankful for all of you. Please know that I love you and that you are in my prayers. Also have a great THANKSGIVING!!!. Just think next Thanksgiving I will be there...
Thank you Grandma Crystal for the Christmas gift. I love you so much!
Also Uncle Sunny could you send my your adress. I have a email in my bag waiting to go in the mail. I just need your address.
I love you all.
Elder Flitton
November 26, 2012
Dear Family,
It is another Monday here in Ufa. I can't believe that I am already starting my third week here. It feels like I have just arrived here. Ufa is such a great place. They have the best of the best here as members. Elder O'Neill and I have been visiting a lot of members and it is so cool to see how strong of testimonies that they have. For example there is a family called the Koolakovey. We went over to their house on Monday for FHE. We had a great time with them and we were able to feel the spirit with them. It was the greatest to hear them bear their testimonies. I love hearing the Russian saints bear their testimonies because they are some of the strongest ones that I have ever heard. Ufa is just a great place and I am thankful that I am going to be here for Christmas. The members make this place so much better.
Ok so a little about Thanksgiving last week. We didn't really have the classic Thanksgiving feast with Turkey and mashed potatoes and stuffing. We as a zone went to a restaurant and had a nice dinner there. I kind of felt like the family off the Christmas Story when they go to that Chinese Restaurant and get the duck. It was very different but it was a cool experience. That was our Thanksgiving, we as missionaries don't really take time to celebrate holidays like we do back home. It is all about doing the great work here. I am very thankful that we were able to have a nice dinner here as a zone. Holidays on your mission are very different. But I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving.
So a little about what is going on right now in Ufa. Lately we have been searching for a new apartment. The one that we are living in right now is the worst apartment in the mission. So President wants us to get out of there and get a new apartment. So last week we had some luck and we found one. This one is so nice compared to the one that we have right now. We will be moving into the new one this week hopefully. Looks like I get to pack again. I really enjoy to pack... This new apartment should be really good because it is in a better part of our area and it is just a really nice apartment. I am excited because I will be the first missionary to live in it. Ha as a missionary you find the smallest things to be fun/cool.
So this last week I have been working a lot on my Humility attribute. I feel as a missionary that sometimes pride is a constant thing that I am fighting. I hate pride with all of my heart. The worst is when you feel like you are at the top and that you are more important than others. Or when you are having a hard time and it feels like the world sometimes is against and you just start to complain or you start to get in that pouting mood. It is probably the worse. I just doesn't effect you but it effects everyone around you. I have been trying really hard lately to work on my attributes of Christ. Especially the humility one. I am so grateful that we have a loving Heavenly Father, who is so willing to help us change and become like Him. That is our main goal right now here on this earth. To become like God. Therefore we need to change. I have a lot of changing to do. Everyday I feel like it is a battle, I feel like Satan is always trying to get me to fall and even tries to make me feel like I am better than others. I am so grateful for the Atonement and the ability to change. If it wasn't for change, how could we become like God. I like to think of Adam and Eve. If they hadn't sinned they never would have changed. Now I am not saying go and sin so that you can change but take a minute and think about how you can change something about you so that you are that much closer to becoming like our Father in Heaven. As we know change isn't easy. But we have someone there with us who knows exactly how we can change so that we can be happy. It is our Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ. He knows every pain, every sickness, every doubt, he knows how all of us feel. He can be the one that will help us change as we put our Faith in Him. I am so grateful for a merciful God.
So I forgot in my email last week to include the people that we are teaching. So I need to do it this time.
1.Ena- Ena is a older woman that lives with her mother. Her mother is a member but now is confined to a wheel chair so they don't leave the house. Ena has something wrong with her bones in her body so it is really hard for her to walk. So we go to them and teach them. She is a very nice lady and is so ready for baptism. The only thing is that she doesn't want to go outside because she is afraid of the snow. So we are going to be planning a baptism for the Spring time for her. But she is great and we are way excited for her.
2.Nena- Nena is also a older woman. Her daughter and her two kids live with her. They are members. We are struggling with her because we are having a hard time getting her to have the desire. She asks a lot of great questions but she just isn't willing to do the committments that we give her. She gets distracted a lot as well. So it is kind of hard to teach her. But she is very sweet and we are doing our best to teach her.
3.Tanya- Tanya is a younger woman. Her husband is a member but he is Less-active. They have a daughter named Maya. They are a very young family. She works a ton so it is hard to meet with her. But she is progressing very slowly and her husband and daughter came to church yesterday wich was so great.
So those are the people that we are teaching right now here in Ufa. Please pray for them!
Thanks for the emails this week and all of the support. I love all of you so much. I am so excited to skype in a couple of weeks. It will be here before you know it. Now would be a great time to start thinking of questions that you want to ask. I can't wait. I love you.
Elder Flitton
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