Monday, October 21, 2013

Pictures

What I had for lunch one day this week...a Ramen Noodle burrito. :D


















Just another week here in Siberia land! This week is the last week of the Transfer, and the 12th week of my 12 week training. So stuff is going to be changing for me here pretty quickly. 

So I'm doing really well...both you and AnnaMarie sound worried or something. I'm good! We had Zone Conference this last week so our zone, half of the mission went to Novosibirsk for conference. It is a 5 hour bus ride from Tomsk to Novosibirsk. On the way there we got the "short bus"... we usually get nice coach busses but this one was like a weird marshutka style but nicer. So it got to Novo a little faster! All of the Tomsk-ers went and got Carl's Jr...which is Hardee's in the Midwest and also hardees in Kazakhstan. Why is that?? It's like the Sauna SAUna thing.

Conference was good, Listening to President Gibbons speak is like having the heavens opened and being prophesied at for a couple hours. What I mean by that is that he is a great Mission President, and he is truly inspired to lead this mission. We are shooting for a Stake here before he leaves in July.

Oh, are you guys going to get a cardboard cutout of me for James's wedding?? Caroline took pictures to do it with too! So you should remind her about it. :D

One thing that was really cool in Zone Conference that President shared with us was about angels, and Angel Moroni's visits to Joseph Smith. When angels speak to people, they just quote a bunch of scriptures. Some of the ones Angel Moroni quoted are in Joseph Smith History (part of the Latter-day Saint scripture), but there were a lot of others not recorded in JSH. They were, however, published in the February and April 1835 Messinger and Advocate church newsletters. So president gave us all 20 of the chapters that Angel Moroni quoted from to Joseph Smith. He promised us that these scriptures will be more meaningful to us in Russia than to any other group of missionaries. This is the land northward that the lost tribes of Israel were taken to. With Patriarchal Blessings, all 12 or the tribes have been accounted for in this area of the world. so here are the scriptures first then a few specific verses that he used. 

Mal 3
Mal 4
Isa11
Acts 3
Joel 2
Those are the ones in JSH. now the ones in the messinger and advocate 
1Cor 1, Isa 29, Ps 100, Ps 107, ps 144, Ps 146, Isa 1, Deut 32, Isa 2, Isa 4, Isa 43, Jer 16, Jer 30, Jer 31, Jer 50

And some specific verses that President talked about from these chapters that Angel Moroni quoted to Joseph smith. 
Mal 3:1, Mal4:2
Isa 11:5- Faithfulness will the the SASH around his waste. Think of the temple. 
Isa 11:16- The highway is talking about the path of the gospel back to the presence of the lord. We as missionaries here are building that path, and helping people find there way back. 
1Cor:25-27-- Foolish things (like me!) will confound the wise. 
Isa 1:8- After 10 tribes were taken away
Isa1:21- Jerusalem after faithful are gone
Isa1:23- Situation of our world. 

And Jer 16:14-- In Siberia we aren't pulling in nets full of baptisms, we are not longer fishers of men, but hunters. waiting patiently and bringing others home. 

So it was a good conference.

Like I said, transfers are coming up. I know what everyone in my district is doing... except myself! My companion, Elder Batson, is leaving Tomsk and going to Novo to be a Zone Leader over the other zone. Elder Nelson, who is here training another elder who came in the same time as I am, is going to be the new District Leader. This means that I'm still going to be in Tomsk. It's possible to get someone older in here with me, to get someone my own age in here with me, or to get someone who is halfway through training and I would finish his training or else to get a new missionary and be his trainer. There are 2 sisters from the USA coming and 2 Elders, one from Ukraine, and one from Germany. It's possible that I could train one of them but I wouldn't put any money on that. Sisters Pimentel and Tsimbol who are the same age as I am in the mission just finished training each other. Sister Pimentel is going to train a new Sister coming in and Sister Tsimbol is going to be transferred to another city while she waits for her visa to Kazakhstan to come!

My friend from my MTC district who came the same time, Elder Stucki is going to Kazakhstan as well. His companion, Elder Hansen is about ready to go home. He spent a year in Kazakhstan and is actually making the Kazakh language book to be used to train future missionaries in the language. 

By next Monday I will know what is going on with me, and next Wednesday I will have a new companion. 

There were 2 missionaries in my mission who just got emergency transferred to the Baltics mission. Still Russian Speaking but not in Russia. I'm not allowed to tell anyone why. Though if you remember when I get back in 2 years...tell me to show you my journal entry from this week. :P

I'm doing well, working hard, and being safe. Don't worry about a thing.

Love you lots!

Elder Benjamin Moore

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