Goodbye Surgut...back to Kurgan...

Hello Everyone,

I will have to make this quick, because I just arrived at the Mission Office in Yekaterinburg and will need to leave soon for Kurgan. It was a twenty-four hour train ride from Surgut, so I am feeling like a straight bum.

If you recall, in my last weeks email, I mentioned that my new companion will be Elder Otis, however, he along with others or stuck in Sweden. There are a few problems with renewing visas. The visa issues seem to be a real problem for the church, hopefully things will be straightened out. One nice thing comes out of it, is that the missionaries are able to get in a lot of sessions at the Temple, which is awesome.

I will be going back to Kurgan with Elder Mizin from Saint Petersburg! And guess what… he doesn’t speak any English… how amazing is that! I am so excited, its going to be awesome! I will be able to speak my favorite language 24/7. I am excited to learn all I can from him while we are companions.

Here is a quick run down of last week…it was a great and productive week;

Monday, we did our usual…emailed, groceries and then went sight seeing for a while to Old Surgut, which was a bunch of old buildings.

Tuesday, we went contacting and then on to English Club., which went really great. We had a discussion on American and Russian Holidays. I felt that they really enjoyed it. It was funny, because Dima said that we should bring textbooks to help teach them. I laughed, and then further explained that it was against the law, and even if we could, I probably wouldn’t do a very good job. Then after English Dima wanted to stay and talk about the Gospel. I really wanted to spend some good quality time with him that evening, but Elder S and I had a lesson with Angelina right after English. We didn’t want that to discourage him so we spent about fifteen minutes with him and answered some of his questions. I believe he has a lot of potential and I hope he will continue his interest and meet with the new Elders that will be transferring here to Surgut next week. Dima is a great person and would make a great member.

We had our lesson with Angelina, and it went amazing too! Holy cow…she had a question about how in the Bible it say’s "that Adam became as Us", she thought that this meant that there was more than one God. We explained to her the about the pre Earth life and how we all lived with God before and existed as spirits and that Jesus Christ was with God at that time before he came to Earth. This discussion ended up opening some huge windows for her! It was amazing.

Wednesday, we went contacting most of the day and then went to institute where Alonia taught a great lesson. Afterwards we told her that we were both leaving the coming Monday. She was really sad to see us go and took it pretty hard.

Thursday, was a crazy day! We had planning, cleaned the apartment, and then went out to an area forty-five minutes away to deliver some homemade brownies and have one lesson. Then we stopped by a members and they invited us in and said we set up a meeting with them at 7:30, and then we said, “no we don’t believe we did because we have a meeting at 8 and we cant meet then. Somehow, they got us to sit down and have a lesson. Need less to say, we were thirty minutes late for our next appointment. It all worked out, and both meetings turned out to be pretty dang GREAT! It was a busy, but a fantastic day!

Friday, we had mutual with the youth. We played some crazy animal noise game, ate watermelon, and took some great pictures.

Saturday, we finished cleaning the apartment, and had another amazing English Club. They brought a cake for us and we had a Tea Party! (yeah…I am now going to Tea Parties…haha) We took some great pictures! It was a ton of fun.

Sunday, at church was pretty sad, because members were saying their good-byes, they were emotional, and there were a lot of tears shed. I kind of felt as if I was at a funeral.

AND…Monday, the day we said our final good-bye as we climbed abroad the train. Alonia, Lucia, and another Alonia came to see us off. It was really hard. Alonia was really sad. I am really going to miss Surgut a lot!!! I hope I will have the opportunity to serve in Surgut again. I loved it! It was the strangest thing, because for some reason the Russian Language just all of sudden clicked when I arrived there. I hope the language will stick with me. So, it’s hard to leave another city. I HATE LEAVIG! Honestly, I get so attached to people that it makes it hard to say good-bye. I am so glad I am here in Russia because I have the most amazing opportunity to work with these great Russian people. I love them!

Well, I am off to kurgan in a few. I love you all!
Elder Dewey.

The Lord and the Love for the people is all that is needed...

Hello Everyone,
Who knew you can do gymnastics with your tongue! As Alonia, a young member girl here in Surgut tries relentlessly to helps us conquer the Russian language, I can only imagine what is going through her mind as she watches us perform these humorous exercises with our tongues. I couldn’t help but feel so awkward and kept cracking up. She must think we are the goofiest Elders. The lesson was on improving our accents. She had us stick out our tongues as far as we could to see how far we could stretch them. It was the strangest thing. Then we curled our tongues in different ways. Alonia, said that I have no excuse for not having a great Russian accent because I have a real curly tongue…okay what ever you say…hahaha! I thought she was messin around with us, but apparently, I was mistaken… when she gave me a very serious look, letting me know… I best get with the program…haha.

Last Monday we went sight seeing. Later in the evening, we made brownies for some less actives. It snowed here and was so cold, but I love it. I love to walk around outside when it snows, it's sort of peaceful. I'm staying warm with my new Russian coat…YES…I finally bought one the other day.

English Club this week was surprisingly amazing. We had a new guy named Dima that came out who was very inquisitive about our church, and asked a lot of questions, which obviously led me to ask him that all important question…“Would you like to set up a date and time to meet with us to learn more?” AND…so there you have it…he said, “ sure!!!” He is an amazing guy and appears to be all of that of a” solid piece of Gold”…only time will tell. In class we discussed a love of mine…American Music, which for me… is always fun! It was a fun class for all who attended!

After English, we met with Angelina, a lady from our English Club. We showed the film of the restoration of the Gospel, I believe she really enjoyed it.

Wednesday we had institute and then met with some less actives.

Thursday we met with Sister Kiz who has a nine-year-old son. She is the nicest and coolest lady. We taught her a short lesson on hope. What surprised me about this meeting is that Sister Kiz taught me more about this subject than she learned from us. I left feeling more inspired and uplifted. She shared with us the reason why she is so active in the church. She said she stays solid and strong in the church because she wants the best for her family and the Church is centered and grounded around families. Sister Kiz went on to explain, the Gospel teaches great principles that strengthens the family unit and teaches that families are eternal. She said that the Gospel has given her and her family a better and happier life. When she was sharing her thoughts with us, I could feel the spirit so strong and felt the truthfulness of what she shared. It’s difficult at times to explain the feelings that occur when you feel the spirit that strong. The thought that I kept having was how true it is, that through the gospel our families can have true and eternal happiness, even through the trials and worldly struggles that life brings our way. I truly admire Sister Kiz for her strength and courage.

Friday we had mutual, but disappointed that few youth attended. We made the best of it and played a few Russian card games with the few who were there.

Saturday, we had English Club again. A Russian lawyer attended and wanted to show pictures from England and explain each one, and took up most of all our time, so it didn’t turn out exactly as we had hoped…oh well. In the end, it all turned out okay... Later that evening we had another awesome meeting with Angelina. We taught her a lesson on Jesus Christ and the Atonement. It was an amazing lesson and she really opened up with us.

Sunday, the Branch President’s wife had a birthday party dinner after church, which made for a wonderful evening.

I will be here in Surgut until the 27th. I heard some of the missionaries are experiencing a few difficulties renewing their visas and are currently stuck in Sweden. There have been a few rumors going on, but I don’t want to dwell on it until we know for certain what the facts are. We all need to have faith that things will work out the way the Lord see fits, what ever happens. Often times we don’t understand or know why things turn out the way they do, but we just need to continue in have faith and work hard.

We received transfers today, and I will stay in Kurgan and Elder Otis will be my new companion. I am anxious to get back to Kurgon because no one is there manning the fort. In fact, I was up most of the night worried that no one is there. I will travel back to Yekaterinburg (24-hour train ride from Surgut) on Monday to pick up Elder Otis and then head back to Kurgon and go straight to work.

I’m grateful and humbled with the experiences that I’ve had so far here in Russia. I know I will most likely never have this experience again, so I am trying to soak it all in. Time is going fast, and I wish it would slow down, because there is so much I want to accomplish! I love serving the Lord and pray that I will be blessed with the abilities to continue to serve these wonderful Russian people. I love them and their culture. It’s interesting to me when I hear negative comments about the people, because if you truly try to understand where they have come from and what most of them have had to go through and the little they have, you cannot help but feel compassion and love for them.

Well, I better get going. I love you all. Keep the Russian people in your prayers.

Love,
Elder Dewey

The land of OZ...

Приветствие от Surgutters ... холодным местом в мире,
(Greetings from SURGUTTERS… the COLDEST place in the WORLD,)

Wow! What a couple of weeks! It has been a whirlwind I tell ya! I feel like I am literally living in the land of OZ…traveling by BUS, PLANE and TRAIN to parts of the world I never dreamt of EVER going! I have learned how to sleep sitting, standing, and in crowded, noisy, ghetto, and stinky places! Haha! I have learned how to deal with crazy drunk old men and screaming old women! In just the past few weeks, I traveled to Yekaterinburg, Spain, then back to Kurgan. I had only been back in Kurgan a few days, when I then had to hop a bus to Tyumen (5-6 hour bus ride from Kurgan) to work with the ZL’s, Elder R and Elder B for a few days, then hopped a train to Surgut ( 16 hour ride) to be companions with Elder S while both of our companions, Elder R and Elder D are in Sweden for their visa trip.
We had Zone Conference here in Kurgan before I left for Tyumen. We met in our new Church building. It was great! The members are so excited to have a meeting place of their own. (Notice how small the meeting room is.) Elder R and I picked up President and Sister Allen from the hotel. When we arrived to the hotel, they told us that they didn’t have hot water. A few minutes later the woman from the hotel informed me the hot water would be back on in thirty minutes (a little too late!) and I said, “Okay thanks, that’s good”. I let President know what was said and he started giving me a hard time for THANKING the hotel woman. I think he was joking…( he kind of has that sense of humor…not always sure if he is joking or being serious...I'm hoping for joking:))
I was in Tyumen Sunday and Monday. Tyumen is a nice city compared to Kurgan. The buildings seem to be newer and streets cleaner. Apparently, it has many oil companies. Sunday was great. We had church, a few meetings and then we were fortunate enough to be able to watch General conference LIVE, 10:00 PM our time. I LOVED IT…LIKE NEVER BEFORE! I especially enjoyed President Monson’s talk about enjoying EVERY MOMENT. We went to the Palmer’s, (they are the senior couple serving in Tyumen.) I love them, they are the nicest couple. We stayed the night at the Palmer's that evening.
We spent Monday looking for an Internet cafe and finally had to give up because we were running out of time. We helped a guy move a piano down three flight s of stairs…It was soooo heavy, but glad we could help. After working up an appetite, we went and ate at Rustiks, which is the KFC of Russia but American style. We went back to the Palmer's for a while before I caught the train for SURGUTTERS, also known Surgut, which is the furthest north city in Russia from what I hear. The sixteen- hour train ride was fun. For safety purposes, missionaries are suppose to purchase a whole cabinet so not to have strangers sleeping in the same area. So, I was traveling alone and had four spaces under my name and some woman was trying so hard to convince me to sell the extra spaces to her. I told her "NO-CAN-DO" haha...I paid for all the spaces and I was not interested in selling them to her. She wasn’t too happy with me. I was so tired, so I locked my door and tried to sleep, but soon awakened by a LOUD BANG at my door! I got up, opened my door... only to find a CRAZY DRUNK MAN…dancing and singing! I ignored him, shut my door and tried to fall back to sleep. I loved the train ride and having some time to myself. I spent time thinking about life, and how great it is! The Russian countryside is beautiful this time of year. It's fun experiencing it by train.
When I finally arrived to SURGUTTERS, Elder S and Elder R were there to greet me. SURGUTTERS is amazing! It’s all forest with beautiful buildings and very clean streets. It really is a beautiful city. There is only one set of missionaries in the area. Once I arrived, we went straight to work. We had a few meetings and English club that evening. We met with a member girl who helped us with our Russian. It was so cool, she actually complemented me on my Russian…YEAH! It helped me so much! Honestly, this past week has been truly AMAZING...I have progressed so incredibly fast! It is all REALLY CLICKING! I know I have so much more to learn, but it's coming so much easier! I know the Lord is blessing me greatly with this new ability for the language! I’ll share with you the experience that suddenly HIT ME IN THE FACE! Elder S and I went out vlitzing, which is where Elder S plays his violin in the park and I Teach and Testify. We did this a few times before Elder R left for his visa trip. I was a little nervous to do this by myself, but was amazingly surprised when I found myself carrying on great long conversations ( speaking clearly and understanding others.) Since this experience in the park, my language is no longer a real barrier. I know all this is the Lord working miracles right before my eyes! I’m feeling His blessings working through me. What A GREAT EXPERIENCE!
On Friday, we had a fun activity with the youth. We played some card games and ate Watermelon. The Watermelon was so good… I picked it out. I didn’t know how to pick a good ripe one, but I got lucky because it was soooo good!
On Saturday, we had a meeting with some investigators and they fed us some real strange soup. They got mad at me because I wasn’t wearing a big coat or hat, but back to the soup... They fed us FISH SOUP, with...REAL FISH EYES in it…UGH…NASTY. I ate it anyway, because it is custom you eat everything on your plate.
Sunday, was a great day. We went to church and then had an amazing meeting with Aleiona, the member girl who helped us with our Russian... We talked about how the Gospel blesses our families. Although this topic was hard for Aleiona, it was such a powerful meeting the Spirit was so strong. I just bore an honest and sincere testimony and I feel that is what helped her the most.

Well, that’s it for now. Until next week...
I love you all…remember to ENJOY EVERY MOMENT!

Elder Dewey

October 2008 Siberia Zone Conference

Dear Families,We have just returned from the Zone Conference in Kurgan, Russia, where most of the zone was able to meet. Elder Reynolds and Elder Sorensen were unable to attend because of the long distance and visa trip schedules. We enjoyed trainings by the Zone Leaders, Assiatants, each set of missionaries, and President and Sister Allen. The Kurgan Branch President and a local member also attended. We also enjoyed a testimony meeting and a lunch of sandwiches. It was nice to see the new meeting place for the Kurgan Branch. We love and appreciate each missionary. We pray each day for them and their families. Thank you for the support that you give them. Our best,President and Sister Allen

The members in Kurgan now have a new church to meet in.

???

We received a few lines from Chad this evening letting us know that he is unable to email today because he is on his way to Surgut for ten days while his companion is on his visa trip. Surgut is the farthest north and coldest area in his mission. Surgut is a sixteen hour train ride from Tyumen where he is currently staying with the ZL's. All the excessive traveling for the past few weeks and being away from his own area and work has him feeling frustrated. He seemed a bit discouraged. (No one said it would be easy...grin and bear it.)

All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” And to those who obey Him, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal Himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings which they shall pass through in His fellowship, and … they shall learn in their own experience Who He is”

Back from Spain...All About Endurance...

Alma 26: 29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.

Чили привет из Сибири, ( A Chilly Hello From Siberia )

Amazing Race missionary style,…our visa renewal trip to Madrid was wild, fast, and just crazy! What a wonderful opportunity we all had to travel to Spain. Although it was a fast trip and the Temple was closed, we still had a great time! I will have pictures next week. After obtaining our visa’s we went sight seeing to the SOL, which is the older part of Madrid. It was beautiful. I especially loved the European architecture of the buildings. After sight seeing we went back to the MTC to shower then left to catch our flight back. Once we arrived to Moscow, we had a five-hour layover where we just sat on the ground in the ghetto airport and had a great time talking, catching up and sharing our missionary experiences. When we arrived to Ekat we hung out at the mission office for a while and stayed at the AP’s that evening. Elder D and I left the following day for a six-hour train ride for Tyuman to deliver a special letter to the branch president. After our delivery and spending about an hour in Tyuman, we hopped a bus for another four-hour ride to Kurgan.
WHEW…what a trip! So, here is the crazy part…next Monday my comp, Elder D, leaves for his visa renewal to Stockholm Sweden and will be gone for TEN days. During this time, I will either stay with the AP's or ZL’s. You can see how disruptive these visa renewal trips are. However, in the near future there may be a loop hole where we can get two visa’s and send one in advance to the country we will be traveling to renew. This will hopefully eliminate the ten days that is required to be in another country while waiting for the paperwork to be processed. The kinks are in the process of being worked out.
The missions here in Russia certainly have their challenges, but well worth all the hardships and struggles the church and missionaries have to endure for the sake of these great Russian people. I truly love the Russian people and their culture. It’s difficult to get them to listen to what you have to share with them, but those few that are able to grasp onto our messages and you see the new hope in their eye it is nothing but miraculous! To watch the change that occurs within them is amazing! For myself, I just wish the language wasn’t such a barrier. My Russian is coming along. It sure tries my patience, I would love nothing more than to have the freedom to share exactly what I am thinking and feeling, but I often feel handicapped by the language. I constantly feel the Lords help and it is getting easier. It just would be great to speak on the same level. I’ve always known that I need work on my patience and I am most definitely getting the opportunity!
Spain was a nice break from the cold, but upon arriving in Kurgan it quickly reminded me that winter is certainly here. It was bitter cold when we arrived back to our stomping grounds. On Thursday Elder D and I quickly got back into the swing of things. We had planning, English club, and then a meeting with Artyom and Zhenya (new investigators). Something kind of funny...when we met with Artyom and Zhenya, Elder D gave most of the lesson and I talked very little, so after the lesson was over, Zhenya said she wanted to meet again on Friday, but this time she wanted me to give the entire lesson and talk the whole time. So I made a deal with them, I told her I would give the lesson if they would read a chapter in the Book of Mormon. Zhenya agreed. I gave both of them a book and marked a chapter for them to read. On Friday I studied my butt off and planned an amazing lesson, it was going to be the SUPERBOWL of all lessons. I was well prepared and excited. We arrived to our appointment on time, but were disappointed when Artyom showed up twenty minutes late and Zhenya didn’t show up at all. We were suppose to meet at Zhenya’s apartment but had to end up talking to Artyom outside, so it was difficult to give the lesson. I was crushed... I had studied, planned and prayed so hard in preparing an amazing lesson for them. Later in the evening Artyom called us back to schedule a meeting for Sunday, so I regained hope only to be disappointed once again. When Sunday rolled around Artyom was all of a sudden too busy. I won’t give up on them! I hope they will meet with us again soon. They are great people and I know they can use the Gospel in their lives and they NEED it!!! I would do anything if we could just meet with them again!!
Friday was the first day of SNOW here in Siberia…burrrrrrrr!!! I went out without my hat and some babushka (older lady) yelled at me and told me to go home and get my hat to put over my ears! Hahahha!
Well, that's it for this week. I wish I had more to report. Thank you all for your emails and your support. I sure appreciate you all thinking of me. I love you . Keep smiling and just be happy! Life is great, even here in COLD SIBERIA!

Peace Out,
Elder Dewey

P.S. I’m bummed that cucumber season is over.

Elder Dewey in Madrid...

Saludos desde España (Greetings from Spain)

A bit disappointed…. We are scheduled to fly back to Ekat Monday evening, so attending the Temple is out of the question…UGH!!! I guess there is always another time.

I will give you a brief summary of our trip so far – We left Kurgan around six in the morning on Friday and had a six-hour train ride from Kurgan to Ekat. Once we arrived in Ekat, we went to a huge amazing mall. It reminded me of being back in the states…it totally tricked me out. The mall had a Costco! I love Costco!! Haha. After the mall, we went back to the mission office and went out contacting in Ekat. We spent the night at the AP’s apartment. It was crowded, cold and difficult to sleep. We left for the airport around 10:00 am Saturday morning. Our taxi driver was driving so fast, but we made it to the airport in one piece. Our flight for Moscow left around 2:00 and was a 4 or 5 hour flight. Once we arrived in Moscow, we had a short layover. Our flight to Spain was another five or six hours. Need less to say, by the time we arrived to Spain I was feeling pretty sleep deprived and exhaustion was setting in! When we made it to the MTC in Madrid I immediately crashed and fell sleep for a short while.

Sunday was interesting…I felt like I was back living the MTC life…yikes!!! Haha! We had a regular MTC Sunday. It was fun listening to everything in Spanish. We had meetings with the President and then Sacrament. After the meetings, we walked around the Temple. It’s a beautiful Temple.

It’s now Monday morning and we have some meetings to attend and then we will have some free time to do a little site seeing, which I am looking forward to. Well, that is it so far…

I actually really miss Kurgan and wish I was back working. This visa renewal is disruptive to the work, but it has to be done.

I will be in Ekat for a few days; I believe I get back to Kurgan on Thursday. I will try to email from the mission office and hope to have the opportunity to email my pictures.

I love you all.
Elder Dewey

BURRRR...Bundle up I'm in for a ride - SPLISH SPLASH...We were taking a MUD bath...

Привет из России, (Greetings from Russia)

Burrrrr…or is it Burrrrrrrr…or Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! Enough said. I know I have absolutely nothing to whine about yet. This is only September, the beginning of fall and my feet are already feeling like ice cubes from the cold… not a good sign. Haha. I best bundle up, I have a feeling I’m in for a ride…the rain, (which it has done all week) the mud, the cold, the wind, the snow, the little sunshine, the language (that makes you ever so humble), the transit…you get the picture. BUT I love it ALL…the GOOD, the BAD, and yes, even the UGLY (mud). The first few days here in Kurgan was tough, I was homesick for the people in Ufa. It only took me a couple of days to adjust and now I love it here! Its strange how quickly I grow attached to people no matter where I am serving. I am sure I will experience the same with every transfer. My comp, Elder D is the greatest and an extremely hard worker. I have learned a great deal from him already.

Great anticipation is setting in as I look forward to our visa renewal trip to Madrid Spain. I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend the Temple. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’m looking forward to this trip!! I know it is going to give me that most AMAZING feeling I miss from attending on a regular basis. I am most excited about the Temple than I am about the trip itself. I can’t wait. I’ve read the Pearl of Great Price in preparation. We will actually be gone longer than expected. I leave Kurgan on Friday for Yekaterinburg, and fly out Saturday afternoon for Madrid. I believe we will be in Madrid for two and half days and then back to Yekaterinburg to file our visa information.

The other day I was thinking about the struggles that some of the people here go through with their culture and traditions. I see fist hand their struggles and truly feel for them. It has given me a sense of great appreciation for the support system I grew up with. I was so lucky growing up with family and friends having the same beliefs. The other day I was reading in 2nd Nephi when Lehi blessed Lamen and Lemuels sons and daughters right before he was to pass away. He blessed them that they would not be cursed for the sins and traditions of their fathers. When I read this again, it gave me a sense of peace and hope for the people here in Russia. They are faced with many obstacles and temptations with the adversary preying on them everywhere they turn.

We are currently working with two very nice older ladies that are getting extremely close to baptism. They just need to commit to the changes that they need to make. I strongly believe they will overcome what they need to and be baptized very soon. We are also teaching two very nice girls that have family members that are already members of the church. They seem to be very busy with work which makes it difficult to schedule meetings with them. Their work schedule takes over their lives. It seems people here in Kurgan work around the clock. I’ve never seen anything like it.

I love the youth here in Kurgan they are a lot of fun. Saturday we rented a wooden like gym and played a bunch of fun games with the youth and their friends. We played a game that was kind of like volleyball but played with a soccer ball…yeah…ouch! Then we played a game that was like playing soccer, football, hockey, and madness. It was crazy! I honestly thought someone was going to get hurt. However, everything turned out fine. It was a ton of FUN!

HILARIOUS MOMENT…So we were riding along in one of our more popular forms of transportation, which would be the ever-so-over-crowded marshrutka (a van with seats…cramming in as many people as possible). Elder D and I were on our way to the church building for district meeting. I was sitting trying hard not to fall asleep and keep my head from bopping around… and Elder D was standing having to stoop down because he was too tall. All of a sudden, a huge splash of water mixed with mud came SPLASHING in through the windows and hit everyone!!! Everyone in the marshruka started yelling and getting mad at the driver. Elder D and I looked at each other and all we could do was totally CRACK UP!!! Pretty soon, everyone else in the marshruka started to laugh. See... what a bit of sense of humor will get ya…a marshruka full of laughing Russians…nothing better than that I tell ya!! So what…if we had to wear a little mud all over us to our District meeting…it was well worth it… being able to get a marshruka full laughing Russians!!! It was HILARIOUS!!! I have to tell you the transit here in Kurgan is like riding the Indiana Jones ride at Disney Land, but every day…It’s crazy! So much FUN!!!
Well, that’s if for now. We hope to get in a lot of hard work before I have to leave for Spain. I will let you know how it went in my next email. I’m not exactly sure when or what day that will be. I sure love everyone and hope you all are doing well.

I can’t believe BJ will be home in three months. It seems like he just left!! I will be able to talk to him when I call home for Christmas…that’s cool!! Did you send him some of the ties, I hope.

Love you all…be Good!!
Elder Dewey

Peace Out.

A great week in Krugan...A Trip to Madrid Spain coming up...Great Investigators...

Hello Family and Friends,

This past week was AMAZING! Here is a quick run down-

After we finished our emails to our families last Monday we walked across the street to the missions most famous tie store (according to all the Elders) called Oscars. Two very nice ladies that worked there fed us some tasty apple cake. They are way cool!! Elder D and I bought matching ties to wear to our zone conference on Wednesday (yes, we are a couple of dorks…haha).
Tuesday, we left for Zone Conference in Tyumen, which was a four hour bus ride from Krugan.
Wednesday, we had a great, uplifting, and very spiritual Zone Conference. President Allen stressed to us the importance of seeking out and finding potential priesthood holders. The church is in need of good strong priesthood holders that can stabilize the wards and branches here in Russia, and be able to carry out priesthood duties and responsibilities. Russian men are a little more difficult and more resistant to accepting the gospel, and therefore, there are more women members.
I had a great interview with President Allen. He is such a great mission president. He put my mind at rest on few things I seemed to be struggling with and he helped me feel more at ease. Later that night, on the bus ride home, Elder D and I talked at great length about ways we could help our current investigators in becoming great priesthood holders. We felt excited about the ideas we came up with, and felt rejuvenated from Zone Conference. We were ready to finish up the great week we were having with a bang!
Another miracle happened Wednesday night when we returned home around 11:00. My companion went over to feel the pipes in the bathroom. He just sat there for a while and I asked him what he was doing,and then he gave me a hug – okay… if that wasn’t creepy. He said, “we finally have HOT WATER!" YES!!!!! ANOTHER small little miracle - actually, this was HUGE to us. No matter how icy cold showers are suppose to help wake you up and be refreshing, it’s definitely something I can live with out! When it is cold and rainy outside a cold shower is not something I look forward to. I know, I have nothing to complain about, at least, not until it hits -50 below.
Thursday, when we were planning, I had some ideas that I’ve been thinking over for a few days that I suggested. One idea was that we stop by or call our progressing investigators just to say hi, and check up on them everyday for the next week. We made some cookies for them and they love it! I felt like a sister missionary, but whatever, it seemed to work. They were happy to see us, and it opened them up a lot more, and created a better sense of friendship and trust, which these people need.
Friday and Saturday, we had some great meetings and a youth activity where we played some fun games.
Sunday, I bore my testimony in Sacrament Meeting. I talked about the Book of Mormon and was surprised how easily my Russian came to me. After the meeting, Ira, a very nice member said, “Your Russian was perfect, but you need to work on your accent just a little.…haha…that’s a given!!! So yeah, it felt great to hear that my Russian is coming along. I believe it helps that Elder D and I try and speak 100% Russian once we leave our apartment. Elder D is also great with including me in the lessons and letting me join in, instead of just taking over. I’m working on getting all the discussions down so I can teach them perfectly 100% in Russian...I just about have it.
It’s funny, because the people I’ve come to know here have given me nicknames. They call me teddy bear or fishy (I guess something to do with my eyes…what ever. You know me, I love it and I play along with it!!! The more the humor the better…bring it on!!! I know I need a haircut and the eye thing…well, that's in the genes, and not much I can do about that. Hahaha!
Today, I just received an AMAZING piece of information from the Mission Office. In ten days, I will be going to MADRID SPAIN to renew my visa!!! How cool is that!!! I will be gone for four days. AND…we will be able to go to the Temple. WOW! Honestly, my week has been pretty incredible!
The investigators we are currently teaching are the best! When we show up and look like a couple of real dorks for stopping by just to say hi, they are so happy to see us, and to see the look on their faces makes every bit of frustration I might be experiencing worth it. Teaching these great people and getting to know them and their culture has been nothing but amazing! They make us feel so welcomed and right at home. I love Krugon. Just little things are starting to add up to some pretty big miracles.
Oh, and Saturday night we met with some new investigators. We met these great people and we were straight up with them and introduced ourselves. It was kind of late so we didn’t’ have time to teach a lesson. They really liked us and invited us to have dinner with them. When I saw they were having raw fish - I said, no, no,no... we are not allowed to eat fish. I was getting a little nervous, they said, “but it’s fresh fish from the ocean. I wasn’t sure what to do, because I had only eaten raw fish once before and it made me gag. I thought to myself hmmm…how do I get out of this situation in a way I wont offend them. I decided I better get over it and just go with it and pretend to like it even if it was nasty tasting. I just didn’t want to start gagging and cause a scene. To my amazement, it was great, and it wasn't becasue I was extremely hungry. So yeah, I've acquired a new taste for raw fish. It was unbelievably tasty! We even had raw fish on the side with some bread. After dinner, they wanted to make sure we made it home safe, so they rode the bus home with us and walked us to our apartment. These people are the nicest and most sincere people.
Well, that’s it for this week. Thank you all for your emails and support it means a lot to me. Keep living right …life is better that way.

Until next week,
Elder Dewey

P.S. I will email pictures next week.

Peace out.

Siberian Zone Conference 9-3-2008

Elder Dewey and his new Siberian Zone. Chad arrived in Kurgan just a few days prior to this picture being taken . He is stylin one of his new Russian ties.

I sure hope he is gearing up for the cold weather, which should be fast approaching...YIKES!!! From what he mentioned last week, he still needed to purchase his winter coat that he was instructed to only get once he arrived to Russia. Apparently, winter clothing made in Russia is made well enough to keep someone nice and toasty in -50 below weather...Let's hope so!! :)

Instead of spending time searching for cool Russian Ties this next p-day, I hope he begins his search for a big furry coat.

Now in Kurgan

Hello Everyone,

Unfortunately, I am in a Internet cafe that is not well equipped so I am having difficulty in getting all my emails out. This email will have to be short, but hopefully next week we can find a different email site we can use.

Well, my trip from Ufa to Ekat to Kurgan was fun, but extremely long and tiring. When I finally arrived to Kurgan, I was confused out of my mind. It is a very small city with many private garden style homes like you would see in fantasy movies. I guess you could compare them to something like you would see in the movie “Lord of the Rings”. The houses are attached to the sides of hills. It’s way cool.

My first day, we met with some members and one of our investigators. The lesson went well. After our lesson, we had English Club where we played some really fun games.

Friday, we planned a branch party for the youth or diskoteka, which is a dance. The planning went well, or so I thought. The diskoteka was planned for Saturday, the next day. I have to admit, it was the strangest, weirdest church event I have ever been to. It’s difficult to explain, you kind had to be there. It was fun, but just so weird. We played a bunch of games and then the missionaries went in another room while the people danced. Not many people showed up, but hey, we tried really hard.

Sunday, was good. We have a small branch and the people are really nice. The church is really growing here in Kurgan. We have a ton of investigators, and four with baptismal dates, which is awesome. It will be great to be a part of the growth here and see the Gospel making a difference. I am so excited to see the blessings those investigators will receive once they are baptized.

We live in a semi newish apartment. However, I am back at having no hot water and have no idea when it will it will be back on. We have been told, if we are lucky, maybe the end of September…UGH!!! Just shoot me!!!

The funny highlight for this week, was while searching for some guys garden home in the middle of nowhere, (hiking for about ten miles)we happened to run into a scary looking dog with dreadlocks!! It was so amazingly nasty!!

Okay..that’s it for this week. Sorry, hopefully next week will be a better week and I will have something more interesting to report.

Love ya all,
Elder Dewey

In Route to Kurgan...1st Transfer

Hey Everyone,

I have arrived at the Mission Office here in Yekaterinburg. We got in last night around 10:00pm. The bus ride wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We left at 7:30am and arrived about 9:30pm…stopping every hour.

I was able to see a lot of the countryside, the smaller cities between Ufa and Ekat. This Country is beautiful.

I sat next to a mini missionary from Ekat. (A mini missionary is someone who fills in temporarily when there are an odd number of missionaries.) She was very nice. She didn’t know or understand much English so we both had our dictionaries out trying to converse back and forth. It was a lot of fun and great practice.

I slept probably a total of two hours on the bus. Once we arrived, we took our stuff to the AP’s apartment, had dinner around 11:30 pm, and then went to bed. They told me I could sleep until 8:00, which was great, I really needed it, and I slept pretty good. After waking up I studied for about an hour then took a COLD shower... oh well.

I will be here in Ekat until 6:30 pm and then I will catch the train to Kurgan. I am really excited and looking forward to my new area. It was hard leaving Ufa and all the amazing people there. I was talking to Elder S and he explained, that it is as if you are leaving part of your heart in each area you serve. This comment/thought stuck with me because it’s so true, I do feel like I’ve left part of my heart in Ufa. I love those members so much, and I’m really going to miss them. When transfers came, and I found out I was being transferred to Kurgan, a part of me looked forward to the change, but then it really hit me that I would be leaving all these great people that I’ve grown to love behind, I didn’t want to leave. Once I cleared my head, I realized that all of this, transfers included is what life of a missionary is all about…it’s all part of the work, being willing to serve anywhere at anytime in any circumstance...I'm looking forward with a positive attitude to the transfer and the opportunity to share the Gospel with the people in Kurgan. I have heard that this area in the Mission is having a lot of success and my new companion Elder D. is a hard worker, which is a huge plus.

My last Sunday in Ufa was hard. During church, I had the opportunity to translate for Brother Page. I also bore my testimony. After church, we had a FHE and a potluck at the Page’s where I had to speak. It was a lot of fun, but hard to say my final goodbyes.
Oh, I finally got my package, I haven’t opened it yet, because I wanted to jump on here and shoot you a quick email to let you know that I am in route and everything is good.

I love you all, stay solid.
Love,

Chad

Pic's From Elder Dewey in Ufa..

Elder Dewey, Gulnaz and her mom

Hello Everyone,

Since I will be leaving earlier than anticipated, I decided to email you today. Included in my email are a few pictures, I will send more later.

It has been more difficult this week than I thought it would be. Saying goodbye to everyone is hard. I don’t want to leave Ufa, I've really grown to love this place and the people here. I have met some of the most amazing people and have made incredible friends. I know I have mentioned before how amazing the youth are here and what strong testimonies they have, but I can't emphasize it enough just how great they all are. I will never forget them and all they have taught me. I've gained so much more from being here than I've given back. It’s so difficult to explain what I am feeling. I don’t want to leave for fear that I may never see them again, which in reality, most likely will be the case. I had to say goodbye to all the amazing people in my English class as well. It really does feel like home to me, and I now have to leave. I will never forget Ufa, my first "Greenie" area.

I will give you a brief summary of this week. Monday, we went sight seeing. Tuesday, we had our English Club and then went to dinner at an older member’s home, and she fed us a wonderful meal and made this amazing homemade mint tea. Wednesday, we did our usual and had the opportunity to help carry this poor elderly women down the stairs from her apartment to the outside, she was going to her garden in the country. This poor elderly women hasn't left the inside of her apartment for nearly three years. It really made my day to help someone who really needed us. Later that day, we had District meeting. Thursday, we had dinner with the Pages, they are a new senior missionary couple here in Ufa. We also had a meeting with Gulnaz and her mother, and had another wonderful meal. Friday, we had FHE with all the youth where we played games and had a great time. It’s now Saturday, and I'm now emailing you early because I won’t have time to email on Monday.

My next email will be from my new area Kurgan. I hope everyone has a great week.

Peace,
Elder Dewey

Elder Dewey and Brother and Sister Page

The best juice ever...notice my Mountain Dew...
Elder Dewey and VladimirElder Dewey , Gulnaz and Elder Taylor
Elder Dewey, Gulnaz's mom and Elder Taylor

kitchen and laundry...all in onemy bed...oh yeah...
bathroom
what do elder's eat?
What's in the pot's?