SOME CONFUSSION...Unnecessary trips to the TRAIN STATION...HUMAN (that would be Elder Dewey) CONTACT WITH A CAR...

~D&C 58:64~

64 For, verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs following them that believe.

CПривет из России

I hope everyone is doing well and you all had a great week. It's been a bit of a CRAZY week here in Ufa. There are a few things that are happening here that will most likely create a few changes, but I will have to explain later…No worries, nothing to be alarmed about.
This past week was transfers, which filled my week assisting other missionaries to and from Ufa. We have made several trips to the train station in the middle of the night. We also have been assisting those that needed picked up or dropped off for visa renewals. The train stations here are crazy…they cram in as many people as possible. We actually made a few unnecessary trips as well...haha...we got one of the dates wrong when picking up the Pages, a senior missionary couple. We were misinformed of their arrival date and showed up twice at 8:00 am on the wrong days, Luckily, it all worked out and we were able to pick them up on the right day at the right time and didn't cause them any confusion. On one of the trips, I was getting out of the taxi and just as I stepped out of the taxi, I turned to start walking and a car ran into me, no worries the driver wasn’t going very fast, so it didn’t hurt too bad, I'm just a little black and blue. It was dark and kind of hard to see, so I guess I must've ran right into him. I was way embarrassed, so I turned around quickly and just kept on walking! I didn't feel the pain until later. UGH!!! I think I told you in one of my earlier emails trying to maneuver in and out of traffic here is like playing the video game “Frogger”. It just so happened that the other day, this “Frogger” was a bit unlucky! OUCH!!! Haha!! (I guess this is one of my new "finding contacts " techniques)

Mom, you asked me if I've heard much about the conflict between Georgia and Russia...we hear a little bit here and there but not a whole lot. Some people here including a couple of our branch members had to enlist in the Army and go over to fight. Hopefully, the conflict won’t last too long. So far, it has not caused any problems here for the missionaries. Just know that we are completely safe. However, if the US gets military involved it may cause some difficulty for us to stay. I guess we just have to continue to work hard and not worry about it until it becomes a concern, if it ever does.
The weather here has been rainy for the past week and a half, and I have been getting soaked from head to toe, so I finally bought a good rain jacket to stay dry. It works great!! Speaking of the rain, we unfortunately have not been able to do a lot of finding. People don't like to stop and talk with us when it is coming down in buckets. We were still able to get a lot of work done and talk to some cool people.

The one investigator that we are currently teaching is a seventeen year old boy, he is a grandson of a bob. (older Russian women) His bob drags him to church with her. I finally suggested that we invite him to sport on Saturday and to FHE on Friday nights so that he is doing something fun other than being harassed by his bob and that way he may get a little more excited about the Gospel. I am excited to see where this might lead him. He is a great kid and has a lot of potential. I hope things will begin to progress.

The best experience this past week was attending another baptism of this wonderful girl. She is so impressive with her knowledge of the Gospel. She knows the Gospel forwards and backwards. I am amazed at how much she has studied and now understands. The new members here are truly amazing examples to us all. They are so dedicated to learning and understanding all they can. I have learned so much from their example, often times I feel like I am gaining more from them than they are from me. My testimony has been greatly strengthened from being here and witnessing their great strength. I truly hope I can contribute more as time goes on. I really wish I didn't have a language barrier and they could understand EVERYTHING I say. If I could just talk to them with out the language handicap I feel I could significantly accomplish a great deal more. I know I need to have patience, but I just wish I understood the language better. I am still working hard at it and little by little it is coming, I just wish I would pick up speed and fast forward to when I will actually have it some what mastered. I am on limited time to get it all figured out, and time is going fast!! I am truly hoping for a Native companion one of these days. I feel that I would gain so much by having a Native. It would be a great help with learning the language. I guess I will have to wait and see.
FHE is every Friday night, which is great because it gives the members and investigators something to do on a Friday night rather than hanging out on the streets. We have a lot of fun. We always have a spiritual thought and then play games like Mafia, duck duck goose, or do you love your neighbor. It’s a great time.
Sport was fun this past Saturday. It was muddy so we decided to play ping-pong, duck duck goose and some game that you had to switch shoes, and run in someone else shoes, like a relay game. It was hilarious with my monster feet, I had some tiny shoes that I had to try to run in…pretty funny!!! My monster shoes did not make it any easier for the other person. It was a lot of fun!!

Oh, and believe it or not…I am lovin the tea!! My favorite is the Mint…mmm GOOD STUFF!! I never thought I would ever say that about TEA! haha!!

Well, that’s about it for this week. This next week should be interesting. My companion has his visa renewal so I will be with Elder M and Elder A until Wednesday and then Elder l until Sunday.

Hopefully next weeks email will be more interesting and I will have more to report.

Я люблю всех вас, (I love you all)

спокойствие, покой (Peace)

Старший Чад М Дьюи (Elder Chad M Dewey)

Britt and Chad...Emails

~ Email from Brittney to Chad ~

Chad,What's up? I am at mom and dad's right now. I came over to make some orange rolls, grandma's recipe. It is taking forever. How are you doing?You need to send some pictures so we can see what it's like there. What are you doing today. Your story about that birthday party you went to was funny. It sounds like you are doing really well! So have you come across any mafia yet?Not much going on here. I am going to take a few classes at MCC next semester.Well love ya and miss you! I hope you are having a good day and be safe!Love,Brittney

Date: Sunday, July 27, 2008, 11:35 PM

~ Email from Chad to Britt ~

Well, I would send pictures if I knew how, but right now I don't, and I don't even have my freaking camera, and... we were going to go sight seeing today so, I guess that's a "forget that", and so maybe I'll go buy a cool tie today. Russia ties are the coolest ties ever. I will send Dillon some when I send some home for BJ.

I have come across mafia, not like really dealing with them, but I have seen them. There hasn't been anything that unusal or scary that has happend since I've been here. You just have to be smart and not put yourself in a bad situation, just like anywhere else. So, there is no need to worry, I am safe and doing well...Especially since I am bigger than 99 percent of Russia. I am sure I can take care of myself. But hey, thanks for caring and thinking about me. Well Sis, thanks for the email, this week was rough, but hey I'm in Russia.

Peace, Elder Dewey

Ufa Zone Conference...Cold Cucumber Soup...Russian Ties...It's a Small World After All...

My favorite scripture for this week...D&C 18: 15 - 19 - 15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!
17 Behold, you have my gospel before you, and my rock, and my salvation.
18 Ask the Father in my name, in faith believing that you shall receive, and you shall have the Holy Ghost, which manifesteth all things which are expedient unto the children of men.
19 And if you have not faith, hope, and charity, you can do nothing.

Привет Каждый,
Россия говорит, привет тоже,

Well, let’s see what’s happened in my part of the world this past week…I kept notes in my planner, so let me get it and start this email off good. I will begin with last Tuesday, which was last p-day. Towards the end of the day I went on splits with Elder M. to Dioma. It was a way cool change of scenery from Ufa with it’s tall buildings that I am used to seeing. Dioma is a smaller town on the outskirts of Ufa. There are a lot private small homes, which was a nice change of pace.
On Wednesday, we went to Avdon, which a small town outside of Ufa’s city limits of a population of 8,000 people. I was the tenth missionary who has ever been there. It is the furthest south area in the mission. We met with the nicest member there. She fed us huge portions of cold cucumber soup, (which I will get to in a minute) Macaroni, potatoes, and hot chocolate. Everything was so good except the cold cucumber soup, it was so hard for me to eat it, but I managed. She fed us a ton!! I normally don’t eat that much but she was determined for us to clean our plates and so we did. After we finished we had a thirty minute bus ride back. The buses here are just so crazy. It was a great day!
This past Wednesday was Zone Conference. President and Sister Allen both gave great talks as well as the AP’s. I and the other newer missionaries had to each speak for five minutes. After the talks we ate and had interviews. We had sub sandwiches, but unlike the usual sub with the Russian sausage, colbassa, these subs actually had real meat like we have back home. The conference was great. It was very spiritual and great to sit back and relax and just talk about the different aspects of missionary work.
~~side note – I spilt mayo on my new favorite tie that I got here in Russia especially to wear to zone conference. I was so bummed, but when I got home I filled the tub with cold water and soaked the whole tie and it is like new again!! The Russian ties here really are the best ever and so dang cheap. $150 ties in the states only costs $10 here. So yeah, anyone who would like me to pick them up some wonderful good looking ties just let me know.
~~One more side note...Sister Allen told me that my great grandmother Beus was her Sunday School teacher!! Pretty AWESOME!!! It's a Small World After All!!
After Zone Conference, I went on splits with one of the AP’s, Elder Johnson who is totally cool. He is a great Elder. He gave me some really great pointers on contacting people on the streets. He gave me some great advise on how to improve my language skills as well, so that was a great help.
Okay…just so everyone knows… the language barrier can play havoc when telling a good joke. No one here ever gets my jokes. I was informed by Gulnza (the member that always calls us) that the Russian members don’t like my jokes. UGH!!! They don’t understand or get when I am trying to tell my jokes…so yeah, not too funny. I tried to explain my jokes to Gulnza and she finally caught on after a very long time. She said because my language is still a little rough that I may not be using the properly vocabulary…OUCH!! I guess I have a long way to go with this dang language, but I still really LOVE IT!! I really am lovin the Russian people here. I honestly do. They may seem hard to get to know at first, but once you break the ice and get to know them they are the nicest and most loving people of all. The members are so strong and extremely humble, they are amazing and I feel grateful for being able to serve in such a great area.
The greatest part of the work for me is to be able to witness these people who have been struggling with their lives be able to turn it all around. You can feel their love and gratitude for the Gospel. In speaking with the members here, it makes me realize how lucky I had it growing up amongst all Mormons. It was the norm for me and I never realized what I really had and how fortunate I have been. Living here and working with the people truly is an eye opener. I love to see the youth here and witness their remarkable strength. Many of the youth are the only members of their families. They have so many temptations here; the members have to stay strong in order to survive. It's remarkable to see how they love their scriptures, if you look through you will see how marked up they are on every page. I love to see their faith at work. What an amazing people.
There was a baptism on Sunday. It was a great experience to be able to attend. I hope I can help people be baptized and help them be as happy as the members of the church are here.
Okay...well, this past Sunday was a fast Sunday so we had testimony meeting and this woman got up and chastised everyone because they were not talking loud enough. It was funny because she's a bob (meaning old woman) haha but she is very nice. It was just funny. I'm sure she is hard of hearing because of her age.
Well, I am running out of time and I need to respond to as many emails as I possibly can. Please don't feel bad if I don't respond to your email...the little time we get here makes it difficult, but please know how much I appreciate every single email I get.
A BIG SHOUT OUT GOES TO - Chanel, Ashley, Elder BJ Dewey, (my Bro in Idaho) Brother Whimpey, Colleen Dewey, (grandpa Dewey's new wife) Mom and Dad!!!!! Thank you for all your WONDERFUL EMAILS!!! IT MAKES MY WEEK!!!

I love you all and always remember the importance of doing the right thing...it gives you peace and happiness. Stay Solid!! I love this work with all my heart and I'm giving it all I can because I know without a doubt that the lessons we are teaching and the things we are testifying of are true. I love the gospel, I love the Lord, I love the people of Russia and I love all you back home. I miss you, but I know I am where I am suppose to be...doing the Lord's work. Believe me, it's HARD and it gets to your core! But as long as I am doing my Best I know the Lord will take care of the rest. I know the Gospel is true...what great happiness it brings!!

Мир Out, (Peace out)
Старший Дьюи в России (Elder Dewey in Russia)

UFA RUSSIA ZONE CONFERENCE...Elder Dewey Lookin Good!

Elder Dewey's First Zone Conference in Ufa Russia.
First picture home from Russia

You can barely see Chad's eyes in this pic...look for those dark rim glasses way in the back. Chad needs to stand up and be noticed when pictures are taken since they are far and few between. Look at those yummy brownies...I wonder which missionary used their baking skills...OH! AND...there is that ever sooooo delicious juice Chad is always bragging about!
Chad looks like he is doing really well. Thank you President Allen for thinking of us Missionary Mom's in providing us proof our missionaries are ALIVE AND WELL...

A typical day In the life of a Mormon Missionary in Russia...

17 Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments;
18 And also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these things unto the world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the prophets—
19 The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man should not counsel his fellow man, neither trust in the arm of flesh—
20 But that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world;
21 That faith also might increase in the earth;
22 That mine everlasting covenant might be established;
23 That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers.
24 Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.

Hey Everyone,

How is it going in HOT Arizona now that it is almost August? It rained here in Russia and cooled down for a few days, but its back to hot and humid.
I am sorry I haven’t emailed any pictures home, I have misplaced my cord for my camera that attaches to the computer. As soon as I find it or buy a new one, I will email the few pictures I have. I haven’t taken many, you’re not allowed to take pictures unless you have special permission. (Dang all these freakin rules) The few pictures I have are from inside our apartment, which are boring, but I will email as soon as I get things figured out.
We have English Club every Tuesday and Thursday. Just a note… it is not an English Class it is an “English Club” and only a club. My companion and I teach the Advanced English, which is WAY cool because they can speak great English. We have two English teachers that participate, one is an Olympic coach.

* Side note…we are in an Internet cafe and one of my favorite songs is playing on the radio...yes, this is awesome! I do miss my Music!
Anyway, besides the two teachers, we have random people come every now and then. It’s a lot of fun. Last time we talked about our favorite books. They actually knew about mine, but not my companions. Maybe it’s because my book is the best book ever!! ** note from mom…We would love to know the name of your favorite book.
Mom, you asked about Riviel…he is out of town a lot on business so it is difficult to get a hold of him. My companion wants to give up on him, but I totally want to keep trying. I mean, what could it hurt, or at least try until he tells us not to call anymore. Right?...Right!
Some of you have asked me to describe one of my” typical missionary days”...haha! OR do you mean a “typical missionary day” here in Russia? Sooo, here goes…
We wake up at 6:30 am and we have our ever so tasty Gretchka, which is nasty grain junk that horses back in the US eat. We study until 11:00 am, and then we go finding, which either consists of walking around on the streets talking to people and handing out Book of Mormons or we have meetings with inactives, new members or investigators (we haven’t had many of those). We head back to our apartment around 2:00 to eat lunch, I drink a lot of juice because it is soooo good here. I actually haven’t been able to eat very much lately and have been losing a lot of weight. After lunch, we go back out finding, to appointments, English Club, or FHE, depending on the day. Just another day in the life of a Mormon Missionary in Russia.
I’ve had a few of you ask me if I’ve had any scary experiences …hmmmm…I would rather not share those for the sake of my mom…duh!! Just know I am alive and surviving. BUT… I will share one my most recent awkward moments with you… The other day we did an advertising “Blitz” AND...so yeah.. I just happened to be... "THE BLITZ”. I had to wear this ridiculous HUGE GOOFY looking blue shirt that says “FREE ENGLISH” . We then went to a very busy part of town and handed out flyer's. So yeah, there I was as a GOOFY looking ‘HUMAN SIGN” trying to explain to pepole (with the my limited Russian vocabulary) about our English club. So AWKWARD!! BUT… then the police came and put a STOP to my “BLITZINESS”. I then had to walk around Ufa with this crazy goofy shirt and people staring at me weird…oh well…people stare at me rather I am in a goofy huge blue shirt or in my navy blue suit. So...go on I say...STARE AWAY!!! As long as you come to our English Club! Haah! Just another day in the life of a Mormon missionary in Russia.
The favorite part of my week here in Ufa happened a few days ago when we had a great time talking with people. We were able to talk to a bunch of really cool people right in a row. When you have an experience like that, it helps to boost your moral. Although we haven't seen any real great moments like that since, it unfortunately didn’t last. Lately, it has rained a lot and we haven’t met too many receptive people who have been interested or willing in talking with us. Just another day in the life of a Mormon Missionary in Russia.
Hopefully this next week will bring us better success.

The language is still a struggle. It’s difficult when your companion doesn’t want to do SLY, which is when you and your companion only speak 100% Russian. He say’s he doesn’t need it. Oh well. Also, it looks like I will be with him for another six weeks. The members here that I am friends with are great though and they continue to be a lot of help and support, especially Gulnaz. She continues to call us, and still talks a mile a minute, which continues to be helpful for my ability to translate much faster. I always love to talk with people about the gospel and hopefully I will have the opportunity to do more of it.
We have “Sports” every Saturday at noon for the investigators. This Saturday we had one investigator show up who was from Mexico. So, there was one investigator to ten missionaries. Some of what goes on here seems so pointless I just feel there is so much more that can be done if more effort was put forth. There seems to be some things that are really lacking. I have shared a few ideas with my companion and ZL, but their unenthusiastic response was that I need to sit back and take the junior companion roll and just follow along… New kid…New Ideas…don’t always agree with some. I guess I better just mind my post as the “junior companion”. Just another day in the life of a mormon missionary here in Russia.
Honestly, this past week has been a tough one emotionally, but I am hanging in there and hoping this week will bring better success and happier moments. I really do love it.

I would like to close this email with the following scriptures from Alma 29: 1-3

1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

Love,

Elder Dewey

P.S. I hope to write a better email to you next week. Take care and tell everyone I love them.

A Birthday Party - Russian Style...I just kept SMILING...experiences to remember...noted in journal

~~ Let us then continue on in this important work of recording the things we do, the things we say, the things we think to be in accordance with the instructions of the Lord. ~~ President Spencer W. Kimball

Hey Everyone,

OKAY... I will start out with QUESTIONS and ANSWERS for all the inquiring minds…mostly my mom’s.

Question #1 - What do we do on our P -Day’s?
Answer - First, we get done everything on our “To-Do-List” like the laundry, grocery shopping, etc..., and then we either play sports with our district or just hang out. However, our last P- Day we were able get permission to watch the movie “Chronicles of Narnia”

Question #2 – How long has my companion been out in the field?
Answer - Elder Taylor has been out 18 months and is on his “downhill slope”.

Question #3 – How many Elders are in your zone?
Answer - There are quite a few elders, I believe around 12. They are all a great group…WAY COOL. HOWEVER, after this transfer an area in Ufa will be closing because there will not be enough missionaries to support it, so it will be added to the charnikofka.

Question #4 – Is it true there is no “PEANUT BUTTER” in Russia and do you need some sent to you?
Answer - Yes, from what I hear it is difficult to get peanut butter, BUT…I have my connections! (haha) Sister Paige, (senior missionary) hooked me up, so I am cool with the peanut butter (truth be told, I’m not a real fan of the stuff.)

Question #5 – How is the laundry coming with NO dryer?

Answer - Okay, mom…NO big deal, I am managing. It’s so hot and humid here that when we hang our laundry out on our balcony it dries in no time!!

Question #6 – How is my language coming.
Answer - It is coming, but always can improve. It’s still a struggle, but I have a member lady who gives me a lot of language practice. She constantly calls and I am the one she talks with. She talks a mile a minute. She is helping me with improving my translation abilities. I can translate in my head a lot faster because of her frequent phone calls, which is great! I am so grateful for any slightest improvement I can make in conquering this tough language!!

Question #7 – What
are the two favorite foods you really enjoy?
Answer – The ice cream is the best! Nothing like you have in the States! (don’t worry, I can still eat it and lose weight) The juice is Freaking Amazing! They don’t add all the preservatives so it really taste pure like the real thing. The best is the Apple and Peach, but the ultimate is the R (backwards R) brand.

**There are more questions and answers but I will have to continue next week because I am running short on time and I want to get to the happenings of this past week before I need to go.
So, here goes…The other day we were invited to a “Birthday Party” (of a less active woman) …what? Did someone say…”PARTY” ?…You know me, I’m ALWAYS up to “PARTY”. OKAY, let’s just say it was AWESOME and so RUSSIAN!!! To start the “PARTY” rollin…we have this older guy running around the building with no shirt speaking…ENGLISH!!! I thought to myself, this is cool, this guy can speak English. He had the BEST British accent ever! He ends up being a neighbor who is coming to the birthday party. We later find out that he and his wife learned how to speak English from the BBC - British television station. (haha) We didn’t speak in English very long because it was annoying the less active woman. Another lady with her daughter from Ufa was there. The daughter was back from Moscow where she attends college. She was back for summer vacation. So I sat down and the lady hands me a bottle of WINE! WHAT THE CRAP!! So, I was “FREAKING OUT” and kept saying to her “HET”, “HET”, which means NO. (haha) and I was trying to tell her I couldn't’t drink it. She just started to laugh and said it was only for her and for the other people who wanted to drink. When it was time to sit down to eat, I was asked to sit by the girl who is attending school in Moscow, and by the way, is WAY GOOD LOOKING!!! I felt extremely awkward and didn’t want to sit by her because my companion kept giving me funny looks!! WHAT AN AWKWARD MOMENT!! Then they poured the wine and poured it into everyone’s shot glasses. ( I think that’s what they are called) The “British guy said that it is the polite thing to do regardless if you drink it or not. The girl from Moscow and her mom didn’t drink, so that was comforting. The dinner consisted of Sausage and Potatoes and some type of salad, I’m not exactly sure what it was. I have to say it was the MOST CONFUSED I had been in my ENTIRE LIFE! I just sat there “SMILING” and trying to act as “COOL” as possible, all the while thinking to myself, this is the craziest moment of my entire life…BUT… IT WAS A BLAST!!! I LOVED IT!!! It was just disappointing that this less active woman was drinking…UGH…BLAH!!

We went on splits with the zone leaders and I went with Elder Carlin. He is WAY COOL. It was an awesome experience and I had a lot fun. He was speaking with older ladies left and right and he really taught me how to be a people person. Well, I actually am most definitely a people person, it's just that when your not a 100% with the language it can be some what intimating. I just need to continue with my language skills so I will be better at communicating. Once I get the language down...Watch Out!!

It’s sad to say, but I am getting used to cigarette smoke. I NEVER thought I would say that. It’s not that I am really used to it, it’s that we just have to live with it because the people downstairs smoke and it comes right up into our apartment. We have to keep our window wide open because of the smoke smell and it’s so so so so so dang hot and humid! It was funny, because the other day in church I said something like, "here I am in Russia and it’s WAY HOT!!!...What the heck!" Elder Tharp looked at me and said, “You are in the Middle Eastwhere it ends with a “STAN”! It ‘s funny because the Oblast, or Bashkiria, or Republic or State or whatever you want to call it is just like the middle east with a ton of Muslims and the heat! The people really are nice here.

Our bathroom has a really bright light that puts out a ton of heat and it makes you really hot when you’re going to the bathroom and you come out drenched in sweat!! Haha…yummy!

I have realized and gained a testimony of the importance of writing in a journal. I right in my journal every day at least a page. I never want to forget my experience here in Russia. I want to go back and read my journal entries and remember all the small details. I would like to challenge everyone to start a journal. It’s awesome to go back and look at your past experiences and all you’ve accomplished in your life. I would like to challenge all of you to start today by keeping a personal account of your everyday life regardless how mundane you think it might be.

Just to remind everyone once more...anyone and everyone can email me!

Well, that was just some of my week, I wish I had more time to elaborate further but I best be movin on...UGH!! Thanks for everything. I love you all. In closing this weeks entry I would like to share with you something that President Spencer W. Kimball shared in the December 1980 New Era about keeping a personal journal.

On a number of occasions I have encouraged the Saints to keep personal journals and family records. I renew that admonition. We may think there is little of interest or importance in what we personally say or do—but it is remarkable how many of our families, as we pass on down the line, are interested in all that we do and all that we say. Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us—and as our posterity read of our life’s experiences, they, too, will come to know and love us. And in that glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted.
From time immemorial the Lord has counseled us to be a record-keeping people. In Exodus we read, “And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord” (Ex. 24:4).
And further: “And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I reveal unto you concerning this heaven, and this earth; write the words which I speak” (Moses 2:1).
Nephi said to his brothers as they journeyed from the wilderness back to Jerusalem to obtain the plates of brass: “Behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers” (1 Ne. 3:19).
When the Savior visited this continent following his resurrection, he commanded the Nephites to bring their records up to date, saying:
“Therefore give heed to my words; write the things which I have told you. …
“And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing … ?
“And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded” (3 Ne. 23:4, 11, 13).
And in our day the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “And again, let all the records be had in order, that they may be put in the archives of my holy temple” (D&C 127:9).
Let us then continue on in this important work of recording the things we do, the things we say, the things we think, to be in accordance with the instructions of the Lord. For those of you who may not have already started your books of remembrance and your records, we would suggest that this very day you begin to write your records quite fully and completely. We hope that you will do this, our brothers and sisters, for this is what the Lord has commanded.

I want you all to know, how grateful I am to have made it here and to be in the last group to have this privilege of serving the Russian people. I love Russia with every once of my heart. It's hard to explain how much I love it here and the Russian people and the work, there are no words to describe the feelings of gratitude i have. Being here and serving the Lord has changed my life and the person I am. Thank you for all your love and all your support.

Love,

Elder Dewey

THE MOSCOW TIMES (click here for link)...The Church will no longer be sending US Missionaries to Russia...

A water hose, Babushka, and rocks...The word "Peach"...CTR ring...in a Park, on a Bench...we teach...

~~ In a park... on a bench ...we taught and testified to Riviel and his wife ~~

Hey everyone,

Thank you for all your emails…WOW!! I received a ton of emails this past week…thank you for all your support. I have one favor to ask…if you could limit your questions to just ONE, the ONE you’re the most interested in, (this of course, doesn’t apply to mom…ask away mom!) and I will do my best to answer it…Fair enough??? I had so many questions and I wanted to answer them all, however my time is limited. By the time I read my email, email my Mission President and write the post for the blog my time is spent. So, I apologize to those questions I didn’t get to, but I will continue with the answers next week. Also, I would like to email responses to all of you, but again, time is the problem. So, please don’t feel bad if I don’t get an email sent to you, if you could just refer to my blog and I will email you as soon as time permits. I appreciate everyone’s understanding. AND…please don’t let this discourage you from sending me emails…because I really look forward to hearing from all of you, and it’s great to know you are all thinking of me...”I feel the LOVE”!

So, the hot topic everyone seems to be interested in is…What is happening with the church in sending US missionaries to Russia??? Well, unfortunately… the rumor is true. My group from the MTC was THE LAST!!! All I can say is... "I MADE IT BY... THAT MUCH “... (instead of “I missed it by“)…(a little “Get Smart” haha!) I assume, you all have seen "Get Smart", I heard it had a lot of Russia in it!! So, I guess I just barely made it!! I am so grateful that I am here and have this great opportunity. Seriously, it’s disappointing that the younger elders in the MTC with me were reassigned. Russia is truly in need of the Gospel. I am praying that this is only a minor setback and just a temporary situation, but who knows what the future holds, all we can do is work hard at the present and do all we can to share and teach the Gospel to the Russian people and strengthen the members. I just know that we have our work here cut out for us. There is so much to do and not a lot of time.

So, here are the happenings of this week here in UFA, RUSSIA… I will start with a short story …The other day, we were all at the church building when we hear this woman screaming from behind the church. So, we all run out to see what is happening and fins four little kids, probably 12-15 years old with a water hose,

spraying this poor babushka (grandma) woman. The guy that does the lawn service gave them the hose! I like to think, he didn’t know what they were going to do with it. We yelled to them to leave, but they kept it up until we went up to them and FIRMLY told them to leave now!… So, they left, but later came back with their shirts pulled up around their heads, with rocks in their hands. It was funny, my companion was scared, but all I could think about, was how bad I wanted to go out there and hurt them a little so they wouldn’t come back, but of course, because I’m a missionary… I didn’t…(I sure wanted to though!) We had to stay in until they left.

The Russian food is great. The other day we went to a Russian Café and I had Chicken Shasiki, which is chicken marinated and then grilled. And... everything I heard about the ice cream in Russia is… true! It’s the best I’ve ever had. It comes in bags and is soft and is way good, but don’t worry, I’m careful! I have to be, because my comp and I figured out how to make new holes in my belt!! We actually eat very healthy.

The BEST experience for this week was finding a new investigator.! His name is Reviel. He actually approached us when we were out advertising for our English club. He asked us questions about the church. It was great. We met with him and his wife in the park and taught and testified to them on the park bench. They seem to be very solid investigators. It was my best day here so far!! We gave them a book of Mormon, and called them Saturday. Reviel said, he enjoys reading the Book of Mormon, but he needed specific scriptures. We pointed out scriptures that would help them. I am excited and feel hopeful we can continue to work with them. It was a great experience.

We attended a fireside the other night about Eternal Marriage. As I was sitting there, I noticed that Russians wear their wedding rings on the opposite hand as Americans. (the right hand instead of the left.) I realized, that I had my CTR ring on that finger and felt a little awkward, and so I quickly changed it to the left, but then that felt awkward, wearing it on my “American ring finger”. I then decided, that wearing it on my middle finger is a safe spot. haha!
After the fireside we had ...peach juice, which was really tasty. I had a sister missionary tell me how to pronounce "peach" in Russian. I kept repeating "peach" out loud to help me remember it and then a devchucky (girl) walked by just as I was repeating this new favorite word of mine... "peach" and the sister missionary got mad at me, because the word "peach" is also like calling someone... “Babe” (like you are trying to pick them up)…UGH!!! … That was ...WAY AWKWARD and EMBARRASSING!!! There are a lot of Russian words that have more than one meaning. Learning the Russian grammar is crucial. I hope to start learning a little faster, so as to advoid this type of situation! haha!! i certainly don't want to give out the wrong impression and be known for... " ONE OF THOSE" type of missionaries! hahaha!

My couch is uncomfortable still, but I’ll live. The food, like I mentioned, is good. We eat pretty normal with some Russian mixed in. We eat something called Palmeni, which is a pasta with some sort of meat in it, it’s not too bad, and like I mentioned before, the Pillow cereal, is the best!!

Saturday's we have sports at the church building. This past Saturday, we were playing Ping Pong and some big drunk man came stumbling in yelling at us, that ping-pong doesn’t belong in church . A member had to finaly get him to leave, which wasn't an easy task. It was pretty interesting. The members here in Ufa are great and they continue to be a huge help to me with the language. I have learned a lot from the members here and appreciate their patience with me as I am still learning. They are the greatest members and seem to be very strong.

Well, my time is about up and I still need to email my Mission President. I love you all. Stay strong and work hard. Remember, we all need to be missionaries. Missionary work isn’t just for full- time missionaries, it’s for all of you back home as well. It’s easy, all you need to do is be yourself and start up conversations. You can also start inviting your friends and neighbors to activities. You all know how much the Gospel blesses our lives! The Gosped is who we are and what we live for!! Where would we be with out it??? We should want to share this great gift with other's, so they can have the truth and the light! It’s important we share it! There is nothing to be afraid of. Every member is a missionary…Make me proud... while I try to make you proud!!! If I can be spreading the Gospel here in Russia, speaking a foreign language that is tough, you all can be sharing it in your own language, with people you already know…it’s that EASY…so get to work!!

Love you…until next week…PEACE!
Elder Dewey

P.S. ~~This is Chad's email to his dad ~~ Hey, Russia is great my comp is cool but doesn't like to spend too much on food. I don't have a lot of time so I will do a post for the blog and you will have to read on that. Also, just so you know... I used the same towel for two weeks!! So what now...Big Guy!... And I have only used 1 cup ! haha!! Peace!

**side note** Chad would go through at least two towels a day when he was at home...his dad wondered how he was going to manage ....it's the obvious...he has to do his OWN laundry! haha!!

DISHWATER HANDS...MULLETS...DOWN POUR...

Hello Everyone,

Well, it’s been another week here in Ufa. I am finally used to the time difference and living conditions. To be completely honest, my first impressions were… "holy crap!" But I knew I had to suck it up and realize it’s just how it is going to be for the next two years and I better get used to it. So, I am totally fine with it and getting used to it. So, for a quick run down of what we have going on in the apartment. The couch I sleep on is uncomfy for a big guy like me, but I’ll live. We have a routine down already…my comp does all the cooking, (thank goodness, because I suck at it…I know mom, you tried!) and I do all the dishes…BY HAND! Yes...I said by... HAND!! Haha!! Yeah, you might say I’m getting “dishwasher hands…smooth and silky!" haha!

Our bathroom is pretty nasty, but we buy toilet paper that smells like peaches, so at least we have that going for us! Oh, we have a washing machine, but no dryer. It will be interesting to see how clothes dry in the winter when it is so cold outside…I guess I’ll soon find out. Our neighbors are pretty entertaining. They love to PARTY every night. They rock out to techno music!! It’s pretty funny and amusing.

My comp, “trainer” is way cool. We get along very well. I am learning a lot from him. Church seems so much longer here, especially when half of the time you don’t know what is being said. I catch a lot of it, but sometimes when they speak really fast it’s difficult, but I’m doing better than what I thought I would. The other thing that makes me laugh are the MULLET'S...Russians are stylin here in UFA! It’s crazy!!

I remember in AZ, whenever I saw someone with a MULLET, I would crack up!! I would say probably 70% of all the men are…”ROCKIN WITH THE MULLET’S here in Russia!!" Oh,…and Russians LOVE to look at family pictures or anything to do with America. The Russian people may seem distant at first, but if you try to break the ice by showing them your family pictures that seems to be a way to soften them up. So, if you could send me some more family pictures I would appreciate it. There are just a few more items I need you to send me if possible, a camelpack and a converter outlet for traveling. Also, dad if you don’t mind and check on the status of the ATM card I would appreciate it. I’m having a hard time getting it to work here. Maybe, just contact the bank and let them know I am in Russia. The weather here is WILD & CRAZY!!! It has been soooo HOTTTT!!! I feel like I’m in stinkin SOUTH AMERICA!!! I thought I’m supposed to be in Russia where it snow’s year round!! Haha!! I know…come a few months from now, I’m going to be wishing for the sun to shine to add a little warmth to our shivering bodies that will be frozen to the core. So, although it's a bit uncomfortably warm, I’m trying to appreciate the hot spell we have going on at the moment. The funny thing is on the fourth, we wanted to do our own small celebration, so we stopped by at the store to buy some Mountain Dew, and just as we were walking out it started to DOWN POUR!!! We got SOAKED, from HEAD to TOE… my shoes are still drying out. It must have been because I bought caffeine. It must be a sign…I better give it up!! The other thing that is pretty funny, but I’ve caught on to as well, is the concept of the ‘KETCHUP & MAYO MEAL” …It goes on EVERYTHING…no matter what it is!! It’s not too bad!! Haha!! Oh, and by the way, my comp and I are going out sometime soon in search for a new belt or figure out how to make new holes. Yep,,, losing weight…not gaining, like some people said I would, because of all the bread and potatoes I supposedly would be eating. Haha!!

We do a lot of work with the youth here in Russia. The youth here are great and are extremely strong in the church and have strong testimonies. We have a great time in FHE. We played "Who Did It", Russian Style. It was a lot of fun and a great experience. We did a lot of tracking this past week, which was awesome, but extremely hard with all the rejections. The younger people are much easier to speak with, but the older people just seem set in their ways. However, for the most part the Russian people are very nice and I am really loving it here and grateful to have the opportunity to be working with a great people who are in so much need of the gospel. Oh, and no problems with any devchunk’s (girls) this week. Haha!

Well, I am really running short on time this week. I love you all and remember the harder we work, the more we apply the big guy rules, and the happier we are…TRUST ME!! I LOVE THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE. I LOVE TO SEE THE YOUTH SO STRONG!! WE ALL NEED TO STAY STRONG, WORK HARD AND BE HAPPY!! PEACE OUT ! ПАКА ПАКА Bye Bye!
Elder Dewey

P.S. Tell everyone to email me and I will try and email them back, time permitting. I appreciate everyone’s support!! I love you and have a great week.