Week 5

Здравствуйте! (Hello)

It's been another awesome week here at the MTC. I feel like there's less and less to write home about because it's all the same every day, haha! A couple funny things have happened this week though, and that helps the days go by a little bit faster. We do a service project every week here at the MTC, and the past few weeks we've been helping out in the kitchen, just doing some basic restocking and cleaning. This Saturday though me and my companion got put on ice cream duty, probably to prep us for the temperatures we're going to be living in when we get to Russia! Just to give you an idea of how cold the ice cream freezer is, they have a walk in freezer where they store a lot of their food, and the ice cream freezer is a separate walk in freezer inside of that one. It's somewhere around -7 in there, and we had to unload a huge cart of ice cream. While we were in there my companion bumped his leg on something, and the ID card in his pocket literally snapped in half because it had frozen. It was super funny when it happened, but now that I'm typing it, it seems like it's a super lame story! It's the little things that keep you going here I guess! 

We got our Russian name tags this week too! We weren't due to get them for around another week or two, but one of our teachers is the guy in charge of ordering them, so he decided to get them to us a little bit early! It was seriously one of the most exciting days we've had in a while! They look so cool, haha, I'll send home a few pictures of them just so you can get an idea of what I'm saying! It's crazy to think that I've been here for 5 weeks already, it seriously feels like it was just yesterday that I was walking onto this campus for the first time, not knowing what was going to happen next! It's still so cool being here though! We teach our investigators almost every day, and it's been so awesome getting to watch their faith grow as they come closer to Christ. We've finished teaching all of the lessons to one of our investigators, Vika, and are planning on moving up her baptismal date to next Saturday! 

Every day here is so spiritual, I feel like I receive so many answers and insights, but then I forget to write them down and they fade. One in particular though that really hit home with me this week was in the book of Ether. The whole book of Ether is full of super awesome verses, and it just tells a really cool story all around. Some of my favorite lines of scripture this past week have come from the 6th chapter. The Jaredites have embarked on their journey across the ocean to the promised land, in their vessels that were "tight like unto a dish". As they were thus traveling, the Lord caused a great wind to blow upon the sea, to assist them in their crossing of the ocean. The waves quickly grew larger and larger, driving them back and forth in what I imagine was probably one of the most uncomfortable boat rides ever. In verses 6 and 7 it says, "And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters". Many times in life we will be as the Jaredites. We are all on the water right now.  We have left our home, our place of comfort with our Father in Heaven before this life. There will be times when the mountainous waves of life drive us deep into the depths of the sea. When we are thus driven below the surface, we need to be sure that our vessels, like the Jaredites', are tight like unto a dish, so that the water will have no power over us. I know too, that if we call unto our Father in the depths of our seas, his hand will never cease to reach down, and bring us back to the surface, for he has descended deeper than any of us ever will. I know this to be true. I have felt the guiding hand of Christ in my life, and he has never, not even once, failed to bring me back up. I love you all, and hope you are all doing well.

Until next time,

-Старейшина кэмптон

(Staryeshina Kempton)

Elder Kempton