Transfer One is already over?!?!

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Что такое (What)?!?!  Transfer one in field is officially over, and I'm having a hard time believing it! This week has been pretty good though! I'm not 100 percent sure what happened, but pretty much nobody would meet with us this week, we only ended up having 4 appointments! It's all good though, we had a ton of time on the streets and we ended up getting 25 numbers by the end of the week, and some advice from some of the other elders here on how to turn those numbers into lessons, so hopefully that'll work out for us! 

The meetings we did have were really great though! We met with one of our investigators named Дима this week, and he's now living in an attic in one of the poor-er areas here in Stavropopol, so that was a bit of an adventure, haha! I'll do my best to send some pictures today that I managed to take while he was grabbing something, but if not I'll do my best to describe it right now. It was just about tall enough in the middle to stand up straight, but other than that you had to bend over a little bit, and it pretty much felt like we were going to fall through the roof at any given second. He had all kinds of just random stuff up there, like a tomahawk, and a handsaw. If I didn't know him as well as I do, I probably would have been a little bit afraid, but he's a pretty harmless guy! Right now we're helping him quit smoking, and he told us today that divine help is real, and that the only reason he's doing as well as he is right now is because God is helping him. It's so awesome to see the change that this Gospel can have in the lives of other people. As missionaries we're privileged to see that change every day, and it's really just a humbling experience. We're working with another one of our investigators quit smoking right now as well, and it's really awesome to see the same change taking place in him. 

We also had the opportunity to meet with one of the recent converts in our word, named Vika. As we met with her she poured out her heart to us, about the struggles she's been having lately, and the toll it's taking on her testimony. The spirit was so strong as we talked with her, and testified to her of the reality of Christ and the help that He can be to her right now. We've started sending her scriptures to read every day, and will be meeting with her again soon to just see how she's doing. It's so hard to describe how incredible this work is, I really don't think it's possible for people to understand unless they've experienced it themselves. I'm pretty sure I say this a lot, but it really is humbling being out here. Every day, I'm just so thankful to be able to give up such a small part of my life to help my brothers and sisters here in Russia. And no matter how much work I put in, or how much I sacrifice, God just continues to bless me in such a way that I can never pay him back. It really is a great deal for us. That's pretty much been my week though, nothing else super interesting has happened! I'm sure there's plenty of just random weird stuff, but I'm starting to get used to that! 

I'll just leave you with a small spiritual thought, as usual! I was reading in 3 Nephi earlier this week, where Christ has first come and ministered unto the people on the American continent, and has just told them that he needs to leave but will return the next day. In Chapter 17, verse 3 it says, "And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them." I really sympathize with these people, and feel like I understand what they must have felt at that time. There have been so many times in my life when I've felt that Christ was with me, and I just never want that feeling to leave. My last week at the MTC we were sitting in the celestial room of the temple, and it sunk in that I was not going to be able to come back to one His temples for another two years. There was an overwhelming feeling of just being home, and as I walked out of those doors I think it was probably similar to the experience recorded in 3 Nephi. I'd just encourage you all to strive for that presence in your life, and value any time that you have to feel close to Christ. I love you all, and hope you're all doing well!

Until next time,

-Старейшина кэмптон

(Staryeshina Kempton)

Just a couple pics he sent.  I'm not sure where the first one is taken, but it looks like maybe at a meeting???

 He was really happy to see they have peanut butter there!