Dear Family,
What a great week! The weather in Ufa is sunny and warm, and the snow is even starting to melt! I know it's only January, but I'm really starting to look forward to Spring. Too bad spring is another two months away!
This week was really an interesting one. About a month ago, I street-taught a man who was unusually interested in the history of the Book of Mormon. Sometimes it's hard to tell if people are being sarcastic in instances like that, but he wasn't! We were able to get ahold of him and have a meeting, and he's honestly searching for God. He read bits and pieces of the Book of Mormon already, and didn't understand it as well as he liked to, so he wants to read it with us assisting him in his comprehension. I love when people take sincere interest in things that are important to me like the Book of Mormon. It makes it way easier to teach them. He's never prayed before but was open to trying.
We got transfer calls this week, and I'm going to be in Ufa! It's official, it will be my fifth transfer in the same city. That's a long time! I love being here, and the branch here has already felt like family for a long time. I did a musical number on Sunday, "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief," and lemme tell you-- people cried! I'm not a concert pianist in any sense, but I'm glad I pulled it together. It's funny how I'm wayyy less nervous to play the flute than the piano. That's definitely because I've had more opportunities for flute performance, so I'm trying to equal it out on the piano on my mission as well. I get so nervous, but it's always a good feeling after.
It's amazing that now that the holidays are over, how much more available people are to meet with us! We had practically a straight month of no investigator meetings, but the last two weeks it has increased a ton! We had three investigator meetings this week, and there would have been five if we hadn't been stood up on two lessons. I hadn't realized it, but I've missed teaching investigators. It was a sad month without seeing anyone.
We've been doing a lot of less-active work among the members. Even though sometimes being a member takes a lot of effort, positive thinking, and will-power, it's always easier in the long-term to be an active-member of the Church. It's funny because now that I've been focusing on that, I've been finding way more examples of that in the Book of Mormon (Alma "re-activating" Amulek) and then Aminidab (Helaman 5) being re-converted. Of course there's way more examples than that too. Especially in the Doctrine and Covenants as well.
It's just interesting to me because I really feel that if we work with the less-actives a lot, they'll get activated, we'll get referrals, we'll get investigators, and then we'll get baptisms. In the MTC they told us that our Area Book (the huge binder where we keep the progress records of investigators, potential lists, former investigator info, etc) is a really valuable and under-used tool. I agree 100%.
I really feel like most of the work in this area has already been done, and it's just a matter of working through the area book and getting people to meet with us again. They were placed in the missionary's path once, so it's about time for them to be placed in our path again! Of course we go contacting and stuff (yay, being outside in the snow for hours and hours!), but we've been able to get more meetings recently out of our area book than working outside on the street.
Anyway, if we reactive people and get them to bring their families and friends into the church, that will accelerate the work here so much. Gathering Israel is tough business, but when we have support and help, it gets a lot easier!
Because of communism and wars, there is only a certain percentage of people here that are willing to listen to anything about God. That's definitely a complicated and delicate situation to deal with, but it's everywhere here. Russia is a tough egg to crack, but it's definitely coming! It's interesting how when people have trials in life, they either turn towards God or they turn away. And I guess ultimately, that's going to be how we're judged.
We were never meant to live this life alone-- that's why we have families. It's impossible to return to God all by yourself (someone has to baptize you). We were supposed to rely on other people, and God, while in this life. You just have to be humble enough to rely on others. I don't know if that train of thought makes sense, but it's been something that I've been thinking about recently. The importance of other people in our life. It's really cool!
"And now... thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day" -- Alma 36:3.
So now let me just finish my email to y'all by saying, I love you! I'm so glad that you're my family, and that we were put in each others lives to live and learn from each other. Thanks so much for supporting me in all that I've done and all that I continue to do. I sure love you.
I know this church is true, and I'm so glad for the opportunity to serve a mission at this time. It's a very special time, and I know that by "small and simple means are great things brought to pass" and even though I sometimes feel like a small, insignificant missionary-- there are 80,000 others out there all working with a common goal. It's really cool to be a part of the Gathering of Israel. It's really humbling to help serve the Lord in this unique way. How cool is that? The church is true. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. "I know it, I live it, and I love it!"
Have a fantastic week. I pray for you everyday.
Love always,
Sister Brown
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