Hi everybody,
This week was transfer week, and I have a new companion! It was weird saying good-bye to Sister Watts, and I couldn't really imagine having anybody else as a companion, but it happened. We had several lessons with members and took lots of pictures, and then on Wednesday, we woke up early in the morning to catch a 6:20 bus that took us to Artyom, where missionaries were all over trying to find their new companions. I saw Sister Brayton, said see ya later to Sister Watts and Sister Allen (Sister Watts's new companion, and she's finishing her training, and they're in Ussurisk), and met Sister Clark and picked up my new companion, Sister Isaac. We had another bus ride back to Nakhodka, and then we went straight to work! Sister Isaac is so fun and unique. She's definitely different from Sister Watts, and I love them both for different reasons. I'm so glad that I had Sister Watts as my trainer, and I learned so much from her about dedication and obedience and putting 100% in, and now that Sister Isaac's here, I'm learning how to rely on each other and also rely on the Lord. She is only a transfer older than I am, and we actually met in the MTC. She's from Bountiful, Utah, and has a brother serving in Japan. We both don't really know what we're doing because we're so new, but we just laugh and do our best and talk A LOT about what we think is going on. We're taking what comes and making mistakes and just rolling with it, and somehow we see miracles. When we got into Nakhodka on Wednesday, we took Sister Isaac's luggage to our apartment, ate lunch, and headed off to a lesson. Sister Isaac has no idea where we're going or who the people are here, so I'm in charge of leading and planning, and of course I got us on the wrong bus. Thankfully, everything worked out, but we can already tell that we're going to have a good time together figuring out how to survive in Russia. We had a lesson with Repeat, and something's changed with her. She's been meeting with the senior couple in Nakhodka often, and this week she said she's been reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet. She hasn't received an answer yet, but she tells us that "Moscow wasn't built all at once." We also walked with her to church yesterday (after giving her a back massage). The Brintons were in Nakhodka yesterday, and we had amazing church attendance. (Owl came, so she's still on track to be baptized on the 4th.) We're so excited for Repeat and pray that she receives an answer to her prayers soon and that she gains a desire to be baptized. Another night Sister Isaac and I visited an address that Sister Watts and I visited many times without success (except for one time when the grandma let us in and we had a short lesson), but this time the granddaughter was there who's eighteen, and we talked with her and two of her friends. We had an amazing lesson on the Restoration. They were all interested in what we had to say and had lots of questions for us. They asked us for our number and said they would try to come to English practice on Tuesday. They all became new investigators and were super nice and friendly, and we can't wait to see them again. Then we had a miracle this weekend. Sister Isaac and I were eating dinner at the church on Friday night while someone was helping us with passport stuff, and that was when Institute class is. Red (one of the members) came in and talked with us and said she wanted us to have a lesson with her daughters. Their father is more open to baptism now (before he was against it and wouldn't give permission), but the two girls have been going to this different church and had some doubts and weren't sure if they wanted to be baptized. We set up a lesson for the next day, and we talked about the plan of salvation and all the blessings that come from being baptized. It was an AWESOME lesson, definitely guided by the Spirit, and we extended the invitation to be baptized, and now they have baptismal dates for April 25th. We're so grateful to have front-row seats to the miracles God is working here in Russia. Happy spring to all, and have a great week! Сестра Спрингер Hi everyone, What a wild week this was! This was the week of my training where I was in charge of all planning and teaching situations. I don't know how, but I survived, and I definitely learned a lot about missionary work, focusing on needs, listening, and the importance of companionship unity. We're defeinitely in a finding stage here. Comet said she's no longer interested, and most of our other investigators don't have desires, their phone is stolen or not working (grr...), or they're never home. That made for lots of fun times when I had to find a back-up to our back-up because all our plans fell through. Like I said, I learned a lot this week. It's so great that I have a companion to help me out so I don't have to think of everything on my own. Owl still has a baptismal date for the 28th of March. We finished the first two lessons with her, but she asked us who Joseph Smith was yesterday... We might have to go back to square one. At least we still have over a month to work with her and help her prepare for baptism. We visited one of the member babooshkee who is so dedicated and always comes to church. She was home sick, and when we went inside, she was all bundled up in bed, snuggling with her cat. I love the babooshkee! Yesterday it rained all day, and there was a little bit of snow on the ground, but today is sunny and the snow is almost all gone! There's still some mud, but it's so warm. Sister Watts and I decided to forego our Russian coats today for our lighter, more American-like coats. Hope everyone at home is enjoying the short-sleeve weather! (I actually don't know what it's like at home right now, but I assume it's warmer there.) I washed my Russian coat today because it had splatters up and down the back from the water that was sprayed by cars as they drove by. It was so dirty that somebody on the street commented on it. Gotta love walking everywhere! One of the other cities in the mission has seen 5 baptisms this month, which is great. We're on track to reach our baptismal goals for this month as a mission, even if we haven't had any baptisms here in Nakhodka. We're all united in the Lord's work! Random Russian stuff: (still haven't come up with a cool acronym) Last week was Masloneetsa, a pagan holiday where the Russians cook bleeni (Russian pancakes, like crepes) to represent the sun and the coming of spring. We had 3 investigators feed us bleeni, and Sister Watts made some for our district. It was so yummy (but very oily, and I think my face is suffering the consequences). Today is also a holiday, something that's specifically for men, so if you're a man, happy holidays! (Also, I can't believe I forgot to write about Valentine's Day last week and the week before. Oopsie! With Day of Holy Valentine! And Happy President's Day!) So many holidays! Did I ever mention that I ate liver? It was over a month ago, on the bus on the way to Vlad for zone conference. Yep. I did. On a sandwich. Yum. Hopefully that all makes sense, my mind was all over the place, and I know I'm forgetting something that I'll write about next week. Hope everyone has an awesome week! Сестра Спрингер Tell Opa Happy Birthday for me! We asked Ashlin why she uses nicknames for her investigators? Here's her reply: Sister Watts told me that we're not allowed to use their real names (because of issues with privacy and other Russian things that are just better to err on the side of caution). It's also the reason why we're not allowed to take pictures of governmental buildings, schools, or the people (except the members and investigators when we leave the city). We just have to be careful. If I could use their real names, I definitely would, but that's all that I know about it. Hi everybody,
This week was transfer week, and I have a new companion! It was weird saying good-bye to Sister Watts, and I couldn't really imagine having anybody else as a companion, but it happened. We had several lessons with members and took lots of pictures, and then on Wednesday, we woke up early in the morning to catch a 6:20 bus that took us to Artyom, where missionaries were all over trying to find their new companions. I saw Sister Brayton, said see ya later to Sister Watts and Sister Allen (Sister Watts's new companion, and she's finishing her training, and they're in Ussurisk), and met Sister Clark and picked up my new companion, Sister Isaac. We had another bus ride back to Nakhodka, and then we went straight to work! Sister Isaac is so fun and unique. She's definitely different from Sister Watts, and I love them both for different reasons. I'm so glad that I had Sister Watts as my trainer, and I learned so much from her about dedication and obedience and putting 100% in, and now that Sister Isaac's here, I'm learning how to rely on each other and also rely on the Lord. She is only a transfer older than I am, and we actually met in the MTC. She's from Bountiful, Utah, and has a brother serving in Japan. We both don't really know what we're doing because we're so new, but we just laugh and do our best and talk A LOT about what we think is going on. We're taking what comes and making mistakes and just rolling with it, and somehow we see miracles. When we got into Nakhodka on Wednesday, we took Sister Isaac's luggage to our apartment, ate lunch, and headed off to a lesson. Sister Isaac has no idea where we're going or who the people are here, so I'm in charge of leading and planning, and of course I got us on the wrong bus. Thankfully, everything worked out, but we can already tell that we're going to have a good time together figuring out how to survive in Russia. We had a lesson with Repeat, and something's changed with her. She's been meeting with the senior couple in Nakhodka often, and this week she said she's been reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet. She hasn't received an answer yet, but she tells us that "Moscow wasn't built all at once." We also walked with her to church yesterday (after giving her a back massage). The Brintons were in Nakhodka yesterday, and we had amazing church attendance. (Owl came, so she's still on track to be baptized on the 4th.) We're so excited for Repeat and pray that she receives an answer to her prayers soon and that she gains a desire to be baptized. Another night Sister Isaac and I visited an address that Sister Watts and I visited many times without success (except for one time when the grandma let us in and we had a short lesson), but this time the granddaughter was there who's eighteen, and we talked with her and two of her friends. We had an amazing lesson on the Restoration. They were all interested in what we had to say and had lots of questions for us. They asked us for our number and said they would try to come to English practice on Tuesday. They all became new investigators and were super nice and friendly, and we can't wait to see them again. Then we had a miracle this weekend. Sister Isaac and I were eating dinner at the church on Friday night while someone was helping us with passport stuff, and that was when Institute class is. Red (one of the members) came in and talked with us and said she wanted us to have a lesson with her daughters. Their father is more open to baptism now (before he was against it and wouldn't give permission), but the two girls have been going to this different church and had some doubts and weren't sure if they wanted to be baptized. We set up a lesson for the next day, and we talked about the plan of salvation and all the blessings that come from being baptized. It was an AWESOME lesson, definitely guided by the Spirit, and we extended the invitation to be baptized, and now they have baptismal dates for April 25th. We're so grateful to have front-row seats to the miracles God is working here in Russia. Happy spring to all, and have a great week! Сестра Спрингер Hi everybody,
What a wild week! The weather's been warming up, and we've been having fun scraping the mud off of our shoes. That's what we get when all the snow melts, and it's just as slippery as ice, which makes for some adventures when we climb up this hill to visit one of our member babooshkee. Missionary life is so fun! We have two baptismal dates! We've been going through a dry spell after the Goldens were baptized, but the hard times make the good times even sweeter. One of the baptismal dates is with Owl. She's a babooshka, and we've been going pretty slowly with her because she understands slowly, but we finally finished the Restoration, and we asked her to be baptized, and she it sounds like that's what she should do. Her date is for the 28th of March, and she's come to church the past two weeks. She's been late both times, but she met one of the other babooshkee yesterday, and they seemed to become friends. The other date is with a girl Sister Watts met on the bus. (Her nickname shall be *drumroll*... Comet.) She was interested in English practice, and Sister Watts gave her a pamphlet to remind her. Sister Watts also mentioned that we have church on Sunday, and the girl asked what time and then said she would come, and she did! The Lithuanian girl who was baptized last month sat with her during church and also helped on our lesson afterward. We talked about the Restoration, and then we asked Comet if, when she feels that she's received an answer that this church is true, she'll be baptized, and she said yes! Her date is for the 14th of March, and although we've only had one lesson with her and she's still a little tentative, we're very excited for her to start reading the Book of Mormon and gain a testimony. We're going to follow-up with her tomorrow at English practice, and we can't wait to see her! Golden Wife received a calling yesterday to be the librarian, and she's in charge of organized all of our church reading material and then ordering more of what we need. Her husband, who received the Aaronic priesthood yesterday, helped pass the sacrament. They are both awesome members, and they are so willing to serve and help at church. In our lessons, they always have great questions about things they read in the Book of Mormon. They're concerned for their son who's nineteen because he smokes and drinks, but we're still hoping to meet with him soon and help him out. Had a tender mercy from the Lord this week. One day it was my turn to be in charge of planning, and we didn't know what we were going to do after dinner because all of our lessons cancelled. While Sister Watts was making dinner, I went into the room where our whiteboard is where we've listed all the names of people we're working with, and I said a prayer to know with whom we should meet, and when I looked at the board, one of the names stuck out to me, almost like it was circled. We had tried visiting the name before, but we had never been able to meet with her. We decided to try again that night after dinner, and she was home! It really was a mini-miracle, especially because I was so nervous about doing a good job with planning and leading us that day, I know I can always rely on the Holy Ghost to guide us. We're working hard in good ol' Russia, praying for miracles, praying for everyone at home, and helping to bring souls unto Christ. I wish I could tell about all that we do, but time's gone! Have a great week! Сестра Спрингер Hi everybody!
First week of February, gone! Actually, it was kind of a long week. It's a little hard keeping up momentum after a baptism, but all's well. Our husband and wife who were baptized, Golden, both came to church yesterday, and Golden Husband received the Aaronic Priesthood in sacrament. We really need some priesthood holders in our branch, so that was exciting. Golden Wife said she's going to try to find a way to work so she never has to work on Sundays, all on her own. They are so great, and they don't hestitate to ask questions about the Gospel. (We had to explain why Nephi killed Laban this week. We knew it was going to happen eventually.) They're also going to introduce us to their nineteen-year-old son tonight... Possibly a baptism in the future? Some of our other investigators who had baptismal dates or who were progressing toward baptism haven't been able to meet with us lately. Either they're working a lot, not home, or not answering their phones, so we've been having a difficult time preparing anyone to be baptized this month. We have some other investigators who do meet with us often, but they either don't have a desire to be baptized or just don't listen. There are lots of Pentecostals that we teach, and they LOVE to talk. We could sit there for an hour and not have to say a thing if we wanted to because they love to talk about religion and about the Bible. One of the women we met with last night (which was great because it was really cold yesterday and we did not want to be on the streets, and I'll call her Grandma Bible) kept trying to tell us that our pamphlets had a bunch of mistakes in them. Even though we can't see a lot of progress with her, Sister Watts said that she thinks maybe something broke through yesterday, so we shall see what happens with her. There was another woman whom we met only recently. We found her outside of her apartment while looking for a potential investigator, and although we never found the potential, we did meet with the other woman. I'll call her Owl. She's kind of slow in her understanding, so we've only been teaching the lessons point-by-point with her, but yesterday she came to church (although late, in the middle of third hour), and she prayed all on her own for the first time. We're seeing some potential with her, even if we do have to take it slower with her than with our other investigators. Everyone's been saying that January and February are the coldest months here. Although it was pretty chilly and windy yesterday and today, most of last week was pretty warm. The snow melts during the day, and the streets get really wet and muddy (and so do our boots), but all the water freezes again at night, so it becomes really slippery the next day. Supposedly it's supposed to be warmer tomorrow. We had zone training on Friday, and everyone who was transferred moved around. Elder Sayers left for Khabarabsk (I think that's how it's spelled in English), and Elder Murphey came into Nakhodka, and he's our new district leader. Our zone leaders are Elders Erickson and Sitton, and they came to Nakhodka to pass on some information from President Brinton, and we also talked about how we can be led by the Spirit and receive revelation through prayer. I love studying with other missionaries because I feel like I learn so much and I feel remotivated to improve and be better. Also, when they came, they brought mail! I received some letters, some from Christmas time and some for my birthday, so thanks to those that sent something. It's so fun to read, and I really appreciate the thought! It's interesting to see that some of the mail was sent in December and some from January, and they all got to me at the same time. They came faster than the Christmas package for Sister Watts, probably because they came after Christmas when lots of mail is being processed. Last week, Sister Watts and I went shopping for souveniers. We looked at Russian stacking dolls (Matrioshkas), and she bought about 5 lbs. worth of dolls for her family. I didn't buy anything, but I got a good preview of what's out there. They also have some Chinese type souveniers, like Buddhas and dragons. I love looking at souveniers and seeing the culture of Russia, like the food and the songs and the clothes and the houses... everything! I can't even begin to sum it up. Random Russian stuff: (I'll try to think of something cooler than "stuff" to make it a sweet acronym, but for now, it's "stuff".) There's a kid's TV show called Masha and Medved. Masha is a little girl who has all kinds of adventures and is always making trouble, and Medved (which means bear) is a big bear who takes the brunt of Masha's antics. I've seen lots of things in the stores with pictures of Masha and Medved on it. Lots of kids also like Winx and Monster High tv shows from America, and they like to show us their backpacks and dolls. One day I saw an older woman walking around with a Monster High bag, so maybe it's not just the kids who like it. I only found this out last week, but they have lockers in stores where you can put your bags while you shop. You just drop off your bags in the locker, turn the lock, and take the key (for free I might add). Some things in Russia would be nice to have in America, like how they heat their water. It's kind of like a coffee pot, but it doesn't make coffee. You just fill the pitcher up and click this button and it heats up your water. Perfect for making hot chocolate and oatmeal. That doesn't cover everything we did this week, but you'll have to wait 'til next week to hear more. Thanks for all your love and support, and have a great week! Love, Сестра Спрингер Can you pass on some thanks for me? I got the letters from the ward - Pass on my thanks to Bishop! (I wish I could thank every person individually) Relief Society? The return address was Annette Livesy, and I think the card had other RS people on it. Tell them thanks for the cookbook, Sis. Watts and I are excited to try new things! Aunt Carol and Uncle Ed - Their letter was super sweet, and I appreciate all their love My birthday package from my loving family! I loved the jewelry and the cake mix (we'll make that soon), and Sis. Watts is really excited about the vanilla. Is it from Mexico? Did you just think to send vanilla, or did I say something about how they don't have vanilla here? Either way, we love it! Hi everyone!
So, we had an awesome week. There were 3 baptisms in my city on Saturday, which was also my birthday. I don't think I could have received a better birthday present. One investigator, from Lithuania, was taught by the Elders, and the other two (I think I called them Golden in previous letters) were taught by Sister Watts and me. (It's probably more accurate to say 80% by Sister Watts and 20% by me because I don't say as much as she does. I just go along for moral support.) It was such a great service. There were lots of members there, and we ate lots of food and felt the Spirit, and then they received the Holy Ghost and were confirmed members of the church the next day. They are ready to receive callings and serve in the church, and they're even looking forward to preparing to enter the temple. They have a picture of the Salt Lake temple as the background on their computer, and we're excited for them. Some of the members are getting involved in missionary work. Some have given away copies of the Book of Mormon with their testimony, and one woman (I'll call her Red-member) invited us to her home to meet with her best friend (Red-friend). They both have red hair, so during the lessons, there are three red-heads (Sister Watts also has red hair), and then me. Brown. Didn't think I would ever be out-numbered quite like that. Red-friend is really sweet, and she genuinely wants to know why we're on a mission, and she's interested in knowing what her friend believes. She and her daughter come to English practice often, and we're hoping to establish a baptismal date with her soon. I can definitely see how much of a difference it makes when we have members help on lessons, and how much more of a difference it makes when the investigators are friends with the members. We've been having a hard time meeting with investigators because their work schedules are crazy. They work all the time, and it's difficult to get them to come to church because they have to work on Sundays. We meet when we can, but it's so important to make sure the investigators are keeping commitments and reading and praying on their own because that's when conversion happens. We can talk until our face turns blue, but it's up to the investigator to accept the message for themselves. We got transfer information this week, and... I'm staying in Nakhodka with Sister Watts! I'm not that surprised because we both thought I would finish training with her, and I've only been here for 1 transfer. (Granted, it was an eight week long transfer compared to the normal six, but I still have four more weeks of training, which equals twelve total weeks of training. Got all that?) Elders Alvord, Laws, and Gardner, and the senior couple are all staying here, but Elder Sayers is leaving for Khabarask. He served well as district leader, and Elder Murphy (Murphey?) will be our new district leader. Also, the missionaries I met in the MTC the week before I left (Sisters Allen and Woodland and two elders) are coming in soon. That means I've been in Russia for almost two months. TWO MONTHS! Where is the time going? Random Russian stuff: They have parks all over, but they also have ice skating rinks. Not anything too fancy, but they're all over. And they're free. Definitely don't have that in America. Have I mentioned that shoveling ice is a job here? There are people whose job it is to shovel snow into trucks and drive it away (where to, I know not). They also have these big poles they use to break the ice up on streets and sidewalks. In fact, there's this babooshka who always breaks ice on the street that we walk up to get to the church. We say hi to her a lot, and she just keeps working on that street. We had a great week and a great first month this year (it's already February!). Happy Groundhog's Day to you all. I hope spring comes soon! (It's actually pretty warm today, so it's coming. Eventually.) :) Сестра Спрингер |
Ashlin SpingerSister (Cectpa) Ashlin Springer is serving a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Russia, Vladivostok Mission. She will be serving from October 2014-April 2016. This blog contains weekly letters, pictures and contact information. Archives
March 2016
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