Talk to you in 8 days!

Hey! So about the Christmas call, as of right now we are set up to call you guys using Skype at the Senior Couple's house here in Rostov at 7:00pm our time on Christmas Day, December 25th, so that should be like somewhere between 6:00-8:00 am Christmas morning for you guys. I'm way excited, it should be rad, I'm not sure how long we have but I hope it will be maybe kinda like last time but I would assume probably shorter so along with what I sent in the package this will be Christmas present to you guys that you'll get on Christmas morning. We don't know yet if I'll be emailing you next Monday but we'll see. I don't have a lot of time to write today so I'll make it shorter but this transfer is gonna end in the beginning of Febuary, it's gonna be a longer transfer than normal due to the MTC changes on some things, so I'll be in Selmash with Elder Brinkerhoff until then. This week we have had a lot of meetings and worked with our investigators, we currently have 5, and it's awesome to be able to work with people and bring them the Gospel and watch how it changes their lives. I gotta run, so this will be all for this week, and I'll be emailing you personally, have a good one and I'll be talking to you next week! I love you!

-Elder Skene

A Good Week!

Hey! So I don't have a lot of time but this week have had a couple cool and crazy experiences, I don't have a lot of time to go through them all but the work here is really good, we have multiple investigators who are following up and working with us, and we have had at least one member/investigator meeting almost every day for this entire transfer! It's awesome, it helps the time pass a lot, and it helps you learn to love the people more and helps you serve them and really want to help them and give the best gift that we can, the Gospel. I'm excited to see what happens this week the progress they have been making, and even tonight we have a meeting planned, and we should be looking at a new apartment. I feel like a missionary in Latin America, like Elder Pathakis, at least that's what the stories and stereotypes say. I better wrap this up but I wrote you guys about everything else this week and I hope you got all of it, but know that I love you and miss you all so much, and in 9-10 months I'll be able to tell you all about this stuff face to face, I'm excited for the Christmas call, I gave Mom the details as far as I know them right now but I'll find out more, but until then and next Monday, have a great week and stay safe, I love you!

-Elder Skene

New Investigator(s) and a Baptismal Date!

Hey guys! So I don't have a lot of time to write this but we extended a Baptismal invitation to a younger girl in the branch this week when we taught her with her Grandmother, her Mom in a member but inactive, and we are trying to reactivate her brother so he can do the baptism, but we'll see what happens, either way though she will be baptized soon, way cool! Then we have a new investigator that we met on the street and taught after Church yesterday, he accepted the Book of Mormon and we're meeting with him with the Branch President later this week most likely, he has a marijuana and cigarette problem and promised us that he wouldn't smoke the day we met with him and he wants to quit, and we wanna show him how he can and how much better off he will be and use the example of the day he meets with us to show him the difference it can make and we have one more man who is sorta an investigator, it just depends on what will happen, he used to go to Church for like six months but was never baptized  and he knows a lot about the Church and the Branch knows him, I'll have to ask the Branch President about him to understand why he couldn't be baptized  because he said he was just denied permission because he "wasn't ready", so that could mean a lot of things, so we'll have to find out and keep in touch with him. We're going on splits to Severny this week, and that should be exciting, I'll get to see my old area again. We have an average of around 33-36 members show up here to Sacrament and other meetings, but there aren't a lot of men in the branch so we have gone to the Relief Society meeting the past two weeks haha, we'll have to see if we can change that and get some lessons rolling even if it's just us and the Branch President haha. I can't tell you the names of these people or show you pictures I guess, new rule, I'll see if I can tell you next week in my emails. Well that's about all for this week. I love you guys, have a great week and stay safe!

-Elder Skene

A Dinner at President's House

Hey guys! So as I was saying we had the usual Thanksgiving dinner at President's house with everyone that was in Rostov zone, it was pretty cool and it was fun to have a break. This will be pretty short I guess, I don't have much time, things are good in Selmash, and we have been working a lot and trying to improve things and open Selmash back up for missionary work. Have a great birthday Mom, and I'm glad you guys had a good Thanksgiving, that's about all this week, haha, besides what I wrote, I'll be getting the package in a little while, maybe tomorrow, it was supposed to come today but the power is out at the post office so we couldn't get it, but we probably won't be in the office until next Monday. Well have a great week guys, stay safe, thanks for everything, I love you guys!

-Elder Skene

Staying!

Hey, so like I was saying, this would be our P-Day, and it turns out that I will be staying in Severny, and Elder Jacobson will be going to Selmash to finish his mission, I will be getting Elder Brinkerhoff from Oregon, he's in the same group as Elder Gill age wise, just a transfer younger than me, I know him an okay amount, but I think things will be interesting. This week we had an acitivity on Tuesday night at the branch that was awesome, and today we are headed to President's house for Thanksgiving, which should be a good time. I'll miss you guys, but I'll be there next year right? So this week we helped a Babushka with service rigging a coat to be warmer haha, but that's about all for service, other than that we are just working, thanks for the package, maybe I'll get it today, we'll see, have a good one though! I'll be writing to you next Monday as far as I know, have a great Thanksgiving and stay safe and tell everyone I said hi, thanks for everything! I love you guys!

-Elder Skene

Over Half-Way There!

Hey everyone! This week as you know was my Year Mark, we burned a tie and ate some good food that my comp had from a package sent from home, and the rest of the week went pretty good, we had a couple meetings scheduled but they didn't work out, so in that case we will just be working on the street or maybe doing branch open house stuff, we have today and tomorrow booked though, so this week should be a little more eventful than last week, haha, besides the year mark, the transfer is being extended to end after Thanksgiving, for which we will be at the Presidents house, and it's Elder Jacobson's birthday, so it should be a good time. I heard about the election, I won't share my thoughts on it here but it looks like we'll have 4 more years of Barry in the White House.

I'm excited to get the package when I can and see you guys in less than 11 months assuming everything goes as planned. It was below freezing this morning even with the sun out, I'm in a coat and a beanie as I write this email to you, it hit us pretty suddenly, maybe it won't warm up a little again, this could be the start of another Russian Winter, concerning which, the Russian Babushki (Grandmas) everywhere will probably tell us that it's the coldest winter in a long time and it's terrible, haha, just like they did last winter, haha, I'll miss the Babushki here for sure, my buddy Elder Roberts has to go home for some health issues, he has some nerve damage in his back and has to get some tests done, I guess he is my friend on Facebook, send him some love in about a week for me would you? He is one of my best friends here, it's pretty tough to see him go, but I guess that's what he has to do and hopefully they can figure out what's wrong with him. I love you guys! Thanks for the package and everything else! Stay safe and have a great week, I love you!

-Elder Skene

Year Mark!!!

Hey I don't have a lot of time to write this week but last week didn't have a bunch of eventfull news, we are still trying to work with our investigators but most of our time is spent on the streets. Halloween was as about as fun as it could be for a Missionary I guess haha, not much transpired, we have splits with the zone leaders this week and my Year Mark, I'll burn a tie and think of you guys, have a great week and stay safe, I love you!

-Elder Skene