Russia is FREEZING

Hey everyone,


Well, it is FREEZING here. It changed all in one day from kinda chilly to what am I doing outside! The worst part about it is that the coldest day we have had yet happened to be a day where we were on splits with the zone leader and his companion. Me and Elder Johanson got to be together, the bad thing is we only managed to schedule one lesson and it wasn't until 7 o'clock that night. We ended up spending a little over 4 hours outside on the streets talking to people. If I thought it was hard to speak Russian, I didn't know what it was like to try speaking Russian while not being able to feel my face! It was a good experience though, and I am happy it finally got to the stereotypical weather of Russia. I thought I had been cold a few times in my life, but I don't remember it feeling like that! Everyone says we will be getting snow either today or tomorrow, we'll see if they are right.


It sounds like everything is going good back home. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. They will be even more enjoyable when those little girls get out of the hospital so you are able to enjoy the holidays from home instead of a stuffy hospital room. Hopefully soon they will be home.


My Christmas will go like this. Night train the night of the 22nd, Christmas party on the 23rd, night train home. Elder Traasdahl wants to call home Christmas eve night here so that means I can call Christmas night. It will be Christmas morning for you so let me know what time in Idaho time you want me to call and I'll figure out what time. I will keep an eye out for a good calling card but just incase you find a way to call me, I will tell you my number next week so I can make sure I have the correct one.


This past week, we had a lot of lessons. It was a really good week that way. As we have met with more of the members and gotten to know them a little better, I have realized something so amazing. I have always known that the gospel blesses families but that fact has been made even more real to me over the past few weeks. Meeting with the members who are solid, active, striving to raise their families properly, has shown me how happy the gospel makes people. When you walk into gospel oriented homes, you can feel almost a physical difference from those around. You walk up some pretty shady stairwells here in Russia, and it is amazing to take a step from a smoky garbage smelling entry, littered with cigarettes and sometimes other drugs, grafitti on the walls and a burnt out light bulb, into a small apartment full of the spirit. The people with the gospel in their lives have a smile on their face and a light in their eyes different from any other Russian on the street. I think growing up in a town where that feeling was present in most of the homes I spent time in, I probably got a little too used to it. It took me a while out here to realize that that feeling isn't present in every home. It is a blessing to have that spirit in the home.


I love you guys and pray for you evey night. I hope you are enjoying the holidays and remembering the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Hopefully you are staying warm and safe. I'll write you next week and then the next week I will get to call! I'm pretty excited. I'll try to save all my good stories for the phone call. Have a good week, and try to get those little girls home from the hospital! Try to let me know what everyone's schedule is for Christmas so I can have a chance to talk to everyone. I love you!


Elder Geddes