Trip to Russia???

Hey everyone,

We had a pretty good week this week. I did splits with the other elders here and yesterday we all went to Lipitsk to try and help them out a bit. At first it was a big nightmare. We had to do it yesterday because there was supposed to be a baptism on Saturday so yesterday was the only day we could do it. It was really really hot outside and there were next to no people on the streets. We had thought up a few activities we could do, but the elders and sisters in Lipitsk didn't think about where we should do the activities. We all went to one spot, there wasn't any people there, so we went to a different place, nobody was there, finally after a couple hours of kind of doing nothing, I was getting a bit panicked thinking we all had just wasted an entire day. We made some decisions and all just grabbed some Books of Mormon and split up into companionships and just started going around the streets talking with everyone. The people weren't coming to us so we went to them. By the end of the night, we had gotten about 9 or so contacts and given out probably as many Books of Mormon. It ended up being somewhat successful and if anything, I think it helped by just mixing things up a bit and giving us all a change of pace. I hope something ends up working out because of it.

I have one thing I need to ask about that I've been thinking about all week. We had a lesson with Ludmilla this week and we were talking about something and she asked a question that we answered, we find that out in the temple. She said, "So I have to wait until next June to find out?" It hit me that she will be planning on going to the temple in June of next year. Every missionary goes home either a couple weeks early, or a couple weeks late. I did the math and realized that if I got to stay a couple weeks late, I would go home sometime around the 23rd of June, almost one year to the day after I baptized Ludmilla. How cool would it be to go through the temple with her? The only way I could do that though is if you guys came and picked me up... will you be ready to come back to Russian next year? I have it all figured out, you could fly in to Moscow, we would spend a couple of days there seeing everything, then take an overnight train to Veronezh and meet up with Ludmilla. After that we could take another overnight train to Kiev and go to the temple with Ludmilla. From Kiev we could fly to St. Petersburg and see the sights there, I figure I'm right here, I have to see St. Pete's. And from there we fly home. It's your choice and you still have a long time to think about it, but I think it would be pretty neat. At the beginning of my mission I really didn't want you to come pick me up, just because I thought it would be so cool to go home with my district and ride down the escalator with my fist raised in the air and see my whole family there waiting, but this would be really cool too. The Lowry's went to Japan for the same reason, got to go through the temple with there son and someone in the branch there and also just got to see some neat stuff, see how their son lived and what he did for two years. I think it would be pretty cool for you guys to see what I have been doing, and see Russia for real, and not just a tourist city. I always thought I would want to go home the early transfer and be home for my 21 birthday but if I have the chance to go through the temple with Ludmilla, I would take it in a heartbeat. Think about it and let me know what you think. I know it would probably be kind of expensive and you guys were just here last year but I just think it would be a once in a life time experience. Ludmilla has asked about you guys a lot actually. The other day we had a lesson and she just stopped and said, Elder Geddes, how tall is your mom? I told her and asked why, she said, oh, I just think I'll meet her someday and was just interested to know how tall she was, ha, funny lady. She gave you a birthday gift this week so I could send it home in time for your birthday mom. It's in fact a shawl made from that nasty gray hair stuff that I told you they make socks out of! I'm sure you'll love it! She said they're really warm and nice to just wrap up in and sit by the fire. My companion said it is actually a really nice gift and that we should really appreciate it. His mom wears them all the time (granted his mom is closer to 70 years old) anyway, I'll be sending it home soon. Her friend Alexander just left on a month long vacation which was a bummer for us. He has already heard the first 3 lessons, read all the reading assignments we have given him and told us that he knows the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He'll get back in mid August and will get baptized I'm sure.

Once again I have to say I don't know transfers. They promised that they would be giving them to us today but I'm not exactly sure when. I was hoping to have them by the time I wrote in case I get transfered. That means that next week there is a good chance if I get transfered that I will be either writing home from Moscow or some other city, or not writing at all on Thursday. So, mom, in case I don't get to write next Thursday, I promise I will write as soon as I get a chance so don't worry about calling President Woolley if I don't write! Ha, who knows maybe I'll be writing next week from good old Veronezh.

Anyway, I think that might be everything for this week. President did write us and say this is a big transfer and that lots of us are going to have new comps or new cities. We'll see who that applies to.

Oh ya, what's in Calgary? Try to find the missionaries and say hello to Elder Rudd for me! I can't believe you guys got to go on the field at Fenway, that would be so awesome! I want to go to a baseball game when I get home somehow, maybe next time we go to Disneyland we can go to an Angels game. Anyway, I'm glad you are doing good. Thanks for everything, let me know what you guys think about my idea for next year. Love you all.

Elder Geddes