TRANSFER CALL!!! I'm staying in the Memory Lake and Susitna YSA ward!

 Monday- Well to start off my P-Day I got myself a Pay Day candy bar!
Its close to P-Day. Haha so during basketball there was this girl that
showed up to play and she kicked all of our trash! Comes to find out
that she plays college basketball! (Somebody else guard her) haha! We
had dinner with this one guy who has a pet wolf! Full blooded! It is
so sweet!

Tuesday- So we found this one guy who is super solid and he looks
exactly like superman! When we met him he had already read 12 chapters
of the Book of Mormon in 3 days and during that lesson that we had
with him he said that he didn't know that there was a God until 3 days
ago while he was working cutting down trees and he was in his bobcat
and he said that everything was weighing down on him and he said a
prayer in his heart and he said that an overwhelming feeling came over
him and he said the last time I cried was when I was 16 and he is now
32 and he said that He was sitting out in his bobcat balling for 3
hours! He told us that he would go to church before not for the
religious part but for the wine! On this day he said that he is giving
up his coffee and his smoking and his drinking! What a miracle!

Wednesday- Went on Exchanges with Elder Nielson in my wards and we had
a blast! He is a hunting guide and boy do I want to get on his good
side! Haha! We taught 8 Lessons today! Another cool thing is that I
was meaning to call this one lady but I accidentally called a different
person and she was like thank you for calling and she wanted to meet
with us right away! So we went over and there was a guy there from
Samoa and he needed a blessing of comfort and so we gave it to him and
guess what! He came to church this week!

Thursday- We went to Anchorage for a training. We saw Kyle Sullivan
today and he was like! Hey do you guys want to see something cool and
of course we said YEAH! So he took us to this back room and he had
hundreds and hundreds of guns! Ugh I wanted to hold them so bad!!!!!!
Everybody and there dogs have guns up here in Alaska!

Friday- The highlight was that we did some service for the 40th
anniversary for the city of Wasilla! That took forever!

Saturday- TRANSFER CALL!!! I am staying in the Memory Lake ward and
Susitna YSA ward with Elder Bowen!   Elder Cottrell is going to Knik-
Fairview ward and will be Zone Leader There! That has happened twice
to me now! Elder Hayes was District leader while I was serving with
him and then became Zone Leader right after me and Now Elder Cottrell!
Hmmm What is next!

Sunday- Fast Sunday and boy did it go by super slow! We were invited
to go with the youth combined class and guess what they talked about!
The Law of Chastity! Haha man those kids were like a  moose in
Head lights! Haha I would say deer but I am in Alaska and we have more
moose than deer!

I love you Guys

Elder Chad Russell
Alaska Anchorage Mission
Memory Lake and Susitna YSA Ward

He brought up Lacrosse and I was like no way!!!!!!

 Here is my week!

Monday- We were in a lesson with a YSA less active member that does
not really like missionaries at all, and we were talking with him and
he brought up Lacrosse and I was like no way!!!!!! You are the first
person that I have met that played lacrosse up here! He said the same
to me to! So we have dinner with him today! Booya!

Tuesday- Nothing much happened except for District Meeting and we saw
the Langky family! They are from Africa! They are close to Egypt but
not in Egypt! I got a Tiny taste of who Braxton is teaching which was
awesome! There house is super HOTTTTTTTTT! I wonder why! Haha

Wednesday- I don't know why but Wednesday was just one of those days
were you just have to let it out!

Thursday- We did Service at the Food Bank and we unloaded 3 huge
pallets of Potatoes! We had to put them in crates! Wow my finger nails
hurt! We saw brother Hess and he travels the world and takes pictures
and writes like documentaries! So every time we are over there he
takes pictures of us while we are petting his cat! I HATE
CATTTTTTTSSSSSS!( K.A.T I'm out of here! As he walks past he says- haha
I knew there were 2 T's!- Its off of the spelling B) But He posted a
picture of us and there was this lady from Sweden and she was like wow
those are some cute boys you got playing with your cat! Who are they!
Boom missionary opportunity right there!

Friday- Nothing much happened except a bunch of lessons!

Saturday- I was on exchanges with Elder Shurtz who is a Zone Leader!
And he came into my area so I had to take over for the day! We had a
great time! I love that guy!

Sunday- 8 Hour of church and Meetings! Yippee! I don't know how my dad
does it! We met with Ray our Investigator in the Memory Lake ward and
we taught him about Tithing and Fast Offerings! He is going to be
fasting this next Sunday to help him find an answer to his prayer! I
am super Excited to see what happens! We had 2 investigators show up
to Church! Oh YEAH!!!

I love you guys

Elder Russell
Alaska Anchorage Mission
Memory Lake and Susitna YSA Ward

19 YEARS OLD BABY!!!

Haha I am glad that you got my present! My birthday was pretty good,
except that I didn't get to spend it with my family for the first time
of my life, but its okay! Thank you guys so much for everything! This
is my crazy week!

Monday- Nothing much besides P-Day! We had dinner at the Sharps home
and they took us into there master bedroom and guess what was in
there? A big Grizzly Bear hanging on the wall! I picked its nose and
there little boy was like ewww grose! Then I ate it! It was so funny
to see the little kids reaction! Oh and today was my 8th click day (8
months).

Tuesday- In the morning we woke up to a phone ringing. So we answered
it and it was Sister Allred and she sounded scared and she asked us if
we could hurry and come over because her friends son that came up from
Hawaii was very very very sick! She said that it is the worst he has
been and he usually ends up in the hospital for a month. So we hurried
over there and we walk in and the boy was laying on the couch covered
in sweat and he could not move because he had no energy. Sister Allreds
friend and her son are not members but they were willing to give
anything a try besides going to the hospital. We had the opportunity
to teach her about the Proper Authority of the Priesthood and about
Priesthood blessing. So we knelt down on the ground and we put our
hands on his head and gave him a blessing. During the blessing Elder
Cottrell said that Heavenly Father promises you that you will be
healed, it may be this life or the next but you will be healed! After
the blessing the boys mom came and hugged us with tears rolling down
her face. The spirit was so strong.

Wednesday- We get a call from Sis. Allred at like 9 pm and she would
not stop crying. Finally we calmed her down and she told us that she
was so grateful, My friends son is completely healed! I will admit it
I did shed a couple tears! The reason why they were up from Hawaii is
because the boy had an interview with one of these top guys today and
He won the Marine Child of the Year! He received $5,000 and he gave it
away to a charity! All of it, because of what Heavenly Father did for
him. Then He is flying to the White house and he is receiving an award
from the President of The United States and he gets to sit down with
him and have a huge dinner!

Thursday- 19 YEARS OLD BABY!!! Bye Bye 18 it was a fun ride but hello
19 I cant wait to see what you have to offer!

Friday- We did service for this one lady and we helped her move her
Organ from her house to a different house! Funny! Super Heavy though!
Taught a bunch of Investigators today!

Saturday- Saw Bobby D and he was telling us his blind jokes that are
really funny! Its only really funny because well he is blind and deaf!
We served Spaghetti at this guys cancer fundraiser!

Sunday- So me and Elder Cottrell were sitting in the YSA Sunday school
class and guess who walks in? President and Sister Beesley (Mission
President and his wife) And they went to every meeting with us in both
wards! YSA and Memory Lake! Me and Elder Cottrell did this activity
with the Primary and Elder Cottrell was a Nephite and I was Joseph
Smith! We had to act out our parts! President and Sister Beesley had a
pretty good laugh! Elder Cottrell had his sleeves rolled up with his
tie on his head and I just popped my Collar! Boy did I look good! Then we met with
Ray our Investigator and we taught him the word of Wisdom and he has a
coffee addiction but he said if I have to give up coffee then that's
exactly what I will do! He said that when he goes to the Pentecostal
church he feels the spirit and he gets excited but then he leaves and
that feeling is gone. But with the Lds church, during church I feel
really spiritually uplifted and I get really excited and when I leave
I still feel the same way! He was like, "Is that the Holy Ghost
answering my Prayer?" It sure is!

I love you guys so much

Elder Russell

Tried to go to the Temple

 Monday- Was of course P-day! Nothing much happened except at Dinner
with the Mqueens! There little Daughter is so dang cute, she is like 6
years old and has eyes like off of the movie Host! She sat by me and
she kept on playing with my Pink pen! I was like so do you like the
color pink?! Well duh everything that I am wearing is pink!  cute
isn't she! So after a few laughs and after the lesson she was like bye
Elder Russell in like a sad voice! And I squatted down because she was
obviously short and I was like do you promise that you will help your
mom clean up the kitchen when I leave? She said YEAH! I was like
alright well here is my pink pen! Boy does that girl Scream!!! Haha
she is way awesome though!

Tuesday- I went on Exchanges in the Wasilla ward and I love this Elder
to death but that night He starting blaring his music and it was
Scream'o! And I was to scared to say hey can you turn that off! So in
my heart I was just like man I pray that that music will turn off! And
guess what right then Elder ---- yelled! DANG IT MY BATTERY JUST RAN
OUT AND I DON'T HAVE A CHARGER! I was like no way that actually
worked! Hahaha it was so amazing!

Wednesday- I was still on Exchanges with this one Elder and we left on
time from Wasilla to Anchorage so that we can go to the temple! And
guess what? It decided to snow 2 feet that night! So we are driving on
the Highway and we Saw a total of 10 cars flipped over on the side of
the road on the way to the temple and we hit a couple of traffic jams!
So we were late to the temple so we were not able to go! Ugh I was so
upset! Dang Alaska!!!! Haha but on our way back we got a call from one
of the missionaries in our zone and he was like go get into some
service clothes and come and help us! here is the Address we will see
you in a little bit! So we get there and there lying on the ground was
a Clydesdale Horse! He was really old and he fell into the snow and
could not get up! So we had 12 Missionaries and 1 protestant, 1
baptist. 1 atheist, and 1 Catholic!  And we could not get this thing
up! So Elder Wood was like hey we should say a prayer so that we can
know what we should do and what is best for the horse! Ether to put it
down or keep on trying! So we received an answer and it was to put it
down!  Sad
day but he needed to go!

Thursday- I will tell you guys about this day one day! :)

Friday- We had Zone Meeting! At dinner that night we met "SI" you know
off of Duck Dynasty! It was not really him but he Looked, talked, and
acted just like him! He tried bashing with us but he had been drinking so we
just changed the subject!

Saturday- we attended 2 baptism that were going on and it was amazing!
  Something happened to us but again that is for another
time! :)

Sunday- we had our investigator Ray at church and he knew so many
people! It was amazing! He wants to get baptized but he has one more
thing that he just needs to get over and that is that he needs to know
that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God and that he did restore
the true church back on the earth! But he is such a stud. Not just
because he was a navy seal but that he has a desire to know which
church is true!

I love you guys!

 

Reply

Forward

My week was awesome!

 My week was awesome!

Monday- Was my first official P-day in the Wasilla Zone! It is so
weird because I have not been around a group of missionaries in 4 1/2
months! We had an activity with the Susitna YSA that night for FHE!

Tuesday- Get this so my new companion Elder Cottrell is the district
leader! That's 2 in a row! Haha but he did awesome in District Mtg. We
picked up a new investigator today and She is super awesome! We had a
way good lesson with her and when we introduced the Book of Mormon to
her she was so happy! She was really really interested in the Book of
Mormon! When we left we saw her by the window on her couch reading the
Book of Mormon! So hopefully everything goes good there!

Wednesday- So this night we had a set Lesson with Deon! Our really
buff investigator! And we had a member with us and right before we
started with a prayer I noticed that my companion totally forgot his
tie! So I tried not to laugh during the prayer but I could not help
it! When he said Amen everybody was like "What was so funny" and I
pointed at my Tie when Elder Cottrell looked at me and we all laughed
so hard! We also picked up a new investigator! His name is Ray
and he is a stud!

Thursday- We had exchanges and I went with Elder Thompson in the
Cottonwood ward! Then we had mission training!

Friday- We had another lesson with Deon and he was put on date for
tomorrow but me and Elder Cottrell felt prompted to Invite him to pray
for a baptism date because we did not feel like he was ready. That's
important because we do not want him to go Less active after he is
baptized! And when we invited him to do that, he was like Man that's
good because I did not feel ready to be baptized on Saturday! He still
wants to be baptized but he wants his roots to be deep before he grows
into a huge tree!

Saturday- So we helped with this thing down in Anchorage called the
Iditarod! And it is this dog mushing race that starts in Anchorage
and ends in Nome ( top left corner of Alaska! We had to help keep
people off of the track so that they did not get ran over! Oh and get
this there is this one guy that is in it and he is from Jamaica! We
also had our Second lesson with Ray our new investigator and we
invited him to be baptized and he said that he will pray about it and
he also told us that he does see himself being baptized in the LDS
church!

Sunday- was fast Sunday and we cover two wards Memory Lake and Susitna
YSA so we stay from 9 till 4 and then we had a ces Devotional that we
went to at a members house with all of the YSA people! Long Day!

I love you Guys!

Elder Russell
Alaska Anchorage mission!