Today is a day that I will never forget and neither will Heavenly Father!

I am doing awesome! We get the Ensign every week so that's good! This
week has been tuff, we have been sick everyday this last week and I am
still sick! There is a fire in the Kenai and missionaries have been
evacuated, because the fire is burning peoples houses now, we wake up
every morning to ashes on our car and the air is really bad so that is
probably why I am sick! Canada is helping us with the fire, how sweet
of them Haha! so mom this is my week!

Monday- We met with our new investigator  Terence and we taught him
the Restoration and boy does he know a lot! He has a lot of questions
because all he does to study religion is he googles it! Yeah no good,
but we warned him about it and he is now reading the scriptures
instead of going to the Internet for things!

Tuesday- Honestly nothing really happened except District meeting we
had a barbecue and almost burnt down the church. Me and Elder Loy have
been super sick.

Wednesday- So we did some service and what we did was put in Fiber
glass isolation stuff! OUCH especially because I was In a short
sleeve shirt and had some shorts on. Yeah it hurt really bad! But
guess who was there!? Janessa a Fellowshiper back when I was serving
in Wasilla and when she saw me she was like NOOOOO WAAAYYYY!!!! And
she was crying and I asked why she was crying, she was like you will
understand later! I need your number. So I gave her my number and then
she left!

Thursday- I finally feel better but now Elder Loy is sick and so He
slept for 15 hours! With President permission of course! He was sicker
than I was when I was sick! So I just had an awesome time studying but
during my studying I got a text and this is what it said!
(Janessa = +) (Me *)

+Hi Elder Russell, this is Janessa!

* Janessa! Wow how are you!?

+Doing Amazing and so excited! I want to officially ask you, would you
be the one to baptize me on Saturday?? :)

*Sorry that it took me so long to reply I was dancing and while I was
dancing I realized that I have to reply back. Haha I am speechless!
YES I would love to baptize you! Thank you so much! Oh my goodness you
are awesome!

+YAY!!:) I'm so happy!! you were dancing?? haha

* Yeah don't try to picture me dancing it's not a pretty picture! ;)

Etc.

Friday- We Helped Brother Chavez do some Landscaping!

Saturday- So today was Janessa's baptism and boy was I nervous! I
cannot explain the feeling that I felt when she went into the water!
Not only did she change but I changed as well! I pulled her off to the
side before the baptism to explain to her how this goes and how she
was doing/feeling. She told me that she thought that it was just going
to be me and her and the witnesses and her family! but her friends
came as well and she told me that she is now super nervous! I calmed
her down kind of haha. I don't think it helped when I told her that
she is my first actual baptism! haha! Woops! When it was time for the
actual baptism I walked into my door and she walked into hers and we
looked at each other across from the font waiting to go in and she was
telling me that she was so nervous but she was happy that this is
actually happening! And I was on the other side sticking my thumbs up
in the air saying WOOOOOOOO! But softly and I said this is it Janessa,
this is what you have been waiting for!  The curtains open and we both
walked down into the water and we kind of danced around a little bit
trying to get into the right spot, and I grabbed her hand and put it
on my wrist and then I grabbed her right wrist with my left hand and I
said are you Ready? She took a deep breath and almost in tears said
yes! I said "Janessa Estella Ruf, having been commissioned of Jesus
Christ I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Ghost, Amen! I then waited for her to plug her nose and then
I DUNKED HER!!!! Hahaha It was so awesome! When she came out of the
water she smiled so big and so did I! I then came to realize that when
she came out of the water, she was perfect! And then I realized that I
was holding a perfect human being for that split second! Boy did the
spirit fill my soul! I will never forget this day! And she told me,
neither will she! She is getting an Interview tomorrow after church
for a temple recommend! And for a calling! Hehehe! I told her that I
cannot make it to the conformation tomorrow and she was pretty bummed
about that and so I called president tonight and he told me to Go! I
have not told her yet, but she will see me tomorrow! I will hold
strong to that feeling that I felt today and today is a day that I
will never forget and neither will Heavenly Father!

Sunday- Well I went to the confirmation and she liked jumped up in the
air when she saw me! haha it was awesome!

Well that was my crazy week!
Love you Guys!

Elder Russell

May 24, 2014 Sat. a day they will always remember!!!

A note from Janessa to Elder Russell!

Just want to say thank you for everything!! :) for baptizing me and
for being so amazing!! You're one of the coolest people I've ever met!
:) I'll never forget this! I'll definitely come visit the O'malley
ward soon and say hi. I hope everything is going well for you.  Miss
you!

Instagram post! Haha




Sincerely,
Janessa

The tallest peak in Wasilla Alaska!

 Pioneer Peak. The tallest peak in Wasilla Alaska!

What! a BEAR you saw it?  HaHa yeah at Cabela's!!!  Funny Elder Russell!

I got transferred to Anchorage!

So last week we went on a hike to Pioneer Peak and we got to the part
that says "Experienced hikers only" and why did they have that sign
up, because you had to rock climb all the way to the top!!!!! It was
super muddy! it took us 4 and a half hours to get to where we got and
it took us 1 hour to run down/ slide down!

Well I got transferred to Anchorage and my companion is Elder Loy! He
is pretty new and I am senior companion. The ward has not had a
baptism in 2 years, they just had missionaries in the past that did
not teach at all, they would just share spiritual thoughts, and not
lessons, and they would not work with the ward or even go tracking.
But this week we just picked up 4 new investigators, It took a lot of
work with the members and tracking! I have had to exercise patience a
lot so far this transfer, but as a missionary you just get used to it.
So one experience that I had was that we were driving down the road
and we stop at this intersection and I was looking at this young lady
and my companion starts wigging out at me because I was staring at a
girl! Haha oh my goodness. I told him that she is crying... we should
probably pray for her, and so we did! And when the light turned green
we drove to a parking lot and I said lets get out and go talk to her.
So me and Elder Loy are running down the road and right when we turned
the corner, Wham!!!! There she was, and she was balling her eyes out,
and we said hey are you okay? She said that she was fine (obviously
she is not because she is crying)! We talked to her and she told us
what happened and then we started talking about the Atonement with her
and boy did she smile right up! We gave her a Book of Mormon and a
plan of salvation pamphlet! That was just one of the miracles that we
saw this week! This Saturday I will be going up to Wasilla to go See
Janesa and Benjamin be baptized! I cannot wait! We have been riding
our bikes like crazy and I am super sore, but Hey I love being a
missionary! I love you Guys!

Elder Russell
Alaska Anchorage Mission
O'Malley Ward
Anchorage Alaska

Loving words from Elder Russells ward mission leader!

May 11, 2014

These really lovely words are very dear to my (mom) heart sent in a text message from Bro. Mays Chads ward mission leader in Wasilla. ( Chad was able to Skype from  Bro. Mays home )

First here is my text to Bro. Mays...
This is Elder Chad Russell's mom Teresa thank you so much for letting him Skype us from your home the missionaries here came to our house this morning and skyped there family's and it was such a neat feeling! My heart is full, all these missionaries are such a blessing. Thank you for taking such wonderful care of my beautiful son!

Bro. Mays said...
You are more than welcome. He is a great young man and missionary that is filled with the spirit and always carries it with him.  We feel his spirit and feel blessed every time he is in our home.  While living in Utah we didn't have much interaction with the missionaries.  I love it when Elders like your son come to our home because he is such a great role model for my 4 young children.  Thank you for raising him in the gospel and sharing him with Alaska. Happy Mothers Day!!

 When Elder Russell skyped home on mothers day he shared the most beautiful testimony to us and we will be forever grateful!!! We love you!!!    P.S.  Elder Russell is being transferred to Anchorage, Alaska!!!  

May 11, 2014

A Mothers Day Gift!!! SKYPE!!!

ONLY IN ALASKA!!!

BEAUTIFUL!!!

BOOOOOM What a Studdd!

 Well this will be a
 short email but I will tell you about a couple things that happened
 this week!

 Monday- Nothing much just P-day and Family Home Evening with the Young
 Single Adults!

 Tuesday- We met with Janesa Ruf and we taught her the Plan of
 Salvation and boy did she have a lot of questions! Which is super
 good, because not a lot of people ask questions while we are teaching
 them about the Gospel and it is really hard for them to understand if
 they do not ask questions! But she will be Baptized on the 24th of
 May! Oh and we also taught her the Word of Wisdom and she was like, "
 alright that makes sense, cool, What else do I need to do to get
 baptized" She was like jumping out of her seat while we were telling
 her, it was quite funny, I have never seen somebody so happy to Obey
 the Word of Wisdom and to be baptized! What was cool is that she
 stopped us before we started to close with a pray and she said "Can I
 tell you something that I am so grateful for?" " I am so grateful to
 have a modern Prophet on the earth"! BOOOOOM What a Studdd!

 Wednesday- We got a new investigator today and His name is Benjamin
 and he is on date to be baptized on the 24th of May as well! He is
 fitting right on in with the YSA! He loves it and he is excited to be
 baptized and he is really really excited to receive the gift of the
 Holy Ghost on his birthday the 25th!

 Thursday- We met with Janesa again and we just answered her questions
 about the Godhead, and Mormons thinking that they can become Gods
 after this life, and why we have the Doctrine and Covenants and the
 Pearl of Great Price, and what are they?

 Friday- We had the Ward pot luck and they auctioned off these deserts
 that the Young women made so that they can get enough money to go to
 girls camp, because it is super expensive here in Alaska! a couple
 people put down $150 for a cake! Crazy! They made 2 grand!

 Saturday- So we went over to Bobby D's house and raked his yard
 because he is legally blind and deaf. He made us Shepherds Pie!!! Super
 Good, pretty good for a blind guy! We gave this super Less Active lady
 a blessing and guess what she showed up to church and it has been 5
 years since she has been to church!

 Sunday- Well we had a meeting at 9 am and then we had church and that
 went on until 4 and then we had a CES devotional and that was at 4 so
 we did not get out of the church until 5:30! We found out that one of
 our ward missionaries woke up and he could not move! He was paralyzed!
 He just woke up and he could not move! but we just got a text saying
 that there is something wrong with his brain and that he is getting
 his movement back very slowly.

 Well that was my week

 I love you guys!

 Elder Russell