Pictures from a awesome week!

These are the pots we used to help fill the baptismal font!



Bye, Bye President and Sister Beesley :(

The Baptism was amazing!!! June 2014

The Baptism was amazing!

Of course you are my favorite mom! You are my only mom, so that
automatically makes you my favorite mom I have no choice! Haha JK!
Haha Your the best! The Baptisms were amazing and crazy and sooooooo
stressful! Elder Bratt (*Brought) is from Pleasant Grove Utah he is
almost 20 but looks like he is 16! Haha he is one of my great friends
on the mission! Um I still sleep the same. President Robinson and he
is from Bear Lake Utah! I love you Mom and here is my week!

Monday- Went to Wasilla for P-day because Elder Springer was with us
and it was his last day, President told him to go wherever he  wanted
and We did not get in until 11:30 that night! With Presidents
Permission of course!

Tuesday- Transfer Day! Elder Springer bought us Red Robin! YUMMM! We
then went to President and Sister Beesleys last Transfer meeting! I
was a reck! I am such a baby! I just could not hold it in. You want to
know what made it even better? We sang "Till we meet again" ! We then
had the baptismal interview for Jada and Everest! We had to teach them
the rest of the commandments before the Interview, it was intense! Oh
and they passed of course!

Wednesday- I had M.L.C (Missionary Leadership Council) It was soooo
long but it was amazing! We then gave a church and temple tour to our
investigator Terrence! When we took him into the temple (He can go in
just not past the front desk) we walked up to the desk and we had the
people at the desk bare there testimonies about the temple! It was
awesome! We sat there for 20 minutes and then right when Terrence left
the temple doors he stopped right in his tracks and he said WO! Did
you guys feel that? I felt so much love and peace and joy when I was
in the temple but right when I left I could feel part of it leaving
me, but I still feel good! It was amazing!

Thursday- Today was Chaotic!!!! We started to fill the font for the
Baptism and it filled up to the first step and the water was cold. Not
only was the water cold but there was no more water coming out! So we
got 2 huge pots and filled them with water and put them on the stove
until they came to a boil and we dumped them into the font and then we
would do it 2 more times then the water came back on right at the end
just enough to baptize the kids! President Beesley came to the
Baptism, and so did a lot of other people! The Baptism was amazing!
After the Baptism Everest Came and like tackled me with a huge hug!
This kid doesn't have a dad and so I let that Hug be okay! Then Amanda
(MOM) pulled me and Elder Loy off to the side and she told us that she
has not been to church in 10 years! until last Sunday! She said that
we were meant to be in this ward for a reason! She said that we were
the ones that they have been waiting for! She said that something
clicked when we came over for the first time! Before I met you guys I
would ram do not get baptized down my kids throats but I changed when
you 2 came over! That meant so much to us!

Friday- Saturday  ?

Sunday- Went to Church and I confirmed Jada and Elder Loy Confirmed
Everest! People were in aw in what we were saying when we were giving
the confirmations! So were we! Its crazy when the spirit works through
people like that! I then Spoke in Sacrament about the Priesthood! That
Night I did not go to bed until 11:30... Why? Because I had to do all
this District Leader Stuff! Its a good learning experience!

Well I love you guys!

Elder Russell
O'Malley Ward
Alaska Anchorage Mission

Last zone conf pictures with President Beesley and his sweet wife!

ANC Zone Conference June 2014

Top O' The World! ANC Zone Conference

ZION!!!

You can only do this on the summer Solstice!

TRANSFER CALLS!!!!!

Transfers!!!!!!!!

Monday- Well we did our Usual p day stuff, except I really did not get
a p day! People say that P day is a day off but its not, and every
missionary can testify to that!

Tuesday- We tracted alllllllllllllllllllll day and got nothing! :)

Wednesday- We had zone conference from 9 in the morning until 11:30 at
night and it was in Wasilla! It was presidents last zone conference! I
will talk about the Details later!

Thursday- So during comp study we felt prompted to ask Jada to be
baptized and we were like, what day? and so we looked at the Calendar
and we were like well the 5th wont work so lets shoot for the 12th and
I was like hey we should probably pray about it and we did not really
get an answer and so we thought it was super weird but we still had
this prompting to ask her to be baptized, so we go over there and
invite her and we said the 5th and I was so confused on why I said
that but I just rolled with it! haha She said yes! She wants to be
baptized in the ocean in Sewerd!

Friday- We met with Jada and talked more about the baptism!

Saturday- TRANSFER CALLS!!!!!! Well Elder Loy is going to be with the
biggest brown bears in the world and that is in Kodiak Island! I will
be staying and I will be getting Elder Bratt! Oh and get this I will
also be the District Leader for the Turnagan district! Thanks
President, thanks a lot! Ugh So fun.... It will be a good growing
experience! I pray that I don't totally trash the district! haha JK!
We then went to the Mayors Marathon and we helped out and it started
at 8 and ended at 4!

Sunday- Well we had an awesome Sacrament meeting! Jada and Everest and
Amanda came to church! I will talk about them more later! We then
received a call from the kids and it was on speaker phone and I pulled
over to the side of the road and They said that they want to be
baptized this Thursday! both of them Jada (10 years old) and Everest
(8 years old)! I will be baptizing Everest and Elder Loy will be
confirming him on Sunday and Elder Loy will be baptizing Jada and I
will be confirming her on Sunday! Super Exciting! This ward has not
had a baptism in 2 YEARS! I am so grateful!

Well I love you guys! Sorry this was so short, I don't have much time!

Love Elder Russell
Alaska Anchorage Mission
O'Malley Ward (DL)

A BLACK BEAR!

Monday- Well we got our hair cut! We looooookkkkkk gggooooooooooodddddd!!! haha

Tuesday- So we had district meeting and Me and Elder Loy biked there.
Half way there it pored!!! we were soked! Then we went and saw Ron, I
am not going to tell you his last name because, well you will see! He
is buddies with the hells angels gang! Why did we go over to his
house, well because an investigator asked us about freemasonry and Ron
is a Freemason, so we had a pretty good talk! I thought he was going
to shoot me while we were having a conversation but I am good! A
missionaries got to do what a missionaries got to do! Haha

Wednesday- We went and did some service for the NCAI, it is a native
thing! They make some awesome Jewelry! They are not cheap they are a
few hundred bucks even thousands!

Thursday- I went on Exchanges with one of the Zone Leaders, and I was
on Exchanges with Elder Landon, does that name sound familiar? He is
the one who trained me! We had a blast! We tracted alllllll
ddddaaaaaayyyy!

Friday the 13th- Well we went to our investigators house and I walk
out onto the deck to see his awesome view of the ocean and I Look down
and I see garbage scattered all over the place! I look right below me
and guess what was there! A BLACK BEAR! I scared the crap out of that
thing and he like jumped into the air to like try to bite my face off!
What the bear didn't know is that it scared the crap out of me! And it
was a cub, not a small cub, like a big cub and the mom was close by!
So we called the State Troopers and they came out and stood by us with
there shot guns while we went and picked up the trash so that the bear
wont come back! It was pretty intense! They just sat up in there trees
like right above us! Fun fun!

Saturday- Since the ward wont do missionary work we just tracted
alllllll daaaayyyy! Fun!

Sunday- Well we went to church and somebody stole our meal calendar
again! Some people just don't like us missionaries! Haha we tracted
some more and some more! Then we went to President Beesley's fairwell!
:'( Don't go President! Well he is leaving on the June 30th! So even
though this week was mentally and spiritually tough, we picked up 8
new investigators! The Church is true everybody and don't forget it!
Transfers next Saturday! I love you guys!

Love Elder Russell
Anchorage Alaska
O'Malley Ward

It has been 77 degrees in our apartment! To HOOOTTTTTT!!!!

Monday- Today we spent all day in Wasilla, Why? Because there was a
missionary who died that was from Willow serving in Vancouver
Washington Mission, so we sang at the funeral! Elder Gay from the
Seventy was there! After the funeral we went and surprised Janessa at
her work! She almost jumped out of her chair (Not the first time) She
gave us free food and she surprised me with Horchata! I was able to
talk to her and get to know her family more. Her grandpa was F.L.D.S.
and he had 14 wives! She has 1 brother and he is 17 and he does not
talk to her much. Her dad ignores her and they live in Idaho!  I gave
her a true to the faith book before we left!

Tuesday- Today we had district meeting and we did a district talent
show! And we then saw a whole bunch of Active members! And that was
pretty much my day!

Wednesday- We went and took the bishops son Landon and he came with us
to a couple of lessons with a few single ladies! He will be leaving on
his mission  to somewhere in Europe in August! We then went over to
this one ladies house and gave her a blessing and Landon gave the
blessing and that was his first blessing that he has ever given! What
a stud!

Thursday- Well we asked the Office if we could get a fan and they said
yes!!!! It has been 77 degrees in our apartment! To HOOOTTTTTT!!!! We
then went to sis. Whitehouses house and we gave her a blessing!

Friday- We went and tried to see so many people but nobody was home,
they were all going fishing. But for dinner we were at the Stoners
home and She invited one of our investigators and we taught the
Restoration and after the lesson while we were walking away sis.
Stoner ran up to us and she told us that we were the first
missionaries ever to teach him one of the lessons! And she said that
they have met so many times for the past 5 years and nobody has shared
a lesson with him until today!

Saturday- Today was the huge yard sale!!! I mean we were all holding
up big big signs saying HUGE YARD SALE! The scouts made $2,600! And we
provided everything for that yard sale! Because well every time we
went over to somebodies house we would ask them at the end of the
lesson if they had anything that they would like to donate! And of
course they cant say no to the missionaries! Haha!

Sunday- So we taught Sunday school and it was about women and men and
the priesthood! That was fun! We were teaching the 16 year olds! And
guess who came to church! The Leach's and the dad was crying because
of the power of the Atonement and how much it meant to him! And guess
who else! Wolf Gang and his little Brother Ian! They are now going on
the Denali hike with the young men! They have not been to church since
they were 10 and Wolf Gang is 17 and Ian is 16! Sooo Cool! We taught 6
lessons today!

Well that was my week! I love you guys!

Elder Russell
O'Malley Ward
Alaska Anchorage Mission

We felt prompted to share Helaman 5:12

Monday-  We went and had ribs
with Terrance for our Memorial Day dinner! And we taught him the Plan
of Salvation after that! He is a stud!

 Wednesday- All we did was see a bunch of less actives! but its
all good though!

Thursday- Well I went on Exchanges with my district leader Elder
Micusker and we trackted alllllll daaaaaayyyyy loooonnnnngggg! And so
no body was letting us in, I don't know if I stunk or that I Looked
ugly that day but they just would not let us in! So when you are
tracking all day occasionally you have to go pee and when I was in
Wasilla you could just walk into the forest and go pee but not in
Anchorage because it is city!!! So I told Elder M that I really have
to pee and I am going to do everything that I can to get into the next
door, so we walk up to the door and we were talking about Jesus Christ
and he was like no thanks but then I was like so how did you come to
know about Jesus Christ? And we ended up talking to him for a couple
more minutes and we started to laugh and have a good conversation and
then after we bore testimony I said " Okay Tommy I have a series
question to ask you..... Can I use your restroom?" He said yes and boy
what a relief, Literally! Haha!

Friday- It was cool we helped this one lady who is less active and our
investigator Terrance was there and after we helped with the service
we felt really prompted to share Helaman 5:12 and we did and the Less
active lady was like no way that was my favorite scripture in seminary
way back when!!! And she bore her testimony about it and it was so
cool because she is making her way back to church and we are meeting
with there kids and she kind of wants them to get baptized!

Saturday- We helped Terrance build or put together a basketball hoop
for the less active ladies boy because it was his birthday and when we
put it together we played a game with them and boy did the
missionaries kick butt!!!! Don't mess with Mormons! They love us so
much! Then we taught Terrance the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Sunday- Well let me just say that Testimony meeting was not so good
for the missionaries, why because a guy went up there and told the
ward that the missionaries in this ward are not doing there job, we
have not had a baptism in 2 years! Me and Elder Loys chin dropped like
6 feet ( you might not think it is possible that it would dropped that
far but it did)  and most of the Members agreed! Ugh!!!! I just wanted
to stand up there at the pulpit and just rebuke them all!!!!! But when
I became a man I put away all foolishness and childish things! ahhhh
that made us so mad but what did we do, we just went back to work! Now
you know why there has not been a baptism in 2 years in that ward, its
not the missionaries, its the members! President was pretty upset!
Well the church is still true even though the people might not be
perfect! ;) haha


Love you guys!

Elder Russell