This is a letter that a sweet sister from one of his wards sent him.

Hello Elder Russell

I hope this finds you well and happy!

In this email I want to say, “You were right!” You said that we may
see changes in our daughter before her brother returns home from his
mission or possibly after.  Well, this last week we have been seeing
it!!! You were right!

I invited my Spanish friend to my house and she volunteered to make an
authentic Mexican dish. She came last Saturday teaching me how to make
an authentic Mexican dish called “Mole with chicken”.  I wasn’t sure
what we would talk about, but we had a wonderful time! She kept saying
repeatedly that when she comes to my house again she will be making
another dish that we will all enjoy. That was encouraging to hear that
she plans to come over again! I’m excited to invite her to church this
Sunday when our missionary son is home.  He’s excited too!

I’ve been impressed with you from the beginning and I’ve always
learned something new from lessons you taught with the spirit in our
home.  Bless you, Elder Russell!

Transfered to Delta Junction and Tok!

I am doing pretty good! Don't have much time because I need to pack
before I leave! So good to hear that grandpa is still doing okay!
This is my week yo! :)

So transfer Calls came Saturday morning and I thought that we were
both staying but as I was doing my morning prayer I had the impression
that I am going to North Pole. Haha weird! So president calls and
tells me that I will be serving in Delta Junction and Tok and I will
be speaking Russian, In the "North Pole" District. haha and elder
Bratt will be staying and being District Leader and getting Elder
Langi! I probably will be in delta Junction for 6 months! Oh and I
will be getting Elder Menlove and I will be greenie braking him!

Well guys sorry that this was a short email, I have to finish packing
soon! But I will be driving to Fairbanks and that is a 8 hour drive
and then I will be staying in North Pole and then driving up the next
day for a 2 hour drive to Delta Junction and I will be staying in my
own house and it is nick named the "Bird House" But when I go to Tok I
will be staying in a Log cabin home where I will have to split wood
and throw it in the fire so that we can stay warm! This should  be
fun!

Elder Russell
Alaska Anchorage Mission
Delta Junction and Tok

The Jenkins Family!

The Jenkins Family! Sis Jenkins sent Chad that wonderful e-mail! Anchorage Alaska! 

The Plan of Salvation board game that Elder Russell made for his last District meeting!

A letter from Sister Jenkins from his ward!

Hello Sister Russell,

Your son, Elder Russell is in my ward and I want you to know that we really enjoy him!  He’s been a great influence on our children.  A few days ago, he and his companion challenged them to share their testimonies which they did for the first time today on Fast Sunday.  Elder Russell promised one of our sons who had some anxiety about the idea of bearing his testimony that he would go up there too to bear his testimony.  Yesterday morning, our  nervous 12 year old got up from our pew, stepped out to the isle and immediately Elder Russell came up from another pew behind him walking up to the stand with him each bearing their testimonies.  Elder Russell has a loving gentle spirit and does very well to motivate and teach others.  I noticed after the closing of an open house for the mission president Elder Russell was approached by several missionaries who waited turns to hug Elder Russell with great big smiles.  Two other missionaries on a transfer came to visit us and had dinner with us when I told them that Elder Russell is in our ward they both made this comment about him,  “Elder Russell is a hard worker.” He is loved and respected.  We can tell he comes from a good home.  He’s a wonderful missionary!

He has asked me to share with you my story.  After my son arrived at the MTC I was missing him terribly, knowing that he studies the Preach My Gospel manual on a daily basis I turned to a copy of Preach My Gospel to feel closer to him. After reading PMG, I was on fire in sharing the gospel with others.  But, I wasn’t sure how to approach others and how to share the gospel, so we invited the missionaries to teach us how to be member missionaries.  They were wonderful in teaching us.  I carry a compact Book of Mormon and Missionary pamphlets in my purse for missionary moments which came in handy twice. Later, we had a neighbor and his children over for a discussion with the missionaries at our house and we have given a few Books of Mormon to potential investigators.  One investigator that I met at a park will be going to church with us. Studying Preach My Gospel, having the help of our missionaries, having His spirit with us, and working together in sharing the Book of Mormon we will be bringing souls closer to Christ.  The people of the world, the worldly will not be interested, yet there will be millions who will. It’s exciting! This is a message that Elder Russell wanted me to share and challenge you.

Thank you for all that you have done in raising him. He’s hard-working in the field of Anchorage, Alaska and we are grateful.

I studied patience this week.

My week was alright, My head hurts because this ward is sooo behind on
things and we have been trying to get them caught up for 2 transfers
now and no body wants to help out, its just me and Elder Bratt and the
Lord. I studied patience this week, because Daulton and Jaxon passed
away and because the ward still wont do anything. So what have me and
Elder Bratt been doing? We have been meeting with sooooo many active
members!!! but it sounds like you had an awesome week! Good luck at
Laurels conference! Tell Grandpa that I said hi and that I love him!
This Saturday is Transfer calls! Should be interesting! I love you
sooo much! Oh and I just barely gave Elder Bratt a high five!

So this week Me and Elder Bratt went on Exchanges a lot this week with
the district and the Zone Leaders. There was this one ladies house
that we went to and I walked into her home and guess what she had? she
had 6 boxer puppies, 4 geckos, 5 Thorned lizards, 1 leg less lizard
that looks like a snake but its a lizard, 3 anacondas, 1 Parrot, and 1
predator frog, and she just barely got rid of her 7 1/2 foot
Crocodile. Oh and it felt like 100 degrees in her house and I fed
every single one of those things! And Then Saturday we went and helped
this artist guy set up a 30 foot space needle like the one in Seattle
made out of cardboard! Well that was my crazy week! Transfer calls
come Saturday! Love you guys!

Elder Chad Russell
Anchorage Alaska Mission
O'Malley Ward

It's 80 in ALASKA!!! HOT!!!

Hi I'm KEN the (Barbie doll) I mean Elder Bratt! Ok which one is it? Isn't it beautiful in Alaska!!!

WOW!!!!! that's weird! Ken REALLY!!!! (real funny mom!)

MOOSE!!!!!

The same MOOSE!!!!! AWESOME!

It's 80 in ALASKA!!! HOT!!! July 2014

It's kind of intimidating when a moose walks into your path!

Well this week we just went tracting, and tracting and more tracting!
Its kind of intimidating when a moose walks into your path while you
are knocking on doors or when you go to go knock on a door there is a
moose standing on the porch! I wish I had my camera! haha but a really
cool thing happened, we thought to our self how we can be more
effective tracting, and we thought and was like anybody can go door to
door as a missionary, so we said to ourselves that we are going to
walk down the mountain and walk past houses and listen to the
promptings of the spirit. So we walked down the whole street and back
and all of a sudden the spirit told us to go knock on that door to
your right, so what did we do, we did exactly that and when the guy
answered his door we had a good conversation with him and that he is a
fighter pilot and he said that we could not of come at a more perfect
time because it is really rare to catch me at home because I am a
fighter pilot! We gave him a restoration pamphlet and he said that he
will give us a call and told us to stop by whenever and see when I am
home!

sorry this is a short email this week! Elder Bratt has been sick but
is now feeling better!

I love You guys!

Elder C. Russell
Anchorage Alaska Mission
O'Malley Ward!