icicles in your nose

From the Ninows - Thank you to everyone for your prayers for Stephen – he has been back in Russia for about 4 months now and is doing really well.  He has recovered from his surgery and is grateful to be back doing what he wants to be doing – being a missionary in Russia!  Here is some news from his recent emails:

Well, it’s finally to that point when you breathe in and you form icicles in your nose and there are ice crystals on the inside of windows and buses. Yesterday the high was -5 F. and the low was -20 F. This morning we went out and did our grocery shopping like we usually do at 5 in the morning... AND IT WAS FLIPIN COLD!!!!!! man that was fun! uber refreshing, and very fresh... it was about-25 F. It was way cold! We found a lady when knocking, IT DOES WORK!!!! I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE KNOCKING!!!!! We have taught her twice already and she is way open! She took the Book of Mormon and was like "oh, this book just goes right along with the Bible and supports it! It’s just more of the Word" I was like DARN RIGHT IT DOES!!!! We had a former investigator call us and said "I finally got an answer!!!! I want to come to church with you" and we were so excited! the only snag is that she is sick right now. But it is great that she is coming back!

Are you ready to be jealous.... and I mean... really jealous!?!?!? This last Friday the OLYMPIC TORCH RAN THROUGH PENZA!!!!! and what did we do?! yeah... we got a picture with it! OH YEAH!!!! how cool is that! once in a lifetime opportunity!!!!! I got to see and get a picture with the Olympic torch…IN RUSSIA!!!! it was so cool! the atmosphere was really fun, the whole city was outside to see it and battle for pictures and a good view... it made contacting very difficult... nobody cared to listen to some American boys talk about God when their Olympic torch is running through their city.. .which is too bad, but we did run into the son of a member of the branch here and had a great talk with him and hopefully we can start to work with him!  :) AND we went contacting and met some kid on the street, maybe 21 years old, not super interested at first but then opened up and said "I’m a sinner, I’ve made too many mistakes" so we testified about the atonement and that he could be cleansed from all his mistakes and sins, and by the end of it he was like "HOW HOW???" and we set a baptismal date with him on the street for the 25th of January!!!! SUPER SWEET! and his name is Zaur, but people call him Zoro!! how cool is that! 

I am loving it here – I love my companion, he is awesome – I love the people and I have never been HAPPIER!

love you all! 

I pray for ya!

Elder Sven :)

good group of friends

Hey buds,

It has been a good while since we have been together. But I think is has been for the best. You never learn to appreciate something until you don't have it anymore right?  I know that we had a good group of friends and I am forever grateful for all the time we spent together. It doesn't matter if it was playing ball or just laying around eating something. These times rocked. 

these short months in Chile have been so awesome.  I love this country but I think we have all changed a ton. I have had a ton of experiences that have impacted my life forever and changed me. Change is always there, we can't stay the same-- it just doesn't work that way. I have learned that there is nothing more important than my family. We all have our families. But do we give them the time they deserve? We are a famliy right? I love you guys. I know that if we think about our lives and we can really see and make a vision of our lives we will know that all we do in our lives is to benefit our famliies or our future families. I know that God is our Father and we are his children and that he sent us here to be happy. 

Lets find out what really makes us happy! I know that we will shortly be back together and I am stoked for it! I love you guys 

Elder Christensen