3/29/2011 A Testimony of "The Gift of Tongues"

Hello Family and Friends!

This week started out with FHE with 2 African(one was baptized by my companion) attending. That was fun and one of them only speaks French (I think I mentioned him last week) so I could talk with him which was really cool.

We had "March Maddness" this week which was a competetion among the missionaries. We had to do things like have lessons, do push-ups, get contacts, run, give out book of Mormons, and wall sits.

We had a crazy day where we were laughed at by some teens going to a lesson, got a referral during a different lesson, and got a contact 2 minutes after that lesson ended. Then we were home late because we were taking a black member home(he's been jumped already).

I got a transfer call and will figure out where I'm going on Friday.

Elder Rader is in his last transfer and I'm hoping that I'll go near him.

While we were leaving district meeting a drunk walked in looking for someone to confess all of his sins to. Three of us went up to him because he seemed about ready to hit one of us.

We had a sick day this week where I studied a ton of Russian grammar stuff and one day came back from a lesson where a man started talking to us because he had 3 friends in America.

Then we did a missionary night on Saturday and while we were waiting some people walked in who wanted a blessing on their home and business since it seems to be failing. The missionary night went well though and I got to do a Steve Irwin impression to introduce Austraila.

I went on a 30 minute split on Saturday as well during a baptism to help them contact and we got 4 contacts and 3 Books of Mormons out all this while it was pouring down hail, rain, and some snow.

Then Sunday morning (had daylight savings which meant we were dead) I get a call from the other elders saying that they're bringing an investigator to church that only speaks French and they want my help. So, I ended up translating for him during Sacrament meeting (which is pretty much my testimony of the gift of tongues) and then we had a lesson with him. I had Elder Loverridge look up gospel words in the English Book of Mormon so I could find them in the French one. FUN!

Elder Russell