Happy New Year!

Hello again! Thanks for all your emails they are always fun to read. Also I got Christmas cards from the Booth's and Kimball's. J. street wins again. And I got the package! It is perfect. Although I am not sure about that pillow case thing ha I sent a picture let me know how I did. The laffy taffy's will be perfect for english club. Also I read the part of Grandpa's book that he sent me. It is great! he sounds like quite the stud missionary, I bet I could use some of his tips.

This week was great. On Wednesday we had the branch Christmas party which was a hoot. We were in the play (I was a wise man of course) and then there was music and dancing and a Russian Santa Claus. It was cool because one man in the branch who was recently baptized invited a friend who is a journalist. He was a great guy and even made a speech saying how he went to the first LDS church building in Russia when it was dedicated. He said just about how cool he thought it was and he has even gone back since, just because he likes the building. Then when the party started he asked if he could do anything, so the branch president told him he could dress up like Santa Claus if he wanted, so he did! haha it was great, we gave him a Hymn book and a Book of Mormon and got his phone number. As he was leaving he mentioned how great the atmosphere was in the church building.

Also on Friday the president over the European East area came and spoke at our zone conference. He spoke from 8 in the morning until 5 at night! But everything he said was helpful and he really changed the attitude of the missionaries, I think. At least mine! He said because it is a rule to wake up at 6:30, if you wake up any later than that you are plainly starting your day off with disobedience. Wow, I had never looked at it that way before. So needless to say I made some new years resolutions because of what President Bennett told to us. He used to be mission president over the Russia, Samara mission and he told us some cool stories of conversion in Russia.

New years was exciting also, even though it was just me and elder R. We had 'free time' from 9 to midnight so we stayed up and watch all the fireworks. So many fireworks! we were standing on the balcony and crazy people were shooting fireworks out of their windows from like the 8th floor haha! I never in a million years would have thought that I would experience a New Years in Russia of all places. The next day we went out to the city to talk to people and it was a ghost town! I'm not sure if they were sleeping or relaxing or hung over but nobody was outside. Kind of strange but now we are back into the swing of things.

We tried calling a few less active people from the branch but of course they said call back after new years. Which actually means call back on the 10th of January because everyone is pretty much off work/school until then I think. So we will call them back!

It is still super warm here it is so weird. There was like a 30 degree swing from 2 weeks ago to today and now the snow is all melting and turning into muddy slush. I don't want to jinx myself and say I prefer the cold to the mud but I think I do. Every morning I wake up fearing that 'today is the day' that it freezes over again but it hasn't yet. Interesting.

Well happy new year thanks again for the package! I need to learn how to wear a scarf so I can use the one you sent me. When it gets cold again. I love you all and miss you like crazy but I also love it like crazy here. Thanks for your prayers, keep sending them this way.

Scott

This was a fill-in-the-blank candy bar card.  Inspired by Jay.  Created by Amy and Jason.

Elder Reed, Russian Santa and Elder Allen!