April 4, 2011

The Top Three Events of the week are written here on the small plates:

#3 WHY? WHY NOT? Well we went to Novosibirsk to do and receive CES training. So we left at 6 p.m. on Friday because that is when our S & I director got off work. On the way there the bus pulls over and the lights shut off. It is snowing outside and dar,k, and cold. The bus driver gets off the bus and leaves the door open?? WHY? I started putting on an extra sweater and was prepared to put my pajamas on under my skirt if it got any colder. So he comes back onto the bus and gets a motor from the back and 2 others get off and help him. It looked like an alternator. After about 40 minutes of us praying and them working on it, he brings in the old part and we continue on our way arriving at 11 pm. We were SO grateful to see an actual KING SIZE bed in the hotel room. . . until we went to get into bed. The blanket under the thin bedspread was a twin size. Why even have a king size bed if we have to share the twin size blanket??? So we were in bed trying to sleep and all of a sudden we just busted up laughing. . . . WHY NOT???? WE eventually used the blanket sideways to cover our feet and up to our waists and used the towels on top of us and slept like logs!

#2 SNORKELING. . . WHAT??? We received several great emails from our good friends who are serving in the warmer parts of the world. The Snows in the Dominican Republic, the Gublers who are serving in New Zealand, the Ericksons in Samoa. We have seen beautiful pictures from some of them of green grass and blue oceans. One of our friends actually get to go snorkeling. Well, the elders assured us that anyone can do that and we will have bragging rights when we survive in Siberia.

#1 WELCOME: We welcomed 2 new sisters and one new elder this week and it was a boost! When we had our district meeting on Friday with them all it was a very powerful meeting and we know the work will continue to progress. They are teaching many good investigators and we are blessed to have many of them in our home and attending church each Sunday. We will trudge forward in this great work.

Our love to you all. We hope you enjoyed all of conference. We will get it translated and be able to watch the sessions next week at church. In the meantime, we are streaming some of the talks during our study time and relishing in the great messages given to us from our prophet, apostles and great leaders. Truly, the heavens are open to us through these messages.

Love,
E & S, John & Marsha, Ma & Pa Aland