From Russia With Love...

a.k.a. Letters from Sis. Lynes in Russia

Letter #42: From the Mission Field in Russia

Subject: #42
Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 21:23:39 +0500
From: Shirley Lynes <gma@jacklynes.com>
To: jlynes@jacklynes.com

Dear Everybody!
Well, the "adventure" continues. This morning the lights went out. They are doing some remodeling downstairs and periodically turn one thing or another off. But when I went to the branch apartment for my class at 11 am, the lights were on in there. So we thought there must be something else wrong. We were very busy from then till about three pm. We had a youth activity, then I had a class at three. We still had no lights. I insisted that we (meaning Sis. Borlena or the elders, since I can't speak Russian) should call someone! I didn't know if the landlady had forgotten to pay the bill or if we had a problem and needed an electrician. Sis. Borlena finally got in touch with someone, and they said they would send someone over. After 7 pm, the electrician finally showed up. There was something that had gone wrong on the meter and he had to replace a part, sort of like a fuse. I had to pay him for coming and doing the work -- 20 rubles! That's about 60 cents! You show me an electrician who will come fix anything for that kind of money! That man didn't know I would gladly have paid him much more than that! I really need the electricity! I hate having to go to bed at dark, since it starts to get dark around 4 pm! I like to sleep, but that's ridiculous! Anyway, all's well that ends well! Just another thing to help me remember to be grateful for "little" things. I was absolutely EXCITED when the lights came back on. I could just see us not having lights until Monday. No, I couldn't see that, which is why I insisted that somebody DO something! The youth activity we had today was a lot of fun, at least for the missionaries. With the branch being fairly new, and the people being so new in the church, there are a lot of things they do that needed to be addressed. Things they just aren't aware of. Things they have actually been told about before, but it didn't sink in enough. Things like being reverent during meetings. Not bringing pets (mice) to church. Not talking out loud during meetings. Not talking to the person conducting the meeting, while he is conducting. Being prepared to speak if you have been assigned to speak! Having to be "coerced" into passing the sacrament. On and on. So we put on a little skit showing them just how it looks to an investigator when people behave like that. It would have been pretty funny except everything we did was (were?) things we have seen happening. Then we showed them the right way to behave. There weren't as many people there as we would have liked, but if those who were there will take it to heart, they can help start a change in the branch. We will probably put it on again later for the adult members. They need to understand how important it is, too. And yes, we have actually had members bring pet mice to church in cute little bags. Then they take them out and let them crawl up and over themselves, and think it's funny if someone doesn't want to hold the mouse. And if you are actually afraid of the mouse, oh oh! Monday after district meeting, all the missionaries went to the Philharmonia and watched a show put on by what we would call a school for the performing arts. A couple of very little children played the piano like you wouldn't believe! They had singers and dancers, and girls demonstrating doing fashion shows. The children were very professional and well rehearsed. They were so good! The price of admission was 15 rubles, or about 45 cents. After the show we went to the Mexican restaurant and had lunch. It was a nice afternoon. We cancelled my classes for the afternoon, but I taught my six o'clock class. Attendance has still been low this week. The children went back to school Thursday or Friday, so we will see what next week brings. This will be our last week meeting in the museum, I think. Next Sunday we should be meeting in the new place which is on the street where I live. I can see the building from our windows. Life just keeps getting more convenient all the time! Sunday I got about five weeks worth of the Church News, and the conference issue of the Ensign, and the December Ensign. I have been "feasting" all week! I wish it didn't take so long for us to get things like that, but it is so good when we do get them. We really appreciate them. The conference addresses were so good. I really missed being able to watch conference. I hope you don't take such things for granted. It is really special to be able to see the Prophet and the Apostles, and to hear their words. I didn't take it for granted before, and I surely won't now. Being so far from Church headquarters makes you really appreciate the things we usually take for granted. It is special! This is the Lord's church, and everything about it is special! We get so used to things. Like people knowing how to behave in church. And how to dress for church. Of course, even going to church is a new experience for a lot of new members. For years, during all the Communist years, church was frowned on, if not actually forbidden. We truly do live in the promised land! For the weather report, the temperature has ranged between -6 and -32 this week. We haven't had any new snow this week, till tonight. It was snowing lightly a while ago. I think it still is. Our windows have been iced over most of this week, where we can't see out. Since I don't go out much, I do like to look out, but I couldn't even do that for most of the week. This morning, there was ice on the inside of my bedroom windows. No, my bedroom isn't that cold, but the air between the windows is! I don't know if all of you know it, but Jack has pneumonia. I don't think he is able to be in the office at all, so I don't know when you will get this letter. Maybe Steven will be there and able to send it out for him. I really appreciate the way they take care of that for me. I appreciate the mail that I get from everyone. It helps me keep going. Some days I need it more than others. This week has been a needy week. I hope next week will be better. I don't understand why Satan works so hard on me. I guess we all think that. I guess we are all more important than we think we are. I know Heavenly Father thinks we are all important. And Jesus Christ loves us more than we can imagine. Something one of the missionaries challenged us to do is when you are reading your scriptures, make a list of the different names we use for Jesus Christ. You will be amazed at the number of different names. I just started doing it Tuesday, and I already have more than 75.  Something Pres. Hinckley said once, speaking of the Book of Mormon being Another Witness for Jesus Christ, was that when you are reading the BOM  to put a little check mark in the margin anywhere Jesus is mentioned. That way you can see at a glance that the BOM really is all about Jesus. You might  be amazed at the number of little check marks you willmake. You know that it is about Him, but you might not realize how MUCH of it is about Him. Doing these things helps me to concentrate more when I am reading. I have read the BOM a number of times now, and I don't want it to become mechanical. I know there are still things there that I haven't picked up on. So I want to concentrate when I read so that I don't miss so much. I know there are deeper insights to the scriptures than I sometimes see. There is so much to learn, and, maybe, so little time! I know that I have more time to studynow than I ever have had before, or probably will have after I come home. Worldly things get in the way of spiritual things so easily. That is the way Satan wants it. We didn't let him have his way in the pre-existence, and we shouldn't let him have his way now, either. We all have such  great potential, and Satan remembers who we are. We have forgotten, but he remembers. Don't let him win even the little skirmishes, and certainly not the BIG war!!! Help is available and ready. All we have to do is ask for it. Don't be still in the two year old stage of "I do it myself". I think sometimes that I am still in that stage at times. But since I have become aware of it, I'm trying not to behave like a two year old. I know I have my independence. I don't need to prove that to anyone. I'm trying not to be so proud that I won't ask for help, whether from Sis. Borlena, the elders, or especially Heavenly Father. I know He loves us and stands with arms outstretched, ready, willing, and able to help us with any thing we need. Remember that anything we care about, He cares about too. He loves us unconditionally. Sometimes He is more pleased with us than at other times, but isn't that the way we are with our own children? And just like we love them no matter what they do, He loves us, no matter what we do or how badly we mess up. I hope we won't be too proud to ask for help and accept help. Remember His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of _________ (insert your name!) We are not insignificant and unimportant. If we were, would Satan work so hard on us? I think not! Sometimes we are important to people we aren't even aware of. People watch us and what we do. Sometimes we can be an influence for good without even (or ever) knowing it. It has been a long and busy day, frustrating at times. But everything is fine, right now. I'm about ready to put myself to bed, so I'll put an end to this rambling by telling you all I love you very, very much. I'm grateful to be your ancestor! There are now three generations down line from me! How in the world did that happen?! Truly, inside every old person there is a young person, wondering what in the world happened!!!!! Just yesterday I was a young wife and mother with little children all around me to love and take care of. Now, all of a sudden, I'm a great grandmother! Time truly does fly. Make the most of every day! I will try to take my own advice!! Until next week. 

Love, Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, Shirley, Sis. Lynes, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, acquaintance, babushka with lights ON!!! (Choose one)