From Russia With Love...

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

Letter #57: From the Mission Field in Russia

Subject: #57
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2002 21:07:09 +0600
From: Shirley Lynes <gma@jacklynes.com>
To: jlynes@jacklynes.com

Helloooooo out there in cyberspace! First the weather report. It is finally warming up here! Most of the snow and ice are gone! The street and sidewalks outside our building are clear. The maintenance people have done a super job of cleaning everything up! We don't have heat, but it's not unbearable. I have my little heater I sometimes turn on to take the chill off my room. The good news is that we do have hot water! And I even took a walk yesterday! I didn't have to use a scarf, gloves, or hat!! Still wore my all weather coat, though. It is so nice to be able to get out again! I plan to do a lot of walking! I have even taken the quilt off my bed, so you know things are getting better! There was a baptism this afternoon, and three people were baptized! And the greatest news is that next Saturday, there is another baptism scheduled..... Stephen's mom finally calmed down enough for him to talk to her, and he is getting baptized! I am so grateful! He is such a nice young man!!! Michael, the young man I told you about last week, came to church last Sunday. He told Elder Soderberg that after being here most of Saturday, when he went to bed, he couldn't lie still, he was so happy! He said he was rolling around in the bed! I have found out that his wife was hit by a car and killed on Dec. 30. He has been in classes several days this week. And he told me that he has found a job. I didn't know he wasn't working. But life is looking better for him now. He is such a sweet young man. We made the trip to Yekat Tuesday. We left here about 3:30 am. Zone conference was great! Elder Hillbig and his wife of the Area Presidency were there. They did most of the taking, and talked a lot about the covenants we made at baptism. I bet you don't know as much about that as you think! Before the conference started, we were given a questionnaire about it, and not allowed to use our scriptures. I'll give you a run down of the questions, and you can see how you would do. 1. What are the eight contractual obligations (promises one makes) as part of the baptismal covenant? 2. What four promises does the Lord give as His part of the baptismal covenant? 3. What are the four purposes of baptism? 4. Who was the first person on earth to be baptized? 5. Did ancient Israel participate in baptism? 6. Why is immersion so important? 7. What are the two different symbols in "baptism by immersion"? Think about it and see if you can come up with all the answers. If you need to look it up, some of the answers can be found in Mosiah 18. But try before you look it up! It was a good conference, and gave us the spiritual uplift we all needed. About the trip: I got to sit in the front seat with the driver. I got to see so much more than the last two times we went, when I rode facing the back of the van! We were only about 5 minutes out of Kurgan(at 4 am!) when the van started skipping. It got worse, and finally the driver stopped and got out. It had overheated for some reason. It took 30-45 minutes to get it going again. It gave us no more trouble the whole trip. We were back home by 11:30 pm, which is a lot better than 3 am, like it has been before. I want to tell you about something that happened on the trip. Late Tuesday afternoon, we had to stop for gas. It was out in the country, and was one of those places that make everybody get out of the car and stay far away from it. So we were standing out on a little dirt road, and there was a small pond there. I walked over to it because I could see something moving in the water, and I thought it might be a turtle, or something. You could see little disturbances in the water. And then I heard some sounds that I couldn't identify. The other missionaries didn't know what it was either, but Sis. Burlena said, "It is frogs." And then I could see that it was! There were lots of frogs, and you could just see part of them, because they were in the water, with only their heads sticking out. Russian frogs don't sound like American frogs! None of that ribbett sound we always say frogs make. This was very melodic! It was sort of a "bloop, bloop" sound, and very close to music! I've never heard anything like it. It was very interesting. So there I was, out in the country, standing by a little pond, in Siberia, in the middle of Russia, listening to frogs! Who would have ever thought!!!!! I made the other missionaries be quiet so I could hear them! It really was like music! We had to take a TB test while we were in Yekat. It seems TB is still very prevalent here, and the area president, and Pres. Hall, wanted all the missionaries tested. There are two active cases of TB in Ufa, (members of the branch there) and about 30 people have been exposed. This test tells if a person has been exposed to TB. If it turns up positive, that doesn't mean that the person has TB, just that they have been exposed to it. There is medicine that you have to take to make sure it doesn't turn into a real case of TB. Our area doctor from Moscow and his wife were there to do the tests. It wasn't the usual kind of test, but an actual injection just under the skin. He was to call in 2 or 3 days and ask us how it looks, and if there is a lump where he put the injection. He called last night, and I was happy to report that Sis. Burlena and I were both negative. I also got my AIDS test done on Wednesday. In order to get a Russian visa, you have to prove you do not have AIDS. I had one last year at the MTC. But to get the visa renewed, I have to prove it all over again. So I got my test done, and that was an experience! Elya, our branch mission coordinator, came over and took me to get the test. (She speaks perfect English, although she won't speak it to anybody except me, and then only if no one else is around. I think she thinks she has too much accent, but she really sounds American.) Sis. Burlena called for a taxi, which I'm grateful for. I don't think I could have walked that far! And I never could have found the place by myself. The driver got us there, and waited for us. Elya heard him ask the dispatcher, after we got back in the cab, how much to charge us. They had quoted us 40 rubles for the ride. She told him, since he had to wait 14 minutes, to charge 80 rubles. I told Elya to give him 100. It was worth it to me. When we went in, there was no place to register, or anything like that. We were told to wait outside the nurse's office. We didn't have to wait long, as the only other person waiting went in right after we got there. So I went in, but Elya couldn't come in. The nurse told her that she, the nurse, would be able to understand me. (That wasn't my worry; would I understand her?) She, of course, needed my passport. (In Russia, you need your passport all the time. They use it almost like we use a driver's license, for a picture I.D. We are not supposed to leave the apartment without it!) She wrote down all the information she needed, showed me in the book that it would cost 50 rubles, about $1.50, and I had to sign the book. Then I sat down sideways on a straight back chair, put my arm over the back of the chair, and she tied a rubber hose around my arm. (I know I should call it a tube, but it was almost big enough to call a hose!) She stuck my arm, with sort of a large needle, and held the vial over the other end of the needle, and let my blood drip into the vial. They don't have vacuum tubes here. It works. They do the best they can with what they have to work with. It wasn't painful, and she drew blood with the first stick. Elya picked up the results on Thursday, and Elder Soderberg faxed it to the office in Yekat Friday morning. So that's taken care of. I saw Serguei and his wife while I was in Yekat. He looks good, and happy. He said that he had received the Melchizedek priesthood on the previous Sunday. I got an email from him this morning. I'd like you to read what he wrote me: "As you know this Sunday I have just received the Melchezidech priesthood. Nowadays I can feel Holy Ghost very well. I am glad that our Lord leads me through my life. Isn't it a great feeling to be a member of the church and enjoy our branch and the classes we attend each Sunday? I have a testimony and I try to share it with others. By giving it away, I will strengthen it ten fold. People look up to me and they trust me. I know that this power goes from God and it will lead to the conversion of many people here in Russia. I am not afraid to testify of the truthfulness of the gospel. It's our duty. Read 3 Nephi 12:15. It is a commandment of God." Wise counsel from a Russian convert! Russia celebrates May Day this next week. The people get a 5 day holiday. It used to be a big deal, during communism. They used to use it as a day to parade tanks, soldiers and military weapons. They don't do that anymore, but still hold onto the holiday. May Day isn't the big deal it used to be. The Russians have a lot of holidays! I didn't mean to run on so long tonight. I get a little long-winded sometimes! But of course, you already knew that! I hope everything is going well for everybody. Just remember it can't always be a bed of roses. And even in a bed of roses, there are thorns! Things are fine here. No particular problems. I just do the same things, day in and day out. At least I know what to expect, sort of! Attendance has been off this week, but the weather is finally getting good enough for the people to go to their dachas (little farms) and get ready to plant. Most people have a little place, I think the government gave it to them a long time ago, where they can grow some food. It is very necessary for them. I'm looking forward to the vegetables coming in season! I love you all and pray for you every day. Thank you to all who took time to write to me this week. You will never know how much it means to me! Till next week!

Love,
Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, Shirley, Sis. Lynes, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, acquaintance, email pay, babushka with a clean bill of health!! (choose one)