Feburary 10, 2014 - The Saratov Approach

We had a nice big surprise this past Thursday! The morning of transfers they sent out a mass text telling everybody to come to transfer meeting even if we weren't being transferred. President Riggs had seen the movie "The Saratov Approach" and learned lots of valuable lessons from it and wanted us to see it. In order to get a whole mission conference together he needs the church Missionary Department in SLC to approve it. He didn't receive approval until the morning of, so it was a little rushed and last minute. The movie is about the missionaries in Russia who got kidnapped. It was pretty intense and I liked it a lot (any movie we get to watch is amazing). It’s not every day that you are approved to watch PG-13 movies on your mission (haha). A guy in my last ward served in Russia and knew the guys in the movie. Overall it was good and I learned some good things from it.

We also were told at the meeting that this will be the last transfer that we will be using paper planners. Which means that after this transfer we will be getting our iphones and ipads. That isn't the first time we’ve been told that... We were supposed to get them mid-December and now it will be mid-March. Elder Oyler and I are both staying in Mount Vernon for this transfer, but he will probably be leaving on the next transfer. I have four new missionaries in my district this transfer, including a new Zone Leader. Elder Hawkes (from LP) got transferred. The new Zone Leader is from Taiwan. Not very many new missionaries have been coming in because our mission is at capacity right now.

Our investigator, Zohra, is going amazing! We give her a pamphlet the day before a lesson, she reads it once, and then tells us the whole thing almost word for word. She has a photographic memory or something. It has been awesome to see her faith increasing and the difference that it has made in her life. Our last lesson with her was very spiritual and she got emotional several times. The member we brought with us also got pretty emotional. He has been deployed to Afghanistan several times and seeing Zohra (from Afghanistan) growing in the Gospel made him get teary a few times. He told her that people like her are the reason he serves. We have almost taught her everything and she understands it all. She has learned faster than any of our Christian investigators! She has committed to be baptized, but we have to wait until her divorce is over. No telling how long that could be. She also said she had another dream that she was sharing the gospel with her friends! She is awesome!

We have other investigators that we are working with, but the ones I mentioned last week are the most solid. I have done two baptismal interviews so far and they are really fun. They are a great spiritual experience and I like doing it.

The mission is awesome! I’m glad for the relatively warmer weather we have been having. We have been seeing lots of success and improvement. Last transfer was really great and the work has been picking up speed. I can definitely feel the work hastening just as the prophets have been telling us it would! I can see a big change in myself spiritually and I’m glad I still have lots of time left. If we just give our will over to the Lord, he will mold us into the people we are meant to become.

I love you all! Thanks for all the prayers and support!
Elder Miles