Hey fam!

Sorry about last week- I promise that I wanted to get a good report written up for ya, but it just kinda didn't work out. Gotta love them transfers!

First and foremost- as far as the last transfer goes for me, I didn't get one. But we have some good plans for this upcoming cycle. We ended up with an odd number of elders and so since we just had a lot of things going, it didn't make much sense to leave for a few weeks. However, we needed some new blood in here and so I am currently in a three-some- kinda funny! Anyways, Elder Davydov came up and will be with Elder Whittemore and I'm just kinda the third wheel here to work in this area and go out on exchanges with our driver. We are especially focused on beefing up Saratov a little bit (trying to get things going to create a Stake!) and so I'm taking off in about a half an hour here to go and work down there for the next several days. Because of that- I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be able to write home next week...sorry momma...

But, we have had a good week around here. We were kind of in rebuild mode after having transfers and zone conferences that made us have to be working in different areas and things and so we had a lot of working on the streets just building up the pool to work with. Gotta do the time to do the crime! So, we had some fun little successes with that. Definitely affirmed my theory that it doesn't matter if it's 32 degrees or -32 degrees….it gets pretty cold after a few hours of walkin’ around and standing and talking! It's still pretty mild, but definitely not warm right now!

Anyways- it's been a good week with Sasha. Unfortunately he hurt his back at work and so wasn't able to make it to church to get the Aaronic Priesthood. Just a little side note- I'm not sure if I had said this earlier but he works all night on Saturday and gets off at 8:00 in the morning and still comes to church on Sunday at 10:00. Pretty cool. Luckily he got "raised up" this week and in a couple of weeks will not have to work at night and not work at all on Sundays! Blessings! Anyways- we had a great meeting on Saturday with him and taught him about the priesthood and he is just ready and things to continue progressing in the gospel. I know I already said this to mom and maybe Sarah- but he is just such a treat to be around. With a lot of these members (especially priesthood holders) it is almost baffling to try and think where they come from. The Russian people are great and things, but guys like Sasha that are in our branches are just a different breed and for some reason the gospel just makes sense. It is so evident when somebody has the blood of Israel in them!

Well, besides that we are just working- truckin’ to the end as those mudflaps told you, dad! It is such a blessing to be a missionary and have the name of Jesus Christ on my chest and testify of him every day. I love my mission.

Love you all, have a good week! Don't forget to read and pray!

Elder Nielson