Welcome to Siberia

Hey Everyone!!!

How are y'all?? Were doing good up here in Austria! Its been a hard week, but a good one!

Some awesome things happened this week! I had the opportunity to go on exchange with the zone leaders and spent a day with Elder England.... from England. lol. Awesome guy, and a great missionary, I learned a lot from him. He is really cool. We had a really awesome experience at institute together. We were asked by our ward mission leader to make sure that we are at institute and at a youth activity every week. While me and Elder England were at institute, we met a guy who is not a member of the church. He had just come with a friend and was really cool. He had a lot of questions about different things, but he stayed for the whole lesson and for dinner after! We hope to be able to meet him again sometime!!

Street contacting this week was not quite as fun though. We had a cold front from Siberia blow in, or that's what I was told, and it was really cold. I am not jealous of those people that actually live in Siberia because the wind was not fun at all haha. But yesterday and today it has started to warm up again which is great!

Spiritual thought of the week:
Joseph Smith History 1:11 - 13

11 While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

12 Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

13 At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture
 
These scriptures are read a lot in our church and in our lessons and this week the power of what he says really came across to me. His actions and the consequences that come from that are a powerful testimony of prayer. When we have a question and we really ponder and pray, with the intent to act on the answer we receive, Heavenly Father will help us. It may not be the answer we expect or the way, but He will not abandon us. Joseph Smith learned that for himself and I have learned it for myself. And you can experience it too.

I love you all! Thank you for your support! Have a great week!

Elder Wiser