Armenian Time

Monday, December 20, 2010

12-19-10

Elder Kurth is doing great. We're starting to be able to teach better together, and there are a lot of people here that we might be able to start working with. We just had our District Conference (like stake conference) and I was able to see the World Wide Training. It was very interesting. I hope I can better support our branch president here. Elder Kurth and I should be the counselors for the Branch President and I hope we can start helping him fulfill his responsibilities for the branch. I also got to see Sako, who I baptized, from Gyumri. Since I left, his Mom has been baptized, he got married, and his wife is now baptized. I'm so happy for him and I hope he can continue to prepare to be a leader in the church.

A cool verse that I found was in 2 Ne 9: 13-14.
O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.
14 Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness

I like the word enjoyment that is used in verse 14. We really get to choose what state we are in. If we make bad choices, we are imprisoned by our guilt and it is very unpleasant, but making good choices fills our lives with peace and joy. I know that those feelings of guilt can also be cleaned away as we are spiritually healed of our wounds through Christ's atonement and His doctrine.

Friday, December 17, 2010

12-12-10

My companion, Elder Kurth, is doing great. He's very smart and will know more words than me in not too long. We're working on helping him communicate his thoughts and feelings. He has a clean heart and wants to be an obedient, good missionary. I think we are going to have a great time together. I love having companions that I feel comfortable with and so far it has seldom been different. The members love him as well. They love him even more that he is struggling to understand them. I'm afraid his struggling is going to be a lot less than mine was.

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I felt like the Lord really led us to Vahe and Suzie this week. This week, our leaders clarified to us the rule that we need to have an adult of the opposite sex present at every meeting. I knew we were going to need some special help to be obedient to that rule and still be able to visit everyone we needed to. We decided to have a special fast in order to get some help to find males to meet with at every meeting. That same Sunday, Aleks came to visit Ofik from Gyumri and wanted to come to church. Also, he invited Vahe to come with him. They both participated well in church and both seem interested in learning more. Since they both live ouside of the area, I don't know if we'll see any imediate results, but I know God blessed us and will continue to do so as we strive to be obedient, especially because he knows how bad it is needed here.

That was probably my highlight of the week. Melan and Gago came to church after not coming for two weeks, which is good. I hope they don't give up. We hope to help them strengthen their faith so they can overcome their obstacles.

District meeting went well, I thought. We learned about faith from one of the sisters and then talked about some of the culture and beliefs of Armenians for the new elders. The new elders all three bore testimonies about missionary work, the restoration, and the atonement. It was nice. This week we'll focus on obedience and do some language training. I hope it goes well. The Brethren also want us to incorporate role playing into our studies and training, so I'll be trying to incorporate some of that as well. I think I'll enjoy being district leader.
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Well, we have to go get haircuts, bye a shower part, sing with some kids, and hopefully eat out, so I'll talk to you later. Love you so much.

Love,
Elder Bruce Allen Wainwright

12/5/10

Elder Carlson went home this week. It was hard for him. He loves these people so much. I stayed in Yerevan with the zone leaders until my trainee came in on Saturday. His name is Elder Kurth. He's tall and skinny with blond hair and glasses, looking somewhat similar to Elder King. He's a great man. He's doing so well with the language. He listens well and picks things up really fast. Elder Kurth is very humble and friendly and is a hard worker even though he learns easily. He's the youngest of nine kids! I think we'll have a great companionship and it will be very easy to train him. I bet I have a lot I can learn from him. The members seem to love him as well and realize how blessed he is with the language.

We don't have anyone who seems like they will be ready for baptism soon, but we have seen a cool miracle already. Our leaders clarified a rule that it seems like has been hard to keep or has been forgotten about. It says that there needs to be a responsible adult of the opposite sex present at our meetings, which can be hard when there are few to no priesthood holders in the branch. I realized that there will be times when that will be particular hard up here in Alaverdi and hard for the members to accept (if we tell them we can't come in). Elder Kurth and I decided to fast about finding new males to meet with and being able to meet with those already in the branch. Then, two younger men who are relatives of the members and somewhat familiar with the church came to church on Sunday. I don't know how long they'll be around, but they were both great men and I hope we can meet with them some this week.

I'm a little nervous for my first district meeting. It's a little stressful to try and decide what to talk about, especially having two smart zone leaders in the district, but I'm excited to be able to serve the missionaries and grow while doing it.

I'm glad that you had a great thanksgiving. That's funny that Matt made you cry. They do have similarities. I'm glad he's doing well.

We put up the Christmas decorations this morning. They're nice. We also made some homemade peanut butter. While I was in Yerevan I bought some snickers so I could put it into my companion's stocking for Christmas like I did for Elder Larson last year.

Give Seth a kiss for me. I love you. Hope everything's going well.

Love,
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

11-29-10

Elder Carlson is going this week already. It went fast. I learned a lot with him. He's a great man. We've had great lessons together as well. We meet with seven people on our full days, which is great. There's still crazy gossip problems here, that I don't think will go for a long time, but I feel like things will and are improving. I love the people, especially sister Ofik and her family. She loves the missionaries so much and always says funny things that sound obsurd in English like, "I'll die for your body" or for your "spirit," and "my precious!" She's a great woman and a good example. She's the R. S. President. We're trying to teach her daughter in law, but her son is pretty inactive and is stubborn. Great people though. We are trying really hard to help the branch focus on each other's good sides and not the bad. I hope we can help them change that.

President Carter knows I was supposed to be sent here. He even said why during our zone conference. He said I am a peacemaker. I admire his faith. He won't do anything unless he knows for sure that it's the Lord's will. I hope to be able to strengthen my spiritual sensitivity. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost.

I have to go, but I love you. Have a great week.

Much love,

Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, November 22, 2010

Thanksgiving

I'm so glad to be able to serve with Elder Carlson. He is a great example. He doesn't want to go home because of how much he has put his heart into this work. We felt like we needed to start commending the members for their strengths, so on Sunday Elder Carlson said something good about every one of the members in his talk. It brought in the Spirit pretty fast. I know that every child of God's is prescious to him and he wants us all to be able to recieve exaltation and all that he has. It's so worth it.

I just wanted to take a second and thank everyone who has been a part of my life for being who they are. I have been blessed with great friends and with an amazing family and extended family. Grandma's, Grandpa's, cousins, aunts, uncles, and many others. I'm sure many people don't realize how big of a difference they've made in my life. We need each other so bad. I wonder how great of a place the City of Enoch must have been. It's so wonderful that every one of us has our own individualities. I'm a blessed man.

With love and gratitude,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, November 15, 2010

11-15-10

Dear Mom,
To answer some of your questions, persecution has kind of been put into many Armenians. Armenians are very proud of their church since that's about all they have. The government doesn't like us too much, so they put up signs saying "One Nation," and then talk about how the Jehovah's Witnesses, us, and others are breaking down the country and families. Many people are either afraid of us, or just don't like us, at least by name. The one's who believe those things are usually not the ones that we want to teach, but a lot of people are afraid of what others will think. Armenians are talkers and everyone knows each others stories. That's probably why a lot of husbands don't let wives come to church as well. Fear of man. It's pretty sad.

So, I had some major changes happen this week, and I'm so excited. I got transferred to Alaverdi, the furthest north branch and the newest (2 or 3 years). I also got sent to serve with Elder Carlson for the last three weeks of his mission, which will be amazing. He was our assistant before he trained for the second time. He is a great man and an amazing missionary. I was wondering if I would ever be able to serve with him, and I feel blessed to be able to. He'll help me be a great servant and tool for the Lord. He's also excited to be able to serve with me too, which is nice. The branch is a little crazy. There's quite a bit of pride and contention, which sadly puts a bad name on the church pretty fast in a small place like this. We live in a canyon in a village called Sarahart (being interpreted it means flat mountain, like a bluff). Alaverdi is at the bottom of the valley and is slightly bigger. We usually ride a lift thing to get between the two. It's going to be hard work, but I'm excited to try and help. I feel silly for thinking our last branch was in a bad condition. We have some good people we're teaching, most of them are relatives of the members. We're working hard together, and it feels so good. It's going to be an adventure. I will also become the district leader and be training when Elder Carlson leaves, which I don't really want to think about too much. I'm excited for it, though. This will be a good place to train.

Sunday was a little sad. The members are new and know that the branch is perfect, but it's as if they can all see the slivers in their neighbors eyes and forget to pull out the mote that is in their own. I don't mean to sound negative, because there are some great people, but they need to humble themselves before they can really help each other. Every principle of the Gospel is so necessary. I hope they can learn. Elder Carlson said he has already seen improvement. He and I have an easy time teaching together. I feel like our desires are very similar. I'm sad we'll only be together for three weeks, but it'll be great. He doesn't want to go.
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Well, I'm pretty happy right now. I love you.

Love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, November 8, 2010

11/7/10

I enjoyed this week, even if the work was a little slower than normal. I think God was trying to help me remember how blessed I am and how important this life and mission is for me. I was reading from the book Our Search for Happiness and Elder Ballard quoted the scripture in Matt 6:18-21 (I believe) that says not to treasure up things of the world, but things in heaven that will last. Then, it says "where your treasure is, there will your heart be." That led me to remember how many treasures I have in this life and that I need better treasure them up and care about them. I feel like it has been a little hard for me to bear a strong testimony to these people about the Gospel, lately, because I can forget how precious it really is. I know that without Jesus Christ and this Gospel, I am nothing and all that I do will bring me no good. However, through Christ all things will come together for my good. All the happiness and peace in my life comes because of a man who loves me more than I will ever deserve, even Jesus Christ. He loves me, which helps me want to love Him and my fellow man. I was grateful for this nice reminder and am so grateful for God's persistence in trying to help me.

None of our investigators made it to church yesterday, which was sad. We still fill like they're able to progress, however. We need help from Heavenly Father. Gayane, a less active we visited, did come, however, and was warmly welcomed. Bryce asked how the members are with missionary work, and that's hard to know, but I feel like they do pretty well. They still are new themselves and have things to learn, but for the most part they are excited to be able to share with friends they care about. It is hard because of persecution from the Armenian church, but they still do pretty good. Armenians, in many ways, are very selfless and I admire that. It does seem hard for them to share with their family members, especially wives with husbands.
Love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

11-3-10

Hey Mom,

Thanks for the letter, it sounds like you had a great week. How did Bryce send you salmon? We actually had salmon this week too. Elder Thylin is from Sweden, so of course he loves fish. In their schools, you can't pass a grade if you don't pass your swimming class. I guess a lot of them end up working on boats for at least some of their lives.

This week was pretty slow for work with our investigators, so we started focusing on some of the members again. There were a few houses we wanted to get into, so we decided to cook a bunch of cookies and drop them off. It was really nice, and we were invited into all of their houses. We have a few part member families in our area that we would like to work with. I feel like both families are necessary for the gospel, and the Gospel is necessary for families. I know the support that our families give makes a huge difference.

It got cold pretty fast. We're thinking about wearing coats already if it stays this cold. What's it like there?

Today we went to the zoo, which was fun. I love animals and nature so much. I miss camping. At the zoo I got to hold a snake, which was pretty neat. Animals are so beautiful and can be quite powerful.

I realized my chess skills are getting pretty good. I'll have to play Ionut again when we get back. Elder Thylin and I have been playing that lately on our down time.

Love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

10-24-10

Dear Mom,

Thank you for the nice letter. I really appreciate it. It's so nice to know I have a family out somewhere who loves and cares so much for me. I can really see how that is a need of all mankind. Without love and respect for others, there is no reason to be good, or try hard, and as you said, the gospel is the source of all hope. I agree with that. I am quite blessed in many ways.
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This week has been pretty normal. We didn't have as many meetings as usual, but I think everything is still good with our investigators. Hasmik said she wants to make it to church from now on, even though she works. We need to get her some friends in the branch to support her. I'm not sure what will happen with Artur, however. He didn't want to set a specific time to meet, so I told him to call us when he's ready. I hope he doesn't give up. Yasha left. I'll have to keep in touch with him.

I love Elder Thylin and am grateful to be able to serve with him. I am learning a lot while with him. We have a good companionship. We roasted some peanuts and are going to make some home made peanut butter this week. I hope it works well. We watched Johny Lingo with some of the youth for an activity this week, and that was fun. We also started meeting with a less active man, Karen, who was active and already seems to be doing better. Good family. Struggle financially though, as do many people here.
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So why do Sara and Julia like to cut their hair so much? They're funny. I hope you have a nice break. You deserve it. I love you. Thanks Mom, and Dad, for all you do and for supporting me in all my dreams and desires throughout my life. I really appreciate it.

Much love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, October 18, 2010

10-17-10

Today was pretty fun. We went up to Garni and Geghard again. That's the greek looking temple. Not everyone had seen them. I really like learning about history a lot, and trying to figure out what life was like for other people, and what things were important for them, etc. There are so many things to learn about.

I'm glad you got to go see the kids this weekend. I can't wait to see Jennevieve. She seems pretty cute.

Well, this week went well. We're pretty busy right now. I feel like I've been blessed, actually, with always having people to meet with. We found an apartment to move into right across from the church, which will be nice. I think I'll leave when the move happens. I really like this branch and area a lot. All of our investigators have been great people here. I miss Adam. He got a job for some Armenian screenwriting company and is now in France, but is trying to stay active. He's a great man, I hope things go well with him. He wanted to go pretty bad. We're teaching some great people right now. I love them all. Yasha and Araks are a great couple. We said bye to Yasha since he's leaving for a bit and will soon be in America with his dad, preparing for Araks to come. Araks should be baptized in about a month since she's leaving too, and Yasha said he'll get baptized in America. We had a nice lesson with them at President Carter's house, and I think it left a good impression. They want to be married in the temple. It's so great. They have already started changing and becoming even more wonderful and seeing the change in their own lives. That's the best part of this work. We also had a nice lesson with Artur, trying to explain to him how he needed to put his trust in God to find the answers to his many questions. He pretty much just wanted to get our opinion, or our church's take on the Bible. That helped me realize how important it is for me to not teach people my opinion, but the words that are put into my heart by the Spirit. I'm trying to be able to trust less in my knowledge, but rather in the promptings of the Spirit. Araks, Yasha, and Hasmik all came with us to see a nice baptism as well.

It's been raining a lot here, how about there? Well, that's about it. Halloween is coming up soon. We're going to plan up an activity for the branch. Thanks for your great love and care. It means a lot. Have a great week.

Much love,
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, October 11, 2010

10-10-10

General Conference was so great. I loved it a lot. We watched the Sunday Session with the Senior couples and President Carter, which was nice. The spiritual boost of simply listening did me a lot of good. I also feel like I learned a lot and have some things to work on. One theme that I felt like was important for me was the importance and role of the Spirit. President Monson's talk on agency was really good. I feel so close to a lot of the brethren, especially Elder Scott. I don't have my notes, so I don't remember a lot of specifics right now, but one of the talks I want to remember is the one on pride by Elder Holland if I'm not mistaken. He said there's no one who has escaped pride and few that overcome it. It's amazing how many sins and mistakes stem from pride. He said that we can overcome our pride by being humble and serving and loving others. There was another talk about not taking for granted the blessings we have and being more grateful. I know that those things will help me stay more pure and be able to help more people. I want to be a friend to others to whom they can trust and turn to for help. I also learned a lot from Elder Christofferson's talk about consecration. We should be more willing to give up of our given blessings from the Lord.

It was nice to have Yasha and Araks there. I called Artur earlier in the week, and he has come a few times. He even came to the conference, but he still is not in the mode of listening to the spirit. I hope we can do our part right of leading him through the Priesthood line, as Elder Oaks talked about, so that he can receive answers from God through the individual line. He wants immediate answers, as we all often do.

Elder King was transfered to small Ararat, down south, for his last month. It's been great to be in his district for this time. We had an interesting experience together this week before he left. I left my bag unwatched for a few minutes, which was a bad idea, and when I came back the camera that I was pretty sure was there was no longer present. I was pretty sure it was stolen, and by who it was done. It was a silly mistake and I was sad about all the pictures that I would not be able to take home. I confirmed that it was taken, and as we were coming back to the church I fortunately saw the kid. I asked him straight up to give it to me, and he finally gave in and left to get it. However, he began to run, so Elder King and I chased him down a block or so, until he gave it up. I feel bad for the kid, because he said he did it so he could sell money. He almost felt the right to steal, and I don't even know if he felt bad for it. It's sad, but I'll have to be more careful. It can be hard to trust people these days.

The work has been going well, though. We have been reading the Book of Mormon a lot with our investigators, and that has been really nice. That book really has a great power.

Monday, October 4, 2010

10-3-10

Hey Mom,

Thanks for the pictures. It looks like it was a great weekend. That's too bad you didn't have the best experience with listening, but the talks sound great. It seems to make sense to me that at least one of the things they were talking about was slowing down. As technology increases, it seems like we as people are beginning to do a lot more of nothing, if that makes sense. It's like in Wall-e how the people are so busy doing nothing that they don't even know what's happening around them. I think that's so important, to slow down and think. I was actually thinking about that yesterday. I realized how important it is to stop, reflect, and think about the experiences we have each day. Writing in my journal really helps me to both think about the experiences I have as well as remember them later. I was thinking how I can do that periodically during my nightly prayers, once a week on Sundays, Once a month on fast sunday, and at least yearly as well during new years or something. If I can consistently do that, it will be easier to be more productive and to not let precious time slip by unused.
Not many people came to church this week. Hopefully it was just because of the rain, even though that's a lame excuse. Our new branch president, Pres. Tsaturyan, is doing a great job. He's about thirty, unmarried, bald, and super nice. This week he began assigning members to clean the church on Saturdays, which will be wonderful. Only two showed up, but that's a start.

Elder King and I had exchanges this week, which was fun. They were really short, but we visited Artur and his family and I thought it went really well. Artur's wife is a devout Armenian Apostalic church member, and didn't like us being there too much, but she at least relaxed by the end and didn't object to us praying with them before we left. I like Artur a lot. He's a painter and is just trying to figure out what this life is about. When I tried to plan up with him again, I felt like that might be all we can meet with them, but I'm hoping we can still teach him. We finally planned up to meet with Pres. Carter and Yasha to have an interview, so after that we should be able to continue to teach him. He's going back to America soon, but I hope we can help him get a firm foundation, as well as his wife. They're a great couple. I had a nice talk with our Relief Society President during their meeting as well. Our finding of new people has slowed down, but we plan to start focusing on the members again, especially part member families. I always say, "the fun never ends," and it really doesn't. With myself and with others, there will always be work to do and something to learn.

I talked to Adam. He's in France for work. I hope he comes back, but I don't think he will. He found a church to visit there, but it's far away so I hope it works out well.

Today we're going to an Exotarium to see exotic animals. It should be fun.

I love you all so much and miss you. talk to you later.

Love,
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, September 27, 2010

9-27-10 Weekly Summary

Weekly summary:
This week went by fast, but it was nice. We met a great new investigator, named Artur. Out of curiosity, Artur decided to enter the church and talked to the District President for a little bit about some questions he had. We planned up with him and met twice with him. He's a skinny guy, gray hair, but has two boys who are 10 and 15. He made it to church, even though I only called a half an hour before-hand to remind him, which is a pretty good sign. He said his wife doesn't care for him meeting with us, since she's a devout Armenian Apastolic member, but he doesn't seem to let that disturb him from coming. He's a smart man, and I hope he can use his curiosity to sincerely pray about this. Not much has changed with our other investigators, but they have potential. Something we're focusing on this week is figuring out what has happened with all the priesthood holders in our branch: deceased, moved, ready to come back, or apostate. We've had some pretty good service opportunities this week. Last monday, our relief society president, Mariam, was doing some remodeling and we were able to help Yasha, our Iranian friend, carry up a bunch of sand bags for the wall. My companion and I haven't done any crazy workouts lately, so we were pretty dead afterwards (as in for two days). It's been a while since I've lifted cement bags. It's all good now, and I got some weights from Elder King (he leaves in a month already), so we can be better prepared for next time. We also got to move a piano down three flights of stairs which was an adventure. I love that kind of service. It was a nice week.

Monday, September 20, 2010

9-19-10

Weekly summary...
This week was good, even though we had very few meetings. We have been trying to remake contact with our investigators and clear up with them why exactly we are visiting and what our plan is. That is something Pres. Carter does very well. He makes it very clear both why we are here and exactly what will be required of the person we are teaching. He is a man full of love, both for the Lord and for everyone around him. I'm so glad we get opportunities to work side by side with him. We're trying to work with an investigator that he was able to give a Book of Mormon to. It didn't work out the other day, so he walked with us to grab an ice cream while we talked. He's a great leader.

We had four people come to church yesterday, which has not happened for a while. Ashot, the interesting Hindu/Yoga man came for sacrament. A lady who we met this week and are teaching english to came with her daughter. Also, Alik came for most of the meetings and had no problem participating. It was a nice Sunday. It is so nice to have a full Branch Presidency. The councilors are also the clerk and Branch Mission Leader, but it still works. As I said in Bryce's letter, we're supposed to find a man to fill in Elder Thylin's place as Elder's Quorum President. I really think God will provide us with one soon. We are trying to pray every day to find men who can lead the church here. It's a lot of work, but I can see improvements even in the little time I've been here. I was actually thinking about Zion's Camp lately, and how that was simply one of those necessary adventures that you were talking about in order for those men to grow and earn trust in the Lord, even though they didn't get to fight. 8 or 9 of the men in the camp were called to be apostles and all seventy men in the Quorum of Seventy were part of the camp as well. It's amazing how God works with his imperfect children.

Monday, September 13, 2010

9-13-10

Hey Mom,
Sorry I wasn't very clear in my last letter. We didn't go to Russia. And the temple is actually in Kiev, Ukraine. The sessions were transmitted to our branches through satellite since the saints here will now be attending that temple. Before they had to go to Sweden. Romanian saints will also be attending the Kiev temple as well. The only ones who went were about twenty youth who performed in the cultural event. One of the girls, Zara, who is from our branch had to stay longer for some reason, but was able to do baptisms for the dead there after it was opened. She and another girl should be getting their mission calls back very soon. What I said about President Monson was just from what I noticed in the broadcasts. I also talked about the power that comes from the temple, and I could feel that, even though we weren't actually there. I can't wait to get home and be able to continue to learn and grow while visiting the temple often. Most of the saints here have only been once, if at all.
This week was a little different. Elder Grigoryan had a hard time getting over his sickness and had a fever on and off for five days. The transfer was supposed to happen on Friday so we arranged for his parents to come pick him up. However, when President Carter went to pick up the new missionaries, they didn't show and they found out there were flight problems, so the transfer was delayed until today. So I have been serving with Elder King and Lusk in their area, which has been great except that I haven't seen my investigators for about a week now. I hope it doesn't put too much of a damper on the work. It was great with Elder Lusk and King, though. Their new apartment is beautiful and probably one of the best in the mission. We even dedicated it this morning.
To answer your other question, yes, we are also learning the new focused corriculum. Actually, missionaries in the whole world should be learning it. Bryce said he already flew to Jeauneu (however you spell that) to receive the training. I like it a lot. They did it by filming missionaries in California who learned the principles and applied it. They want us to basically be better teachers and more Christlike. To love people and really try to help them instead of just reciting to them everything we know. I'm excited to begin applying it. I've been thinking about that lately and really want to become a better, more reliable and helpful friend. It makes all the difference.
I'm excited about my new companion. His name is Elder Thylin (Tihl-in). He is from Sweden. He speaks great english, fairly tall, darker skin, and Armenian's love him. He's had it pretty rough I hear, both on his mission and at home, but he tries very hard to love people and wants them to love him. He's a pretty happy guy in general. I think we'll have a good companionship. He also likes to work hard and wants to serve well. I'll let you know how it goes.
Some more nice things about President Carter is his devotion to the work and the Lord. At least for now, he is trying to get into the middle of everything and even tries to go to meetings with missionaries. He is always ready to sacrifice his time for others. He won't make a decision until he knows it is the Lord's will, for example with transfers and callings, etc. He is a man full of love and has given me many special compliments that I don't know I deserved. I'm honored to have such a humble, obedient, and honest man as a Mission President, as well as his humble and loving wife. They are a great couple.
Well that was my week. The interview didn't work out with Yasha. The interview is for us to make sure we will not be doing anything to endanger the life of anyone. They pretty much have to have citizenship in a Christian country and plan not to return to Iran. We have a few other Iranian friends who are also beginning to ask questions. Just so you know, the underground Christians I was talking about in Iran were not members of this church, but still Christian.
I'm sorry you got sick and were stressed about your lesson. I feel the same way sometimes, that I could have given a lot better of a lesson. I think that's true, but I also think the imperfect ones are alright as well. As long as we learn from them. I miss you and love you. I try and think of you too, and remember how blessed of a man I am. It's interesting that our difficulties are necessary for our growth. Brigham Young said that Joseph Smith would not have been able to become as perfect of a man as he did if he had not had so much persecution, trials, and infirmities as he did in his life. I hope that I can make the best out of my trials, even though I don't feel like I have had a ton of very hard things to do. Maybe I just need to open my eyes a little more to see the opportunites God gives me to grow. I love you. I'm doing alright.
Love,
Elder Bruce Wainwright
P.S.- Thanks for the story from Lisa's friend. It was great

Monday, August 30, 2010

8-29-10

Mom,

First I'll answer your questions. I always forget to plan for preparation day, so we usually do what someone else is doing. Last week we went and saw Edgmiatsin which is like Armenia's religious center, even though I'm not sure why. Visiting historic or religious sites are my favorite activities. It helps me understand them a little better. We also got to see a baptism, which was quite interesting. They speak in old Armenian when they are doing their services, which Armenians can't even understand. Elder King is actually studying that old Armenian and has a Bible of it. The week before that we helped Elder King and Lusk move. Sometimes we just hang out with missionaries in the mission office and watch a movie, or sometimes we also play sports like basketball, bowling, or tennis. There are still a lot of places I would like to visit, though, so I should do more of that. I'll think about things for Christmas. Something I can think would be useful is baking powder and a little bit of vanilla flavoring. Unless I can find their vanilla here. And if you send something, you should always remember pictures and letters:)

That's cool that there's a foreign exchange student with Janice. Haikuhii is definitely an Armenian name. Her city is probably pretty small. The closest branch we have to her is probably Ashtarak (about 20 min north of Yerevan), then Gyumri. You should tell her "barev" for me. How long will she be there?

Do you remember Yervand, the amazing blind member who lives in Gyumri? Well, I heard his mother just got baptized last week. She wanted Elder King and I to come, but we couldn't make it of course. That's so wonderful. She's a great women and in some ways reminds me of you, Mom. This week we were also able to give Alik, the member's husband, a baptismal date. I think he just needed a reason to get baptized, and when he came to the Branch Activity at Sevan, he realized what he was missing with his family. He's a smart guy, and very polite. We also started meeting with an amazing Persian man, Yasha, and his Armenian wife, Araks. They're newlyweds and both have great personalities. I think Yasha already practically accepts Christianity, and I feel like we might be able to help him. He already calls us his friends. I have some other friends, too, that we're meeting with that I hope I can learn from as well as help them. I've been thinking about being a good friend, lately, and that is really one of my great goals. God and Christ are my best friends that I can always trust and always turn too. I also want to become that sort of friend. Someone who everyone feels comfortable being with, and wants to be a better person because of that friend.

Tell Aaron congratulations. I am happy for him. Give Genevieve a hug for me. Have a good week.

Love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, August 23, 2010

8-22-10

Hey Mom and Dad,

Thanks for sending of the letter, Mom. I figured you were probably working on it. Thanks for telling me about Logan, that's great. You should tell him hi for me if you ever get a chance. He's a good kid. There are so many good people in this world. It seems like it is so easy to miss some of the great opportunities in this life, or even the whole purpose. I feel so bad for people who don't know why they are here, or feel like God doesn't care about them. Like the sons of Mosiah said in Mosiah 28:3 I can't think of anyone not making it to the Celestial Kingdom. It seems like it is so easy for man to not find the truth in this life because they are blinded by the slights of men. How wonderful it is to have the fullness of our Savior's teachings today. All that we need to receive the greatest of God's gifts we have, we just have to live up to that responsibility.

That's interesting about the different addictions that you were reading about. I've been thinking about that too. I agree, that eating can become an addiction. In my Health class, they talked about how eating food actually causes a drug to be released to signify pleasure. Laughing can do the same thing, as well as like you said, pornography, actual drugs, and other things. I think simple habits like biting nails, etc. can also become addictions. What I was thinking about, was that as we try to gain self-control or overcome those addictions that we have, that it can help us to gain self-discipline and spiritual strength. All laws, including temperal laws like the Word of Wisdom, not only benefit our physical well being, but our spiritual as well. I also know that I can gain more spiritual strength from diligent obedience, like with reading scriptures, being punctual, studying well, and many other things. Diligence is so important, and I realized it is something that is hard for me. I do great at trying new things, but keeping it up is the hard part. I've been trying to work on that, and I feel like it has helped me with my language, teaching, and happiness. Thanks for the insight.

We met with Alek again, and I think he really would like to be baptized. He's a nice guy, and pretty smart too. He's an engineer for Yerevan TV. They have a good family. We've also been meeting with two interesting homeless guys and we have some other potentials as well. I'll let you know if anything happens with them.

Guess what... Adam left! I don't know if it's permanent, but he has a three month visa for Denmark. I'll miss him. He should stayed pretty involved in the church, though, so hopefully it will be an opportunity for him to see the church how it's supposed to be run. We're still learning here.

I like President Carter and his wife a lot. I think he wants to do things exactly as it says in Preach My Gospel. I think why Elder Christensen said it is good is so that we can re-focus in a way and have a new start. So that we can focus more on exact obedience. President Carter is strict, but in a very loving way that takes away any pressure. He is a wonderful servant of the Lord. I wish I could talk more, but I have to go. I love you all so much. Have a great week. Tell Janet thanks for the letter. She's a great woman.

Love,
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, August 16, 2010

8-16-10

Thank you for the letters, Mom and Dad. It sounds like it was another exciting week for you. I had a good week as well. Elder Grigoryan and I have been trying to work hard. I also feel like I have progressed a little this week, spiritually and with the language, which is nice. I bought a grammer book about common mistakes and it has been helping me. Also, my studies have been going well. I feel like I was able to undergo some changes this week, which were inspired by our Zone Conference with President Carter that I think will help me do better as well. The focus of the Conference was on Chapter 8: Using time Wisely through goal setting and planning. There are key indicators that we report in order to be accountable for our work, and he wanted us to stop reporting on our street conversations and our member meetings. Our mission is the highest baptizing mission in East Europe, but our numbers in general have been decreasing in the last six months. We will now be focusing on having members present in our meetings and on helping investigators attend Sacrament meeting. It's a simple change, but I already noticed how it has changed my focus and I feel like I will be able to help more people come unto Christ. Something interesting that Pres. Eyring said to Pres. Carter was, "Hurry while they are still humble." This work is so important and I know that now is the time for Armenians to accept the gospel. It is because of the earthquake and how Jon Huntsman was inspired to help Armenia that we are even here. I was thinking about how soon Christ is coming and how it is likely that Armenia will play a big role in Muslims beginning to receive the gospel. There are already a few saints here that are Persians. A lot of them come to our English classes and are interested in Christianity. I don't doubt that God is preparing them to here about Christ's Gospel.

Elder Lusk, who is my new district leader and from my MTC group, wants us to build our relationships with the Branch. Elder Grigoryan and I decided to bake some cookies and give them to some of our investigators and less actives. It was very nice and I think they appreciated it a lot. We are also going to try and write notes to those we can't see very often or just want them to know we care about them. It feels so good, and I'm sad I haven't done this kind of thing more often. Today we also were able to help Elder King and Santo clean out the apartment they moved out of from the Shengavit area. I have been thinking about charity and selflessness lately, and I would really like to gain those traits. I've been reading from the teachings of the Prophets: Joseph Smith Manual and it is so evident from his letters, words, and actions that he genuinely selflessly cared for others and wanted to do all in his power to help them. He is such a hero and example. I hope I can really learn what I need to do to follow and become like the Savior in my mission. I get so excited when I am learning and progressing. I gave the lesson for our big Sunday School class and we reviewed what they had learned from the old Testament so far and we had a really nice discussion on sacrifice and why the Savior had to die for us. I hope it helped them. The church is new here, but it is still progressing. It's only going to get harder for them. I hope they can stay on the narrow path, like on angels landing, and make it to the end without falling.

I love you. I am so grateful for our family. I can't wait to be able to come and spend precious time together and continue to learn together. I really want to be able to always humble myself enough to be taught and to help God teach others. It's not easy. Thank you for all that you do for me. I am a blessed man. I know that God loves us and wants us to make it back to Him. It's been nice. I hope is well.

Love,
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, August 9, 2010

Happy Birthday, Dad

(I thought I'd put this in, too, because he tells about some of the wonderful things about his dad that are so true. I know the family will enjoy hearing this.)

Hey Dad,

I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday. I hope your hike goes well. You'll have to tell me how it goes. Which hike did you decide to do? That's good that Bryce gets to go on hikes a lot. I hope it's a nice day, and that you don't get too sore.

I am so grateful to be your son. I have learned so much from you throughout the years, and I'm sure I will only continue to do so. I owe so much of who I am to both you and Mom. You are a wonderful friend to others and make people feel good when they are with you. As Mom was talking about, you also have a wonderful desire to help those around you have a good time, like when you prepare camping trips, bring kayaks to activities, cut lots of wood for fires and many other things. You are always willing to serve others and can see where there is a need. I am trying to do the same thing, and know that I am the most happy when those around me are happy. I hope that I can in some way glorify you by my actions in this life, as Christ glorified the Father by completing his will. You mean so much to me Dad, and I can't wait to get back and go on a hike together or on a nice bikeride. I noticed that in the Family: A Proclomation to the World it says that a successful family is built on love, patience, and some other godly traits, but the last thing on the list was "wholesome recreational activities." I like that and think that is so important. I feel like you have provided our family with many wonderful "wholesome recreational activities." I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Dad. I love you and look up to you. Thank you for all that you sacrifice for me and for your great love.

Much love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

8-8-10

Dear Mom,

Thank you for sharing about your wonderful Stake Conference experience. I love learning from the general authorities. Their lives really are special witnesses of Jesus Christ and His Gospel, and they really help me understand what on earth we're doing here, on Earth. It sounded like a very neat experience. I learned a lot, just from what you wrote. I also wanted to thank you for the talk on cd you sent my by Cleon Skalson about the Importance of the Atonement. I listened to it during lunches this week, and it was great. It helped me better understand the role of the Savior, Heavenly Father, and my own role as well. What an amazing plan, which is purely based on love. I liked his insights on element as well, which reminded me of the String Theory. I really believe that both of those are true. All matter and intelligence functions how it does, because we have a Savior and Father in Heaven who love us and want us to be happy. I really enjoyed the talk.

As far as why last week didn't go very well, I can't remember for sure but it was probably a few things. It is hard when meetings fall through and people don't keep their commitments, but I also think I need to better learn how to forget myself in the work. I try pretty hard, but it's still easy to not want to talk to people on the streets or to be focused on myself. Maybe it's also because we haven't had a lot of meetings lately. I decided, however, that I need to keep working hard on my goals, like you said, and in general, as well as try to serve others as much as possible. Work is such a great principle.

We had a cool experience on the streets this week. We had some extra time at night, so we decided to go buy something tasty from a nearby bakery while trying to talk to people. It felt good, so we decided to do it. On the way, a young man walked up to us and asked us how he could get a Book of Mormon from us. We usually don't give them out unless they really want one, so I said, "Well this book is really important to me, so if you let us tell you why it's so important to us then we'll let you have this one." He was a nice kid and seemed sincerely interested in what we believe. We gave him the book and planned up with him to meet the next day. He came, but the sad thing is that he said he was leaving the next day to Europe for his work for a while. We taught him a first lesson and told him to pray about it. I'm not sure what will come out of it, but it was a nice experience and I hope it helped. Something else that I am excited about is that Alex, the member's husband that came with us to lake Sevan told his wife he wants to become a member. That will be so wonderful for their family. He's quite busy with his work, but I think it will work out. I'll have to let you know what happens.

We have a Zone Conference tomorrow. That should help us get to know President Carter better. I already love and respect him a lot. He is trying very hard to help us be better missionaries. I'm glad. I have room for improvement. I really want to be able to become a useful tool for Heavenly Father, not only in this mission, but throughout my whole life and especially as a father some day. One of the first things President Carter told us is that in the Mission President's manual, it says that of all the responsibilities of a mission president, the most important is his family. Also, in Preach My Gospel, there's a quote in Chapter 8 or 1 that says the most important work that we will ever do will be within the walls of our own home. I'm very grateful for all that you and everyone in our family does and have done for me. I hope that I can somehow repay that. Something else that I learned from Elder Skalson's talk was that Heavenly Father receives his Glory when his creations are obedient to him. There is a scripture about that in second Nephi as well, but I can't remember the reference. He said that a Bishop becomes a great Bishop when the members are doing their hometeaching and fulfilling their responsibilities. God also received his glory when Christ fulfilled his will and he is glorified when we, his creations, are obedient to his commandments. That also means that all I do reflects how great of parents you have been for me as well. I love you. Thanks for your advice and love. Have a great week.

Elder Wainwright

Monday, August 2, 2010

8-2-10

Hey Mom,

Thank you for the letter and for the updates. I'm way excited for Mark and Emily. Maia looks like a pretty baby. I like her red hair. I can't wait to see her in a year. Julia and Liam are growing up. I'm excited for them to have a new sister. I'm excited for Joshua and their family as well. Do they know if it's a boy or not? I'll have to ask him, I didn't even know Valerie was for sure pregnant either. So what was exactly wrong with Gary? Some kind of Allergy? That's wonderful they were able to help him.

Hey, before I forget, Elder Grigoryan wanted me to say "I'm thankful that you have good boy . . . uh, son." He's a great man, and we're having a good time together. He likes your music that you sent a lot, but not as much as I do. Thank you for the package. It came last week, as well as a nice letter from Grandma Snow and from Megan Gale. I'm sure taken care of as far as prayers and care go from home. Tell Megan thank you for me. She is a great woman. Tell her I will buy a big container of peanut butter from her. That will be great. I'll write a note to Grandma.

It was a pretty good week for me. At the beginning it was hard for me to feel like I was really helping anyone, but think I just needed to keep on working hard and trying to do better. I needed to get my heart more into the work, which has a lot to do with charity I believe. I am trying to be more diligent again with all the little things: my studies, talking to people on the streets, serving my companion, thinking of others, memorizing words, and other things. There's a quote in Preach My Gospel that says "the secret to missionary work is work," and I agree. That's probably the secret to a lot of things, and I know the Savior and our Heavenly Father are both hard workers. Dad is also a good example to me of hard work. If I simply continue to work hard, things will work out.

On Thursday, we got to go with our Branch to Lake Sevan, which was pretty fun. It was a little awkward not being able to swim, but it was a good bonding experience with the members. We had a good experience from our fast this Sunday as well. We decided to fast on inspiration for our investigators and to be able to find new investigators if that was needed. I had written to call up an old investigator, and she said she was still reading from the Book of Mormon and would like to come to church. It's been a while since an investigator has been able to come to church, but she made it and I think she had a good experience. I felt like that was a blessing from our fast, and we also should have two investigators come to our family home evening activity tonight. I like all these people, and I am excited to try to help them.

I love you. Everything's going pretty well. Tell Gary good luck starting school. I really liked school a lot. I hope he does too. Thanks for the music and great pictures, and the other things as well. They were all needed. I got a nice bible last week as well, and I like having it. I think I might buy another one with a different translation as well. Well, talk to you later. Hajogh.

Metz Sirov,
Elder Bruce Allen Wainwright

Monday, July 26, 2010

7-25-10

Hi Mom,

It sounds like you had a nice week. So many good people. It sounds like they had a lot of fun too. Dad really does work so hard for others to have a good time. That's a good trait. Elder King is good at that as well. I wish I could have been there to see everyone. How is grandma doing?

To answer your questions, I'm not exactly sure why it was a hard week. I would say that what makes a hard week is when I am not as happy as usual and when the work doesn't feel successful. Also, it was hard to be completely obedient to all the rules and schedule with Elder Kankanyan, which was hard. Exact obedience gives a lightness and easiness of burdens that makes it easy to carry stress and hardships. His mission has finished already and I am with Elder Grigoryan now. Something that I learned from him, however, was to be more bold and clear with people, as well as to be persistent. It's easy for me to give up on somebody or to back off quickly trying not to intrude, when I think it is sometimes it can be better to continue to show interest in them and show that I care. I like what Kendall said about how important it is for people to know that you care. It's almost impossible to be able to help them without that trust. I hope I can better gain that trust with people.

Our two most progressed investigators decided they needed a break, which is sad. I hope that they can realize what they are missing. We have a few other potential investigators, however, and I hope we can start helping them. There's a girl that was coming to our english class a while ago that Elder Jonas and I gave one or two lessons, but then she disappeared. However, she passed us on the street the other day and said hi and then gave us a call on Sunday and said she wants to come to english again, as well as to church. That's a good sign that she did that all by herself. We'll see what happens.

I can't believe a year has already passed. I know it's all going to come to an end so fast. I just hope I can make the best use out of this precious time. There are just so many lessons to be learned. I had a pretty funny experience on my year mark. Elder Grigoryan and I were waiting at a bus stop to go to our Branch President's house and paint a little. As the marshutni pulled up, I told Elder Grigoryan it had arrived and went to open the door for him. As I turned around, I couldn't see him in the crowd of people. He was gone! He had gotten onto the wrong bus and was quick about it. Once I realized I was alone, it was pretty awkward. It's been quite a while:) The situation wasn't that bad for me, I just had to give the new mission president a call and he drove over to pick me up. I can only imagine what he was thinking as he pulled up and I am standing on the corner alone in my preperation day clothes to paint in. (I had to give a good first impression). He took it well, though, and didn't make me feel any worse than I did already. Poor Elder Grigoryan, though. He had no idea what had happened to me or what direction my marshutni could have taken me. I'm sure the lady next to him was a little confused as he exclaimed, "Where's my companion? I lost my companion!" The woman was kind enough to get off the bus with him and send him on the right transport to get to the Branch President's house. Fortunately, we didn't have to search long before we got a call telling us that Elder Grigoryan had managed to make his way to our destination. It was an interesting experience.

Well, things are going well. I got the stake packet, but haven't received your package yet. I hope it comes soon. There were some nice notes. Have a great week. I miss you.

Love,
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, July 19, 2010

7-19-10

Dear Mom,

Thanks for the letter and pictures. The fish look good. That's sad Dad forgot one. Dad's a funny guy. I'm glad. In many ways, I hope I am like Dad when I grow up. I would also like to become like my Heavenly Father in many ways during this life as well. There are also many traits that you have, Mom, that I'm sure our Heavenly Mother has as well. I owe a lot of what I am to you two. During my mission, I haven't been able to depend on you as much, though, and I do feel like I am getting to know my Heavenly Father better. What's sad is how fast we can lose what we gain. It seems to me like I can learn a lesson, and if I don't continually feed that knowledge or trait, or whatever it is that I will quickly lose it. It's a good thing that God has patience with us and that Christ loves us so much that he is willing to comfort and take away the pains of our mistakes. I feel like something I need to work on right now is my studying so that I can get more out of it. There's just never enough time to study in the morning.

This week has been hard, but good. Elder Kankanyan is trying very hard, but it's not easy work. I have been trying to serve him and help him as much as I can. I feel like I'm learning a lot from him. However, I'm not sure if my language is improving, even though it should be. I'll have to focus a little more.

I wasn't able to tell you, but last Sunday was Water Day. It's like one big water fight for the whole city. Luckily, we didn't get too wet, but most people did. While we were walking that day, I heard a loud pop and looked over to see an older man inches away from being plopped on the head by a sack full of water thrown from an apartment window. Almost everyone on the streets were soaked. It's a funny holiday.

The work is going pretty well. Anahit said she wants to take a break for a while, but I think she'll be back. We also started teaching a neighbor family, Gayane's husband Khachik (which being interpreted means "little cross") who is the painter, as well as a fortune teller named Anahit who is a great lady. Anahit came to church with a couple others even though she had a daughter who was not doing well with diabetes (which they just call "sugar" here"). They're all good people, and I hope we can help them.

My birthday was pretty normal. On tuesday was when I mostly celebrated it. After District Meeting Elder King had made some cheese cake which we ate and then our district all said reasons why they loved me. We call it the love circle, and President Carter suggested that we do that for everyone. It was pretty special. I have some great friends. It feels so good to know that other people love you and know that you love them. President Carter also gave me a tie as well, which was pretty nice. I like President Carter a lot. He's pretty short, but has a big heart. He is also going to focus on the missionaries a lot, which is good. I have a lot to learn about being a good missionary still. He's going to even come to our house for planning sessions and maybe go out to meetings with us, which is much different than it has been. I hope that means that Armenia is getting more self-reliant and independent. His wife also seems to be a very strong and caring woman. I'm excited to get to know them better and learn from them.

Well, I didn't get anything for my birthday yet, but I decided I want to get a nice Armenian bible. I only have a not-so-good translation of the New Testament, so that will be very nice. I love studying from the Bible, recently, but it's very hard in Armenian. Even Armenians have a hard time reading it because of the weird spelling and things. It's also interesting that there are quite a few accepted translations in Armenian with some pretty different phrasing whereas we mostly use just one in English. That makes things a little more interesting, but the need for revelation all the greater. We've also been buying Russian milk, which is quite tasty. I don't think I'll get a blender unless I see a really good deal. Also, I know at least the packet thing got here, which I'll read later, and I think the package might be here too. I better go, but thanks for everything. I felt your love this week and miss you all. I can't wait to see you again. I am having a great time as I'm sure you know. Have a great week.

Love,
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, July 12, 2010

7-11-10

Hey Mom and Dad,
Thank you so much for your Birthday letters. I feel your love and know that you love me and care for me. I have nothing to worry about. I also know that the Savior loves me. I wish I could talk to you, but I have to go. It's been a good week with Elder Kankanyan. He is very smart and has good skills, and I am learning from him. One of the reasons why he is serving is for a little spiritual boost, so I hope I can help and am helping him. We have a lot of potential investigators, so we'll see what happens. We got to play tennis, just the two of us and it was so fun. That made my week. It's a great sport. Thank you so much for all you do. Almost all that I am I owe to you all. I have a lot to learn and I am excited to do so. I can't believe a year has almost past. In a way it feels like I've been here my whole life, but I also feel like I am just getting started. Time is so short. Procrastination can be so dangerous. I know that God loves me and loves you. I hope you feel my love as well this week. Love you.
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, July 5, 2010

4 July 2010

Thank you for your love in your letter Mom. I feel so close to you when I read your letters and I was expecting that today. It has been a stressful week for me, but I have also gained a lot. I can't remember if I told you I was going to change companions or not, but I got a new mini-missionary, Elder Kankanyan, for a few weeks. He is a good man, even though he has been having a hard time lately. He is 30 years old and was baptised two and a half years ago even though his mother was baptized many years ago. He has served as a missionary for a total of six months in Gyumri, Vanadzor, and Georgia. He is a very smart man, which he actually says is one of his weaknesses. He is also a very strong and good servant, and I have already begun to learn from him and grow while serving with him.

We've had some interesting meetings this week with interesting people, which I like so much. One was with a member and her non-member husband who is a great abstract painter and an engineer. He is a very smart man and believes that pure intelligence is really what saves us and makes us become pure and like God. He obviously doesn't understand the role of the Savior very well, but besides that he has gained a lot of knowledge just from his artwork and other studies. He told of an experience he had where he died for a few moments and his spirit went to the spirit world. He said the first sensation he had was a sort of nakedness and a need to find the place where he belonged. I have heard that God loves us and is preparing a place for us where we will be the most happy and comfortable, whether that is hell and the emptiness or whatever will be in the Telestial Kingdom, or eternal progression with our families in the Celestial Kingdom. I really like people that think about this life, the earth, the universe and what on earth we are doing here. They are such important questions and it seems to me like it is easy for us to simply live and eat without trying to understand why we are even doing that. This life is so interesting to me. We also met with a less active woman who also happens to be a painter as well as a psychologist. She is also very smart and has interesting ideas about life as well. She also guessed that I had Irish blood in me and guessed all three areas that Elder Kankanyan's family comes from. She's a good lady and is also pretty in touch with the spirit.

Our investigators are doing alright. Not much change, though. We are trying really hard to help Anahit overcome her challenges and make it to church. I think that's one reason why Elder Kankanyan is here. This next week should be a good one. Talking on the streets is still hard for us, especially since he is from the city. It will be good though.

President Dunn is gone. He is such a great man and example to me. I love him very much and will miss him. President and Sister Carter are here now, and we will have a get to know you meeting on Wednesday. I'm sure they will be great leaders as well. I've heard good things about them.

I do try my hardest, Mom, to be safe with my food. With apricots and things like that we have to bleach them. It's amazing how even the not as ripe apricots have great flavor. I also had my first watermelon on Saturday that we bought, which wasn't anything better than normal, but was still very wonderful. My eye is fine as well. It wasn't big. I'm not exactly sure why it happened or if there was something I was supposed to learn from it. It does make me think about making sure I am always willing and ready to listen to the Spirit who can protect me from danger. Thanks for filling me in on Sam. I haven't heard from him, which is understandable. It's so good to receive letters, but it's hard to write them. Especially in the MTC. He'll be a great missionary. What's new with Cody and Josh?

I'm glad you had a great weekend. I'm way excited for Emily. I agree with you about America and I know it's a blessed land. Soon other lands will be blessed as well as they near God and accept the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ. I'm pretty grateful to be able to serve this mission for the Lord, and I hope I can continue to be cleansed and purified. I have so many weaknesses, but they can all be overcome only because I have a Savior who loves me and wants me to be happy. Thank you for my life, Mom, and for all you do for me. I know God is blessing you. Have a nice week. Tell everyone I love and miss them.

Love,
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, June 28, 2010

Combined letters to us and Bryce

Hey Bryce,

Good luck with your transfers. Elder Grigoryan is a great guy. He has funny opinions and tries not to be Armenian, but I like him a lot and we work well together. I actually heard he might be leaving soon and I might have another mini. We'll see. I don't really worry too much because things change all the time here. It was hard to get good meetings planned up and things since our area was split up and our investigators haven't been able to meet lately. Do you meet with members a lot? We try not to spend too much time with them, but it seems like at least right now that's a big bulk of our meetings. One of the hardest things about being senior companion is not forgetting everything. I forget everything. I need to write things down better, but even that doesn't always help. I can see how organization is a godly trait and how it helps us accomplish more in our life. Things are going well. Actually, I have to tell you a funny story. We were playing frisbee at a park for an activity/finding hour with a heavy not-so-good frisbee. I wasn't paying attention and it smacked my eye and cut my eyebrow a little. It wasn't bad, but I still went to get two stitches put in so that it would heal good. Then I got a phone call to day from the police and they came over to fill out a report. I guess I might not have made it clear it was an accident or something so they might have thought someone tried to hurt me. It was only a little awkward, but I feel bad for Satenik, the young girl who threw it, because she has to go in and fill out a report too. She felt bad enough in the first place. Anyway, funny experience. Keep being such a great guy, Bryce. I like your pictures. Alaska looks pretty. Talk to you later.
~Bruce
Hey Mom,

The Busselburgs sound like good people. I don't think I know them. Tell them hi for me, though. I hope everything's going well and that it's not too hot. It has been staying pretty nice here. Probably around the nineties. The apricots and tomatoes are ripening too, and they're very good. There's lots of cherries, apricots, strawberries, and watermelon right now and they should get cheap soon, so that will be way nice.

It has been a good week with Elder Grigoryan. He's funny and a very hard worker. He's also been a mini-missionary a lot, so he knows the drill. For some reason he likes South America a lot, especially Argentina. He also likes EFY music a lot as well and plays his favorite songs as soon as we get home. He's a great guy.

It's been a little hard to get in a lot of meetings this week, but not bad. We picked up three new investigators to teach this week as well, which will be nice. One is a lady that sells flowers by the church. I'm sure she has seen us a lot, but she just stopped us one day and wanted to find out about us. She came to church and is already sure she wants to be a member. She said she felt so good and had a nice experience. She's a great woman and I hope we can continue to help her. When she found out the Shulz's are leaving on Tuesday she cried. They live right by her and she said how she will miss seeing them, even if they haven't been able to talk much. Our examples really do make a difference. It's interesting how important relationships are in this life. One of the hardest things in this life is to have that tie be cut off. That is what sin does to us with God. It cuts us off from his presence. The Holy Ghost is so important and is such a wonderful blessing to us. I wonder why friends and good relationships are so important? I would guess that it is because we all need someone to love and someone to love us. Heaven would not be heaven alone. God is love and he loves us. We love him because he first loved us. I hope that I can increase my love for him and for his children. All of the Book of Mormon missionaries are great examples of that love. The sons of Mosiah trembled at the thought of someone receiving the same condemnation that they were under. Nephi (the brother of Lehi) was saddened because of the peoples' bad choices, as was Alma the younger. I also need to have that same kind of care for others, both my friends and my enemies. I know that God loves me, and I have felt that as I have tried to come nearer to him. It has been a good week, and I am interested to see what will happen this week. Elder Grigoryan might leave already, like I said in Bryce's letter.

I cut my eyebrow a little while playing frisbee the other day. The hospital we go to is pretty nice. It seems quite like an American hospital. I would be afraid to go to any other one, though. This one is where all the rich people go I believe. I actually heard that someone rated Armenia's health care as third best in the world or something, but I don't know how. They must have only gone to this one hospital.

Well thanks for everything Mom. I know you love me and care about me. Thanks for your Old Testament insights. I'm still trying to get more familiar with the New Testament right now. It's a great book and there are some great words in there. I'm glad you and Dad get to read some good books together. I want to study from good books so bad right now. We have so many resources for these last days, it's amazing. I know that there is no other time in history that the restoration could have happened. It's so nice to be able to participate in God's marvelous work and wonder. Have a great week, Mom.

Love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

6-20-10

Hi Mom,

Thanks for the great letter and for telling me about everyone. It sounds like it was a good week. It's been a pretty good week for me too. There's been a lot of changes.

I feel quite taken care of and it's kind of silly, but my luggage and everything reminds me of all your love and care for me. I have been enjoying cooking lately while Elder Jonas and I have been trying to eat healthy. We usually just experiment with what we have and it's usually simple, but it's been good.

As far as our investigators go, I'm not sure how well they are doing. I haven't seen Mher yet and Hasmik wasn't able to meet with us either. Anahit, the young english teacher, seems to be doing well, though. We met with Anahit and Geghetsik ( which being interpreted is actually "beautiful" ) on Thursday and talked about the Word of Wisdom. Speaking of, I forgot to check up on how she is doing with coffee. She seems to be progressing the most out of our investigators right now, even though we only meet once a week and she still can't come to church. I think something will work out, though, as long as she really wants it. We also started meeting with another girl this week from our english class. She believes in God but has had a hard time understanding why her father had to die. I hope we can keep on helping all of them. If not, we'll have to keep trying to find others.

I generally like change, but I really enjoyed my time with Elder Jonas. He is a great missionary and a great friend. I'll miss him. As I wrote to Bryce, this will be my first time being senior companion. That'd be neat if we both became senior companion at the same time. My companion's name is Elder Armen Grigoryan. He's a great guy and a good missionary. He's a good example for his family and for everyone. He has a problem with his legs, and uses "sticks," like crutches but they don't go under your shoulder, to get around. I almost forget sometimes because he never complains and he does so well. I think he's excited to serve with me and I think it's going to be very good. It will hopefully help my Armenian out as well.

I'm excited to see how much we can help the branch with four missionaries. I think it will make a difference. It takes a lot of responsibility off of me as well. I'm excited to be able to explore more of the center area as well, since our area was cut in half. I just hope I don't walk Elder Grigoryan around too much.

I think things are going well, but I still want to do better. The need to grow closer to the Savior is always present. I really like Sundays and the opportunity to worship my God, remember my Savior, and learn from my neighbors. I am also so grateful for the temple and I want to better understand the covenants I have made with Heavenly Father. I know that there is only one way to peace and happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come, and that is through the Gospel and atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am so blessed to have the fullness of his gospel. I hope that I can continue to better understand and live it so that I can help some of God's precious children. I think Armenia will be a strong nation for the Lord as soon as they can overcome their fear and pride. They are a very caring people. I love you Mom. I am grateful for our family. Tell Dad I love him and happy father's day again.

Love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, June 14, 2010

6-13-10

Hey Mom, Thanks for the letter and tell LaDawn thanks as well. Every day of our life really is a gift, and I know there are specific things we can learn as well. As I have been re-reading the New Testament, I am noticing that I am learning a lot more. I'm sure there are many reasons, but I think one reason is that I can relate a lot better to the writers and their words mean more to me because of my daily experiences.

As you know, the highlight of my week was hearing from Elder Scott, Elder Rasband and his wife, Elder Powell (Pres. of Eastern Europe Area), and Elder Minasyan (the new seventy from Armenia). On Thursday, Elder Jonas and I did a fireside for the Branch to help them prepare, which went well but was hard to get organized. Then the Georgian Elders came down Friday night since we were meeting with Elder Scott Saturday morning. At the beginning of our meeting, we all shook Elder Scott's and the others' hands. Then, for three hours we got to here from President and Sister Dunn for the last time and then from all of the above visitors finishing off with Elder Scott. There was only about forty or fifty of us in the room. What a humble servant of God. One of the things I liked was his formula he gave about success in answer to a question by Elder King. He said that SUCCESS = [(obedience) (faith in works) (studying) (any other works we have control over)/ fear]. The more fear we have, the less success we have and vice versa. He also added an exponential to the equation of the power of God. As little as we do, if it is all we can, it will be made up by the exponential power of the power of God. That was a pretty cool analogy to hear from a Nuclear Physicist. It was a great experience and he shared many spiritual experiences as well. Elder Rasband talked about the role he played in the bringing of the gospel to the country of Armenia and the miracles he saw. Elder Minasyan was among the first five members converted in 93' by some senior couples working at the concrete factory Jon Huntsman and Elder Rasband set up here after the earthquake. Even the most terrible of things can and are used for our own benefit. It was a great meeting and I know that Elder Scott is Christ's chosen apostle on the earth today in this, the restored church of Jesus Christ.

There were about 650 saints from Armenia and Georgia at our meeting in the Marriot Hotel, which was almost as many members as was our goal. That shows to prove how miracles and things we see don't create faith, though. People could see Christ himself and still not recognize him if they didn't already have a testimony that he was the Savior. It was a nice meeting, though. Three of our investigators made it. Mher, though, said people at his house didn't want him to come, so I don't know what's going to happen. We were pretty sad about that. He is such a good guy. In both of our meetings with Elder Scott, he made sure to take time at the end where he said he was "no longer talking as Elder Scott, but as an apostle of the Lord." He then testified of how he knows that the Savior lives; not because he read about it, or because one of the other apostles has said so, but because he knows Him. We are so blessed to have living apostles who are continuously in contact with the Lord. I know that their job is only possible because of the technology that we have today. Poor Peter and the others who were desperately trying to keep the church in line in all the different areas. This really is the last dispensation.

Well, I hope everything is going well. Like I told Bryce, we're probably going to have some changes this week. I should be in the same branch though. I love Armenia. It's a great place, despite the people that think we're here to tear down the Armenian church. They are such a giving people. I hope they can find some of the many blessings from this life that I have only begun to understand. It really is a great life. I love my Savior and I want to better follow Him and learn of His life. I love you so much, Mom, and our family. My life wouldn't be the same without you. Have a nice week. With much love, Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Hi Dad,
Thank you for your letter. I wanted to wish you a Happy Father's day, even though it's a little early. I hope you know how grateful I am to be your son. You have done a wonderful job at being a father, despite the challenges. I have always felt fortunate to have a dad who loves to have fun, as well as work hard. I have so many good memories of family outings and working hard together that not many people get to experience, especially these days. I know I don't fully appreciate all the blessings I have, including the closeness of our family. I know that has come as a result of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that you and Mom are trying to emulate the Savior in your life. Thank you so much for your love and care that you have learned to show through your actions. You have taught me to work hard, to laugh, to take care of the needy, to serve selflessly, to appreciate nature, to always be obedient, and to respect my mother and others, as well as many other things. I'm glad that you're happy right now. I miss you too, Dad. I know that you love me and that you love your Savior. Thank you for your example that I will always have to look up to. I am grateful to be in our family. You are also a wonderful grandfather as well. I hope that you will be provided for with work and with all your wants. I love you so much, Dad. I also love this people that I am able to serve and I love the Savior that they worship. I know that you have some of the traits that our Father in Heaven has, and that he wants us to be happy. Well I have to go. I hope you have a nice week, Dad, and get to do what you want to for Father's Day. Love,Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright
P.S. Yes, it is very green. I love driving through the mountains here with the green grass and trees. As for now it is still quite green and the vegetables and fruits are starting to ripen.

Monday, June 7, 2010

6-6-10

Hi Mom,

Thanks for the nice big letter. Sorry I have to answer it with a short one. We went to visit a monestary or one of their old churches called Geghard and another place called Garni that looks like a greek parthenon or something. It was nice. Elder Jonas had to get a hair cut too, so that he looks spiffy for when Elder Scott comes! So that's why I don't have much time to write. I'm really excited for this week, though. We're trying to plan up a fireside for Thursday as well to help bring the branch together a little and to prepare them for Sunday.

This week felt a little different than normal. For one thing, a lot of our investigators haven't been able to meet very often, so we did a lot of finding hours and calling on the branch list. It's too bad that it hasn't worked out with Mher. I like him so much and I hope we can keep on meeting with him. We fasted with Anahit, Adam's friend who is an english teacher, so that she would be able to work out her problem and find a way to make it to church. She is changing and wants to become a part of this church, before she has even made it to a sacrament meeting. We also gave Hasmik a baptismal date this week, so she should be getting baptized in about a month. She too has changed quite a bit and seems so happy. It seemed like we talked to quite a few people from other faiths this week. Today and earlier this week we talked to some Jehovah's witnesses, and the other day we sat down with some nice kids from an evangelist church called Kianki khosk ( The Word of Life). They were pretty nice conversations, but I don't think they helped either of us very much. It's funny because they seem to want to know what we believe, but as soon as I say something that is different than what they know they become defensive and start trying to prove their point. I know that facts, as good as they might be, will not convert somebody or help them come closer to Christ. It's like how Laman and Lemual saw angels many times, but were never truly converted. They saw proof and miracles that proved God's greatness and existence, but they still did not know who their God and Heavenly Father really was and what he expected of them and how much he really loved them. I am so grateful to know for myself, through living the Gospel of Jesus Christ and through the confirmations of the Holy Ghost that this church is true. Because of the things I have felt, I know that this church is Christ's church and that He is my Savior. I can't say otherwise. I am learning so many things, and I hope to be able to put God before everything else like you were talking about, Mom. This life is such a wonderful growing experience, and I hope I can make the best use out of it. I also know there are many joys that God has in store for us as well, and that we can't make it alone. We need others and we need to help others. Thanks for your love. I hope you have a great week mom. That'd be so cool to have the Elders stay with you. I hope it works. Tell Crystal Happy Birthday and that I'll send her a note next week. I love you all.

Sincerely,
Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, May 31, 2010

May 30

Hey Mom,

Thank you for the wonderful letter. I have felt so good while reading letters today. Life is so good. This life is quite hard and has so much potential for good. I don't know why, but I have been pretty blessed in my life. I hope that I can make good use out of the blessings God has given me. I also know that what little difficulties I have had are all used for my good as I have turned to the Lord, my Savior. Now, the trick is just to be able to remember that when it gets hard again. Those oppositions are needed for us, though, if we want to improve and progress. A baby can't learn to walk without falling a couple times. . . or many times. Our trials are proof that God loves us as strange as that sounds. What a wonderful life and opportunity.

Something I miss so bad is a good old gallon of 1% Milk. Or even 2%. Elder Jonas and I have been having cereal recently for breakfast mixed with oatmeal to make it a little healthier, but the milk. . . just isn't the same. The Russian kind isn't bad, but that costs 800 dram or just over $2 per liter, but we found a tolerable armenian kind for half as much. It's a nice thick 3.5% and it's got a pretty strong flavor that tastes a little of the trash that the cows eat. I think my taste buds are getting pretty dull:)

We've got some great investigators right now. Their mostly pretty young. The one that is progressing the best is Hasmik, who is about 22 and was a referral from a less active named Rima. It's so cool to see how happy she gets after our meetings. Rima has also changed quite a bit as well. I believe that this is a blessing that Rima has received from reading the Book of Mormon. President Dunn promised everyone who would read it before the year that their lives would change in a few specific ways. I know that the Book of Mormon has great converting power. I also know that having supporting friends is so important as well.

We also got a referral from America for the first time! I guess they called from here, though. The sisters are going to go take them a Book of Mormon.

I am getting so excited for Elder Scott to come. I don't know if I told you, but the missionaries get three hours to meet with him, then he's meeting with the leaders, and then we have our conference. Hopefully it will be a life changing experience for myself as well as for Armenia. We've been calling through our branch list to try and invite as many people as we can. It's pretty sad how many people have left the church without even having a reason. It will be such a great experience. Elder Rasband is also coming with Elder Powell, the East Europe Area President. I'll have to tell you how it goes.

I'm praying for you, and so are a lot of the members and investigators here. Thank you for all of your prayers and love. Have a great week.

Love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, May 17, 2010

5-17-12010

Hey Mom,

Thanks for sharing your inspirations. I also need to learn more about the way of our God. That's pretty cool the things that you have learned. I wish I had more time to read. I think I'll have to start doing some reading during my lunches if I can. I think it's so necessary to be able to trust our God, and that's why we know that he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, so that we can trust him and completely rely on him. That's nice that you and dad got to talk for three hours. I love discussing things with Elder Jonas and others during studies and lunches as well.


Guess what, you know how I mumble or talk in my sleep sometimes? Well now I do it in Armenian. Elder Jonas said I was teaching something once and another time having a conversation with myself, and Elder Larson and I would practically have conversations with each other in Armenian. At least my roommates won't know what I'm saying when I get home. Elder Jonas and I have started quizing each other on our words that we learn, which has helped me a lot, both with diligence and with remembering the words.

Man it's pretty hot already. It started getting hot this week. Today is our first day in short sleeves, which seems awkward. It's not awful, but there's just no air conditioning, so we'll see how it is in a month or so.I think the weather doesn't get much over 100 deg. ever, but there's no air conditioning so it might still be pretty rough. It's nice and green, though, which is so wonderful.

The work feels really good right now. Sunday was a little stressful, but I think the branch is still progressing. Elder Jonas and I got to give on the spot talks again, but it seemed to flow very well. I talked on Faith, Elder Jonas on the Atonement, Grigor (1st counselor) on Challenges, and President Hunanyan talked on being like a family and being one. Anush just got back from a mission in Ukraine and she is pretty intense. She really wants to help the branch and it seems like she was a pretty good missionary. She keeps telling us ways we can improve, which is good. Tomorrow I am actually talking about hard work and how it can be enjoyable and even fun. I really felt like you and Dad taught us that lesson pretty well. I also know that our motives for working hard make all the difference. When I was working hard at work so I could go home or get money (in other words selfish motivation), it was not enjoyable and I didn't have fun. On the other hand, when I was working hard for Dad or to make someone else's job easier, it was much more enjoyable and many times we had fun while working hard. We really do gain more to our lives as we give more of it up as the Savior taught his disciples (Matt 10:39), and we can enjoy the hard things in life.

Adam blessed the Sacrament this week which was really nice. He also might be getting a district calling, which would really help him continue progressing I think. We also got to help a member plant this week, which was nice too.

Well, I hope all is well. Thanks for the email addresses. I hope you have a wonderful birthday this week, Mom. Shnorhavor! I hope it has been a great year to add onto all of the many others. It has been a wonderful year for me. Wow, I can't even believe how long I've been away. It feels like I'm just getting started. Have a great week, Mom. Thanks for always thinking about me and for the care in all that you do.

With much love,
Your son Elder Bruce Wainwright

Monday, May 3, 2010

5-2-10

Hey Mom,

Thanks for your letter. The Book of Mormon is a wonderful scripture, I agree. It's been a while since I've studied from the Bible, but I am starting again. I know that God the Creator in the Old Testament is the same Jesus, even Christ our Savior who is living today. As you learn about how God worked in older days, it should still help you better understand how he works today, since he is the same always and cannot change. I want to learn more about my Savior as well, so that I can better understand how truly indebted I am to Him and how great his love is for others. What a great brother we have. I hope I can become a little more like Him today and every day.

I don't have a lot of time if we want to go bowling with everyone else. Something I really enjoyed doing this week, though, was helping Ashot who is on cruthches move. A great guy from our branch came and helped us move his things down the seven flights. He didn't have much. He did, however, have some furniture that we were able to pick up and take to his new tiny apartment. It was pretty rough taking up all his things up five flights of stairs by ourselves, but we were exhausted and felt great afterwards. It reminded me of being able to help others move in and out of our ward and what a great feeling it is to serve others. I'm so grateful for my healthy body that helps me experience so many things. I hope I can always treasure and take care of this gift God has given me.

Thanks for telling me about your hummingbird experience. Nature is so beautiful and that sounds like a nice miracle. I'm sorry I can't write much, but I love you and am excited to talk next week. I hope it works out well.

Hey Dad,

Thanks for your wonderful letter and good thoughts. It sounds like things have been pretty busy there. I am also more happy as I am working as well. It also helps to be able to associate with good people. One of the things that I am still struggling with is talking to people on the streets. The standard is to get 12 gospel conversations. It's hard to figure out what I can do better, because sometimes we will talk to many people and sometimes, like this week, we struggle to get one good conversation. The times that I have felt the best, though, is when I am focused on my purpose and am trying to make people smile or say something uplifting. In all my work and in my life I have the example of the Savior, though, and the answer lies in following Him.

People have a very hard time telling the difference between us and Jehovah's Witnesses. I feel bad for Jehovah's Witnesses, because they are usually despised here. There are even posters up all over in the city telling people to beware of them and to keep the nation as one. I used to be afraid of looking like them, but I don't care as much any more. It's pretty funny how people can be talking to us and very interested, until we mention that we're not from their church and they might stop right there and walk away. They don't like the word "Mormon" either, but at least it's not as bad as Jehovah's Witnesses.

Despite that negativity, there are so many people in need of this Gospel and the peace and happiness it brings. We don't have any real amazing investigators that we're teaching right now, but we're still staying pretty busy. We really want to help strengthen the branch if we can at all. A neat experience that we had was with one of our great members, Taguhi (that means "Queen" which is a pretty typical Armenian name), who has been pretty less active since her daughter went to America and her son has gone a little wayward. She came to the Armenia South District Conference, which went very well, and was quite changed by the talk of President Dunn. He talked about spiritual maturity and how we can check our own by answering the question: "How do I respond when told 'no?'" I think it hit her pretty hard and she wants to find the old Taguhi that she used to be. What a wonderful Savior we have that is already waiting to give us a second chance. It was pretty cool to see that change in her.

It has gotten pretty green here, which I am so grateful for. I was afraid I would always have an image of a brown and dirty country, but the hills and trees are all green and beautiful. We'll have to go see some of the old churches in the hills while it's all green. It sounds like you all had a colder winter than we did.

That's so cool Bishop Decker did the Ironman! I wish I could have seen it. Have you been mountain biking lately, or hiking? Those are some of my best memories. I'm so glad the Earth is beautiful and that God wants us to enjoy it.

Well, I'll talk to you on Sunday Dad.
Sincerely,
Your son Elder Wainwright

Monday, April 26, 2010

4-25-10

Hey Mom,

Thanks for the pictures, thoughts, and updates. It's been a pretty good week for me, but we don't have a lot of investigators to teach right now. One neat guy that we're teaching, however, is Ashot. I might have told you about him with the crutches. He's a very nice and smart guy, but has a hard life. On his crutches he has to climb seven flights of stairs, since there's no lift! He already seems a lot happier and cherishes the things we teach him.

We did exchanges for two days with the zone leaders and I went to the Shengavit area in Yerevan. It was a little more relaxed and seemed less of a big city. Although, there is a store called Yerevan City, that is pretty massive for Armenia. It's about like an average Albertson's. It's funny, though, because even with it being much bigger there was still nothing that you can't get at any other store. So I guess it's like a couple stores combined. I'm going to have such a hard time making decisions when I get home:)

This week was the memorial of the Armenian Genecide. Elder Jonas and I were able to go to the memorial, and it was pretty interesting. There were thousands of Armenians walking up there to put down a flower. We walked about a mile or two actually. And that was about it. There didn't seem to be much feeling behind it for being such a big commotion. It was interesting. Come to think about it, though, that's what their church is kind of like too. They go to the church, buy a candle and burn it, maybe say a prayer and chat a little before they leave. As far as I know there's rarely even any sermons. It's kind of sad how empty it all is, but with their words they are so passionate about their religion. President Dunn mentioned how that is all they have to hang on to. It's a pretty beat up little nation. I respect them a lot, though.

Elder Piercy (one of our Zone Leaders) was talking about building our relationship with God and he said how we need to first get to know his Son, Jesus Christ, which we do by studying his words and works, and then following in His footsteps. That made sense to me and I know that's how we can strengthen our relationship with the Lord. I'm grateful for Elder Jonas' example for me. He is a great missionary and tries very hard to be a good friend. We are enjoying our companionship.

Thanks for all your love and care. I have so little to worry about. Thanks for always taking such good care of me. Elder Jonas and I were thinking about how giving and unselfish mothers are, especially since he was a little sick this week. I hope you learn great things this week.

Love,
Your son Elder Wainwright