Russian to Serve: Some BATS Just Want to Watch the World Burn

Privyet!

This week was pretty eventful...

I'm sure a lot of you are wondering about the title of the email. Well, there is an explanation.

Last Thursday, all the sisters at the MTC were called to an emergency meeting. We waited there for a while, and I was convinced that like President Monson wanted to talk to us for some reason because he was here last week teaching the new mission presidents. Alas, I was very, very wrong.

Bats had been sighted in the brand new building most of the sisters had been moved to the week prior. So, all the sisters had to move into the two other buildings.

We now have two more roommates, and we moved into our old building. The two new sisters in our room, Sister Mon and Sister Yang, are headed to Thailand, which is pretty cool. Unfortunately, they left on Monday, so we didn't get to spend much time with them.

I found the whole bat thing pretty funny considering my dad's history with bats as a health officer in Nevada. Long story short, he gave out a lot of rabies shots.

Other than the bats, though, the week has been pretty great.

We have 18 elders and 2 sisters joining our zone this week, finally evening out our numbers. The sisters have outnumbered the elders 5 to 1 in our zone for the past two weeks, and the first week I was here, there were more sisters than elders at the MTC for the 1st time in MTC history.

During Tuesday's devotional a member of the 70, Elder Joseph Sitati, and his wife, Sister Gladys Sitati, spoke to us. The story of his conversion is probably one of the most inspiring I have ever heard. They are from Kenya, and when they started attending sacrament meeting, there were 20 members in all of Kenya. Since there were so few members, the Sitatis and their children began filling leadership positions in their little branch before they were even baptized. I really loved what Sister Sitati said about why they kept coming back to church. She said that the people were just very kind to her and her family.

If the Spirit is in your life, you will do good. Elder Bednar said that we just need to quit worrying about whether it's a spiritual prompting or not. If you are trying your hardest to follow the commandments, keep your covenants, and love those around you, then you don't need to worry about it because every good thought you have, every good thing you do is a consequence of the Spirit.

Moroni 7:16"For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man,that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God."

Love,Cectpa Jarvis

My Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Miner, and the Rostov Sisters
(Left to right: Pres Miner, Sister Sommers, me, Sister Miner, Sister Derek, Sister Grant)

The view from our classroom

Our new roommates! Sister Yang and Sister Mon!
From left to right: Sister Yang, Sister Mon, Sister Grant, Sister Sommers, Me, Sister Derek (she had to change her name because "Beach" means something bad in Russian)