Transfer~ Shuvalova Branch With Elder Anthony

Hello from Saint Petersburg! I'm sitting in the Hermitage Museum right now using internet... It's a REALLY COOL Museum and we get in for free as we do service for them all the time. If you haven't guessed yet I got transfered. I am now serving in St. Petersburg in the branch called Shuvalova.

Well, my gut feeling was right. Remember how I said when I talked to you on Sunday that I think Im going to be ZL? Well I'm now ZL with Elder Anthony in North Zone.  I'm PUMPED about this transfer as that means I get to go back to Kaliningrad and Vyborg on Splits! Also get to go to Petrozavodsk, which I hear is a beautiful city. Means lots of traveling still this transfer, even by airplanes-sorry Mom, but it's worth it. Elder Anthony is a really good friend here in our mission and I've always wanted to serve with him. Our area is really big too, and the branch has about 80 active members, so when we aren't doing splits in other areas, we will have plenty of stuff to do with working with members and finding investigators.

Elder Poulson and Elder McCleary are flying home as I type this, along with Elder Walters, Onyshuk... that is weird to think. Crazy how quick time flew by. I will be back before you know it... Weird. We're really going to miss those guys! ALL REALLY GOOD MISSIONARIES. I know Elder Poulson and McCleary the best, but they are all studs! Elder Poulson trained both me and Elder Anthony. Now the "Poulson offspring" are going forward to conquer the Shuvalova branch and tear it up in North Zone... look out. Excited to serve!

It was great to talk to you guys on Sunday! Too bad the dang company doesn't warn you until you have on 30 seconds left to talk. I didn't really get to say goodbye very well. (Not well at all) Tell Cole, Sorry I didn't get to talk to him. It was crazy to hear everyone's voices. It feels like you haven't heard them for so long, but then when you hear everyone, you remember them as if it was yesterday you heard them.

Mom, I understand about the letter and I'm sorry what I said came out that way. That's not exactly what I meant. I know that you can't just ignore the bad and that you were just telling me the news... I don't know... Just trying to focus on the good is what I was saying. I know things are hard right now. Sorry.
We don't express our appreciation to you enough. THANK YOU, MOM! Even though I don't express it like I should, I want you to know that because you raised me the way you did, I know that God loves me and that He blesses me through other people in my life. Even though I'm a pain in the neck sometimes, you still love me. That's one of the reasons I know that God loves me too!

You really don't have to send me anything... Whenever you ask I don't know what to say. I did however look at my shoes after I called you on Sunday and I think that it might be a good idea to get some new shoes soon.

I realized the other day I am in the single digits for months on my mission ~ less than 9 months now! We are slowly receiving new missionaries and a bunch of old missionaries have been or will be leaving. It is really crazy. If you think about it, time is not as long as we think sometimes.

The weather here is pretty warm now. Don't need to wear a jacket or anything anymore. I got an email from Nate Booth today, telling me about how he's been doing.  It's turning to winter there in Chile... Pass a little information on to him for me, as it takes so long to send letters to each other and I want him to know I'm still alive... Ha ha. I miss Booth and everyone.

Cody tells me that I called my suit a "costume" to you when I spoke with you on Sunday... Did I really say that? That's how you say it in Russian... My English isn't too bad now, is it? I got a letter from Reidhead the other day, and he said that I spelled the word "earnestly" like "urnestley"...

How did Cody get the little faces on the email... that's pretty cool.

Well I gotta go. That's okay though, as I'm just rambling now. I love you guys. Take care of yourselves! Don't forget the Lord is always near. He is always at our side. Just sometimes we forget to look around for Him.

Keep Smiling. Be of Good Cheer!

Love,

Blake