April 19, 2021
Enjoying time at Lisi Lake.
April 26, 2021
The district of elders stayed the night at Elder Herr's apartment.
April 24, 2021
Occasionally the missionaries have dinner invitations or have the opportunity to eat with church members.
President Kikiani invited the elders in the district to dinner.
Elders Herlean, Wilhelmsen, Bennett, Sisters Black and Cole, Elders Earl, Fisher, Herr
April 3, 2021
With the arrival of new missionaries, it is custom to show them around the city.
April 5, 2021
Gamarjoba!
Alright. We have now welcomed 10 new missionaries to Georgia. It is fantastic, but the work that went into making it all nice and somewhat cozy for them was immense. Lots of moving, lots of texts, lots of calls, lots of rent, lots of taxis, lots of prayers, lots of. We were all so happy to finally meet these missionaries face to face. We have had contact with all of them virtually, some of them for up to a year. It's still crazy to me that they are here.
The first group arrived (March 27). They had been serving in reassigned areas in the United States
The second group arrived on March 31 straight from their home MTC.
They are true NEW missionaries.
Elder Herr, Elder Springer, and I each ended up getting assigned to the areas in which we found apartments. That means I'm back in Saburtalo which is where I began my mission. The apartment is actually just a couple of minutes walk away from the t first apartment I lived in. The only difference is now I'm the oldest in the mission instead of the youngest and our current apartment is the best in the country instead of the worst.
My companion this transfer is Elder Earl. He is really awesome. He's quiet. He's a thinker. He's not quite sure what to think about being here quite yet. He reminds me a lot of me when I first got here. So I'm training him and I'm also the lone Georgian zone leader. Elder Herr is training Elder Herlean and Elder Springer is with both Elders Rasmussen and Grover-Rizzo. My former companions are also the district leaders.
President Picard in all his wisdom suggested that we act as a Presidency with the other two being my counselors. That should be fun. These last couple of months will be different and a huge time for growth for everyone.
New Georgia Zone
I have 72 days left. That is not very long. That gives me limited time to do all the teaching I am supposed to do while here. Teaching friends, teaching members of the church, teaching other missionaries, plus the teaching that I need to receive. As missionaries, we are here to teach. And if there is one thing I've learned about teaching, it's that you learn a lot when you teach.
These 10 know so little and it is overwhelming for all of us. It is cool to see it because we haven't seen it since Elder Springer was new. We love it and they love it. I am so grateful for these young boys and girls that were willing to come out here and serve the Lord. This Easter was a reminder of that reason of why we are here. We love it and I love it.
--უხუცესი იაკობი
March 15, 2021
გამარჯობა მეგრობრებო!
So it has been a while since I have emailed, but now there is
actually news to share. In five days we will observe the one-year mark
since over half of the missionaries in this mission went home. What will we be
doing to celebrate? Wednesday, we got the news that we will be receiving 10
(maybe 11) new missionaries by April 2. That's right. We'll be more than
quadrupling our number with people that don't really know how to speak the
language. The logistics of this will be interesting because we are not
welcoming a senior missionary couple along with this wave of young
missionaries. That means we will be spending these next couple of weeks searching
for apartments and filling them with the necessary things before they all get
here. It will also be very interesting to see who is with whom. The dynamic of
this mission is about to change a lot.
In listening to the testimonies of the missionaries that are
leaving, I reflected on the things that I have learned and things I would want
these new missionaries to learn as soon as they are able. This is in no
particular order.
1) Purpose: As missionaries, we have a uniting purpose. We help others come unto
Christ by inviting them to partake of His Gospel. God sends us on missions to
use us and grow us. He has other purposes that we can read about in
the scriptures. It's a laboratory, a classroom, and a test all at the same
time. As individuals, we have numerous purposes that we have to discern. I
figured out a couple of main ones early on and I have tried to find the others.
2) What Is Missionary Work? There are so many things that fall under this
umbrella. Of course, the brethren tell us that we are full-time teachers. We
teach each other, members, friends, family, ourselves, etc. We aren't just
baptizers or finders or clerks or ordainers or planners or organizers. Of
course, we are those things occasionally and those things are necessary. We
have to do other things and those other things are still missionary work.
3) Gifts: We take a lot of things for granted. There is nothing wrong with
that, as long as we recognize those things are also gifts from God. We also
need to discern the gifts we have, use them, and ask for the ones that we need.
4) Power of the Written Word: I have read the entirety of the standard works. I
have read countless conference addresses. I have read Jesus the Christ.
I have read numerous pieces by scholars. I have read out of the Church student
manuals. I have read parts from other General Authorities books. I am finally
understanding the things that I knew before my mission. In my experience, the
Spirit can testify much easier when I read with a purpose.
5) The Holistic Gospel: Everything in the gospel is connected to itself. From
the attributes of deity to the kingdoms of glory, to the fall, to the
resurrection. Each doctrine flows into the other and all from God.
6) Revelation: Revelation is everywhere. It is different for everybody. I can
recognize it so much more now and I am far more responsive to it. Personal is
actually personal. The way I live should be based on my revelation and the way
others live should be based on their revelation. If it is different, that is
okay.
7) Atonement & Repentance: Use of Christ's Atonement is as simple as
becoming more like Christ and Heavenly Father. Repentance is as simple as
self-improvement. All learning is repenting. Changing is repentance and use of
the Atonement. Even continuing to live life is using the Atonement.
8) Miracles: They exist. Most, if not all, the time, miracles are all in the
timing. If we meet someone who is interested by knocking on their door at 5:00
pm, is this a miracle? Maybe. If we meet that same person on the other end of
the city when they are going to visit their friend that they haven't visited in
years, is that a miracle? Absolutely! It is all based on what you know about
the event and how you define a miracle.
9) Two Things Can be True: Two things can be true at the same time. Just
because I say one thing, this does not mean I am denying the truth something
else. For example, I don't like tomatoes very much. "Why not? They are
linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and are a great source of Vitamin C
and potassium!" Yes, that is true, but that isn't really a factor in my
decision to like them. I simply don't enjoy the texture and taste very much.
"But they add contrast in flavor to hamburgers and salads." I agree
with that, but I don't like them in every hamburger and salad I have. Do you
see? Stating a fact or even an opinion is not an automatic denial of other
facts and opinions.
This is what I want to teach the new missionaries. This is what I want the
missionaries to understand. There is so much more that I will try to teach them
and much more that I'm sure they will learn. I'm also very sure that many of
these things they won't learn from me, but I will put an effort forth.
Anyway, this is all very exciting. I'll be home in three months.
I hope to learn a lot. I hope to teach at least as much. I love this work. Who
would have thought that working without pay for two years would be so
enjoyable? Who could've thought that it could be so low on stress during those
same years? This isn't to say that I haven't worried, but the majority of my
worries and fears have not been of worldly affairs. I highly recommend it.
Let's all learn some things this week. While we're at it, let's
teach some things too.
--Elder Fisher
February 18, 2021
There was a rare storm in the city. It is not uncommon for snow in the mountains, but the last snow in Tbilisi was almost a year ago.
View of the snow from our apartment balcony.
