Hello everyone! Hello Seth! Happy Birthday!! I wish I would've sent you an awesome letter 2 weeks ago like I was planning!! Instead we were packing and moving to a new apartment last P-day. I still have a half-finished letter for Sam that I started working on on the 4th of July. No bueno muchachos. I'll try to be better, but this P-day is going to be a crazy one as well. I hope you has a good ole birthday. Sounds like it was a really fun week with the family reunion and all. The Harry Potter thing sounds like Caleb and Seth came up with it! Sounds really fun. I've seen a couple billboards for Гарри Поттер 7 around here, haha. It sounds so weird to hear Russians say English stuff like that. I remember the first time I ate at McDonald's in Russia, I thought it was hilarious that everything on the menu was just the original names with a Russian accent. But I digress! What a waste of email!! Don't you worry, Seth (and all siblings). I got some cool stuff for your birthday that I can give out when I get back.

So I don't really have a ton to write, to be completely honest. This week has been not so great because of the foot. It took us a really long time to get packed and moved in to our new apartment because I'm immobile without crutches, which means that I can't really help carry stuff anywhere. But the members here are amazing. I want to take them all home with me. They were having institute in the branch building the day that we were moving, and everyone came together and got all our stuff moved in way quick. It felt like when we moved into our Centerville home and all the Elders and Young Men in our ward came over and helped us move in. Bro. N even brought over his work van, so it fit all our stuff way easily. Really, that's probably been the best part of my mission so far, is working with all the members and seeing them in action. They're the best of the best here. I've noticed it a lot more since I've been in Saratov, because this was one of the first cities in Russia that the church was established in. The church is really strong here. On top of that, we get to serve in one of the best branches of our district (in my opinion). We've got a member of the 70, the District President, Elder and Sister K, and a bunch of other members that were among the first baptisms in Russia about 20 years go. They're all so amazing. But I digress! What a waste of email!!

Once we got all moved in, I just spent most of the day making calls from the Area Book every day with Elder B while Elder H and L were out on splits. There was one night where we set up a few meetings in the church building in the evening, so we took a taxi up there after lunch and just made calls for hours until the meetings. Then the meetings fell through and we made more calls! I shouldn't complain. It's actually been pretty good for me, probably. Plus this week we saw so many miracles in such a short amount of time. Literally within about 1 hour earlier this week, we had 3-4 baptisms just fall into our laps as a zone. That's huge because our goal for this month is 7, which we've been busting ourselves to try and accomplish. Here are some examples: First. A lady from a village about 100 km outside of Saratov called a companionship in our mission who she's never met. She said she has met with the missionaries about 2 months ago (before the transfer) and so she's been taught everything and been to church a couple times, but due to some testimony concerns she stopped meeting with the missionaries. Her words were "I've been praying all day about it and really thinking about it, and I realized today that I need to repent and be baptized. I want to drive in today and get baptized if I can." WOW. So the missionaries have made arrangements with the branch to help her get travel money to come in and get baptized, and also they've set up a fund for her so she can come to church at least 2X a month. Second Miracle. An investigator in another area broke her leg. Miracle! Just kidding, there's more. She works like crazy so even though she comes to church, she's never been able to meet with the missionaries. But now that she's sitting at home, one of the babushkas in that branch agreed to come over to her house every morning and study the Book of Mormon with her. The missionaries were able to meet with her, and she accepted the invitation to get baptized! That one's cool because Elder B and I found her while we were on exchanges in his ares. Third Miracle! This one's in our area. Elder H and L were talking to a girl on the street when a random lady walked up and said "Please pray for (name I forgot) and (name I forgot)" and then walked off. They chased her down, turns out she's a member who hasn't been to church for 6 years. We agreed to meet with her family. We went over there (H and I) and they are the most golden hearts on the face of the earth. She got a blessing and came back to church and they are back in action again. Also, none of her kids are members and her 12 year old son really wants to get baptized this Saturday. It just fell in our laps! It was such a huge testimony to me and God is looking out for all of His children. We really have no reason not to trust him. At the beginning of this week, we had no idea how our zone was supposed to get 7. But He turned everything around in literally 1 hour. It's been so amazing. But I digress!!!! What a waste of email!!!!!!!!

So my time is already up! I hope this email was okay to read. I kind of had fun writing it. Thanks for your support! I love you so much. I'm praying for you! I hope things are really going well there. Sam, rip it up!! You don't have much time left! I'm scared for you!!! But I digress! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEEE

Alex.

P.S. Mom, apparently Elder H's homecoming is the 14th, but I'll get back to you on where and what time.