Visa troubles

Hey Family,

All is great in Revda. Yesterday we had a special conference that was a broadcast from Salt Lake (President Monson and Elder Cook) connected with a broadcast from Moscow with President Piper. It was really cool to see Salt Lake doing something special for Russia, and from all the branches in the zone we had 149 people come! I've never seen a building so full in my mission. It was great. And most of our members from Revda made it despite the distance.
I don't know if you've heard about our problems over here but let me sum up a few of them regarding visa's. As you know with the new law we have to leave the country every 93 days (Every other transfer) and get a new visa. The law originally stated that you have to go to your country of origin to get a new one, but we've been able to do it at neighboring counties here and there, IE Prague or Estonia. But recently Prague stopped working out so they sent half the groups to Spain and half to Sweden. Lucky! The trips were longer than usual and lasted just under two weeks. But since about three and a half weeks ago, all missionaries who have left Russia have been unable to get visas to get back. So we currently have 14 missionaries who have been stuck in Sweden waiting for a visa that may never come. Mine expires in less than a month and I hope all these problems are fixed before then, or I hope that if I get stuck it's somewhere good, meaning it has a temple. The elders stuck in Sweden by law have to go to the temple twice a day in order to qualify for their residency status, some kind of service clause, can you imagine going to the temple twice a day for three weeks and counting!? I seriously don't know what to think of that.
So this area has got a lot of challenges ahead, at the end of this week Elder Taylor is leaving for his new visa, (hope he makes it back) and so I'm told I'll be with elder Kirbotof, isn't that a strange last name? That's because he's Russian! This will be my first extended period of time serving with a Russian, I'm way excited for the language benefits, and for how all the kids that yell “Hello America” will be shocked to find that my companion is not from America and cannot teach them any swear words. I think I may just strut him around the city and seek out every pack of youth and have them see that not every guy in a white shirt and tie is an American.
Also since they “closed” the other area of our branch due to the lack of missionaries, (still haven't got any elders since Elder Taylor) we have had to absorb their entire area which literally more than doubles our work. Looks like there wont be much time for contacting, which is an effective thing. Our branch has technically two, but really just one active Priesthood holder. His name is Andre he is amazing. One of those miracle baptisms that came out of nowhere because the branch needed him. He has one of the strongest testimonies I've ever witnessed, I say witnessed in that I've seen it not just heard it. He's only 21 and he feels a real responsibility for this branch, it's only a matter of time before they make him branch President. He's amazing and I'm so lucky to have him as a first counselor.
To end with one the quirks of the area we have now inherited the infamous “Baba Anya” She is the craziest babushka in the mission. She is three foot five and claims to be dying every second. She is so hard to meet with as all she does, is complain. NO joke, if you even ask her how she is she will complain until you walk out the door. I make it a point not to ask how she is just ask if there is any thing to help with, which of course there is not, because she just likes complaining! Here are some quotes from yesterday as we were just trying to get her to commit to read one verse a day. “I can't I'm sick, I have an eternal problem” “I'm always throwing up bile, it's green!” “I can't do anything, I'm like a table, a piece of wood” She is the living dead, in that she is faith without works, she's dead.

Love,

Roberto