Good Idaho Folks

This past week two senior missionary couples visited our mission sent from Moscow by the Europe East Area presidency. One is the area humanitarian couple who came to train our new couple here, and the other was a specialist in marriage and family relations who came especially to train us couples and the mission leadership on the new Strengthen the Family course. Imagine our surprise to find that both couples are from Southeastern Idaho. The Burtons are from Twin Falls and the Lees from Pocatello, formerly Rigby and St. Anthony. We keep noticing that there is such an abundance of good people from our area here.

Last Sunday we had an excellent example of the Lord's tender mercies guiding lives. On Saturday evening one of the sister missionaries called and asked if we would meet with them on Sunday morning before church as they were going to teach a young man who normally brings his wife, but that she couldn't come that day. So, of course, they just needed to have someone with them.

The next morning, Sunday, Sister LeBaron called again. Plans had changed. Right now these sisters are in a threesome. One sister was sick so Sister LeBaron was going to stay home with her while their other companion, Sister Kelnick, came to do the teaching. Sister Kelnick is Russian and doesn't speak any English yet. We wondered about that but it was Lou's understanding on the phone that we were to meet them at the chapel and he was to give the lesson since this guy speaks good English. Oh, and his wife was coming, after all. Well, it turns out that he had misunderstood a little.

We set out for church waiting for the bus, as we always do. But the bus didn't come. After waiting awhile we decided we better start walking to the metro. We wound up going on the metro and when we got off it on the underground level there was Sister Kelnick and the ward member who was with her. We were surprised but even more so when she managed to tell us that we should stay there and wait for Sergei and his wife while they went on to the church to teach someone else. So we waited only about 5 minutes and here came this young man and his wife who we didn't really know but they recognized us immediately. The chances of all this 'meeting up' were just so unusual (if you didn't realize that it was the Lord's hand guiding them and us).

So we went to the church and visited and taught them for 30 minutes or so before Sacrament Meeting. He let us know right off that he is an atheist but he is not working right now so because he is not very busy when he met up with our missionaries he just decided to find out what we believe. He is a pilot and he and his wife are an extremely nice looking, clean cut young couple expecting their first baby. After Sacrament Meeting they were going to leave but said they would stay longer if we would just meet with them alone some more. Which we did, for another hour. They will, of course, continue to be taught by the sisters but he wants to come to the Institute often to visit with us, supposedly to improve his English. It will be interesting to see where this goes. He doesn't believe in God, the Bible, faith, prayer etc. etc., but yet we know he is being led by the spirit. Will the Lord continue to get through to him? We are anxious to find out.
Diane