Sheppert, David

This week (like all preceding weeks) was otlichna (great). The Russian is coming along, the day of thanks has nearly come, and the belly is full. Speaking of the belly, I would like to give a public shoutout to an experienced missionary mother who sent me a delicious package full of edible delights. The climactic moment of this segway story was when the package of food contained two boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.      For those of you who live under a rock, or have a distinct distaste for the sound of happiness, two boxes meant that I received 24 doughnuts. Yes, I understood that my mother intended for me to share. And I did. At first. Let me just say that between the dining hall and my personal stash, I have averaged several donuts a day, a happy mind, and a stomach with the mood swings of a pubescent tween.      Now this sets the stage. Two nights ago, at around 9:30 PM,I was on my final doughnut of my stash. I was savoring each bite of glazed perfectio...

Люди,      This week has been awesome!! I have enjoyed a full week at the Provo MTC. The schedule has been PACKED, but still very pleasurable.       Russian. It's coming along at a very fast pace. In-person classes have made such a huge difference! My напарник and I have been grinding non-stop and it is paying off. Every morning we wake up at the crack of dawn, and spring out of bed heading for the light. Whoever switches the light on gets a point for the day. I was down 3-1, but don't worry Vancouver, I wasn't going to let my city down. I bounced back to win back-to-back mornings, to tie up the tally. I will let you know how much I am winning by next email.      In other news, the spirit is so strong here. It's amazing to see what happens when you give up a lot of the good things in your life for great things. I have had the opportunity to go to a couple amazing devotionals, and hear many testimonies. My f...

This was a solid week. I have learned a lot about many different parts of the gospel. My district just got to the in-person MTC today (Wednesday), and it is so sweet!! The people here are so fun, and it is so amazing to work with them in person! I have a very cool story to share.  On my 6 am flight :) from Portland to Salt Lake City today, I was seated on an aisle seat. There was another elder a couple of rows away, so we started talking about where we were going. When I said Dnipro, the man across the aisle from me said with a heavy accent, "You're going to Ukraine!" He proceeded to tell me he was born in Ukraine and grew up in Russia. He was fluent in both Russian and Ukrainian. His family was in the two rows near him. It was so cute to hear his kids say things I could actually understand in Russian. He taught me so much, and we talked on and off the whole flight. At this point in the story, one may say, "Elder Sheppert, this is just a coincidence that you were sit...

Home MTC Is not so easy From 6:30 wake time to 10 hours of facetime (we use zoom) Cram Russian and the gospel We can't watch Nosgúls Yet something about this work brings true meaning I sit at computers all day and keep thinking The work I'm preparing to do out abroad Will bring souls, great souls, just like ours, unto God Time spent is so worth it, the spirit's so strong T'is truly a pleasure, to pass the word along         It has been a great week! I have learned so much Russian so fast. I just try to study the flashcards, and pay attention in class. They taught us a lot about the gift of tongues, and what we need to do to access it. I have been trying to work very hard so that way I can have that gift, and I have definitely caught glimpses of it. Sometimes, I will be studying after class, and I will see a word come up that I saw once like 2 days ago, and there should be no way I should be able to know the meaning of it, but then I do! It has been rea...