Where were we then???

We missed this last month, I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for an update of what happened five years ago, so here goes.
Tori was in Valle de La Pascua, Venezuela and Tyler was leaving Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia:

Tori:
18 Abril 2004

Welcome to a missionary’s life. So, my companion Sister Page is on the island Aruba! I have a new comp., Hermana Overton. She’s great! She’s a little more relaxed than Page which is good! Plus, she lets me help with the work. Neither one of us speak really well, so we work together. My Spanish is increasing everyday. Hermana Overton only talks to me in Spanish (usually). I love it, because I’m learning so much. We’re going to get along so well. I just know it.

Alexia Torreaba y Genisis (her granddaughter) were baptized! It was so great to see them enter the waters together. During her testimony, Alexia thanked me and Page. She started crying and so did I. I don’t really think I’m doing much. I know I’m affecting people, but the Lord does the work.

We’re working with the Garcia family. The 3 teenagers are ready but the parents are a bit behind. I was teaching about the 5 steps of repentance. The boy wasn’t paying attention, so to get his attention and have a little fun, I said, “Comer Mucho!” or Eat a lot. They looked at me, and were very quite. I busted up laughing. They realized it was a joke and started laughing too. It was fun.

^ The Garcia Family

Tyler:
04 April, 2004

Today was my last Sunday in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. It was an awesome meeting. It was fast Sunday, and there were 56 people at church! There were even 6 priesthood holders to bless and pass the sacrament, so 2 blessed, 2 passed the water and the other 2 passed the bread. E. Neves was sustained as President (Elder) Black’s 1st counselor. He bore his testimony, then E. Anderson, then I and many of the members of the branch did too. It was really spiritual, but sad to realize that after a year, it was my last day there. It was neat to see the members and talk to them for the last time. After church, Varya brought me into the chapel saying that it was time for choir practice, but when I went into the room, a bunch of the branch members were there and sang “Бог с тобой, доколе свидимся” (God be with you till we meet again). We left right after church and before I knew it, we were at the airport on our way back to Vladivostok. It was nice on the plane to be able to sit and read my scriptures for a long uninterrupted block of time.

Vlad has changed a lot since I left almost a year ago. Its like a completely different city. There are a lot of new buildings and they’ve really cleaned the place up a lot. At sacrament meeting back on Sakhalin this morning President Oswald talked about how he got a call from Salt Lake the day before and was called by President Hinckley to be a counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency. We haven’t seen it yet, but he was sustained at conference yesterday even though they don’t go home until June. He is such an amazing person. We talked for a long time while we were at the airport waiting for our flight. It was great. What an awesome couple the Oswald’s are.

Anyway, I’m back in Vladivostok for a few days, then headed to Seoul for a new migration card. After I get back from Korea, I’ll be going to Ussurrisk where I’ll probably finish my mission. I can’t believe how much warmer it is here than it was on Sakhalin. Vladivostok is only 600 miles away from Sakhalin, but it feels like I’ve been transferred to another climate altogether- I thought I was going to pass out from heatstroke tonight walking around the city because I still had my heavy coat on from when we left the cold and snow this morning. It’s been a long day, and will be a busy next few days, but I’m looking forward to getting settled into a new city later this week.

^The Oswalds, members of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk branch and Elders on my last day there.

^ We were literally in Korea just long enough to land, declare that we'd left Russia, buy dozens of hamburgers and subs to bring back from this little piece of heaven that we found inside Seoul's Incheon airport, and fly directly back to Vladivostok.