Does anyone know how missionary work is going in Russia? Is the morg having luck there or not!?

I don't know about the last year or two, but it can't be doing too good since the number of congregations have been DECREASING in the last 10 years (see the Cumorah website). I'm sure their still dunking a few vulnerable people though.

I was asking as next week one of my ward's missionaries is speaking and that's where they went!

From some of the last entries of a missionary who served in Russia 2010-12:
http://eldernicholasandersen.blogspot.com

"My last week was a good one. Possible the best of my mission as far as Key Indicators go. Last night I tallied up all our numbers and I was stunned. Somehow we got 18 meetings. I doubt that this will surprise you but obviously my first reaction was Gosh Danget that we didn't get 20! Ha, o well, I haven't had that many meetings in one week for like a year and a half and that was back in the day when we counted meetings with active members which we don't even count anymore. "
-----------
" We got another one of our investigators to church for the first time too! 13 year old D. Basically we were working with the whole family but the rest of them straight up rejected to do as I asked and read the Book of Mormon and pray and come to church to see for themselves if it's true. But this little girl took the step of faith and said "I'll read your book" and those words may have very well changed her entire eternity. She actually has been reading it and she came to church and tonight we will get a baptismal date with her. You better believe it. I'm very excited!"
-----------
" Hello. Well we have four baptism dates but honestly I don't think there the ones that you're looking for exactly but at the same time I feel like each of them in their own way will strengthen not only the people indivdually but the church as a whole here as well.

One is with a fourteen year old kid, S., who has a little bit of a mental dissability who's parents are active members and the kid I think is just ready finally. He by the way is one of the funniest/awesomest people in the world. One is with a not very normal twentysomething year old girl, K., who is chickening out...again. One is with a guy with a broken leg, I., for him I have the most hope. I think once he gets a solid testimony then he will stay strong and I can see him making a big change and becoming a strength to the branch. We're gonna help him quit smoking this week and maybe the plan of salvation too. One date is with E., the mother of an active lady who also won't be much of a strength because she is definately on the down slope as far as health is concerned. She wants her grandson to baptize her though which is why the date we set is not until September. He is in the army right now. He was always not the most active kid before he left. I'm going to right him a letter with my testimony though and let him be aware of the fact that he has something to look forward to be worthy for when he gets back. "

I just returned (early) from a mission to Russia this last November. Here's the statistics I remember. We may have had a total of 400 "active" members in my ENTIRE MISSION. Near in mind that I went to the Vladivostok Mission which covers about 1/3 of the entire country. The 400 "active" members we had were less than half of the total members in my mission. And for good reason. Because most of the people I met in Russia who were willing to "accept" the gospel were not "all there" mentally. In my experience, most of the people willing to believe in something so crazy were already nut jobs. But hey, missionaries want "numbers" and "baptisms" and everybody is a "child of god" so the crazy people were just an easy way to get baptisms. I'm sorry, "crazy people" isn't the correct vernacular, I believe they're known as "humble" and "prepared by The Lord to accept the gospel."

Welcome back! I hope others have made you feel welcome when you came back.

You describe it as it really is. No one from the mainstream of life is joining anymore. Nowadays it is always those who are marginalized is some way due to emotional or mental problems, poverty, lack of education, etc. Russia is hardly an exception.

Just a question about "active" members.

Are the active people actually Russian or are they people from other countries that happen to be living in Russia?
I was looking at the membership stats for east Latvia, sometimes called Russian Latvia because they speak Russian.
Apparently there are a lot of ex-pats (people from US or other countries) living or retired in Latvia that would increase the membership number but in reality are not from Latvia.

Did you see this effect in your mission? I know people working in the Russian/american embassy that would probably attend a russian ward.

Check out the country report on cumoroh.com

http://cumorah.com/index.php?target=view_country_reports&story_id=212

"In general, active church membership in the largest Russian cities has experienced little increase since the late 1990s, and in some cases has actually declined notwithstanding continued increase in nominal membership. Many of Russia's most populous cities have experienced a decline in the number of LDS congregations operating. In 2001, there were eight branches in Yekaterinburg whereas in 2010 there were three. During this same time period, the number of branches in St. Petersburg declined from thirteen to nine, in Ufa from four to one, in Novosibirsk from five to three, and in Samara from four to two. Rostov has experienced no change in the number of LDS congregations over the past decade whereas Saratov has been the only city with over one million inhabitants to have an increase in the number of LDS branches during this period from four to six. There were 500 LDS members in St. Petersburg in 1992 and 1500 by mid-1994, with subsequent growth to over 2,000 members in the 2000s. However, only an estimated 250 members were attending church regularly in St. Petersburg in late 2010, approximately half of the number that attended fifteen years earlier. Nationwide active membership is estimated at 3,500-4,500, or 17-23% of total church membership. "

It will be interesting to see how this is spun.

So it's in decline like the USA and Europe!?

That number is so small they are operating in the "noise" statistically.

I haven't seen the "Saratov Approach" film yet, but from what seems by its over-publicity by TSCC and its bookstores it makes out Russians to be blood-sucking vampires that love to kill and abduct anyone. Having been there myself I can TESTIFY THE TRUTH about Russians' warm, hospitable nature. And their mad patriotism, which extends to all things connected with it, including its historical church.

Russians don't appreciate bullshit and if you portray yourselves as "spreading the gospel" while plotting to take 10% of their income, of course they'll make things hard for you.

Maybe you should ask him/her if some group of hooligans who can't sing started playing loud music inside The Holy Of Holies, what he/she would feel. That's what Russians feel about a bunch of radicals the U.S. media has somehow portrayed as "political dissidents". The same media's coverage of what's really going on in Ukraine will only make it more difficult for a church folks there know reasonably about, i.e. that it's distinctly American and that its founder makes the absurd claim that Jesus visited the Americas (but apparently never the land now known as Russia).

Even so not that many people there go to church, so ask him/her what makes them think Russians will benefit by being a member of TSCC, instead of the church that survived tragedies and its holy temples blown up by Stalin. Even the non-churchgoers have respect for Orthodox figures; that's why Putin has always let them have a small say in shaping Russia's future.

All told, you should strongly interrogate him/her when feasible, as it seems the Morg's hierarchy is in denial of what really is going on in the former Soviet Union.

Here's a video to share with the mishie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ro_cc39LJc

"This branch is basically in the dumps! But that's ok cuz it's about to be SMASHED WITH SPARKLES!!! That's what our Branch Mission Leader said to us when we all met with him on Sunday. He speaks English and since three out of six of us don't quite yet get the whole Russian thing yet he just did it in English and he said that this branch needs "sparkles" and it was super funny! I don't think I would've ever worded it quite like that but it's quite genius actually!

Basically all the church members troop on in Sunday morning with ticked off looking expressions. They sit there during the meetings and...sit there...and sit there...haha singin hymns was a joke. There was probably fifty people thereish and everybody sings SOOO quiet and just straight up weak! And then...they leave...and that's it. So we're gonna dad gum sparkle them out of their minds! We agreed to Sunday morning when everybody's comin in to church to just freak out basically! And just to work and greet people like they aint ever been greeted before! We're gonna be beltin out hymns like crazy! We're gonna make everything fun and spiritual as all get out! We're gonna get em pumped! My comp said it and I agree!"

Sept. 22, 2011
http://eldernicholasandersen.blogspot.com