The Saratov Approach

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Amen.

Well?

All right.

So...you can go through with this.

Yeah, I think so.

Okay

Can you?

Propst, if this thing goes south

It's not going to.

All right.

You grab the iron

and lay with your back facing the door

so he can't see you, okay?

I'll take the sheet

and I'll climb up on the table

where he can't see me.

And when you're ready,

I'll call him in,

put the sheet over his head.

That's when you take the iron...

All right.

Then we'll get his gun,

we'll cuff him,

and if he gets up

or if anything goes wrong...

What?

It's him or us.

Have you even shot a gun before?

Yes. I've hunted.

You've hunted?

They are gonna kill us.

Okay?

Are you ready to go through with this?

Yeah.

Yeah, we have to, right?

One of these days,

we're gonna win.

Ah, well, maybe if you

sharpen up your defense.

You all right?

Oh.

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Katya is very beautiful.

Katya is very beautiful.

Very good.

Handsome.

Handsome.

Handsome.

Handsome.

Propst is not handsome.

Propst is not handsome.

Spasibo.

Ugly.

It was a long day today.

Did it feel long to you?

Felt amazing to me.

- That's what I meant.

- You know what I mean?

At the end of the day,

you're completely drained.

You spend all your energy doing

some sort of good in the world.

Feels good.

Was that today?

Best feeling in the world.

Yeah, it is.

Are we gonna do this or what?

I thought you'd never ask.

All right.

A year ago today,

I left my family, my friends,

a full-ride scholarship,

all my Beatles albums,

and countless female admirers...

to come to Russia,

a place that is cold, miserable,

and where I couldn't speak

the language to save my life.

Now I've been here a year.

I've served in four different cities.

I've had six different companions.

I've been spit at.

I've been yelled at, cursed at.

I've been hit by three cars

and countless vodka bottles.

And somehow I still can't speak

this language to save my life.

You're not that bad,

I'm telling you.

Somehow, I've come to love

this crazy place

and love these people.

I'm glad to be here with you, Tuttle.

With that,

I take one shirt and burn it

to signify one year gone

and one year left.

And may your success continue

through the coming year.

Cheers.

Where did you buy this?

I didn't buy it.

I found it, in the cupboard.

I think it's fermented.

I doubt he's even gonna be there.

Well, I've never had anybody

come up to me and just ask me

ask me to teach him like that.

Yeah. Yeah, right.

That was odd.

I don't think it was odd.

It's...it's awesome.

There's missions that the guys

teach more in a week

than we do an entire month.

Yeah, I don't know.

It's just...

The only thing is, I got

a little bit of a weird vibe from him.

Oh, I didn't.

I think he seemed interested.

He seemed genuinely interested

in what we had to teach him.

It's not every day somebody

comes and seeks you out.

I mean, how long

was he waiting at the door?

Take it if we can get it, right?

- It's a discussion.

- Yeah.

Do you have a Book of Mormon

with you?

No. I thought you packed one.

I gave my last one away

and forgot to grab another one.

Oh, seriously?

Well, let's just come back.

There's no point in teaching

without a book.

He's waiting for us.

If we don't teach him now,

we may lose our opportunity.

Oh.

Oh.

No, I think we go now,

and we teach him,

and we can tell him about it

and then bring him

another one tomorrow.

That'll be an opportunity

to set up another appointment.

Okay. I just think we should be

a little more prepared.

Privet.

This is gonna be great.

I'd like to share a message with you

about a book

that will change your life.

We didn't bring one with us,

but we promise it's awesome.

We'll just stick to God and prophets.

Okay. Yeah, that works.

God speaks to prophets,

writes those words down

in sacred books

like the Bible

and the Book of Mormon.

No, no, we didn't bring one.

I know.

We're less effective.

That's broken.

You coming?

Geez.

I'm just saying we should

come back later when we're prepared.

This is ridiculous.

You're being dramatic.

Fine. Whatever you say.

- Say it?

- Sure.

Dear God, our Heavenly Father,

we're grateful for the opportunity

we have to teach today.

Please bless and send the Spirit

with us as we do

and please protect us

from any harm or accident.

We say these things in Jesus' name.

- Amen.

- Amen.

It's loud.

It sounds like a quality program.

Hate to interrupt.

Spasibo.

Shut up and don't move!

Please, God, help us.

This...This can't be happening.

I can't be here.

Shh, Shh!

The neighbors didn't

even hear us scream, okay?

Nobody is going to help us.

We have to do something ourselves.

Shh!

What?

We're trapped in here.

Can you get UP?

We have to jump out of this window

or we are gonna die right here, okay?

Wait, wait, wait.

If they see us --

If they see us, they'll kill us.

Either way we're dead, okay?

Wait.

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, okay?

- Please --

- Shh!

Tuttle!

Where are you going, my friend?

Hmm?

Play drunk.

Help us!

Tuttle, shut up!

Help!

Somebody!

They're gonna kill us, I know it.

- They're gonna shoot us.

- Listen to me.

Listen to me

and shut your mouth, okay?

You need to shut your mouth,

and we'll be okay.

Do you hear me?

We're gonna be okay.

Shh.

How do you know that?

Okay, okay, okay-

Don't shoot, don't shoot.

No, no, no, no!

Don't shoot me! Wait!

No!

Two American missionaries

serving in the town

of Saratov, Russia,

are being reported kidnapped

after a ransom note was found

on a Russian official's door.

Eyewitness News

learned of the kidnapping

of 20-year-old Andrew Lee Propst

and 20-year-old Travis Robert Tuttle

just moments ago.

The Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake

has taken immediate steps

to ensure the safety

of all other missionaries

with the Russian Samara mission.

Details of the ransom note

are not being released at this time

until the families of the captured

missionaries can be contacted.

This is Lee.

Yes. I'm listening.

My Son!

They've got my son!

That was just right before he left.

This was him at the airport.

This is the most recent one

that we got.

When's the last time

you talked to him?

We can only talk to him

at Christmas and on Mother's Day.

How do we get it to them?

United States government policy

is to not pay ransoms.

So, what options do we have?

- We can negotiate or rescue.

- Rescue?

We put two agents on a plane

this morning.

When they get to Russia,

they'll meet with the authorities.

I should be there.

We can't actually have you

leave the home.

It's not safe.

We don't know what harm

they could do to you and your family.

Who are these people?

The probability of your son

coming home alive or unharmed

is very low in a case like this.

Don't you dare say that to me!

Don't you dare take away my hope!

This morning, when the phone rang,

I knew it had to be about Travis.

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