It's Nov 9 already?

Well, this week has been an alright week, but kind of tiring. We are still doing a lot of contacting to try and find new investigators. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it will ever work, but, like I tell Sister Vernon, we are planting seeds and maybe in a few years they will start to bud, maybe sooner, maybe later, we just don't know. But, we were able to get a new investigator from our service in the hospital. This woman works at the desk and we've talked to her a couple of times. She said we could come teach her later this month. That will be great.
Until then, we keep doing what we're always doing. Unfortunately, it is not exactly the greatest idea to contact on the street, in fact, we don't even wear our name tags on the street when it is dark. People are too scared to talk to us when it is dark, so it isn't a good idea to stop them. It's kind of like knocking. We don't do it. People live in apartments that are kind of like secured apartments. You have to call them on their дома-фон (doma-phone) to get in to where you can even go to their door. So, people get really suspicious when you are knocking on their doors behind locked doors. In some places it is forbidden, and although it isn't expressly forbidden in New City where we work, President has said that he doesn't encourage us to do it, unless the spirit directs us to go there.

So when we don't have teaching appointments, we contact on the street. When we can contact and we don't have appointments (which luckily has only happened a few times) we stay out on the street as long as we can and take a late dinner so we can actually work, and then we try calling people, or making cards, or sometimes we stop by the homes of investigators and members after dark. (Above - This is inside of the hospital where we often do service. I feel like I am in a hospital from the thirties when I am there, it is pretty run down)

Well, a little more about apartment life. Most of the apartments are rather small, but here in New City, there are a lot of really nice apartments because people can afford to remodel. Most places have two doors at the very least. One metal one that leads to a little area where if you are the only ones on that side of the apartment, you can leave your shoes (it's so dirty here you don't wear your shoes inside), or if there is more than one, you can stand with the other door locked while you unlock your apartment. Somepeople have two doors to their apartment, an outer security door and the inner apartment door. It's really interesting. Other than that, they are pretty much the same except most do not have carpet, and you are probably better off that way.
Oh, the package came, but Elder Ross didn't bring it back with him when he came back to Толбятти (Togliatti) with his new companion, so I won't get it until the Zone Leaders go to Самара (Samara) tomorrow. But, if you kept a list of what you sent, it would be nice if you could email that to me so I can check it all next week. Thanks for the taboo stuff, that's great. I'm really excited to be able to use it. And thanks, Lizzy, for the game idea, keep them coming if you have them. Sister Vernon and I always get stuck with the game for our Youth Night and it is really hard to come up with new ideas.
I really like the members here, most of them, anyway. The active ones are either really strong . . . or crazy. And I mean literally crazy. There is one man in our branch who was in some kind of nuclear chemical accident. Those who were not killed, became crazy and so were listed as disabled with the government. He is the only one that is still living, but it makes life interesting for the members of the church. The accident happened twenty years ago and he was baptized 8 years ago, so I don't know how all that works, but what can you say. He has this voice in his head that talks to him and tells him what to do. He also believes a man called the general told him that he could have a high position in an organization like the FBI if he finds a good wife, so he asks every girl that he meets and talks to a little. . . including my companion, Sister Vernon. It was rather funny because he knows she is a missionary and can't get married. He gave her a "text" about the general and all this stuff on Sunday and he told her that he thought the "text" would have made her see the importance of it. At least he isn't dangerous to anyone, not even himself.
One of the members is teaching us how to knit tomorrow. That will be really fun and the Elders want us to teach them next week on P-Day. That will be really interesting, and fun. The members want us to be able to make hats and scarves so we don't freeze to death, but it's not even cold! We don't have snow, but it keeps raining, not even freezing rain, just regular rain. It's rather disappointing, but unfortunately the members think I will die if I don't have a warm hat, scarf, coat, and boots. I haven't given in on the boots yet. I don't want to boil!
So, a little more about hospitals. I don't remember what I told you, but one of the members is in the hospital. We went to go visit her one night and Sister Vernon said that she hoped it wasn't past visiting hours. I was a little surprised and asked, "do they even have those?" She said, of course, so I replied, "Well, it kind of seems like you can come and go as you please, even the patients!" It's true, they don't hospitalize people here like they do in America, so patients leave and come back at will, as long as they can walk. It's kind of interesting. I have a question, just in case someone knows. Does blood ever turn in to powder? Well, I know that sounds a little weird, but we were doing service in the hospital yesterday and there was something on the floor that we couldn't figure out what it was. At first I thought it was blood, but then I noticed that it was powder, so I thought maybe it was rust, but there was nothing in there that was rusty, and I don't know where that much could have come from anyway. It was really weird, and there was a stain on one of the mattresses of the same color. It smelled bad too. So, that's the mess we cleaned up in the hospital yesterday, it was quite an interesting experience, especially for the greenie who isn't used to the hospitals here, or even to here yet.
Well, I'm not really sure what else you would like to know about Russia, so if there is anything especially that would be interesting to you to know, let me know and I will write about it.
Thanks also to those who wrote we this week. I really appreciate hearing from everyone. So, Lizzy, keep up the reading, it sounds like things are going great. (Left - Service at a children's park)I am getting close to finishing the Book of Mormon and I think I will finish it more than a month a head of schedule. That's exciting to me. Sara, the Thanksgiving project sounds like a good idea. Here are some things I am thankful for, if you want to add them in: family, friends, guidance from the Lord, the gospel, experiences in life, and especially for the Atonement and the love of God. Also, of course I want to see the Halloween pictures! I love pictures! It's not so easy for me to send pictures, but I was thinking of making some copies to send home, so we will see. Mom, that's so great to me about the temple, especially what you said last week about the extra session, are they still doing that? I think it's a great sign that the members are using the temple. That's what we are working towards here, to actually have a temple for the members to go to, but first we need to build a stake. It is tough work, but so worth it. That's great about the deer, but I have to say, I'm glad I'm not there to eat it, yuck! The nice thing about being in Russia is that the only thing I really have to eat that I don't like is tea and Russian candy. They have all sorts of weird teas, but they aren't very good and the candy is disgusting! Oh well. That's great about Aunt Linda. I was wondering about that, I didn't know they had to get a letter from the first Presidency about that. Too bad I won't be able to be there. Well, too bad that Jordan won't be able to be there. That would have been great for him. But, a mission is a good thing, too, of course.
Anyway, keep writing. I really enjoy hearing from everyone, even if I don't write back. Technically speaking, I could write back to everyone individually, but that means less time I can spend writing this email which everyone can read, and also the less I can write, so keep writing, even if you never get a response back. Also, you can give my website address to anyone that wants it.
Anyway, I guess that is all for this week. Time is going by so quickly. I only have 14 months left. That may sound like a lot, but that means I've already been on my mission for 4 and it doesn't seem like that long at all! I don't want the time to go by so quickly. I don't have enough of it. The Elders are lucky, they have a lot more time than Sisters. Oh well, it's all the will of the Lord.

Love,
Сестра Атвуд