Well, I have great news . . . well at least it is great news for me. I have finally received my first transfer. I can't even explain how I feel right now. We found out last night and unfortunately that triggered a sobbing session for Sister Саргсян (Sargsyan). (Left - this is a very famous and popular statue. It is a tribute to loyalty. This dog's owner was killed in a car accident at this corner. The dog sat on this corner for 10 years waiting for his owner. People would bring the dog food and water, but he would not leave this spot. So, when the dog died, the city built this statue to remember the loyalty that was shown) Her worst nightmare has been realized. She is staying in Тольятти (Togliatti). Really, there is no work here for the sisters. It will be really hard for her to stay, but she says what will make it even harder is that her new companion doesn't speak or understand Russian very well (I don't know if that is really true because she came with me, but I guess that's what happens when you ALWAYS speak English with your companion and NEVER Russian). Anyway, I still feel good because I am out of here! The only problem is, I guess they haven't yet found a place for me. That is, they don't yet know where I am going. They have two options but they haven't decided which to do. (Right - this picture was taken on April 6, my half way mark of the mission. To make it something special, I wanted to do something special. So, I bought a tomato and put candles on it) My new companion will be Sister Bloxina (Блохина). She is from the Moscow mission but I don't know if that means she is actually from Moscow or from some other city in that mission. But I guess I will have time to find out. They say I will either be going to Ульяновск (Ulyanovsk - a city north of Тольятти) still along the Волга (Volga) or to Пенза (Penza), a city in the southern half of the mission. To get there I will have to go by train to Саратов (Saratov) and from there by train to Пенза. It should be a very interesting experience if that is the case. If not, I will probably just go by bus to Ульяновск. That would be a little weird because Sister Блохина has already served in Ульяновск. We shall find out, I guess. I will be leaving Тольятти on Friday the 21st. That is almost 7 months to the day from when I came. You can just imagine how glad I will be to see something new. Pretty much all I have seen in Russia is Тольятти, Самара (Samara), and Санкт Петербург (St. Petersburg).

Anyway, that is enough about that. What else do I have to say? (Left - at the Волга river) Thanks for sending the box, mom. I am looking forward to getting that. I love getting mail and packages. They always make me feel better because then I know that people are thinking about me. I am still trying to get my box sent off for you, but I haven't been able to yet. I will send it for sure before I leave Тольятти because I don't want to lug that stuff with me to my new area.

Hmmm. What else? I was sick last week, but you already knew that. I am feeling a lot better, but then Sister Саргсян (I remembered how to switch easily between Russian and English so I like that better) got sick so we spent most of Monday and all of yesterday at home. That was a killer. The only nice thing was that I got a lot done. I was able to read a lot, write in my journal, clean out my shelf, finish knitting my Russian flag, and other things like that. But by the end of the day I was just so tired of being at home. We didn't have any hot water, either, so I felt gross because I didn't take a shower. They shut it off for the entire city on Monday and they only just turned it on today . . . after we both had heated water on the stove to use. That was interesting.

Let's see. I'm going to make some films to send on one of the disks I am sending home. You can look at the disks, there will be pictures and movies, and you can even print the pictures if you want, but the disks are still mine. (Right - Elder and Sister Gunnell, senior couple missionaries, invited us over for dinner, so we went. This was an interesting night because my companion didn't speak much English and the Gunnells didn't speak Russian. I was the link between them. One time, my companion was telling a story and I was translating, but at one point I began to speak in Russian instead of speaking in English. Then I realized what I had done and had to repeat it in English) Oh, I will also be sending a couple of disks that won't be interesting to you because they are copies of disks from some of the Elders.

My companion needs 15 minutes more, so I'm not exactly sure what else to write.

The work is really slow here in Тольятти so I have nothing to say about that, though we are having another baptism on Saturday (that is if he doesn't smoke again before then). Yeah, that's about it. I guess I will write something in Russian.

Я люблю вас всех и скучаю тоже. Я рада быть здесь. Пожалуйста, пишите мне! Я хочу знать что происходить там. Я тоже хочу сказать что я очень благодарна за то, что я могу служить на миссий в Россий и учиться этому языку. Я знаю что я здесь по воле Бога и что, эта Церковь-истина.

С любовью,

Сестра Атвуд

P.S. That was a really big chore because I had to search for pretty much every letter. I guess it would get easier if I had to use it more, but for now, that will suffice. Try translating it, if you got the time. There will be a prize for anyone who can give the correct translation . . . that prize will be a big pat on the back, and the pride that comes with understanding another language. . . he he he.