companion with a burr sign on her back. As we were walking to service, a few of these things stuck to her back. Instead of pulling them off, I wrote hi on her back) I am leaving Пенза (Penza). I'm a little excited about it because I was getting a little worried that the people here would pray so hard that I would never leave, but I've noticed on my mission that when the members start telling me that I better not even think of leaving, I get transfered. Plus the fact that three sisters are going home this transfer, I more than expected it. But, I didn't want them to do what they are doing now, closing Пенза for sisters. They had to close two cities and the funny thing is that they also closed Тольятти (Togliatti). That's probably a good thing so the members can start to value the sisters that they had there. But, I feel bad for the people here. 
(Picture to the left - our service that day was helping with renovation of a member's apartment. In Russia, everyone uses wallpaper, so we helped with that. First, though, we needed to put some white powdery stuff on the ceiling. I don't know what that is called in English. To do that, we have to go through several stages where we have to let it dry. There was a play center nearby, so we went there while we were waiting) I have never had so many people tell me that there aren't enough sisters. They say, sisters are needed so much, but for some reason, there is never enough of them. They wanted to know why, and the only thing I could think of is that they all get married before they can go, or they just don't want to (but I didn't tell them that last part). It makes me sad that the people here love sisters so much and again we are being taken from them.I am going to a little city called Энгельс (Engels) across the Волга (Volga) river from Саратов
(Saratov). (Picture below - we were on our way to the youth night and saw this written on the side of a building. We thought it would make a funny picture. English graffiti is everywhere) I will be serving with Sister Silva. It sounds like I am really lucky, or that is what everyone tells me. My companion is going to Самара (Samara) and will be serving with a sister who came 3 months ago. That will probably be her last city because she goes home in 3 months. Sister Silva also goes home in three months. That should be interesting.So, I've been doing a lot of "saying goodbye" and also a lot of packing. I really hate packing. It is one of those things that just takes a lot of time and a lot of effort and even when I don't buy anything new, it seems like every time I have
less and less space. But, somehow I still manage to fit it in. (Picture to the left - at youth night we played a game called 4 on the couch. It is really fun, but you need a lot of people to play. The game is played with two teams, one girls, the other guys. Everyone writes their name on a piece of paper which is folded and mixed with all the others. Then, everyone picks a paper out. A certain area, usually a couch, is chosen to be the home base. Two girls and two guys begin the game and there should be one empty seat. The person to the left of that seat begins by picking someone in the circle. Whoever has that name must get up and sit in the empty seat. That person than trades their piece of paper with the person who called them over. In that manner, the trick is to try and get all 4 on the couch to be of the same sex. Thus, you try and figure out what names are being held by the people on the couch and try to get the members of the opposite team off and choose those who are on your team. It is really fun and if you have a good memory, you would be good at this game) I thought about sending a package home with more things that I don't need, but right now there isn't very much. So I thought I would wait a bit 
because in a few months I will be able to send home all my summer clothes that I won't be wearing. (Picture to the right - changing our filters. The filter in my left hand is what our filter starts out looking like. The one in my right hand is after having used it for 2 months. I've actually seen filters where they are black, but that is usually when the missionaries who lived there didn't follow the schedule to change the filters) That will help and it will also help when I don't have to pack my winter coat.Anyway, I don't really know what else to say. Things are going as usual. I am leaving tomorrow evening on a train for Самара. From there, I hope I will go by train to Энгельс, but Sister Блохина (Bloxina) tells me that I will be going by gazelle. I really hope not because that is an 8 hour ride and last time we came back to Пенза from Саратов (5 hours) I felt really sick by the end
of the ride (the roads here are really bad and I don't think any vehicle here has good shocks).(Picture to the left - me walking on the train tracks near the building where we met for church) So, my next email will be coming to you from a terminal in Энгельс!
I have one more thing to say. It is really weird, but before my mission, no one ever said anything about my smile, but here, I hear it all the time. It either makes people happy or makes them angry (those are the people who wonder why I am happy when they are miserable). It's weird because I don't like my smile at all but I've had so many people comment about it. One girl in Тольятти said I have a sweet smile, and other than that people just say how good they felt every time they saw me smiling. Even when they felt bad, they felt better. I don't know, maybe that is the Holy Ghost working on them, too.
Thanks for everything. Now that I think about it, I will probably send home a box when I buy some books. That way I won't have to lug them around Russia with me. I also have to apply for a new Visa. To do that, I have to have an AIDS test. That is not going to be fun. I go to Moscow in August for my Visa.
Love,
Сестра Атвуд
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