Thanks for your emails, Sara, Mom and Dad. Sara, I'm surprised that you didn't have more to say after vacation, but I am trusting that you told me all about it in your letter. Now, you shouldn't have mentioned a 
snow bear without telling me what it is about. Now, if someone DOES tell me about it, I will have to take their word for it. But, that's ok with me. People who openly discuss situations are less likely to be trying to hide something (unlike people who just tell me not to believe someone else without explaining what really happened . . . j/k). (Picture to the left and the next picture below were taken at a restaurant called Арбуз (Arbuz or Watermelon) in Саратов (Saratov). We went there for lunch on P-day. Me, Elders Ray, Beck, Larson, Cummings, Johnson, and Wade).
Mom, that's so crazy to think that Ron is old enough to go on a mission almost! So weird! I feel like I have no concept of time with them because I haven't seen any of them in years, but that is great that he is planning on it. I hope the cruise will go well with them. Someday I would like to go on a cruise, maybe even to Alaska, but maybe in the Caribbean. We'll see when that time comes. That's great that Spencer's getting married! Who is he marrying and where? Too bad that it is in November, only a month before I come home, but that's alright. I would like to get a wedding announcement, but you could just get one for me and give it to me when I get home. I'm trying to limit the amount of things that I have to bring with me. I am planning on buying some books in the next couple of weeks and then I will be sending another package home. But that's another story. It seems to me that EVERYONE is getting married. When I get home there won't be any singles left from our branch except those who are still in school. But that's the way it should be, right? Just as long as Becky doesn't get married while I am here (though maybe it already happened and she just didn't want to say anything because she promised to wait for me to get home) everything is alright. I guess the same thing goes for Lizzy and Sara, but they are too young. And, preferably Heather won't get married either until I get back. As for Starchild, I'll have to see it when I get back, but I will probably want a copy.
Dad, first of all, you mentioned something that I would like to know more ab
out. You said that you had to go out with the missionaries that night, why did you have to go and what did you do? That will be very interesting for me to know. That's too bad about your computer but I am sure that you will eventually get it up and running.
So, now for my week. It really has been crazy. I am so exhausted and I'm not exactly sure why. No matter when I go to bed or when I wake up, I feel like I haven't slept at all. It's really annoying, but somehow I am still working. This week has been hard because pretty much none of our appointments have worked out. For example, Monday we were supposed to meet a lady at the church to show her around (she keeps promising to come to church on Sundays, but never does) but she didn't come. Then we didn't really have a set appointment with one of our less active girls but she said that maybe she would be home, so we stopped by to see her. She had just gotten home from work but was so tired that she was going to bed, so, we had to find something else to do. After that, we had a set appointment and we got there, and they weren't there. That was really annoying. This happened several other times during the week. I started to feel like nothing was working out. Then Saturday we had a baptism. This guy is really great and it was amazing to see his smile as he came up out of the Volga (he wanted to get baptized in the river). He was so happy! He understands everything and testified about how God lead him to this church. It was great. His wife came and that was a big step because she isn't really interested right now. She likes talking to us (as in with me and my companion) but she isn't really interested in the gospel. So, it was good to see her there. That day we had to come to Саратов to get the results from my AIDS test. Don't worry, I am AIDS free. (I had to get that for my Visa application). It was really interesting to find a place where I could have that analysis done because here, AIDS is a bad word. We asked at a hospital in Энгельс (Engels) and they whispered the word to each other. But, they were able to direct us to the AIDS center in Саратов (or SPID center as it is in Russian). But, anyway, I had to do that last week and it was cool because the lady there let us go in front of everyone else because she remembered us. So, on Saturday, I got the paper that I need so I won't be deported when I go to Moscow next week. Because of that, we ended up having very little time on Saturday, but it was a good day. Then on Sunday, we were disappointed that our main in
vestigators that we have been working with, didn't come. However, the wife of the man who got baptized the day before came! (Picture to the left is the view from our window. Beautiful, isn't! This is one of the sights that looks like Russia to me) That was really cool! We were so excited to see her (even though we don't work with them) because it was her first time and she isn't exactly interested. It just so happened that she didn't come into Sunday School after sacrament meeting. I needed to go into the hall, and when we left the room, we noticed that she was standing there in the hall. I went to do what I needed to do and Silva started talking with her. It was good because we found out that she didn't feel very comfortable. She said it is just different than what she is used to because people are smiling (weird I know). We talked with her a bit and then invited her to go with us and if she didn't feel comfortable or didn't feel well, she could leave. She agreed and as a result, she wanted to sit with us and not with her husband. I guess that made him feel a little bad. It didn't make things any better that after church, (she even went into Relief Society with us) she invited us to come to the Elders' meeting with them. We went, and she was really distracted the whole time, trying to be the good hostess. She was concerned more with the food and that everyone was comfortable than with the lesson. So, because of that, the Elders became a little upset. I doubt that she would have even sat with them if we wouldn't have come, but they told us that they don't want us to talk with her too much. They put it that they don't want us to befriend her so much that she always wants us to come . . . but it wasn't very pleasant to hear everything because they assumed that we were trying to "steal" her so WE could teach her. Anyway, that has kind of left a taint on our district because before that I felt like we were all working as one team, with one goal, to help these people come closer to Christ and that it doesn't matter WHO teaches someone but it matters that they are taught. Now I know that that was just a fantasy I was living for a little while. But, I don't care because I am going to keep on working as if that was the case.
By the way, something really funny happened on Saturday. The baptism was set for 7:00 in the morning and we forgot to change our alarm clock
the night before. We always get up at 6:00 so that is good, but that meant that when we woke up we had to rush to get ready. (Picture to the right - baptism in the Volga River - Женя (Zhenya - wife of Александр), wife of the branch president, Лена (Lena), Александр (Alekzander), Дима (Dima), Elder Ray, me, Elder Johnson, and Sister Silva. Front: President Космынин and Elder Cummings) We were literally dressed in 5 minutes and out the door. We ran to the bus stop. Along the way, my companion scared a cat in our path and it tried to run past us. For some reason it decided to run right under her feet and she stepped on its back leg. You can imagine the sound it made! She thought that she had just scared him, but I started laughing so hard! I couldn't help it! She had no idea and when I told her, she felt so bad! It was really funny, especially at 6:30 in the morning.
Sunday afternoon we are leaving for Самара (Samara). Monday we go to Moscow and from there we have to go to Estonia again, or something like that. I will be coming back Thursday morning, so I won't be writing next Wednesday. I'm hoping this trip won't wear me out (train rides always leave me more tired then when I left. It's like trying to sleep in a car or an airplane, except it is more like a bed). Other than that, things are going alright. Things were going great until this week. We've had a lot of setbacks and roller coaster emotions.
For example, we have a great lady that we have been teaching. She kee
ps all her commitments, reads, prays, comes to church, but she hasn't decided to get baptized yet. (Picture to the right - branch social after church, eating watermelon) We don't know what is keeping her from taking that step, but we found something out that is a little disturbing. In her прдезд (podezd) (that's the part of an apartment building where all the doors to different apartments are) lives a family that has apostatized. That means that these people live really close to her. This is the family that came a week ago and the husband testified that you don't have to come to church every Sunday, baptism isn't important, and that it doesn't matter which church you go to. Yeah, those people. They live really close to our investigator and we didn't want them to meet or know that our investigator lives there but the other day we saw the wife talking to her on the street. We were shocked and very disappointed. We think that maybe somehow they are influencing her in a very bad way. We hope and pray that that isn't the case, but it is hard because after that was the first time that she has said no when we asked to come over. Even when she was SICK she wanted us to come over! It's very discouraging. Maybe you could pray for her. Her name is Ольга (Olga). That would be great. Just pray for her to have a desire to know the truth and be open to the promptings of the Spirit.
Anyway, that's probably about it for now. This work is so hard, but I am so grateful for the privilege to serve as a missionary. I wish I had more time. A year and a half is not enough. I feel like I have just gotten started and now things are coming to a close. At least I still have 4 months left. I just have to believe that it will be enough.
Love,
Сестра Атвуд
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