time flies

Dear family,
Thanks to everyone who wrote me this week. I’ll start by responding to those emails.
Lizzy, that’s great that you were able to get what you want. The Little Mermaid is coming out in 2-disks! That’s great! Is Sister Bundy the institute teacher or something? Sounds like institute is going to be really interesting this year.
Sara, that is something seriously disturbing to me, country is your favorite? Who ruined you? I get a headache just thinking about it. (No offense intended to anyone who likes country). As for the object lessons, what did the glass of milk lesson teach you? Sounds like seminary is also going to be fun for you. And you don’t have to be embarrassed if you didn’t have to look at the board while reciting your scripture mastery. Seriously, Sara, I found out more about you from mom, but at least this week’s email was better than last weeks.
Both Lizzy and Sara, it would work out better now if you ONLY sent your emails to my gmail account so I don’t get two copies. Thanks.
Mom, I would have liked to see the dvd about the trek. What did they show? That’s too bad about my car. I hope it won’t be too expensive and I hope that it won’t be too big of a problem. It seems to me that everyone from our ward is getting called to the same place lately. There was another pair, too, right? That’s good, though I’m still the only one way over here in Russia.
Dad, thanks for getting those emails sent. Wow, I really hate having to install new software all the time, but it will be good to have that updated. Good luck on updating your software, yikes! If the people at the temple ask more, tell them I love my mission, I love the people, and I love the work, it is just hard to see people I love make decisions that I know will not lead to happiness in this life or the next. It is spiritually and emotionally draining. For example, last Thursday we went to see one of the less active members we are working with. She lives in a run down house not too far from where we live. She has no telephone but we had set up an appointment with her the last time we were there. Her situation is very difficult. She got baptized barely a year ago and after that got divorced from a man who is now also less active. She started living with another man without marriage. They broke up until she found out she was pregnant. They started living together again but he drinks and always threatens to leave. They were supposed to get married, but someone broke in and stole his passport which means that they have to wait to even be able to get married, but she continues living there. She had her baby not too long ago and she really likes us to come see her. (See picture above, I am holding her baby, Катя (Katya)) She considers us to be the only friends she has and tells us that when her daughter grows up she will hear about her “aunts from America”. Even though she has made some wrong choices and continues to do so, I still love her and I want to help her, but she won’t leave the bad situation she has put herself into. On Thursday when we came, her husband was standing outside talking with a man, he let us in and when we got to where we could see this girl, we noticed a cut on her forehead. She told us in a whisper that he had been drinking. She wanted us to stay with her until he went to bed because she said he wouldn’t do anything while we were there, but we couldn’t. But she still won’t leave, even after that. She doesn’t think she has anywhere else to go. She doesn’t believe that the atonement will work for her and always talks about how she can’t come to church because of her sin. It is REALLY hard to see that and not be able to do anything to help her. Those kinds of situations make me exhausted physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally . . . But still, the good that can be done is so great and so slow that sometimes it seems like we aren’t doing anything until a few months down the road when we see that we really did a lot. Also, I hope you feel better soon.
So, anyway, our success seems to be going along the same road. Last night we had the first meeting with one of our investigators in a month. This is the mother and daughter that live in the подездъ (podezd) of a very anti family. It was great, very exciting. That means that there is still hope with her. We want her to build some friendships with the members, so we brought the Relief Society President along. (See picture above - Ольга (not the Relief Society President), me, Настя (Nastya), Sister Silva, another Ольга, and in front - Вова (Vova) and Наташа (Natasha)) She invited them to Enrichment night this week. I really hope they come. That would be another big step for them.
Also, on Sunday, we met with another family that we haven’t been able to meet with in a long time. The Elders were working with them but after not being able to meet with them for over three weeks, they told us that we could have them again (they gave them to us when I first got here and then decided that they would try again). It was so good to see her. She stopped reading the Book of Mormon, but after talking to us, she promised to start reading again. She also promised to come to church on Sunday. Ура (urah)!
We also went to see a less active member that we have never met. She was really receptive and wants us to come back. She promised to come to church next week. I really hope she does. We have a lot of work, almost enough to have two sets of sisters in our little branch. I really love this branch, but there are some big problems. Our power-family (they have a lot of money and their son is the branch president) are really good, strong members. They just have this strange idea that some people aren’t worth working with. In fact, they want to get a council going to interview and excommunicate less/inactive members who are breaking a commandment (like maybe the word of wisdom or who don’t come to church). I don’t know the rules and procedures about that, but it doesn’t feel right to me. The solution is NOT to excommunicate people but to stop judging them and love them back into the fold. Does anyone know if there has been somekind of conference talk about loving people back into the fold? That might be helpful to share with them.
As for everything else, time is counting down. It seems like every day brings us too much closer to the time when my companion leaves. I can’t believe that we have two and a half weeks, almost three, before I go with her to Самара (Samara) to say good-bye and get a new companion. I don’t even know yet who that will be. We are getting some things done that will make my stay here a lot easier, like buying books (I already have 3 plus one that I got as a gift!) and things like that. That means I won’t have to even think about it during my last two cycles. I can hardly believe that I will have been in Russia for a year in just 10 days! That will also leave me exactly 3 months before I come home. By the way, did you talk to Becky yet? I still haven’t found out for sure, but I’ll let you know my exact release date when I find out.
I hope I will be able to get this email sent off because it looks like the internet is having some big problems. We’ll see what happens. I guess I’ll give it a try.

Love,
Сестра Атвуд