A little time

Well, I have a little extra time today because we started early on our service project, so I thought I would write to you.
I was feeling really sick yesterday night. I’m not exactly sure what I have, but it is not fun. I had a sore throat, was losing my voice, was congested, and had a headache. Then last night I got really bad stomach cramps. When we got back from class, one of the other sisters asked me how I was feeling and I said, worse. So Сестра Nielson told me to sleep in today and even not go to class if I needed to sleep longer.
We had service this morning, and I thought about sleeping just so I wouldn’t have to clean, but because that was the reason, I got up and helped. Plus, I didn’t think I would be able to get back to sleep, and I didn’t want to miss class because we are being trained to do outbound calling at the RC (Referral Center). If I miss class, my companion has to miss class, so that wouldn’t be good either.
Anyway, I was wondering if you could send me a few things. They aren’t really important, so don’t worry about sending them quickly, but try to get them here before I leave for Russia. #1 I need a pair of flipflops. I have a pair of flipflops that would be perfect for my heads. They are brown with flowers on the straps. If you can find them, that would be great. They all tell me I will want them to shower in Russia and it wouldn’t hurt to have them here as well.
#2 Stickers – This may sound like a weird request, but they tell me the kids in Russia LOVE stickers. I have a bunch, but they may be difficult to find. If you can’t find them, don’t buy any. They are not that important. I know they are with my scrapbooking supplies. I think they are in a box with my paper that I either put behind the TV in the family room, or under my desk in my room. The box is cardboard and has my paper slicer/plastic bags in it. If they are not in there, they should be in the plastic box under the FOOT of my bed. If you would look for them and send them, that would be great. Don’t send the large sheets of stickers, just the normal size ones that you buy in packs. Some should be cats, and that should help you know which.
#3 may be hard to find. I need socks that are made for dress shoes. They just go over the toe and bottom of the foot but are small so they aren’t visible when wearing dress shoes. I was going to send for them here, but it’s not an emergency and that is what they prefer shoppers to be sent for. They will be good because they will keep my feet and shoes from smelling bad and I think it will protect my feet from my shoes as well. Сестра Shelton got 3 pairs for $12 at Nordstroms. You might want to check at JCPennys or Payless Shoes or something like that, if not, maybe Becky could look at Nordstrom’s and send them to me. 3 pair would probably be fine, but if I could have 9 pair that would be better. That way I can wear them clean before I can do wash. Whatever is fine.
Like I said, these aren’t emergency things, but I would like to have them before I leave the MTC. You can probably just wait, send them all together and maybe even send them with the pictures. You don’t have to send a lot of pictures, I would just like a variety. I wouldn’t mind some of me when I was little, too. Just use your judgment on how much to send.
Well, we have now been trained on outbound calling. I’m really nervous to do this because Сестра Nielson had a really bad experience a few days ago. She called a man who had been reading anti-Mormon literature and he kind of went off on her for an hour and made her cry. He also told her that he had gotten 4 missionaries to leave the church. I hope I don’t get anyone like that. But, this will be a good experience for me, I hope. As long as people are nice about it, I’m sure I’ll be fine. But it is still nerve wracking while I sit and wait for my headset to beep to let me know that someone is online for me. I guess the more I do this, the better I will be able to do it, but I really don’t like talking to people I don’t know over the phone, so that makes it difficult, too. But, like I said, it’s a good experience for me to have anyway. But the beep is loud and always startles me.
Anyway, I guess that is all for now.

Love,

Сестра Атвуд

P.S. I just had a great call with a woman in Kansas. The missionaries will be sent to her to give her a free Lamb of God video. That really made me feel good.

P.P.S. As I was typing up this letter, I just wanted to make a comment. I actually never used those flipflops in the shower. I did wear them around the apartment as a house shoe, but the showers weren't as bad as I was warned they were going to be. In fact, a lot of my ideas about what to expect that I got from people in the MTC, were wrong, but that made my expectations so low that I was pleasantly surprised.