So first, I have to say, I really like serving with Sister Саргсян (Sargsyan). (Left - at the theater with Valeriya-on the left- and Olga-in the center- with some random guy that we don't know) She knows the language well (she has lived in Russia for the past 6 years and learned Russian in school for 10 years before that) so that is good to know how we can help people. She wants to work hard, and I think that is what is really important. I thought with having a practically native companion I would end up eating a lot of Russian food. Well, since the day that I ate a шаурма (shaurma) off the street and felt sick afterwards, she is really careful about what she feeds me. And, if I hesitate long enough before eating it, she tells me I don't have to. That's great because she can tell the members that I don't want to eat anything better than I can. She doesn't let us be pushed into things we don't want to do. And, because she is Armenian, that opens a lot of doors.We got a referral for an Armenian woman who works in a store because of it. This woman was worried that our church is only for Americans and Russians. So that is cool that we can show her a little more that we really are a world-wide church. But, since she is 24, she acts like a mother. She is always pulling on my clothes to make sure I look alright and won't let me carry anything if she thinks it is too heavy. It is really funny.
We did some service in an invalid house a few weeks ago and we were moving some books from one room to another. The lady who was handing them to me wouldn't let me carry very many at one time. Then one of the Elders was handing them to me and I told him to give me more. Well, she got mad at him and said, she's a девушка (devushka - that means girl in Russian). He was like, she wanted them! It was really funny and not worth putting up a fight.
So, now for last week. It started off bad because my companion felt sick. We didn't do a whole lot during the first part of the week and I felt like I was wasting my time. Then on Wednesday, all that turned around. We had our zone conference and it was great. I love getting together with so many missionaries, it makes me happy. Afterwards, the day couldn't have ended better. I read the Book of Mormon with Sister Давыдик (Davyidik), the wife of our mission president and I got a 5+, basically that is the highest you can do, and she told me I would be blessed because I am trying to finish the Book of Mormon in Russian before the end of the year. I think I'm going to make it, too. I already finished in English, and started over.
But, after that, we went to see one of our recent converts. I love meeting with her. She is so strong and has an amazing talent for expressing her feelings throu
gh poetry. So, that took up our entire day. Then, the next day was great too. It was P-day, and we had a great time knitting with the Elders. (Right - after a district lunch which was after service at the Elders' apartment) They decided to start a knitting club called the Guild. They also want me to teach them how to crotchet. It is so much fun, though the Старый Город (Stary Gorod - Old City) Elders look down on us for it. Oh well, we have fun together.Then after английский (angliskii - English), one of the girls that always comes asked us to come to her house and meet her family. She isn't yet interested in hearing more about the gospel, but making friends with her and meeting with her family is a good way to be able to share the gospel with her. Plus, she is great and a very nice girl. She lived in America last summer or so and she wants to go again. Maybe then she can visit me, well, unless she is there before I come home. So, that was a great way to end the day. The next day was good just because everything pulled through the way we wanted.
Then Saturday, we had our sports activity. That was so much fun! We played soccer in the snow (yes, we finally got some). It was great. I even made a couple goals and all the Elders were impressed. One of the Elders tripped me. Luckily, I learned how to fall in TaeKwanDo so it didn't hurt. He was so sorry about it right afterwards, and then the next day he said it was really funny. Well, it was pretty funny. After sports we met with the girl from English. That was great. We had a member with us and were able to talk a little about the gospel, but more than that we were able to show her that we are normal people and that we really care about her, and not just about getting her to join our church. Then we went to a theater. The mother of one of our investigators invited us there, so we thought it would be a good thing. It ended up being an interesting evening. We were there a half hour before the show started and we took off our name tags when we got there. But then Ольга (Olga) was introducing us to everyone, so we put them back on. While we were talking with a couple of ladies about the gospel, Ольга pulled me aside and took me over to a group of 10 youth who were sitting and waiting. I felt like her show-and-tell. She introduced me as a girl who had come all the way from America as a representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Then she told them they could ask me any questions they wanted. It was crazy, but it was good. Sister Саргсян told me that when she saw me talking to them (it ended up being 11 people after an older lady came over) and she was talking with her lady, she felt like we were prophets from the Book of Mormon preaching to the people. It was great. That is the most people I have talked to about the gospel at one time. The really cool thing is that we have been asked to talk to 10 people about the gospel everyday. I had been praying earlier that day for there to be a way, and there was a prime opportunity handed right to me. It was a great example of a near immediate, but also exact and then much better answer to a prayer. It was great.
Unfortunately, Sunday wasn't so good and I started feeling like I wasn't helping anyone. (Above - youth night at the church. I don't remember exactly the point of this game, but it was a lot of fun) On Monday we went to Самара for interviews with the President. I started off the day feeling awful, and talking with President only helped a little. He told me that speaking with people about the gospel is helping them, but it only helped a little. Then I was reading in the Doctrine and Covenants. I've always kind of wondered when I tried to liken the scriptures to myself if it really applies to me, because it was spoken to them and not me, but then I got my answer in section 11. You can read it if you like and try to figure out how it speaks exactly to me, almost by name. That was cool.
Then, on the way back, we stopped at a bank for my companion to get some money out. We ended up standing in line for a long time, but a man started talking to me. Basically he just asked me if it was hot in there, I responded and then someone else started talking to him. I thought that was the end of our conversation, but I really wanted to talk to him about the gospel. Two of the Elders came in to find out what was taking so long, and after they left, I was standing and waiting again. Then, I glanced over at him, and he started talking to me again. He said, you have an interesting accent. I said, I know. Then he asked me where I was from, and that led into why I am here. He sounded genuinely interested in learning about why we are here. He kept asking me for my phone number and I didn't know if he wanted it to call me, or because he wanted to hear about the church. We wanted to give him information for the missionaries in Самара, but we didn't have anything with us. So, we tried giving him the address to the church, but he said he doesn't know anyone there and he knows me now. We ended up giving him an English invitation. I hope he comes because then we can get his information and give him the information of the Elders in Самара. That would be really great. It was just a good feeling to be able to talk to him while I waited for my companion. By the way, my companion said hi.
The way home was great, we talked and laughed with the Elders. Then yesterday I was able to talk with a woman in the hospital where we do service. She doesn't understand why I am here and not going to school or with my family. I told her that I and my family both know that I am where God wants me to be. She told me I am going straight to paradise. It was neat. Well, as you can tell, this week has been really good. I hope things keep going like that.
Sister Саргсян and I have decided to do a surprise for the Elders, if it turns out well, I will tell you about it. I am looking forward to it, though. It should be a lot of fun, and probably next week I will teach them how to crochet.
I was really shocked to hear about Jordan! He just barely got out there! Could you find out the address of his mission home so I could write to him? Or maybe what would be even better is if I could write a letter to him through email, but maybe send it to you, mom, and you could print it off and mail it to him. Either way, you need to get the address, so let me know if you can.
That's probably it for today. I am going to copy this before I send it so we don't have a repeat of two weeks ago. That was insane.
Love,
Сестра Атвуд
P.S. it was a good thing I did that. I really hate myldsmail
No comments:
Post a Comment