Well, another week has come and gone. I really can't believe how time flies here. Sometimes I get to thinking how little time I have left and I get scared that I won't be able to do everything I want to. Let me see, where should I start? Again there are a lot of good things happening along with the not so good things. Last week on P-Day we had another little excursion in the forest, of course we had a snow ball fight. The weird thing is, it wasn't as much fun as last time. Probably because there was one elder who kept trying to hit me in the face. I hate it when people do that especially. When I play, I just play to hit them, not get them in the face. So, that made me a little angry. Then, that night we had a meeting with one of our new members. She was baptized almost a year ago. She is so great. I love her so much. Usually I feel so good after our meetings with her. Her testimony is so strong and she understands things so well. But this time I felt sad. I felt good, but really sad. She writes poetry and she read us a lot. It was beautiful, but because it was very literary, I didn't understand very much and that made me sad. Some day, maybe . . .
We had our first enrichment night on Friday. They asked us to be there, but when we went, we wondered why. We basically sat there while they worked on a project. There was nothing we could do. But, it is good that these kinds of things are starting. This branch has a long way to go. They are just starting visiting teaching and home teaching, but for some reason they think the missionaries should help. We are trying to help them become an independent branch, as in not so reliant on the missionaries who often come and go. That is a lot of work. We want to help them understand the important role they play in the strength of the branch and in retaining and reactivating members.
Honestly, as Sister Саргсян said, they are watching a play that always has two actors, missionaries and less actives, missionaries and new members, missionaries and investigators, etc. They don't see themselves on the stage and even have said that everyone has their choice to come or not, why should they do anything about it? Ok, that was only one, but I think because of ideas like that, they don't understand the effect they can have on the life of another. There are too many inactives here. There are probably three times more members than come regularly. Sad, huh? Just the other day Sister Саргсян and I talked about what we could do. The only thing we really decided was that we can't just see a problem and do nothing to help, that is worse than if we hadn't seen it to begin with. We just don't know where to start.
On Sunday we had a really good meeting with one of our new members. She is also inactive. She had an operation a few months ago and hasn't been to church since. Her mother has been living with her and we think that is one of the reasons. She has been trying to argue with us almost every time we have been there and has brought up concerns that she says she has. But, this time, even though she tried arguing with us again, afterwards she told us that she is always happy when we come. She told us not to get offended and that her mother was leaving. She even said she wanted us to come live with her so she wouldn't be alone. I really do love her. She just needs some good friends in the branch who will support her and love her, despite her weaknesses. I think her main problem is that she smoked for many years. It was hard for her to quit, but she did. Then, because of problems, she started smoking again, and that made her feel bad. We are trying to help her understand what repentance can do for her. Anyway, it's hard to explain, it was just a good meeting.
Monday made the week take a dive. I felt like I wasted my entire day.
Everything went wrong. We were supposed to go contacting, but for some reason we ended up talking too long and not being able to go before our district meeting.
(Above - District lunch at our apartment - Elders Schenck, Ballard, Ross, then Саргсян and me) So, we figured we would talk to our 10 people afterwards. Well, the meeting went longer than usual and we had to run to our first appointment. So, again we weren't able to talk to people. That was a disaster. First of all, it was with an active member and we didn't even ask for referrals, then she talked forever (as in the member talked forever). We were there for 2 hours! They tell us that we shouldn't have any appointment be longer than an hour.
Because of that, it was dark by the time we left, and once again we couldn't talk to people. So that shot our entire day. We were supposed to go see our eternal investigators (we are trying to get them to NOT be eternal investigators and had a plan of action we wanted to try). We ended up standing forever on the bus stop and hopped on a маршрутка (marshrutka). Well, it went the wrong way so we got off and stood on another bus stop. By that time we were both pretty well frozen so we hopped on the first маршрутка that went in the direction we wanted to go. Honestly, I didn't know if it went to them or to us and I figured that would decide our fate. It ended up going to us and we went home. What a waste of a day. We both felt awful, but I learned one thing. Little things make a big difference. Seriously!
The day would have gone a lot differently if we had simply left our apartment on time. Then who knows how things would have happened. Then, yesterday was a semi-good day. We had service like we usually do on Tuesdays. We had decided on Monday that we would go to this kids park to serve. We got there, but the Elders weren't there. We called and found out they had decided to go to the hospital, without telling us. That meant we had to go to the hospital. We could only get there from where we were on a trolli-bus. So, we got on one. They take forever and are very cold, so you can imagine that we weren't in the greatest mood. But, even with that we weren't angry. But when we arrived, they reacted like we were going to bite their heads off or something. That made us angry, so we didn't talk to them and after doing our service, we went home. Again, without saying a thing. But, the DL called later to apologize and we felt better.
After lunch, we went out contacting. That was so great. I don't know why sometimes things happen like that, but it was amazing. We were walking, just walking like we usually do. We came to a fork and we wondered where to go. On one path I saw a lady and my first thought was, hmm, we should talk to her. But, before I could suggest going down that path, Sister Саргсян suggested that we go down that path, too. So we did.
As we got to the lady who was walking slowly, we both started to speak. We asked her what is important in her life, and she fell apart. Literally! She started crying and telling us how difficult her life is right now and how she doesn't even know if God exists. We talked to her and told her that He always wants to help. Well, she ended up asking for our address and she promised to come. In the end, she said, God sent you to me. She didn't want to give us her number or address, so we are praying that she will come on Sunday like she promised. Maybe you could pray for her, too. After that, we contacted some more and went to the church for youth night.
We were there a little early and ate what we had bought for dinner, sharing with the two Elders and one member who was there. Then, after the spiritual thought, we had a game like usual. We played signs. Everyone really enjoyed it and it was a more fun night than usual. Then we had our meeting for the missionaries of the branch. The leader of missionary work wasn't there, but we decided to have it anyway.
Then today. Wow, so far today has been a really bad day. I'm not exactly sure why. Even talking with this nice old lady on the street who hugged me (yep, that's the first time a Russian lady that I just met gave me a hug on the street) didn't help. Then, even talking with a nice old man who promised to read the Book of Mormon didn't help. Those were all good things and I felt good while they were happening, but in the end, it didn't make a difference. I don't know what is with me, I just don't feel very happy. They are making lots of changes in the mission. They are supposed to make things better, but so far I don't see how that is going to be. They are raising the number of
lessons we need to teach every week and as it is we already have a hard time making the old ones! For example, we are supposed to have at least: 5 lessons with investigators in the presence of a member (that is the hard one because we don't have a lot and when they can meet with us, the members can't go with us, or so it always seems to be), 5 other lessons (that's the easiest one because all our lessons on the street count towards that one), and 5 lessons with inactives or new members (that one is also easy). Now, they want us to have 7 of each every week! Last week we had 1 of the first group. I don't know of any missionaries in this mission who are able to get 5 every week, and now they want us to have 7. Honestly, I don't think that is possible. When we achieve 5 regularly, than I will believe that 7 is possible.
Oh well, I guess they know what they are doing, but as it is I always feel bad when we can't achieve the goals that they have, now they are making then even higher and that gives me larger room to feel bad.
Anyway, there are a lot of changes like that.
Oh, Sister Саргсян said, thank you very much for the peanut brittle and the peanut butter m&ms. She really liked them, especially the m&ms.
I was thinking, if Lizzy and Sara don't know what to write me, maybe they should start writing me every week about their Book of Mormon reading. They can then write me about what they learned or interesting things they noticed.
So, this is a side note, but something really interesting just happened. The internet place where I am has only 4 computers. Two in one room and two in the other. The other computer in this room doesn't work and a lady was trying to fix it. I was just typing away and she asked me if I was actually typing that fast. I said, yeah and she asked me where I learned to type. I told her I learned in school and she wanted to know which city. So, that led into me explaining where I am from, why I am here, etc. It was really interesting. She even wanted to know my name. Her name is Лена (Lena). Yeah, little miracles like that always seem to happen when I am feeling down. Like on Sunday, after our really good lesson without our member, we went home and there was a lady standing in the hall on our floor. We didn't think anything about it, but just said hello. She started talking to us and ended up wanting to know where we meet. That was a little
miracle, too. Wow. I feel a lot better now. That really is how it works for me.
Anyway, I guess that's all. I still need to write the president.
Don't forget to write me. I can still read emails from people other than family, I just can't respond to them except in here, so yeah.
Love
Сестра Атвуд
but it looks like I or my companion will be getting a transfer within the next week. (Left - me and Саргсян with Галина) Even though I am at the point now where I really want a transfer, despite the fact that I love Тольятти (Togliatti), the members, and my companion. It is hard to explain. It really gets difficult to be in the same place for a long time whether or not you see any success. That is where I am right now. But, I see little things like how the Lord is working through us to help His children. That is really cool. Like, for
decision to come here and if others wouldn't have come when they don't usually so that we had to wait, she wouldn't have been able to start talking to her. (Right - we made this beautiful cake for FHE at the Булатовы) It is really kind of cool. That is the second
and I don't know why. I'm getting to bed on time or even earlier sometimes, but it makes no difference. (Left - FHE at the Булатовы - on the couch there is Sister Gunnell, me, Олег, Татьяна - standing Саргсян and Валерия, sitting Татьяна and Галина)I can't sleep through the night. I don't know what the problem is, but I am looking forward to a transfer. Just watch, that means it will probably be Sister Саргсян (Sargsyan) who gets one, right? Oh well, everything will be according to the Lord's will.
Even though I can only answer them through you, I can still read their emails. And really get on Becky's case that she hasn't written to me. (Above - More FHE, same people, but with Elder Gunnell next to his wife) I have no idea if she is even alive!
