yep

Dear family,

Just to keep you from worrying, I should probably mention that everything went great with our registration. We had to sit there for a long time, but it turned out that the lady accepted it. That means that we won't have any more trouble with that because if they did it one time, they will keep on doing it. That's a relief because they only registered me until the end of October. That's a little weird because I should be staying here until I go home. Of course, maybe not, but it is very likely that I will because I only have two cycles after my companion goes home, and that means I have to show someone the area and it would be weird to transfer me 6 weeks before I go home.

Anyway, I guess I'll find out all about that. It's a little annoying because now they do our registration right in our passport. I have a question that maybe no one knows, but I would be really interested in finding out. What happens when there is no more space in your passport but you still have several years? Maybe I won't even have that problem, but visas take up a lot of space, and the registration takes up a page everytime, too. That means that by the time I leave Russia, they will at least have used up nearly half of the space given . . . and I'm planning on doing some traveling in the next 10 years besides this.

That's not really important, though. I have a couple of other requests/questions, though. First, I'm thinking of buying some Russian тапочки (tapochki) for everyone. Those are shoes that are to be worn indoors. They use them here so that people don't tract dirt everywhere from outside. The question is (and I need an answer for everyone at home about this) would you wear them if I brought them home? (That's including you, too, dad). They're kind of like sandals or slippers, but I'm hoping to find some very Russian ones and that would be cool for everyone to have.

Also, could you look into ordering the Liaxona in Russian for me? I wouldn't mind you starting as soon as you can so that I won't have to bring some home with me. If you can order it, just let me know when you get the first issue and which month it is starting from. Last, but not least, I want to get some Russian letter stickers for my keyboard and everyone here tells me that you can get them in America. Could someone look into that for me, too so I don't have to worry about finding them here?

This last week has been insane . . . as in I am insanely tired. My companion and I both are, it doesn't seem to make any sense. We can't figure it out except that a lot more of our appointments fell through and that means that we have been doing a LOT more walking. I basically spend every second of every day tired. We can't ever feel rested. I wake up in the morning and feel like I just laid down. I think that there are a lot of things contributing to it, maybe even the weather, but it is still really annoying.

We had a discouraging meeting with one of our investigators. She is really great and it seems to me that she has a pure heart and really wants to find the truth. The Elders gave her a Book of Mormon and the first night she read until 3:00 in the morning. But, she got a bad feeling about it. Maybe I already told you about her; just in case I didn't, I will continue on. She even heard a voice say, "лучше не надо" (kind of like, better not to). We thought that was a little weird and really couldn't explain it. That was the first time ANY of us had heard of something like that. We didn't know how to answer, but we kept coming back trying to help her understand and feel the spirit. I honestly think she did . . . while we were there. We just couldn't figure out why she didn't feel it when she was reading the Book of Mormon. This last time, we took a member with us. I think it was the right choice to make because it turned out that the member already knew this lady. Марина (Marina), the investigator, is a teacher at a private school (literally pay-school in Russian so there are probably differences with our private schools) and the daughter of the member who went with us was one of her students. So that was cool, and an interesting "coincidence" (I don't really think it was accident that I immediately thought of taking her after our first meeting with Марина). I'm really glad we took her because she understands how things work here and even though Марина didn't say anything to us to give us a clue why she would continue to have a bad feeling about everything, because Ольга (Olga), the member, knew her and understands the situation, and she was able to explain afterwards. But, basically Марина told us that she wasn't going to come and that she didn't want us to waste our time when she wasn't going to change her mind. This whole time she couldn't explain why she felt the way she did, but she never said that the Book isn't true, she just said it wasn't for her. She also said that she wanted us to not waste our time on her when we could be out helping other people who would accept it.

So, anyway, that was discouraging that she doesn't want to meet with us anymore. She didn't even want us to share our spiritual thought. But, Ольга explained the situation that is most likely affecting her feelings and thoughts, whether Марина recognizes it or not. I guess the administration of these schools is very strict. There was a member a long time ago who lost his job because some people decided that "Mormons" shouldn't be allowed to teach children. So, the member got a second job. This second job he also almost lost because of his membership until he basically rejected the church to keep his job. So, even if she were to accept the church and get baptized, there is always the possibility that she would have to choose between her job and the church. I would like to say that she would choose God and the church, but that rarely happens here. That's why we have "active" members who don't come half of the time because they work two Sundays in a month, they don't understand that they should make a priority that puts God first. I understand why they think that way, but it's a little discouraging because it will be slow growth here until the members begin to understand.

So, continuing on, she might have to make that choice later on, but I think that deep down, she understands what it would mean to accept the gospel, she could lose her job and she isn't ready yet to give it up. She is searching for the truth, she's read a lot of other books on religion, looked into other doctrine, but she never felt anything with them. Then she picked up the Book of Mormon and couldn't put it down. But the more she read, the worse she began to feel. The only explanation that I have is that as she read, she began to feel that it was true, but whether consciously or not, she also began to realize what it would mean if this church is true and she isn't yet ready to make that step. That is really sad and I hope that she will change her mind. I hope that she will be given another chance to accept the gospel and I hope that she won't have to pay for her job by losing salvation.

Well, that's all I have to say. Please answer/respond to my requests as soon as possible.

Love,

Сестра Атвуд

(The picture in this email were taken at the local children's hospital. Elder and Sister Frampton, the humanitarian aid missionaries in my mission, completed a couple of projects at this hospital. This was after the second project was completed. They invited us for a tour to see what they did, and afterwards, they fed us. The interesting thing is, right there at the table, they asked for more help. I don't think that is something that would happen in America. They would probably wait until afterwards. This was one of the nicer hospitals that I saw in Russia. The first picture is in front of the hospital - Космынин Евгений, District President, doctor at the hospital, Космынина Татьяна, me, Sister Silva, Elder Cummings, and in front, Elder Ray. The Framptons weren't able to come because of some mix up with train tickets. The second picture was taken at the lunch table. They had quite a lunch spread to show their gratitude. - An interesting note, we often did volunteer work at this hospital, cleaning up the grounds and things like that, but we didn't know that the Church was helping out in another way until this luncheon.)

I'm still alive and kicking

Well, family, I am home . . . kind of. It has been a really long week and I don't even know where to begin. I guess the most important thing is to tell about my trip to Moscow (see picture to the left - the sign says Moscow and was taken from the airplane as we pulled into Домодедово (Domodedovo), one of the airports in Moscow) and Estonia. But first, I want to explain about a problem that has shown up that is really making it difficult for us to work. Last Wednesday we were called by the lady who does our registration (we have to register ourselves to live here) telling us that we had to come to Саратов (Saratov) the next day to renew registration before we left on our big trip. (Picture to the right is on the газель [gazelle] on our way from the airport - Elder Richins, me, and Sister Silva) So, we did. There we found out that there is a new rule that the landlord/lady has to be present when they do registration (and we do, too) or they won't do it. The problem is, our landlady is in Germany and isn't planning on returning any time soon. So, we went to see if we could work something out and finally the man said ok, but this is the last time. Well, we left Sunday, and that means that we have to re-do registration anyway. I'll continue that story a little later.
Monday, we made it to Самара (Samara) early in the morning. We felt really dirty and we had gotten permission from Sister Давыдик (Davydik) to use their guest apartment to take a shower, so we went to the office and were able to shower before our trip orientation meeting.(Picture to the left was taken on the Metro in Moscow, Sister Wilson and Elder Barber. The film below was taken at the same time as this picture) That was nice because it was the last time we were able to shower until today. Then we got ready to leave. We left for the airport soon after our meeting ended, to fly to Moscow.

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We had a little bit of time before our train for Estonia left, so we went to Red Square to take pictures and look around. That was really great. We ran into a missionary who had just finished his mission in Ростов (Rostov) and who was traveling with his dad. It was interesting to be able to talk to them. Soon after, we had to head to the train station. (Picture to the right - on the escalator going out of the Metro station. It is very long. In front you see Elder Grigg and I'm not sure who the other Elder is)We took the metro and we didn't really know what we were doing, we just knew that three different lines connected at that station. We didn't know how to tell when it was the right line. I saw a sign with the name of the station we had to head to, so we went there. The other two sisters with me (my companion here and companion from the MTC) were a little hesitant, so I stepped on to ask if it was the right train. They didn't even have a chance to get on before the door closed behind me. . . meaning, they were on the outside and I was on the inside. (Picture above - me on Red Square. Behind me is St. Basil's Cathedral. The film below was taken by Sister Silva on Red Square, but don't believe the descriptions of everything, we really had no idea) That was a little creepy because I haven't been alone in over a year and then I was alone on the metro in Moscow. I asked a lady if we could open the door and she told me we couldn't. My companion was quick enough to gesture that they would wait right there. So, I got off at the next stop and went back. It was really funny to me, but everything worked out fine and we made it to the right station.

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We stopped at a store on the way to buy food. While there, we met a man from Turkey who doesn't speak Russian, speaks English, and lives and works in Moscow. (Picture to the right - Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin in Moscow, I had no idea what most of the buildings were when I first went, except the cathedral and Lenin's tomb) That was really cool, but hard because we kept wanting to talk to him in Russian and he kept saying, I don't understand Russian. It was interesting.
We were a little late getting to the train station and the Elders were freaking out. They thought we were going to miss the train but in reality, we still had a good 20 minutes before our train was to leave. We had a 15 hour, over-night train ride to Tallinn, Estonia. (Picture to the left is the sign saying Red Square) It was a crazy ride because I ended up feeling like I was living during World War II. You see, in the middle of the night, we were woken up to have our documents looked at. We opened the door slightly and had to wait. While we were waiting, a man went by in a military uniform (the uniforms here really do look like they are from WWII) so that was a really weird feeling. They checked our papers, stamped our passports, stared a little too long at my companions passport until the main lady told the other guy to give it back (she had already moved on and he was staring at her passport still), and went back to sleep. A little while later we were woken up by a man wanting to look at our documents. (Picture to the right is at the train station in Tallinn, just after arriving - Elder Cragun, me, Elders Barber, Smart, Nielson, Richins, and Grigg)We went back to sleep after that and were soon woken again to see if there was anything we wanted to declare. We again went back to sleep only to be woken a fourth time by another person wanting to see our documents. They stamped our passport again, and we continued on our way. We finally made it to Tallinn a little early in the morning. We had to give our passports to a man (did you know it costs $450 for us to get a new Visa? That's so much!) and were told to be back at 4:00. We left to explore.(Picture to the left - view of Tallinn)
Exploring Tallinn was great because we had a lot of time. We walked through the old city where pretty much everyone speaks English. That was weird to hear. We found a hotel where we ate a breakfast buffet and then went back to find things to buy. We did that for awhile and then went to see an old church. The church is really interesting because it was built as a Catholic cathedral but when the communists took power, all churches were forced to meet there, Catholic, Lutheran, etc. Now, Baptists meet there. We were able to talk to the people there (they didn't speak English but they spoke Russian) and they had questions about the church. (Picture to the right was taken at the hotel where we ate breakfast, all you can eat. Some people went to McDonalds, the rest of us went here. Elders Grigg and Cragun, Sister Wilson, Elder and Sister Frampton, Elders Smart and Barber) It was great because I taught about the Restoration in a Catholic/now Baptist church. They were really nice, despite the one lady who has some really weird ideas about us.
After that, we went to see the Baltic Sea. That was really great. One Elder was skipping rocks. I've always wanted to be able to skip rocks, so they tried to teach me how to do it. I was able to skip it once. That means that I skipped my first rock on the Baltic Sea! (Picture above - walking the streets of Tallinn, all the sisters - Sister Frampton, Sister Wilson, Sister Silva, and me) It was pretty cool. By that time we were running out of time, so we decided to go to this store where you can find lots of American food. I didn't buy a whole lot (only cornbread because the past few weeks I have really been wanting cornbread) but the others bought a lot, peanut butter, cake mix, frosting, cheesecake, etc. But, it took so long that we ended up being late to the train station. We still made it in time and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we all received our Visas and were able to head back. (Picture to the right - these girls make coated almonds that are really good. They use several different kinds of sugar and show you exactly how they are made) That train ride back to Moscow was a little better because we made it to the border before we went to sleep. That means that we were still awake when they came knocking on our doors to see our documents. The lady at the Russian border was the same lady from the night before and said, you again, huh? She didn't take so long this time looking at our documents before continuing on her way.
The next morning, we arrived in Moscow and we had a few hours before having to be at the airport to go back to Самара. It was raining, though. We went to McDonalds because we wanted to eat breakfast, but they switched the menu before we made it to the counter. (Picture to the left - me in the tower of the Lutheran Church - We climbed to the top first and saw the Baltic Sea before deciding to walk all the way there. Film below was taken in this tower) That was a little disappointing because they don't have breakfast at the McDonalds in Самара or Саратов. Oh well, we ate and then headed out, not sure exactly what we wanted to do. We decided to go to the рынок (rynok) but ran into a couple Elders who live in Moscow, one of which was in the MTC with me and knows a lot of the Elders in my group really well (he wasn't in my district so I don't know him) and he told us that the рынок was bombed the day before, 10 people were killed and 45 or so injured. We still wanted to go, but because it was raining so hard, they told us that it was probably closed down. So, since it was their p-day, they decided to take us somewhere else where we could buy souvenirs.

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We went there and I bought a few things. (Picture below - another view of Tallinn) We finished a little early and didn't know what to do, so we decided to head back to the airport to not risk being late. We thought we would be a half-hour early but it ended up being only 10 minutes so it was probably a good thing that we left when we did. We had a little bit of time to wait before getting on our plane. There was a man there from Ohio who lives with his family in Moscow (he does something with oil) and it was really interesting to talk to him. He does a lot of charitable things like giving money to churches, etc. but he thinks we are stupid for going on a mission (he considers missionaries to be destroyers of culture but in Russia, that could only mean we are teaching people not to smoke or drink . . . and that's not bad in any case). It was really interesting to hear his point of view.
(Picture above - Sisters Silva and Wilson in viking hats at a local gift shop) All in all, we met a lot of really interesting people. In Estonia we also met a man from England. That was cool to talk to him. The nicest thing about the trip was just to spend some time with those Elders. I didn't know them as well as the Elders that were in my district in the MTC. Only two from my district came with us. But, they are all really good Elders. I have to say, I was really relieved to be getting back to Энгельс (Engels) and back to work.
Now is where the continuation comes in. We arrived in Саратов this morning. We knew we need to write home, so we decided to head there first. (Picture to the right - me and the Baltic Sea) Its a good thing we did because we may have already been on our way to Энгельс, or in Энгельс when we received a phone call asking where we were. When the person on the other end found out we were in Саратов he said, you are supposed to be in Самара for a few days to register here. No one had even known that we were supposed to stay in Самара and they bought us train tickets to come back to Саратов. So, we were told that we can't go to Энгельс. Luckily, we got everything worked out so we could go shower at the sisters and then we came here. In a half hour, we have to meet the lady to see what we can get worked out, but we may not be able to head back to Энгельс for over a week. That will not be fun if we are not allowed to be in Энгельс because we have a critical time here with several of our investigators.
So, we'll find out today what happens. Pray for us. (Picture above - Sister Frampton feeding Sister Silva chocolate with Elder Frampton watching. The shop in the background is one of the ones we went to our second day in Moscow)
By the way, thanks to everyone that wrote me this week. I got letters from Erin, Lizzy, Mom, Dad, Sara, and Becky, and then emails from a few of those and grandma/grandpa. Thanks for thinking of me. Grandpa, that would be interesting to speak at whatever you were talking about, but I guess we have time to talk about that after I get home. But, I wouldn't be opposed to it if it works out that I can. (Picture to the right - on the Metro in Moscow, returning to the airport wearing our Russian/USSR jackets - me, Sister Silva, and Elder Barber. I am actually wearing Elder Barber's jacket. It started raining and got a little cold)

Love,
Сестра Атвуд

P.S. I've really learned this week what an interesting life we have as missionaries. . . Nothing else can beat it.
(For more information on the sites of Red Square, check out Exploring Moscow)

what a week!

Well, everyone, this week has been a really long week. But, before I get to that, I would like to thank everyone that wrote me this week. Heather, I do get your emails, even if I can't respond and I'm glad to get them. I also got your letter and I am planning on sending a letter off when I leave for Moscow next week (I have to renew my Visa).

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 about. 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 investigators 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 keeps 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

Dear family,

Well, this was a little sad of a week because I didn't get any emails. I kind of expected it though. Oh well, life goes on. A lot has happened this last week, but I am so tired that I don't know if I feel like writing about it. So, I'll start with telling you about our кашмар (kashmar - nightmare) of a meeting on Sunday. (Picture to the left - every Wednesday night we had sports night. We invited members and nonmembers alike to play sports. Unfortunately, our volleyball net was stolen, and so we had to improvise here. If you look closely, you'll see that we strung a string across the court and hung some clothes from it so we could see where our make-shift net was. The following two pictures are from that sports night, too) First, let me explain, there is this couple who used to be active and who even went to the temple, but then they started reading anti-literature and now are против (protiv - anti-) and have some really strange ideas (like that ordinances are not required to be saved). So, most of the active members went to the temple this week. They will be there for ten days and of course, that would be the time when these anti-s would choose to come to church (as in this inactive couple). So, it was fast Sunday and that means we had a testimony meeting like the rest of the world and for some reason, the husband decided to get up and "bear his testimony". He started off by telling everyone that you don't have to go to church everyday. I was shocked! We had two investigators there! One of whom took a lot of energy to get to come for the first time. Then he continued on to say that you don't have to get baptized and that it doesn't really matter which church you belong to . . . I was really annoyed when I heard that and I thought to myself, now I have to get up and correct everyone so our investigators don't think that is what our church teaches, but, before I could, one of the Elders got up. He corrected everything and then bore his testimony. That was a relief and I thought that the horror was over. I was wrong.

Next, while we were doing the opening exercises for Sunday School, we heard that couple arguing with the Elders in the hallway. But even that wasn't the end. During Gospel Principles, there were a few teenagers who disrupted class. That was also annoying, but again not the end. During Relief Society, one of the members used the spiritual thought time to complain about her problems. We were supposed to have a testimony meeting after that but it turned into an advice giving session with the one lady retaliating that no one understands and complaining some more. Let's just say, it will be a miracle if the one investigator who came for the first time comes again.

I had to get an AIDS test this week. I guess to get a VISA you have to prove that you don't have AIDS and since my time to renew my VISA is coming soon, I had to get that done. We went to the AIDS center because you can't get it done anywhere else. It is in Саратов (Saratov), so we came here yesterday to find out what we need to do. They told us to come back today, so we did. The nice thing was, the lady who was there yesterday recognized us and she let us go first. We didn't have to wait in line. That means that it went a lot faster than we expected. It was nice. I was really happy to see that they are clean there. That's especially important because most people who go there are afraid that they have AIDS. But, the nurse not only had a mask for her mouth, but a plastic shield for her face. It looked like a welder's helmet. It was really funny. (The picture to the right - this was our first experience with the horrible style that was back in style in Russia. If you can't tell, the guy in the front seat has a mullet. After that, the mullet count became. We even started naming them. You can see on Sister Silva's face how much she liked that mullet) I don't know why she needs that, but maybe to protect her eyes in case blood starts squirting everywhere. We have to go back on Саратов to get my certificate that says I am AIDS free.

That was an adventure. Other than that, things have been going like usual. I'm always tired and I can't really understand why because it doesn't matter how long I sleep or how little, it's always there. But, I've come to the conclusion that worrying about other people's salvation is draining and it never ends, even when I'm sleeping. That is why no amount of sleep seems to help.

So, our ZLs are going to Пенза (Penza) tomorrow to interview an investigator. One of the Elders there asked me to write a letter to their investigator, a girl who was supposed to get baptized the Saturday after we left but wasn't able to, so I was able to get that written out and I am passing it along with them. I really hope it will help as much as that Elder seems to think it will.

Transfers are next week. We should find out either today or tomorrow. We are pretty sure that we are going to stay here (Sister Silva goes home next transfer and I just got here) but who really knows in this crazy world of ours called the Russia Samara Mission. (Picture to the left - the view from our window early one morning. The most prominent building there is a Russian Orthodox Cathedral) I hope I do stay because this is the first area where I have had so much work to do! Of course, there could be more, we usually have a few free slots every week, but not like before. Every other area before this has had a few full spots and the rest we had to fill with contacting, going to addresses to try and find less actives or old investigators, and things like that. But, here, it is the opposite and that is a nice change, it gives me the chance to work hard doing the things I like to do the most . . . that is, teaching. What a great life when there is work to be done.

So, I'm pretty sure that my release date is the 21^st. I've heard it from everyone but the President and the APs (my ZL is going home with me and he said he heard the 21^st, too) so I think that is it, especially since this cycle is a week shorter than usual, it may well be the 21^st. That will be nice to be home for Christmas. Staying three days after Christmas doesn't have meaning for me. It would be better to stay another 6 weeks.

Ok, I guess that's it. Don't forget about me! Write me as often as you want, I love to hear from everyone.

Love,

Сестра Атвуд

another week has come and gone

Family,

It is nice to hear that things are going well with you all. Thanks for your emails, mom and Sara. It was good to hear from you. By the way, Sara, I got your letter and pictures. I thought there would be more pictures from your trek, but it was nice anyway, thanks. Plus, I didn't have any pictures of Sugar and now I have one (here, I mean). I also got a nice surprise from Heather and Erin. They sent me a birthday party in the mail, including party hats and a game called, pin the name tag on the missionary. It was great. I wasn't expecting it at all.

So, by the way, last week was an interesting week. I had a lot of things happen in regards to my birthday. First, Monday, at our district meeting (see picture to the left - me, Elder Cummings, Elder Ray), my companion made brownies, we made lasagna together as a district, and after lunch, the Elders lit candles on the brownies and every one sang Happy Birthday. Then we had root beer floats. It was really good. I wasn't expecting that at all. Then on Thursday, we had zone conference. Because my birthday was in July, they announced my birthday and President and Sister Давыдик (Davydik) gave me a snickers bar. (I later gave that away, but it was nice anyway). Well, that same day I got my party in the mail, and Sara's pictures/birthday card. I honestly thought that things for my birthday had finished, but I was wrong.

Other than that, this last week has been really good. I can't believe that it has only been a little over two weeks since I came to Энгельс (Engels). I feel like I have been here forever! But, I think that is because we are working really hard, and have so much work to keep us busy. I have met so many people, a lot more that I ever have in such a short period of time. Unfortunately, during this last week, something I was hoping wouldn't happen, happened. (Picture to the right - me with my flaming brownies) Awhile ago we got a phone call from a girl in Пенза (Penza) (we wouldn't have answered the phone if we had known who it was because she isn't allowed to call us) to tell us that another girl is getting married. She wouldn't tell us who she was marrying, so that was frustrating, but it got me thinking. All I could think of was this return missionary who came back 6 weeks ago and then came to Пенза. I remembered seeing them together and thought it was a little weird, but I really respected the guy, so I didn't think too much of it . . . until that phone call. Well, at conference, the missionaries from Пенза all came and we found out that she is marrying that return missionary. I don't know how it is in other parts of the world, but it is really bad when a return missionary (especially American) comes back and takes a girl to America with him to be his wife. It really hinders the work here because other girls see it and think that that can happen with them, too. . . .and it does, that is the really sad and frustrating part. It is even worse when we see Elders who we thought would never do something like that, who we thought UNDERSTOOOD, come back and do that. There are a bunch of his missionaries (he was a teacher at the MTC) here and they are all shocked. They can't believe it because he said he would NEVER do this, and now he is.

Anyway, that is just so frustrating because there are enough problems with girls here as it is without making things worse by rewarding them for flirting (or for doing worse things).

I don't really want to think about that. We have some really good investigators here. We got to the point where we invited a mother and daughter to get baptized. That was really discouraging because they said no. The mother said that she needed to think about it and we asked them both to pray about it. It doesn't make sense because they accept everything we say and feel the spirit (the mother said she always feels better after we come) but something is keeping them from fully accepting the gospel. A husband and wife came to church on Sunday, too. That was really nice. That was the first time they have been there while I have been there. They have a 6 year old son and a 1 ½ year old daughter. (Picture to the left - Zone Conference) The daughter, Надя (Nadya), was making a fuss, so her mother had to take her out. President Давыдик was speaking, and we really wanted her to be able to hear it, so I left and offered to watch Надя. It was a lot of fun, though I was sad not to be able to hear President's talk. Надя is really cute. All I had to do was say, come with me, and stick my finger out; she would grasp it and go wherever I wanted her to go. We looked at a flowers and pictures on the wall, and even looked through a Liaxona to keep her occupied. Later, President told me that he really likes them; they listened intently when he spoke. It was great.

Other than that, we are supposed to take members with us when we visit investigators, but it is really hard when we don't know who can go with us. I came up with the idea of making a list of members who would be willing to go with the missionaries to appointments. We passed it around Sunday and already have 8 names. It's really good because we know who and even when so we don't waste time calling every name on our branch directory. We are really working now to get the members involved. They need to and then they will be surprised at how quickly this branch will grow. There are already two good examples. One lady, the relief society president, is amazing! She does SO much! She visits everyone and is always going to see investigators with us. She is a miracle . I don't know how she does it. She has a lot of problems, for example, she just got kicked out of her apartment, but she never complains! She always finds time to serve the Lord, even though she works and has to do other things. Then there is one man who used to be inactive. I think that now he is trying to make up for lost time because he is always introducing us to less actives that live around him, and he is always inviting them to his home. I have never met so many inactives who WANT to meet with the missionaries. It is thanks to them, I think.

Well, what else can I say? (Picture to the right - this was taken during our service at the local children's hospital. Here we are pulling weeds in the garden. I'm the one on the left, Elder Wade to the right) We've had several run-ins with drunks on transport. Nothing big, but it is just hard to not look at them or say anything to them (that's what you have to do) so, then they want us to go drink with them or something. It's really annoying, but don't worry, the Lord is still protecting us. Nothing bad has happened yet. It's just really hard to see so many people destroying their lives. DON'T EVER DRINK! It' s not worth it! You can literally lose everything! I see it everyday here. One lady at the hospital where we do service told us that her husband left her because she smokes and drinks and does drugs. Yet, instead of changing, she keeps doing it! When will people get smart and realize that those things don't bring happiness, they just drown the sorrows that come by using them to begin with. I don't think I will ever understand it. People think that it is part of the culture here, but I don't care what you think, drinking is NOT culture; it is a dirty habit that needs to be broken.

Love,
Сестра Атвуд