Семья,

Семья,
I got the package today. I was so excited. It was like Christmas, especially finding the smarties, but first I’ll start with the letters.
Elizabeth, thanks for writing me twice this week. That means a lot to me. So, to answer your letter, that’s really great that you’ve been reading every day. The scriptures are important and so good to have. (Left - the sisters from our floor, Spanish speaking) That’s great that Sis. Free said you can come back to seminary. I guess she really liked having you in class. Thanks for 3-hole punching my copy. I don’t need them in sheet protectors. That will be really great to have when I get back, though I’m glad I don’t have it now because I probably won’t have space.
Mom, I also asked about my mission plaque. Do I get one and if so what is the scripture on it. That’s the only thing I can remember. Oh, do you know who delivered Becky and Clarence? I think I mentioned that one of the Elders in my district has a grandfather who worked there as an OB-GYN, but I don’t know when he retired. Oh, I just asked. He said it was after he was born, so that means he was working there when Becky and Clarence were born. I think his last name was Theurer, but I could be wrong, so could you let me know about that if you can? Maybe I’ll ask when I call. Anyway, sorry about the postage due, I didn’t realize how heavy it was. I have a few more pictures you can have if you want, but I’m just going to give them to Becky and you can see them when you come and decide if you want them. That will be the last because it will be hard to send them home from Russia.
Thank you for sharing that conversion story with me. It was really great to hear and came at a time when I felt a little down. It really helped me to feel better. I really hope Anna writes me, but soon I will no be here to receive her letter. (Above - All the Russian speaking sisters in the MTC. After we left, only two of these sisters remained). That’s too bad about the accident. It is good that her insurance will cover the damage. That’s great about Brother Bundy, though it is too bad he will not be able to be the Sunday school teacher. He always did such a good job, but I’m sure he will be great in the bishopric. Thanks for the calling card. It should work great. I will try calling from CA if I can because I will be able to use more time, but if I call from Germany, I won’t be able to talk as long. It should be all great, though. I wrote down the times so I can know when to call. That should be great. I’m excited to be able to talk to you on the phone. Thanks so much for all the stuff you sent. You should have seen me, I was so excited especially for everything in the box. It was better than Christmas. I especially, especially liked getting the smarties. Thanks, you are the greatest.
Dad, thanks for your letter. It sounds like you’ve been busy, but that must be exciting to be getting your library put up. It will be nice to come home and see it all done. (Left - Брат Снег in his traditional Russian dress). I think things are really going to be different when I get back, and not just with the house, but with everyone. I’m kind of hoping that my being on a mission will affect everyone for the better. That would be a great thing. I’m really getting anxious to get out in the field and start really teaching people. I still have a long way to go in being able to speak the language, but I think all I can really do is do it, speak the language and I’ll be better able to do that when I am in Russia. Plus, it will be nice to be able to feed myself, w/ what I want to eat and it will be nice to get to know some new people, even though I love the ones I have come to know. 11 full weeks is a LONG time to be in the MTC and not be able to leave. I haven’t left for any reason. But soon I will enter a new world.
Well, I guess I should go now. I don’t know what else to say. I still haven’t received a letter from Becky. What’s the deal w/ that? Sheesh. You’d think she didn’t have time for anything at all since she can’t take time to drop me a note or to use DearElder.com which is free, at least in the MTC. Anyway, if she comes on Wed., I will chew her out for it.
Well, I look forward to talking to you in a few days.

Love,
Сестра Атвуд
P.S. I found out that one of the other sisters has a dad that wouldn’t even go with her through the temple her first time, or to get her patriarchal blessing. I am truly blessed to have a family that supports me in all I do.

Семья!

09-08-05
Семья!
I’m starting to write a little early because we got our flight plans today! Ура! I will give you that information in two ways, one with the times they gave us and one with the times the way I figured it out they will be in Bismarck. Since I didn’t really have access to anything to know for sure, you might want to double check those times so you can be home when I call. That reminds me, did I ask you to send me a calling card so I can call home? I don’t know if you can get one that works internationally, but that would be the best so I can call you from Germany.
Ok, here goes: (as they gave it to us).
United Airlines LV: SLC, IT at 3:05pm – Sept 21
AR: LA, CA at 3:54pm
Lufthansa LV: LA, CA at 6:55pm
AR: Frankfurt, Germany at 2:25pm – Sept 22
Lufthansa LV: Frankfurt, Germany at 10:30pm
AR: Samara, Russia at 5:30am – Sept 23
Ok, so what I figured out are these times (in order) LV SLC at 4:05pm, AR-5:54pm, LV LA at 8:55pm, AR-7:25am, LV Frankfurt at 2”30pm, AR: 7:30pm
So, let me know what times will be best for me to call during my layovers, which should be from 6-9pm on Wed, and from 7:30am-2:30pm on Thurs. (Left - my name spelled in Russian by using pretzels) I will also probably call before I leave SL, maybe around 2:00pm that Wednesday. I hope that will be alright. Would it be better for me to call on the house phone? I’ll probably do that, but make sure to have my cell phone nearby so you can give me Heather’s and Erin’s phone #s, or you could send them to me in a letter, I guess that would work, too. I don’t know if I can call them, but just in case, I want to have them. Send me both Erin’s house and cell # and Heather’s cell #.
So, I’m flight leader. I guess they pick the flight leader based on alphabetical order, so since my last name starts w/an A, that’s the way it goes. It doesn’t really mean a whole lot, it just means I’m in charge of counting heads and calling people if anything goes wrong. But I guess what my branch president, President Fillmore, said is true. He said I would have more opportunities to lead on my mission, and here his prediction is being fulfilled.
I have to be in the travel office by 11:30 am, so you should try and find out for me when Jordan and them will be coming to the MTC so I can see them and give them my stuff for you. Then let me know. I should be able to wait out front for them, so I just need a general time.
It really doesn’t feel real. I think about going to Russia and I feel nothing. I think about leaving the MTC and I feel great joy because I feel like I can’t do anymore until I leave. But I’m sure when I’m on the flight going across the ocean to Germany, maybe then it will hit me. Or maybe it won’t hit me until a few months after I get to Samara. Who really knows?
Well, I’m going to go to bed for now, but I will write more tomorrow. . . maybe we’ll see how I’m feeling. Well, I guess I will for dure write to answer your letters since everyone was great and wrote to me!
09-09-05
There was something I was going to say, but I’ve forgotten it now. Oh, yeah, I remember now. When you tell me the best times to call, tell me in both Bismarck time and the time of the place I will be in, that way, I won’t get confused, hopefully. And if dad isn’t going to be home, give me another # that I could reach him at.
Now to answer your letters. First, dad, I was so sad to hear about Ron. What did he die of? That would have been horrible to have found out through an obituary. One of the sisters here who is going Spanish speaking had a friend who died in a freak accident. She found out by getting the funeral program in the mail. That was really hard for her. That will be great to get to Conference. (Right - an Elder had a camera that could do split pictures) I wish I could be here for it, but they tell us we will get to watch. I think it depends where we are in Russia because my friend over there had to wait a couple of months. Thanks for working on my website. I really appreciate it. But, do think you could not wait until she has finished them all, but after she finishes each one put them up so that the people who were wanting to check that out can have something to see. Maybe no one wanted to, but just in case, that would be nice. That would be great, though.
Mom, that’s great. Lizzy likes seminary so much. As for the temple, you are lucky. We only get to go one more time before we leave and then, unless some big miracle happens, we won’t get to go again until 2007. I can really going to miss being able to go to the temple.
Yeah, we heard about the hurricane. That is so sad, but it may very well be a good missionary opportunity. I am glad that I don’t have to buy gas, though. That is crazy that it is so easily affected. No, I didn’t hear about the temple president. That’s too bad. Thank you for typing my letters. I really appreciate that.
Elizabeth, I think that is great that you get to go to Relief Society and that Sunday School now, but I was sad to hear about your ankle. You really shouldn’t do that anymore. So, what about getting a job? Have you done that yet? Or what about taking classes? You really need to get on the ball and take care of those things.
Sara, it sounds like school is going really well for you. And that you have a class you are enjoying so much. How’s YW’s going? That must be exciting for you to be able to go to Gen. Conference on your birthday, huh? I’m going to be watching it по-русски, but I don’t know when. Thanks for not telling me about Gizmo. You can tell me about him, but only if it is something good.
I am getting lots of copies of pictures from my elders. It is really great. You will get to see them because most of them I won’t be taking to Russia, but will be in the stuff I give to Becky. Oh, I just want to remind you to answer my questions, but if not, have my letters by the phone so you can answer them when I call. I don’t even remember what they are, so it will have to be done that way.
Yeah, so I am getting really excited to leave, especially now that I know that I can have plenty of weight and I don’t have to worry about fees. (Left - a rainbow) I almost wish I wouldn’t have taken some of the stuff out that I did, but it’s better this way. Then I can have plenty of space for souvenirs and momentos, and perhaps presents if people keep writing me, or for some START writing me. Maybe it will be easier when I can email people, but I almost think not. Well, I don’t think Becky will email me because I don’t even know if she has one and if she did, it would probably be shut down soon after. Ah, нечего.
It is really crazy to think that I have been here for over 2 months. In one way it seems like I have been here for much longer, but in another way I feel like it has been a much shorter space of time. It is really funny how time works. I hate to think about it, but I almost wonder if that is how my mission will be. I don’t want it to fly by because I want to be able to enjoy every minute. A year and ½ really isn’t very much time.
There are a lot of things I only will be doing 1 more time before I leave here. One more night teaching in the TRC, one more day of service, one more day of primetime gym, one more temple visit, one more p-day, and as each day passes, more and more things will be added to that list until it begins to become a list of things I won’t do again. That should make me sad, but it really doesn’t. I’m not exactly sure why.
I think I’ll go now since my pen died and this isn’t mine.
Love,
Сестра Атвуд
P.S. Can you send me another pair of jeans, or two. They should be on the right hand side of my dresser. You’ll know which because they say LEI, have no holes, and probably look newer than the others. There should also be a pair of darker colored jeans and should be at least size 14, I think. All my nice jeans are in the same drawer. I can’t remember which, though. One or 2 would be great so my 1 pair doesn’t wear out completely before I even get to Russia. Thanks.

Моя семья

Моя семья,
You are all so great, though I wish certain ones among you would be more diligent in writing me every week. That reminds me . . . you should call Becky and yell at her for not writing me. I have been here for nearly 2 FULL months and I haven’t heard a thing from her.
So, I found out what time we are leaving, but I don’t know if that is when our flight leaves or when we leave the MTC. But the time is 4:00 n the afternoon or so. I will get my flight plans for sure this week and then I will write to let you know. That means I may get to see Jordan when he comes in. I wonder if Becky is going to come with. You should find out and let me know because I should be able to give her my stuff that I was going to ship home rather than paying to ship it.
I am sending home an insurance claim form for you to fill out and send in. It is for my Hepatitis B shot that I got on Wednesday, my last shot. I already paid for it, but I would like to get my money back if I can. Also, about the meningococcal meningitis shot. They told me the bill won’t arrive to you until 2 months after I leave and they won’t send an insurance claim form until after it is paid. Lame, huh? They told me I could just pay and avoid all that, but I didn’t know if I had the money and I didn’t want to pay with my credit card until I knew the other was taken care of. So, let me know about that. It is $91.
Ok, now for letters to you. Sara, boating? That sounds like fun! I wish we would have done that kind of stuff when I was in Young Women. It is exciting to me that you are starting school. I ALMOST wish I was starting school, but I’m glad, too, that I will be leaving for Russia soon. I guess I almost feel the way you do. I’m not nervous about leaving, but I’m sad because I won’t get to see 6 of my Elders for a long time. Oh well, I am ready to leave. That’s great that your prescription has been cut down. That must mean you are still improving.
Mom, I am always so glad to get your letters. You are the one who has written me the most. I really appreciate it. It’s really funny that Lizzy blames everything on Sara, but maybe she should get out of the habit of doing that. It’s not very charitable. That’s good that you go your talk to be over 5 min, but it’s too bad you weren’t able to go to the temple. That is the only thing I’m not looking forward to when I leave the MTC. I won’t be able to go to the temple for nearly a year and a half. But I guess at least I don’t have to worry about the language. We took this grammar test yesterday that I got a 100% on. Брат Снег said I am the only student he’s had do that. That’s great that Moelina and her kids were finally baptized. (Left - me and Sister Christensen on P-day in the laundry room) I think that will make it easier to stay active if they go as a family. That’s good that Elizabeth is moving on to Relief Society. I’m sure she’ll enjoy it. As for Harry Potter, I will only read it if my mission president allows me to and then it will be по-русски (in Russian). But thanks for offering to send it to me.
I think I did order the Thief and the Cobbler and that Becky paid for half of it . . . maybe. I would have to check it out for sure in my email. If you can get into that it would be in my hotmail account. Otherwise I will have to see if I can use the internet in the airport. When I can do that, or you can, I will better know what I can do, or what needs to be done.
Things have been great since the companionship exchange, not that things were bad, at least not for me, but things are better now for all of us. Though, I do feel bad for Сестра Wilson (my old companion). She does not like her new district and says that she doesn’t have a good feeling there. She says there is too much pride. That’s kind of interesting now that I think about it because we are watching “Beware of Pride” right now. Anyway, I guess that’s really the only thing that ISN’T better. I am glad that I didn’t have to switch districts, though. I think this district is exactly what Сестра Christensen needed because all the Elders are great here. That’s another thing I’m sad about. When we leave, I won’t be able to see 6 of my Elders and I probably won’t see the others very often. But at least I will get to travel w/ them. That will be so much fun. So, I should be able to call you from the airport. You should send me a phone card so I can do that. Get whatever # of minutes you think you would want to talk to me and keep in mind that I can call on every lay over and I may have at least 2. Will you also get me a new pair of ear phones? One of mine doesn’t work and it lets the noises of the night sneak in while I am sleeping. I need the kind that go IN the ear so I can sleep w/ them (that is the only time I can use them). Preferably they will have a plastic case that will protect them and they wind into so the cord doesn’t get caught. That is only minorly important though, as long as they go in my ears. I would also prefer silver or black, but again that is just a preference and not a requirement. Just in case I haven’t already asked, will you send me some clear nail polish that I have and a few other colors, maybe blue and my really red color. That would be nice. The clear is basically necessary because otherwise my fingernails break. The colors are just for fun because I like how it looks. Let’s see that should be all I need. You don’t have to hurry about anything that I have asked for, but try to have it all here by at least Friday the 16th if you can. Oh, could you get me 9 more of those foot liners, the s size. Some of mine have started to get a run in them and it would be nice to have a bunch of extra so hopefully you won’t have to send them to me when I am in Russia.
So, let’s see. I am so glad that another week is nearly over. The time has gone by a lot quicker than I thought it would end up going. That is good because I am very ready to leave. It’s funny because I haven’t left the MTC since the 6th of July. That is a long time to have to be confined to the walls of the MTC. Some people call this Spirit Prison. I guess, in a lot of ways, it is like Spirit Prison. You can’t leave and you are taught by servants of the Lord. The only difference is, we aren’t spirits and we have already accepted the gospel.
I have 4 cankersores in my mouth. It really sucks. I think maybe they put too much salt in their food. I can’t think of any other reason why I would have so many. (Right - Ice cream party!!!) It really hurts though. I am very ready to not be eating MTC food anymore. It makes my stomach groan and yel at me. It’s not very fun at all.
Yeah, so I am going to be done, I think. Don’t forget to send in my claim form. Also, I am still waiting for answers to any of my questions. One thing that helps me is this: I usually have your letters right w/ me when I write so I can respond to anything that was said in your letters.
There is this stuff that is really good that I like. It is Western Family complete Allergy and Sinus headache relief. It works so fast! And it lasts for a while. I know that Western Family isn’t in ND, but maybe you could get me a couple boxes of something similar. Сестра Wilson said to find the Benadryl and look for a store brand. That would be great and that should really be the last thing I want.
Love,
Сестра Атвуд

Family

Hey, how are things going? I haven’t gotten a letter from you yet, but I thought I should write you and tell you that I now have a new companion. Her name is Сестра Christensen. I already sent a picture with her in it, so you will be able to check and see her. Сестра Wilson is now Сетсра Egan’s companion. Luckily, I get to stay in my district. But that means Сетсра Wilson and Сестра Christensen have to leave theirs. It will be good, though, I think. In fact, I think it will bless all of us immensely. Especially to be able to improve our skill in the language.
Speaking of which, I wrote an entire page по-русски in my journal today. That made me feel good and helped me to realize that I can say more than I thought. Especially since I didn’t look in the dictionary at all for any word. It felt good.
Ok, now I am also writing for a couple of things. 1, mom, you were born at St. Mark’s right? If that is true, do you know the name of the person who delivered you? I’ll tell you why I want to know later. Can you also get me another mesh scrubber-on-a-stick? Mine broke which really sucks. But I would appreciate another one. I think that was all.
So yeah, it feels so weird to have a different companion. But mostly, it doesn’t feel real. I’m sure it will tomorrow when we go to class. Like I said, I think it will be good and I think it was the right decision.
Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but I am kind of sick right now. It is probably a cold, but I can’t sleep enough to make myself feel better. Even though I really sleep forever. I slept 3 hours last Fri and Sun, 4 hours 2 days ago (Friday) and 2 hours today. That is not including the fact that I go to bed at 10:30 and don’t get up until 6:30 unlike everyone else in my room. It makes me feel lazy, but if I get up earlier than I have to, I really think I will just get worse.
So, I guess that’s all for now. Oh, you should call Erin and tell get to write to me. I’ve been gone for 2 months! Yeah, that would be nice.

Dear family

Dear family,
It is crazy to think that another week is finally over, but it is true. 26 days from now, we will be leaving for Russia. That is even crazier to think. So far it has felt like we would never be leaving, but in a little over a week and ½, we get our flight plans. Then, 2 weeks later, we will be on our way to a whole new world, a world where I won’t be able to understand a single thing except maybe зравствуйте? Or хорошо. Maybe not even those. A whole new world in which people will watch me, not only because I am a missionary, but also because I am an American. That will be an interesting experience, but surprisingly, one I am looking forward to.
So, about the screen door, do you have to get a new one now? (Right - The door to our classroom) That will be too bad if you do. I’m really glad that Bishop Cox was able to help Sister Graother. Well, it’s past the 20th now, did Moelina end up getting baptized? Maybe if she keeps having second thoughts, she’s not ready yet and needs to talk to the Missionaries some more. I don’t know, that’s a tough situation. Hopefully she will be able to get the answers to the questions she has. Even though baptism is important, it is also important that people understand what they are getting into and are willing to do all it takes to endure to the end. I’m glad you get to talk on the Holy Ghost. That is such an important topic. I’m glad you liked the pictures. I have decided to send you some more. I hope you like them. Dad can scan them in and put them on the website, too, or have Elizabeth scan them.
Elizabeth, that’s really too bad about your foot. Hopefully it will get better soon. Maybe you should get a blessing. Thanks for the pastel. It’s too bad I don’t get to see it. You might not want to put it in my room, though, just in case Gizmo breaks it.
Dad, thanks for your letter. I didn’t know the Wickels were moving. That’s too bad because I won’t get to see them anymore. But, since that is what is best for them I’m sure, I’m happy for them. What kind of craft things have you started making? I thought that was really funny that it took so long for someone to want the job as your new boss. Weird, but interesting. Go ahead and make whatever changes you want, but I would appreciate at least one of my letters being added soon. If anything, you could always get Lizzy or Sara to type, too, or mom if she has time.
Ok, this week has been so long. I’m not exactly sure why, but a lot of good things have happened. We had another sisters inventory, I don’t know if I told you about the first one, but they were to help with our unity as sisters. We each had to offer something we would change in ourselves to make us more united. I think it has helped and I hope it will continue to help.
President Fillmore also challenged Сестра Видсон and I to make our companionship go from good to great. On Sunday we had a nice, long, real conversation. It was good and I think it has improved things a lot. Then, on Tuesday, we went to the RC again. We are no longer doing what we call “predictive.” This is where the computer automatically dials and routes the call to our phones. Now we do “preview dialing” where we see the name of the person we are calling before we make the call. It was great, because we never have to worry about that, but we get a lot of busy signals, disconnected, and answering machines. The computers by pass all of those w/ predictive. It also means we can’t work on anything else while we are waiting for a call and it makes it more difficult to receive inbound calls. Nevertheless, I had 2 great experiences that I would like to share. Just before I was about to dial my first #, I got an inbound call. This call was from a 60 year old woman who wanted a Finding Faith in Christ dvd. It was a great call. I think it was great because we talked, really talked. She told me about her grand children and in the end, she wanted the missionaries to bring the dvd to her and she said she would go to church. That was exciting. After that, I just felt good, even though I thought I wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone else. I just kept getting busy signals and things like that. I was about to stop because we only had 5 min left, but for some reason, I decided to make another call. I guess I figured that it wouldn’t connect with anyone, again. (Left - братs Снег and Рикс) When the phone picked up, I was so surprised, I didn’t understand what the lady said. I asked for the name on my screen and the lady asked who was calling. I quickly asked where she said this was and it ended up being a nursing home. I thought to myself, maybe we can’t talk to people in nursing homes, but I decided to try anyway. I am so glad I did because it ended up being the best call I have ever had. This mad had ordered a Finding Faith in Christ dvd, so I asked him how he enjoyed it. He told me he watched it everyday. So, I testified about it. I don’t know how the next part came up, but he told me his wife had died in March. He also told me that his wife had been Mormon. So I talked to him about that. I told him that we learn about this in a book. I asked him if he had ever heard of the Book of Mormon. He said he hadn’t which is really sad because his wife was a member. Well, before I could offer to send it to him, he asked if I would send it to him. I said, of course! But then I realized that I couldn’t send it in the mail, so I asked if some missionaries could bring it by and share a message about Christ. He said, yeah! Will you pray for this man? Pray that the missionaries will go even though he is in a nursing home and that they won’t have any problems because of that. Anyway, I testified about the book, how it helps us to know what we need to do in this life as well as what happens afterwards. It was so great. I get so excited about it when I think about it. THAT is why I came on a mission, to help those who are missing something in their life. It was a good experience.
Let’s see, on Wednesday, we taught in the TRC. The second time we taught actually went better than I thought it would. The man we taught choked up when he was reading about the Atonement and while we were talking about it. It was really great. For next week, though, we are trying something new. We are learning vocabulary, but not figuring out in great detail what we want to say beforehand. It will be tough, I think, but also a really good experience because that is what we will be doing in the field. Now that we know enough Russian, it should work out better than it would have before.
So, I learned that Samara turns out the best Russian speakers. I don’t know why, but that is exciting to hear.
Let’s see, I can’t really think of anything else. We did initiatories at the temple this morning. Sister Giletter (the wife of a member of the MTC presidency) gave us some names to do, so that was exciting, though one part I think they used a little too much of something. It was kind of gross to feel it, but that’s all right. It was still nice to do again.
We have been doing 100% Russian this week. That is probably one reason why this week has been so long. Чтобы говорить по-русски сто процентов, мы должны носить наш словарь каждый день, куда-нибудь мы идём. (Right - our district) (In order to speak Russian 100%, we must carry our dictionary every day, anywhere we go). So, because we don’t have pockets, наши старейшины said they would think of something for us to carry them with. Today they gave us a box of goodies. We got gummi bears, fruit snacks, suckers, apple beer, and unbeknownst to us, at the bottom lay some shoelaces. When they told us, we were so excited! We were more excited about that than the food. When we got back to our room, we pulled out our stuff to get the shoelaces. Lo and Behold! They had even tied them together for us. All we had to do was loop them through the spine and tie it shut. They are great. Сейчас, мы знаем что наши старейшины любят нас. (Now we know that our Elders love us). They tell us all the time how glad they are that we are in their district and how they got the pick of the litter, but now we have proof. It feels good to be loved. They have all become really good friends, but what else can be expected when you spend nearly 16 hours every day w/ the same people? You either love them or you come to hate them. Luckily the latter hasn’t happened for us.
Love,
Сестра Атвуд