It's Nov 9 already?

Well, this week has been an alright week, but kind of tiring. We are still doing a lot of contacting to try and find new investigators. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it will ever work, but, like I tell Sister Vernon, we are planting seeds and maybe in a few years they will start to bud, maybe sooner, maybe later, we just don't know. But, we were able to get a new investigator from our service in the hospital. This woman works at the desk and we've talked to her a couple of times. She said we could come teach her later this month. That will be great.
Until then, we keep doing what we're always doing. Unfortunately, it is not exactly the greatest idea to contact on the street, in fact, we don't even wear our name tags on the street when it is dark. People are too scared to talk to us when it is dark, so it isn't a good idea to stop them. It's kind of like knocking. We don't do it. People live in apartments that are kind of like secured apartments. You have to call them on their дома-фон (doma-phone) to get in to where you can even go to their door. So, people get really suspicious when you are knocking on their doors behind locked doors. In some places it is forbidden, and although it isn't expressly forbidden in New City where we work, President has said that he doesn't encourage us to do it, unless the spirit directs us to go there.

So when we don't have teaching appointments, we contact on the street. When we can contact and we don't have appointments (which luckily has only happened a few times) we stay out on the street as long as we can and take a late dinner so we can actually work, and then we try calling people, or making cards, or sometimes we stop by the homes of investigators and members after dark. (Above - This is inside of the hospital where we often do service. I feel like I am in a hospital from the thirties when I am there, it is pretty run down)

Well, a little more about apartment life. Most of the apartments are rather small, but here in New City, there are a lot of really nice apartments because people can afford to remodel. Most places have two doors at the very least. One metal one that leads to a little area where if you are the only ones on that side of the apartment, you can leave your shoes (it's so dirty here you don't wear your shoes inside), or if there is more than one, you can stand with the other door locked while you unlock your apartment. Somepeople have two doors to their apartment, an outer security door and the inner apartment door. It's really interesting. Other than that, they are pretty much the same except most do not have carpet, and you are probably better off that way.
Oh, the package came, but Elder Ross didn't bring it back with him when he came back to Толбятти (Togliatti) with his new companion, so I won't get it until the Zone Leaders go to Самара (Samara) tomorrow. But, if you kept a list of what you sent, it would be nice if you could email that to me so I can check it all next week. Thanks for the taboo stuff, that's great. I'm really excited to be able to use it. And thanks, Lizzy, for the game idea, keep them coming if you have them. Sister Vernon and I always get stuck with the game for our Youth Night and it is really hard to come up with new ideas.
I really like the members here, most of them, anyway. The active ones are either really strong . . . or crazy. And I mean literally crazy. There is one man in our branch who was in some kind of nuclear chemical accident. Those who were not killed, became crazy and so were listed as disabled with the government. He is the only one that is still living, but it makes life interesting for the members of the church. The accident happened twenty years ago and he was baptized 8 years ago, so I don't know how all that works, but what can you say. He has this voice in his head that talks to him and tells him what to do. He also believes a man called the general told him that he could have a high position in an organization like the FBI if he finds a good wife, so he asks every girl that he meets and talks to a little. . . including my companion, Sister Vernon. It was rather funny because he knows she is a missionary and can't get married. He gave her a "text" about the general and all this stuff on Sunday and he told her that he thought the "text" would have made her see the importance of it. At least he isn't dangerous to anyone, not even himself.
One of the members is teaching us how to knit tomorrow. That will be really fun and the Elders want us to teach them next week on P-Day. That will be really interesting, and fun. The members want us to be able to make hats and scarves so we don't freeze to death, but it's not even cold! We don't have snow, but it keeps raining, not even freezing rain, just regular rain. It's rather disappointing, but unfortunately the members think I will die if I don't have a warm hat, scarf, coat, and boots. I haven't given in on the boots yet. I don't want to boil!
So, a little more about hospitals. I don't remember what I told you, but one of the members is in the hospital. We went to go visit her one night and Sister Vernon said that she hoped it wasn't past visiting hours. I was a little surprised and asked, "do they even have those?" She said, of course, so I replied, "Well, it kind of seems like you can come and go as you please, even the patients!" It's true, they don't hospitalize people here like they do in America, so patients leave and come back at will, as long as they can walk. It's kind of interesting. I have a question, just in case someone knows. Does blood ever turn in to powder? Well, I know that sounds a little weird, but we were doing service in the hospital yesterday and there was something on the floor that we couldn't figure out what it was. At first I thought it was blood, but then I noticed that it was powder, so I thought maybe it was rust, but there was nothing in there that was rusty, and I don't know where that much could have come from anyway. It was really weird, and there was a stain on one of the mattresses of the same color. It smelled bad too. So, that's the mess we cleaned up in the hospital yesterday, it was quite an interesting experience, especially for the greenie who isn't used to the hospitals here, or even to here yet.
Well, I'm not really sure what else you would like to know about Russia, so if there is anything especially that would be interesting to you to know, let me know and I will write about it.
Thanks also to those who wrote we this week. I really appreciate hearing from everyone. So, Lizzy, keep up the reading, it sounds like things are going great. (Left - Service at a children's park)I am getting close to finishing the Book of Mormon and I think I will finish it more than a month a head of schedule. That's exciting to me. Sara, the Thanksgiving project sounds like a good idea. Here are some things I am thankful for, if you want to add them in: family, friends, guidance from the Lord, the gospel, experiences in life, and especially for the Atonement and the love of God. Also, of course I want to see the Halloween pictures! I love pictures! It's not so easy for me to send pictures, but I was thinking of making some copies to send home, so we will see. Mom, that's so great to me about the temple, especially what you said last week about the extra session, are they still doing that? I think it's a great sign that the members are using the temple. That's what we are working towards here, to actually have a temple for the members to go to, but first we need to build a stake. It is tough work, but so worth it. That's great about the deer, but I have to say, I'm glad I'm not there to eat it, yuck! The nice thing about being in Russia is that the only thing I really have to eat that I don't like is tea and Russian candy. They have all sorts of weird teas, but they aren't very good and the candy is disgusting! Oh well. That's great about Aunt Linda. I was wondering about that, I didn't know they had to get a letter from the first Presidency about that. Too bad I won't be able to be there. Well, too bad that Jordan won't be able to be there. That would have been great for him. But, a mission is a good thing, too, of course.
Anyway, keep writing. I really enjoy hearing from everyone, even if I don't write back. Technically speaking, I could write back to everyone individually, but that means less time I can spend writing this email which everyone can read, and also the less I can write, so keep writing, even if you never get a response back. Also, you can give my website address to anyone that wants it.
Anyway, I guess that is all for this week. Time is going by so quickly. I only have 14 months left. That may sound like a lot, but that means I've already been on my mission for 4 and it doesn't seem like that long at all! I don't want the time to go by so quickly. I don't have enough of it. The Elders are lucky, they have a lot more time than Sisters. Oh well, it's all the will of the Lord.

Love,
Сестра Атвуд

well, what's new?

Hello all,
Things seem to be getting a little better here, as far as the work goes. We have had a steam of bad luck concerning our appointments and things. But, luckily, I think things are turning around. We have an appointment with one of our investigators today. (Above - Zone Conference with President Piper) We haven't met with her in 3 weeks, or even been able to get a hold of her for that matter. So, we are sacrificing a little of our P-Day time, but it is worth it.
Let's see. We had a Halloween Party on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. They don't celebrate Halloween here, unless you are a student of English, or a member of the church (because the missionaries like to). We had some skits and stuff and then the missionaries put on a haunted house. It was a lot of fun, and really good for what we had. We had a beast, witches, an ax-murderer, and even the ghost of the newsies (that was to lighten the mood a little, it was great). I really enjoyed putting it on, though some of the Russians did things to ruin it. I still had fun. I think they just didn't understand.
One of our recent converts is in the hospital. She had an operation on Monday morning. I was thinking, I would rather die than have them operate on me here. (Left - The Elders dressed as Newsies for Halloween - Ross, Day, and Paulsen) So, I wanted to tell you a little about life in a hospital. First, it is rather dirty and kind of cold, except when they use cast wrappings to plaster the windows shut. And, you have to provide your own bedding, including pillows. You also bring your own clothing, dishes and food. I guess they feed the patients, but it is just soup and I don't know how often they bring that around. It's probably a lot worse than hospital food in America. People smoke and have cell phones. Well, they don't have telephones, so there would be no other way to get a hold of the patients. I guess after surgery there is always a lot of puss and stuff that needs to be drained out. Sister Vernon worked in a hospital in America and she said we have something to drain all that out too, we just don't use coke bottles and gravity to do it. That's the kind of stuff that happens in a hospital here. They just aren't up to date on medical technology, so they make-do with what they have. You know the hospital on the Frighteners? Well, when I am in the hospital here, I feel like I am in THAT hospital, but this one if more run-down. It's crazy.
Oh, I was wondering what ever happened with that insurance claim form I sent home and if I am going to get money back for that shot or not. I'd also like to know about the plaque, if you asked the Bishop yet, mom. As for my mission president, he is from Belarus. His name is President Давыдик (Davydik). He is an amazing man. He hasn't been a member for very long, but he has a great story. (Below - Other costumes: Vernon as a gypsy, me as Cleopatra, Boster as Superman - this is because he actually looked like Clark Kent! I'm serious . . ., and Richins as a ninja) I think he was baptized 5 years ago, or maybe it was in 1995. I know that's a big difference, but I just don't remember. Anyway, some Elders were contacting on the street and they met a man who was interested and gave them his name and phone number. When they called that number, they asked for the man, and President Давыдик said, that's me. They then went on to say how they had met him on the street and would like to come to his house to talk about Jesus Christ and his church. Well, even though he had the same name as the man they met on the street, he was not the same man, and he told them that. He asked what number they were trying to get, and it was his number, He said, you have my number and my name, why don't you come on over, I'm interested in what you have to say. His whole family was excited. His family was baptized soon after. Great, huh? He also speaks English very well, so that is nice, too.
Let's see, I don't know if there was anything else I wanted to tell about this week. As for Christmas, it doesn't really matter to me. I wouldn't mind getting a box. I really want some peanut-butter m&ms. I can find peanut butter here, so that's not a problem, but they don't have M&M's with peanut butter. Other than that, I can't really think of anything else, but if you find some things you can send, than go ahead. Otherwise both options sound good to me. (Left - The cast of the Haunted House - Wilson as the head, Richins, Ross, Boster as the axemurder, Day, Anand as a guy in a gas mask, Paulsen, me, Vernon, and Madsen as the pirate guide) I don't know what I would buy with money here, so probably just saving it and buying me something when I get home would be great. Or you could save it and if I find something I want, than I could get it than.
Ok, well, thanks to everyone that wrote me this week. I really appreciate the mail. And especially thanks to all who care enough to read my website. I kind of thought no one would.

Love,
Сестра Атвуд

Another week is over

Hey, everyone, it was so good to hear from so many people this week. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was alive! Well, let's see, I don't know how much time I have because we are meeting our district at the mall to eat lunch in a few hours, and unfortunately it takes a long time to get there. (Left - reenacting the rock, paper, scissors showdown on P-day) But, I will write what I can. First, I wanted to make a little correction about something that I said earlier. It has to do with transportation. There really is no difference between a маршрутка (marshrutka) and a газель(gazelle), I personally just differentiate them in the way that I described earlier, but other people use them interchangeably, probably because they use the same vehicle, one is just a private газель and the other is public. Though a gazelle isn't necessarily a marshrutka.
Now that I got that taken care of, I have a favor to ask of everyone. Hopefully everyone is really creative. Well, it seems like I'm not. Every week I have to teach English, and even though I teach the advanced group who know English really well, I still have to make it fun. So, I was wondering if everyone could tell me any ideas that they have for fun games that involve a lot of speaking. I wanted to play Taboo, but I didn't have the cards, so I was also wondering if, maybe mom, that might be the best, if you could buy it and either type the cards or have someone else do it. That would be a lot easier and a lot more fun than the ones that I made which turned out to be really easy for them. Anyway, that would be great, but I don't want to have it here because that is just a lot to lug around, but then I can make my own cards. If there are any other games you can think of, please tell me! But remember, at least for the advanced group, it needs to involve a lot of speaking.
I was also wondering, how did you go about getting a temple recommend before Bismarck became a stake? Here, the members have to talk to the Mission President, and I didn't think it was like that before, but maybe it was. You should know, though, since you lived there.
Other than that, we've been working really hard. I am still always tired, but funny things always happen.
We've had a little more luck with our investigators this week, though I think one decided she didn't want to hear us anymore. (Right - Lena's baptism) We have tried contacting her, both over the phone and by stopping by, but we never get a response. If that is the case, it has something to do with us asking her to invite her husband to listen as well. We explained how the church is family oriented and that we would like to give him the same opportunity. She wasn't very happy that we wanted her to talk to him about it, and since then she hasn't come to any activities, and we haven't been able to reach her. I hope there is some other circumstance, but I highly doubt it.
On a happier note, we seem to have gotten a lot more work. We did some service raking leaves at a kiddy park near the mall last week (that was fun) and some of the women who work there were really impressed with us and told the member who coordinated it all that they wanted to hear more about our religion. Also, we got a referral from a member. This woman is 62 years old and told her neighbor that she wants to be baptized. That's exciting, huh? So now we just need to teach her about the gospel. Also, one of our old investigators said we can start meeting with her some more, we were able to meet with a contact that we met on the street, and a lot of good things seem to be starting. Hopefully it will stay that way, and I know it will with the Lord's help.
We were finally able to watch conference last week. It was really great and exactly what I needed. I felt so much better about a lot of things afterwards. It was really nice because I could hear the English, and then for the last session I had an English copy to follow along with. I felt a little bad that the Russian was a little harder to hear because of that, but there was nothing we could do. (Above - A beautiful little children's park on a rainy fall day) Just the same, I really needed to hear conference. I think that is the first time that I've really felt that way. I mean, I've enjoyed conference before, but maybe it was because I had to wait for it that it just really filled a thirst I had. It was great. I was also glad to hear that I am ahead of schedule for the reading. I was a little worried about that, but I should finish close to the beginning of December. Hooray!
I bought winter boots today. They weren't too expensive, though I wish I could have spent less. Oh well, they should keep my feet warm and dry when the snow falls. I keep waiting for it, but they say it won't come until close to the end of November, that's too bad.
Mom, real quick, are you checking my hotmail account still? I haven't gotten any of the emails from my friend Beth that go there, so I really hope you still are. I would like to be able to read those. They come from her mother (with the last name Wilson).
Anyway, we have to get getting, so I guess that is all for now. Keep writing!

Love,
Сестра Атвуд

another week has come and gone

I can hardly believe that I have almost been here in Russia for an entire month. That is such a long time, but at the same time I feel like I have been here for much longer. So, I wanted to tell a little more about life in Russia, more specifically about life as a pedestrian.
(Left - Lunch on P-day at the Komsomolski Prixod) There are many dangers when you walk. One of the most prominent are cars. They don't care if you are walking, they will run you over if you don't get out of the way. It seems like the members are always pulling me out of the street (not that I was close to being hit, but they get really protective and nervous when cars are around their missionaries). It is really only a problem when the drivers are drunk, but that happens a lot. Driving itself isn't safe and can be a little scary. Another danger are man holes or any kind of metal grate in the ground. No one walks on them here because if you do, you could fall through. I don't think they ever replace them, so when they get old and rusted, you just gotta hope that you don't miss one and step on it.
We went to this restaurant last week called Техас (Tehas or Texas), it's supposed to be Mexican, but the food didn't taste like any Mexican food I ever had. It was a very interesting experience. I guess the place is owned by the Mafia, so it was a little nicer than some, but we had to wait for over an hour and a half for our food. It was insane. Sister Vernon and I ordered nachos, so they brought out this dip with beans and cheese . . . and pringles. Yeah, that's right, pringles. Who ever has seen pringles used for Mexican food? There were a few other interesting things, but probably the biggest for me was finding this weird Russian sausage in our nachos. Oh well, I hope we don't ever eat there again.
We also went to the birthday party of one of our investigators, or rather the daughter of the family. It was very interesting. They went through all these rites of passage for every year. It was rather fun, but I didn't understand a lot of what was said.
We get to see conference this weekend. That should be good, but it is in Russian, so I won't understand very much. Luckily, they are going to bring me an English copy so I can read along. That probably won't make sitting in a dark room for 4 hours straight any easier. Oh well. We also have another baptism this Sunday. I'm really excited about that because the girl is great. I really enjoy talking with her.
I am so tired here all the time. It seems like I am in this vicious cycle that I can't seem to get out of. Working makes me tired, but I can never get enough sleep to make it so I can work really well, so sometimes I feel like we aren't getting anywhere. We are still working hard and we have 3 new investigators. Hopefully something will happen soon. One of them talked to us when we were buying something in a store. She has met with the missionaries before. We are really excited about her, and it sounds like her mother wants to listen to us too. (Right - Anya's birthday party - that is the little girl in the red dress with bows in her hair) They are both excited to meet with us, too.
Sister Vernon is amazing at getting people to talk to her. She has already uncovered a couple of doubts that people have. One involves the family I mentioned earlier (the one with the daughter who hard a birthday party). They have been investigating the church for three years, but have yet to be baptized. They come to pretty much every activity, but they haven't accepted the baptismal commitment. Now we know why. I guess they don't have very much money and so they think they don't have enough money to pay tithing. The father is about to lose his job because the company he works for is going out of business. He is 48 and when he turns 50 he won't be able to find work anymore, but he hasn't been able to find another job yet. So, what will they do if he is out of work for 2 years before he can get his pension? So, we are working with the members to try and find him another job and we have plans to teach them about the blessings that come from paying tithing. We need them to realize that it's not about the money, it is about trusting in the Lord so He can bless us with even more.
I bought a new coat last week. It only cost 1500 rb. That's about $50, but I also need to get boots and all that fun winter stuff. I haven't taken money out of my account yet because I didn't know if anything was in there, so hopefully there is because we are going today and I can't get into USbank online to find out. Oh well, what can you do? I guess that's about it for now. Things are going well, despite the way it may sound. I am hoping that we can really help the people here, to strengthen the приход (branch) and maybe even get them a real chapel. Right now they have a nice building, which is better than meeting in the homes of the members like they used to, but it would be nice to have benches and all that good stuff to use and not just chairs. They need to have 15 active priesthood holders, and I think they are really close. We are working on it, as our the other 4 missionaries in our branch.
I bought a new coat last week. It only cost 1500 rb. That's about $50, but I also need to get boots and all that fun winter stuff. (Left - Me with Togliatti in the background) I haven't taken money out of my account yet because I didn't know if anything was in there, so hopefully there is because we are going today and I can't get into USbank online to find out. Oh well, what can you do?
I guess that's about it for now. Things are going well, despite the way it may sound. I am hoping that we can really help the people here, to strengthen the приход (prixod - branch) and maybe even get them a real chapel. Right now they have a nice building, which is better than meeting in the homes of the members like they used to, but it would be nice to have benches and all that good stuff to use and not just chairs, but that might just be a Russian thing. They need to have 15 active priesthood holders, and I think they are really close. We are working on it, as our the other 4 missionaries in our branch.

Love,
Сестра Атвуд

Hello!

Hello, family,
This last week has been crazy busy. I don't even know where to start. But I guess I will tell about the things I wasn't able to tell about last week. We still haven't seen conference yet. I think we will be able to in two weeks, but of course it will be in Russian. Oh well, maybe I'll understand better by then.
But, that means that we had fast Sunday on that day. Well, we started our fast early on Saturday because Sister Vernon likes to fast for 24 hours and one of the members wanted to feed us after church (I thought that was нельзя, nilzya, that means sort of like not allowed, but I guess that isn't the case. Sister Vernon told me that is because our mission president is Russian). Anyway, so that means we started our fast at 4:00 the day before. (Right - Lida's baptism!) Then we did a little bit of contacting Sunday morning before church. Then we sat through 3 hours of church. Well, after about an hour, which would have been over 22 hours since I had last eaten, I started to feel really sick. I felt like I was going to puke, and I felt really light headed. It wasn't fun, but I still had two more hours to go. I resolved to be able to get through it, but it just kept getting worse.
Then, after church, our meeting didn't pull through, so we weren't going to be fed, and we had to sit through a meeting with one of the members who just got a new calling so that she would know what to do. By the time we finally got home, I thought I was going to die. Sister Vernon and I quickly ended our fast, and she made me drink lots of сок (sok - juice). That made me feel better, but being light headed and dizzy for that long made my head hurt. But, all's well that ends well, right?
So, we thought it was нельзя to watch movies, right? WELL, let me just tell you, we watch movies here all the time . . . well, normally on P-Days. Of course, not anything bad, we just watch movies like The Best Two Years, The Other Side of Heaven (that was interesting because it was in Russian), The Prince of Egypt, and such like that. But, they used to be able to watch other movies. They watched Madagascar here, but now we are not allowed to do that. That's alright though, I didn't come here to watch movies. But, it is fun on P-Days to watch movies with our district. We normally order pizza from Papa Peckers. It's alright, just really greasy.
Last P-day, my companion decided she didn't like me . . . and, well, let's just say that she used her elbow to give me a black eye. It was an accident, of course, but she felt so bad about it that it is fun to bring it up all the time. All the elders always point it out, too. It is very funny. It wasn't really a black eye, either, just on the side of my eye. It kind of looked like I put eye liner along the side of my eye. It is much better now.
Now, I want to tell you a little bit about life in Russia. Let's see. We will start with transportation. There are seven basic ways to get around the city. I will start with the cheapest and go from there. #1-Walking - we do a lot of this, sometimes more than 10 miles everyday, and a lot of Russians walk everywhere in order to save money #2 - the bus, this costs only 5 rubles (which isn't very much money when converted into American money). I have never ridden on one of these. #3 - trolli bus - I have never ridden on one of these either, and I don't know how much they cost, but they are either the same or barely more than a normal bus. #4 - маршруткаs (marshrutkas - I can't spell Russian in roman letters, it just doesn't work) - we use these all the time. They cost 8 rubles to go anywhere within your area of the city, and 12 between areas. They are faster than buses and don't get as crowded. #5 - your own car - obviously we never use this and it may actually be cheaper in the long run that маршруткаs because gas is really cheap here. I think the most expensive I saw was 17 rubles, probably for a liter, though, so I don't know what that comes to. It is about 30 rubles to the dollar, so you can probably figure out how much that costs. Maybe it's not as cheap as I think. #6 - Taxis - in Russia they have some cars that are real taxis, but if you call for a taxi, you never know who will stop to pick you up. We have only done this once. (Left - In the woods around Togliatti) It cost 40 rubles, and it got us to our appointment just on time. Otherwise we would have been at least 25 minutes late. So, they are a lot faster. #6 - gazelles - I don't really know how much these cost, but basically they are a hired маршрутка. Thus, you get there fast because you don't have to stop to pick people up or drop them off.
Let's see, what else is there. The streets are very dirty here, I don't know if I mentioned that before, but they are. That means we get dirty when we are on them. It's rather gross, but I guess you get used to it after awhile. Most people live in apartment buildings. Each apartment building has many подезъдs (padezds) (stairwells) that lead to certain numbers of the apartments. They are mostly all locked and if you want to get into an apartment building, you better hope the people you are going to see have a дома-фон (doma-fon - house phone). Then you punch in their apartment number on a keypad, it rings there and they can decide whether or not to let you in.
Once you get in, there is usually an elevator, though it doesn't always work. Even if it does it is usually dirty and smells bad, but when you have to go to the ninth floor, it is worth it. It is funny, though, you never know how many floors there are by the number of buttons in the elevator. For example, our apartment has 9 floors, but we have 15 buttons and the lights over the door that tell you which floor the elevator is on, they go up to 17. Sometimes the buttons don't even tell you which floor you are choosing when you punch them. But, they work, so what can you do.
Our apartment is one of the few that has a washing machine. We just barely got one and only because President Давыдик (Davydik) says we all have to have one, and the lady we rent from didn't want to lose us as tenants. I guess it must be nice to have a consistent income coming from reliable tenants. We have 3 rooms, which is nice. I was in one apartment that was only 2 rooms and the rooms they had were incredibly tiny. I don't know how 3 people live in that apartment, but they manage somehow. They also have some really large, nice apartments. They seem like they would be in America, some of them. But only on the inside, the outsides are always worn down and dirty because people just tag them anyway, why waste money keeping them up?
We also teach English every Thursday. The elders aren't allowed to teach English right now because a while ago one of the girls that came to English wrote a letter to an elder telling him that she would kill herself if he didn't pay her some attention. Well, President Давыдик decided it was better if they not even come. So, English isn't as much fun as it would be otherwise. That should be changing, hopefully. They are coming up with a new program and President said the Elders could start coming again when we have that. I am looking forward to that. For now, we have to have both beginners and advanced in the same room and we teach by ourselves. It really just isn't very much fun.
They also have many other activities for the members and investigators. They have something everyday of the week. Mondays they have семьеный вечер (cemyeni vecher - Family evening, it just doesn't look as good when not in cyrrilic) where everyone invites others to their home (we have a lot of single members), Tuesday we have молодёжный вечер (molodozhni vecher - youth night), Wednesday they have choir, Thursday is English, Friday seminary and institute, Saturday is sports, and of course Sunday is church. They really work hard to give the members good things to do. I think that is great. We go to everything, except sometimes we don't go to choir. They really like it when I come because I can sing alto and they don't have many people who can sing, at all. But a lot of times we are the ones leading the activities, so we have to be there. That's alright because we have a lot of investigators come to those activities. For FHE, we always drink tea. Never fear, it is only fruit tea, but I don't like it just the same. Sister Vernon and I always add lots of sugar so we can choke it down. They really like hot drinks here. They also have this drink called компот (kompot). It is sugar water with fruit heated up. It is actually pretty good. I tried it for the first time yesterday.
Well, that's all that I can think of for now about life in Russia. Oh, the members always yell at me for not having a coat even when I am not cold. So, we will hopefully be buying me a coat soon, maybe on Saturday.
Thanks to all those who wrote to me. I don't have much time left, so I will just have to answer everyone here and you will need to pass this on to Elizabeth. First, mom, you should be happy to know that I got your letter. We get mail probably every 3 weeks, so if it gets to Самара (Samara) before that time than we get it. It is whenever anyone comes from Самара that we get mail. I got your letter yesterday (Tuesday). That means it arrived at least by Monday. That's a lot faster than I thought it would come. But I'm glad. I also got a letter from Erin. She sent me a picture of her baby. Everyone really enjoyed seeing that.
By the way, did you get my stuff when you were in Salt Lake? If not, dad will need to do that when he goes down for Joey's wedding. DON'T forget! Elder Theurer's family was nice enough to take it, but I don't want it to sit in their house forever. (Right - also in the woods around Togliatti, Bush is making leaf ears on Day and Boster is laughing in the background)
Dad, thanks for the email, and thanks for doing all that stuff with my website. I hope that means that other people will start writing me soon. I think it's pretty pathetic that my friends on missions can find time to write to me while my friends (namely all my roommates who told me they would write) can't seem to manage it. Oh well, the less mail I get from other people, the less letters I have to write.
Elizabeth, sounds like things are going great for you. Working hard, huh? But what about a job?
Sorry I can't answer any more than that. My companion doesn't write as much as I do, and she is almost ready to go. Plus, we only have a little time before we have to get back to work. Ура (Urah! - that's hooray in Russian).
Anyway, let me know how things are going and tell Sara to write me. Also, tell Becky to write me and make sure they know about sending emails to both this address and my gmail account. I think grandpa McGee sent one just to this one, so I will have to forward that on. That's just a big hassle when it's not needed.

Love,
Сестра Атвуд