Week 8

Things have definitely been interesting. As I mentioned last week Sister Thrall and I have a new companion and she does not really speak English. We try our best to speak Russian with her but it is hard at times. We do not get too frustrated but it is not easy for Sister Talakh because she either has elders who do speak Russian or sisters that do not quite speak Russian, especially outside of the religion and church vocabulary. Today as we did our laundry she was asking what goes into the dryer and about dry cleaning and we had no idea what she was saying no matter how often she repeated the words. We do the best we can.

 

Either this week or next week we receive our travel plans! Only two more Preparation Days in the MTC! I am excited but also very nervous. I was feeling good about my Russian but having Sister Talakh has shown me how little Russian I know. But I try not to get discouraged and focus on what I do know how to say. I also try to focus on how much more I am beginning to understand. I understand more than I can say. I will admit my French is getting a little jumbled with Russian. Whenever I see a missionary going to France or someone from France I try to speak to them in French. Sometimes Russian words come out instead of French. But occasionally I read the Book of Mormon in French and I can understand it still so that is encouraging.

 

We are continuing to teach our progressive investigators. Yesterday Sister Thrall and I taught Sasha and he accepted our invitation to be baptized! I know it is a roleplay but I was still really happy and it is great because we do see how our teachers get affected by our teaching. I know Sister Thrall and I have almost made one of our teachers cry twice while we teach him. Things are also going well with Sergei! For a while we felt like we were in a rut but we got out of it this last week.

 

I apoligize for the shortness of this email. This week really has blurred together and I can't remember anything that has happened. But it was a good week, full of the Gospel and Russian.

Today we went to the temple as a zone because of the native elders had not gone through. I love the temple. As we were leaving Sister Sandberg pointed out that she won't get to go for a year and half and said it was hard to imagine. Thankfully, I might have the opportunity to go in Ukraine during visa trips. Every time I think about that I become happy. I really do experience great peace in the temple and I am so glad that we live in a time where temples are really almost all over the earth.

 

I love you all so much. I have been blessed with a great family and great friends. Although nervousness is what I feel when I think that soon I will be in Russia I am very excited and I know that this work is important. It is great to see how many missionaries right now are learning Russian and to see all of the nametags in so many different languages. We are living in a great time right now.

 

Again, I love you all.