Previet Semya!

Haha! Hello from Siberia! 

The Subject line kinda sounds like how i would write it in Russian...Kinda :)  Thank you for all of the emails!  It was good to hear from you and to know that i am in your prayers. I am glad that you got the email from President. Sorry the phone card didn't work out and sorry my first email was sort and sad kinda....  We flew all day and im not gonna lie, all of the emotions from the mtc had been building up, i hadn't cried yet, so i think it all came out during the stress of travel etc.  In moscow i thought we would have a tone of time but instead we just ran around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get to the embassy and apply for our second passports!  On the way there elder Vorononkov and i read mosiah 5-  it gave me strenght and courage because i realized that is what i was dong, was taking Christs name and that is waht he expects of me!

The travel was crazy, but once we got to Novosibirsk, the smiling faces of the APs and President Trejo was wonderful!  They took us to the mission home gave us food and we showered and slept!   That night i read Psalms 34:4 -  Christ really WILL take away our fears!

On wednesday we had orentation which i don't remember much of, but i took good notes so that is ok :)  The thing that stuck out to me the most is PResident Trejos "famous quote"  "Begin with the end in mind!"  i think that is an awesome thing for us to remember with everything we do, remember what we want to have happen. OUr mission goals this year are 130 baptisms-in my mission we strive to have a balance in our work between members, inactive members and new converts.  her 7 out of 10 members are inactive!!!  very bad!  President Trejo and his wife are incredible people and i am so happy to be able to work with them. they said they want to be like our pretend parents and they really work hard to be that way.  They took us to KFC  and gave us pamphlets and told us to contact! my first contact i asked the lady "do you speak english" (inrussian i said this of course) and then she started talking and i looked to the AP who then finished. She was impressed that it was my first day in Russian and said i sounded good.  But don't get too proud bec ause after that no one understood me! haha

It took a while but i finally convinced them to tell me where and with who i was serving! they think its funny to make you guess your something.  I am serving in Omsk and my mom (trainer) is Sister Sologub.  She is from Ukraine and she is so so sweet and great!  She was my friend's (from MTC)  Sis. HOlmes mom too.  She is practicing her english while i learn Russian. we communicate really well most of the time! haha.

Thursday- we went to the Mission office and i saw Adam Whitchurch (Friend from High school)! i was so so happy to see him! it was nice to see a familiar face, and sister HOlmes!  I went contacting with the sisters and was rejected every time!  I think that is normal....After that i got onto a night train on the transiberian railroad! crazy huh?  I traveled with Sister Svab who is from Germany- she is awesome and has been here 4 transfers.    The whole train i sang to myself songs from the White Christmas :) the funnest thing is that i could hear the person in the next room snoring because  the only thing between was a thin wall haah!  don't worry Chels, this night train was not scary and was very clean :)

Fri-  i got to Omsk and my mom was waiting wtih all smiles to greet me!  We had district meeting and i was called "the Greenie" the whole day. We meet at the Senior COuples apartment which is really nice and they are the Maughns.  They are very nice and hard workers.  My whole district is great and funny. I would tell more details but i don't have time.....My first lesson i taught was to Andre.  We invited HIm to be baptized but hye said he was not ready. But He still came to church on sundday. He knows the church is true, he reads and prays every day. we just odn't know what the problem is.

Sat-  we had zone conference this weekend which was nice cause i got to see Pres and wife and APs again.  It was great to have that much time focused on the "effective teachng skills"  President Trejo is incredible and has a great spirit about him.  After This we hada meeting with Luba. She is a memeber and we taught about missionary work.  All of the Babooski (grandmas)  worry and freak out beceause i haven't been able to buy a coat (until today) and they say i am going to die.  She made us delicious Russian food!  Well most was good....the beet salad was kinda gross but we also had good bread that fruit kinda stuff was cooked into it.  

The crazies thing so far is this thing called a marshootka! haha it is like a mini van but inside there are bunch of bus seats and the drivers drive like mad men and a ton of pep\ople just crowd into it and pass money up to the driver who while driving counts out chrange! haha! and the street lights go from red to yellow to green so itsl ike a race and everyone revves their engines- here cars have the right of way because a person can get out of the way better than a car or something haha

Sunday- The branch is awesme! here in Omsk we have 3 branches (10 missionareis (i think) and a senior couple)  and sister sologub and i are over brance two by ourselves. But today PRes Trejo came and talked about missionary work. Because we know that members are the best way to get investigators.   It is "tradition" for the new missionaries to give a testimony so i did which was embarrassing but all of the people are so loving every one gave me a hug( that was female of course) and everyone wanted to talk to me and say hello!   The church is so so new here, the branch president is a 20 something year old who just got off of his mission!  But they are still strong and love the lord and each other. 

Mon- more zone conference which is great to be all together and do practices.  My favorite of this was president said that "Eternity hangs in the balance"  "eternity hangs in the balance everytime you walk out of your apartment.  That is a HUGE responsobitly tha tis mine. Kinda intimidating..... We went out contacting especially for families and sis Cologoob says it was a miravle because we found two families that were interested!   

Tues- we had english club and i am incharge of one of the groups which is fun. I was talking to a lady and she said "i just wish someon ewould give me a BOM"  haha well of course i gave one to her, testified and told her where i wanted her to read and told her i would check beack with hereon Friday! sweet huh?!

wed- we went to IKEA!  haha it is not just ikea but a HUGE mall and a big supermarket bigger than costco!  you wold all HATE grocery shopping here. it crowded to the max and super stressful ahah! but the mall was just like a normal mall.

I am good and happy. I have had many experiences!  Crazy enough i can understand some but not really haha!  i can understand the gist of things when it is about the gospel :)  I am happy and excited to be here! I am scared all of the time but I pray that that will go way!  I have never been so cold in my life! haha but they say it is warm now!  sorry that this is crazy email but I am happy!  and the church is true!  and I love you all! 

Sister Trottier

Letter from Mission Secretary

February 17, 2011

Dear  Parents:

We just want to let you know that your daughter has arrived in the Russia Novosibirsk Mission safely.  She has arrived in great shape despite the  approximately 36 hours in transit. 

The process includes leaving the MTC around 5:30 AM on Monday morning, leaving the Salt Lake City Airport, flying through New York to Moscow, spending 12 hours in Moscow applying for a second passport then boarding a Russian airline at 10:30 PM for a flight arriving in Novosibirsk at 5:30 AM Wednesday.  Keep in mind that we are 13 hours ahead in the city of Novosibirsk.

She has been met by President and Sister Trejo, fed breakfast, and been put to bed for a few hours, oriented, slept the night, more orientation, more food and will be on an all night train ride to her city tonight.  She will be traveling with another sister in a sleeping car so will be well taken care of. 

The Novosibirsk Mission is larger, in area, than the United States.  We have missionaries in nine cities and transfers involve  long  bus and train rides.  Because of the difficult conditions and incredibly long distance from their mission president these faithful missionaries serve in, this is known as a Green Beret mission and requires “outrageously obedient” missionaries.  We are so grateful that your valiant daughter has been sent here to join this work.  In your letters to her will you remind her of the honor it is to serve in such a mission.

Here is how the mail gets to your missionary.  All mail comes to the office and although this address is slightly different from what may have come in their missionary packet, this is the address suggested by Olga, one of our Russian office staff.  Russian addresses go from the largest entity to the smallest.

Russia 630102

Novosibirsk

46 Kirova Street

Russia Novosibirsk Mission

The name of your missionary

The mail collects here until either zone conference, once every 6 weeks, or until someone is heading that way for transfers or other meetings.  If something is very urgent, you are better off using email that they get to check on their Wednesday P-days, usually in the morning.  They only get an hour on the internet to receive and to send and they are allowed to only write one letter for family and one to the mission president.  It is suggested that others send via pouch mail to Salt Lake(single sheet tri-fold) or send to the office address.  Please be sure that you write weekly emails to your missionary and then as an added bonus, packages and letters.  Be aware that packages can take 2-2 ½ months to arrive at the office and then it can take 6 weeks to get it to the missionary depending on where they are serving.  Be sure to plan ahead for Christmas so think of sending in  September or October.

The first missionaries to serve in Russia arrived on 26 January 1990.  The first official recognition of the Church in Russia was granted to the branch in Leningrad on 13 September 1990 with republic-wide recognition being granted on 28 May 1991.  The Russia Novosibirsk Mission was formed July 1994 so it is almost 16 years old.  It is a fairly young mission and it is exciting to work with members that are very strong in spirit and small in numbers.

Thank you for your daughter.  We will take good care of her.

Attached is the picture of her and President and Sister Trejo and the picture we took in the office that goes on the “Wall of Fame,” the pictures of all the missionaries since the mission began.

Sister McCauley
Russia Novosibirsk Mission Secretary

Who woulda thunk?

Hello family!

 

Doing well today. Not gonna lie, not alot different has happened to me lately.  But i willl try to say something that you will enjoy reading :)  I have heard from quite a few sources the last couple of weeks that my writing skills are "interesting"  or "scatterbrained"  or "all over the place" haha!  Im really sorry that my brain works that way. I could try to change that but i don't really know how to.....so ya! get used to it i guess

 

Even though not alot has happened to me, alot has happened to Sister West, my companion.  She has to get surgery on thursday because she tore her miniscus (sp?)  We are not really sure of all the details but the surgery is on thursday and she might stay with her sister for a little while so i will be a lone ranger.  She is awesome and has a great attitude even though she most likely will have to stay here longer.  The selfish side of me is really sad because I will have to travel with out her and not be with her my whole mission for visa trips and everything haha!  But please pray for her!  I know everything will work out (haha mom :) )

 

We had an exciting moment at the MTC when the fire alarm went off at our residence halls!   most excitment since i don't know when!  we were all in our Pjs all piled into the gym. i of course grabbed my scrapbook, journal and scriptures :) haha i know im such a dork! and such a sister Missionary.  Anyways the alarm made us late for bed...opps and iitt  got all of us awake and hyper. The buildidng did not burn down, it  wwaas just some sisters who burned some popcorn! haha i bet they were embarrassed!  haah!

 

A cool thing we did in class was we watched the testaments in Russian.  To be honest i did noott  understand a whole lot of it haha but the cool part was that i did understand some of it!    So its a long story but thegist of it is that I at first got really frustrated, and then I felt so much comfort and  lloovve.  As he was healing the people, he took one womans face in His hands aannd he healed her sight (I think)  and i thought to myself that he can do that to me, not that i am literally blind, but sometimes i am spiritually blind.  We can all get a individual testimony of christ and figurtively feel the prints in His hands as the Nephites did. We just need to get to know Him, read of Hiimm study His life and BECOME more like HIm everyday.   That is my theme if you haven't noticed,  BECOMING like my Savior.  Not just simply knowing of Him, not just saying and doing the right things, but literally, physically, emotingally, aannd spiritually BEING as He is.  And we can do that through the atonement.  One of thhee  branch Presidency members always says "you are so lucky, you get to stop the world for 2 years (18 months)"  and its true.  I get to stop the world, put distractions behind me and change myselfp AND help others change and find hhaappiness in Christ also.  But in order to do that i must be with Him.  My purpose is to invite others to Christ but someone said "You cannot invite someone ssomewhere that you are not". 

 

:) now i am just rambling (as always) and im really sorry about all the typos all the exxtra letters are from the computer saving it every five second so sorry about that

 

I have become a sister missionary. An outifit is not complete with out a sweater and I wear my hair upt everyday....opps. haha oh well..!  And did you know that yourr  skirts can be too long?  i had no idea to be honest!   The mission presidents wiiffee  told one of our sisters that her skirt had to be above mid calf....i thinki have a few that aare too long....but i don't know if that is a mtc rule or a whole world rule.  We are going to try to ffiinnd out soon.

 

My teacher told me that the coldest it ever got while he was there was -60 F !!!! haha that is so cold!    

 

we watched the joseph smith movie on sunday and i just loved it!    I felt the spirit so strongly and realizeedd that i am here because of what Joseph smith did. As you wttch the movie you realize he was just a man who lived and loved and played and laughed just like all of us.  But you also realize that he is a Prophet of God!  It is so powerful!  we all need to have the faith, charity, courage and desire to know God that he did.  The quote that applied to me from it the most i think is  ""The Lord cals us in our weakness and then qualifies us for the work"!   How ggreat is that! i know that alone i could never succeed at teaching well or learning Russian but with God i will because he will make me able.

 

We had a meeting about Speak your language because we have to for the next 2 weeks. I know that it is importanntt.  I am not just speaking Russian because i have to, I am speaking Russian beceause Goodd has called me to speak Russian and to bring others to Christ through the Russian language!! I know he will helpe me

 

I love you all! This church is true!  I am running outoff time!

 

Love Sister Trottier