Oct 24

Hey family!  Its me, Sister Trottier, all the way over here in Russian....weird i know....but its true.  Im on a mission, and im in russia, bein a missionary.  who woulda thunk?  not me, but its already been true for like 10 months now so.....

 

this week has been a slow week. probably, my worst statistically in my whole mission! and thats pretty bad because our mission has pretty low stats anyways so when we have really bad weeks we look REALLY bad haha....but i read in PMG that stats is not what deteremines the success of a missionary....haha so i am holding on to that for my sanity.  its not about the postion you old, the number of things you do, but the people you love, the good that you do, the lives that you change, the diligence you put into the work and the service you give the Lord and the change of your heart.  :)  at least that is what i am telling myself haha and i am beginning to believe it.

 

well it got cold this week!  not super duper cold but cold. its about 3-4 degrees celsius which means it will get about 40 degrees colder this winter haha but its still pretty cold i think.  IT HAS BEGUN! :)  but it will be good......

 

so we have a big english club in the center and a little english club in another city about an hour away and we take turns going there. there is a cute little girl who is about 6 or 7 who started coming with her dad and brother. Her name is maria and she is the cutest little hting and i love her so so much! i taught her the alphabet and then we learned head shoulders knees and toes.  its so cute.

 

this wednessday we are having a girls night for the young girls 12 and up. we are making jewelry and talkinga bout the temple. I hope it goes well. 

 

today we are carving pumpkins for halloween. Tues day is our english halloween party thing. and on thursday i go to finland! woot woot. and soon we find out transfers....i don't know what i want to happen. we will see what happens.

 

we have had some good contacts, some great miracles of people just asking us about the church and some little miracles everyday!  i hope that soon those miracles start turning into people coming closer to christ by keeping commitments and making covenants.

 

at the moment i am feeling that missionary work is very hard.  not that its too hard that i can't do it, or thati i don't want to do it. I can go and contact people, i can teach (to my best ability) i can set up meetings i can call people andi can study and pray hard har hard, but i just feel like i cant bring people to come closer to Christ.  I know people are ready and iknow the Lords work will go forward...but it feels like its not.  I am pushing and pushingon this huge boulder and it feels like its just not moving, maybe i need to get a big stick and make a lever.

 

i found a mom here in Novosibrisk. Her name is Vera  shaxhava.  she takes care of me and scolds me when i dont wear warm enough clothes.  her daughter just went on a mission so i think she feels like she needed to choose a misionary to take care of! :)

 

i hope i am dong some good here, but if not i know that i have done some good work inside of me. so i think that that is good.  :) the russians have a hard life.  they really do.  one lady said, something to the effect of.  "you know the americans always talk about the great depression and make a big deal about it, ya well, we are still in it.  we are always in it" and for some of them it really is true. not all of them but some of them. so be grateful for what you have! its alot! 

 

sorry , that was really a lame email of nothingness, but i love you!  so so much! and i love this work, i love my mission, i love the people, i love the book of mormon, and i love my Savior and Heavenly Father and i love the Holy Ghost. and i love you!

 

Love Sister Trottier