Tues- our great miracle Lydia remember? ya she gave back all we
gave her. And she dropped us. I was really really sad. I was already
feeling like a failure that day and i was doing all i could to not just
start crying on her couch right then and there. she is scared of change i
think. But it was interesting, she is usually just is embarrassed
about me hugging her but this time she just clung to me and said she was
sorry. I think we will visit her in a few weeks to let her know we
still love her. she was sad to not see us anymore but at the same time
not.,..i don't know...it was weird.
that day we were sitting in a park area and calling
people and a little girl came up and asked me to fix her broken zipper
so i did of course and i don't know why but it lifted my spirits so
much. she just chatted with me and shyly spoke to me in English a
little. it just was a like a little gift from Heavenly Father showing
me that it is all worth it. that are little sweet spirits who need my
help. she was so sweet.
we also went to the branch presidents to teach his
mother in law who is a definite Russian Babooshka! haha she is so great!
but very stuck in her ways. BUT the whole little family of 3 kids are
members and so so strong! The little boy that is like 13 and he just is
and arguer and he knows WAY to much for his own good but its incredible
how strong his testimony is! When his grandma was asking defensive
questions he just was bouncing in his seat haha and raising his hand and
he would say to me "sister can i say something PLEASE" and i would say
"only if you say it really really sweetly" haha so he would begin
nicely but then they would just argue. and it sounds really really bad
but that's just how they are here. I feel like its arguing but they just
think its "discussing" haha I just had to stop and think about what
would happen if i talked to my grandma that way! haha but its how they
show their love i guess. but anyways, her questions stemmed from
actually who God is and why if He is our loving Heavenly Father He would
let bad things happen and evil in the world. its hard alot because
alot of people not only have their religion to argue with us but also if
in fact God is God. Its like they have two sides to chuck at us and
want us to fix. But in all reality it was one of the best meetings on my
whole mission. I just felt that i needed to testify testify and testify
some more! and so i did and the spirit was so strong. She said to me
(pointing) "i want to know what you know, and as strongly as you know
it". SO i testified some more and told her that that was what was so
great about our message, was that she could know for herself! Her name
is Galina.
So the day was sad at the beginning and ended in a miracle.
wed-
headed off to Novosibirsk on our bus, but it was good. I brought my
new guilty pleasure - Jesus the Christ by James E Talmage and we had
some great doctrine discussions all the way haha. had a fun sleep over
at the sisters as always
Thurs- and me and sister Sanford woke up at 5.30 to
start getting ready to go to Finland. It was so fun of course. Went
over to the palace (the big office elders apartment) to meet the 18
elders going with us! haha just a blast and so crazy! We obviously get
alot of attention and its so fun to be together we get so excited! but
surprisingly we are able to keep our dignity and good standing. we just
look like a really well dressed group of really happy well behaved
Americans :) The first airplane ride was great. I mean we are all used
to studying in the morning so everyone was all sitting close together
all studying the scriptures and preach my gospel. It was an incredible
airplane ride :) one of the most spiritual ever i would have to say and
we were all able to discuss and ponder and share ideas and thoughts
about the gospel and being good instruments in the hand of the Lord.
The elders are all so great. But they all decided to ask me for my
"wisdom" because its my last time haha so i tried to give them all that i
had learned and hand on all my experiences and then i asked all of them
who had had companions who had gone home what i can do in my last
transfer to make it the best.
then we got to Moscow and went to Red Square! yep!
that's right! We got to go! it was sweet! haha but basically we ran
over there took pictures and ran back haha but it was worth it! we
then got on an airplane where we were all spread out. haha possibly the
most talkative airplane ride in all of history. you could hear
missionaries talking and making friends left and right in Russian and
English haha i think we made friends with half the plane. the
stewardesses were just thinking it was funny :) i started talking to my
neighbor after the food came and i prayed over my food. She just
looked at me funny and asked if i had just blessed my food. :) i said
yes and we began our conversation. it was great.
Got to Finland, went to the American store and
bought oreos and recess peanut butter cups and the lady gave us a whole
bunch of chips and marshmallows! we had a good time walking in the
warm spring air to the temple housing and when we got there made rice
crispy treats! haha the Russians thought it was the most interesting
thing we could make in the whole world but they LOVED IT! temple
housing is the best place in the whole world besides the temple.
everyone loves each other and all the senior couples just become our
grandparents!
Fri- woke up and ate breakfast with the elders. Apple cinnamon
granola with apple cinnamon yogurt-----oh man it was heaven and me and Sister Sanford took a morning stroll and headed to the temple. It was
great. I had a great spiritual experience and felt lifted up and
prepared for the last stretch.
went back and headed to eat. Had Chinese food!! it
was amazing! not as amazing as The Mandarin, so jealous by the way that
you get to have dan dan noodles....oh man! and then headed back to the
airport....haha our last flight i offered the man some Finnish candy
haha thats how we got our conversation started. He was nice. Maybe will
go to church in Novo he said.
sat- got to novo and stayed for conference and headed back that night to Tomsk
sun- watched conference with members in Tomsk
Conference
was amazing and so was all my studies this weekend! had a lot of
studying that i did. I studied Galina's question about bad and evil life
in the scriptures and Jesus the Christ and in Conference and got some
great answers i hope! I love conference, i love the scriptures and i
love finding answers for other people because i also find them for
myself too! for more insight see Moroni 7:12-34 and 2 nephi 2.
I can't choose a favorite talk.....but they were all
great. My favorite quote was probably from President Holland when he
said not to hyperventilate about something that happened at 9 am and it
is now 6 am. I think he was talking to me. I had a lot of insights i
wanted to share but i rambled too much :) but i also found my
commandments for the next week. its great.
studied GRACE this week. The article in the ensign
from Bednar. It has changed my life and my prayers and the way i think
about the atonement. Read it. Grace = enabling power. Pray to be
strengthened and given capacity. Not just that your situation can be
changed.
i love you all so much!
Sister Trottier
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