January 9th, 2012

Hey family!  Lots of stories! But whenever I get on here I just feel the need to ramble haha so you get what you get I guess. :)

 

The new liahona or ensign thing is brilliant! I love it!  Every article was great!  One of my favorites was George Albert Smiths talk and I am so excited that we are studying his history in relief society. But my favorite quote from that is "Religion must find expression in deeds, it must carry over into the details of daily life".  We need to live our religion. I love the ABC of the gospel from President Monson as well. Attitude, Believe in yourself and Courage.  How simple and how profound.  Just follow those small details.

 

I also like how Elder Cook has been focusing on Looking up.  It reminds me of Jessa and her family, they have a thing where they point up. And it’s to remember who really matters.  It doesn't matter what other people think, just how we are doing according to our Heavenly Father.  We need to turn to Him for validation.

 

I got the package from Amy M.! aka from the ward! It was the best package! And it’s great because Christmas just keeps coming every week!  A little at a time! But I loved the package, all the cutsie artsy things and poems and nativity and pictures were so great! They made me so happy!  Crazy to think that you guys still do all the stuff that you did when I was home...young mens...young womens....parties etc etc and our neighbors still have crazy lights on their house! Haha it’s so fun!  So please make sure to pass on to Amy and Jim and the bishopric and the ward and everyone else a BIG HUG and LOTS OF LOVE from me!

 

So...

 

MONDAY

For pday we just hung out at the Webb’s and then afterward our plans for FHE didn't happen so we picked two people and decided to drop by.   Remember the little 10 year old girl that is incredibly spiritually gifted named Anya that wants to be baptized but her family won’t come to church? Well we stopped by and they let us in!  We just brought them a present and chatted with them a little bit and they are just such a cute family!  And Anya whispered to us that she had read the whole book of Mormon since we had come last!!!  How incredible right!? We were shocked and amazed!  And they agreed to meet with us and the Webb’s on Thursday!

 

We then decided to just drop by a member who hadn't been on Sunday who always comes and just give her and her family (inactives and non members) a present. And it was the Spirit telling us to go there. Her sister had died the day before and we were able to talk and listen and give her some spiritual food for her soul.  I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows what we need and how He can send help and how we can be His help for other people.

 

A funny and cultural experience tied to that is that we ate Holidets!  I don't know how to spell it!  But it is the Jell-O fat meat stuff that they eat!! We thought that we were going to dodge that one but we didn't!!  Haha it was weird tasting. It wasn't awful awful but the texture was. But just have a lot of bread and it’s not bad, but it’s the feeling after that was pretty bad! Oh man....

 

 

TUESDAY

Had some good meetings today. the problem is that most people don't want to meet because its holiday so we just stop by people’s houses...so we don't know exactly with whom we will meet but we have actually had some good miracles of getting into people houses that we don't normally, so that was good!   We went to a birthday party for our inactive friend Marina whom I love so so much but she frustrates me and makes my heart hurt cause she won’t do what she knows she is supposed to do.  But it was a great party! Not like anything you would see anywhere else. Now this is where you ask it is missionary work to go to a party right?  Well I will tell you why it is- because it was at sister and elder hoffakers and we started out with a hymn and a song and she invited a bunch of inactive members and even one of our investigators’ and then we also had a lesson by the missionaries and read some scriptures and then ate food. Haha crazy huh! I thought so too!  But it was a good time for the young people to make friends and to feel the spirit in a good uplifting fun setting.

 

Wednesday

 Had lots of  good drop by meetings. One inactive member named Tamara is really wary about us but she let us in and she was shocked and pleased we brought her a present! Haha she loved it! And then she even asked us to read from the Book of Mormon with her.  Had a meeting with our investigator Irina!  She knows the Book of Mormon is TRUE!! But it still to her doesn't mean to should come to church or join.......! But we are working on it. She would be a perfect member. She is strong and smart and would help our branch so much!

 

Thursday

We had the meeting with the Anikinies,or Anya. And it was so good! We talked about studying the Book of Mormon and how to study and to apply it. Little Anya is the most spiritual little girl I have ever seen.  She is just answering questions right and left and adding insights!  They are an incredible little family. 

 

Friday. 

 Lots of crazy meetings!   And then the branch had a Christmas/New Year’s party! It was so fun!  Russians are so great! And great actors!  It is a big huge time tradition to do skits and plays always. It’s fun to get to see all their traditions and to participate in them.

 

Sat

 Was Russian Christmas so another lock down day? We were at the Webb’s all day and just chilled and played games and talked and ate food and I worked on my scrap book which is ridiculously large at the moment. I don't know how I am going to get it home....

 

Sun.

Great Testimony meeting!  Great Spirit, Great sacrament. Great restart for the next week. Had a meeting with Lydia our new member and also went to the fireside and met with Natalia. She is just so close and yet so so far. 

 

 Well that was my week in a nut shell :) it was a good week. I got a bunch of emails this week! Haven’t read them yet...sorry!  But I will later today :)

 

Love,

Sister Trottier