Just another day is Paradise!

Well this week was good and crazy! 

 

Almost every other night I have an awful dream about going home. I go home and I am an awful person, not nice at all and I realize it and I go and hide and I just cry and cry that my mission made me a worse person and not a better one.  weird dreams huh?  I really don't want that to happen.....

 

Found out that one of the Elders here is really good friends with Evan Perry. HIs name is....Elder Walker :) haha I think his name is Dallin...or Dylan....or something. But it’s a small world in the church!  it was funny to think back about all that. I remember me and whit went to their cabin once! 

 

We found some great new investigators this week! it was great! I have had more investigators just show up randomly than ever before!  my companion sister karacheva is just awesome!  she is training me! haha We went to one lady who is inactive and we talked about taking Christ’s name upon ourselves. Her mother in law was there and loved it all! she knows a lot about the church just because her family are members and she said that she would work to baptism! her name is Ludmila and her daughter said she would work to going to the temple.

 

Our investigator Tamara is great but still having a hard time quitting smoking.  We are praying hard for her and making a plan for her to be able to be baptized at the end of the month.

 

On Saturday all the missionaries from Tomsk got on a bus headed to Novosibirsk. it was great fun! we got a few new elders with us so we got to get to know them. Elders are just so great!  the bus was empty in the back so we had a party in the back telling stories showing pictures and playing games....the Russians in the front probably thought we were crazy. speaking half the time in Russian and half in English! and laughing! haha the nerve we have! :) but it was a lot of fun.  Had my first experience with what my companion calls "extreme Russia" haha it was a public toilet...or in other words a hole in the ground.....oh goodness.  and then we got to Novosibirsk!  it’s about a 4 and half hour bus ride.  we had all the missionaries from Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Barnaul, Kemerovo, and Novokuznetsk there! we were just missing Omsk and Krazniarsk.  We practiced for our missionary choir. It was so fun to be all together!  we were all so excited to see each other our practicing wasn't all that focused...poor sister Webb. But it still sounded good.  You know. there is nothing else in the whole world like a room full of missionaries. Nowhere else do you see so many strong young men. The elders are incredible. They love and support each other. They are still crazy and boys but they have a calling from God and it is seen and felt.

 

Went to the sisters to sleep which is always fun to catch up of course! and the next morning back at the branch to practice again. this time we were all able to concentrate and really practice. there are only 7 women voices haha so we get drowned out but that is ok. for our warm up to practice we sang "Called to Serve"  I had goose bumps (just like Joanie Hewitson always used to say :))  and then we had about an hour to mingle and chat.  President took us with him in his new car to where the conference is being held! haha it’s like a running joke through the mission that President is giving me the old van haha! he tells all the elders that I get it and if they want a ride they have to be on their best behavior. every time I see him he tells me something new about the car and how I need to take care of it and secrets of how to run it and stuff.  why? I don't know but it’s funny.  

 

So the conference. It was BIG all the members from all over came in on Buses or trains for the conference and we rented out the "big" conference room at the Marriott which actually was small and we used every chair they had haha. We organized our one very large Siberian District soon to be Stake! haha we don't know how soon but hopefully soon.  we have enough members and priesthood holders they said, we just have to start acting like a stake!  oh goodness! so exciting!  They started by releasing everyone from all callings and calling all new people! it was crazy!  I got to see all the people I love from Novosibirsk! the Omsk people just watched over internet so I didn't get to see them....I’m sad to think that I won't be able to see them before I go....anyways.  The Conference was great. The spirit was so strong.  President said that it was like we were handing the baton over to the members....COOL!  They are ready!  The missionary choir was pretty chill too. I think they liked it.

 

We got to ride back on the bus with the members to Tomsk! it was a lot of fun! we got to know a lot of the member’s way better and in a completely different way. I just stood up talking to people most of the time, or "went to be a guest" with someone in a different part of the bus. it was great fun.  I love the Russian People, I love Russian and I love Russia! haha 

 

Doctrine and Covenants continues to answer my daily questions. haha so funny, I just open it up and it’s my answer, even when I didn't know it was my question :)

 

Studied all about Salvation and saving ordinances today. it was great. I love studying the gospel.  Well I just rambled a whole bunch like usual. :) but I love you all the church is true!  Thanks for all the support.

 

Sister Trottier