First week in the MTC

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE LETTERS! They keep me positive and strong. Please keep them coming I am having a hard time adjusting here. 

mike and spenc thanks for writing me mostly every day. I get so excited to just hear from those that I love. whit tell shauna thanks for the money and letter. It really was upliftting. 

MOM!! I OPENED MY EASTER PACKAGE! It was so awesome. I cried. And I love the lipstick and socks and candies and oh my it was just heaven. Thnak you so much. You are the craftiest and i love you and I love you all my family. I miss you!!!!!

DAD thanks for writing me. Please keep writing me. I really miss hearing all your stories and just basking in your presence.  i love you so much

RUBY&JON thank you for the package! I raelly needed all those treats. my sweet tooth has been going wild here at the MTC. Thanks for sharing your mission stoires with me ruby. It helps a great deal. It keeps me positive! I love you guys.

everyone else thanks for writing me. I miss my clairance so much. She is just so cute. I wanna see her tooth she is a BABE. I cried the other day thinking about her. GAHHH who know one of my best friends could be a baby.

First day at the mtc was crappy. haha it was just so much unfamiliar feelings i didn't know what to do about it. But the days went by and it got better now that I get the routine. I have two companionis. Sister Mackey who is from sacramento! She is way good at russian.. She took classes at college prior to her mission so she knows a ton which saves our bacon when we have to teach our fake invbestigator Boris.

Sister "M" is so positive and is the mediator between me and our other companion sister "G". Sister G.  is from west valley and she really isn't very nice. She is so stubborn and difficult to get along with. She flipped out at me and M the other day because apparently we are "immature" for singing songs while we walk? but she is the one that throws a fit all the time because she speaks fluent french and is having a hard time with russian just like me. 

haha ahhhhhh i'm just trying my hardest to have fun here and to have christlike love and to have long suffering and charity and humility because it is so hard. I have never wanted to quit something so much in my life. i think it would be easier to want to be here If we could all just get along but unfortunately we just don't. Then she told us that we don't take this seriously and that we aren't good missionaries. I wanted to kick her and scream but I just chose to tell her that we love her. That was hard to do but hopefully the blessings will come and that soon we will understand her. She is bipolar and reallllllly doesn't like me and "M". She talks to everyone else but us which is really frustrating but I am trying to be patient. sometimes it is so hard to love gods children haha 

I have been having a rough time having faith that I will be able to learn this language. It is so hard! SERIOUSLY SO HARD!  hahaha sometimes i just laugh because it's so ridiculous. But I just know that there are russian people who need this gospel so I am trying my best to adapt to the mission life and to learn the language so that they can come to know christ too. 

My district is obnoxious haha but funny at times too. There are two tripanionships. Three girls and three elders. I LOVE MY TEACHERS! Brother froleich and sister gish. I have gotten really close to sister gish and she told me that it took her a long time to lean russian but now she is teaching it so i know that it is possible for me too to pick up on the langugae. It is just hrad because it is high stress to learn it since we have to teach a fake investigator twice a week. We are teaching him again tonight so hopefully we can plan a lesson and have the spirit to help us with what to say.

To answer the questions: the food is good. It makes you SO gassy you just feel like a balloon floating around. I am staying warm at night. We are only allowed two blankets but I am just freezing so I have three.... maybe four... oops... gotta do what you gotta do.

Neil L andersen came and spoke at our tuesday night devotional. He told us that we need to learn the doctrine of christ and to teach ONLY that. It is hard to do especially because I don't know much about the doctrine, but I know that with faith and patience I can learn all things. I have never EVER had to rely on the Lord so much. It is something that I am learning to do better. I hope that I am trying hard enoguh here... someimtes I feel I don't and sometimes I feel I do which is why I am so sressed all the time. Anyway, sorry about that rant back to the story. 

I get to share the gospel to russians. I get to share my testimony. It is so cool when you think about it deeply. What a blessing. Pray for me to be faithful and to learn this language. I need all the help i can get.

I love my zone. I had NO idea there were so many people going to russia on their missions. It is awesome. There are about 25 of us. Some giong to ukraine (hopefully) and some to russia. Most of the people are giong to samara, actually. And everyone is just so postitive. I love the other cectpas. They are so loving and kind. My favorite one is sister taylor from SLC. we are very similiar and she reminds me of Erin. Berg, that is. I love and miss that lady lady!

Well I have to go. But thanks for loving me and writing me. It means more than you kmnow. I get to go to the temple today and I can't wait to just "go home"! the temple feels like home. I love it there.

I know christ loves me and he loves each of you. rely on him to help you with all your struggles and you will be blessed. I love you ALL SOOOO MUCH!

love hailey (haha still weird to call me cectpa twede) okay miss you love you bye! I will try to send photos