Hailey in Russia: In my 5th week

Can you believe how that sounds? I am officially HALFWAY DONE AT THE MTC! I will be living in the USSR in 34 days. WHAT?! I get so giddy and hyper when I think about this. i am scared sick, don't be fooled. I hope that I get more comfortable with this language before I leave in 4.5 weeks. I know Heavenly Father will help me though so it'll be okay.

ATTENTION CLAUD-BAUD. This is just for you. and this isn't a sick joke this is REAL LIFE! this is the first year EVER that they are allowing.... THE MISSIONARIES TO CALL HOME FOR MOTHERS DAY!!!!!!! AHHHH so prepare for that! I will be calling home on sunday at 3pm. SO. Make sure your phone is charged, dad. I will probably just call your phone. SO ANSWER OKAY?! I am pretty sure it is a phonecall, but just in case it does end up being skype, could you send a dear elder like... tonight with dad's skype info? yknow, just in case. I AM SO EXCITED TO TALK TO MY MUMMY!!!

If hayd were a baby, he would be born next month. HAPPY EIGHT MONTHS IN THE FIELD YOU BABY BAAABE! Ahh man I seriously can't believe how fast time has flown by/how slow it has flown by too. I got into the thought "oh my gosh. hayd will be out for a year in 5 MONTHS. and then, after that, just 12 more months." WHAAATTTT!!!!!?!?!?!? time is a craaazy thing brothers and shishterz. I love my hayden. I can't wait to be reunited with him AND with all you precious prizes.

THANKS FOR ALL THE PACKAGES AND LETTERS AND LOVE SENT THIS WEEK!!! OH BOY!!!!!!!

Zel! Thanks for your letter. I miss you so much. I write in that journal you gave me on the daily. Only the happy things, of course! Thanks for being such a loyal sweet friend. I love you! Joyce walker. thanks for you letter too! I really needed to hear that. Wendy, thanks for your letter. I read that the DAY i was realling struggling with the language. Thanks for all raising me up. I love you all!

Mama Ruby+santa Jon: AHHHHH!!!! XOXOXOXO times infinity. Thanks SO much for the flowers and for the chocolate covered strawberries! I devoured those so fast. That was such a treat, thanks for being SO thoughtful! You really are the cutes i just can't wait to squeeze you. I love you!!!!!! and tell hayley be safe and good luck. I pray for her.

Mum& Dad thanks for the letters! They truly do lift me up. i get so much happiness from one piece of paper with your words on it, you don't even know. Whit, thanks for the letter. I love claires kissy marks. She looks so big in those photos I just miss her! ps keep sending me snail mail. It is such a magical thing. And dear elders. spasibo. Grandpa, you don't look big. Just the same cute grandfather i just miss so much! Your birthday is comnig up soon! I will send you a card. Whit write me more. Cami WRITE ME OKAY?! and mike and spenc don't give up hope on me. I haven't heard from either other lately! love you guys.

mom I have been eating my hot cheetos every night before bed. Go ahead and judge. I love them so much and theres nothing that helps you sleep more than cheetos in your belly. hahaha. i have been sleeping WAY well because I hung blankets up around my bed frame so it is really cozy and dark and delicious and I fall asleep so fast and stay asleep. yum. Can't wait to climb into bed tonight.

Ya'll may think I'm a dork but... I make cectpa mackey take photos of my open my packages. haha i know, i know. But I want you all to see how much you all mean to me and how thoughtful you all are and how much joy is on my face because you are all so precious. GOODNESS i am just FULL of love today! this week has been SO fab. SOOOOO fab. We talked with Pres. Heaps on sunday. I love that man. He is so in tune with the spirit. He is so much like bishop egbert! His wife is a dream too.

We all stayed up until 1130 just talking about life last night. Go ahead and call me a "disobedient" missionary but I will tell you I don't even feel bad because at this point I think that bonding is way more important than bed time. And it has been much needed. And things are picking up and it's getting better. Sister G still gets red hot sometimes, but I have learned to just go away and not even look at her or talk to her. HAha the other day she was mad because me and sister mackey were takling in japanese (not real because we really can't speak it obviously) and it was seriously the funniest thing I was laughing so hard, yknow my scary laugh? Anyway, she was SOOOo mad at us beacuse we were "being immature" haha uhghgh. at this point it is just funny the way she acts, but i love it anyway. I am learning to love her. Today is her birthdya and we bougth her mountain dew at the bookstore because it's her fav, and got her peanut m&m's and a bunch of other treats, and her smile was so big. It really is true that quote "when you are in the service of your fellowbeings, you are only in the service of your God." Amen I tell you what. I am grateful to see things steadily improving.

guess WHAT.

I HAVE SEEN FIVE APOSTLES MY WHOLE STAY AT THE MTC!! unreal. Last night, Jeffery R Holland came and spoke to us last night. That man, is a character. His message was super uplifting and just struck your spirit like a bus. He spoke about what his mission meant to him, and he spoke about it with tears in his eyes. He told us that if we could make our missions mean as much to us and his meant to him, that we would be the happiest people in this life. Something he said that I loved was "You may be wondering if this is all worth it. To deal with the homesickness, with the heartache of rejection, with the pain of walking for 15 hours a day. YES, IT IS WORTH IT. This is the best decision you have EVER made in your life. I can promise you now that it's about to get harder than you ever imagined. But guess what? It was NEVER easy for the savior. Salvation wasn't a whimsical experience. It was painful. And you get to go out and feel the smallest fraction of that pain that the savior atoned for. Do NOT complain. Do NOT whine because you do NOT know what he went through for us. Turn to him. Be a desciple of Christ. Walk with him. Speak how he speaks, do what he does, act like he acts." It was amazing. And he just reitorized the importance of the holy ghost in conversion. He put it as "we often forget that when we have the holy ghost with us, we are LITERALLY walking with a member of the god head." what a blessing huh? I love elder HOlland because he said "missions aren't about baptisms. Baptism is only a gateway to salvation. missions are about bringing others closer to christ. This is his church. Stop focusing your efforts on baptism, even though it's important, that's not our message. Focus on bringing others to christ, and the holy ghost will help guide you what to teach to that specific person you teach.

It was amazing! I even shed a couple tears. it was funny too. He said, if you ever fall away from the church after you have lived life as a missionary, after you have witnessed miracle upon miracle, and had the holy ghost with you, and you come home and fall away, I WILL haunt you. I WILL let the air out of your tires. I WILL scratch on your windows in the dark of the night. HAHAHAHAHAH ahhh I loved that. HE, is the perfect example of a missionary. He takes it seriously, yes. However, he also knows what it means to be able to laugh. How important that is. He knows the savior PERSONALLY. He knows how he acts, how he laughs, how he speaks, and I think that Holland resembles our savior in a lot of ways. Anyway, so yes. this isn't supposed to be so literal and serious. You have to love people and have them warm up to you. or else you will have a terrible time and people won't see the light of christ within us and within themselves. I always teach my fake investigators the way that I would want to be taught, which is with love. And with being genuine, and with having a good few jokes here and there! Even though I can't really do that yet because i don't know the language but still. I laugh at my mistakes. Like the other day we taught vera and we tried to get her to pray on her knees with us and she refused and I said, "DAVAIYETE MOLITVA!" Meaning, COME ON LETS PRAY RIGHT NOW! and... she looked at me like i was pathetic and.....said no. So we did it anyway. And I was lol-ing the whole prayer because it was just so funny. Haha i mean... go bold or go home right?

I came to a realization the other day: I love it here. I was watching two of my teachers brat holt and cectpa oneil teach some of the missionaries as if they were missionaries themselves. And even though I could only understand like 58% of the conversation, I thought, "I freaking love this. This is so fun. I can't believe that I get to go and share this with Russians!" What did I do so right to deserve this life I live? ya ne znaioh (I don't know.) that's the spanglish russian.

ALSO guess what else?! There is the Carl Blach's Sacred gifts art exhibit at the BYU art museum. And guess who gets to go? ALL the missionaries! I am SO stoked. I have seen this show before, and you really feel the spirit from the paintings. I love art so much. It's crazy how you can.. FEEEEEL while looking at art. AH i just love it so much. And guess what else? They said that we are allowed to stop at the BYU creamery on the way back to the MTC TOO! WHAT?! I know. It's so awesome. That is today so I will take photos and send some later!!

ps. i had to reapply for my visa last night so.. that's a mega bummer. But everyone else in my zone had to too so i'm not the only one. Hopefully I get into russia sooner than later but I know that it'll all work out.

I love you all so much! it's that time again. gotta jet. I think of you all EVERY day. And I pray for you all more than you know. Thanks for being so supportive. Thanks for buoying me up each time I get a letter/package. Mom, my only request for the package you said you were planning on sending me is that you hand write a letter to put inside of it. I would ask for you to put cora in it but she would die so don't do that. GIVE HER A KISS FOR ME! GIVE POACS AND MIKS A KISS TOO and my clairance too. I miss that baby gurrrrrrl. And I am so happy you are all happy. Keep your heads held high! And never forget that heavenly father is just one prayer away. Speak with him! molitva eta razgavor si bogum. (prayer is a conversation with god) he wants to hear from you! I guess that's my challenge. Anway, i love yo uall. Thanks for making me happy and proud!

LOVE BUZZZZZZLIGHTYEAR TO THE RESSSCUEEEE! (that's for you dadoo!)