Hailey in Russia: WHAT A WEEK.

There is a new convert in our branch and his name is "V". He's 24 and he's SOOOOO sick. He just got baptized like 3 weeks ago, and he said to us "It's so weird that two months ago i was athiest." Isn't that insane? Anyway, so he just got baptized, and he has a little 11 year old sister and a mom. His mom, "O"is an alcoholic, and apparently she was on date for baptism in December, but she just is so addicted to drinking. Well, we found out through the Elders, that after "V" got baptized, "O" stopped drinking cold turkey,because I guess that he has just had such an impact on his mom. It's so great. Anyway, we had a meeting with "O"and "VK" tuesday night. We had the best lesson! So me and sister mckell last cycle came up with the most brilliant plan. To teach the steps of prayer as you make a pizza and every step of prayer is a different ingredient. Example, the dough is "start your prayer and adress your heavenly father." the tomato sauce is "Thank him for your blessings" then the cheese is the next step, and then all the personal toppings is all the questions you can ask God, all the things you can ask in your own words, and then the last step is putting the pizza in the oven and closing the over door, just like closing prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Well, we were SO stoked to use this with "O"and "VK" but to our horrendous surprise when we got to their apartment..........

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........... THEY HAD NO GAS! hahahahaa oh my gosh it was such a nightmare! They live in a waaay new nice apartment and it's so new that nobody in the apartment has gas yet (good thing I have enough gas to provide for the whole complex, amiright?) Not that kind of gas, but propane. hahaha anyway, it was just so funny and we just took the situation and made it work. We all sat together on the floor and had our lesson. We showed each step of prayer, and just showed the dough, the sauce, the pizza, and explained all of the steps without cooking it. It was so sweet because it was sooo spiritual. So spiritual. We just all bore our testimonies about prayer and just explained that it is literally a conversation with God. We asked "O"and "VK" if they even believed in God. "VK" said yes, and "O"said she didn't really know. It was way cool because we asked them if they had ever prayed to God using their own words (Russians are usually proveslovni and they only read prayers, and never say their own prayers from their hearts.) in their life, and they said no. We then just promised them that they WOULD feel God listening, and that they would come to know that he is their Father and that he loves them. We then invited little 11 year old "VK" to pray, for the VERY first time. She said she was shy, and we said "Don't be! We'll just close our eyes and you won't even know we're here." So then, she started praying. It was the most pure, innocent, beautiful prayer i have EVER heard in my life. It was interesting because during the middle of her prayer, she paused, so I opened my eyes to see if she needed help remembering how to close the prayer, and as I opened my eyes, I looked at her, and she just started bawling. Tears just running down her face and I felt the Spirit SO strong, as we all felt along with her, and then she closed her prayer. I was almost in tears beacuse it was her very first prayer and I got to experience it and the Spirit.... oh man. I think that was one of the top three times I've felt the spirit so strong in my life. After her prayer I asked her "Do you feel that?! Did you feel God listen to you?" and she said "yeah, I feel so good.!" we explained that it was the Spirit and that God know her and loves her. She knew it, and it was such a beautiful moment.

We also made her a little prayer calendar to put sticker on each day that she prays and if she prays every day, then we'll get her a prize at the end of the month. Well guess what? GUESS WHAT?!?!?!! "V" came to church yesterday and guess what? "VK" came with him!!!! It was so cool! And then she told us that she has been praying every day. It was so touching, and one of the members named "VY" who is just the best, she teaches primary, and she told us ""VK" just GETS the gospel. She is so in tune with the spirit and she answered all the questions I asked with the most spiritual answers." It was sooooo great and we are soooo excited to invite her to be baptized! And "V" her brother can baptize her! AHHH so great I just want to pee my pants thinking about it. Next on the wagon is “O”, but she will be ready, I have no doubts.

This week was a little bit crazy too because I was really sick most of the week with a fever and an ear infection, but that's just life. I think it's because the weather just keeps changing from coldish to extremelly warm. But yeah, I was really sick and we had district meeting and I asked the Elders to give me a blessing. I was feeling way better but I was just feeling really down and trunky and I wanted a blessing. Well, they said they would but they didn't because district meeting went over and they had to leave for a meeting which was fine, so I just asked the member that lives at the branch, his name is “B” and I asked him to give me a blessing. He did, and it was so cool. Such a cool experience because it was a testimony to me that the priesthood is the same in english, russian, hmong, spanish, chinese, and all the languages in the world. It's all the same, and it was way cool because Heavenly Father opened up my spiritual ears and I was able to understand everything he told me. It was so cool, I loved it. It was a funny blessing because he was like "Sister Twede, you're sick. You have a fever and Heavenly Father is telling me that you need to go home. You can't be on the streets tonight, you need to go home, drink tea, and sleep." hahaha it was sweet, but I didn't feel sick enough to go home so we hit the streets. I really felt bad because “B” called when we were on the streets and got mad at me "You mean to say that you didn't listen to the blessing that God gave you? I didn't tell you to go home, the Lord did." I felt really bad, and the next morning I woke up so exhausted but I repented and Heavenly Father forgave me but now I know to always always listen to the council i receive in blessings.

Friday was really a rough day though. I felt really exhausted with this work and I'm still trying to love this new area and just adjust to the pace here. There are a lot of times when I just want to quit the mission in general. It is just so easy to just get on a plane out of Russia and head home. However, when I get those thoughts I just think about what would have happened if Christ just gave up as he was atoning for all of us. I imagine what that would be like, if Christ, being perfect, having all power, just gave up and never completed all the Heavenly Father sent him to do. Of COURSE he didn't quit, he's our Savior! And because he didn't quit, I won't either. The times we feel sick, the times we are so exhausted beyond belief, the times we have no desire to do this work, the times we miss our family and friends and all the comforts of life, or whtever challenge it is that we are facing in life, we should think of Him. I think of the fact that he never quit and that thought alone keeps me here! I know that Christ is perfect and he has perfect love and perfect motivation to help our imperfect motivations. Any obstacle we face in life, any questions we ever have in life, have one answer:The atonement of Jesus Christ! I am so grateful for Christ and His atonement. He has helped me so much in life, on the mission, and I know he will continue to help me. I am grateful because I feel I am starting to understand Christ and His sacrifice to us all more and more every day! He's just the best! He will help you all too. I know it because he has helped me. We just have to allow him to help us sometimes. The choice really is ours.

I love you all, you're all the best. I miss you all and pray for you always. Thanks for your prayers on my behalf and on behalf of these dear silly friends and siblings we have in Russia! They feel your love and prayers.

LOVE YOU

Love Sissy Hayster