"M"

Hey friends! AND GRANDPARENTS I love you so much. I heard you fell papa dale :( I hope that you feel better soon! Grandma Jane you're a dream I love you. Grandma lee you are looking FAB you beautiful lady. LOVE YOU.

I guess you could say I'm trunky for my grandparents. ^.^ Give yourselves a huge hug from this gal.

And even if you're not my grandparents, give yourselves a huge hug from me too. Because I love you.

This week the biggest miracle happened..Okay, so we have had the great opportunity of attacking the area books. The giant giant giant area books since sister McKell's ankle is broken. Anyway, a few nights ago, we called this woman named "M". She was just SO nice. There was a teaching record for her, which showed us that she has never been taught any of the lessons. (biggest pet peeve of my life when missionaries make teaching records for people that they haven't ever met with. OH it just makes me cringe! Haha) All it said, was that she is 36, believing, is a realtor, and that the sisters that met her gave her the book of Mormon, and that she was really grateful to get it. Well, that was three years ago, and we called her, and she INSTANTLY agreed to meeting with us! It really was amazing. We met at the Dunn's home (the senior couple), and started out our lesson with that new video "because he lives" and that just brought the spirit into the lesson. It was really interesting because the first question that she asked us after the film was "So tell me. Why are you here in Russia?" We explained to her that we share an amazing message about Jesus Christ and about how He leads His church through a living prophet. Then she had SO many questions. "Who is the prophet today?" and "How do you know he's the prophet?" and "How does anyone know that Thomas Monson is the prophet?, and how does Thomas Monson even know he's the prophet?" we said we would explain it ALL to her. We taught her the restoration, talked about how Moses even had a difficult time remembering that he really was the prophet. We explained that Christ himself appeared to Moses and called him to be the prophet, and that Moses' friends like Aaron had to always remind Moses that he really was worthy and that he was in fact the prophet. We then testified that God called another prophet, namely Joseph Smith. The spirit was SO strong. We told her that she too can know he was a prophet, and that Thomas Monson is the prophet in our day through sincere prayer. She committed to praying about it, and she also committed to begin reading the book of Mormon, and then to ask God if our church is the only true church, and if she needs to be baptized into His church. She really really did feel the Spirit, and she had that light in her eyes as she promised to do so. It was incredible! Moments like these kind always make the crappy days sooooo worth it. After the lesson she said to us, "AHHH I just want to always be with you girls." We said you can be! Come to church! I wanted to say "we'll adopt you and we can be eternal sisters, but I restrained. Haha jk I didn't want to say that GOTCHA. It really was so incredible, and she was just asking us when WE could meet next! It's just the best. Really, it was such an incredible miracle, and she is definitely prepared. EEEE EEEEE exciting things are happening here in samara.

I was also able to go on splits with a member from Novokay named “MA”. She is that little angel that braided my hair in those photos from last week. It was such a great time. We went and saw a potential at her work, and she actually began reading the book of Mormon! It was awesome and she said that she is really interested. (the potential) Miracles everywhere! Left and right. I just can't get over it. We also met with one of our taxi drivers too. It was a great lesson, but he just kept falling asleep. We understood though, because he worked alllll night the night before We will just have to meet with him again when he isn't so tired.

We also had a sweet meeting with “TA” and AHHH she is just a dime. We watched the restoration movie and she loved it. She just didn't understand why she needs to be baptized into this church since she was already baptized. She said "I feel like I have enough." What do you tell people when that happens to you? All we could tell her is that she rea`lly doesn't have enough, and that we will never ever have "Enough" because there is always more and more knowledge of Christ we get to learn about for the rest of our lives. Then she said "I just don't get it. What will be different WHEN I get baptized into your church?" SOOOO COOL! She said WHEN and then, in the taxi ride home after the lesson, she said it to me again "When I am baptized what will be different?" I told her that she will find out as she continues reading the book of Mormon, and keep meeting with us. Then she said "When can we meet again?" SHe is just getting it! I am just so stoked for her. She really is a gem. PROGRESS!!! The Lord is really softening peoples hearts BIG time.

I had a nice study this morning. I read the lyrics from that hymn, where can I turn for peace. And I just love the part in the song when it says that only He (Christ) can understand me (that's how it is in Russian) . It is SO true. I know the times I feel really frustrated, and that nobody understands, Christ always does. There are some really interesting verses about the peace that Christ gives us in Hebrews 4: 14-16. I'll just paraphrase those:

14) Seeing then, that we have Jesus Christ, who has passed into the Heavens, let us hold fast to our profession.

15)For we have NOT a high priest, who cannot sympathize with our frailties and imperfections, for He too was tempted even as we are BUT He was without sin. (this confused me a bit, then I understood it as Christ sympathizes with our frailties and imperfections, for he too was tempted but gave no heed to those temptations.) He's already walked the paths of stress and sorrow, the same that we walk on!

16)Let us therefore come BOLDLY unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I know that is true. I know that Christ really can sympathize with me because he has felt my weaknesses. Just like the sons of mosiah, their weaknesses and trials weren't taken away, but they were given strength to bear their burdens with ease. This really has brought me a lot of peace. In Alma the Lord says to them "bear with patience thine afflictions (or hard things... or callings.. or problems at work, with family, problems with ourselves...) and I will give unto you success. I will give unto peace.

CHRIST IS THE KEY TO PEACE, THE KEY TO SUCCESS, AND THE ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION. Please, I am over here standing on a dang soap box just shouting to you through the monitor HE IS ALWAYS WITH YOU! Just turn to Him! I know that he is just itching to give us all peace, all we have to do is ask.

Christ is the best, and this is His work. I know it more and more each day. I love my mission, and I love the Lord. This church is true. Have the happiest week and know I'm thinkin' of YOU!

Love Sissy T

splits with "M" she's a dream

the views

We cleaned out the fridge at the senior couples house and there was fudge in there, so we made "K" this member get rid of it in the toilet. HAHA it was actually pretty funny.

Fractures & Hospitals

I have recently gotten the opportunity to see missionary work in a different way because....

My precious angel baby companion Sister McKell fractured her ankle. It was just so sad. We went to my birthplace Penza on exchanges. We went to go work out at this little park that I used to work out at when I lived there which is right by the apartment there, and guess what? There was a tree stump. And Sister McKell thought it was a great workout to jump on the stump which it really was it looked way good. Then, I look away, and then I hear her yell "SISTER I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO I BROKE MY FOOT!" I think I ran faster in my life in that moment than I ever have before. She's like my baby sister! I was flippin out. We quickly took her boot off (yes we worked out in our boots because we didn't bring our workout shoes with us on exchanges.) and sure enough, he ankle started swelling up reeeeeeeeal nice. It was so sad. These men that were at the park called the ambulance so we just waited for it. And then we waited. And waited some more.. then finally after 20 minutes, the ambulance comes, and the nurses didn't even run over to see what happened they just waddled on over in the slowest pace I've ever seen. What's up with that!? Then, we get into the ambulance, and headed to the free hospital in Penza. Sister McKell is such a dang champ, she was talking about our church the whole time with the lady that was doing her x-ray of her ankle, and with all the nurses.... so dang cool. She wasn't even crying because she's not a baby like this gal. I would've been bawling my dang eyes out not talking to the people working there. Anyway, the doctors said "you just tore ligaments, no broken bones." Then they gave us the xrays and we were outta there. 

She spent the next two days hopping around. on one leg. We left our exchanges which were so strange. Quick story. Met with this less active that loves me. His name is “VM”. It was so awkward. In the middle of the lesson, he left, and then came back into the room with a huge tub full of water and a bar of soap and insisted on washing my feet........ i was like... WHAT THE noooooo.... it was so weird. It was just sad because we made such a beautiful lesson about following Christ which means doing what he did/does which means not smoking an he got SOOO offended. Then after we left, he kept sending me texts telling me he looooooooves me. He even bought me a stuffed monkey and a penza pin. The funniest part of all was when he gave me the pin which was actually a magnet he said "you can put it up next to the toilet when you go to the bathroom so you can always think of us here in penza when you go to the bathroom." WHAT THE hahahahahahhahahahaahahaha so strange. He's a strange one. He means well.... the best part was alllll the pictures of me he saved onto his phone from my facebook. Also during the lesson he brought up facebook and told me to talk to my family. YEAHRIGHT! no offense family but.. i don't want to talk to you when i'm no supposed to! haha nahmean? It was so weird. But it was alright because “A” and “T” and their baby “m” came to the lesson too so it made it all okay. They're just my best friends from Penza. I also got to see “L” and pluck out her chin hairs so that was all a treat :)

Back to the juicy stuff though. So we got to the train station and we sat in this little cafe while we waited for our train. She needed something cold on her feet, but guess what? All the had was ice cream, so you best believe that we bought ice cream and put it on her foot.... but the best part was that when it was melted, we ate it.  So then, we got to our train and Sister McKell is still just a dang sicko and she's just sooooo cool and she kept sharing the gospel with EVERYONE. The man that pushed her in the wheelchair to get onto the train, named Sergei, funniest thing. There were a lot of people in the way and what does he do? just start screaming "LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS!" and then everyone moved outta the way. It doesn't seem that funny, but just imagine a russian man screaming "NOGI NOGI NOGI NOGI!" and then you'll get a nice chuckle. 

We met a ton of cool people on the train, like this couple who were acrobats in the circus. They had a 10 month old baby that was about 11 inches tall that walked all by herself. It was kinda creepy but she was just the most adorable baby. Her name was Vika. I'm obsessed with that name. 

We finally got back to Samara, and this is where the story gets good. Our mission doctor who lives in Moscow wanted Sister McKell to go to a different hospital for another check up. So we went to this clinic, right? But in order to get there we had to call a taxi. We have used more taxi's this past week than any other time in my life (before my mission I had never ridden in a taxi but i bet you probably already knew that) This taxi driver is named "VD". This is such a sharp man. He is about 37 years old, and when we started testifying about the truthfulness of the book of Mormon, he really opened up to us. He told us all about his 2 year old daughter who he only gets to see for two days every other week because he and his wife have just recently separated. It was really easy to discern that he was heartbroken, and has need for a lot of spiritual healing. He took us to the medical clinic. Which was SO DANG RITZY I felt like I was on vacation in a nice hotel. Literally the nicest thing ever. While there, Sister McKell got a cast on her foot... and then we found out that she didn't only rip ligaments but she did fracture her poor foot. HAHA what a dang funny story right? Anyway, long story short at the hospital/clinic where we were, we met the coolest lady named “TY”, and she helped us out a ton. She is going to come to our english group and hopefully to church too! We got to have lunch at the ritzy hospital banquet cafe too and it was soooo tasty. 

The best part of that story is that when "VD" dropped us off, and said to us “Sister Twede, Sister McKell, can we exchange numbers? I would love to talk about this message you share some time." SOOOOOOOOO COOL! He wasn't able to make it to church this past week because he went to Moscow for work for a couple days, but he promised to come next sunday. We are so excited. Seeing the Spirit testify to him the truth of all the things we spoke about with him really was awesome. Even amidst the challenging circumstances that come as being a missionary, there are always miracles that are just waiting to be had! 

Long story short, I am obsessed with Sister McKell. I haven't heard her complain once about her foot. She's the dang best.

Okay now I get to tell you all about how awesome Sister McKell is. She is a FIREBALL! When we were in Penza, we went to a creepy free hospital where we got her x-ray done. Do you know what she did? She was just sharing the gospel with EVERYONE even though she was in pain. Seriously she's the best example. We gave out 1 Book of mormon and several brochures by the time we left the hospital all because Sister McKell really is talking to 3X as many people. She really is amazing, I am really impressed with her positivity during this time, and how she really has relied on Christ. I honestly think if it were me, I would have had a nice pity party for myself about the fact that I fractured my ankle, and I would have cried, and I would have not talked with everyone.. I probably wouldn't have talked to anyone...... I am so grateful for her example. She really is so strong. I feel so blessed that I have gotten to work alongside her during this time. At times it can be a little discouraging for us both because there is so much in our area that needs to be done but I know that the challenge of getting around is all part of the Lord's plan, and that miracles really will come from it. We have tried really hard to have meetings over here at the Dunns. I remember one day we had 4 set up but they all fell through except for one. But we are trying and we know that that is enough in the Lord's eyes. I once heard a quote "You gotta move your feet first in order for the Lord to guide your steps." It's just so true. 

I love the question that the Savior asks his disciples when they fell asleep as he was atoning for us. He said "Could you not stay up with me for just one hour?" I think it makes it easier to think "Sissy T, can you not contact for just 3 hours?" or whatever it is. Ask yourself this, and you will find that you can do anything with Christ's help.

I love you most!

Love sissy T

HEY AGAIN PENZA!! i missed you.

plucking "L" 's chin hairs. 

kisses

hat hen

we were so sad that we ordered pizza

good ol penza

you guys it was so sad i wanted to cry

after the incident

I even got to see baba "K"

LOOK WHO I RAN INTO!! "M" I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!

before the incident

poor dang thing in an ambulance

"M" s street (Kaleena and Maddy y'know what i'm sayin)

that sign says 12 months because that's how long I've been out

and then "VM" photobombed me

my little friend in a wheelchair

we bought her treats

cute little city from the train window

the dang nice clinic we went to

little crutch baby

check out where we ate lunch

sooo tasty and not expensive at all

and the little park at the clinic

 "N" from Balakova came to Samara!! 

I was so stoked to see her

giving back rubs to Sister Dunn. They do sooo much for us

and the outside of the clinic

rockets all over the place here in samara

Elder Harrison and Elder Dunn had to carry her up the stairs to the 7th flight because the elevator broke. Just our luck.

this member is "M"..... she is such a dream. we are going to go on splits!

that "M" did my hair too. isn't it FAB!?!?!?

isn't that so sad? sister manley just laughing her head off!

This was all my stress when sister McKell fell

the foot getting real swollen in penza

 Ice cream on her feet

just a nice silly.

see it's just so nice

Each floor was a different theme. this was checkered.

 Creepy and silly.

that cute "TY" who helped us all day long. loooove her

pretty sunsets

she's a rockstar