It. Is. Getting. So. HOT!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA LEE!!!! YOU ARE JUST THE BEST! and also HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHITTY BITTY! I JUST MISS YOU BOTH SO MUCH! You are just the best and I am so blessed to have you as my sister. I can't wait to give you more swirleys when I go home:) 

And now, a little review of the week I had

Monday- just the average Pday, we went shopping and spent $40 on groceries. Dang. We bought about 6 bags of granola and we've just been feasting on that. ALSO i found oreos!! $4 for a pack of 16. You best believe I did it anyway!

Tuesday- We visited this less active named "E". The bottom half of her body is paralyzed. She is just the sweetest lady ever. We got to sing hymns with her and she cried and that just makes your heart melt every time, amiright?

Wednesday- We had  this lesson that was at the branch with a former investigator from a few years ago. We were riding on  a tramvai to get to the branch for our lesson, while on the tramvai this young man about 21 years old started talking to us in english. He said "Hello, my name is "DM" and just last summer I met one of your elders named Elder Chriswell." Small world, right? So then we had to get off at our stop, and it just so happened to be his stop too. He kept talking to us about how he met the Elders, and about how he actually went to church once. Before we knew it, we were at the branch building and he was about to leave, but we invited him in to meet some members (institute was that night) while we waited for that former investigator to get to the branch. Long story short, that former investigator never ended up coming, and we were going to just head back home when "DM" asked "So what are all these people doing here tonight?" We explained that each wednesday the youth get together to talk about doctrine in our church. He said "Well, can I stay for 10 minutes?" We said sure! So we stayed with him. And get this: the topic was spiritual gifts, and the lesson was just so incredible, and 10 minutes went by, then 20, then 35, then 40, and then before we knew it we stayed the whole time. It was SO awesome to see how receptive he was to all the things that we discussed, and we invited him to come to church on sunday. Unfortunately, he couldn't come because of work, but he really wants to come soon.I just love how the Lord really does, like we discussed, bring people to us just as we are brought unto people. 

Thursday- Weekly planning. We set some super solid transfer goals and it's going to be way fun. I am super stoked. I have a goal to have more sincere prayers, and so far it's really going great! Just making that atmosphere so that the Spirit can help me pray has really made such a difference! We also did some slow contacting (slow because sister mckell is on a cane now haha so she hobbles around. We found an old babuyshka who had a cane too and we photographed them together. too dang funny.) anyway, it was great. I love all the parks here. ALSO IT FINALLY GOT HOT AGAIN!

Friday- Sister Dunn had a birthday! (the seinor couple) and so they invited us to birthday lunch at the RITZIEST RESTAURANT EVER!!!! I ate Shashlik, and chicken, and lamb, and i ate SOOO much, that I literally didn't eat the rest of the day. It was awesome. SO TASTY! Following that we had a lesson with "KR" the carzy gal on the Volga again. It was NUTS. because this day was the last day of the school year for all the kids from kidergarten to the 11th grade.  So it was just packed full of teens taking photos and just being rowdy and tanning. It was pretty fun. The lesson was good, we talked about honesty and how that's a characther of Christ. Then, We went to the clinic for sister mckells leg massage. hahaha oh man. I can't believe she has to get massages. The massus's name is Maxim and he is a nice guy, but it was just awkward because he had a hickey andt he day before, dhe didn't have one.... and then I dared sister mckell to ask him how to say hickey in russian but she didn't dare do it. It was pretty awkward. But it was okay because he ended up giving us some free lotion with the creepiest stuffed animal beaver on the front haha i'll send a photo.  Anyway, it was funny.  Then, after that, we went to this park that has the BIGGEST COOLEST FOUNTAIN that plays music. I have a sad confession. I love russian music. The top hits even. and it's all ghetto but it's fabulous and I can't wait to make you all listen! yo'ull love it too! At the park we sat on a bench, and this man was eating ice cream and we started talking to him. he is about 65 years old. Anyway, this is pretty funny. We were eating our treats at the park, and then while we are talking to him, he said "I am so thirsty, can I have some water?" I really didn't want to, but all i could think about was the good samaritan and then my dad's friend Steve Brooks. one time Steve was skiing with my dad when a fellow skier said to steve "HEY DUUUDE DO YOU HAVE CHAPSTICK MY LIPS ARE CHAPPED!" Then without hesitating, Steve gave the man his chapstick, the man put it on, and then gave it back to Steve and the man is grateful. Anyway, long story short I gave the man my water, and good thing because he "Water falled" it haha so it was good. Nice guy though, he was waiting for his grandson to finish his swimming lessons. We gave him the Book of Mormon and he promised to read it was pretty rad.

Saturday- We met with a potential named "M" who is methodist. He is SOOo cool he is from Nigeria and it was awesome because at the end of the lesson he said "You made some really good points. I've felt really good talking about these things with you." We told him it was the Spirit and that he can feel it all the time! He committed to pray about all the things that we talked about, and then to begin reading the Book of Mormon and he comitted soo cool. I just love seeing people feel the Spirit it's just the best. It makes all crappy times worth it!

Sunday- church. Me and sister mckell took an intermediate walk during church and it was just a beautiful day. I can't believe it's soooo hot again. I honestly forgot what the heat feels like. It was a beautiful day, and then the rest of church was awesome. We talked about charity a bunch which was good to talk about.

I am so sorry I am outta time. It was a great week. I encourage you all to read Alma 26 and think about how Ammon overcame discouragement. I know that we can overcome anything with the Lords help! I love Him. I know that as we testify to others and just share what we know as truth to all those around us, we can overcome discouragement. I know this is true. 

I love you all suh dang much! Have a happy happy week!

Love sissy T

so much meat 

the restaurant

building a temple

a cute restaurant on the Volga

bench sits

SO GREEN

pretty park by our house

They took of the гипс!!!!!! (that means cast.)

WHAT. A. LONG. WEEK. 

MOM YOU GOT YOUR GAL BLADDER OUT! Now that's something to celebrate!!! WOOO! I hope that you feel better soon. SO scary about that reaction to the meds you got. I am praying for you you lovely lady. I can't wait to eat some nice fried KFC with you without you getting sick when I come back home. (in 4 and 1/2 months. sorry that's just freaky. I don't want to leave:( ) BUT MOM 

feel better okay!? PS YOU NAILED IT ON THE CUPCAKES AT THAT BRIAL SHOWER FOR MY ERIN! I can't believe she's getting married so soon. MOM save me some cuppin cakes, will ya? LOVE YOU LADY!

HAPPY BDAY TO PAPA DALE! and a late happy bday to JEWEY! (you know who you are. haha Ben.) Love you brother, and I love you too papa dale. You're the best fam in town.

Okay, so this week........

Highlights: Sister Mckell got her cast off! 2 weeks too early... yeah our american doctor was pretty worried about that... so 2 more weeks on crutches! The poor sissy. Missionary insurance only covered the MASSAGE portion of her physical therapy.... Massage..... so she has to get massages for 10 days.... hahaha good thing it's only on her leg though. Let's just say I get real jealous and want a little leg massage too. I get to meet with president schwab one on one! I really love that man. He is so inspired. I am so blessed to have him as my mission president. SORRY ALL YOU OTHER PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T GET TO HAVE HIM AS YOUR MISSION PRESIDENT! AHH he and sister Schwab really are the dang best. And....... I got to eat papa johns this week at the mission home so that was just a dang delight:)

Yesterday, "DM" came to church for all 3 hours! Afer church he said "I think I'm going to go and drink some coffee... but it's okay, right? Because I'm not a member of the church yet.". KEYWORD. YET! Isn't that something??!?! It was really amazing too because we were talking for a little bit after church and he said "y'now, I've been praying a lot lately. And just last night when I was praying, I got some sort of revelation come to me that told me that I can't get to God unless it's through Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Not just me, but all people. I really realized that God's plan is only complete with a mediator, which is the Savior." It was just SO great. We testified again to him, that this is the Lord's church and that in His church, we can really know of Christ and His true character and all of the truth which He has restored through prophets. A few hours later after church, he came to the Dunn's for that live broadcast of the question and answer devotional with Elder Bednar and his wife Anyway, He told us that he received some answers to his questions that he had. It was so cool, and then after that, he said "Right now I have three focuses in my life. #1 my job so that I can help provide for my mom and my brother. #2 my education because I need to just study a lot of things so that I can get into oxford university. #3 my faith. I want to know the truth so much." We testified that he really will find it as he continues to search and pray sincerely and read. It was great because he became friends with the member "VS"who teaches Sister Schwab English, and then this less active that also speaks English named "YR", who rarely comes to church because he lives really far away in a village and it's hard for him to get to church. Both "YR" and "VS"are young guys, and it was SO cool to them befriend "DM". "DM" ended up staying at the Dunn's after we had left, and talked to "YR" for quite some time. "YR" ended up calling us last night and told us ""DM" IS SO INTERESTED IN THE CHURCH YOU GOTTA MEET WITH HIM OFTEN."  As if we didn't know yet. Haha it was just so funny. "YR" told us that they spoke about our church and "DM" just really had a small testimony of the truth of these things. It was really nice for "YR" to call us though. "DM"'s prayers are being answered and he always tells us each time we meet "Why are the members of your church just so nice? I Just feel so good at church and being around the members." We tell him it's the Spirit. It's just really great and we have a lot of faith that he will be baptized this transfer.  FUNNY ABOUT "DM". He called us last night and didn't answer. Then, he called back a little bit later "Hey I am so grateful that you sisters called me because I am currently in the bath and I fell asleep here so thanks for calling to wake me up so I can get out." hahahaha ahh. Russians are so blunt and honest and sometimes it's just the silliest. Also, we ended up giving him an extra quad set of the scriptures that was at our apartment and he just loved it. At church I saw him reading about the apocalypse from the topical guide. Haha he's a great kid. 

"KR" ended up not getting baptized.... But she told us after a huge mess of things that she wants to get baptized THIS Saturday, so we will meet with her to help prepare her for that, and to really understand the seriousness of this covenant. We talked to her mom over the phone yesterday, but we really aren't sure if it was her mom, because "KR"'s mom lives in Penza, and then we got a phone call at the end of church from "KR"'s phone number and there was a girl talking to us telling us that it was "KR"'s mom. When I asked her her name, she paused before answering "Alyona." Then several hours later, we get another phone call from a woman saying it was "KR"'s mom and it sounded like a woman this time and we asked her questions about "KR"'s birth date and about her family, and we really think it may have been her mom, but it's just a confusing story because "KR"'s mom lives in Penza but then she was in samara, anyway, basically it's just a confusing story. Her mom gave us permission over the phone for "KR" to get baptized this weekend. We are going to see if we can meet "KR"'s grandma sometime, or at least call her mom from "KR"'s phone so that we can know for certain. We just want to be careful. BUT we have a lot of faith and it's going to be a great week meeting with "KR". SHE'S JUST SO GREAT and I know that she's come a long way and has had hard things in her life. I love that little lady!

So I have been going through a really hard time lately as far as my testimony goes. We have ALLLLLLL been there. I just don't feel it's as strong as it really could be, and I have some other problems I've been trying to cope with as well. That's the problem... I have been trying with MY own puny power to fix MY problems. But here's the catch: the Lord GAVE me my weaknesses, therefore he can give me the strength to make those weaknesses into strengths just as promised us from the Book of mormon in Ether 12:27. So today, I read a really great talk called "Where is the pavilion?" by Henry B. Eyring from October conference 2012. I had read this before, but right now at this time has really helped me more than I could imagine. I wanted to share a few insights with you all from his talk that really helped me with this process of becoming humble, and relying on the Lord to overcome our weaknesses. He begins his talk by talking a bout Joseph Smith, and when he called out to God asking where the pavilion was that was hiding Him. Elder Eyring goes on to talk about how God isn't the one that puts up those pavilions between us and Him, we are. Here are some of the insights that I received today:

1) "When we submit to God in faith and humility, we will feel God's care and closeness." Isn't that a great promise?

2) "These pavilions cover us and obscure God's active role in your life." What a great reminder, that God's role is ACTIVE in each of our lives!

3) "The Lord's delays often seem long; some last a lifetime, but they are always calculated to bless."

4)"Do the things that make Christ as familiar to us as we are to Him. As we serve Him, we become more like Him, and we feel closer to Him."

5)"The pavilion that seems to be hiding you from God may be fear of man rather than this desire to serve others. The Savior's only motivation was to help people."

6)If you go for the Lord to bless others, He will see and reward it. If you do this often enough and long enough, you will feel a change in your very nature through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Not only will you feel closer to Him, but you will also feel more and more that you are becoming like Him.

Really really greats stuff that really has been helping me so much. I feel a lot lighter and happier after all these things. Please, my fam and my friends, don't you DARE rely on YOUR own strength to overcome YOUR trials or YOUR weaknesses. There, in all reality, is NOTHING you can do about it. Nothing. But there is one thing you CAN do! That is to just give it over to the Lord, and remove that pavilion that we put between us and God. He loves us all, and I know that all these things are true and that through Christ all these things are possible. I love my Savior and I know more and more each day that He lives! Reach out to Him for answers to you questions, because He is the only way. I just know this is true.

I love you all. Have a great week and know that I am praying for all of you. I want to say thanks for your prayers. I really do feel them, and I really do love and miss you all! HAVE THE HAPPIEST WEEK!

Love, Sissy TWEDE

Drew this on the whiteboard

The cast comin' off

Put on my tennis shoes to take out the trash.  LOOK AT ALL THAT TRASH! We cleaned our patio that nobody has touched for probably 7 years.

Getting creative because she has crutches.

look at her skinny broken leg hahaha

poor thing.

spring is the dang best

"DM" came to the hospital to translate for us. 

Those medical terms in Russian though, am I right?

just a couple of dweebs

SPRING THOUGH!!!!

We made "DM" close his eyes when we gave him the quad set. A surprise present

this is the BEST juice

Lenin

VICTORY DAY and a play at the drama theater

Can I just say... CLAIRE YOU ARE SO SMART I LOVE YOU MY LIL BOOBOONEENEE! YELLOW YELLOW YELLOW!

It was sooo good to see you all yesterday on skype. I miss you all so much and I just hope that you had the happiest mothers day mawmaw. You are the best. 

I just got my 9th transfer call, and I will be staying in Samara with Sister McKell for another cycle!I LOVE THIS CITY AND ALL THE PEOPLE IN IT! it's going to be really great because now that her foot is healed it'll be so fun to just run all around town again, and have a normal cycle. Not that it wasn't a normal cycle the last cycle, because it was really really fun just calling people from the area books and seeing all the miracles, and finally deep cleaning the apartment. That apartment was SOOOO nasty but now it is fab. Anyway, I am just stoked to get back at it on the streets and have all the bad allergies that anyone could have.

The miracles. AHH okay. Tuesday before our english group, we met with “T”.We asked president Schwab for a list of things that really are different after baptism in Christ's church, and he gave us a list. It was sooo amazing I wish I remembered all the stuff of that list. Had to do with the Holy ghost etc. Anyway, we translated all those points. At the lesson, she told us that she has been reading, not really often, but all the same she has been reading. She actually was really late to the lesson, and it was getting time to go, so what we ended up doing was just reading with her. It was SOOO awesome because this member Brother “V” came with us, and he is just a treat. He befriended ”T” and invited her to go to a play with him at the opera house and told her to invite a friend. She was soooooo stoked! And she ended up going and loved it which was the best. Anyway, and we all read 1 Nephi chapter 3 since that is where she is in the Book of Mormon. After reading this chapter, we talked a little bit about faith. She was getting SOOO into the story, and wanted to know so bad what would happen to Nephi when he goes to get the plates from Laban. Following this really good discussion about faith, we were ALL out of time, but the Spirit told us that we needed to give her the paper with all the points on it. We addressed her concern "what will be different after I am baptized?" and then gave her the points. She smiled SO big, and just began reading them all. We told her to study those points out, to pray about them, and then next time we meet we will talk all about them. We asked her to say the closing prayer, and she did and it was SO great! She said "Heavenly Father,  please help me receive an answer with my decision to be baptized into your church if it's what you want me to do." SHE IS JUST COMING ALONG! It was just the best. At english group we talked about the commandments, and specifically keeping the sabbath day holy. We invited everyone to come to church, and Tatyana's face was just so cute and sad. She had this big somber face as she said ".....I work on sunday. I really want to come." we told her that God knows her desires to come, and he will bless her with the opportunity to come even though she has a really busy work schedule. She is just the BEST! and the Lord is the best too! He is softening her heart soooooo soft. I LOVE HER! 

This week, we had a couple of lessons with “DM”. YOU WILL LOVE “DM” WHEN YOU MEET HIM AHHH “DM” FOR LIFE! He is just the best kid. he is 26, and he is a sailor. He speaks perfecct english, and reads the bible in ancient greek. He is just so smart. The sisters met him last year, and he actually talked to them first because he heard them speaking english and wanted to practice with them. He is sooooo awesome, but he really is just tooooo hard on himself. He doesn't think anything of himself. He told us he kinda lost his relationship with God when he went out to sail 7 months ago, and that he really wants it to come back.  It was so great to meet with him. Our lesson was planned to be about the plan of salvation, but it went a different route. We tried to talk about it, but then he addressed to us that he doesn't think that he is a son of God. He really doesn't understand the love that Heavenly Father has for all of us, and he isn't really too sure if God really is our Heavenly Father. We invited him to pray with a specific question to get a specific answer. He said that he would. We always bring up baptism with him, and he even told us that he doesn't feel the spirit at his baptist church, but at our church he feels the spirit, and how he really loves what Christ said to His apostles before He acsended to Heaven after his resurrection. He said "I ascend to my God, and your God, my Father, and your Father." Or however it goes, and he just told us that he really loves that because when Christ said that, he really showed us that we are all equals as God's children. “D” is just SOOOO hard on himself. He thinks that in order to be "christian" he needs to read the bible for hours and hours and hours, and then pray for hours and hours and hours in a day. We told him that God gave us our lives to live too, because without living we couldn't grow. We testified of the truths in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon, and told him that he is WAY too hard on himself. It really actually is sad. He is just SO great and so wise and so kind, but he really doesn't see it. We keep him in our prayers. It was really great though, because he ended up coming to church and having a great time. In fact, he told us "It's my day off from work, if you sisters could meet with me that'd be cool." We ended up having a meeting at the Dunn's house after church (HE CAME TO CHURCH!), and it was really really spiritual. We read some "ingredients" to happiness found in 2 nephi 5. He really felt the Spirit. We again invited him to pray to Heavenly Father to receive an answer because he himself told us "I JUST WANT TO FIND THE TRUTH!" We tell him it's right in front of his face, he just has to find time to read the Book of Mormon and to really and sincerely pray. He really is the best pal anyone could have. Keep him in your prayers!

Had a meeting with “KR”. She is 17 and has had several baptismal dates. She is very eccentric. I love her though, she is just a wild child. But she really has true intentions to become better and to just be baptized.  She expressed to us that she really wants to feel peace more in her life. She told us she still wants to be baptized, so we invited her to get baptized next Saturday, and she agreed to being baptized on sunday before church because she has school on saturday. We told her that she needed to come to church on sunday (yesterday) but she didn't come. We don't really know what to tell her, or what to do because she hasn't been to church for about a month and a half. We are having faith and hope that everything will go according to the Lord's will and that she will be baptized! 

We also spent some time at the Volga having lessons last week. It is just so nice there. Also VICTORY DAY. Everyone just honks their horns and there is a huge parade and TONS OF FIREWORKS and people decorate their cars, and hang out of them as they drive holding huge soviet flags. I loved that day. Russians are the dang funniest.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I am all out of time... ahhh. Today we went to this play at the ballet theater. It was a play for kids, but it really was a fun story! It was about this princess, and she fell in love with this peasant, and ended up running away from home to be in this circus act with him, but then her dad, the king, found her, and made her stay at home always. She ended up throwing a masquerade, and then the peasant came with his animal friends all in disguise and it was just sooo great! They ended up together of course! It was so fun, I'll send you photos from the theater we took today.

I LOVE YOU ALL but i gotta jet. Pday just runs away from me every dang time. 

I'll just share a quick testimony. I love this church and I know it's true, and I just know it is SO important to talk with everyone about the Gospel. It's just TRUE! The thought that helps me is "this too shall pass" so the times I feel intimidated i just think that and It makes it easier. I just love Christ and I am so grateful for His love and care. I know He loves me, and i know He loves you and is SOOOO PROUD OF YOU!!!! i love you allllll!!!

Happy happy week!

love Sissy Hayster

downtown samara

cold day at the Volga

Painting hippo boards for a branch activity with "KS". She's the dang raddest of all

we love Sister Dunn

“GL” the member who helped us on our lesson with “DM”. She is an angel

more volga

and then we ate gelatto because it was a good idea even though it was freezing

the friends

sweet temple by the river

with "KR"

ps victory day colors are orange and black so we were festive

this guy

a love lock tree

Sister Quinn our MTC teacher came to visit Russia! 

sooo gooood to see her. WE LOVE HER

skyping with the famdam

frowns after saying goodbye on skype

just a bad shot of the drama theater hahaha

the leftover seats from the huge victory day parade

sweet novoquiveshevsk statue

on the tellie with the taxi oops.

the theater sooo pretty

oops sister mckell. with the dunns

it was just a blast

the theater

we bought fans and they're soo pretty

grand chandelier

so bright

elder dunn being a soviet soldier haha

and that's a wrap everybody! hahahahah have the best week. I LOVE YOU!