Hailey in Russia: 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