Hailey in Russia: Honey Dubs

WHAT A WILD WEEK! Yes, we are still eating crepes everyday. How could you not? Sister Reed is the dang pal and I love her. We had such a great week. To our surprise on monday, as we wrote home at the dunns, they came home from shopping at the Russian equivalent to Costco (called metro) and gave us.............. REAL AMERICAN BACON!!! So that was just too good. Also, mayyyy or may not have found out from the Dunns my flight plans. Turns out that I fly with them all the way to L.A.X and have a 3 hour layover. Well, you see, the dunns are from LA so they'll already be home. And then they said they'll take me to in-n-out before my flight back to SLC. I know this doesn't seem too cool, but IN N OUT!!! You try going without that delicasy for 18 months! Anyway, I am stoked. Plus, the flights with the Dunns just is heaven. Hello 14 hour back tickles from Sister Dunn.

In other news, our neighbor Rasheed who is a muslim, about 57 years old has a dad who owns a bee farm. He came and knocked on our door and gave us honey.... with dead bees hanging out in it HAHAHAHA sooo great. He told us not to worry because "the bees make the honey healthy". We picked them all out and SHOOT IT WAS SOOO TASTY!!!!

On tuesday, We met this awesome lady named “YH”. She's a young mom, about 33. Her daughter who is three named "LZ" is handicapped and was having a temper-tantrum in the middle of the road. It was strange, I felt so impressed to walk up to her and tell her that she's a good mom. I did so, and she just opened up to us so quick. She's proveslavni and is just really sad because her daughter is a big trial and she can't speak yet. We were able to get to testify to her and she took the Book of Mormon and the Spirit was so strong it was awesome. As we talked with her, this worker of a grocery stoke was on his break just watching us. When we finished talking with "YH", he yelled to us "WHAT'S THAT BOOK?!" we were able to tell him and then he said he wants to meet! So we get this man's number. His name is "ZD". LOOOONG story short, "ZD" ended up meeting with us on wednsday. He brought his friend "KT". We met down on the volga and had a lesson on the restoration. Cute new member "EL" helped us.(i'm obsessed with her.) Anyway, it quickly became evident that something wasn't right........... the woman just sat there quietly with folded arms and "ZD" just argued with us about the bible and trying to twist our words. And this, it hit me- I turned to the woman "KT" and asked "What religion are you?" and with her eyes batting around she replied "Christian..........?" I said, "No, what church are you from?" and she said "It's.... not important." We found out that they were jehovahs witnesses (MOM DELETE THAT PART BEFORE YOU POST THIS I DON'T WANT MY JDUB FRIENDS GETTING OFFENDED) You can put in this part instead "Turns out they are members of a church and they just wanted to argue with us." It was just annoying because they tried to get us to twist our words, and it was so annoying. But funny. Anyway, we left them with a testimony about how the Spirit really exists and how we feel His influence every day. It was really cool in the end, because he took the book of mormon so that's good!

Don't get me wrong.... I love all these bro's and sissys of other faiths.... but it was just so sneaky and they are sneaky. Then we saw them later walking hand in hand which was interesting because he told us they were only neighbors when I asked if they were a couple.

The other night I wanted to play a prank on sister reed. Our toilet is in a separate room than our shower and sink, and she was about to shower, and the water was on and everything, and then she went across to the bathroom real quick so that I couldn't see her, and while she was in there, I snuck into the shower and just stood there with my eyes closed behind the closed shower curtain, and just waited, and then I hear her come back into the shower room and she opened the shower curtain and just screamed BLOOOOOOODY MURDER!!! HHAHAHAHA GOTCHA SISTER REED! It was so dang funny I just wanted to pee. The next night that she showered, I put her journal in the shower too. It wasn't that funny but it was because she thought that I was going to turn on the water but she saw it before which I am glad because it may have ruined her journal and I didn't think that one through.

I. LOVE. CONTACTING! We have this crazy schedule where we go out every morning at 7am-9am and then do our studies at noon. It's been awesome because there have been sweet miracles from it. We met the nicest giggliest woman named "EL". We are stoked to meet with her on friday. District meeting was way spiritual and we talked about patience, which i will talk about in the end of this email. I love all the pals in my district. We have a district of 6 elders, and then me and sissy reed. Anyway, way sweet miracles. There are 2 baptisms coming up for the elders and it's just so fun to be a part of it all.

OH MY GOSH "TY"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is just the best. We haven't been able to meet with her this week, but we call her and she told us "I read the book of mormon every day. It's amazing how much joy and peace can come from just reading a book." AHHH she is just coming along. We are meeting with her tonight and we are talking about baptism and enduring to the end and just really testifying and we have faith that she will accept the invitation. She is so great. I love her. She's a best pal. I CAN'T WAIT TIL YOU MEET HER ON SKYPE! She also speaks a little bit of english so you guys can chat.

On saturday, we were feeling a bit discouraged because none of our investigators have been able to meet with us, and it's been frustrating. And, all the people that we contact on the streets who give us their phone numbers don't answer our phone calls to set up meetings with us. So here we are, discouraged and so tired from contacting, when we look down this street and feel so much excitement. I at this point know this area pretty okay and feel familiar with most of the streets, but I have never seen this particular street ever even though we walk passed it maybe twice a day. We get this feeling, just walk down the street, so we decided to do so. It's a pretty modest street fixed with little storage-garage units on both sides of the street, and then a huge beautiful government building and we kept walking, and as we turn the corner to our surprise..................................................................................................................................................... the most BEAUTIFUL garden ever! and the most ghetto fabulous! and just so lively and amazing, and women sitting in front of their DOME in these gardens. "This really is amazing!" I told the women, and after talking with this woman for a second about how we are representatives of Jesus Christ, she realized we're foreigners and when she found out that we're americans, she just took us under her wing and just introduced us to all 5 of her neighbor women friends which were all really really kind. This lady is named "LR" and she was showing us all around these gardens and is telling us to take photos of everything, every little detail in the garden. She was just a hoot! she was like "IT'S MY DOG LUCIA'S BIRTHDAY TODAY LET'S SING HER HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" So we did. Then she just had to pose in all the photos and it was just so fab. Then, she yelled after these young kids and said "This girls are american and speak english and you do too so come and speak english with them!" The kids came up to us and were like 'Yeahh..... we don't speak any english at all. hahahaha it was so dang funny. Anyway, one of her friends she introduced us to is named "VY", and she is about 64 years old. They both asked us for our autographs, so of course we give them our autographs........................... after our written testimonies in the front cover of the Book of Mormon. This ended up to be really amazing. They opened up and asked us more about the Book of Mormon, and about our beliefs, and what we are here to do, and why we're here to do it, and it was really amazing. "VY" really opened up to us about her life. She lives with her daughter in law and her son, who apparently hate her, and there's just so much pressure in her house that she started sleeping on the street right in front of her dome on one of the couches outside. She cried, and the Spirit inspired us to promise her that as she reads the Book of Mormon, her relationship will be better with her daughter in law and her son. It was awesome because she gave us her number and told us to come back to talk more about our message. It was a huge miracle and the Lord really knows His sheep and He is guiding us all to them everyday, so there is NO need to be discouraged, all we should do is just trust Him.

We studied patience this week, and I really just loved it. I love in preach my gospel how we are told to have patience with ourselves. I forget that a lot, and it's really true because when you really think about Christ, you really do realize that he IS patience. I am sure He had to have been really patient with Himself (when He lived on the earth). He IS patience and I think it's one of my favorite qualities which Christ has, because it's the biggest one that I lack haha. I lack all of them really, but don't we all? haha that is why we are here to gain His qualities! Anyway, I love the verse in Alma 32: 41-43, and how with our faith and great diligence and patience looking forward to the end result of whatever it is that we are doing looking to Christ, we will be able to receive the reward which the Lord has in store for us. I am so grateful for patience and love and I love you and I am so grateful for your patienece and diligence and hard work.

gotta jet but I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! thanks for your love and prayers. See you soon, I love you so much have the happiest week. BE A LITTLE MORE PATIENT THIS WEEK! Love you BYE!

Love sissy T