Hailey in Russia: МАМА ДАЙ 50 РУБЛЕЙ

This letter is short..... I feel really bad because I have no time at all today. I found out my transfer.......................... it's pretty crazy...... you ready to hear it?

I am reopening an area called Tolyatti! There have been sisters there before, but they closed it because of the lack of sisters. So yeah, me and sister reed are getting separated. I really love. Anyway, guess who my companion will be? I DON'T KNOW YET! because I'm training again. I am so nervous because I don't know anything about this city other than the branch is huge there, and that the bus routes are really weird and it's hard to find where you are going. But I just can't believe that the Lord trusts me enough with such a big task! It's a huge blessing and I am really nervous but I know that it'll all be okay. AHHHH changes in the mission it's just so crazy. It's always so scandalous. but Tolyatti is only one hour away from Samara, so it's really great because the Dunns, that senior couple that I am obsessed with have to go to Tolyatti every once in a while and they said that when they come they will call me so that we get to see each other.

I accidentally stayed up until 1am last week..... twice.........beacuse my sister Martinez came into town because she had to fly out of Samara and so I got to see her and we just had SOOOO much to catch up on! She's just the mexican pal. Anyway, we just stayed up and talked about Hayd and talked about beto (her bf) and it was just the best time. And there was this huge storm that came out of nowhere, so there we were, at 1 am just chilling in our pj's, watching this rainstorm, and enjoying each others presence while we still could before she flew home.. and it was just so fun. I really did miss sister Martinez a ton, and I can't believe that she is on her way home right now as we speak! Also, last night I was helping her get all her luggage down to the correct size before she left.. I really won't be letting that happen again.I'm so dang exhausted today it's wild.... and I get to wake up at 3am tonight and fly to Latvia for my last visa trip! And get this: I'm the ONLY sister on the whole flight so that's going to be great. It'll be good though, because my pals elder peterson and elder Stauffer who were with me in the MTC will be on the trip so we'll just be a trio all day. It's going to be weird. The elder life.... you can just go ahead and call me elder Twede.

The coolest miracle happened this week. to keep it short, basically we had a throw down with our investigator "IR". What ended up happening is that "IR" was on date for baptism. We were really excited and she even asked us to go to her house everyday in order to help her prepare for her baptism. We tried that, and then she stopped answering our phone calls, and then she stopped letting us in when we would go over to her house. I really worry that she has some sort of bipolar or something because it was really weird. Anyway, we decided that we needed to go and tell her that we can't teach her anymore because she isn't progressing and there are people here that are really ready and just so thirsty for the gospel. Anyway, we went to her house and she wasn't home. So because we know where her mother in law lives, and because her kids are there very often, we walked on over to her mother in law's home. We were there waiting to see if they came out. Because she wasn't on the street, we went to talk to these people. They are a muslim family who ended up taking the book of mormon! It was a huge blessing, and they invited us to come back. While talking to them, we saw "IR". We walked over to her and said hi, and she just straight up ignored us really really hardcore. We were standing right in front of her face and she just wouldn't acknowledge our presence. So we just told her "Alright "IR", we aren't going to bother you anymore. We are looking for those who are ready to accept the Gospel and we can't keep coming to see you if you don't want to." Then, she and her two girls took off walking in the other direction from us. It was really tough, and it really broke both of our hearts, but sister Reed's especially. Her first heartbreak on the mission. We went to take a time out to cry it out on some tires, when about 30 minutes after we had sat down, we see "IR", and she just stared us down as she pushed the stroller with her 3 year old in it with the biggest smile on her face like a "neener neener neener" type of faces. Anyway, she ends up walking over to us, and sitting down with us, and talked to us. We basically talked to her about why we can't see her anymore, and how sad we are because of the tremendous blessings that she will be missing out on, and just asked her why she was ignoring us. She then told us "my daughters just drive me CRAZY that's why i've been avoiding you." We explained to her that the Holy Ghost which she will receive after baptism will really help her to raise her kids as a single mom. She really opened up to us. She then talked about how scared she was from her neighbors because they judge her for meeting with the mormons. We talked about fearing God more than man, and the blessings that we receive as we do so. Then, in the end, the Spirit prompted me to tell her "If you don't get baptized now, you are never going to be baptized because you're going to lose your testimony." That really hit her straight to the bone. She sat there, thinking about all we had said. We told her "if this is something that you want, if you want to choose to trust God rather than not trusting Him, then you have to call us when YOU want to meet because it's just too hard on us not knowing whether or not you'll open the door when we come over." She then said "i want to be baptized. I really want to." Then she said that she'd call us on monday. The funniest part about this whole night was when her daughter "ZL" who is 7 started stomping around saying to her mom, "МАМА ДАЙ 50 РУБЛЕЙ МАМА ДАЙ 50 РУБЛЕЙ МАМА ДАЙ 50 РУБЛЕЙ МАМА ДАЙ 50 РУБЛЕЙ!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (which means MOM GIVE ME 50 RUBLES!!!) because she wanted ice cream so she was begging for 50 rubles so that she could buy it. I think that she said it about 400 times and it was soooo annoying.

So then "IR" got this way funny idea to start mimicking "ZL", and so she started stomping around and chanting МАМА ДАЙ 50 РУБЛЕЙ! and then me and sister reed started doing it too and it was just SOOOOOOOOOOO funny. And then "ZL" realized how ridiculous she looked, so she hit herself in the face and said "AHHH CRAP!!!" basically, and then she went to sit down on a stump. I went over to her and told her ""ZL", go and tell your mom that you love her, and then say "mama, can I PLEEEEASE have 50 rubles to buy ice cream??" And then she did, and then her mom gave it to her after she asked nicely, and then I told her to hug and kiss her mom and she did and it was so cute and funny. It was bad though, because when "ZL" was doing it at first, "IR" was so annoyed and she reached in her pocket and almost rewarded "ZL"'s bad behavior. But then, we said "NO DON'T YOU DARE "IR"!" and so she didn't, and after that we all started chanting together and stomping our feet. It was just the funniest thing and I loved every second of it! HAHAHA ahh so great. I never thought that me, a 21 year old girl, would teach a 45 year old parent how to parent. The mission does weird things to you bruthas and sistahs.

Well, saturday comes along, and we get a phonecall from "IR". She said "I have been thinking about our conversation the other night without end and.................... I want you sisters to come over today." Such a miracle! Me and sister wilson went over because we were on splits, and ended up having a really spiritual lesson with her. Her house was really messy, so we helped her clean it, and then we asked what else we could do to help, and she said "read with me." So we read 2 nephi 32 with her which talks more about the Holy Ghost, and it was exactly what she needed to hear because the Spirit prompted us to invite her to be baptized on the 15th of august, and she said YES SO EXCITEDLY! And it's just been a huge miracle because for the first time in the 5 months that I have been teaching "IR" with my companions, each time she has had a baptismal date, she never vocally prays about it. But at the end of this meeting, she did it. She prayed vocally and asked to be protected from Satan the next two weeks so that she can finally be baptized in order to have the Holy Ghost to be her companion to help her raise her children. It was really so sincere and so special, and I have faith that she is serious this time. It was really a huge miracle... and now i'm leaving so I won't see the baptism! but it's okay, because I'm cool with it, as long as she just keeps meeting with the sisters and gets baptized, that will make me the happiest.

Saying bye to the branch here yesterday was rough, but it was really good too because I knew that I would be back there for my last sunday in russia. I am REALLY excited to see them all again! It's going to be hard to be away from them, but I already have a few young adult friends from the branch in tolyatti because they came to samara for several young adult activites that we were able to go to, so I am stoked to see them again! It's going to be so great.

I really hate that I am out of time, but I really am terribly out of time. I have to go pack up all my things, but I have to send photos home too! I have lots this week. Please don't forget how much I love you all and that I am over here praying for you. Please don't forget that the Lord truly does soften hearts, I witnessed Him do it with "IR" this week. This really is His work!

LOVE YOU!

Love Sissy T

PS we talked to this man that was 93 this week named Vasili and we walked with him and then he danced with me and it was just the funniest happiest thing. He had the HAIRIEST ears i've ever seen. hahaha anyway, have a grand week!