Hailey in Russia: UP & DOWN

There were lots of downs this past week.. and lots of ups as well! A lady that we met on the streets who became an investigator not too long ago, called us yesterday morning and told us to never call again. I don't really understand why those things happen, but it really broke my heart. SUPER annoying, because our mission pres. Told our mission that last night Russia aired a program that was all about LDS missionaries in Russia and that it was just full of so many lies about our religion. SO disgusting. I hate how hard Satan works on people. Y'know? JUST CUT IT OUT!! Gashh! haha ugh. Anyway, last week I wrote about that cool miracle girl named "KS", who is the 17 year old granddaughter of a less active who hasn't been from about 13 years. Well, she kind of fell off the earth for a little bit. I feel really bad, because I had this idea to call "KS", and to go with her to her less active grandmother's home. We decided on meeting her there, and we got there, and she was nowhere to be found. We called her, no answer. Texted her, no answer. All we could hear as we sat on the street waiting for her to show up, were two people arguing in the dome. We assume that it was "KS" and her grandmother, and it was really sad. We tried to call and text her after that, but she never answered. It was so heart-breaking. But the worst part was when "KS" finally called us back on saturday! But to our surprise, it wasn't her. It was a woman yelling at us, threatening to call the police on us "mormon girls." I just told her "Go ahead, call the police because we aren't don't anything wrong here. We didn't come to Russia to bother anyone. We came here to invite people to come closer to Christ, and "KS" has that desire. She's an incredible girl, and we love her. Have a good day, God loves you." And the woman who once yelled just sat quiet, listening to me, as I hung up the phone. Moments like that which happen, really gives you the decision: 1) to hand it over to Christ or 2) to not. I think that sometimes the hardest part of missionary work is the handing of things over to Christ, and to actively exercise faith in Him, not faith in these people. BUT, I would much rather choose that, than to just trust in man. I know that things will be okay, because she knows who we are, and she has the Book of Mormon, and she has the desire to grow in faith.

Guess what though? So "KS"'s grandmother/mother (not really sure who it was who called) that yelled at us on saturday, is a less active member. So get this: we went to church yesterday, and there was a man in sacrament meeting who I have never seen before. I talked to him for a while, and guess who he was? "KS"'s grandpa! Who has been less active, and hasn't come to church for 13 years! He is a member, his wife is a member, and their 4 children are all members, all less active. What an incredible miracle, right?! The best part is that he said "Yeah, "KS" knows you sisters. She was going to come to church with me today, but something came up and so she couldn't come." BUT HE CAME! His name is “VR”, and everyone was stunned that he came to church. AND HE SAID THAT "KS" WAS GOING TO COME!! That means that she will probably come next week too! Things are happening for their family, and the Lord is softening their hearts. I know that this is all in His hands, and that everything will go according to His plan. I have peace, however, because "KS"'s whole family are LDS and she has her own Book of Mormon, I know that everything will be okay. Even the fact that she was going to come to church is really SO cool! We just have to have faith that she will come next week with her grandpa. He's a silly guy, and his ringtone on his phone is this sassy teenager pop song in Russia. haha good guy.

So....I really slacked off at talking to EVERYONE this week. I have no excuse for it either. But I see how the windows of heaven have been closing because of just a couple of days of that. I have repented, and I just really don't want to be selfish, I want to talk with EVERYONE! Today I read Matthew 14. There really was something amazing in there. Right after Christ finds out that Herod beheaded one of his dearest friends John the Baptist, it says in the scriptures that Christ left the city he was in onto a boat to go to a different city. I can only imagine that Christ felt so heart broken and sad as he sailed over to another city, mourning the death of his dear friend. It says in that same verse, that the people in the city where He was at, at the time of finding out that Herod murdered John the Baptist, gathered themselves and on foot, followed Christ to the next city where He was going. When Christ gets to that next city, he saw the multitudes that gathered together and followed Him, and he was filled with compassion towards them, and amidst his sadness and brokenheartedness, he healed those people. When I read that I just felt so much love. The times we get heartbroken, the times the work is slow, the times we just want to give up, those are the times that we need to look to the Savior, and follow His example, of forgetting ourselves and serving others who SO desperately need this Gospel. I need to look to the Savior more, but we all do! That's the best part is that nobody can ever look to the Savior too much.

We also actually met with "VC" this passed week. AND HAD A REAL LESSON! It was really awesome! We started out by just telling her that we wouldn't be good friends if we didn't share with her something that we know is true and good. We then taught her the restoration. It was fun because we taught the apostasy with candy and cake. We had different kinds of candies and those were all the different churches. Then we had a big cake that we brought and that was Christ's church that he restored through Joseph Smith. I'll tell you what, that girl sure has a head on her shoulders. She really understood, and really understood the apostasy which was really incredible. We then invited her to be baptized. She told us "I was already baptized as a baby." Then our member help "CV" (such a dream!) said "Well, do you remember your baptism?" "no." "Do you even know why and what baptism is?" "no." We then explained to her what it is, and she really understood. We then invited her to pray to know if she needs to be baptized, and to pray about the truth of what we talk about. She agreed that she would. It was really incredible! But the best part, was at the end of the lesson, she asked "Where are some chapters about forgiveness?" We showed her the back of the book of mormon where she could find verses according to topics. We then committed her to read 2 nephi 31. Then guess what? "CV" gifted "VC" a bible for her birthday! Isn't that great? Now "VC" has the materials she needs to read up about forgiveness, and any other topic she needs. It was really great, and it was so fun to see her feel the Spirit. She is just so elect it really blows my mind. Just have to keep praying for her and her boyfriend to come to the knowledge of truth and to get baptized! They didn't come to church yesterday though. It was "V"'s (the boyfriend) birthday and they had a lot to do? At 10 am.... haha I don't ever understand that, but I know that they will come next week, because "VC" said "We'll be there next week." The Lord loves her so much, she is doing FAB.

We met with "NN" (the one with the j-dub friends). It was a great lesson. She didn't come to church either, because she was feeling sick with a headache in the morning. We went and taught her about church attendance and why church is a commandment. We read with her 3 nephi 18:25 when Christ says "Come, that you may feel and see." We invited her to come, to feel and see that this really is Christ's church. She promised that she will. It was annoying, because she said "I'll get baptized once I've finished reading the Book of Mormon." AHHHH PEOPLE!!!! You don't have to read it all the way through to know that it's true! We told her that, and asked her to pray about baptism. She didn't understand that once she is baptized into Christ's church, that she will not go to the Proveslovni church anymore. She kept saying "What will my bahhtushka (russian men that study to become holy priests which then get paid.) think?" Our member help was one of the legendary Balakova sisters named "V" (I LOVE HER), and she just testified so strongly about the priesthood, about Christ's church, about baptism, about church and why it's important. We then invited "NN" to say the closing prayer, and her prayer went something like this "Heavenly Father, thank you for sending me these wonderful sisters. I am so grateful for their influence. Please, help me to get ready for baptism. Help me to read the Book Of Mormon and to know that it's true." Then closed her prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. It was such a sweet prayer, and it really was clear to us her pure intentions to follow Christ and to find the truth.

We tried to meet with "ND" this week, but still no success. We set a time to meet with her, but she didn't show up. We went to look for her at her work, only to find her mom and her little sister, and her boss, the man “S”. We walked in and the tension in the room was soooo thick. It was really evident that an argument just happened. We called "ND", and she told us that she had just been in an argument with her mom, but that she would call us back in ten minutes. She didn't, and so we just contacted instead. She hasn't answered us back, but we are just going to push out our doubts and our fears and know that everything is going to be okay! Everything will go according to the Lord's timing. We are trying our hardest.

Shooooot daaannng. I really feel always that my patience is getting tested a lot. I feel myself getting offended at really dumb things, and I really don't like it. I really want to forget myself, just like Christ forgot Himself as he healed/ served those people who followed Him into the city even though he was sad. I feel like Satan is stepping up his game. It's really evident of that from all the things going on in this country lately, and even in the world as a whole. But that gives me hope because that means that the Lord's work will just keep hastening! I love this work more and more every day. I am really grateful to be here at this time. I want to change and just keep changing and become who the Lord needs me to become. This week I am going to focus on forgetting myself (sounds funny doesn't it?) Doesn't that mean I'll be thinking of myself? HAHA anyway, I will be better. i just gotta be better!

We can all be a little bit better. Just keep going line upon line precept upon precept. Lift up your heads and serve those in need. They're ALL around us!

I LOVE YOU ALL JUST SOOO MUCH!!!!

Love sissy T