She didn't write much last week and she is getting ready to go to Russia on Monday so here's the last letters from the MTC:
Subject: Leviosa." "No it's LeviosAW!"
That's how I feel Russian is! The accents are so specific! and important! I can barely say the word, much less get the accents right! haah!
So Leda got "baptized" this week!! We had a baptisimal service and it was so great! Sister Brown and I planned it and got the whole districit involved! It was great practice for all of us and it was such a cool experience! The Spirit was so strong and I am soooo excited for how it will feel to really change someone's life!!
Watch the Ukraine temple dedication video on the youth Mormon messages! Everytime I get scared about leavving in TWELVE DAYS! AHHHH! I watch that video and it reminds me how much I love those people and can't wait to help them!!
I'm getting my travel plans Friday!!! I will get to call! But I think it will be the 16th.
Life is pretty much the same! I 'm getting really good at SYL!! It helps so much!
Love you all!! Share the Gospel everyone needs to hear the "good news"!
Dear Family,
Soooo TRAVEL PLANS! We got them Friday and we just screamed for a good while.. haha! 9 weeks here will do that to you!
We depart from SLC Monday at 8:30 AM and fly straight to Moscow! We are reporting to the Travel Office here at the MTC at 3:35 AM, so I should have time to call before I get on the plane! All 4 sisters are traveling together which is really exciting since Sister Brown is going to Novosibirsk. It looks like we switch planes in NY- so I might be able to call again then, but I wouldn't count on it.
Then we continue on to Moscow. All in all our travel time is 15:35! We land at 9 AM Tuesday Moscow time. Talk about jet lag! I'll forward you what the Mission Pres. said about what we will be doing after that!
I'm way excited, but so terrified! I don't feel like I know enough Russian! And I'm doing the thing where I wake up every morning panicked that in 5 days I will be waking up in Russia! But I got a blessing last night and I'm doing better. It's like leaving home all over again, because Provo is my second home. But I'm way excited to call you!! We get to Russia 2 Sundays before General Conference! and Easter!! How great is that?!?! I will probably be showing people the Easter video!!! AHHH! :D
Packing commences today! I'll let you know how things go..
So this week was hard. I have been feeling like I haven't been teaching by the Spirit as well as I had been. And so we had a lesson that just crashed and burned. That was a good eye opener for me. And after a lot of study and pondering and praying I learned a lot. Every talk this week seemed to be 100% directed at me. I learned that we need to have faith. God has inifinite power, but He also respects our agency. So we have to ask for the blessings that He is already willing to give us. But we have to ask in faith. I was thinking about the story in the Bible where Christ asks the man if he has faith that His son will be healed. The man says "help Thou my unbelief". I feel very much like him. I finally understood why the Savior always asks the people before He healed them if they had enough faith, and how He says the same thing to me.
Elder Cook spoke yesterday and you cannot deny the testimony of living prophets and apostles when they are in the room with you. He quoted Pres. Hinkely who said "If they have more faith they will have more success!" I pray for the faith to have more success and the faith to not be afraid of moving to Russia for 16 months!
I said I received a blessing- it was such a touching experience. It was his first time giving a blessing and so it was really powerful to see the Spirit working through Him like that, but he also said things that Dad always says, so it was really comforting. Heavenly Father knows us personally and Christ has been through it all before! I know that He lives and that He really appeared to the people in the Americas and Joseph Smith! I love the Book of Mormon and I know it is the word of God!
Inivte someone to do something this week that will bring them closer to Christ! It will bring you closer to Christ as well!
Oh! I have the First Vision, My Purpose, James 1:5 and Moroni 10:5 memorized in Russian! I'm working on the Baptisimal commitments!
Love you all! Have a great week! Pray for me in Russia!!!! :D I will miss you all!!
P.S. Funny story: I said "why" in Russian in my sleep Thursday night. Then Friday night I wake up to Sis. Emmons laughing hysterically- she reminds me a lot of Camiel if that gives you any idea of what this sounded like. And I'm so confused, I think we have overslept or something, but then I check the clock and it's only 12.. So I ask her what happped and she finally chokes out that I had just said "Do you want the meat or the potatoes?" clear as day in my sleep! We laugh! But Sister Decker is grumpy about being woken up so we try to quiet down, when Sis. Brown- who has remained alseep through all of this says, in her sleep "Oh Da, Oh DAA" (da- yes) It was hilarious!!
I thought you might be interested in the following letter from Natalia's mission president outlining how things will go when she gets to Russia:
28 February 27, 2015
We are so excited for your arrival in the Russia Moscow Mission. I look forward to meeting you at the airport. When you arrive, put your luggage on a cart. They are free. Then look up to the second-level windows where I will be standing waiting for you until you go through Customs.
You will be taken from the airport to the Mission Office to receive some instruction, have a nice meal, and completion of required visa and registration paperwork. After the orientation, you will be taken to an apartment to sleep.
On Wednesday morning you will come back to the Mission office where Sister Borders and I along with the Assistant to the President (AP’s) will spend some time with you. After the training, you will have a chance to go into Moscow to do some street contacting on Red Square. Thursday is transfer day. You will attend transfer meeting, meet up with your trainer and go to your first area of assignment. You will be off and running!
We know that the Lord has prepared you for this joyous assignment. You will find service here to be meaningful and fulfilling.
We can’t wait to see you. The Lord bless you always in your missionary service.
