First off, thanks for the package!! I was so happy! my teeth have gotten so bad here, (yellow, nothing worse, don't worry!) I can't even imagine that in America, there's water that is not only clean to drink, but regulated in such a way to help keep your teeth from being ugly!!! That's crazy! I have completely forgotten what it's like there, but from the way people talk about it, you'd think it was Heaven.
It was fun to hear from all of you! Dad, congrats on fulfilling 54! Happy Birthday!!!
It's really interesting, at the beginning of my mission, it didn't bug me being in a room with a whole bunch of kids yelling while playing computer games as I was writing home... but now I can hardly concentrate. The only words they know are... well... I won't repeat them. haha.
Rachel! Sounds like you're having bundles of fun! Mom, sounds like you are too! Dad, it also seems that way! Mary, things will get better, trust me. Now, I may not be in the right place to tell you that, you know, since I get tons of baptisms and stuff. I know I probably couldn't possibly understand what it's like, so don't get mad when I say this, but... you won't die. ;) David, It's nice to hear from you so often. haha.
Honestly, reading your emails, I feel like we were a lot richer than I realized before I came to Russia. Is that true, or do I just have a different standard now? So this week, I was able to see Elder Stoddard, who is in Penza working with Stas, and he gave me this wonderful picture that his wife drew of us. It's super funny because she's an artist and an awesome lady. It's is a little comic about how we randomly showed up in their lives and changed everything. Like angels. There was a note by stas on the back to us and it was so adorable! haha! He even said a prayer in the note. He's so funny! Rachel, I feel like I'm trying to compete with you. You always send stories of Boston being funnny and cute, and I'm here saying how funny my investigators are. Seriously though, they are like you little kids sometimes.
This week I also had an interesting experience. I was sitting up front with a driver, coming back from Samara and I decided to talk with him of course. We talked and laughed and made friends, and I turned it over to the gospel. He said he didn't think God helped him or even cared because He didn't do anything about his son who died two years earlier. I testified a bit about how God did care. I asked him if he thought he would see his son again and I was surprised by his response. Tears began rolling down his cheeks and he said he didn't know. Russian men NEVER cry in public, unless they are tipsy. I talked with him more and just put my arm around him as he drove through the darkness of the woods around us. It was so interesting because suddenly, I didn't see him as the large, fifty year old, Russian driver anymore, but as a chilld, who was confused. Who didn't understand. who was scared. Who wanted comfort. I can't describe the love I feel for that man, even though I don't know if I will ever see him again. I gave him a book of Mormon, but that was it. It was a very strange experience, and I can't fully describe how I felt. But it was way cool, us not even knowing each other, but being able to to trust each other... I don't know it was just cool.
Welp, got to go. Loves!!
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