It's COLD!!!

Dear Mom and Dad ;)
Hello! Greetings from a COLD Russia! The last couple days have been cold here in Russia but it is exciting to see all the winter clothes being brought out. First things first: Sis. Pike is still my companion! YEA! Wednesday after she had all packed and we were about to go to bed, the AP called and told her she would be staying in Oktabrasky for a few more days after the conference. It was such great news to us because our investigators had been doing so well and so Thursday we headed off to the Conference and then she came back with me. We will pick up our mini missionary today in about an hour and then be in a threesome until Sis. Pike leaves maybe Wednesday or Thursday, we're still not sure. BUT all in all she is still here and we have had a GREAT week!
Thanks for everyone's emails, especially dad. It was awesome! So I'm not sure if I should start with the sprititual stuff or the boring everday stuff. I think I will start with the boring and end with the good spiritual stuff!
This week was pretty normal as far as missionary standards go. We had some great lessons with our investigators and had a really fun lesson with a less inactive lady we have been working with in our ward. I remember I told you about Luba (the opera singer in our ward) last week, but this week we took Luba and her boyfriend Artur (who was baptized about a month ago and is also an opera singer here). We had a great time singing hyms for the member and inviting her to come to church. She felt so special to have Artur and Luba there and as we were leaving Artur told her she could get her some tickets to the Philharmonic here if she would like to go (she's in her 70's and doesn't ever leave her house). Oh I wish everyone could have seen her cute face! She felt on top of the world to have a handsome young opera singer invite her to the philharmonic. The face was fleeting as she turned back into her normal self and said, 'hmph... I don't know.' It was awesome! I love missionary work!
We have continue working with Valentina and she continues to be as funny as ever. Just the other day we were at her house and had tea, afterwards we were doing the dishes for her. She then came into our house and did our dishes! What do we do with her! She also shared her 'big secret' for the week with us. She loves to know how we do things and what types of things we cook etc. Sis. Pike told her that in America we don't iron very many things. She asked if we ironed our sheets and we said 'NO!' She seemed a little apalled but a couple days later she told Sis. Pike very quietly, that very morning she had put her sheets on the bed, and didn't even iron them! Oh sweet freedom! I LOVE THE PEOPLE HERE!
Here we have many mnay people who are willing to be our mom's. Yesterday the weather was terrible. There were winds that were worse than Rexburg winds, cold cold cold pouring rain and just cold weather. By the time Sis. Pike and I got to church in a different area (Our investigator Natalya was going to church!!!!) Her boots were completely and totally soaked and she had to take them off. She took them off and her socks were all wet, she turned to me and said 'some babyshkas are going to get MAD at me and sure enough...our investogator saw, and being the mother she is,
made her take off the socks, put on some boots that were just lying around the church and, best part, hung her socks in front of the oven, on a broom, with the oven on all during church so her socks would dry out. She was so cute and worried about us being cold she gave us her pair of gloves (I had left my little mittens somewhere in Samara, whoops:() As we headed out she then wrapped Sis. Pike's feet in plastic bags and then had her put on her boots etc. The people here are so nice and loving and they just want to take care of you! It was great!
We had a lesson with her later that night and took a member of the church who is awesome. Renant was recently baptized and is our Branch Mission Leader. He is about 19 and studying here in Samara. I love seeing the dedication of these members here in Russia. They are so willing to go on lessons and help out with missionary work they really are an example for us and how we should be. Natalya LOVES Renant and so we had a good lesson talking about the tree of life etc. I love her and am so excited to continue working with her and see her progress. She went to church the first time this week and it was so fun to see her take the sacrament. I had to play the piano and so I watched as it got to her and she just winked at me and I just thought, this is why I'm here! The Gospel has just a powerful influence in people's lives and can change them! Oh it is so cool to be a part of this work! I am so grateful for the opportuinity to serve these people! I learn more from them about life etc. than I'm sure they learn from me about the Gospel but it so so cool to see the change that takes place and to see their love for this Gospel grow!
One last funny story! One day Sis. Pike and I had not had very much success at all! No one wanted to talk to us, it was cold, it was a little overcast and we were tired. Sis. Pike had just dropped her favorite earring off the balcony and so we were searching for it below in the bushes. There was a guy on his balcony smoking above us and as we were looking I felt something hit my head. I felt my head and sure enough, he had spit on me... awesome. Now I know he wasn't trying to, I think he just didn't realize we were down there but I just thought to myself...missionary work is awesome, I just got spit on and no one will talk to us. That is like the summary of a bad day in missionary work. I didn't want to complain and I knew that Sis. Pike was having a bad day too (her earring had broken) so I didn't want to complain and so I didn't say anything until last night. When I told her the story we both just laughed really hard for a few minutes and said I guess that's why its okay to have hard days, you get to laugh about them later.
Ok... time for the spiritual part. We had the conference with Elder Nelson this week and it was amazing. We were able to hear from President Schweitzer and his wife and Elder Nelson. We were also able to shake his hand and that was cool! I shook the hand of an apostle! YEA! He was so powerful and the spirit was so strong in that conference. We were able to sing Called to Serve and it was so neat to sing with all of us missionaries and an apostle, what we are doing here! While he was speaking I knew that this was WHERE I'm supposed to be and WHEN i'm supposed to be here. It is such a short time in the eternal perspective to give to the Lord. A year and a half and I'll be back home doing 'normal' things but right now I get to do AMAZING things. I get to talk about things that you can't talk about normally, I get to meet people and talk about their family with them, I get to testify about Jospeh Smith and the Book of Mormon on a regular basis and it is so cool! This truly is a once in a lifetime experience and I get to do it. I think my favorite thing that I learned from Elder Nelson was an answer to the question 'why me?' Why a 19/21 year old? His answer was simply, the Lord has always chosen the unlikely. Look at history. He gave the example of picking the army and the narrowed it down to 300 men judging by how they drunk the water (thanks dad! Those Old Testament FHE;s really payed off, I remembered that story!) Look at Joseph Smith. Look at Nephi. Look at Moses, David and Goliath, Abinadi, etc. We will always be in the minority but as long as we are on the Lord's side we will win. It was so cool to hear an apostle testify that it is the unikely, the people who can't speak Russian, the people who don't know what every scripture says (missionaries) that the Lord can bring about his grand purposes and bring about a great and marvelous work. He also talked a lot about finding common ground with those you talk to. He told the story of President Hinckly meeting Gorbachov(sp.) and asking if he saw the wood paneling in the room. He then explained that it was some type of walnut and it was actually the walnut from where Gorbachov grew up (I can't remember the name of the wood) but it is important to be smart and to talk to people about what they like, do etc. He also talked about the importance of questions and like a doctor asking the question 'where does it hurt?' Find out how the Gospel can heal them and teach that principle. Overall it was a great conference and I learned a lot about being a missionary and it got me excited to keep serving and doing this work. It is a great work! This is where I need to be and I'm doing what I need to.
Well time is up but I love you all! Thanks for the letters, the recipes, and all the love and support. You are all amazing! Do MISSIONARY work! Go out with the missionaries, invite them to teach in your homes, talk to their investigator's at church. The church is true, I know it! It will be exciting to work with my new companion and although it is sad to say goodbye to Sis. Pike she has served a great mission and is a fantastic missionary. I am so grateful for her example of how to make a mission fun. You don't have to be serious and intense with your investigator's. Love them, show them love and find out 'where it hurts' for them. That is the way to do missionary work!
Have a good week! Love,
Whitney