Pday in Samara

show details Mar 15 (2 days ago)

Well another week has gone by and... another cycle! Today officially stats the first day of the new cycle-- my 7th cycle on my mission! WHAT??? I can't believe it. The last cycle went by REALLY fast and I"m just afraid that all of the cycles after this will just get faster and faster and faster. I am still in Oktabrasky (huzzah) with Sister STolyarova (double huzzah). Today I am in Samara and will have my 2nd visa trip in just a couple of days. I am currently with the sisters in Bezamonski and will go to Lithuania on Wednesday and then return to my good old area Oktabrasky on Friday. It will be weird to be gone from "home" for a few days but everyone needs a vacation right? I mean my parents are kicking it in Mexico so I deserve a "vaca" also.
I came up on the bus to Samara this morning, leavning my companion with a "mini"-missionary-- a cute Grandma from Angles that has been serving in our mission. She is completely amazing and I was so happy to serve with her for a day. Sunday morning we headed to the train station to pick her up and then were in a threesome all day Sunday. She has a STRONG testimony and it is so cool to see the sacrifices she has given and what she is willing to give to the Lord . She has 5 children, 2 jobs and 5 grandchildren which she all left to serve on a "mini"-mission for 6 weeks. COOL. WE were able to teach a lesson to Valentina last night and I was able to hear how she came in contact with the missionaries and hear her sweet testimony. She is truly amazing and inspires me to continue to do missionary work after my mission and to really devote everything to the Lord. She is 56 and has been out on the street with missionaries 9 1/2 hours a day for 6 weeks... SERIOUSLY.
We had a good week. It has definitely been warmer (-5,-3,-9) etc. We are LOVING the weather! Today is even in the pluses. The only negative is that w continue to get dumped on with snow and so the water is rising higher and higher and the streets are becoming swimming pools. The snow has piled up here and so we are awaiting a VERY WET and dirty Spring but we are planning on buying rubber boots today so not to fear.
We were able to have some great conversations this week and have been really trying this week to have a mini-lesson with EVERY person we talk to. We try and teach at least one Gospel principle every conversation and testify and it has been really cool. Although we haven't seen a lot of change, we notice a change in how we FEEL. We really feel like missionaries! Cool huh? Of course we also bore testimony when we talked to people and invited EVERY person to church but now we are really tryng to TEACH something like how to pray, the nature of God, the importance of prophets, why we go to chuch etc. It has been really cool to challenge ourselves to just TEACH!!!
We have seen a lot of mirales this week and I want to challenge and commit everyone this week (there I go, being all missionary-like) to LOOK for miracles this week. I was reading in Helaman this week and I love the heading chapter for one of the last chapters in Helaman where it talks about the miracles that are occuring. It somply states "Many see mircles and others harden their hearts" (or somethng like that:) WHY? Because sometimes we just don't look. I really thought about that a lot this week. The miracles that took place in Helaman weren't just in closed rooms, to the elect, and to certain audiences. ANGELS were being seen, people were healed, miralces were literally occuring everywhere and some saw and some didn't. So this week, open your hears, open your minds. Don't rely on the wisdom and the strengths of the world as it goes on to say in that same chapter but have faith, rely on the Lord and miracles truly will occur! I love this work! I love this GOspel and I love Russia! thanks for the love and support. Pray for the missionaries and... look for miracles. I know they occur and I know they are around us EVERYDAY!
Love,
Sister Morris

****Shout out to Katie- I got your email today but it was the first one in about a month and a half-- I don't know if that is bad. Also Katie, you will understand when I say that sometimes I just sigh and say "stay classy Russia".