Christmas and New Year!

Well hello folks!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS WEEK!!

This week was Christmas and it was so fun:)

On Christmas Eve, Sister McMurray invited us over to her apartment after evening planning for a surprise... we went in and all the lights were turned off except for candles lit on the ground... We went in and read the story of the Savior's birth in Luke, watched the Nativity, bore testimonies, and sang together. It was a really special night:)

Christmas was awesome! We recieved special permission to gather together for district meeting and a meal with the Johnstuns. (the senior couple) They made a delicious meal of chicken and... wait for it... .MERSHED PERTERTERS AND GRAVVVY.   Oh man it was such a lovely meal:) They are so sweet! We had a great time together as missionaries and it was a lovely meal:) we then got to skype home which was wonderful! so fun:) after that we contacted (while holding back tears haha) and then took our dinner hour and grabbed some fries at McDonalds which was a cool experience! It was my first time at McDonalds and it is like one of the nicest restaurants here haha. but yes so that was our Christmas!

The next day was a bit hard haha. We had the post Christmas calling drag but we had the opportunity to go to the branch Christmas party and let me tell you. That party was a MIRACLE. I think we had more less actives and potentials than we did members. Really I can't even explain, the room was FULL of people. It was so awesome:)

Well I think that is all for today! Happy New Years!!

Love you all!

С большой любовью,сестра Price

ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!!

Oh my goodness can we even believe it is almost Christmas?? I know I can't!

Krasnodar Zone Conference

This week has been wonderful and has been probably one of my happiest weeks on the mission!!! I absolutely LOVE my companions Sister Derek and Sister Summers!!! they are amazing:) We are all relatively new in the mission so we have had some fun figuring out things together:)

We had Zone conference this week that was amazing! President Miner brought up some great insights and I feel really edified by what we learned. it was wonderful!

With Sister Derek and Sister Summers we have an investigator named Axxxxx and he is awesome! he has been investigating the church for a LONG time. like years. He told us in the last lesson that he knows the church is true and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I was absolutely blown away when he said that! but apparently he has said that for a long time and just won't (not won't- hasn't yet:)) committed to baptism. so we are working with him on that! We also found out that he loves table tennis! (not ping pong, mind you) and so we had an activity with him this week where we played table tennis. Man he really got into it! he has a case for his paddle and then he also changed his shoes in order to play. You can only imagine how embarrassed I was when I called it ping pong instead of table tennis hahahaha.

Man we had another Russian missionary play him and they are both ssssoooo good at table tennis. It was crazy how good they were haha. But yes that was super fun and we are hoping Axxxxx can make some more friends in the ward through table tennis (every time I have written table tennis I have had to erase ping pong and change it to table tennis haha)

oh another interesting thing that Axxxxx told us in the last lesson was that one of the reasons why he decided to come back to church and English club was because he saw the great examples of the members. Now this was back in 1998, I was only 3 years old then. In that moment I just wanted to thank all of the church members that were going to church then and now I want to thank all of you for the examples you have been when you didn't even know you were being an example!!

We also had a cool meeting with a recent convert Oxxxxx who is just a sweetheart and has two little kids dxxx and Nxxxx. We shared a spiritual thought with them and then got to decorate the tree with them! It was super fun and I got to help Dxxx put ornaments on the tree:) It was so fun! Not the same as home, but still pretty great:) I felt as if God was really mindful of me in those moments:) definitely a tender mercy:)

ok funny story: last week we were coming home from Rostov and we were in the Rostov train station and I had to use the bathroom SSSSOOO bad. they had a bathroom there so I was so relieved. I went to the bathroom and there is a sign that says you have to pay 20 rubles in use the bathroom. Man I had to go so bad though so i paid that money haha! I walked into the bathroom to see these stalls and I was so relieved because it looked familiar haha. so I walk up to a stall door and OPEN THE DOOR AND THERE IS JUST A HOLE IN THE GROUND. so I check the other stalls and they are the same so I just bust up laughing and took a picture and then awkwardly figured out just how Russian women pee in public restrooms hahha. oh man.

yeah last week (like not this week but the week before) was hard and if paying 20 rubles to pee in a hole doesn't sum it up then I don't know what will:) haha anyway...

I think this week was one of the happiest of my mission and I can't really pick out why:) I know and can testify that I have felt God's love this week and my testimony has grown that he is mindful of us and loves us immensely:) I love that you spoke on the refiners fire this week because I feel like I have been feeling it! even writing this email I feel boring and spiritual haha.

I would like to leave you with this thought: when the wise-men went to visit our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ after His birth, they were instructed to leave a different way (Matthew 2:12). Sister Miner at this past zone training used that scripture and compared it to our missions and how once we have come to know Christ, we should never be the same. It can be compared to real life as well. Once we come to know Christ, know The teachings of the Gospel, know the temple ordinances, and know how much God loves us, we should "leave another way"

Changing is one thing I was really nervous about in coming on a mission and quite honestly it still scares me! I am nervous I will be different and weird and my wants and desires will change. and that is a scary thought! but through this wisdom and through lots of hard work and soul searching I have come to the realization and comfort that change is fine and a lot of the time wonderful. And I guess if we are changing in the way that the Lord wants us to change then we are only becoming the best people we can be. and I guess that is something that I have been learning is to have faith in the Lord that change can be good and he has our best interests at heart always:) May I encourage you all to have the best Christmas ever and to invite the Savior's love into our lives. May we change and become better people this Christmas season!
Jeremiah 29:13

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!

see you soon:)::):):):):):):):):):):)

President and Sister Miner with two of their children

Zone Conference

Practicing Street Contacting (Hannah  :))

Zone Conference

 

 

Krasnodar Zone Conference

Week in Rostov

Well hello! 

This week we have spent the week in Rostov! the other sisters are so nice to home us:) I went on a lot of splits this week and so I had the opportunity to work with a lot of sisters! I had 3 days of full splits with different companions/companionships and then also spent parts of days with other sisters so all in all I worked with 8 different sisters this week! It was really awesome and they are just on fire:)

this week was odd because we were out of area so we did a whole lot of contacting which was awesome! we met with so many cool people and  had lots of really awesome conversations:)

I also got to have a sleepover with sister Jameson last night!!! OK not a sleepover but they came over to our apartment to make it easier on the sisters on the visa trip. that was awesome:) 

I just want to share one experience with you this week:) we went and visited a member Lxxxx who is blind. She is a sweetheart and after we introduced ourselves a hundred times, put bags over our shoes, and then signed her missionary book, we had a lesson about love and charity. Lxxxx lives with a roommate who does everything for her but they don't get along. She told us how she can love everyone else in the world except for her and it honestly made me wonder how she could feel that way about someone who literally does everything for her. Now I don't know the whole situation and everything like that, but it made me wonder about times in my life where I haven't treated people the way they should have been treated. I thought about everything that so many people have done for me and if I have a Lxxxx attitude. I also thought about our Savior Jesus Christ and how he literally has done everything for me. I am running out of time but I encourage you to think of the people in your life who have helped you and give something back. Find someone who hasn't done anything for you and give! Think of your savior Jesus Christ, especially during this Christmas season, and find a way to give back to him.

I love you all and I am so excited to talk to you soon!

We will be skyping 6pm on Christmas day here in Krasnodar time.

I think that is like 8 am on Christmas for you but honestly that is just a guess:)

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Random Wall in Krasnador

Birthday Celebration

Birthday Ballons - Thanks Sis McMurray!

Hello Hello!!!!

Well friends, THANK YOU. I honestly honestly don't have time to respond back to everyone and it makes me super sad not to. but I want you to know that I LOVED your emails and I love you all so much! I am going to write this email and then head back and try to answer some.

WE GOT TRANSFER CALLS THIS WEEK. In training you stay with your trainer for 12 weeks and then usually get transferred... so yeah I wasn't expecting anything... but I AM BEING TRANSFERRED. ok but also not really hahah. I am still going to be here in Krasnodar but I will be joining sister Derek and Sister Summers in the apartment two floors down from ours:) Sister McMurray will also still be in Krasnodar but will be in the same apartment with one of the new sisters, sister Moore who I actually had the opportunity of meeting while in the MTC. I am super excited to be companions with Sister Derek and Sister Summers but honestly very nervous too:) They are on their 4th transfer together (so pretty much barely out of training) and they spent some time being in a companionship in the MTC and then had training (12 weeks ) apart from each other and then were together last transfer and now I will be joining them! so yes yes, you're right in the fact that I very much do feel like I am intruding on their marriage:) :) BUT I am super excited to join them because they are both super sweet and I think we will all learn and grow muchos this transfer! so YEAH!!! 

Sister McMurray and Hannah

I actually am still going up to Rostov this week with Sister McMurray to pick up her new trainee.. We Will be staying there until at least Wednesday but then the plans are up in the air because Sister McMurray has to go on her Visa trip and I don't know if they will let me go down alone with Sister Moore...or If I will come down with other sisters.... so pretty much I will just be on splits with a whole bunch of sisters in Rostov as They do training and such. Stay tuned for my next email to see what happens this week because we have no idea!!! hahahah :) 

This week was a wonderful week and I had a wonderful grandmas birthday and a wonderful real birthday too! ;) 

but let me start at the beginning:

On Tuesday we did service at Axxxx's again!! it was super fun! We served with the same elders (elder Hunt and Elder Burwell) as we did last time. Axxxxx really likes Elder Hunt because he speaks Russian really well. And he actually is on his way home as I type this so that is another reason why we went! to say goodbye! We went to Axxxx's at the time we planned but she wasn't there and we hadn't had lunch so we went to the magneet and got sstuff for sandwich makings! We were still in all of our clothes and didn't have anywhere to sit so we stood on the side of the road and made a sandwich factory line hahah It reminded me of Dad and Kiley!! They love mayo here too. but yes I will send a picture of our sandwicch line haha.

 The Sandwich line in full swing.

Street side sandwiches with the Elders

Axxxxx is so sweet. We went to her house and she gave us cookies and tea which was awesome! then we served. Sis McMurray and I shoveled stuff (now that I think of It i don't know what it was.. just trash that looked like dry wall) and then the elders took out a stump. 

She then gave us a giant frozen duck of hers that she insisted we cook for elder Hunt before he leaves. We told her we couldn't and blah blah blah but she eventually just forced us to take it and told us to cook it all together. We finished up service and got changed. The buses where we were only run rarely so we started to walk down the street and we see this bus pass. it has the number we need so we start booking it! so here are two elders in suits and two sisters in knee length skirts (which in and of itself is news in Russia) sprinting down the street with jars of jam and nuts and a 6 pound frozen duck in a bag. we run for awhile until we realize the bus is going the wrong way but we were all just following elder Hunt hahahaha. but man I want to watch that scene from an outsiders perspective hahahahah. 

Wednesday we went and visited Lxxxx  who we have served a couple of times. Whenever we call she never wants us to come to our house but we just felt like we needed to go visit her. we went to her apartment and all I can say is NUTS. no like, literal nuts. Walnuts everywhere. I think it is what she lives off of. She was kind of in bad shape..... she is feeling sick and is trying to get better. So I was glad we went and talked with her I think she enjoyed it. We told her about transfers and then asked if we could do anything at the end of the lesson and she said, "never leave krasnodar" so that was cute of her:) 

On wednesday we also had set up a meeting with Azzzz. We wanted a member there but oculdn't find anyone. so we decided to ask Mxxxxxx boyfriend Junior who is from Brazil and speaks English. We were running late so we like literally ran to his house and picked him up and then slightly jogged on the way back to get to the lesson on time. we got there on time and waited.. and waited.... :) so we are looking forward for a lesson this week!!! hahaha. yes she didn't make it but we had a great english club all together. 

We have tried to meet with Ixxxx twice this week but she hasn't made it either time... But we are still in contact and are hoping to meet. 

Thursday we had FHE with the Xccccccc family which was awesome! the senior couple- the Johnstuns (actually from Utah) came with us! after our lesson they brought out all this cake and banana bread and wow it was a lot and we couldn't eat it but we couldn't not eat it.... so yeah that was fun! these members just want to give... luckily with the new mission pres it is now "Never eat at homes. But never offend" It is just hard to find that balance haha. but yes that was wonderful!

Friday we went to Ixxxxx for a contact.. but then we ended up unexpectedly serving! We moved rocks but didn't bring a change of clothes so we moved them in skirts haha. man she is so sweet and we promised to come the next day too so that we could actually serve. 

On Saturday it was my birthday!!!! It was a fun day:) Sis McMurray blew up balloons for me and so that was fun to wake up to! we did our studies then headed over to Ixxxxx's again to serve... and she had made us lunch! (again with the food stuff) we had split pea mush and unidentifiable meat chunks!!! it was delicious!! She also made us belinis which in all serious were really delicious. and she gave me a candy bar and sang to me happy birthday in english and russian multiple times!! haha she is so sweet and honestly made my birthday. then we had choir practice with the othere missionaries and then had an apartment inspection and then we did training and ordered pizza!!! then Sister McMurray made me apple crisp and we had warm apple crisp and ice cream:) it was wonderful!!!

Doesn't look like her birthday Pizza or Apple Crisp, but she looks happy!

Sunday was great! we went to church and then had a break the fast young single adult activity. our investigator Axxxx actually came!!!!! so we all headed over to the Johnstons apartment and had taco soup and watched Meet the Mormons!!! It was so fun and I really think Axxxx enjoyed it. She is so shy but she got to meet and talk to people her age! it was wonderful:)

things are great in Russia and I love you all and miss you!!! happy almost Christmas!!! 

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С большой любовью,сестра Price