BIG CHANGES

CRAZY WEEK

Hello friends and family!!! THIS WEEK HAS BEEN CRAZY! so much to tell you:)

this week has been a week of service, trips, and lots of new news and changes:)

First off we are all safe and fine and healthy and happy in good old Russia:) 

Monday we had FHE with the Johnstons and we translated for them. Sxxxxxxx the recent convert less active that we have been trying to get in contact with ACTUALLY CAME!!! Such a miracle I can't even explain it. SO NEAT!! As much as it has been hard to serve in one place for so long, I have seen more tender mercies and felt the gravity of them more because of my time here. I see all of the months of work and growth that accompany such big changes and it really has just been so beautiful to witness:) 

Tuesday I went on Splits with Sister Faddis!! It was so fun! we went to Ixxxx Mxxxxxxxx . and it was the 5th of july,..... Well I was thinking as we were painting her wall and I realized that exactly 7 months earlier I was also in her house taking wall paper off of her wall ON MY BIRTHDAY!! it was so cool! exactly 7 months. Crazy:) she is such a cutie and goes on these big laughing sprees and always yells, "это шутка!!!!" which means "It's a joke!!!" man she is so funny. 

That night we went to a less active Lxxxxx that the other sisters work with and read the Book of Mormon with her. It was really cool to meet with her too because the last time that I worked with her was when I was with Sister McMurray! she is a cutie and going through some hard times right now.. she is debating between two different churches right now, ours and I think baptist?? yeah a little strange but she agreed to read the Book of Mormon all the way through! so she is awesome! 

Wednesday we went and served Axxxxx at the house he is building. pretty much I stood in this huge pit and we took buckets of water out of the pit. It was really fun haha. He was doing some piping and ending up duct taping a lot of the piping... hahah things are just different here:) I love doing service like that! 

we then went to Oxxxx's and helped her put up her wallpaper again! it was great !

Thursday I had my Visa trip and it is honestly the nicest visa trip I have ever been on. We left at 4:30 and went from K-dar to Moscow , then to Armenia from Moscow, and then instead of going back to Moscow and then to Krasnodar, we went straight from Armenia to Krasnodar. We got home like at 9:30 which is sssooo nice. Less than 24 hours is always good! It was a fun visa trip too. I was with sister Sommers and Robinson and I love them both:) we always eat in the Armenian airport (well i guess not always.. just when there is time) and it was as delicious as always. I also talked with a really cool guy on the plane who was the coordinator of a stadium being built in Krasnodar. We had this whole long conversation in Russian and then he asked for my facebook so I tried to write something in Russian and he said, "or your can write in English. oh yes I also know English" hahahahaha YOU KNEW ENGLISH THE WHOLE TIME?!?! haha but he was really nice! He has heard of the church and one day will be a member, I just know it! :)

THURSDAY NIGHT WE GOT TRANSFER CALLS.....

I am being transferred to Volgograd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

woo hoo! I am sososososoososososos excited!!! I will be working with sister Lindquist that just got out of training, so she has been in Russia for 3 months. She is the newest missionary that we have in our mission. I am super excited! It is definitely going to be a change but Sister Lindquist just looks like such a cutie:) they actually had a baptism on Saturday with a man that Sister greenwood and Sister Jarvis met on the street. so it looks like the work is just going great! 

Things I know about Volgograd:

it is 14 hours away from Krasnodar on a night sleeper train ( WHICH I WILL BE TAKING TONIGHT FROM 7pm-9am. I KNOW SO FUN!!!!) 

people call it the "dust bowl"

the biggest river in Russia is located in Volgograd and Sister Greenwood said we will drive over it every time to go to the branch. 

they have "real" marshrutka's there.. hahahaha 

people say it is a super long city. 

the big "mother Russia" statue is located in Volgograd and we should be living close to it.

i think that is about all I know right now. I AM SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU!!!!!! YYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! 

oh I have also heard that the branch is just amazing and that a lot of people speak English!!! so cool! 

Friday we met with Axxxxx and Vxxxxxx:) my favorites:) 

Saturday we went to our investigator Lxxxxx's graduation.. but then we didn't feel too good about it and it was a little different than what we were thinking so we left early. But she graduated!! so woo hoo! 

We also saw Tatiana on the street which was a tender mercy! and we met with Viola. mind you, we had literally no plans for the day and all these things popped up. I just feel like the lord has been really mindful of me because I have seen so many random people that I have made friendships with in the last nine months as  "coincidences" haha it really has been so neat. 

Sunday was great. I got to bear my testimony and take pictures with members:) they are all so sweet and I am seriously going to miss Krasnodar! but I am so so excited to start new in Volgograd:) It is like a fresh page!!! 

YEAH!!! 

Lots of people have asked about the new Russian law. I can't say a lot. pretty much, we had heard of the possibility of the law.. the law became a law this week (we were all in shock... and still in shock) and now we are just trying to figure everything out. The law goes into effect on the 20th so we will literally be spending every second over the next 10 days on the street in an effort to find people. Please send your prayers for the missionaries here for strength and hope. and please pray for the people in Russia that we will talk to that their hearts will be softened. As missionaries we are not supposed to ask for group prayers or fasts, and I guess I am not really, but know that missionary work here needs your help and I know that through your faith, we can and will see miracles. I am excited to hit the streets! I feel as if the Lord has sent us here for a reason and I just feel this sense of urgency to share the work. I may have only 10 days left on my mission of street teaching.. and that is really weird to think about. 

Anyway, to answer your question, yes! everything is fine here and safe, we will just change our tactics. I will also send out the big email that president sent that explains more. Also look at the baptism picture, the girl in the picture with the brown hair and bangs is my new cute companion!!! 

I love you all and i am so happy and feel so blessed for this sacred time to be a missionary. I have been thinking a lot about being a missionary and how it is important not even to take the little things for granted (like talking to someone on the bus). The time we have been given is precious:) I love you all so much!!! 

NEXT WEEK FROM VOLGOGRAD!!!!!!!!! :) 

 

С большой любовью,сестра Price