You know what's weird? I think it's colder where you are than it is where I am. At least, for the past week it seems like that. There hasn't been much snow and I haven't had to wear a hat for most days, so that's kind of a miracle. That also means that there won't be a white Christmas here in Narnia (Narva), but that's whatevs. I figure I'll have enough snow to last me a lifetime in the coming months. Apparently January and February are the coldest months of the year.
But good news! I got my package. Well, not yet. Tomorrow I will. But I know it's in Tallinn and I'm going to Tallinn for Christmas Eve because it's zone conference. We'll come back to Narva that night but everyone was telling me how gigantic it is--I'm so excited! I figure it makes up for me not receiving any mail since I've been here :)
I can't believe that the house is already up for sale! And Taylor Bluth is home from his mission? What the?! I need y'all to tell him hello for me. And Mom, you said that Morgan Holt and Melinda Coates said hi, so give them a big hug for me! And tell them to update me on their lives, sheesh.
Anyways, it's been a lovely week. We went to Tallinn to get a temporary Estonian residence permit for myself and took the Tallinn sisters with us on the way back to Narva to do an exchange. This time I went with Sister Carr and it was a day filled with Heavyweights quotes and teaching by the Spirit, which is the best kind of day, in my book. "Let's do it to it, Lars."
We taught Anya and attended choir, which was a hoot. Sister Janis sat next to me and, my heavens, does that woman have a pair of lungs on her. She loves to sing. She also loves to speak English, even though she only knows how to say, "good job". In Russian, they say моло дец, which means "good jobber", and it's kind of a noun rather than telling someone that they did a good job. She says it a lot.
Elder Hampton usually directs the choir (and when I say choir, I hope you can imagine the four women from the branch who come and then the elders...sometimes their investigator Sasha, too). Anyway, he directs it and Sister Janis just eats it up when he tells us to straighten our backs and fix our posture. She turned to me and was like, "Sister Goochka, how do you say beautiful man in English?" I told her and she just whispered it over and over to Elder Hampton. I died. Dead.
And oh! Another wonderful Sister Janis story happened last Monday. We started a family history account for her on familysearch because she has the potential to do a lot of good with the energy and enthusiasm that she has for the gospel. In our first few minutes of the lesson, when we were telling her what we were planning on teaching, her face was really serious. And if you know Sister Janis like I do, it's really weird to see her serious. She got all quiet and we asked her what she was thinking. In her own words: "How did you know? How could you have known?" Haha she had apparently been praying for someone to help her figure out how to do family history work. The whole process of showing her was probably the funniest thing I've ever experienced. I was typing everything in Russian and it was taking a while because I'm not used to the Russian keyboard. Anyway, at one point, I hit the wrong button and it erased this whole entry that I had made for her deceased son. Sister Janis immediately began to pray, "Oh Lord, please help Sister Goochka. Please bless her hands to move swiftly and--" and then the problem was fixed. We were also trying to load a video and it kept pausing. She would hold her hand up and shake it at the screen, saying, "Get out of the computer, Satan!" Again, dead. She's too funny. She also thinks it's hilarious that I have a habit of saying, "Но вот," as a sentence filler because it's apparently really Russian. So that's a good thing, right?
This Sunday was so good. I know I've said it before, but it's really sad to me that you don't know the members and can't experience what I'm experiencing. Svyeta Nikolaeva, a really awesome returned missionary who's like 28 and the best person ever gave me two warm skirts that actually work! See my problem is the fact that I have a bigger behind than most Russians, so it's been kind of a nightmare to find a warm skirt. Haha it was so nice of her though! Every Sunday since I got here, the members have brought me skirts and made me try them on in the bathroom after sacrament meeting. When I walked out with one of the skirts that Svyeta brought me yesterday, Sister Janis, Sister Valling, Svyeta, and Sister Ermohhina (sorry if you don't recognize all those names) were standing together and cheering. Sister Janis said, "Glory to God!" Haha they're really amazing people.
Sister Ivanova, a 45ish yr old woman who lives in Kohtle Jarve (an hour from Narva, in the direction of Tallinn) brought us these cute little chocolate bars with Christmas ornaments on them. We had stopped in Kohtle Jarve on our way to Tallinn to teach her last week. She has the cutest apartment ever. It's not your average dark, old, Russian apartment. She remodeled the whole thing and it's like the most peaceful place I've ever been. But that's how Sister Ivanova is--peaceful and soft and everything lovely in the world. She is such a strong member and an example to everyone. I know her daughter because she's serving Estonian speaking in Parnu.
Sister Benson and I have started a "Lost Sheep" program, where we make Christmas packages for a bunch of less actives and deliver them. We were inspired by a really cool promise that Sister Benson heard in the MTC: The harder you work to bring lost sheep to the Lord, the more miracles will happen to bring back your own lost sheep to His fold. I thought that was pretty awesome. I am working my hardest to bring them back not only because I want them as individuals to find the peace and salvation that our covenants bring, but I know that I have a whole bunch of family who needs to come back. There is so much, so much peace and happiness to be found in remembering your covenants.
I've never felt more strongly or been able to speak more boldly about the gospel as I have this week. I guess I had a realization that there is no need to do a disservice to yourself and others by minimizing the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all here on this earth to follow the example set by Christ: to have faith in Him, to repent daily, to be baptized, to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and to endure to the end. That includes going to church every Sunday and renewing your covenants, whether they be of baptism or your temple covenants. There is no other way--no shortcuts or different roads. Only through repeating that process can we be truly and fully happy. I wish I could put into words how perfectly I know this and how badly I want for each, individual person that I love to come back to that God who gave them breath and repent. Decide to change today and come back, because there is room for you in His fold. I promise that blessings of forgiveness and rest is to be found in the Savior Jesus Christ, because He loves and understands you more perfectly than you understand or love yourself.
I was thinking last night about what I was doing at this time last year. It was easily the happiest time of my life--seriously, I was so blessed in every way. I had incredible friends and roommates, I was with my family who I love to the moon and back, and I was going to school studying things that I love. But I had a pretty surprising realization last night: I have so much more now. I may have had to give up schooling for now and seeing all of the people I love, but I have an absolute knowledge of the true and living God. I know that I can speak with Him and that He can guide me. I have a much better grasp of what my spiritual gifts and talents are and I am finally learning how to use them. I know Jesus Christ--I know who He is, what He has done for me, and what I can do with Him if I continue to live my life according to His gospel. I have a lot more love for the people around me and for myself. My happiness is not derived from my circumstances anymore, but from my relationship that I have with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
I love you all so much, and I hope that you have a lovely Christmas. Can't wait to talk to you!
Love,
Sister Gooch
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