Tracting at last

So much to tell and so little time! I dyed my hair dark again...it wasn't supposed to go dark, but for some reason, it took super dark. But everyone LOVES it! The elders all freaked out! I LOVE it with my new cut and everything, so fun.

I'm super excited at the moment because I can converse soooo much better now in Russian. I know it’s totally the spirit, but I hope it keeps coming and stays with me after the mish, cuz it's so fun. I even duked it out with a babushka about the Davinci Code, Christ being married and having kids concept. I love being able to just talk about anything like normal, you know!

I was running super fast up the metro stairs the other day and started losing my footing and thought I could totally save myself, which of course made the fall so much bigger and extreme. Oh, and I screamed just to bring a little more attention to the really non-embarrassing situation. :[ So I fully fell in rush hour metro time and took a babushka down with me. Nice. I know Karma was just biting me finally for laughing so hard for days after Sister N. fell at the MTC...I've been waiting for my day. My debt is paid.

Then, as I stumbled laughing and apologizing onto the escalator, two men followed us on TOTALLY drunk and one fell on Kop (my comp, I call her Cor, which is Kop in Russian.) The other one was standing right behind me and had puke all down him. So I was praying, please let us make it to the top before he hurls again, cuz he wasn't looking too good and there was nowhere I could go. Well, about 1/3 of the way up the really long escalator, the other guy that fell on Kop fell back....there happened to be NOBODY on the stairs behind him and I watched as he somersaulted all the way down to the bottom! I thought he was dead for sure! But he got up and, yes, puked everywhere.

Tuesday was the most amazing day of my mission. There is no way that I can describe it the way that I would like on here. But I'll just tell you a little bit about it. Within two hours, I felt like we did more for this area than we have done my whole time here. No, I don't feel it, I KNOW it. The night before, I was really thinking a lot about why I've never gone tracting. I always hear it's dangerous for sisters and I’m not going to lie, it scares the heck out of me to go knock on Russian’s doors and TRY to speak the language in order to share the most important message these people will hear in their whole lives. But every time the elders mention tracting, I feel a little pang of something.

So Monday night before bed, I just felt the spirit so strong that we really needed to do it. To go and contact and tract for REAL. We always talk about being better and how we need new ideas and plans but we don't really do anything. Kop said she and Gegaulchi contacted a ton but nothing ever came of it. But I really felt in my heart that we needed to do it.

That morning was very peaceful and spiritual. I fasted and read the BOM and then in the PoGP about the murder of Joseph Smith...I love him so much. So we left and went contacting on the street and in the park. We gave away 7...yes, SEVEN Books of Mormon with lessons. That's a MIRACLE! Then we tracted an apt building and gave out more along with Liahonas and some church DVDs.

We passed out a ton of English practices and the last one I gave to a girl, and she just wanted to know more and more about the church. She’s 18 and really adorable and wants to come to church on Sunday. It was just a day of miracles! I felt very calm and at peace after it all.

That night we had a lesson with a former investigator (another miracle, seriously.) She's Ukrainian, Tatyana...HILAREOUS! Big, funny woman all about drinking and smoking and sex, but sooooo funny! And guess who she's MADLY obsessed with?... CHRISTIAN BALE!!!! hahahahha! I loved her instantly. But I didn't understand 98% of everything she said. The only times were when I was alone with her, like when my comp went to the toilet and stuff. And when I testified. I love how it just flows and how I feel as it’s happening! :) I love how God and the spirit work things out.

So much more to tell and only 10 minutes. We had zone conference on Wednesday and it went super well! Sister Sandberg LOVED my new hair. I gave 4 elders haircuts this week and they ended up really well and I did them fast.

I’m living off of beets. I found them canned! They're so divine, I just eat them straight out of the can...I have lost my mind. Who am I?

I just love my mtc group! Every time we all see each other we just immediately want to hug (which we can't) and just catch up on our lives. I will forever have a family bond with them.

So I went to Finland today! Kind of a whole gyp situation. It’s on p-day, temple is closed (saddest most tragic part, I cried,) I went with 2 non-English speaking Ukrainians and Gegaulchi...my favorite person. But she's Ukrainian so they all just talked the whole time. One of them is my new DL. He’s like a tiny gorgeous wind up toy.

But I bought Dr. Pepper and my favorite Finnish chocolate and was living large (literally, I’m huge). The best part was going through the 50 checkpoints. It’s super hard to get into Finland, but going back to Russia, it was a free pass, haha! I loved the guys at the borders tho. Every check point, it took the natives 2 seconds, and me 5 minutes cuz the guys would all want to see my passport and speak to me in English and stuff. It was super fun and I feel tight now with the Finnish border patrol. I love you! (written on Jan 17, 2008)