Finland = Heaven

I am not in the best mood right now cuz it took us like 5 hours of our p-day to find this internet place and for some reason I have no money on my msf card so today isn't the greatest that it could be. But what can you do? Move on. :)

I'm loving my new comp! She's from Siberia, her name is Olga Koribrenikova and she's 24. I love her! She speaks zero English, but shockingly (maybe not to you) that hasn't stopped me from talking nonstop. :) We seriously have never had a silent moment, we just talk and talk and talk. The gift of tongues has kicked in at this time, and in that I mean that she understands me somehow and I have no clue how it's working. :) We seriously stay up late talking every night and just talk all day to each other on the street. I've never talked so much to a companion, and all the other ones spoke ENGLISH! Haha! When she prays she always thanks God for making her beautiful, which I love, haha. So anyways, we're having fun!

This area was dead, zero investigators and now, in one week we got one amazing one and a few more good potentials. I've cut a few people's hair and all is going swimmingly. For some reason, this transfer, I’m not scared at all to talk. Like, in Russian. I don't know ANYTHING, but I’ve somehow lost the fear. I LOVE it! I'll just be chillin in a discussion and the person will start yelling or crying and chatting 50 thousand miles a minute, and I have no prob just jumping in and saying something about what I THINK they're talking about, just whatever I feel. Somehow it works out. It's so fun!!!!

So my hair isn't bad at all to me anymore, I love it cuz everyone else loves it. Nobody believes that I’m not Russian, even after I talk to them, they're still like, "really? You’re so Russian."

I like my new branch. It’s actually near where I used to live and we were there all the time. My new area is called Shivalova, and it's north of center. It takes like 20 minutes on the metro to get back to center, so not far. Our place is about a 15-minute walk to the metro, and I like our apt. We had to live without a shower all week cuz the landlord was fixing SOMETHING on it, but what can you do. It took me back a little bit to Pskov, but at least I didn't have to BOIL water.

We have this mysterious closet in our apt that's nailed shut. I think there is a dead body or something, maybe preserved cuz I don't smell anything, but something is fishy there. :)

Elder J from my first district in Pskov is in my district here and he went to Finland to the temple the other day and brought me back dr. pepper.... aw! I love him! How sweet was that! He said he knew I loved it, so he bought me some. :) Finland has everything that’s the best. Like if it's from Finland in a store here, it's the most expensive and for sure the best and safest. I swear, Finland must be like heaven. Everyone talks like it is. And like I said before, I know we will speak Finnish in heaven, it's GORGEOUS!

We went to FHE where I used to when I was in center this week and guess who came! The boys from my English class! They miss me! hahaha! I was SOOOO excited! I don't know why none of the elders are working with them, they're AWESOME! We played games and they said they're coming next week too, so I was stoked.

The other night we were out on the street forEVER and my feet were on FIRE! I felt like I was walking on ice and it was just burning my feet! My boots are horrible for such cold weather, so I got some REALLY good ones yesterday. They're just plain black, very simple, but I think they're classy. I'm sooooo thankful, I’ve been dying.

I met a girl at my new branch named Shayanne, TOTALLY from San Diego!!! We freaked out and are attached at the hip now at church. I love her! I guess her man is from Brazil, he used to play for the Utah Jazz b-ball team but now he plays for the St. Pete's team here. They're in Greece right now for a game. She's the coolest chick ever and I knew immediately she was from sd cuz of the way she talked. So we love each other and I’m her new translator at church cuz she speaks zero Russian.

The other day we taught a teenage girl in one of these communal living places, which are so common here, it's weird. But we had to teach on an icy floor by candle light because they have a 10 x 10 room (no joke), no lights, no furniture, nothing. It’s weird cuz I keep on meeting people and being like, they're totally normal, but then when I see how they live, it's crazy to me. She lives there with her mom and bro.

Okay, I love you with every fiber of my being! Even more! (written on Dec 6, 2007)