June 11,2012

Family!!

Boy, I feel like I have so much to tell you...I probably won't get to most of it. Oh well. So this week has been kind of rough. I mean, I just realized how little I know, and that I will need to know in 4 weeks.  Since both of my companions are going home at the end of this cycle Pres. Sartori told me I would be in Saratov for a while and that if I’m not training next cycle I will be the one after that. Our mission only has like 8 sisters I think. And by August it will double. Anyway, since they will be leaving I need to be pretty familiar with the area. I already know general areas but to find specific addresses in Russia is going to be hard. I guess I will get really good at reading a map. Also, Russian. I can understand Sister Braginets and other missionaries but any one on the street I have no idea what they are saying. I know I will learn but...sometimes it is so painful. Oh well. Mostly I just want to learn when they are angry or not. I never know if they are mad or not so I just smile and nod. 

This week I had a goal that I wanted to receive a contact on the street to be a new investigator. I talked to everyone and were interested but mostly not. On Tuesday no one wanted anything to do with us. Seriously. I would say hello and not only would they reject us, but violently so. One heavily clothed babushka walked by us yelling sect! sect! and then spitting on us. Only in Russia, I guess. Wednesday was about the same. There was one lady that was interested and I talked to her about the Book of Mormon and offered her one. She said her hands were dirty so she opened her shirt and gestured for me to put it there. Ha! It was strange. On Wednesdays we have sport night at a school where we invite investigators to come in a less churchy atmosphere. There is a black top and a place for volleyball net. It was fun. Also, on Mondays we have FHE over at the Senior couples home. That is another place we can invite members and investigators. Anyway after 2 days of nothing I wondered if anyone would talk to us. Thursday would be a full week in Saratov so I was hoping we would find someone. All day nothing. We were heading back home and we decided to talk to one more person (why is it always the last person?) she was sitting on a bench and she invited us to sit with her. We began talking and instantly she was interested. Anyway, it was cool. Also, 3 of the people we are meeting with are named Tatiana. I already don't really know what is going on and on top of that, I never know which Tatiana we are talking about.

Friday was zone conference. It was really great to get a feel for the mission and what is expected of me. This week I have attempted some phone calls but mostly it is just a joke. I can't understand them, and my Russian is so bad they can't understand me. It's great.

Let’s see...as for the food. Sister Braginets has made borscht and it was good. She said it was Ukrainian borscht not Russian but I still really liked it. Russian salads are kind of interesting. Cabbage and whatever vegetables and then they just plop some mayonnaise on there. I have kasha or oatmeal at least once a day it seems. Oh! And our apartment. We live on the 8th floor of our Dom and we have one big living room where we study. our bedroom is small, we don't have beds so we sleep on foam pads. There is just enough room for all of our foam pads to tetris in there. In the kitchen all of the appliances are pretty small. We have 2 small refrigerators and a stove. Again small. What else...the view out our window is pretty. I will take a picture and sent it home at some point.

It sounds like your vacation was a lot of fun! Even if the weather didn't cooperate. Also sorry for all the typing mistakes. I can't go back and fix any of it because the overwrite is on. Well, I love you all so much!!!

Love,

Cectpa Pearce