Hello!!

Hi! Thank you so much for the birthday package! Oh my gosh it was amazing! Thank you thank you! Well I hate to tell you this but I wrote all these things down that I wanted to tell you about, and I left the postit at home! I know! Fun! But I'll try to remember! Well we had our culture night, it was fun! The Elders are all really great, but two of them are getting transferred Wednesday...Elder Smith(ZL) and Elder Andersen(DL)...we're not happy about it! We both really love those two!! But oh well, things happen! I am not getting transferred, you already knew that...so by the end of this cycle I will have served in Комсомольскии for six months. The language is still coming along, slowly, but I did understand pretty much all the time, I just can't talk correctly...there are so many little grammar rules that are all "so" important! :) But I'm understandable...now it's a lot of polishing! A LOT! Thank you for the pics of Washington! I love them so much! Looks like you had fun together in the pictures Brandi sent! When you get a chance, do you mind sending some in the mail? I can't print pics here so I ony get to look at them once! :( Dad, my allergies are actually starting to get bad, not unbearable, but I'm taking a Zyrtec a day...but I have a lot of them, so you don't have to send them. Thank you though! Yesterday was Daylight Savings time, and next week is Fast Sunday...we watch General Conference a week late cause it has to be translated...I'm really hoping I'm able to listen to it in English though! Translations are always so fast and hard to understand! The work is ok...very slow still...we contact and tract a lot...little success with that. We give out a lot of Books of Mormon but so far no callbacks! We still have the same two investigators...but they aren't progressing so we don't know how much longer we'll be teaching them. Makes for long days, but I know as long as we;re doing out part, success will come on the Lord's time. We went tracting the other night and when I knocked on the door, a kid about 18-19 answered and I told him who we were, and all that fun stuff(in RUssian of course) and he smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I don't speak Englsih." Sister Braginets then said in a perfect Russian accent, "What about Russian?" His eyes got all big and just shut the door. It's amazing how people know I'm American after one word and then some people after talkng for 15 minutes are like, "Do you know you have an accent?" I don't know...it's fun thoug....the majority of people, when I tell them I'm American, thinks it's the best thing in the world, and then there are the ones that don't. But that's when we walk away! :) Well I need to get going! I hope you are all doing great and I love you so much! Take Care! Love Sister Wilson

11 months to go!!

Hi! Well everything is still going good here! To clear up some questions...I moved like 2 minutes away from my old apartment, so I'm still in the same area and everything, just a new apartment! :) And the food is better here, not because I moved but I think because my stomach is getting used to it! And I stopped asking, "What is this?" I just eat it...it's better that way! Tell Tiah and Kyle congratualtions for me on their calls! That's very cool! Tiah will get a tan while I freeze to death it's all good ;) No the weather is better. Not cold at all, just really wet. I had to buy new boots last week cause my other ones finally died. They soaked right through with all the water on the streets! Well we had Zone conference last week and District Conference(same as Stake Conference). That was fun. We all had interviews with President Sartori! I always look forward to those! Well...tomorrow is Zone training and after the Zl's are making us lunch and after that we have culture night! We're going to a war museum! I'm so excited! I'll take tons of pics Brandi! Not a lot happened this week with all the conferences...just a lot of good talks! :) Sorry it's a short one..and no funny stories but I have to get going! I'll try to write more next week! I love you all so much...you have to idea! Take care!
Love,
Sister Wilson

And I thought you would like to now...I'm 95% sure my mission because of Visa laws is cut short by almost a month....I'll know for sure later, but I'm not too happy about it....I don't get a full 18 months, but I figured Brandi would be happy to know instead of me coming home in March, right now I'm set for February! ;) I'll keep you updated!

PS.I forgot...thank you so much for the package! I loved it! Brownies are the best and they don't have chocolate chips her so thank yo! And the Elders say thank you for the jerky! :) I share :) And i remembered a funny story...just to end on a happy note! There is a lot of water on the streets and well Russian women they just step right into it without worry, but well I'm not Russian and dirty water is gross...So one day I was walking and didn't see the big puddle, and stepped in it...after realizing i stepped into a lot of water, I did what any other american girl would do and I tiptoed quickly thorugh it...ok I might have done it while saying, " ew ew ew ew gross gross gross" at the same time, maybe a little louder than I should've...and when I got out Sister Braginets was laughing so hard, but the man behind her, that I didn't know was there, was laughing herder...which for a Russian man to laugh on the street, I must;ve looked completely stupid...so once again I've reached my goal of trying to get Russian to smile...I'd like it next time not to be because I embarrassed myself, but what can I do?! :) Have a good week! Love you all! :)

6 months down!!

Hi!!So I realizd last week, was my 6 month mark on my mission! Crazy huh! Time goes by so fast! Anyways, thought that was cool! So...the big move...it wasn't that bad actually! The Elders (Smith and Zuber) made it a lot of fun! So the one bad thing...I fell...and not like, oops I tripped...no it was hard! In Russia you aren't suppose to wear your shoes inside, well I did, and I ran into the bedroom to grab a sweater for my comp and I slipped(cause my shoes were wet from being outside) and well...Brandi, you know when people fall hard in America's Funniest Videos, and you laugh...well it was worse than that...I completely landed on my back and wrists...and it was so loud that E. Smith who was outside the apartment, down the hall, and in the elevator, heard it and came back to see if everything was ok. Besides maybe my pride, everything was fine. I have a very large bruise, but other than that I'm good to go. Which I wanted to tell you Mom, means that when I was told in my blessing, that I would be protected..well it's true...I'm not kidding, everyone thought I would've broke my wrist or back it was hard, but I'm totally fine! So no worries...as long as I don't do anything completely stupid, I'm good! ;) So the new apartment is good...3 rooms, so a lot of place to put things! But we got a rule enforced this week...you are to be with your comp at all times...even in the home, except for of course shower and the bathroom. So it's been fun. When I need to leave the living room to grab my scriptures in our study room, I need to ask Sis. Braginets to come with me, and vice versa! Fun stuff! :) Oh and last week, Sis. Braginets had a visa trip so I was able to work with Sis. Lednova again for the day! It was last Wednesday! I really hope we get to serve together at some point! We have so much fun and we get the work done! I love her! It was then, when we worked together, that I realized how far I've come in the language. I'm no where near perfect, but Sis. Lednova is Russian, and I was able to talk the entire day in Russian with her, and I didn't even realize it. Grammar wasn't correct, but she understood me...now I need the grammar down! Well we have Zone Conference this week. President Sartori will be there and we have interiews with him. I always look forward to those! I really love both President and Sister Sartori! They're amazing! We did a lot a lot of contacting this week and made some contacts with people. We have lessons with them this week hopefully! Yesterday however, we talked with this older lady, and I have to be completely honest, I was ticked! When we found out she wasn't interested we tried to leave, but she kept yelling at us about how we're a sect, and blah bla blah...over and over again. She said she knew I was American and that my comp wasn't Russian, and that we shouldn't come into her country and try to force our sect on people. She was being very specific about things and very well almost scary. We get a lot of people who think we're a sect and just walk off. Oh well. The weather is doing so much better! Last week, with the exception of maybe one day, it was really nice. I am now wearing my black wool coat during the day and the big Russian one at night! A lot of water during th eday cause everything is melting, and then really slippery at night! Fun times! Ok, so the food here is amazing!@ I'm scared I'm going to get really used to it and come home and not want Taco Bell!....not possible, I know! Well I need to get going! A lette ris on the way about the work here. I'm sorry I wsih I would talk more about it in the email! And please tell Bro. Bingham I will write him about the Stake thing he emailed me about. But I can't email him. I love you all so mcuh and hope you all have a great week! Take care! You're always in my prayers!
Love,
Sister Wilson

Moving Day!!!

Hi!,
Ok, so chances are this will be the only email I send out today because....its moving day! I have like no time, after writing President. I'm sorry! So...yeah, we spent 5 hours cleaning/packing this morning...not fun! I would very much like to talk to the missionaries who have lived their the last 3 years and decided it was going to be their dumping grounds! Disgusting! Anyways...Elder Smith and Zuber (ZL's) will be waiting with a Taxi in about 20 minutes to take us back and start moving everything over. It's been such a mess! So many things have to be done and so many things weren't done awhile ago, so it's been interesting! Well, even with moving, it's been a busy week. We did a lot of contacting again! We have a new investigator! She's an older woman, who thinks her daughter should listen to us also! So maybe we'll get a referral from her! She's really sweet! We're meeting with her again tomorrow! We contacted her on the street and she asked us if we had time right now to come over and talk about the gospel...yeah...we had time!!!! And we also did some tracting...ok, so funniest story ever! At least so far...it was my door, and when I knocked I heard a man say in a really girly voice, "I'm coming, I'm coming!" He swung open the door, was a bigger guy, middle aged, and was very happy! And was only wearing a speedo...we think he was waiting for a girl! He looked at me and screamed like a little girl, just quieter and tried to hide behind the door, and popped his head out. "What can I do for you?" I was laughing so hard...I couldn't even get out..."We're missionaries from..." He was like, "Missionaries? Oh not right now girls, I'm sorry." And shut the door. In htat momoent, I was a bad missionary cause I was almost on the ground laughing so hard! So was Sister Braginets though! We had to take some time to get ready for the next door. Oh and he wasn't drunk...thats what everyone asked after we would tell the story. When funny or amazing things happen our district calls each other...so I called E. Zuber and I was barely breathing, I was laughing so hard...He went on to say, they just had a meeting with a guy who believes in Aliens..a.gain not drunk! :) Fun times! Oh and we have a family we are teacing...well the daughetr is intersted in the gosple...the brother...not so much...just interested in getting to America and thinks I'm the way there. He kissed my hand and kept telling me I was beautiful...yeah we left...and I'm not going back without a man! Member of the church! :) Awkward! I pulled out family photes so fast with a bunch of picures of the ward...every guy he asked about...it was ridiculous! So another story...we had just got done with our morning study time and my personal study was so good that day! I was just so ready to go...we walk out of our apartemnt complex and there is loud dreary music, a bunch of people, an old woman crying loudly and a buncho f cars...I was like oh thats wierd...then a big black cross was being carried right in fornt of me...I was standing on the steps trying to figure out where to go, and I turned away from the cross only to find myself staring at a dead body. Yeah.....they have funerals in the street! And the coffin is open the whole time as they carry it to the cemetary! He was dead! And like 5 feet from my face! This probably sounds disrespectful but I don't mean for it too...its just a culture shock. Funerals are where there is a casket, and a car that holds the casket and the family follows with their cars...and then go back for a nice dinner...ok so yeah, spoiled American is what a lot of people are probaly thinking.....yeah that is so not what happens here...lets just say, the Lord knew i needed a good spiritual high is the morning cause that was the only thing that kept me from freaking out...I just stood there with my mouth open and Sis. Braginets is like, "Sis Wilson stop staring, we need to go." Fun times in Russia! :) Well, Saturday was our Zone Leader day. We had lunch with the Zone Leaders and Elder Andersen and Yates. After lunch we had interwiews. E. Smtih and Anderson(DL) interviewed me...I thought it would be wierd, but it was so helpful. It was good to talk with the elders. They are so fun! I need to get going! I hope you are all going great! Sorry for typos...I've never typed this fast before! I love you all so much and thank you for all your prayers and support...right now they are so needed! :) Take care!
Love
Sister Wilson

PS. Last funny story...in one contacting session...about 3 hours long...one lady told me I looked like I was 17. Another one told me I had a nice body...yep a lady, and another one said we look like nuns....fun times contacting!

Hello Everyone!!

Hello,
Another week is gone...and it was ok. Long and hard to be completely honest. But good! We tracted and contacted a lot! Gave out a lot of invitations to church, 4 Book of Mormons, and had a few lessons with hopefully new investigators. We'll see this week. It has been so cold! Oh my gosh cold! Evenings are not fun to be on the street that's for sure! But oh well, everyone keeps saying that Spring should be coming soon and the weather will warm up but I don't see that happening tomorrow so I don't care right now! :) Well I again had a fun converstation about America...It's not very fun in those cases to be able to understand what they're saying but not say what you want to back. Oh well! So how is Alex doing? Have you heard from him? Has Tiah got her call yet? I'm so excited to hear where she is going! Well I did find out we are moving apartments soon. I don't know when, but soon. Eler Smith(ZL) kept calling and asking about the household stuff in the apartment and I finally was curious and asked why and he's like, "For when you move." I asked where I was moving to and I got a "....aaaaa....you didn't know did you?" So at some point in the future, someone will hopefully call and say we're moving :) It was fun! Moving will not be though...the apatment has so much junk form pasty missionaries it's disgusting! I made browies last week and didn't burn them completely. I think I am just figuring out this oven and I'm moving. But it's not fair that we got browies from oiur DL and Zl's and they both bake better than I do. I hate this oven! :) E. Smith said it's "operator error"...I'm starting to agree with ihim! ;) So my companion is good. It's hard not being able to talk a lot. but it'll get better. We both say sorry a lot which kinda sounds like Frosty so I now really want one of those! :) I didn't fall this week! I think it was just a one time thing! ;) Well I hope you are all doing great! Sorry it was boring and short...again, it's been a long week! I'll write more next week! I love you all! Take Care!
Love,
Sister Wilson