Russia Samara Mission

Mission Updates for Sister Brittany Wilson







Monday, July 25, 2011

Visa Trip!!!

Hello!
ok so the shift bar this time doesn't work...so don't count on good grammar here either! :) anyways...so yeah...we are going to the temple on thurday! so excited! and sis. pitchforth is on the same visa schedule as me so it'll be good to have her with me...and sis. taylor too...i don't remember if i told you about her(she was with me last time). it'll be so fun and so good to be in the temple again...and we're grateful that we can listen to it in English if we want. but yeah...so visa/temple trip on thursday! Pray i can get back into the country :) j/k! so yeah this week was good! we have four investigators now with a baptisimal date...but they are now all on the 13th of august...we don't feel like they are ready for this weekend...it was kinda fast and we want them more prepared...but they are all so amazing! we hadn't been able to get ahold of one of them all week cause his phone is broken and then he was on vacation and we were waiting for our investigators to come to church and like no one showed up, but then in walks one of them with his inactive brother, and they were so happy to be there! he's amazing! the members here are amazing! they always want to help...in my last area it would be like pulling teeth to get like 2 lessons a week with investigators and members, but here...well last week we had 9 and the week before we led the zone with 13! this week we are leading the zone in baptisimal dates. we had our training last week...so...there are six weeks in a cycle and every week we will be on exchanges with somebody...4 of them will be with sisters in their areas...so four travelling...then we will do the zone leader days still but then we get an added exchange...yep...the assistants want to do splits with us every cycle...stop laughing! :) so every week we will have an exchange...the assistants make our schedule at the end of each transfer for the next one so we should know soon where we'll go first.keep you updated. yeah so it has been so fun working with the zone leaders and the assistants...it's realy like a family of people who make fun of each other...me and sis. pitchforth are very competivite...as last sports night proved....we have it in the assistants area of samara so we should ususally leave to go home at 8:20 to be home by 9:30 and well...we know that...but when we play ultimate frisbee and we have trash talking elders...it's hard to let the pride go and leave...E. smith and eyers were on one team and we were on the other...well...let's just say that i think we surprised everyone with our competitiveness...the elders everytime they would get a point would do a little dance, and trash talk..."what's up now?" and then if they lost or missed the frisbee we would give it back to them followed by them, "get out of my face..." as nicely as they can....oh my gosh...it is so fun1 but we were not going to leave cause we wanted to get the last point...well we still didn't get the last point and we were 5 minutes late home...we had to run the whole way after the metro...2 miles...and we were still late...so yeah...this week we are going to do better....and we are working on a victory dance that we can do...all week we get calls from elders..."sisters...elder eyers would like you to know that he's still winning..." yeah...thats our assistant! anwyas...we ate more brownie batter and oh my gosh a bunch of junk...we both now we are going to get fat...but we work a lot so hoopefully it will even out! the work is going so good! and we just love being a companionship...she's so amazing and fun1 we stay up way too late talking! but yeah...life is good! no worries here! how's everything with you all? :) I got your package1 it was amazing thank you! i ate everything already! and iam buying batteries today for the recorder! that'll be fun1 you'll get more details :) thank you! serioulsy getting a package is like a taste of home! it's the best! thank you thank you! and i get mail every week know that i'm in samara! cool! :) i love serving inthe city! it's been my dream since i got my call...serve in samara...and it was so worth the wait! :) i love you all so much! take care and i'll write next week about the temple! :)
Love,
Sister wilson

Monday, July 18, 2011

Crazy Week!!

Ok, so the space bar stinks so sorry about the grammar! And I hope I answer all your questions...there were a lot :) I still don't know about the traveling sister details...we were suppose to have a training last Saturday but our schecule was so packed with meetings that we couldn't...yeah I said that right...we had 20 meetings this week! And set two baptisimal dates for the 30th of July! Oh my gosh it was great! They are both so ready! One is a 20 year old guy and the other is like a 50 year old man...they are so ready it's crazy! This area is like bursting! Sis. Pitchforth has been in this area fro about 4 weeks now and she spent a lot of it inside because he comp was sick, so it was the first week we got out and really worked...12 new investigators, 2 baptisimal dates! Crazy! It's amazing that the Lord has this plan the whole time for someone,and then oneday a missionary calls from the area book andthere life is changed forever! It'sbeen a great week! Sis. Pitchforth is amazing! We have so much fun togather including eating an entire batch of brownie batter...yeah I did...and yeah it was good :) We wanted sugar but diddn't have time to bake the brownies! It was good! I wish I had more info for you but it's been just all about the work, notthe travelling part,which has been so great! I've never felt like this on my mission! We're always busy! I will write you about the investigators cause they have great stories! And you're right Dad, you won't ever baptize someone, you don't love! It's so true! Today we're hoping to have a normal relaxed pday! I have to get going! i love you all so much and next week for sure I'll have info...our training is on Wednesday so there you go! :) Thank you for all yourprayers and support! Take Care
Love,
Sister Wilson

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

CHANGES!!!!

So...this might be a long one I'm not sure...SURPRISES! I got my first transfer call! Yep, Saturday evening the assistants called and said both of us received transfers...there are no longer two sets of missionaries in Komcomolcke, just Elders...and Sis. Quinn went to Saratov, and I am in SAMARA! I always wanted to serve in the actual city! I'm so excited! My new companion is Sis. Pitchforth...she is from Colorado and is so sweet! She is also someone I've always wanted to serve with! So I'm really excited! Ok...so...yep, I said there were surprises, plural. When the assistants called, E. Eyers said that I had a special assignment...me and SIs. Pitchforth are travelling sisters. Yeah...we're not 100% sure what it all intails but each transfer we will travel to all the sisters in the mission...there are 4 other companionships besides us, and do exchanges. He said we will be going as representatives of Pres and SIs. Sartori, and we are meant to lift and inspire! So every week, we're guessing, except two, we will be travelling to different parts of the mission. I'm really excited and nervous!!:) We don't know how long it will be...it's kinda a trial to see if it's effective, but we know it's for the next cycle. Transfers came early for sisters cause Sis. Lednova went home today with health problems. So yeah...I am in Samara, in the Besamancke branch. And E. Smith is my ZL again, at least till August when he goes home..so it should be fun here! So yeah...I think that is all the big news! 8 months there are no change and then this! Keeps us on our toes! Today the ZL's called and want to take us to lunch, so we might find out moreinfo there...we don't know! But we have a meeting with the assistants this week so I'm assuming by next week I will have more details! Everything is so crazy now...it was really hard to say goodbye to Sis. Quinn...we had fun together but it madeit easier cause we will see each other every cycle if I'm still a travelling sister...I don't really enjoy that title, it always reminds me of a travelling circus, but oh well. I have to get going! I'm sorry this is all I wrote about...it s just been so crazy the last few days! But all is good! And I am doing good! So I will write more next week! I love you all! Take Care!
Love,
Sister Wilson

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Happy 4th:-)

HEY! HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
Yeah, believe it or not, it's really not a big holiday in Russia ;) Our district is getting together after we email for pizza and then a Reptile Petting Zoo...yeah pizza sounds good...me screaming like a little girl and ruining any reputation I have of being a dignified Sister missionary doesn't sound good, but whatever..I just won't touch them...problem...the Elders know I don't like spiders or snakes. Well, if they put anything on me you'll know...cause I'll end up coming home(killing missionaries is frowned upon in Russia :)) So it's wierd cause you're sleeping right now, so I can't ask about your 4th of July! But I hope you have a good one! Today I think I am just realizing how grateful I am for my country...I love Russia and the people, but nothing replaces home and I'm just so grateful for everything there! And to be honest I'm mostly grateful for air conditioning! :) It's true...if I could be promised air conditioning this entire summer I'd give up Taco Bell for life....it is so humid, muggy and just plain hot here. Sorry....if you want to keep your imagine of me as a dignified Sister missionary...stop reading...I sweat all the time...like gross! My shirts are wet, so it makes it wierd to hug people, but then their shirst are wet so I'm like, gross I just touched other peoples sweat...I have a permanant glisten on my face and it's not the good kind like when they tell pregnant women they have a glow(well lets hope not :)) Yeah it's sweat and its there all the time day and night...hot! And it's only getting worse by the day...everytime I tell someone its hot they just laugh and tell me, "no this is actually cool." I think I'm going to die...or learn to live with it :) But my feet at really getting tan! ;) So yeah...we had three investigators at church yesterday! It was great, cause two of them got to meet and talk with PRes and Sis Sartori....it went so well! Yeah...so yesterday I got to translate for a little bit! When Pres and Sis Sartori come, they have a missionary translate in the back with a microphone and they have headphones....Elder Yates translated for them, but then Elder Yates bore his testimony and I got to! It was a lot of fun...and it made me realize how much Russian I've learned...like I had to know what he was saying cause if I didn't...the Sartori's wouldn't...and then after I translated for Sis. Sartori when she talked with the Primary Presidency....it was fun! Members would come up and be like, "Sis Wilson can you translate for me? I need to talk with Pres...or Sis..." I was thinking....What Sis. Wilson are they talking about? But at the same time I've noticed on the streets I'm understanding less...I think it might be cause its so hot and I'm not focusing as well but I just really want to get better at the language! I don't want to be 'understandable' and I want to be able to speak correctly! Grammar! It's a killer! but yeah, we have two progressing investigators and a bunch of new ones to work with this week! I forgot...we had Zone Leader day on Saturday...we got to contact with the Elders...it was good and fun! At the end the danced on the street...yeah...it was entertaining. Sis. Quinn is still doing good! i can't believe she's almost done with the 'training' months...its gone by really fast! We have 3 weeks from this wednesday til the temple, or at least the week of the temple, we don't know the exact day. We're both really excited! It'll be good to go to the temple again and its only in the summer so it won't be every Visa trip...so this will be the last time I go til I go home! Crazy! Well I need to get going! I think I've rambled enough! I love all of you so much! You mean the world to me! Take care this week and I'll write again on Monday! :) Love you!Love, Sister Wilson