October 31, 2011

It's Halloween! Weird. Russians don't really do Halloween. I mean, there were some ads on the streets for crazy Halloween parties, and the youth/young adults are doing a "halloween/fall carnival" thing this weekend to celebrate, but it's not big like it is in the US. So I kind of forgot that it was about Halloween time, however, at English Club on Wednesday we talked about Halloween and I got to teach the people in our group some of the Halloweens songs we'd sing in school as a kid. So, transfers are this week, and Sister Marty and I are staying together up here in Z. No surprise there. I think this will be her last one here though--it'll be her 5th. Also, this next transfer ends a week before CHristmas! How is it Thanksgiving and Christmas time already? Also: please send me Christmas CDs ASAP and get them here as fast as you can, because I really want to listen to some Christmas music (especially MoTab and the Forgotten Carols and maybe some other Christmas music, I can basically listen to any Christmas music that we have at home). Best part of this week was little Olya's baptism. It was so special. We missionaries sang "I Like to Look for Rainbows" (in Russian, of course) and helped get some things ready, and there was just such a sweet spirit there. It really made me miss Leah. You're waiting until I get home for her baptism, right? :) Olya is just so cute and such a special little girl. This week also had a scary moment. Have I told you about how we go visit an older sister in our ward who can't leave her house? She is awesome, the best, and we swap off visiting her with the Elders to read her the BoM and the Elders will also take her the sacrament on Sundays. Well, this week, it was our off day to go visit her, but we get a call from her, and she had had a heart attack while her girl who lives with her to help her and her husband and her son (who has some problems) was out running some errands. She heard the Elders ringing her doorbell and somehow managed to get her medicine and call emergency help, but her helper girl still wasn't back, so she called us so she wasn't alone if something else happened. So we ran over there as fast as we could. By the time we got there, her helper girl was back, but it was very scary and it was a miracle that it wasn't worse than it was and that everything is all right. This past week I realized what a slow learner I am. See? I'm even slow to realize that I'm a slow learner! It took me 22 years. Man, I am 22. That is WEIRD. Time goes by so fast, which is bad, since I'm such a slow learner. My mission will be long over by the time I learn everything I want and need to learn from my mission. I've been in Russia 7 months, and it feels like I just got here. Anyway, that's about it for this week. Life is great! С любовью, Сестра Ашби