another transfer has come and passed
the volunteers can never last
wake me up when the winter ends
lol just a classic twist on a good tune.
We got transfer calls this week! My companion, Sister Dzierzon, is dying and returning home. I will be staying in Rostov and Sister Fender from Mocow, Idaho will be coming to serve with me! I will be senior companion, which is very funny because there are still only two sisters younger than me in the mission. We will have a good time together I hope! I am excited!
Highlights from this past transfer:
-Had a GREAT training at Christmas Conference. Me and Sister Dzierzon shared how to become a good dater! Tips and tricks for becoming good at dating (and also at meetings with our friends of course). Everyone participated. Lots better than our last training we gave!
-Went to the nutcracker ballet here in Russia! So cool! We went with two of the elders, and one of our friends, Lev!
-Celebrated Christmas! On New Years, we ate at our mission presidents house, shared traditions, and watched a movie. Got home a little late, but its okay because president approved it ;)
-Talked to my entire family on Christmas!!!!!!
-Did a few Christmas concerts. Almost every weekend in December and a little in January, we were playing at a branch or district activity. Sister Dzierzon is a genius at the violin and piano, so sometimes we both played the violin, and sometimes I played violin while she played piano. It was so fun! Russian Christmas songs have been sung to the max!
-We did service at the Red Cross for kids. We sung songs and played games with them (a game called "do you love your neighbor"). But I accidentally made a little girl cry there! it was so sad. One minute we were friends, the next she was crying when I asked her "do you love your neighbor?"
-On New Years, we ate at the senior couples apartment. Then on the way out, we got stuck in the elevator with the other volunteers! I thought for sure this was the end of my mission and I was going to die! Thankfully, 30 minutes later we made it out. We then went home, ate some traditional Russian food, and watched our neighbor shoot fireworks into the middle of the city out of an apartment building on the 14th floor. :)
-Had splits with the sisters!
We did splits with the Krassnadar sisters over New Years. It was fun having another companionship there with us. We did facemasks, had good meetings, deep cleaned the apartment, ate good food, watched cocoa. And most importantly-watched the fireworks! So cool! They were all over the city. I participated in this fun tradition where you have 12 seconds at the beginning of the new year to light a paper on fire that you had written your wish on, and throw it in your drink and drink it all. It was a little tricky, but lets just say I have no doubts my wish will come true this year... :)
We also did splits with the Sochi sisters! We took a night train to sochi, and then were there for two days. The entire time I felt like I was in california because there are palm trees EVERYWHERE there! But then I would look around, and see the soviet era apartment buildings and get thrown for a loop. so fun! We had a musical night while we were there, and me and Sister Dzierzon played another duet on our violins.
-Had a karaoke night with our branch. We got to sing so many christmas songs in Russian and in English. so fun! Everyone was dancing and singing. Just good times.
Here in Russia, Santa comes on the 31 of December. New Years for them is the combination of 3 holidays: thanksgiving, new years and christmas. They party hard. It was so cool to attend all of the activities and feel the excitment of the holiday season here. Then they celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January. We went to Tagonrog (a sattelite branch 3 hours away) for Christmas and performed a few songs on the violin there and watched them do this adorable Christmas program.
This week is transfer week. We will also be moving apartments. And I have a visa trip to Latvia! Busy busy busy!
-сестра каммингз
also i hope youre ready for pictures!!!! we can send pictures of russians as long as no one on this email chain posts them anywhere :))))))
-went ice skating with my comp and one of our friends!
-the CUTEST little girl, Vika, in Sochi
-getting stuck in the elevator on new years
-last game night with sister dzierzon, elder hartly and cook (they elders are just getting transfered)
-a picture with masha and natasha from one of our christmas concerts
-splits with sister marchuk and sister pack in sochi!
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