November 9, 2020

 it's the final countdown

a month left. crazy!¡ 

Maybe I can write an email every week till I'm home?? Lol we will see I guess. If not, at least one more final email will come. 👀 weird!! 

But the work isn't over yet and I have LOTS that has been happening recently. Trying to pump out all the work this last transfer. Every day on the mission (and honestly life in general) is a gift. I will never get this time back. So I want to do everything I can while I can. 

Thanks to everyone this past month for emailing me. It's been a weird time, but I find peace in knowing that Annabelle is doing the exact same work as me on the other side. Love and miss her and all of you everyday. 💛

We had transfers and I am still in Krasnodar, and will be finishing here. They closed my last area (where I was for 9 months) so there's a huge rip. Both of the areas I served in are now closed. When I found out, not gonna lie, I was super sad. I felt like a lot of the work that I had done on the mission is now for nothing, and they just ended up closing the areas anyways. But I know that's not true, and I've been able to instead start teaching and getting back in contact with some people from Rostov and Saratov since there aren't any volunteers there! So actually bonus I guess. 

BUT WHAT IS REALLY CRAZY is we now have only 3 sister companionships in the entire mission. Like how??? We already had a small number. We need to get more sisters soon! Weird weird weird weird. The mission is getting so small. Idk how this happened.  And I am the oldest one ??? Как это так??? I'm supposed to give my final training at zone conf, and then my final testimony and I'm just shook. One of the people in my cycle going home is heading home this week. So it's already started. 

Also we started using instagram. Also I'm social media specialist again..... :')

The list of questions I've received for the past two months: 

Who did you vote for? 

Who do you think is going to win? 

How do you pronounce your name? 

Everyone and their dog here (even this blond grandma that has no access to internet) asks me if I would be voting/voting for Biden or Trump. Legit every conversation I had. Doesnt matter the age, how well we know each other, etc. Every. Single. Person. 

Also no one can pronounce my name. My whole mission no one has been able to. Some lady here a few weeks ago just started calling me Сестра Камень (sister kamen) lolol. It means rock. So she just says this, and adds an s at the end. Sister kamens. And legit I've started telling people that, and now suddenly everyone can say my name and remembers it. So funny. Maybe I'll get a new name tag that says "Сестра Каменьс" lol would be so good. 

Also we got this awesome new investigator this week. We have a member in Stavorpol who is always posting her testimony and experiences in english, or reposting church videos, or things like that. And some lady saw it, Google translated it to Russian, and reached out to the member. Specifically in relation to genealogy and family history. So like referral!!! So exciting! And we taught the plan of salvation and it went SO GOOD. At the end she told us that she felt like everything we were saying sounded familiar and like she had known it. Idk it was a super cool testament to me that this gospel really is familiar to all of us. Legit so excited. 

We started teaching Anya from Rostov again several weeks ago and I just love her so much. She watched gen conf and loved it. Last week we talked about faith and this week about prayer. And after we talked about joseph Smith's first vision and his example of prayer, legit the spirit was so strong. I could feel that Joseph was truly a prophet of God, and that God loved Anya so much and wants her to return to Him. I'm really really praying so hard that she will be baptized before I go home. She has been ready for MONTHS, but her parents are against it. So idk we are just waiting for that. 

ОЙ forgot to say that we got a third companion!! My second American companion!! I hope my English gets better before I go home... She is from _____ and turns out she ran for Jordan. Someone in my district also ran for Bingham, and then someone else in my mission for Hurricane. So like..... chances are we all saw each other at the same meet. Like we talked about all going to sugar house or park city or state. So like.... lol. Weird. 

Filmed a video for this russian sign language song thing. The camera was somehow blurry the entire time? So all the footage we shot is blurry. And now we are back on quarantine. So cant go film it again. 

Ah ya  back on quarantine. About a week ago they sent a text and told us we are back to phase 0. We have to be in the apartment and doing our work from there. We are allowed each day to go out to the store, but that's it. But we can still meet with the elders in the branch to partake of the sacrament, and to hold district meeting (thank goodness because I almost died last quarantine because we didnt see anyone). 

Okok I won't drag this one on too long. Love and miss you all!! 

Сестра Каммингз 

Pics:

-ate a huge schwarma lol

-taking self timers at the airport at until midnight...lol @ delayed flights 

-sushi w the district 

-we had splits and celebrated sister keil bdayyyyyy (first splits since feb. We never see any missionaries anymore so this was so good) 

-had some local artists draw me.... why did no one tell me I look like a gorilla and a man 

-Lenin 

-denials on whatsapp 

October 19, 2020

Addition

 I typed this email out a week ago but didn't quite have time to send it. In light of recent events, I would just like to add an addition and thank so many of you for reaching out to me this past week and being so quick to offer help and words of love, wisdom, and comfort. It was not an easy week, and Annabelle will truly be missed. Life isn't easy, and losing someone who had such a great impact on you is especially not the highlight of my lifetime. But I was so blessed to know Annabelle and have her be one of my greatest friends. I will never forget her fun-loving personality and the impact she had on my life. Words can't describe how much she will be missed. Please continue to pray for her family and the other missionaries she was with, as I can only imagine what they are going through right now. 

If anyone else is struggling with death, life, sadness, or anything else, please don't hesitate to reach out! And if not to me, then to our Savior Jesus Christ. He is always there. In the darkest and saddest moments or in brightest and happiest moments, He is there. His love is perfect for us and knows no limits. Anytime, anywhere, anyplace. 

Love and miss all of you. Stay safe 💛💛

August 24, 2020

 another one bites the dust

YIKES another month flew by. Time goes so quick!! I've been in Russia over a year. Love love love this place. So grateful for everyone I've met. 

I've now been in Krasnodar for a month. But sadly have only been to this frozen yogurt place 3 times. Sorry to let you all down by not taking advantage of the first semi good ice cream place I've had here. I'll do better. ;)

But Krasnodar is so far so good. It's super weird because somehow I haven't met any of the members here in person. Its super hard remembering names and details about a person when you meet with lots of them a day, in the same situation. Me and my companion had to sit down one day for like 3 hours so I could write down everyone I "knew" and all the info and things about them so I could keep track of who we were talking to and about what. (Now you might say.... that is what area books are for.... why are you not using those?? Ya lol that's illegal. Dont have any sort of tracking records or anything like that. Our branch list is a few years old, incomplete and without any phone numbers. But still!! Somehow the work gets done) 

Almost died this week. I found a HIIT workout, and there was like the modified version and the hard version and I was like hahahhaha no way I'm doing modified 😤💪 but lol @rookie me who basically has the muscles of a slug now. Should've done the modified. Safe to say I crawled around our apartment throwing up for the next 30 minutes or so after the workout lolol 

Our mission president told us this week that we are very lucky to serve in russia because in russian there are 33 letters. And in English there are only 26. Which means that we can have 7 more backup plans. 

We had an investigator (Larissa) get baptized a few weeks ago, and on one of the lessons after baptism, her friend who had referred her said, "I'm so grateful that FINALLY she made a right decision in her life" 

Also about Larissa- sister клевакана and Дмитриева were teaching her along with some elders in the Moscow mission via technology (long story). Then I came to Krasnodar. Was on a lesson or two with her, watched her baptism. And now participate in a lot of the post-baptism lessons with her. 

One of the members of the church in Sochi (a single woman) told us a little fun story about how her Sunday had gone the week before. Арминэ looked at the clock and saw it was 11. Realized it was time for the sacrament. Got the bread and water. Blessed it. Partook. Me and Sister Дмитриева had to explain to her that since we didnt hold the priesthood, we couldn't bless the sacrament. I dont really know how we are 5 months+ into home church, and we didnt know she was blessing the sacrament herself, but I guess it happens. And then we told the Rostov sisters (my old area) and they told us that on one of the lessons this week with one of my old investigators, he had told them that he had blessed and partook of the sacrament as well. So lots of good lessons about the priesthood going on here!! 

This random super loud fire alarm thing went off in the corridor at like 1 pm and we were like ?? So we went down the 17 flights of stairs to ask the front desk lady what is going on, and she just said they're doing maintenance on the elevator. So lol @us. Couldn't use the elevator to come back up. So walked back up those 17 flights. Some flashbacks to having to do that in Rostov very often. 

We went to this super cool park called Парк Галицкого. Super cool water fountains. Since we arent allowed to use public transport, we had to take a car. The senior couple's son's family came to visit them. So on a pday we all hopped in and spent the day there. So fun. His family was sooo cute and it made me miss mine lots lol 

This week we decided to deliver cookies to all the members within walking distance. We delivered about 1/2 of them so far. And wow legit its SO far to walk. Send your prayers my way as we finish up this week lol. 

A while ago, there was this ysa conference here. Usually all the ysa gather in one city and do it, but because of corona, they held it online. And they asked a few of the volunteers to translate. So I translated this game, a pioneer story thing, and then not only once, but TWO times I translated the seminar of a lifetime. 10 Secrets on How to Get the Attention of the Opposite Gender. So the girls and boys were separated into two different places. And I translated the 10 secrets for the girls. And woowowowoowowow she had lots of advice. Super weird being a missionary and thinking of all that stuff. Several times she gave really... interesting... advice, and me and my comp had to mute the translating microphone and laugh. Also threw in a little bit of my own advice in there when I didnt pay attention because I was laughing.... lol but no it was super fun. Learned some new words I guess. Just know, that if a girl gives you a compliment, it's more than just a compliment I guess ;)

I gave another training this past week. We decided not to have zone conferences anymore, only mission conferences because our mission is getting so small. And like I had planned it in English, but jokes on me suddenly there I was and gave it in Russian. If you know me, you know that I speak fast in English. Turns out, russian is the same thing. And then even faster when I'm nervous. I've been told by several grandmas to slow down. Which sometimes actually hurts my case, because I dont think about what I'm saying, and then I say it wrong. :( ANYWAYS. But it's all good. I think I got the point across in my training lol. Hopefully we can all manage our time better in the mission now! 

Also this same conference, me and sister Дмитриева decided to buy tons of yummy chocolate so we can snack while we sit in the conf. Turns out the conference was like SEVEN HOURS and wow I ate so much and had a HUGE headache afterwords. I haven't eaten anything sweet or chocolatey since... 

Okok I'll probably finish this off with a bunch of pictures. Self timers that never turned out right. Pictures from the park. People not answering our calls. Cookies we delivered. 

God is real. He know us. He know our needs. Line upon line. Here a little, there a little. Some days are great, some days are not. Just learn to live with it and enjoy both parts. If we didnt know the bad, we wouldn't know the good. 

July 20, 2020

 downtown

ok it's to the point where I can put the months I have left onto one hand. :/// weird I guess? 

BUT НЕЧЕГО,  я больше не буду говорить об этом;) 

so like it's been a few interesting weeks in a row, but all is cool. First things first (besides being a realist), I got a SUPRISE TRANSFER to Krasnodar. Kdar is famous in my mission for being the "area of dreams" and the "best branch in the mission" so like... I'll let y'all know. 

But it was SO sad I had to say goodbye to Sister Keil. I've been serving w her since the very start of quarantine, and wow already miss her so much. She has to take over the Rostov area, and she has barely seen any of the city, and has only met members online. So like mvp and good luck to her. She's a gem. I now have like 100 more reasons to go to Germany. Everyone I meet is from there, so omw! after the mission! 

My new companion is Sister Дмитриева (Dmitrieva). She is so good!! We have only been together like 3 days but already it's been the best 3 days. She is from St. Petersburg (and like fun fact I guess... knew my brother when he served there.... so like dont know if that is awkward, cool, interesting, idk but ya the world is small) 

SO I will write a little about my last few weeks in Rostov. My first few days in kdar. 

•everyone here names their cat "trash" it's like a normal name here (of course in Russian it is мусор "mooser") 

•they have a red mango (frozen yogurt place) here in kdar??? Ya hello city of dreams is already looking GREAT 

•mission area: from the ocean by california to the eastern boarder of utah, extended to the north and south borders of the US. that is how big my mission is. And now we only have 9 more sisters here so rip 

•GOT TO SEE SISTER ИЗМАЛКОВА AGAIN with SISTER MACMILLIAN so like basically this was the best day of my life. First sisters we had seen in like 4+ months!!!!!!! (Also then got to see sister клевакана again so cool) 

•Spent pretty much an entire sunday at President's house and with his family. Love them sooooo much legit best family ever. That's probably one of the things I will miss most about Rostov is serving around them  

•Got special permission from the president to help a family move. So funny because here in russia, they HATE it when girls lift heavy things. So when we got there to help them move, the elevator had broken (no surprise rip rip) but they told us that we should stay in and pack the apartment and the men would take the boxes. But in a short matter of time, the grown men were packing the boxes and me and Sister Keil were hauling those heavy boxes up and down 5 flights of stairs. Loved it lol. Great day for reals. 

•hahahahaha there was a toilet sitting outside our apartment building, so you already KNOW that me and sister keil ran out of the apartment to have a photo shoot with it 

• ANYA SIGNED UP FOR THE YSA CONFERENCE HERE which is a MIRACLE because she hasn't been to church yet, or institute, or anything, but has been an investigator since Jan. And like this conference is online, and we are having not a lot of ysa signing up for it because they don't want to do a conference online. BUT ANYA (basically my fav person in rostov) signed up for it and hopefully she goes. Love thatttttttttt

•had a week of only eating buckwheat (gretchka/гречка) so like that was...... something 

•participated in my fourth (maybe third tbh don't remember it was so long ago) branch council since I've been in russia!!! Kdar again pulling through 

•had a mission devotional with steven harper! so cool!!! He was my professor of foundation's of the restoration @byu and we arranged to have him come speak in our mission and legit it was awesome!!! learned so much again. 10/10 would recommend . Also james Curran (james the mormon) spoke at one of our devotionals. He has a super cool story too!! Lots of notes from both and lots of things to do now! :)

Love this place love russia love being here. Not gonna like, it is ROUGH being in quarantine/isolation all day every day and doing all these meetings online and things like this. 100% not what I expected when I came on a mission. And to be honest, don't know how much of a desire I would have had to come on a mission if I knew this was how it was going to be. But the work presses forward. Every time I think about how I was "gyped" of good times on the mission and things like this I think of this one quote I heard in the MTC, "your mission won't be the best two years (1.5 in my case lol) OF your life. If they are, you didn't experience life to the fullest. But they will be the best two years (1.5) FOR your life. 

And even right now, I am still learning lots of lessons and how to endure being inside all day. Honestly already loved the outdoors. But like now I'm never taking it for granted again. What a gem of a place. I was writing a friend this week and thought about how this wonderful earth is such a testament that God lives, and that He loves us. He created this just for us and gave us the opportunity to experience it. In Alma 30, Alma tells Korihor that he has "all things" as a testimony. And this earth is one of those things. It proves to me every day that God is real and that He loves us. So hopefully you take advantage of that gift and use it to the max in place of a volunteer stuck in Russian quarantine ;) 

Love you and miss you all!!

Сестра Каммингз 

-red mango YUM

-last day with sister keil rip 

-cool rostov ~thing~ by the harbor 

-me, sisters keil, дм, кл

-awkward family photos w sisters mac+из

- the toilets

-the usual people not answering us pics