Off to Moscow

Dear family and friends, Another great week but not much to tell. We did have transfers last week so after losing two very special missionaries, we gained to new ones who will also be great missionaries. One is Sister Kusseling who is from Paris, France. She speaks French, English, and has a great french accent with her new language of Russian. 'Course I wouldn't know because I don't speak either, but that's what the other missionaries say. She's been in Russia for three months and Voronezh is her third city. She is a very cute girl with a great attitude and fits in perfect with our group of missionaries here. The other new one is Elder Eliason who just arrived from the MTC in Provo. He is from Laramie, Wyoming and comes from a family of nine children. When we get new ones who come from Provo it reminds us of how difficult our first few weeks here were. Exhaustion and culture shock take a few days for some and a few months for others. He was so tired when he got here that he kept falling asleep on our couch during dinner and feels a little lost with not understanding the language. But after almost a week, he is hard at it with his companion and has a big smile on his face every day. I'm constantly amazed at how quickly they adjust compared to the length of time it took me to adjust. Oh, to be young again! But we are all doing great and having a great time now. Tonight we are all headed to Moscow on the night train for a Mission Conference. Night trains aren't so bad, especially with a bunch of rowdy kids playing cards and eating junk food. The time goes by quickly. We got permission to stay an extra day and use our p-day for sight-seeing around Moscow the day after our conference so we're all excited for some fun. I love visiting all of the historical sites here. The more we learn about the culture of Russia, the more we love and understand these Russian people. The hardships and difficulties they have endured are not so different from the struggles our Pioneers suffered. Trials come in many different forms but the outcomes are much the same. Strength comes from the hardships we endure and we see that strength here. They may not embrace the Gospel yet, but they are fiercely loyal to their families, their country and their God. I love to see that. Now all we have to do is find those who are ready to receive the Gospel and keep the momentum going. Pray for the missionaries here that are working so hard and I know that the Lord will put us all in the same path. I heard from Eddie this week, as most of you did, and my heart goes out to him with his struggles of this new transfer. I've never been in a "white-wash" situation, but I can't imagine that it would be easy. Usually when a mission president replaces all of the old missionaries with a whole group of new ones it's because there is very little growth in the area and there needs to be a shake-up. I don't know if that's the case there, but having none of the missionaries know each other or any of the people in the area could be quite challenging. Even still, Ed's tough! He is the baby of the family and still needs to vent his frustrations to get a little sympathy, but he has the greatest attitude and he'll be just fine. I told him that this would probably end up to be his favorite area. We all know that the harder we work for something the more we appreciate it. This will be a great challenge for him but I'm sure will bring the most growth. He's grown up a lot in the past year (the 22nd is his hump day) and this will just keep pushing him. It makes me quite proud of him, as a Senior Missionary and as a mother. I have a much better understanding of what he's going through because of what we are experiencing. I'm living his pain and his joy, his successes and his failures, and our testimonies are growing together. I couldn't ask for anything better. Now, lest you think otherwise, I love ALL my kids! We feel all the joys and the sorrows of your every day lives, like any parent does, and we know that our Father in Heaven is mindful of all of us as we do our best to be keep His commandments and be the kind of people that He can be proud of. He has truly blessed our family since we have been gone, which is one of the greatest blessings of being a missionary. This experience has helped me realize how blessed I am to have the husband and children that I have. I am one very lucky lady. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Happy Hump Day to Eddie! Love, Mom/Michele