the Adventures of Sister Russell: Week 17

Monday July 15, 2013

ATTENTION ALL WHO WRITE ME: letters have to be sent directly to my apartment now so don't send them to the mission home anymore! the address issssssssss

8102 N. Sheldon Rd.

Tampa Florida (zip code that i can't remember... shoot)

whyyy heLLOOOOOOO everyone! another week that feels like a month that feels like one day. that's how it is, all the time, it's crazy! haha you get to the end of the day and look at what you did very first and i SWEAR it had been a week ago, but at the same time days are FLYING! i can't believe i've been out so long, noooo! it's going too fast!

well guys i usually write down little notes to remember what to put in my weekly emails so i don't take forever to write them but i forgot to do that this week so i CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING!!! AHHH! so sorry if this isn't filled with awesome stories but i'll do my best! so much happens every week!

okay lets see. WELL first of all let me tell you all part of what i'm learning out here is HOW MUCH i love teaching! we teach the english class and i LOVE IT. anyways that's insignificant. but i just really wanna be a teacher! that's all.

this week we just had a ton of tender mercies and little miracles! nothing huge! but we saw the Lord's hand a TON. it was so awesome, just how much he helps you out.

oh man you guys there are SO MANY PEOPLE WHO NEED THE GOSPEL!!!! everyone we see i'm just like man you need the gospel.... man YOU need the gospel!..... MAN YOU ALL NEED THE GOSPEL!! haha there is just so much happiness that you can get from the gospel! i am SO DANG GRATEFUL for it.

Noemi got her surgery and is okay! so hopefully she'll recovery quickly. we wanna GET HER IN THE WATEEERR! haha she is so awesome, i just LOVE HER.

we're also teaching the best family in the world, it's this lady and husband who were baptized 20 years ago but forgot all about the church cause they moved here and couldn't find it! well the husband is now universal and the kids know nothing about it, but we had such a great lesson. we're getting them BACK!!! WOO! the husband said he's just gonna learn cause he's alwqays interested in every religion, but he took the Book of Mormon and said he was gonna read it all again and man the spirit was just so strong. we both knew right when we walked out that he's gonna be converted. their son is an atheist so he'll be a little tougher but we'll get him too :) also a spider dropped down on a web in the middle of the lesson and my heart almost stopped and they were just laughing at me and laughing..... okay they didn't laugh that much but it was SO SCARY. oh man i cannot handle those monsterous CREATURES!!!

anywho.

being and STL is AWESOME. basically all we do is make sure that there isn't drama and that the sisters are all being obedient. we went to a big meeting the other day with all the zone leaders and sister training leaders and our president ROCKS. guys he is the best, so down to business get it done he's not gonna take anything. haha it's awesome, we are stepping it up for SUUUUREE. woooo!!!

also.... HE TOOK US TO THE BEACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

to siesta keys beach!!! the #1 beach in america!!!! oh my heck it was SO AWESOME. i got my bottle of sand and air don't worry! it was crazy, we obviously could only walk in the sand and stuff but it was so pretty.

but uh yeah so that's cool! he's also kicking our butts into shape, lectured us about exercising and how we need to stop doing wimpy work outs! haha and gave us an assignment for a month at least to work out way hard core, so me and sister judd are dying basically.... just kidding we're actually in better shape than we thought, but there is definitely PAIN.

okay well guys. i just.... i juuuust...... don't have enough words EVER AND I HATE IT. haha i can't describe this.. this..... this MISSION! it's just. aw man. i literally don't think i could ever express to you all how grateful i am for it. and i will say that till the day I DIE!!!!!! cause i will never be able to express how grateful i am!

there is just this deep deep incredibly filling feeling of joy, that come STRAIGHT from the heart, when you're doing this work. it is so satisfying and every other cool big word there is to describe it! i wish EVERYONE could experience this!

scripture time get out your scriptures everyone :)

I was reading about Korihor this morning, the anti christ, and one verse (Alma 30:17) he was talking about how there is no christ or atonement or anything and life is basically survival of the fittest, strongest and smartest at the top, and there is no crime! nothing you do is bad, you just gotta do what you gotta do! and man how sad would it be if that was really the case? so then i was just takin comfort in the fact that god DOES exist and that it IS all true, and that you don't have to be the strongest or the smartest to get by with God. because one of his favorite things to do is choose the weak and insignificant people to counfound everyone else. (Alma 37:6-7) i was reading in Moses 6, and in verse 31 enoch is like God.... i am just a kid, i suck at talking, everyone hates me.... i cannot be who you're calling me to be. and God tells him to do it anyways, and then in chapter 7 verse 13, it says how enoch led the people, and all his enemies in battle couldn't win, and mountains moved for him, and rivers changed courses, and ALL nations feared him greatly, so powerful were his words.

isn't that the best? no matter who you are, if you have the Lord he can make you the most powerful person in the world if you need to be. trust in him and in his power and his love for you. he will not let you fall.

i'm out of time but i love you all so much!!!!!!!

go be a member missionary you guys! it is asked of you by the prophet! HELP OUT US MISSIONARIES! WOOOO!!!!!

hasta ver :)