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| Sweetest babushka Ludmila in Rostov |
Who would have thought a week with 4 night trains would have been so great? I think the Lord really compensated for all the sleep we sacrificed haha. We started off the week with a trip to Rostov for a meeting, then came back to Sochi for a few days, and then headed up to Krasnodar with our district to have a zone training. We talked a lot about chapter 8 of PMG, and did tons of study on goal setting, planning and accountability. It was really really good, and definitely what our mission needs right now! I taught on planning, and when we decided that would be my part I was like.... great...........because planning is just one of those things that could be a pretty dry topic, but I am SO grateful because it went well. I learned a ton preparing for it--and I just had a lot of help. Hmmm now that I think about it maybe this is really boring to read about. I think it's safe to say that my idea of exciting is pretty missionaryish right now. But let me just throw in there that a role play of planning brought one elder to tears, he was so touched. So if anyone wants to talk about how to plan effectively when I get back, I'm in. Haha! For real though.
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| Translating parts of the Book of Mormon on the train |
We had a great experience with fasting, and asking for a specific miracle yesterday. We had a number of people we were fasting for, but one thing was to find a new investigator at church. In my own personal mind and prayers, I asked for a member to bring someone to church we could teach. As sacrament meeting began, I hadn't noticed anyone--we had an investigator we had brought ourselves, so I told myself, "huh, well, maybe this is the answer." Then, Ksenia came in with a woman I didn't recognize--I thought all through sacrament, "This is it! This is our new investigator!" I spun around to introduce myself after the meeting ended--turns out it was her mom, visiting from Volgograd, who is already a member. I tried not to be let down that my supposed answer wasn't really it. Then, after church, we find out that Nina Usova, who is 60 something-years-old, had gone on vacation and adopted a 12 year old girl who she wants us to teach! It was SO unexpected, and super random, but I know that is who I prayed for. The answer was NOTHING like I expected. But the Lord knows very best.
We met with Olga, our 83-year-old veteran, and she set a date for June 14th! I'm excited. The cool part is that we made a goal to help 2 people be baptized on June 14th, and we set her date the next day! Pray for us please!
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Babushka Olga (an investigator) and her neighbor
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We met the COOLEST lady on the street, on the way home from a lesson. Her name is Evgenia, and we were just walking down the road, and we actually hadn't stopped her, but I could feel her staring. She just stopped, and was literally just STARING. So we just turned around and I honestly thought she was mad because she looked kind of mad. We had the greatest street lesson, and she is interested! She has 3 ADORABLE little kids! She was like, "I've been studying the Bible with another church. But I have some questions."
Oh wait another REALLY cool thing about going to Rostov was seeing all three trainees at once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (She means Sisters Lundberg, Kirkby, and Nicholas - the three who she's trained--photos on the blog). I hope they are all eventually companions with each other because I just love them all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sister Lundberg and I got to be companions again for a day, and it turned out to be exactly one year after the day she got here and we met!!!!!!! Crazy.
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Reyna and her 3 "dochki" - Sisters Kirkby, Lundberg
and Nicholas. She trained all three straight from the MTC. |
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| Babushka Olga going in for a kiss |
We met a new investigator yesterday named Lera who we met through the lady who cut my hair! So cool. She came to church--she's 19 and really cute--and really brave! She just came to meet us and go to church with people she had never met before! She even stayed through Relief Society, which was cool because it was my turn to teach. The lesson was on Christlike attributes and it went pretty well--our lovely babushka investigator even recited 3 poems throughout the lesson. It was great, and the ladies in Relief Society are in love with her. I would say the number of times she kissed my cheek says we have a pretty decent relationship as well. I love it.
We really just had a great week. Sister N and I are pretty similar, which is really good but if one of us is down or tired, it means the other usually is as well haha. And we are still going strong on all Russian! I think we even have guilted the elders into haha! At least into 100% on the street.
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| Sister McGhie and Sister Nicholas |
When we rode up to Krasnodar this week we were on the train with this family across from us, and the little girl was 8. I got to spend about 4 hours playing pictionary, taking pictures, and saying every animal I could think of in English with her--it was great! Haha then plus Larisa from Kdar, Diana's friend, rode up with us as well! It was by far the most fun on a train we've had. Plus the little girl's mom was interested! Larisa gave her a Book of Mormon--member present lesson on the electrichka? Haha! It was so cool. Oh and then another really REALLY great thing!!!!!!! Valya got baptized Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We saw SO many miracles with her, and it was so cool to see how the Lord really put everything together. We met her like 3 or 4 times, and then knocked into her. She was very prepared. She is just the sweetest lady ever!
Okay so my member this week is IRA who is Emi's mom and is just the greatest! She would work with us out on the streets in the middle of winter!!!!!!!
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Sister Nicholas, Ira, and Sister McGhie
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She loves purple pants, neon legwarmers, and I have never seen her with less than 4 hair bows or clips on top of her head. It's awesome. And she helped Diana so much, I am so grateful to know that Diana has such good support in her new branch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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| Sister McGhie, Zhanna, Sasha, Sister Nicholas |
Today's quotes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One is really long but SO good.
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" -- Maya Angelou
“Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.
None of us need one more person bashing or pointing out where we have failed or fallen short. Most of us are already well aware of the areas in which we are weak. What each of us does need is family, friends, employers, and brothers and sisters who support us, who have the patience to teach us, who believe in us, and who believe we're trying to do the best we can, in spite of our weaknesses.” Marvin J. Ashton
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| Russian pose :) |
Love you~
Sister McGhie
SHOUTOUTS! ALIXA!!!! You are the greatest! Thank you for the letter, it was perfect!!!!!!!!!!
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