One step at a time, One foot then another

 Yes...she really is CRAZY!!!  But at least she know's how to have FUN!

 Jumping on the mini trampoline...in a skirt.

Having fun at a "Surprise Birthday" for one of the Elders.

Well, what can I say, she is always so HAPPY!  Hope everyone had a great week too!  Enjoy the pictures, and she better keep them coming :)

So, this week has been another week of missionary work that is for sure, a bummer of a thing kept happening though called a ton of our appointments fell through. It's so weird because we did so well at organizing our week and setting up appointments, but then they just kept not working out. Oh well. We got to work hard in other ways. On Monday night we had a family home evening with some of our members and our investigators and we watched the Testaments. This was such a wonderful decision. By the end of the movie everyone was crying and then Sister Tunney and I bore our testimonies and the spirit was sooo strong, so I challenge you all to watch it. It's only an hour long, so that's not too bad. If you've never seen it, you are in for a good show and if you don't have a copy then get one fast! I love that movie because it just makes me feel so happy about life and about this gospel. I love my savior so much and I am so grateful that I have the opprotunity to serve his children full time for 18 months. So we also had a cool thing happen on Sunday. Our new member, Nicholi he got baptized the week before I arrived in Volgograd, well he passed the sacrament yesterday! I was so excited for him and so happy that he is doing so well. He really is so humble and such a great example to me. He knows that he has a lot to learn, but he tries his best to understand and then acts on the promptings that the holy ghost gives him. I think that is an amazing attribute for him to have because I have found in Russia that a lot of people won't do that because they don't trust their feelings. It's makes my heart so sad, but it's true. But he's not that way, and that is so wonderful. Our family is doing well, we didn't get to teach them this week, which was kind of a bummer because their son was teething, which meant he had a fever and Russians are funny about things like that, and then they went out of town for the weekend, but we are planning on going over there tomorrow. I love them so much and I am so excited to see them! We also found another investigator named Andrea, and he is coming to family night tonight, so I'm super excited about that also. Well, I think that that's about it for this week. I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!!

Love,

Sister Leavitt

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIDGET!!!!!!

This Place outside of Yonkers

Yesterday I finally recieved my Mother's Day letter and Card from Sister Leavitt, she is such a FUN, amazing young lady!  Russia is so lucky to have her great spirit there to bring that JOY to the saints in Russia.  Enjoy her letter this week.  Love ~ Mamma K

So I have come to the conclusion that serving a mission is the best thing I could have ever done with my life. Everyday I wake up and there is a new adventure waiting for me. I love it! And now I have to tell you about the amazing family that we started teaching. I don't know if I told you about them last week, but I probably did, so they are amazing! There is a mom, who loves us so much! She is a young mother and loves doing all of her mom things. Then there's the dad, he works for a juice company, yeah Russians really love their juice by the way they are kind of obsessed with it, he used to come to english club when we did that here and he is so funny! Since they've been married he has had more of a desire to know about God because his wife is believing and he wanted to be also. But since he had come to english club before he knew about our church and decided to start coming. They have two kids. The oldest one is named Dasha. She is three years old and she doesn't really talk at all, but she understands that's for sure. She's a trouble maker and the last time we were there teaching them she climbed on the roof... yep TROUBLE MAKER. It made me laugh really hard though. So then they have a son named Vlad, he is 10 months old an super cute. He loves playing and grabbing everything from your hands and trying to eat everything he grabs from you... yep, just a typical 10 month old. He has the cutest smile in the whole world and he's won my heart and I kind of want to take him home with me. Things are going really well with them and I love teaching them. The kids are always just yelling and playing and being crazy, but when we teach them , the spirit is always so strong no matter what, and I love it! I will definitely be keeping you updated on them. Because they are just so amazing!!!

So this week was zone conference which means we had our mission president up here for a few days. He's funny and I really love him. I have a few funny stories to tell you this week. The first one comes from church yesterday. So I was just greeting and talking with some of the members and giving some of the women hugs and then I went and shook this guys hand, his name is Dima and he's super funny, maybe a little crazy, but he has a good heart, so when I shook his hand he gave me a hug and it was hillarious because it was one of those hugs where you're still shaking hands and then you just tap each other on the back, you know that kind? But he didn't even say anything just gave me a hug like it was nothing. Okay, that didn't come out very funny, but it was so funny when it happened that Sister Tunney couldn't help but laugh right there and we are still laughing about it actually. So the next funny story comes from last night when we went contacting. We were talking to this guy and just having a conversation when all of the sudden he just says, "you speak russian really bad." and then just stood there and looked at me and then we kept having a converstaion... it was strange and hillarious and we got his number to keep teaching him, so success. Well that's pretty much it for today, and this week. I love my life, I love russia and all of the crazy things that always happen. I Love you ALL! And most of all I love this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ! It makes my life better in every way possible. Well peace.

Sister Leavitt

I can almost see it!

Sister Leavitt's emails always bring a smile to my face.  Alrhough this is a short email, it is "Power Packed".  Till next week. ~ Mamma K

Holy Moly what a week!!! It started out with having to go on another 8 hour bus ride to Rostov last Tuesday, then another 12 hour bus ride on Wednesday to get a new visa. Then on Wednesday night we got on a train and rode it all night, about 12 and a half hours, back to Volgograd, but that wasn't half bad because we got to sleep the whole way. So did I tell you about that family that just showed up at church last sunday? Well I think I did, so we got to teach them this week and they are so amazing! They have two children, one is 3 years old and one is 10 months old. Their 3 year old doesn't talk yet and they asked me questions about that after I told them what my major is, but it's one thing to be able to help children like that using the English language and a whole other story trying to do it in Russian, but I hope that I'll be able to help a little. Mostly I'm just excited to start teaching them more about the gospel. We taught them about Joseph Smith and the restoration last time and the loved it. They had questions about our church and what we are and aren't allowed to do, like everyone else they thought it was strange that we don't drink black or green tea or coffee. But I hope that over time they will gain a testimony of prophets and exercise faith to keep the commandments of the Lord. We have another investigator who is doing so well! He wants to be baptized, but he wants to pick his own date, so he's praying about it. I think that his date will be for the end of next moth, but I'll let you know. I love the work here and I am so happy to be serving with the people in Russia.

Sister Tunney and I forgot that it was the fourth of july until it was about time to go to sleep last monday night so we sang my country tis of thee and went to bed. We also made tacos for lunch today, just so you know... Well I love you!

Love,

Sister Leavitt

Happy Birthday America!

Another great letter from Sister Leavitt.  She always has such great experiences!  Hope your week was good to.

Wow! What a week! Let me start with this, last Sunday my companion had to go to Ukraine to get a new visa, so I got to stay with the senior couple here in Volgograd while she was gone until Tuesday night. So we went contacting together, that was interesting because well it was just interesting. We got a few numbers and were able to talk to quite a few people. I really enjoyed it. We also got to teach Family night together and visit a less active family. I was really touched by Elder Norring because he is trying so hard to learn Russian so that he can talk to these people. On Monday we spent about an hour working together to get the spiritual thought for family night ready, and then he gave just about the entire thing in Russian. I was really impressed. So that was Monday and Tuesday. Then Wednesday we went on splits with the Elders. That's always fun. I enjoy working with the elders and learning from them. We also had sport night on Wednesday and we made up this game that's kind of like ping pong, but you play it with one of those huge bouncy balls and you hit it with your hands, Sister Tunney got way into it and was using all sorts of crazy Karate moves to hit it. So, then on Thursday we worked and planned as normal. We met with one of our new members Sergei, I think I told you a little about him last week. But that lesson did not go very well. He just wanted to argue they whole time, which I didn't really understand because he was just baptised three weeks ago, and why would he get baptised if he doesn't really believe these things are true? That was the question on my mind the whole time. We left that meeting just feeling a little frustrated, but we have determined to encourage him to read from the Book of Mormon every day and sincerely look for answers to all of his questions. So Friday we met with our other new member Nicholi he's pretty much amazing. He was what you would call a golden investigator. God had prepared his heart to accept this gospel. He received the priesthood on Sunday, so that was pretty exciting. Saturday we had district meeting and we went singing in the park afterwards, that was fun, I love singing in the parks and talking to people because music touches people's hearts in ways that just words can't. So then Sunday we had church and the biggest miracle of all happened and it's called a family of 3 just showed up out of nowhere! We were getting ready for sacrament meeting to start and our phone started ringing so I answered it and it was this man asking us for the address of our church, which I gave to him of course. So then about 20 minutes later they all show up and my heart was filled with joy. After the meeting I got to talk to them and learn more about them. They seem excited to know more, so I'll let you know more about them later! It was such a great week with so many blessing sprinkled through it. I can't even believe how much Heavenly Father loves His children. It's so incredible. Well I love you all, and just so you know, next week I will email on Monday like normal.

Love 

Sister Leavitt

Sister Leavitt was finally able to send over a few pictures of herself on her mission.  Enjoy her letter and her pictures!

I just thought that I would send you a surprise Friday letter because I didn't know that things were going to work out like this, but turns out that today is our p-day for next week. I will tell you why. So this week has been so crazy!!! I got to my new area on Wenesday night and then we went straight to bed. On Thursday we did a little planning and met with a few people, and now, today I had to get registered, because when you are going to stay in any city in Russia for more than three days you have to get registered in that city or else the police will kick you out, and so today I had to do that. So we just finished, but that doesn't explain why I am writing home early this week, for next week. So as it turns out, next week, my companion, who I will explain in further detail later, has to go to Ukraine to receive a new visa. So on Sunday she will take an 8 hour bus ride to Rostov, and then on Monday she will take a 12 hour bus ride to Ukraine and back. Then on Tuesday she will take another 8 hour bus ride back here.(yes cam, I bet that makes your hour and a half bus ride seem mighty short.) But then on Wednesday we are going on splits, so we couldn't take our p-day then, so it was either take our p-day today or take it next Thursday, and we voted for today because by the time that next Thursday gets here I think we will be ready to work. Phew! That was a long story. But hence forth, our p-day is today.

So this week has been so so so unnormal. On Tuesday I spent the day visiting members and investigators and saying goodbye to them, then packing and getting ready to come to Volgograd. Then Wenesday I spent the day traveling. Hour to Rostov by train and then 8 hours by bus from there. Then, as I already said, I got to Volgograd that night at like 10. So yesterday is really the only day I have anything to tell you about. So in the morning we planned a little bit and then we went to go visit a new member named Sergei. He was baptised two weeks ago. He's... a little bit different, but I think we are going to be friends. He gave my companion the funniest letter that I will have to scan into the computer one week so you can read it. He wrote it in english because he speaks a little bit of english. Oh, and he has a cat named gopher. Then, last night, we met with one of our inacitves named Nicholi. He's way cool and an amazing singer. He has some problems to work out with drinking and other things, that's a lot of people's problem here, but I told him about the church's 12 step program and he wants to read it and try it out. I'm excited to start working with him to help his life be a little better because his whole life has been a little sad. He had a dad that wasn't very nice to him and now all of his family is dead, except for his brother. He just lives in a house all by himself, with no one else. But if there's anything that can help someone feel better it is this gospel. So I'm sure that I will be telling you more about him in the future.

So my new companion, Sister Tunney. She's pretty much the most amazing person ever! She loves cooking and tonight we are going to make something delicious together. She also played tons of sports in high school and she rocks at the piano. She has been playing since she was four. So pretty soon we will probably do a musical number in sacrament meething. And also the title of my e-mail this week is my companions "favorite song" just kidding it's not, but there's a funny story about it... so later... I love her so much! And I'm sure I will be telling you more about her for the next little while.

Well I love you all and I hope that you enjoyed your surprise Friday letter!

Sister Leavitt

Now for some pictures of my mission.

The first one is of me in Volgograd. There are a lot of beautiful things here and tons of monuments because there was a huge battle here one time and the Russians are very proud of it.

These pictures are of these things that they make here called Shashlik. They are so delicious.they cook them over an open fire, of course all the men work on that project, and then we get to eat them! Yum!

 Yes...here we are eating them!  Soo Yummy!

And this one is of us when we were waiting to go to our branch picnic

And this one is of me and all the kids in our branch in Tagonrog on the last Sunday at the branch before my transfer..

This is one is of me and аленка, the cute girl that kandace's dog is named after
 when we were at church together for our last sunday