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