It's MY Birthday Tomorrow!

What a wonderful gift Sister Leavitt received for her Birthday early.  And yes….I guess I am a little crazy, but at least I’m not alone in the family!  Have a great Missionary Monday!

So first things first I just wanted to remind you all that tomorrow is my birthday. And for my birthday I already got everything I will ever want. Now with that being said, let me tell you about the birthday present Heavenly Father gave me this past week. It was Friday night. It had been cold and snowy all day long and honestly that kind of weather is not my favorite (good thing I'm in Russia huh?). So we had an appointment with our investigators Katya and Alexander set up for that afternoon at four. It takes about an hour to get to the part of the city that they live in from our house, so we set out and on the ride there I just kept thinking about everything that we had taught them, and how much they have learned and changed since I had first met them. I also thought about how lately Alexander has been a little obsessed with learning English lately, which is a real damper when we are teaching people because then they just try to speak so much english to us, when we just want to speak Russian, so they'll actually understand, and with him lately I just had been feeling a little bit of sadness in my heart that this was happening. So I just said a prayer in my heart that Heavenly Father would help me to know if he really is ready for baptism, and also to help us to know how we can help their family. So we got to the lesson and everything was going so well. One of the kids went down for a nap when we got there and the other one just played quietly by herself the whole time, and they usually just run around and be crazy the whole time we are there. It was so perfect because it was a great setting for the spirit to testify. Anyways we started teaching the lesson. We have taught them just about everything, we just had to tie up a few loose ends and explain some things a little better so that the principles of the gospel would be clearer. We just read the Articles of Faith with them and reviewed the baptisimal interview questions with them in order to do this. As we were reading the questions Alexander would answer them. When we got to the question that asks "Do you believe the Church and the gospel of Jesus Christ have been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith?", the spirit was so strong. And when Alexander said, "yes", I felt the spirit telling me that he really did. Then at the end I just asked him why he wanted to be baptized and he then bore such a strong testimony about what he has learned from us, and what he has learned from the members of the branch. He said that of any church he has ever been to, this church is the only one that has really ever helped him. After he said this I wanted to cry and scream and hug him, but because I knew that none of those would be very appropriate, I just smiled really big. I think that this moment on my mission and in my life for that matter, was the strongest I have ever felt the spirit of God. I haven't even been able to stop smiling these past few days because when I think about that moment my heart is just filled with joy. That scripture is absolutely right "how great shall be your joy if you bring but one soul unto me." I have such great joy in my heart right now, and so that is the gift that Heavenly Father has given me for my birthday.

Now, I just have to say thank you to my family for their birthday presents also, because on Saturday at district meeting I got the best surpirse ever called a birthday package from Kandace! In it, it had letters from my siblings and pictures of my family and when I was reading what they said and looking at all of the pictures I just felt so blessed and so loved and I am so grateful for my family. I am also so grateful that they are so crazy! All of the missionaries were looking at the pictures and they all asked me, "is that your mom?" and I said, "yep" and they said, "she's a little crazy huh?" and I said, "of coursre and that's just the way I like her." I love my family so much! Even if we are a little crazy.

Also I have another funny moment to share with you. Every week on Wednesday nights we have sports night and we just play ping-pong and workout on some of this workout equipment that is in our church building. So we were having sports night and Sister LeBaron and I were practicing our waltz. Only we aren't even good at the waltz and so one of our members stepped in and danced with me and taught me how to waltz. He even counted for me... It was funny. But maybe you had to be there. Well, I think that's about it for this week. I hope you are all happy, and don't forget to celebrate and eat some cake tomorrow for my birthday. I LOVE YOU!!!!

Sister Leavitt

Hot..Hot...Hot...We Got IT!

Oh…I am so Grateful for Missionary Mondays!  She just always brings a smile, followed by a giggle to my morning!  Her Birthday is next week and she did get her package and is waiting until next week to open her Mint Oreo’s…it’s the little things that she loves so much!  Have a great week.  J

So much happened this week. So I will just skip all of the small talk and get straight to business. Last Monday all of the Missionaries in our zone got together and carved pumpkins and made delicious food and had a fun Halloween party together. Sister LeBaron and I carved a pirate pumpkin, it turned out pretty cute. We put it in our apartment to decorate and within 3 days it grew some fuzzy mold. It was pretty disgusting, but it looked really cool, kind of like a realy pirate, so we took a few pictures and then threw it away. I also have some really cool news! So last week we set a baptisimal date with our Grandma Zoya. She is so cool! Sometimes she doesn't understand what we are talking about because she has been a member of the russian orthadox church her whole life, but evertime we talk about eternal families her whole face lights up. We talked to the other missionaries about it, and they said, well maybe at her age she will never be able to completely understand everything here on earth, but after this life the missionary work will go forth and she will understand. She's just so cool I love her so much! She will be baptized on the 26th of November with our family. I am so excited for that day!

I also have a funny story to tell you all. So this past week we met with one of our less actives. We taught her about strengthening ourselves against satan. One of the ways that we mentioned that we can be strong is to go to the temple. (sidenote: I'm pretty sure she has ADD, and a bad case of it. The whole time we were teaching her I kept thinking "this sure reminds me of special education..." Because we would start talking and she would take it somewhere completely off topic...) Okay, so temples. After we said that we asked her how long ago she went to the temple. She said, "Oh, I can't even remember. Hold on let me find something..." then she puts in this dvd. Sister LeBaron and I thought that it was just going to be pictures from the temple or something. But nope. Wrong. It was a movie of her at some sort of work party about 5 years ago. She was just eating fish and playing at the beach with all of her work friends. About half way through the movie I looked at sister LeBaron and asked, "Wait, what does this have to do with the temple?" And she said, "I have no idea..." Haha... So that's how that lesson went. It was funny, but surprisingly the spirit was really strong the whole time, so that's a plus. And a pretty big one I might add.

Now I just have one bit of useless information that I know will make you laugh. So we spent the night at the senior couple's house this weekend because we had district conference, which is kind of like stake conference, but different in that there aren't so many people. So while we were there we just started talking with Sister Neilson, the wife of the senior couple, and she was telling us about this time that they went to China to teach english and about all of the crazy things that China does. Then she told us the most shocking thing I have ever heard in my whole life. She said that when the olympics were in china they didn't want to build bathrooms for everyone, so they just bought a pair of depends for everyone... Talk about gross!!!! That would be the most disgusting garbage load of my whole life! Anyways, I hope that just made you proud to be an American. 

Also, the wearther here has already turned cold as the devil. Seriously though. This morning when we woke up it was Negative 12 degrees Celcius.... That's so cold!!!! So today we taped all of our windows closed so that the cold wind will stop making our apartment so cold. Also I put on a hat for the first time this season and put on my leggings and wool socks and long skirts... YIPPEE!!!! This is going to be a fun winter. I just know it... At least I keep telling myself that. Well, I love you all and wish you a very merry week.

Love,

Sister Leavitt

Beware of the JABERWOCK my son...

Here is Sister Leavitt...and NO this is not her Halloween costume.  She is showing off her new WARM boots!  Here letter this week is awesome!  Enjoy, and I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!  ~ Mamma K 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

This week was so good! On Saturday we went to this cool museum that has all of these displays and pictures and statues and stuff of WWII. It was so interesting because the history of this city is so rich and just looking at and reading and seeing all of these things mady me appreciate these people so much. When the war happened this whole city was destroyed. There was only one tree left standing by the end. People would find mice holes in the dirt and then dig them up so they could eat the mice... It was horrible. But they made it out. They lost a ton of people, but they made it. It just helped me understand why russians are the way they are a little bit. I think that they have to have a little bit of a hard outer shell because of all of the horrible and hard things that they have been through, but really after you get to know them they are so kind and would do anything to help you. I love Russians. 

I have one good story to tell you all this week. And it all starts with my hat getting stuck... Okay, no it doesn't, but I was just trying to shake things up a little. Really it starts with getting ready for churh yesterday. So while we were getting ready Sister LeBaron and I decided that we really wanted to do a musical number in sacrament meeting because we always want to and then we just never do. So we got to the branch building a little early and practiced I know that my redeemer lives. She played the piano and I sang it. I decided to sing it in Russian because... well, everybody here speaks russian and I thought it would be better if they understood what I was saying. This was the first time I ever sang a song in Russian all by myself in front of a group of people, so I was a little nervous. But we practiced and it sounded good, so we just went for it. So sacrament meeting starts and the spirit is just so strong from the beginning. Then the first speaker gets up and gives a talk about Jesus Christ's Atonement. Perfect. Then there was another talk about fasting, which was really good too. Then we did our musical number and by the end there wasn't a dry eye in the place, including me! I know this may surprise you because I don't cry very much, it surprised Sister LeBaron that's for sure. But I couldn't even help it because I was just looking out at the faces of all of these people that I love so much and who have sacraficed so much, jobs, money, and even families, to be a member of this chruch and to do what they know is right; and I was just looking into their eyes and seeing their testimonies, their faith, and their love of the Savior and I was just overcome with love also. Because I truly to know that Jesus Christ lives! I know it with all of my heart. And he loves us. No matter who we are he loves us. And that testimony that is within me is why I am here. I am here to help others find the hope that I receive through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That's What it's all about. I love my life. I love this gospel. I love Christ. And I am grateful everyday that I have the opportunity to share that love with others, and show Christ that I love him by serving him. 

I am so happy, and I love my life!

Sister Leavitt