Monday, September 2, 2013

Hey Hey Hey! 8/26/2013

Family and Friends!
 
I love you all!!!! Hope you are all doing well :)
This week was pretty great. Pskov is just gorgeous in the Fall!!! and I am so lucky to be here before everything dies and freezes over for the rest of forever. I get asked all the time if I've been here for Russian winter and when i say no they kind of chuckle and ask if I'm ready....WHAT kind of answer is that! Ya I'm afraid. hahaha no it should be fine but I hear it's just gorgeous! so I am really excited! This week we started up English group, we had a pretty good turn out! a whole 7 people! And I lead the group (because I am fluent in English) and it went really well! Other random things that happened this week, all 6 of the missionaries sang in church on Sunday "Let Zion in her Beauty Rise" which isn't actually in the Russian songbook but our branch president translated it and insisted that we sang it so we did! It didn't sound too bad and the spirit was so strong throughout the song. We have zone conference this week so we will be leaving to St. Petersburg this tuesday and returning Wednesday night. I love conferences, getting together with all the missionaries is really refreshing and fun to see fellow Americans every once in a while. This last week sister Kefalas and I found a huge monument while tracting around trying to find service in dacha land! Maybe if you put in Russian monument in pskov Russia you can see it. It was this absolutely HUGE iron army, one guy is on a horse and they are all holding spears that point up to the sky, it was pretty incredible! so Russian too!
We had a miracle this week that i was just so grateful for. We had gone to visit a lady name Vera in the hospital (she is what is called an eternal investigator) and so she isn't a progressing investigator but loves the missionaries so we went to visit her. And we had prepared a spiritual thought on faith reading out of Alma 32 (great chapter). Anyways so when we got there she actually had a roommate as well (Russian hospitals are...very different), and we ended up teaching the both of them! Her roommate's name is Natalia and she is now a progressing investigator! goodness we were so excited! there are just little miracles everywhere! and Natalia has a family as well and so now we are working on maybe being able to meet with her whole family! we are praying for that miracle!
One really cool thing I have been reading and thinking about his week is our Shepherd, Jesus Christ and how we are his Sheep. I just love that picture of the savior by Simon dewy i think, where the Savior is pictured as the shepherd. It's just gorgeous. In 3 nephi it talks a lot about how Christ is gathering in his flock, i just love that and know that he loves and cares for each and every one of us. we are so lucky. Also in the song "consider the lilies" There is a line that says, "he knows the meadows where they feed", what a gorgeous line. I love that and being here in Russia i know that he knows all of us, and he has not forgotten anyone! This is so true, especially now when missionary work is spreading across the entire world. it really shows that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ care about ALL of their children and want us all to be happy and return to them. 3 nephi 15:31 Christ is talking and says "i know my sheep", He loves us all SO MUCH! and his arms are forever reaching out for us all we need to do is turn our hearts to him. I love this gospel so much and I am so grateful for all of my many many blessings!
i love you all so much! have a wonderful week!
love, Gigi

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