I LOVE RUSSIA

Oh my goodness, where to begin??!

I just realized that I haven't even been away from the MTC for an entire week,and that seems crazy to me, because I feel like I've been in Russia/traveling forever! It was really hard to say goodbye to my district at the MTC, but everyone was so excited to get into the field,so that made it doable. 

We traveled to Rostov in a group of 12 missionaries (which is a huge number for our mission--the older missionaries here were blown away when all of us arrived). It was a very confusing, long two days, but miraculously, all of us and all of our luggage made it to the mission home safely! I'm proud! We stopped in Moscow for a while, to apply for second passports (it's required here, because our Visa situation is super weird), so we got to drive through the city a bit! We didn't see much, because we didn't actually get to tour around, but I did get a sighting of my first Russian temple! They're just like the pictures--gorgeous, and very different from anything in America :). Our driver was arranged by the Church, but he didn't speak English, and as soon as we were done with our passport stuff, he helped us get all our luggage out of the van, and then just dumped us outside of the airport and zoomed away. It was hilarious--us 12, clueless, exhausted Americans with SO much luggage and no idea what anyone was saying. :) Somehow we navigated the airport, and we got on our plane in time! Seriously, it was kind of amazing. 

President and Sister Miner met us at the airport in Rostov, and they were so accepting and wonderful right from the moment they saw us! They don't speak Russian, so it was a nice break to be able to have an understandable conversation. They've only been here for a few months, but they seem to have this whole running-a-mission thing in the bag! We all spent the night in the mission home, and Sister Miner made enchiladas (!!!). I had my first interview with President Miner--he just rocks. The next morning, we had orientation, and everyone met their trainers!

My new companion is Sister Marquis. She's from Utah :), she has two more transfers, and she's trained basically half of the missionaries in the mission. Also, she's basically fluent in Russian. She seriously knows what she's doing. She's always on the ball, and she's obedient but a lot of fun. I have no idea how I got so lucky, but I already adore her, and I'm so glad to have the chance to learn from someone so experienced! We street-contacted in the afternoon after orientation, and it was terrifying but also amazing. I even started a couple of conversations. Basically, I can say, "Hello, we're from our church,and we know that God loves you." Then I can ask them what they believe about God or something similar, but as soon as they respond, I get really confused and Sis. Marquis has to take the reigns... I knew that it was going to be hard to understand people here, but I guess I didn't know what that really meant until I experienced it. Their accents are so different, and they speak so fast! I love the way it sounds, but I have no idea what it means! It's been getting better, and people are usually way nice about repeating things for me, but WOW, it's crazy. It's really nice to have Sister Marquis here, so I have hope that I'll eventually be able to understand and respond coherently! :)

Right now, I am in Volgograd center. it's beautiful and busy. This morning we went for a run, and we got to run right alongside the river. It was lovely. I adore the branch here! There are about 60-70 members, but I've probably met about 40 from the activity on Saturday and church yesterday. There's a lot of youth, and they especially love the missionaries, which is way nice. Right now, we have 2 sets of elders along with Sis. Marquis and I serving in the branch, and 2 of the 6 of us missionaries are new this transfer! The members are patient and sweet,and their testimonies are inspiring. I was asked to bear my testimony in Sacrament Meeting yesterday, and afterward, many of them have reached out to me personally. It's so nice to be here, and to feel their support!

There's a university here, which means a lot of students--and a lot of them are non-natives. There's one incredible member named Freesia. She's from Ghana, she moved here and started studying 3 weeks ago, and she started coming to our branch. She speaks English and is learning Russian right now, but is really struggling, so she loves to talk to the missionaries. She is one of my favorite people ever, because even though she is so discouraged and scared, she has this unwavering testimony that God loves her and that she's here for a reason. We went over to her place last night and shared a spiritual thought, and she was so grateful, but I think she uplifted me even more than we uplifted her! She is so incredible. She lives in student housing, and there are toooons of people there, so when we were leaving, she introduced us to like a gazillion of them. We're actually meeting with some of them tomorrow night, and I'm pumped! Her friend Samuel was talking to us, and when we invited him to learn about how our church was restored he said something along the lines of, "yes, I've been talking to Freesia, and I'd really really love to schedule a time for that, and maybe possibly to be baptized, too."  ??!!??! <--That was my brain at that moment, haha. :) I'll let you know what happens with that whole situation. Last night was the best though, meeting with all of those wonderful people.

I love you and I have to go right now! Thanks for all your love!!

Emory made it to Russia!

The Mission President's wife sent this picture to us, it's right after their two days of flying to Russia.

See you later, America!

Well, hello everyone! :) Sorry it's been a while--last week was INSANE. We got asked to move to a new residence hall last P-Day, and ended up having to switch rooms several times (long story), and then in the midst of all that, my companion got pneumonia/bronchitis/some mysterious illness. Combined with all the normal P-Day stuff, it was a crazy day, and a lot of things didn't get done like we'd planned... I did get to read emails that were sent to me, though, and I just want to say thank you again for all the support and encouragement! I have no idea how I got lucky enough to have so many wonderful people in my life! It means the world to me to hear from you.

The past two weeks have been exciting! We stayed in for a few days because of Cectpa Meade's sickness, but I got some good studying and journal-writing time in, and I got to know the sisters in my new residence hall. We made quite an impression, barging into our new building, half-packed and diseased, but everyone has been super kind and helpful. I've been really impressed with how accepting everyone has been, although I'm sure it really wasn't convenient to have us show up unannounced and falling apart like that. We had so many people offer to get us food, to go on companion splits so I could go to class, etc. It was super sweet, and I couldn't have asked for a better place to be reassigned! Cectpa Meade is back in the game now, and everything's looking up quite a bit. We've been able to go to class full-time for the past few days :)

Oh! I've also got to brag about my district for a minute, because I've just been so amazed with how they've handled things this past week. They'd check up on Cectpa Meade every time that they saw me, when I did get to go on splits. They made her cheesy get-well cards, and they cleaned and organized our desks when we missed class. And then one night, they came to our building and gave her a blessing. It was the most touching thing to watch this group of silly boys get serious and thoughtful throughout the whole week, but especially at that moment. I could just feel that they understood the significance of the opportunity that they had to give Cectpa Meade a blessing through the priesthood. They KNOW how important and powerful that is, and it was so sweet to see and feel that from them. I've said it before, but I've got some stellar district-mates. They're just good people who are trying to live righteously, and that makes such an impact. I seriously love each one of them, and I'm going to miss learning from them all day every day. They've become great friends and examples to me. It's going to be hard to leave them!

Speaking of leaving...it's happening! Things are getting real here, because we have flight plans and everyone's realizing that we legitimately don't have time to slack off. My Russian is not where I'd like it to be,but I'm getting closer every day! I'm excited to get to my mission and to be surrounded by this terrifying, rapid-fire Russian all the time! It's going to be hard, but I think I'm going to learn a lot faster when I'm forced to speak and hear the language 24/7. I'm preparing for the craziness :)

The email schedule is going to be wonky again next week, because I'm going to get a new P-Day, but you should hear from me within about a week and a half! Next time I email, I'll be in another world :). 

I can't express how much I love being a missionary. There's nothing I'd rather be doing right now! I love you all. Thank you for everything that you do for me! I hope you have the most wonderful week! :)

Love,

Cectpa Montierth

Three Weeks to Go!

This week has been a rollercoaster! So much has happened. 

So, last Wednesday night/Thursday morning, one of the sisters in my zone coughed so much that she split a blood vessel in her nose, and she ended up having to go to the ER to get it to stop bleeding. So she got a tube stuck up her nose, and she had to keep it attached to her face until Monday. She was basically confined to her room for half a week, being tired and in pain. Everything is okay now, and she is feeling wonderful, but it was a crazy crazy experience, and it caused for a lot of companion splits and schedule-changing. All the sisters have missed plenty of class this week. We've gotten a lot closer as a zone, and I love these sisters so much. They're so sweet and helpful and patient! I've learned a lot from each of them, and I really think that having us all grouped together was a truly inspired decision.

Cectpa Meade and I were called as the new Sister Training Leaders this week, which means that we get to help orient the new sisters that we're getting today! I'm so excited to get to know each of them!! We're getting two new districts, with only four sisters total, but since we've only gotten elders since my group came in, we're excited for some female representation, haha! This means that our Relief Society class will finally have more than 5 participants each week! :) Tonight, we get to meet everyone. !!

Our teachers have been giving us stories from Russia, and they're making me super excited to go. I can't believe that we only have  3 more weeks here! I don't know nearly enough Russian yet, but it's coming along! The grammar is starting to make sense! I am so grateful that I get to stay here for 9 weeks, not only because I need that time to learn the language, but because I am amazed by how much my testimony has grown here. I think that a big reason that I was called to learn this language was because I needed the time to learn more about the gospel and become more converted myself. I am loving this experience. 

Thank you everyone for the emails and support. I'm sorry if I didn't respond--I never have enough time! But I hope you know how much I love and appreciate all your kind words! Have a great week!

Love,

Cectpa Montierth

Hello!

Hello to the outside world!!

Less than four weeks left, and I can't believe it! 

This week was wonderful! Cectpa Meade and I were hit with some sickness (nothing crazy, but it kept us down for a little while), but we've pushed through and we're finally seeing the light and getting back to full health! :) And this week has been full of so many incredible experiences that it doesn't even really matter! 

On Sunday night, we had a special devotional, where the Nashville Tribute Band came and gave the MTC a mini-concert. It was definitely a different experience than we normally have for devotionals, but in a good way. I love the way that the band shares their testimonies through music. It's powerful and unique. And we even got to sing a few songs with them! The music was a little louder/more exciting than the hymns that we usually get to perform, and I loved it! It brought the Spirit, but in a different way. I loved it. Plus, one of the band members is from my home valley, so I may be just a little biased. :)

Cectpa Meade and I also gave the lesson in our district meeting on Sunday, and I think it was the first time in my life that I have taught a class and legitimately wanted more time. If any of you know me, that is pretty serious. But I am so GLAD! I'm learning how to really love to teach, and that's something I never thought I'd say! :) Anyway, we taught about the Atonement, and I was just struck once again by how all-encompassing it is. Jesus Christ paid for EVERYTHING, for us. That includes not only sins, but pains and sicknesses and trials. He KNOWS. I think sometimes we forget that there is someone who can help us out no matter what it is that we are struggling with. He may not always take away our problems, but He can help us through them. He enables us to do more and to become more than we are by ourselves. I've truly felt that since I've been out on my mission. When I rely on the Lord, I can do so much more! I am incredibly grateful for that.

On another note, my zone is falling apart physically.... Two elders in my district have had to have surgery on pre-mission injuries that have become real problems since entering the MTC. It's kind of funny to walk into my classroom, because 1/6 of our district are in slings right now. It looks like they just had a brawl and neither one of them came out very well. One of the sisters in my zone had bronchitis and pink eye and was out for a few days. Basically all the other sisters have been sick throughout this past week. BUT we're holding strong and still progressing so much! And everyone has had amazing attitudes throughout all of the crazy health stuff. 

Life is so great! The gospel is so true! I love the joy and peace that it brings. I love you all and appreciate your kind words and your support more than I can ever tell you! Have the best week!

Love,

Cectpa Montierth 

WHOA, we're half way there (kinda)

It's almost been an entire month here! Weird! It gets better and better!
I honestly don't have much new to report this week, so this email might be a little short. My schedule's basically the same every week, so I don't want to bore anyone with all the same stuff I've already said!Since there are a bunch of new Russian speakers coming here in the next few weeks, the MTC took one of my district's teachers away from us to teach the newbies. We were all super bummed to hear that, because we all love him! BUT our other two teachers rock too, so I guess we can share.Russian does weird things to your mind.... There are 4 genders (if you include plural and neuter), 6 cases (which basically means that every word has like 1024395876 different versions), and sentence structure doesn't really matter. It's a lot to take in, and I guess everyone goes a little crazy, but it makes the district more fun! The other day, the teacher left the room for a minute, and we totally broke out into one of those High School Musical moments, and one by one, everyone started tapping out beats with pencils, highlighters, and by drumming on their desks, until we had this like 10-layer track going on. It only lasted for a minute because we realized we were being ridiculous, but it was great. :)This week, I've realized just how important the scriptures are. I have been so amazed to find answers to my questions when I truly go into scripture study with a purpose, and with the intent to learn something. Sorry for the short email this week, I'm completely out of time! I love you all a ton!Love,Cectpa Montierth  

Another week down!

Hellooooo everyone!

Week 2 is done, and apparently I'm some kind of veteran here now. It's funny because you feel so old after even one week. I get to watch new missionaries come in every Wednesday, and it's super weird to realize that was me such a short time ago. I legitimately feel like I've been here for at least a month. But it's good! I'm learning so much.

My district continues to rock. I still can't believe the power of the testimonies that comes from everyone here, although we're really just a group of teenagers. It really testifies to me that missionaries are called of God. There is no way that I could make any sort of impact without Him.

Last week, our investigator, Igor committed to baptism. I know that it's just a role-playing activity, but I really loved teaching Igor, and I was so excited when he followed up on commitments, and when he said that he felt the Spirit. I'm super excited to start meeting and teaching people in Russia. I hope they're as patient with me and my small Russian vocabulary as these MTC investigators are....:)
This week, we started teaching Lena. She is sweet and so willing to listen to us, but she has a lot of questions. We get to meet with her again on Saturday, and I'm hoping that we can share something that helps her to really feel God's love. 

The language is improving... there is a lot to learn, and we haven't even started on most of the crazy grammatical rules yet, but I'm loving everything that we've gotten into so far. It's a beautiful language! I say my prayers in mostly-Russian now! I'm excited to get to a point where I can not only understand what my teachers are saying, but actually know how to respond to them in Russian. Haha, it's going to take a while. :)

The MTC choir is amazing. Basically everyone does it, so there are like 1000 missionaries every week, but I think that makes it even more powerful! I think that has been one of the highlights of my MTC experience so far. You can just FEEL the truth. It's wonderful. I also am super grateful for the devotionals here. We have two per week, usually by some past mission presidents or general authorities. They're always amazing.

The other day, in the middle of class, our teacher made us take a break from studying and run around our class building. So there we were in full church clothes, sprinting and shouting and laughing like crazy people. I think we probably scared all the missionaries who were studying outside, but it was super fun, and it was definitely a nice break from cramming our brains full. 

Some of my favorite quotes from this week: "He must increase, and I must decrease."
"Faith is stepping into darkness, knowing that the light will follow." --Elder Holland
"You're either serving time, or you're serving the Savior." --L. Lionel Kendrick

I love you all so much, and I'm super thankful for all the emails I've gotten! It means the world to me to have your support and love. Have a beautiful week! :)

Love,
Cectpa Montierth