Dima!

Hey, hey, hey, Everyone!

This week has been the best. I love Dachney so much. I never want to leave this place. I thought I'd never love anywhere as much as I loved Dachney, but it just goes to show you, there are always other (better) fish in the sea. Starting over is always rough, but it's always, always worth it. If I get transferred from this place, so help me, I'll do something mildly disobedient!

I'm just kidding.

The week started with a phone call to a man named Dima. I didn't expect anything to happen. I was just doing calls from a potentials sheet (people who have met with the missionaries only once or just on the street) and he answered. He started talking in English and said he wanted to meet. I thought he was only interested in English, but I figured we'd give it a shot. We set up the meeting for Friday (another bad sign, Russians NEVER plan that far in advance. It's rare for a Russian to plan for anything more than 24 hours ahead. It's a missionary's nightmare, by the way). We hung up, and I figured that was that. 

The next 2 days were filled with lots and lots of walking. We spent about 6 hours on the streets total each day, jsut contacting up and down the main road in Dachney. We talked with lots of people, with very little success. We knocked on doors on top of that, also with very little success. There were some pretty funny experiences, though. One man bowed to us when he opened the door like we were holy men then explained that he wasn't interested and that he was drunk. Haha. Another woman answered her door, said she didn't want anything, then closed the door. Sister Moffatt and I said a prayer before we knocked her neighbors door, only to realize that the same woman was waiting on the other side of the apartment door, just waiting for us to knock. I saw her through the keyhole and silently told Sister Moffatt that we should leave. She opened the door with her neighbor in toe and started yelling at us. Haha. Sometimes I'm so glad I don't understand what they're saying.

We also had a lesson with a less active with the help of our district RS president names Sister Lyoobov ("Love" in Russian). After the lesson we talked about how we both loved movies, and she told me that she'd just seen Pan's Labyrinth a few days ago. I was so happy! We talked about it for a good ten minutes. Then she mentioned that she'd seen Melancholia and we went on for another ten minutes. I was so happy to talk about movies with someone. I was a little surprised that she'd seen them-they're pretty 'out there' movies. I also saw a poster for Django Unchained! I almost died! I was SO EXCITED! You can ask Sister Moffatt, I was going nuts. It was all in cyrillic and everything. It looks so good! Only one more year! haha.

Which leads us to Friday, the day we're supposed to meet with Dima. The day before we found his teaching record in the area book and found out that his first contact with missionaries was in 2006, and he's met with a few pairs since then. That made me a bit more nervous. Every note on the record said that he sincerely wanted to follow Christ, that he was very spiritual, a very caring person, open to new information, etc. We met him on the street and headed to our senior couple's house. I was completely taken aback by him. He's the coolest person in all of Russia. I have no idea why he lets us tag along with him. Haha. We talked about why in the world young people would leave America to go to Russia; he said he believed that it was no small thing, that "it has to be faith." During the lesson, we talked about our pre-Earth life, Heavenly Father's plan for us, life after this life, etc. At the end of the lesson, he said that he felt different after talking with us, that we had a light around us. (This was the first time I'd ever heard a person say this to my face). He then asked if he could meet with us again on Tuesday. Woohoo!

Then, yesterday, at church, I officially fell in love with Dachney. Since we got here, I've felt a little bit like our branch president didn't like us very much. His name is President Shakirov. He's maybe 32-33 years old, and he's a BOSS. I don't know how he does it. He's just very serious and has a lot on his shoulders. I don't think he was too excited about two 3-monthers taking over the area. But yesterday our relationship seemed totally different.We're best friends now! I think it had something to do with the cookies we gave him last week. But it was more than that, he was telling us about his life, he told us what we could do to help the branch, he asked us our opinion on things, it was awesome. He's the best. 
After our lesson, I just kept asking myself, "Why me?"
I have no idea why Heavenly Father has trusted this area (and this people) to Sister Moffatt and I. I feel like it would be better off in some other missionary's hands. It just goes to show that Heavenly Father has a plan for everything. He knows the beginning from the end, and it will all go according to His plan is we remain worthy of that plan.

Well, that's all I got for this week. I love you all so much. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE, CHANTILLY WARD! I just got it last week. I felt so very loved. I loved all the letters! You're all awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you all!

Also, Mom, did you get your b-day package yet?


LOVE YOU!

-Sister Sine