Горка и Сладка

Привет!

So, I have some good news and some bad news this week.

First of all the bad news.

Sister Misuraca and I are being split up! Not only that, but we both are leaving Red Army.
Saying goodbye to all the members was one of the hardest things I've had to do. The members of that branch have become members of my own family. While Sister Misuraca and I didn't have a ton of success finding people who were interested in talking with us about the church, we did have a lot of success in helping less active members of that ward return.

One of the less active members we worked with was Sasha Keersheen. He's about 40 years old, and he is one of the smiliest people I've ever met. He lights up rooms with his smile. He loves working with missionaries, and he actually called us to meet with him the first time. It's been such a privilege to watch him grow closer to God and to watch how beginning to read the Book of Mormon and to pray daily again have changed his life.  Last Sunday, he actually came to church. To see him walk into the building in a 3 piece suit and tie with the biggest smile on his face was one of the happiest memories I have. 

I'm really going to miss that little branch. It's hard to let other people take care of those you love.

Now for the good news...

I'm training! Which means that I'm going to have a companion that is fresh off the plane who knows very little Russian. 

I'm excited and terrified! The best part about it is that I get to return to Center Volgograd! I can't wait to see all the people I've missed so much! Including a brand new member...

On Saturday there was a baptism! Sam, a student here in Volgograd from Ghana, was baptized. It was so fun to be there and to see him be baptized because Sister Marquis and I, way back in September, taught him for the first time. He's an amazing person and his baptism was so simple and beautiful.
I've often found that the most beautiful moments that I've seen on my mission are the simplest whether it's someone getting up the courage to come to church after years of not going or watching someone make that first step towards following Christ for the rest of their lives. It's so wonderful to me how simple and pure the Gospel of Jesus Christ is and how simple it is to follow Him.

Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to dowload all the pictures I have of this week, so it will have to wait until next week! 

Have a wonderful beginning to your Christmas season! And be sure to check out the video for Christmas on christmas.mormon.org (I'm not really sure if that's right, but you could probably google search it...)

Love you!

Сестра Джарвис