I think i want to be a missionary forever

Mom and Family,
What a great week! So FULL and busy and exciting and crisp and cold
and beautiful and full of food and so much russian/rushing ;) hah....
get it? (no pun intended;).

Anyways, life is great. I think I want to be a missionary forever. I
decided my favorite thing about the work. Because I don't talk a ton in
our lessons (I DO talk though, dont think I'm some lame quiet
missionary), but becasue I don't talk a ton, and becasue when I do talk
my Russian is terribly hard for the Russians to undertsnad, when I
talk....... EVERYONE LISTENS! It's so cool. I feel like I'm super
important (hah cuz I am duh). But seriously, when I talk in lessons
everything becomes very still, the Spirit comes, and people really
listen. And I usually bear testimony (becasue thats about all I can
do)and I know it makes a difference in the lesson. This is my role
right now and I'm soooo lucky to have it and I make sure that I take
advantage of it and use this special role as I know God would want me
to.

This last week while we were contacting in a park a nice babushka
(all old ladies=babushkas) stopped and talked to us for a while. At
one time she stopped and stared into my eyes and told me I had
beautiful eyes, that they were pure, and good, and that she knew we
were doing a good work. ISNT THAT COOL? Too bad she couldnt seem to
undersand this "good work" we are doing could help her. It's wonderful
to have experiences like this when contacting becasue most people in
Russia aren't too friendly right away haha. Most people don't even
acknoweledge us as we try to conact them. It's so odd! So every once
in a blue moon when someone simply smiles its exciting and we try to
talk to them and share our wonderful message!

So you know how my 1st lesson I said "I pee" in russian. Hilarious.
Well this week when we met with her again we afterwards helped her
with her English practice. She was trying to talk about the food she
eats and the 1st thing she said was "I pee" HAHAHAHA. She was trying
to say "I like to eat peas" in english, but quite ironically said "I
pee". aftedrward we high fived as we realized we both messed up in
each others languagues as we proudly declared our ability to go to the
bathroom hahahahah. So ironic its amazing.

This week we got to go out of the city on a train!!!! Oh my gosh it's
beautiful out of the city. SOOOO much green and trees with fall leaves
changing, so crisp and chilly (already I know.... I'm gonna die like
next week cuz Its getting cold so fast... pray for me). But it was sooo
fun and we went to a memebers house who has this HUGE garden that her
husband works in all day (he doesnt have a job he literally only works
in his garden). It was so enchanting and full of lush vegeatble
gardens, trees, fruit, flowers, mud, even a huge red mushroom like
straight out of mario cart. SO COOL. Plus he's not amember so one day
we're gonna ge him baptized. Seriously Im so pumped right now I just
wanna get out and work.

I had to play the piano again. Sucked.

So for all you who are reading this blog my commitment to you, I mean,
I want you to commit to do this: call up your ward's missionaries
RIGHT NOW and offer to help. Maybe go help them when they teach a
lesson, offer your home to teach lessons in, tell them about a
friend they can talk to.... the missionaries NEED YOU. No joke. Our
members here are AWESOME and so helpful and to help for them often
means precious time away from family and an hour metro ride to meet
with us. Do your part, ther Lord needs you!
Welp, I'll get off my soap box, thank you for committing. Love you
all. I promise to pray for you if you pray for me :)
loves, Sister Tenney

I'm happy and i love it here

Family!
Wow so much to tell you. So much is going on here and so much to think
about. I'm having a great time. St. Petersburg really is beautiful and
exciting. I feel like a little kid walking around staring at everything
and trying to take it all in. I'm the annoying person in the subway
who stares at everyone haha... I just cant stop looking at everything.
The architecture is beautiful and whether it's raining (like usual) or
sunny (the sun is such a treat!) everything is so pretty and cool/
Theres lots of sick grafitti here too ha.

So last friday I went to the Hermitage for my very 1st time!!! The
Hermitage, for those who dont know, is the world's BIGGEST art museum.
Sweeet right? I have yet to actually go and view some of it, we just
did service but it was way exciting. We just stand at an entrance and
make sure people leave their coats in the cloakroom. Sounds easy but
can be a little challenging for a person who doesn't really know
Russian (like me ha) but it was an adventure. Luckily ALOT of ppl here
know english, or a little english so if I need to I can communicate a
little bit with people. Everyone in the branch loves talking to me in
english ...... doen't help my russian but it is helping me to gain
trust with the members!

So our brach.... we are lucky to have such a strong branch. We have a
lot of strong members who can be a great resource for us. Just recently
did missionaries start working with the members here. I don't really
understand why they didn't before, but basically this mission is on the
brink of blasting off with missionary work. We're slowly using the
members more and more and starting to get referrals from them. I think
its normal but my companion keeps trying to get me to understand how
awesome all the growth is. Pres. Clark is making awesome changes and
I'm excitited to see how this mission changes in the next year.

So we walk into our church on Sunday and they needed a pianist. HA.
Sister Parker knew that I took lessons so she offered me to play. The
sad thing is, I really was the best painist there that day. Only 2
women in the branch can plan and neither were there. So yupp, I
played the piano in sacrament on sunday. You all should be laughing out
loud right now. It was horrible. Hahahahaha. Most of it was only right
handed. And it was pretty bad. But everyone was so appreciative. I've
been able to pracite a few times since then if that ever happens
again. For those of you planning on serving a mission do yourself and
your future area a favor and practice piano!

The most awkwad thing I've decided is introductions. Here in russia
there is a formal way and an informal way to greet people. So first
off I dont know which one to use (old ladies usually get offended if
you use the informal but then some old lady members want to be
considered friends so they want the informal..... totes confusing),
and then I have no idea if I should hug or kiss them (a lot of russians
are huggy and kissy) and then they say something to me I have n idea
what they are saying. HAHa so its a mess. Often ppl tell me their
name and I don't even know because it sounds like a mush of noises. And
then I dont even know if they're asking me my name. The other day we
went to a ladies house for a lesson and we walk in and she was talking
and I had no idea what she was saying so when she paused I assumed
she asked me my name so I introduced my self. She looked at me
awkwardly and kept talking. Turned out she was asking me if I was cold
hahahaha. Gt's.

Good news of the week. 1) My companion woke up in the midddle of the
night to me sleeptalking.... IN RUSSIAN! Sick right? I know. Maybe I'm
already fluent in russian already I just don't know it. 2) Russain is
slowly turning from a mesh of noises to words..... slowely. And even
thought its not sounding like mush I still have no idea what they are
saying... but its progress! Woot woot!

Everyhing is great I love it here. The hardst thing is knowing what we
should be doing. Our goal is to be the most effective. Sometimes we
aren't sure if we should be contacting people in the street, finding
inactive members, meeting and making relationships with members.... so
many options but what is best? We're slowly fiuring it out. God is
helping us!

I'm happy and I love it here. Thanks for your support and love.
Love, Sister Tenney

St. Petersburg is awesome... I can't wait for it to become mine

 Mom and Family,
I'm here and I'm alive!!! Yay! Oh my gosh I'm so excited I can hardly sit
here and type. My flights were all smooth and I arrived Tuesday
afternoon. That first day the Clarks (our mission president and wife)
picked us up with some missionaries and immediatly we headed off to
street contact. Haha, pretty fun. Just as we made our way back to pres
and sister Clark's home we talked to people on the street and handed
out "invitations". I'm kinda scared of the Russian people from all
that I've heard about them, but they've been more kind than I
expected. Afterwards we had a delicious dinner at the Clark's. OH how
I love the Clark's! They are awesome. So warm and loving and real and
just good. I know they love me and really care about me. It was
wonderful to be in a home and just know that I would be taken care of.

Afterwards I slept with some sister missionaries who lived in the area
and I konked out! I fell asleep the night before we left at like 1,
woke up at 4 and then we flew and stayed awake until about the
afternoon of the next day (in Utah time.... is this making sense?). So
needless to say I was extremely tired. Yesterday I met my companion!
Her name is Sister Parker. She's from Utah and she's awesome. We had a
great day planned and I even got to teach a lesson with her last
night! Oh my gosh how I love teaching. It was with a newly baptized
member named Jana. It was so fun to plan with Sis. Parker. She told me
all about Jana and her needs and basically had me plan the whole
lesson. During the lesson I don't think she expected me to be able to
help much but I guess I really suprised her with how much I was
involved and participated. I asked a lot of questions and often bore
testimony. Oh it was so cool I'm finally a real missionary! I didn't
realized how great the new teaching program is at the MTC becasue Sis
Parker said she couldn't have been as involved in the lesson as I was
last night in her first time. So basically I was pretty lucky to be a
part of that program! Only one little Russian mess up in the lesson
last night. I went to say "when I write" but, the verb for to write
and to pee is the same, but differentiates depending on how you
conjugate it.... haha so of course I said, in my very first lesson,
WHEN I PEE hahhahahaa. Oh it was hilarious Jana was dying she thought
it was so funny. Welp, I'm not gonna mess that up again :)

St. petersburg is awesome. I havent seen much of it yet but I can't
wait for it to become mine. Our mission only has 50 missionaries, and
currently only 7 of them are sisters. Isn't that crazy??? So basically
I will get to know all the sisters very well. Also, basically all
areas of the mission are in the city it sounds like, except for one
location so I'll be in the city probably my whole mission. It has been
raining alot so those boots you sent me are PERFECT I'm so lucky to
have them. Its already a little bit chilly so soon I'm gonna be frozen
haha. Our mission president lives in the way nice apartment in the
same building with the mission office and church building. I'm suprised
at how nice all of it is. It's weird that a church is in an apartment
building, but its also weird that its still like a normal chapel and
church building,..... somehow they built it like that. I'm trying to
think of what I else I need to tell you.... so much to talk about!
I don't understand any Russian basically haha. I'm a little bummed my
trainer isn't Russian... a Russian would've helped with my Russian
a lot, but I really like Sister Parker and we're gonna get SO MUCH done
together :) I just get so excited thinking about it. Our area has greatpotential so of course we're gonna be busy!

Today we had to go back to the office to get some visa stuff done and
while we had to wait for a few hours us and some elders got to play
floor ball in the cultural hall thing. SO FUN. It kinda like hocky
witth sticks and a ball and stuff. Sister Parker was thrilled becasue
I guess she hasn't been able to play much sports the whole time she's
been out she's served a year now). Basically the mission president
before Pres. Clark was SUPER strict and had rules for everything.
random rules like elders arent allowed to share candy with sisters,
don't move the furniture in apartments, sisters can't play sports with
elders, and sisters had to have their hair shorter than shoulder
length! NUTS right? Im SOOOOO thankful to have the Clark's here. And
thank goodness they don't have a rule about cutting hair.... I would
def. cry. So basically Pres. Clark's rules are to follow the white
handbook. He's only been out here 2 months so he may add rules, but I
know if he does they would be good ones that I would want to follow.
It's about 4:30 here on thursday...... our preparation days are on
thursdays so this is about when you'll be getting my emails.
Everyone: yes, you who is reading this, I love you! Thank you for your
support and prayers, I need it! Write me :) aight? I know this church
is true and I cant wait to share it with everyone!!!!

Russia on Monday!

 I got your package thank you!I love the dress and everyone is
jealous of my nightgown, thank you. About boots, I decided I want you
 to get me a pair. I'll buy a super warm pair out there, so can you
 send me a cute simple pair I could wear with everything if its not
 super cold? Get what I'm saying? Remember I have huge calves so the
boots have to fit over them, and I have a size 10 feet. Thanks! I'm so
excited to get boots! ahhhh im freaking out... I'm leaving! This is
my last email from the states...... crazy right? I can hardly sleep at
night I'm so excited. I can't stop thinking about it. Do I have
 everything I need? I hope so!

This week was awesome. One reason, I
finished the Book of Mormon! I read it in less than a month. I read 15
to 20 pgs a day and circles every reference to Christ and God. Whether
it was their name, a He or a Thou referrring to Them, or them
speaking saying "I". Oh my gosh it was so cool! The BOM really is a
testament of Christ and is full of His doctrine, His words, and the
plan of salvation. Only 24 pgs in the Book of Mormon do not mention or
refer to Christ. Only 24 of 531!!! THATS PRETTY CRAZY. You all better
be reading the Book of Mormon everyday. I know sometimes it gets
confusing and tiring, but if you read looking for something, or with a
high lighter, just some sort of purpose it will help alot and I know
you'll get alot more out of your reading like I did :),

So last week
in TRC we committed our "investigator" (who's a member) to fast and
bear his testimony this sunday, after saying yes he committed us to
doing the same, so Sister Paletta and I bore our testimonies in
Russian this last week. It was amazing. Basically all I would normally
testify of in English I can now say in Russian. THIS CHURCH IS TRUE!
GOD KNOWS AND LOVES US AND CHRIST IS OUR SAVIOR!, So exciting.

Oh my travel plans, did you get the letter I sent with them??? So I leave
The MTC Monday morning at 5. My first flight is at 8 and is heading
to Chicago. I land in Chicago at noon Chicago time and don't board my
 next flight to Frankfurt Germany until 3:40 chicago time so between
then is prob when I'll call you. MOM have youir cell phone near you
all day just in case anything changes. IM SO EXCITED TO TALK TO
EVERYONE! I hope the kids can be there too and dad (or i can call dad
too ) so I can talk to everyone. I bought a calling card for like 3$
with 500 minutes on it so i think I'll be ok :) yayayayayayaya so
excited!,

Also this weeek Sister Paletta and I had a fun oppurtunity
that really helped us to see how much we've learned and how much we've
grown since we've been here. Every sunday each district does a lesson.
A companionship teaches it and then afterwards we evaluate how they
taught. We do this so we can all learn how to be better teachers. They
are always awesome and really spiritiual. A member from our branch
presidency is always present. Well this week a couple members of the
branch pres. weren't here so Sis P and I were asked to go for them to
one of the new districts of Russains. These missionaries are really
new and quite frankly their lesson wasn't that good so afterwards
Sister Paletta and I were able to tell their whole district all the
many things we have learned that have improved our teaching. We never
realized how much we had learned and how much good advice we have
recieved and listended to that has greatly helped our teaching. I'm not
saying I'm a pro at teaching or anything, cuz I've got alot to work on,
but being able to help others was such a blessing to us and reminded
me that I need to recognize my progress and not just be sad cuz im not
amazing. So make sure all of you are looking for the baby steps of
progress in your life and thanking you Father in Heaven for it. Don't
get down cuz you're not perfect, no one is, instead get motivated
and and take that first baby step., Yikes, a week from now I'll be in
Russia trying to talk to people!!! hahahahah such an entertaining
thought. I'm totes ready. God will help me :) Luke 1:37., oh dad: HAPPY
BIRTHDAY!!!! Woo hoo! You doing anything fun for your special day????
I hope it is wonderful, know I'll be thinking about you :), Everyone,
sorry my letters were all lame this last week, I have less and elss
time these last 2 pdays for letters cuz I have to start packing and
making sure I'm all set to leave. But I'm still writing you today. Oh
and I dont have my address with me but I wrote it on the letter I sent
with all my travel plans.... I hope you got that letter., I don't
really have much else to say besides I'm happy and hopeful. Of course
I'm scared out my mind for Russia but at the same time I just want to
get there saychas! (Russain for NOW!).,

Oh, guess what I have to do
this sunday.... sing. Somehow a sister in my district tricked me into
singing lead kindly light with her *(in russian of course) in
sacrament. I said yes as long as she promised not to make me sing a
solo. Then yestersay she informed me I have a solo part in it. Great.
Pray for me! haha. I'm esp. excited cuz shes a singing major at BYU and
is an aspiring opera singer so I'm gonna just sound great with her
hahaha. Whatevs!, I hope you all are great! Krista, keep it up in
school and start your BYU papers :) tauna, write me!!! Braden, wassup?
Bryce: I heard your doing awesome in football. Mom and dad, thank you
for your many letters and dear elders. I need them and they are
 helpful. I love all of you and cant wait to talk to you! yudda yudda
best.
Love, sestra tenney :)

Happy Times

MOM and family,

I've got bad news, this last week during dinner me and the 3 other St.
Petersburg missionaries were called to the travel office. They all
left immediatly but I had to finish eating, but I was freaking out.
When we FINALLY had finished dinner we basically ran to the office. As
we did we passed the 3 elders and they all looked like they were gonna
cry. When I finally burst into the travel office I yell "can I still
go to St. Petersburg!?!?!?" all the workers start cracking up and say
all I have to do is sign something hahahaha. The 3 elders knew I would
fall for it, and I totes did. So jk about the bad news, I'm still on my
way to St. Petes!

So this week was full of hilarious mistakes. One, all the Russian
elders have begun playing this mafia game, where if you say someones
name, and they look at you, you shoot an invisible air dart at their
neck and they're stuck dead until someone "pulls it out". Of course,
everytime someone said my name I fell for it, so I was basically dead
this whole last week. One day at lunch i fell for it yet again and
just yelled in russian to the elder: "I want to kill you!"..... well
atleast I though thats what i said. After I yelled it sister Paletta
started cracking up, and after saving me told me I had in fact actually
yelled "I want to love you!" haahahahaha. Yupp, I yelled "I want to
love you" accross the cafeteria to an elder. To love in russian is
loobeet, whereas to kill in russian is oobeet, so you can understand
why I may possibly confuse the 2. plus I'm a lover not a fighter ;)
Also, while we were teaching the plan of salvation this week I went to
tell Nastia, our investigator, that after we die we either go to
spirit prison or spirit paradise. She bust up laughing, becasue
apparently I told her she should want to go to CHUBBY paradise,
instead of spirit paradise hahaha. Oh doesn't russian sound funny? And
believe me it is weird. They have a verb for everything. We actually
found a verb that translates into "to take the hair of the dog that
bit you". Just one word! And why would they even want to say that? But
there is a lot of cool stuff about russian. Like the verbs to learn and
to obey. In Russian, you can add a "sya" sound to the end of a verb to
make it reflexive, or make it something you do to yourself. The verb
to learn, is the exact same verb as to teach, except with a "sya" at
the end of it. Isn't that a cool thought? When we "learn" in russian we
are literally saying "i teach myself". And to obey is the verb "to
listen" with a "sya" at the end of it. Meaning when we obey we are
listening for oursleves. SO COOL!

Great news. I got my name tag in Russian yesterday! Because my name
tags I already have are all in Russain but my name, but now I have my
name in Russian! Turns out I've been spelling my last name wrong in
Russian this whole time. Ha. Not too surpirsing. I'll try to take a
pic and show you it soon. Also, TOMORROW I get my flight plans :)
YAY!!!!!!!! I promise to make a copy of it and send it to you asap. I
feel like I'm almost being done potty training and about to be able to
go to the bathroom on my own! I only have a week and 5 days left.
NUTS. I should be leaving Monday the 12th. Oh gosh I'm a little
sick/way too excited when i think about it.

Alright, now onto all the GOOD stuff. Best devotional ever last night.
Guess who!? Yupp, ELDER HOLLAND spoke to us last night. And I was less
then 20 feet away from him (us Russians have been here so long we know
all the tricks to getting the good seats, and belive me it's not easy).
There was a couple times last night that he looked directly at me when
he spoke. He did not have one thing written down, he just SPOKE to us,
straight from the spirit. I forgot my notes but he 1st talked about
how many ppl think missionaries are perfect, and that even though we
aren't, we do not have the right to defile this image, that we must
uphold it and do our best to be as perfect as we can be. He talked
about how we are the most prayed for ppl in the world (besides the
prophet) so on any bad day we need to remember that and ask for that
strength. Yesterday the MTC president handed a few districts notecards
to write down a question on we had for a general authority. Our
district got to write one, but Elder Holland didn't get to ours. The
questions people asked were amazing and how Elder Holland answered
them was incredible. Someone asked "If Christ had one thing to tell us
now, what would it be" and Elder Holland said that Christ would say
"all that I have said is true". That's a cool thing to think about isn't
it? Truly, everything Christ did say is true! We cannot forget that.
Also, he talked about God's love for us. How real and pure and all
encompassing it is. I have never heard someone speak with such
authority, love and intensity as Elder Holland did when he spke about
this. He began talking about how imperfect and human he is, but even
though he is imperfect, he almost has a perfect love for his children,
and would do anything, ANYTHING for them. He said, if I, an imperfect
person, have such a strong, pure, real love for my own children, think
of how powerful, and real God's PERFECT, ALL-KNOWING, love is. God,
who created us and gave us HIS OWN SON. Of course He loves us. And I
know God does love each of us. I have felt it over and over again. He
wants us to be happy, He cares what we care about, He wants us to
succeed, and mainly He wants us to return to Him. And we can, and we
WILLL :) (that is if we choose to).

Isn't that great!? Also, last week in the TRC (where we teach in
Russian to volunteers who play themselves, they don't act as
investigators) we taught the same guy we taught our VERY FIRST WEEK.
this was cool becasue this time we could actually talk to him and
understand eachother. Somehow we had our best lesson every and the
spirit was strong. I didnt think about my Russian once but Sister
Paletta said it was amazing how perfect and clear my russian was. It
was a really special experience the 3 of us had during that lesson and
I know we all learned and grew from it. Such a blessing and I know it
was a tender mercy from God reminding me that I can do this work. (I
need to reminded every once in a while).

I love all of you and pray for all of you. I just want to ask everyone
who reads this to not be shy about your beliefs. We are SO blessed to
have this gospel and this knoweledge. SHARE IT. You can do so in a
non-imposing way where you wont offend anyone. I promise. I was always
so nervous I would offend someone or they would think i was weird, but
it's not true! Talk about church, talk about your beliefs, share what
you know, and INVITE! Ask ppl to come to church, activities, go to
mormon.org, or give them a Book of Mormon. I challenge you to do this
and I promise you will be blessed and guided as you do so. this gospel
can bless and help ANYBODY and EVERYBODY so don't be selfish ;)

Love you all! Ya loobloo tebya! -Cectpa Tenney
PS: thank you everyone for your prayers, dear elders, letters and
packages. I so appreciate them!