Life is good. I hope yours is to. I love you all!

Hello everyone!
Can you believe my 1st transfer is already over?? I cant. That means I
train NEXT transfer... yikes.
Happy Halloween! Party hard for me and eat some kits kats for me.
Those are my fav.
This last week has been a good one. We officially have a baptism with
our 26 yr old investogator uliana. Let me tell you a little about her.
My 1st sunday here after sacrament she ran into the bathroom and was
BALLING. We met with her the first few weeks I was here and everytime
we did she would cry.... her life is hard. She's got a messy life. But
despite this she really wanted to know if this church is true. She
didn't really understand the Book of Mormon but she had always read
more the next time we met with her. She always asked about the
atonement and Christ and she couldn't really understand what it meant.
She was full of questions and we did our best to answer them. When I
first got here she dressed kinda immodestly, was always sad and always
seemed burdened. Now let me tell you about her this last week. This
last week when we would come to meet with her she would laugh and
tease with us. She was dressed in brighter colors and was modest. She
was full of life, and light feeling. She is EXCITED for her baptism
and she continues to read her scriptures, go to church and pray. Her
prayers are sincere, heartfelt. The CHANGE has been miraculous to
watch. Isn't this soo cool??? THIS is the essence of the Gospel. This
is why we are here on Earth. We're supposed to be happy. We're
supposed to have trials, but we're supposed to know that we can turn
to God and know we have them for a reason and that He will help us.
uliana's life is still messy and full of trials, but she has the hope
of the gospel.
Something the DRIVES ME CRAZY OUT HERE is that people think life has
control over them. They think that its too hard to go to church, that
they just "cant". That scripture reading everyday is for the perfect
people. SERIOUSLY???? They dont realize they have control over life.
They can CHOOSE to read everyday and CHOOSE to go to to church. Its a
choice we should make ONCE and then just do it the rest of our lives.
Does your life have control over you? Or are you controlling it
yourself? Are you making the most important decisions first? Dont let
them be the last on your to do list. Put them first, and then God can
put you first on His to-do list :)
anyways.... this week me and my comp found a vending machine that
sells umbrallas! Ha, what a great idea. It rains so much here why not
make umbrallas easy to buy? I thought that was hilarous.
Life is good. I hope yours is to. I love you all!
love, sis T

Happy halloween!

Everyone!
Before I begin I made a very important discovery this week. Tenney has
a meaning in Russian, tenney means Eye Shadow! Hahahaha. SO when
russians hear my name they think of me in their head as sister eye
shadow.... isnt that hilrious?? I think it is.

Anyways. Wow. This week was frustrating. I just felt like all the
goals we set werent accomplished and all the ppl we wanted to see
dogged us and all the wonderful plans we made got changed. BUT. I'm
learning alot. SO MUCH. Things get canceled for a reason, things
change for a reason, things are hard for a reason, EVERYTHING HAPPENS
FOR A REASON. God knows the real plan, and He makes sure everything
happens as it should. Its take us to use our agency to try to align
our perspective with God's. Our Father in Heaven is the Mater Planner.
So we just need to trust in Him and remmeber everything hazppens for a
reason! but GEESE why is that so hard?

So saturday we met with an 11 yr old girl whos father is innactive,
mother is a nonmemeber, gma is a member, and she LOVES meeting with us
(SO MUCH POTENTIAL THERE RIGHT???). so we met with her and ended up having a really cool lesson.  We wanted to show her the power of
her example. So I told her an experience I had (and yes I told it in
russian and was OH SO proud of myself afterwards :). One time while
working at sea world it was a really busy night so they had me selling
these glow swords in the HUGE shamu stadium. I was in there before
everyone came in and then watched for the next hour as the stadium
filled up. The show still had about 10 minutes till it started but
the stadium was already packed to the brim. While just standing there
I heard a little girl, probably about 5 years old say to her dad
"Dad, I wanna do the wave!" he replies, "then lets do it". They loudly
count to 3 together and stand up and do the wave. A few people around
them saw it and did it too. The 2 of them try it again.... 1,2,3! and
then about a few hundred people join in. By the 3rd time that one
little girl had the entire stadium do the wave.
isnt that crazy? I felt honored to have witnessed something so
signifigcant. That 5 year old girl had just affected and influenced an
entire stadium. And guess what, each of us have that kind of influence
and power. We are each important, and we each make a difference. The
power comes from deciding to do so.

A russian update, everyonme this week seems to think I am awesome
already at speaking russian. I was complimented several times for
already speaking so well :) Everytime someone complimented me my
companion laughes and agrees and then afterwards we laugh together
because while the russians think I CAN SPEAK WELL, THEY HAVE NO IDEA i
cant understand anything! HAHA. So yupp, I somehow need to learn to
understand this language. Hopefully before then end of dec I will
progress, becasue then i will no longer have a translator near my
seide all the time (my current companion). Instead I will have a
companion who expects me to do the translating.
ahhhahahaha. That is going to be so funny.
Welp, I love you all! Thank you for the emails and prayers! Every bit helps!
I love you.
Love, Sister Tenney

this last week

Sorry everyone we had some technical difficulties but read the second post that one's from 2 weeks ago! Tressa is happy and well we hope you will pray for her :)

Everyone!
welp I got some news this week. So not this next transfer, but the
next (my 3rd transfer) my trainer goes home leaving 5 sisters left in
our mission. The 3rd transfer however we have 5 new sisters coming
in...... YUPP. DO THE MATH. I'm gonna be a trainer my 3rd transfer. I
met with my mission president this week and its official. So start
your engines everyone and begin praying for me!!! Of course I'm freaked
out but im also stoked. Such a cool opportunity! Ha yupp, literally
blind leading the blind...... but im thinking we may be blind, but
we'll be able to see what really matters. Hahaha. It just makes me
laugh.
I have a mini story that happened to me yesterday that really shows to
me that God cares  about us. Yesterday in church I kept falling alseep
in church (oops). I was tired, couldnt understand anything, and
STARVING. ANd I was desperatly craving chocolate. Like seriousy
desperatly. SO I decided to make a test. I decided to see if God
really does answer prayers. Even stupid ones like sister tenney, who
is already so blessed with warmth and food and friends and family and
knowlege... I just wanted to see. So I prayed on simple prayer and
then smiled to myself cuz I kjnew I was gonna get some chocolate
soon. (arent I such a brat!?). So after the 3rd hour of church we were
meeting with some ppl in the kitchen and guess what? Someone pulls out
a huge cholate bar and shares with everyone and I got PLENTLY as I
laughed to myself and siently thanked God for answering my bratty
prayer and proving to me something I already knew: God loves us, cares
about us, and even cares about the petty, stupid, childish things we
care about.... like chocolate, when I have such more important things
to be praying for!
So dont forget it aight? Trust God. He is a marveous planner and I
know He has a plan and a reason for every little thing in your life.
And dont forget to pray for me ;)
loves and missionary handshakes to all from your lovely sister tenney

2 weeks ago...

Hello everyone!
I hope all of you watched conference becasue it ROCKED. No joke.
Conference to us missionaries is like disneyland. Saturday morning as
we gathered together to watch it in English we were all giddy with
excitement. And it was AWESOME!
few cool stories about it. first, the lady elder Nelson talked about
from st. petersburg, yea, I know her. She was watching it on the 3rd
floor just above me on sunday, in russian, as we watched it. Isnt that
cooll!I dont know her very well but I know all the russains love her
and they loved being talked about it confernce haha.
2nd, so this last week we were focused on finding becasue since I got
here we havent yet found a new investigator. And I was SICK of that. so
this week we talked to EVERYONE asking EVERYONE for referrals. We'd be
contacting on the street and as people we talked to said no we would
ask them if they knew of anyone who would want to hear our message
haha. But anyways. Nothing seemed to be working, but all of a sudden
one day my comp dared me to go contact this black girl so I did and
as I was takling to her she started crossing her arms and saying I
english, I dont know russain! Ha~! I was stoked. Turns out she
studies here and shes from africa. All three of us were taking the
same metro so we got to talk to her for a while and we got her number.
We weret ever able to meet with her this week but we randomly called
her and invited her to come watch confernce with us. She surpised us
and was like "yea! and can a bring a freind?" WHAT!?!?!? hahah of course! She came
with her friend and it was the coolest experience to sit next to them
sunday morning of conference and watch it through their eyes. They
had little background and knowledge of our church and beliefs, but I
loved watching them inch closer and closer to the tv as they soaked
up everythuig that was said. When the prophet came on they were SO
FOCUSED and entertained. They were like little kids. And so was I!
(man isnt pres. Monson awesome?) after the first 2 hours they had to
go but they loved it and kept telling everyone how they loved the
prophet. Wow i am so excited to meet with them! And testify and help
them to be happier! This was a mini miracle to me that showed the Lord
cares. He cared about them two and helped get them to conference while
also caring about me and sister parker and helped us achieve our
goals.
Just as a warning, if you ever come to russia dont step on gutter
holes (what are they called again?) becasue people fall in them here,.
No joke. An elder fell in one one time haha.
This gospel rocks! SHARE IT! I love all of you!
love, sister tenney

just plain nutty

Friends, family, followers, loved ones, joyous beloved people!

Hows life? Whats up with all you? Email me attressa.tenney@myldsmail.net, I want to hear from you :)

The mission is great lots going on. So basically this whole new culture here is
pretty wacky. They think alot of weird things. First of all, like
everyone has the same name. No joke. All the typical russian names you
think of, like svetlana, olga, nastia, ola, ana, anya, andre,
alexander, sasha, yea that is basically the name of averyone here! So
frustrating. I think one of the hardest things here is keeping
everyone's names straight. As we plan me and sister parker have funny
ways to remember people becasue they all have the same name... its
naustia that fed us, naustia with the mustache (she has one its
gross), naustia who is progressing, etc.... pretty funny. I'm so lucky
my trainer is so awesome and and patient with me. There is so much I
cant remmeber or dont undert\stand but shes always helping me out.
This week we went to an old babushka (babushka technically is the word
for grandma here but they really do call old women here all babushka
and there literally is babushka EVERYWHERE its kinda creepy theres so
many of them and they aren't dead yet). So this old babushka cant
understand a thing I say so I felt like an idiot the whole lesson
because I either wasn't talking or if I tried to she didn't understand
me. The lesson ended perfectly with me messing up on her name and then
breaking her glass tea cup. HAHAHAHAHA. Oh my gosh I walked out of
there and just cracked up. What can you do?

Other weird things I can think of about Russia.... they congratulate
you when you get out of the shower, not allowed to whistle it brings
bad luck upon people, and women dont play sports here! Today my comp
and I went and baught a bball and soccer ball and the guy working
there was so confused and asked us why were were buying them. We were
like...."to play with" and he looked at us like we were crazy
hahahaha. gt's. My comp and I usually run every morning but lately a
friend of ours has been playing soccer at 6:40 every morning with his
friends so we get to play! So fun!

But prob the hardest thing about the mission is waking up at 6z;30 every
morning. Man...... tough.

But life is good. We've got an awesome progressing investigatoir with
a baptismal date for the begining of Novemeber. Want to hear how
awesome she is? This week we tried to get referals from the members
and we got nothing, but with uleana (our investigator), she calls us
before a meeting one day and told her shes trying to bring her friend.
Her friend ended up being sick but shes planning on bring her friend
soon. WHAT!? We hadnt even asked uleana for a referal and she was
handing us one like it was no big deal. SICK! And we taught her the
word of wisdom and law of chastity this week and she went off on how
important both these things are and how she already lives them. WOW.
Arent we so blessed with uleana?

My hair here is nuts. NUTTY. CRAZY. PSHYCOTIC. However you want to say
it and imagine it you're probably imagining it right. Ha its fun. I
can wear it in a braid one day and the next day take it out and
it'll go curly afro again as if it were never up. Everyone here is
transfixed by it and its like a Christmas presemt to the few young
women in the ward when I come to church with it down becasue they love
to do fun braids in it. They are nutty about cool fun braids here I
love it. I think I've used the word nutty/nuts a little too much in
this paragraph...

So yesterday the elders in our branch went to a different branch. Me
and sister parker knew it was gonna be crazy with out them becasue 2
of the guys we play soccer with were planning on coming to church....
and us as sisters really arent supposed to work with guys. So the guys
came, and the whole three hours of church we basically juggled them,
with our other investigator, our 3 young women who are all inactive,
and the needy/loving members of the branch here. It was a hot mess.
But we did it... or at least we thought we did until the end of
church. All of a sudden after our missionary meeting with the ward
mission leader, its just me and sister parker, the two guys, and
LUCKILY one of the inactive girls. We were starving and had brought
food becasuse it was fast sunday and we had a meeting to go staright
to. So somehow it ended up us 5 eating in the kitchen together and it
basically looked like a date. AND of course the branch council got out
and all the branch leaders walk by and see us and probably think we're
shady sister missionaries. CRAP! Hahahahahaha. What could we do? And
of course they live right next to us so us 4 traveled home
together...... gosh. I've never been so thankful for elders before. So
anyone reading this, please know WE DID NOT INTEND to almost have a
double date with them...... geese I totes feel guilty about it.... and
awkward. Ha.

Quick shout out the the birthday peeps...... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BELOVED
BRADEN AND MY WONDERFUL KIRA!!! KISS KISS HUG HUG! I PROMISE TO SING
YOU BOTH HAPPY BIRTHDAY DURING STUDY :) :) :) :)

I love all of you and pray you all are doing your part in missionary
work. Always be looking for opportunities to share your beliefs,
testify, invite, promise, discuss, ANYTHING. Please, I think about all
the opportunities I have missed in my life and feel horrible. I
remember when elders in our ward at home asked us for referals and we
didnt give them one and we never really tried to. YIKES. I never
realized how much they needed our help. And how easy it would be to
help them find people. ITS SO EASY. Pray about it. Seriously.
Much much love to one and all. LOVE Sister Tenney