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