Successful "Mexican Fiesta"

My Dearest Ones,

300 homemade sopapillas, 200 home made tortillas, 30 lbs of homemade
salsa, 50 lbs of flour, 60 Russians, 4 broken elbows, a sombrero,
pinata, and an asole (thats russian for donkey ;) .... of course for
playing pin the tail on the donkey).
We, the 6 missionaries in k-grad (2 sisters, 2 elders, and a senior
couple), held a MEXICAN FIESTA that ROCKED k-grad. NO joke. I have
NEVER made so much food in my life. Literally 6 of us  made ALL of that
food, AND had to carry it to the church (we dont have cars... hence
the broken elbows... I never knew I could be SO SORE from carrying
things to an activity! SO ridiculous). I was so excited all week I
could hardly eat. Sister Morrison and I have been planning and
dreaming about this for over a month now. We started meeting with all
the strong members of the branch last week and challenging them to
invite their friends to our fiesta. They rose to the challenge. I want
to cry at how well everything turned out. I hoped to have 80 people, we
only got 60, BUT, listen to this, over 20 of them were not members.
20!!!!! That's unheard of!!! We thought we had maybe ten turn up, but
as we started to count our eyes just kept widening. more than 20. And
this week we have meetings set up with alot of them! They LOVED the
party. Everyone did. Remember how before my mission I was known as
"indecisive" and "nice". Well, I have become bossy Sister Tenney here
in Russia. Sister Morrison and I had such a vision of what we wanted,
and IT WORKED! ?("where there is no vision, the people perish" 29:18)
So basically, for the first time on my mission, our problem is trying
to fit everyone in this week. I'm about 99% sure its my last week her
in k-grad, so on top of all our new investigators and potentials, I
need to say bye to all my favorite people in the world. UGH. Saying
goodbye is the worst.
So the Russians here LOVE mexcian food, and the only time they get it,
is when missionaries make it, so we basically got TONS of brownie
points with all the members for throwing the fiesta. It was crazy how
hard it was to throw this. All the normal things we have back home,
are non-existant here (no sombreros, or mexican clothing or decor, no
tortillas, salsas, basically everything mexican is completely foreign
to them... how sad is that??). So we had to do it all! Oh my gosh, I
was exhausted saturday night afterwards, but it was sooooooooooooo
worth it.
We played limbo (I totally won and everyone was shocked! Somehow it
then got out that I was Spanish and the rest of the night they all
called me the "spanka" hahahah! Thats Russian for Spanish girl ;). We
also had pin the tail on the donkey, and a homemade pinata which was
awesome. We ended with a "mexican dance thing"... kinda of not really.
We just gave everyone balloons to tie around their ankles and had an
Elder play an awesome mexican song on the guitar while we stomped out
each other's balloons.
Ok, I'll try to stop taking about the fiesta. IM just so stoked about
it still..... wow. miracles.
Anyways, as you can tell, I am happy. So happy.
Last night we met with a less active lady who is absolutely hilarious.
She came to the fiesta and couldn't stop talking about how amazed she
was with my limbo-skills. She called me a "sportsmenka"... russian for
female athlete.. my companion and I couldnt stop laughing at how
hilarious that sounds.... oh gosh, shes one of the many people imma have
to say good bye to.
Anyways. I've been studying alot about work, the blessing that it is,
and how necessary it is in our lives, and about happiness, and
how those two things are inseparable... even though its seems
otherwise. Some of my favorite quotes....
"Let us realize that the privelege to work is a gift, that power to
work is a blesssing, and that love to work is success" - Elder David
O/ Mckay
"The major work in the world is not done by geniuses. It is done by
ordinary people with balance in their lives, who have learned to work
in an extraordinary way" - Pres Hinckley
"Life isn't about finding yourself, its about creating yourself" -
Gearge Bernard Shaw

SO think about those this week and work hard and be happy! I love
you all!  
 Love,   Sister Tenney

Dramatic or expressive!

Family and friends, короче моа сембя :)

So recently just about everyone has been telling me that I'm dramatic.
WHAT? I never really thought of myself as dramatic. Yes lively, and
expressive.... but dramatic.... me???? Naw. Haha. But really, Sister
Harps, she is here with her husband in k-grad as a senior couple, she
keeps telling me that she loves the way I teach and interract with
people because I'm so dramatic and expressive...... I take it as a
compliment. Sometimes I wonder what kind of a missionary I am..... or
what I am like in general. So interesting to think about.
This week was beautiful in the fact that just about everyday, in my
morning personal prayers, I prayed for specific help or guidance, and
within the next hour during personal study, was lead directly to the
answer! And not only in answers to question, but I prayed for desire
to do things, and within days, not only was I wanting to do what I
before did not want to do, I was enjoying it and not wanting to stop!
WOW! I always forget, time and time again, that God really does answer
our prayers. How many times doesn He need to remind me??? Its not just
a beautiful phrase the prophets loved to say, its not just something
our teachers are told to tell us, its not just something I tell
EVERYONE (on the street and in their homes) but its TRUE! God listens,
really listens to our prayers. And THEN He answers them. The beautiful
thing about personal problems, or personal questions, like I had this
week, they only involved ME and HEAVENLY FATHER. Aka, there wasnt
anyone else's agency involved in the mix making things a little mushy.
It was between me and Him, and because I was willing to work and use
my agency, He rewarded me! Sometimes as missionaries (actaully ALL THE
TIME) the agency of others is SO frustrating. We just need to remember
that as long as we are using ours as we should, and truly repenting
and striving to be better, then our prayers will be answered.... just
as God knows they should be. Oh my gosh.... this gospel is way too
awesome. Everything is a win-win.
We got two new investigators this week! (that sounds terrible, but
really thats huge for us). We havent been able to find anyone
interested, and this week we found 2!!!! WOOO HOO! I pray that they
will start progressing this week.
We're holding a missionary activity this week, a "Mexican Fiesta".
Everyone thinks the theme is random and hilarious, but I am sooooo
excited! The elders think I am crazy because I am convinced there will
be more than 80 people who will come. You gotta keep in mind that
yesterday in church, about 50 people attended. But I just know this is
going to be a huge turning event in the missionary work in k-grad.
Please keep our Mexican Fiesta in your prayers this week! K-grad needs
it!..... (and so do I !)
Something thats been on my mind lately...... Isaiah 55:8-9..... "My
ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your
thoughts"...... I want to catch a glimpse of God's ways.... His
understanding..... His vision. Is it possible? What does it take? What
do we need to be doing to bring His ways to pass?? For remember, it is
His great work and glory to bring our immortality and eternal life to
pass! What is our part in that??
Just food for thought.
I love you all so much!
I promise pictures next week.
Keep being His servants and serving. I promise you will find
happiness.... even when things arent going the way we want. God has a
reason for all!

Love you,                                                                                                                                           Sister Tenney

Expect Miracles

 Fam and Friends and all the rest,
 OH MY GOSH. I dont even know how or where to start. At all. This week
 was THE BEST WEEK OF MY MISSION. BY FAR. This is the basic shedule
 from this week:
Wednseday: flew to Peter and went on spilts with some sisters. had a great time.
 -Thursday: zone conference, which is always awesome (I taught about
 how to begin teaching.. fun stuff). then we went on spilts and stayed
 with different sisters.
 Friday: moved on to the 3rd set of sisters to be on splits with.
 Witnessed miracles.
 Saturday: finshed out our week of splits with another pair of sisters.
 Saw how obedience not only blesses you but makes you happy and blesses
the work!
 Sunday: prepared lunch for Elder Nelson (yes, the ELDER Nelson) and
 Sister Nelson and got to hang out with them (we were the only
 missionaries of the whole mission to do so...no big deal ;), was a
 part of the meeting of the creation of RUSSIA'S 2ND STAKE! WOOOT
 WOOOOOT! Wow the spirit was soooooo strong. Many from the other side
> of the veil were present and I have never felt so happy! (slash
> slightly depressed knowing that one day I leave these people and the
> land that I love). We then had a missionary meeting with Elder and
> Sister Nelson. I dont even know what to say besides IM SOOOOO STINKING
> HAPPY! AND BLESSED! We then flew home absolutely exhausted and have
> spent most of today sleeping :)
>
> So because I'm the "coordinating sister" (whatever that means) I was
> privileged to go on all those splits. I was told by the assistants to
> help each companioship see that this work is a work of miracles, to
> help them focus on being effective and fulfilling their purpose. I
> had no idea what to expect or how to prepare myself, but the Lord so
> lovingly helped me to know the needs of each sister and compnionship.
> He helped me to know right away that I needed to focus on planning and
> goals, and I was able to show all the sisters the miracles that happen
> from GOOD, EFFECTIVE planning. Whats crazy is that the Lord had
> prepared me and Sister morrison so well for this week. Eveerything I
> taught these sisters, sister Morrison had just learned and worked on
> for ourselves, and we knew the miracles that come of it. I know this
> email is not specific, but we really were so blessed to leave each
> companioship SO MUCH better than when we came. We all learned SO much
> and are so much more excited for the work.
>
> Just an example of the many miracles I experienced: While on splits I
> went with a sister to visit a member who is completely not active and
> had nothing to do but complain about the church. Our focus and
> commitment to her was to get her to come to the meeting that Sunday
> with Elder Nelson. She kept making excuses and saying she probably
> wouldnt make it. I was sitting there listening to her pathetic and sad
> responses, when all of a sudden I blurted out, in complete confidence,
> even shocking myself, "I know you will come on Sunday because I will
> pray that you will, and God ALWAYS answers my prayers". She paused for
> a minute, amazed at my boldness, and then said she would try. I left
> the meeting slightly freaking out, becasue if she didnt come I would
> feel like such a fool! But, not to my surpirse,at the end of the
> meeting on sunday, I turned and looked at the multitide as Elder
> Nelson was walking out, and I saw her standing in awe of him. And then
> I rejoiced and realized the power of faith- complete confidence in
> God. Im trying not to cry as I write this. I know it is so simple, but
> God really knows our hearts and desire, and truly blesses according to
> our faith.
>
> I am almost out of time, but this weekend I know that I experinced
> history. I am sooo stoked that we did it! We have a stake! And now I
> just know the work will really start to move forward. Something Elder
> Nelson said, that I have really pondered about... he said to the
> multitude sunday "I hope the Lord will bless me to see in reality what
> I see in vision". I wonder.... what is the vision that I have of my
> life? Do I have the faith to know that I will make it a reality? Do I
> even have a vision of my hopes and dreams? What do I want??? It makes
> me think of the proverb "where there is no vision, the people perish"
> (proverbs 29:18). I want each of you to ponder that. What vision do
> you have for yourself and what are you doing to achieve it?
>
> I know this life is a life and world of miracles! seek for them! I
> promise you they are there. I love you all, love Sister Tenney

New investigator

My fellow Family and Friends,
Just a quick "privyet" from k-grad! I'm not really quite sure where to
begin with this week...... it was ALL over the place..... literally. I
was in Gdansk, Poland this week for a visa trip, and somehow didnt get
home until 1 in the morning, which just kinda threw off our whole
groove for the rest of the week. The cool thing about Poland, is that
while polish has our same alphabet as us (meaning it is NOT cyrrilic
like russian), it is very similiar to Russian. So I could KINDA
understand polish while I was there! How cool is that? It was so
entertaing reading road signs and hearing people speak and trying as
hard as I could to figure out what it all meant. SO COOL!
With being exhausted from this whole Poland event, our week just was
going terribly ( just me being dramatic). So Sis Morrison and I
decided we needed to stop being such whiners and find the "miracles"
in each day. As we started to do this, the result was huge! ( Well
at least in our eyes). I will list a few of the results:
- we had over 60 people at church (lately only 40 or even less have
been comiong).
- a random/old investigator just decided to come to church. Woo hoo!
- we have a brand new investigator who is AWESOME!!! And its a miracle
how we found her..... actually how she found us. The senior couple was
out buying raisins in this cool market they have here called a
"rinik". While the old senior couple was trying to decide which dried
raisins were the best/trying to order them even though they dont speak
Russain, this lady came up to them who worked there and kept pointed
at their badges and talking to them in Russian. They gave her a
pass-along card, and then while I was in Poland with some members,
they returned with my comp and got her phone number. We went by
yesterday and she has TONS of questions and kept asking for
"literature" or anything to read about us,. YAY! A REAL investigator.
So many of our "investigators" arent really investigating the church,
but are more intersted in knowing about us or America, I forgot what
it feels like to be around someone who is sincerely interested. So
exciting.
The last bit of good news involves a babushka whom we met on the bus.
Lets just say, while on the bus we made a deal with her, she would
teach us what she knows, and we would teach her what we know. We show
up to her appt and before we know it she is showing off her beautiful
head stand she can do "for hours". You neeed to know that she is prob
90 years old, if not, def 85. She then tried to make us do it but
regretfully, our dresses wouldnt allow it. Her "knowledge" she wanted
to share with us was all about health and weird natural things we
could do to be healthy. Lets just say she forced spoonfuls of honey
down our throught (yes I felt like a child as she spoon fed us, all I
was lacking was my bib) AND she even gave me a massage. HA! She
started to pull my dress up and I freaked out and she was like "come
on I;m just an old babushka and just want to give you a massage!".
Luckily I convinced her that a massage would be just as good with my
dress on. And it was! Free massage woo hoo!
Pretty much, you can never know what to expect out here in k-grad.....
or even in Russia.
Next week expect an awesome email all about the creation of the St.
Petersburg stake with Elder Nelson! Woo hoo!
Gotta run! I love you all. When you feel down, look for the miracles

in your life. You will be amazed.

Love,

Sister Tenney