The Start of a Busy Summer

Well, today marks the start of an ever-busy Summer! Rehearsals have started for the play With Mine Own Hand: The Musical Account of Nephi. I am so excited to be part of the play again. It's the account of Nephi and his family as they journey from Jerusalem to the Americas from The Book of Mormon. For more information, visit the WMOH website. This year, we will be performing two sets of performances during the month of August: one in Oregon and one in Utah.

I love the music of the show! Shivers ran up my spine the first two times the music was played tonight. The music sounds amazing and portrays the emotion during the play especially well! There is nothing like watching the scriptures come alive before your eyes! I gained a lot of knowledge last year as I pondered the scriptures and participated in the play last Summer. I am excited to view the play with "new" eyes. I've grown a lot over the last year or so, and I can feel my testimony being polished every day.

I am, by no means, a performer in the show! I am the Director's Secretary. This job will be a little different than it was last year because there will be different demands. So far, I am in charge of noting absences and late arrivals for rehearsals; I distribute promotional items to the cast. Tonight, I was a stand in for where bodies were needed. I even got to play the leading lady for one scene! Of course, I didn't say anything... I only walked from down stage to up stage with Nephi! I think the most accurate description for my job is to serve where I am needed at the moment!

It's going to be a fantastic Summer!

I'm Afraid I've Been Thinking

For those of you who are not lucky enough to endure... I mean... enjoy my constant stream of thought, I thought I would share with you a glimpse into my mind workings.

I have been blessed and cursed with the gift of thinking. I am a wonderful thinker. I can think in any circumstance, any time of day or night. It's just dandy! Sometimes, I even can keep myself up into all hours of the night because I am thinking! It seems that I can always rely on my brain to give me some form of amusement and entertainment.

The question: Is all this thinking worthwhile? Most of the time, it isn't. This is where my thinking becomes a curse. On rare occasions, I have been known to have a profound thought about a gospel analogy. I have found that analogies are my forte. I can produce analogies in mass- they might be a stretch at some times, but they are always there.

In Russia, I was told that thinking causes your hair to grow slower. I didn't believe it when I was there, but I am starting to believe that theory after being left to my own thoughts for a time! I'm sure being able to see my hair grow as the roots start showing against my dyed hair is helping me realize how slow my hair actually grows!

Well, I'll save you the agony of listening to the rest of my thoughts, but who will save me?!

Knees Up Mother Brown

Since my arrival home, I have been having quite the experience with knee pain. After not trusting my weight on it on Sunday, I went to the doctor, yesterday, to see what was wrong. I didn't do anything to it, so I was baffled as to what was wrong. It turns out that I have Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome meaning that my kneecap is rubbing against my bone. So, I now have the wonderful chance to start a new fashion trend with a knee brace, complete with hinges! If you start singing the Primary Song about hinges, I might scream. That song has been running through my head all day yesterday and today.

Πoкa, пoкa!

L"oo"k it. L"oo"k it. II

The title of these posts comes from the way the Russian kids say "look".

These are the crazy monkeys of the Basic Reading class. From left to right, there is Andrei, Olianna, Sonia, Dima, Posha, Senya, Igour and Zhenya. You can probably tell that they are really crazy monkeys by the picture, but they are cute and funny at the same time. Kids!

Here is a video of the Basic Reading class to illustrate how they say "look" and that they are crazy!

L"oo"k it. L"oo"k it.

I'm home!!! I can't believe that I was in Russia on Thursday. It blows my mind. I am sure glad to be home, though. There are a lot of things I missed.

Since I am home, I can post more pictures, so here are a few from my Level Five party that I mentioned last time.

Vika, Izabel, and Jane

Changes in The Wind...

Guess what, guess what!

I'm coming home in about two weeks! I'm not sure of the exact date, but that's the big news on this end. I had a party with my level five classes today, and now I feel almost sick from all the junk we ate! Man, those kids know how to choose good candies and treats!

I am going to miss being here, but I won't be leaving behind any regrets. My only regret would be that my camera has broken and I can't take pictures without using someone else's camera. Oh well, I guess that is life!

Sorry to cut this short, but I really need to head to my house for some REAL food!

Пока!

Has It Come Already?

Well, two things are official: 1) Spring is here, and 2) I have been here for two months.

First, Spring. Everywhere I look, I see green grass coming up somewhere. I am almost surprised at the amount of grass in the city. I would have never guessed by the gray ground that grass would grow there. In the melting weeks, the city looked like a big trash can. In fact, one of my students described the city as such. That is no longer the case. People have swept, bagged, and burned the dead leaves, garbage and such over the last week. I saw about thirty black garbage bags full of leaves and things all stacked next to each other, waiting to be loaded into a truck.

One thing of interest is people sweep the streets- literally. I saw a man standing on the street using a broom to clean the street. Spring cleaning is the real thing here! With the arrival of Spring, the sun has come out as well. The last week had a high temperature of +20 C (or 68 F). I did some spring cleaning for myself and put away my winter clothes into my suitcases on Saturday. It is nice to walk to school with only a light jacket instead of a winter coat!

Second, my two month mark is here! It hardly seems like it could have already been two months since I was in the States. At the same time, I feel like I have been here forever. I call the house that I live in 'home' and still call the States 'home' as well. It can be quite confusing talking about moms and homes with the other teachers. It becomes hard to tell if they (or I)  am talking about home in Voronezh or home in the States.

I learned how to make Овсяное  from my host mom last night. They are a type of cookie that I love! I am super excited to make them for the rest of my life! I am sure they won't turn out quite as good as my host mom's cookies, but they might just be close enough. I also learned how to make Сомпот last night. That is a juice made from fruit. I love that too! Things to look forward to upon my arrival home!

I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to be here in Voronezh. I have realized the weaknesses I thought were strengths. I have also come to recognize my own personal standards as they have been attacked. I know what I want out of the future, and I am excited to work towards all of my righteous goals! The Lord has a plan for me that I am trying to follow.

It has been wonderful to attend church in the Voronezh Branch. The Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here reminds me very much of the Church in the early days. The Saints here have sweet and strong testimonies. I have been amazed at the strength they have in the truth of Joseph Smith and in the Book of Mormon. We have a member of the Branch Presidency who attends our Sunday School lesson. He never ceases to amaze me and remind me of who I am. I feel towards him as if he was my brother... maybe almost my father. Several times, Brother Zhenya has shared his conversion story with us and told us to "never go out of the Church". I have been so blessed to be born into a family strong in the gospel. I have also been given the privilege to be reared in the teachings of the gospel.

I am so excited to start a family of my own in the future, to rear my own children in the knowledge of the gospel and of a loving Heavenly Father. I know that joy and happiness come from living true to the values that are taught through the scriptures. I also know that the Lord will not lead His children astray if we strive to live worthy of His Spirit. He also provides a way for us to accomplish our righteous desires. I challenged myself to read the entire Doctrine and Covenants in a week, and I would not have accomplished that goal if the Lord had not blessed me with an empty day to just read. I am happy to say that I did finish reading the Doctrine and Covenants, although it was in eight days instead of seven. I learned a lot in those eight days, and I feel that I replenished my spirit's thirst for the time being.

This has turned into a novel. Have a wonderful day!

Пока