October has officially ended and it's now November... ish. For me, at any rate. Wow, that feels like deja vu. Did I write the same thing last year? Guess you get to hear it again, in that case. Congratulations!
In any case, because I'll likely forget about it before I get to the end of my letter, and because there are apparently inquiring minds that want to know, I thought I'd pass along some very important information... ish. I haven't received any letters/packages for the last month, but I'm not entirely surprised about that one because we're stuck in Khabarovsk and for some reason Khabarovsk (despite the fact that it's a mainland city) has more trouble getting mail on a regular basis than Sakhalin does. I'm fairly certain I've probably got something sitting in the mission office right now, but I won't know for sure until Tuesday when and if the Zone Leaders bring it back from Zone Leaders Council on Tuesday. I have no idea what I want for Christmas either. Something light and easy to carry. See also: won't be too much of a bummer if I have to leave it behind when I fly home (which, incidentally, has been officially set for the 19th of February, because that's when transfers are and everybody goes home at the end of transfers. They may find me a cheaper flight sometime before that, but it'll be a difference of two or three days at most (they should be buying me a ticket within the next two weeks. I find that absolutely disgusting. I can't be almost three months away from my release date), so you can pretty much guarantee that I'll be home on the 19th. I forgot where else I was going with this tangent, so I guess that's all I have to say about that). Basically what I'm saying here is that anything you send me will be more than appreciated and I'll be absolutely okay with whatever... even if it's just an email. So. How many more random topics can I squeeze into one paragraph? I could tell you more about Sister Volkova. She's from Moscow and knows practically everybody who translates General Conference. Actually, I'm pretty sure she knows all the more-or-less famous members of the church in Russia. This is her... third transfer, so I guess she doesn't actually count as new anymore, but I'm only the second companion. We laugh a lot, and I'm pretty sure people on the street occasionally think we're insane, but I figure that's just a good sign of success. I have no idea how long I'll be serving with her, because at the end of this month (November, that is) there'll be another new sister coming in and that means we'll actually have an even number of sisters for once (!). Somebody's got to do some training, and while I'm almost certain it isn't going to be me, you never really know with these things. But. That's not the point.
In any case, this week I got to go and get myself officially registered. That was entertaining. If there's anything I've learned while being in Russia (yes, I'm aware that that list is already obscenely long), it's that government buildings, regardless of where they're located or what public service they offer, are basically the same everywhere: grey, dreary, and generally infused with the same sort of atmosphere you get at a funeral - that is, people moving around slowly, talking in whispers, and the occasional condolence to the bereaved. Not a place I'd like to spend any more time, but I get the feeling it's going to happen again before I leave the city. Hooray!
I also made another new friend this week. And he prayed for us... very interestingly. We stopped to talk to him and he asked us if we believed in spiritual gifts, like, for example, the gift of tongues. I told him yes, we do believe that such gifts exist, but not exactly in the same way that other people do. As far as we're concerned, all spiritual gifts ought to be used for the benefit of others - the gift of tongues, for example, would be more likely manifest in, oh say, an American missionary who could speak Russian in order to preach the gospel than in something only understood by the person speaking. He disagreed, and we continued talking to him for a few minutes more, but he wasn't much interested in meeting and we figured it would be better to end the conversation. Apparently he did too, because he told us that he would pray for us (to which we of course responded, "Thank you. And we for you") and then offered his hand as though he wanted to shake ours. We both automatically extended our hands and he grabbed them and began to pray. The first few words were nothing too out of the ordinary, but then... well. I have no idea what he said, and I know Sister Volkova didn't either, but apparently he did, and that was enough for him. Ha. He had our hands in a fairly firm grip, so we waited until he finished before we said "thank you" and walked away. Oh man. I love being on a mission.
In any case, that's all I've got for now. I expect you all to stay healthy, have a good week, and remember that I love you.
-Sister Read
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