Hey, hey, heyyyyyyy

Heyyyy Kumal koaros. menlau mahk on ngehi! I had NO time last week on email and didn't get to group email! But don't you worry! I'm good!! These past two weeks have been a little crazy. So about 3ish weeks ago I got REAL sick and when I went to Guam last week my companion pulled President Zarbock to the side and told him all that was going on and how she was nervous about me. Soooo I got pulled into President's office and he came to the conclusion that I would be given 1 week to get better and if I was still sick then I would be pulled to Guam to serve there! (I told him that wasn't an option but he wasn't really  listening) So as you can imagine on Monday I was pretty down, like WAY down. But Tuesday came and we were out and something just clicked! Being sad and upset wasn't going to make me get better and life is a whole lot better when we are happy! Life got a whole lot brighter on Tuesday! 

And THEN on Wednesday Heavenly Father handed me and Sister Fehoko a perfectly prepared investigator. I've never met someone like Jack. he tries a new church every week because he feels like something is missing. Then on Thursday as we were in a lesson he looked at me and said "what am I feeling? I can't explain it, but it's warm and peaceful." THEN on Friday we had a lesson with him that I will never forget. I've never seen the adversary and Heavenly Father work so hard against each other. But it's a good thing that light will ALWAYS take over darkness. & don't you worry because Jack is now on date for the end of the month! He asked when was the soonest he could receive the gift of the Holy Ghost! like when the heck does that happen?? BEST DAY EVER.

 Heavenly Father answers prayers and He is in the details of our lives. I've never seen His hand so great in my life than I did last week. #blessed!

I know a lot of the blessings and success that I've found on my mission has come from the prayers of you all so thank youuuu!

Xoxoxox. Sister Russell

---

Pepdiiiiaaaaas

Hellloooo everyone! 

Remay was baptized this week so boooo yahhh!! I was a littttttlllle frustrated this week because RJ (Remay's brother) backed out of the baptism on Friday night just before the baptismal interview. We went to their house with the elders and Sister Albert pulled me and Sister Fehoko to the side and explained to us that RJ wasn't ready to make that kind of commitment and that he would be baptized once the rest of the family would be baptized! So I kinda just wanted to be like "Soooo do you all wanna get baptized tomorrow orrrrr?" Geez I wish people would just understand haha!

But I'm counting my many blessings because Remay was still baptized and I'm not sure I've seen someone happier than her as she got out of the font! She was dripping wet and ran up and jumped on me and was so so happy! Then as she bore her testimony to the ward she started to cry as she thanked me and Sister Fehoko for teaching her about how she can follow Jesus! It was so stinkin cute.

Soooo what else is new? 

1.I got a new house this week! It's white and it's like living in a mini temple!

2. I found THE biggest dead spider this morning my bed! (at least it was dead, right?)

3. I learned how cut open coconuts like a pohnpeian! 

4. I'm still in the process of learning how to hula.

5. lots and lots and lots of new investigators this week! Boo yah!

Yikes sorry! This is short! But not toooo much to report this week! thank you thank you thank you for all the support I get from home! You guys are the bessstttt! 

Sending loooots of love from Pohnpei!

LOVE. Sister Russell

Cockroaches for Days......

Hey hey heyyy! 

(I know I always say this!) But this week was a GOOD one!

We had stake conference on Sunday and holy crap that is so so fun!! To see all of the saints on Pohnpei come together is seriously the sweetest thing ever. But also the church is really really new on this island so stake conference is a big mess and honestly it kinda stresses me out! Like holy crap Elder Yamashita from the seventy is talking and they are all just moving chairs and doing who knows what hhahaha it kills me. But you should have seen how excited Remay Albert (the girl who is getting baptized this week!) was when Elder Yamashita came up and shook her hand and wanted to meet her! She was so happy I thought she was gonna cry! To me it's become normal to see these general authorities around but to her it was something she will never forget!

So YES Remay and RJ Albert are getting baptized this week and holy crap I cannot wait!! The mom and dad need a little more time to get permission from their parents (Ya that's a thing in Micronesia) but they should be joining their kids and getting baptized soon!

Also, yesterday we had Zone Conference and a huge part of Presidents training had to do with Heavenly Father's love! and it made me just stop and think about really how much Heavenly Father loves His children. I know I've said this before but that is one of the sweetest things as a missionary! We get to feel just the smallest amount of Heavenly Father's love for His children as we teach them. I LOVE it.

Okay so funny story from this week. So it's like 10:15 and there are like 4 cockroaches running around our house (they were HUGE and real quick) so Sister Fehoko is chasing them with a Knife and Sister Bowers has a broom and then I had the plastic bag that we were gonna scoop them into! and as you can probably tell, it wasn't working. Sooooo after like 10 minutes of trying Sister Fehoko wacks one with the knife and it freakin flies! hahahahah So we all scream and then sister Wari (who was asleep) runs out of the bedroom screaming and runs right outside hahahahah I'm crying just writing this. She thought a man was in our house hahaha. What the heck.

"This is not the Paris, France mission. We're a croc wearing, hard working mission!" - President Zarbock

so there you go!

LOVE. Sister Russell

Guam & MLC....

Helllloooo everyone!  

So first off. I'm DRAGGING. We were in Guam this weekend for MLC and ask me how much I've slept? Not enough! So I'll just apologize in advance if my sentences don't make sense. Plus my english is terrible so hahah there you go.

Sooooo things in Micronesia? Still the best!! Oh geez I love it. I think one of my favorite things about going to Guam and getting to see a bunch of the missionaries serving on the other islands is realizing that I'm in THE coolest mission ever! oh annnnd seeing Sister Zarbock. This weekend she spoke to us about finding joy in our trials and realizing that our trials come from a loving Heavenly Father and that as we are building the kingdom of God, we are also building ourselves! She talked about the story of the seagulls and the crickets and she asked us "If Heavenly Father had the power to send the seagulls, why didn't He just keep the crickets away in the first place?" Missions are HARD. like holy crap. But I KNOW that they are hard because Heavenly Father loves His children and sometimes trials are the way He shows that love!

So in regards to the work things are looking goooood! We have 4 (heck ya) baptisms coming up on the 25th so PRAY with me that everything will work out and that the Albert's and Roseleen will get baptized! OH geez I'm stoked. This week me and Sister Fehoko went to the Albert dad to ask for permission for his wife and kids to be baptized and when he said yes we both just started to cry! There REALLY are those people who are prepared and waiting for certain missionaries. 

and ALSO we have stake conference this week so guess who get's to see Sister Zarbock agaiinnnn? wahooo! BUT because we have stake conference on Sunday, we have Zone Conference on Monday so I'll be getting on email on Tuesday! SORRY. 

"We're living the dream!" - President Zarbock

It's true! I'm the coolest mission and I'm surrounded by the BEST people! life is gooood. 

Thank youuuu everyone!

LOVE. Sister Russell

tender mercies

helloooo everyone! 

Okay I'm gonna start off with the SWEETEST experience I had this week.

So on Thursday I got a call from Sister Fulton asking me if I could go to her house after district meeting! me and Sister Fehoko went and when I made eye contact with Sister Fulton I KNEW exactly what had happened. She hugged me and informed me that my Grandma Russell had passed away that morning. OF COURSE there were some tears but also this feeling of peace knowing that she was happy and that I would be getting a little extra help for the next few months!

I then went into the back room to call my family! & my mom told me the cutest thing! for the past few days my grandma had not known a whole lot about what was going on and yet right before my mom said her last goodbye to my grandma my grandma promised my mom that she would take care of me for the next 9 months! & then she passed away on my 9 month mark. That was a little tender mercy for me to see just how aware our Heavenly Father is of us. I'm so GRATEFUL to have my sweet grandma's help for the next few months! and also I think Heavenly Father knew I was at a point in my mission where I needed that extra help. I'm a lucky lucky girl!

So this week was GOOD! There is a family that I am teaching right now that is so prepared and is such a tender mercy, the Albert family! I met them at the bus stop one day and now they are on baptismal date for the end of March. So the other night we had planned to teach the Plan of Salvation (not really a good idea, I was in tears the whole time) but as we taught it I was able to share with them my experience with losing my grandma and how I KNEW that I would see her again. It was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had, it was as if my grandma was sitting right next to me holding my hand! I'm sure I got a whole lot more out of the lesson than what I taught them and geez. I'll never forget that!

and hahahahah my comp. things are BOMB with her! she's literally picked me up and carried me through the tough days of this week! bless her heart. 

Life's just good! Investigators are goooood. Area is goooood. The ward, my comp, everything is GOOD. I love serving here on Pohnpei! I LOVE the people and I feel so dang fortunate to serve with them! KALAGHAN EN KAUNO! hahahahah love you all!!

LOVE. Sister Russell

---

Spanked by the Ocean

Kasalehhhlie everyyyone!

This week was a GOOD one! (I swear I say that every week but really this one was!)

The language is finally starting to not be a burden, me and my companion are becoming bessstt friends, my investigators are progressing, and life is just good! 

So you guys wanna hear the cutest story ever? Sooo on Thursday night Sister Pokipala and I were SUPER late to get out proselyting because Zone Meeting went late! So it was about 7 o'clock and we had a whole lot of people to see! So we just kinda made the decision to go see our investigator who lives wayyyy in the middle of the jungle. So as we are walking to go see Leoline I get this overwhelming feeling to turn around! So I look back at Sister Pokipala and ask her how she feels and she explains to me that she feels we need to go back to the main road! So (obviously) we pray and both have overwhelming feelings that we need to go see a new family that we've been teaching, the Albert Family! So we went there and we decided to teach simply about Jesus Christ. It was BY far the sweetest and most powerful lesson I've been in since being on Pohnpei. The spirit was so strong and I was so grateful to see the blessings from following the spirit. The whole family is now on baptismal date for the middle of March :) Heavenly Father is so dang aware of his children it's insane. 

Another coooool thing I got to do this week was go out to an outer island of Pohnpei called Parem!! like 10 of us missionaries all loaded up on this tinnnyyy boat and drove out to the island (it was so dangerous holy crap) and it was SO fun! We were all soaked by the time we got to the island! The island of Parem was opened up to a set of elders last transfer and it was so so crazy to see how the Gospel truly is spreading to everyone! OHHHH and on this island I got to hold an octopus!! so hahahah perks of living on a crazy island! and also driving on a little boat with in the middle of the ocean at sun set is probably one of the coolest things I've ever done! 

Ohhh and if you are wondering where the title of the email came from, that's Elder Glauser for ya! hahahah. But really. I'm SO dang grateful for the blessing it is to be the Lord's servant on this island. There are some realllyyyy hard days and some realllyyyy good days! But the good days always outweigh the tough ones! always! 

Udahn Kalanghan Kumail!!

LOVE. Sister Russell

Bucket Showers Brings Blessings...

 

Okayyy you're probably wondering what the heck I mean by bucket showers bring blessings! But really it's nothing! I was in Guam this weekend for MLC (a really loooong 9 hour meeting) and I was eating dinner with the other STL's and ZL's and president and sister Zarbock and all the sisters kept saying how they were taking hot showers! Sooo of course I'm laughing because not only am I taking cold showers but they are with a pump and a bucket! (President Zarbock wasn't real impressed that sisters were bucket showering) BUT something I thought a lot about after that conversation was truly how BLESSED I am to be in a mission where I get to experience these type of things. When else in my life will I be eating rice on the floor with my hands, or be trudging through the jungle just to find that one prepared investigator! I'm SO grateful to serve in Micronesia! 

Soooooo me and Sister Pokipala saw loooots of blessings this week! And one of them had to do with our cute investigator, Marlinda! So Mar is having a HARD time getting permission to get baptised and come to church. So me and Sister Pokipala thought and thought of ways to help her! So one thing we thought about was to ask her family to help us! So we went there one day and asked if there was any way we could buy some bananas from them. They were so grateful that we asked and immediately went to go get some. We bought the bananas and sat and talked with them for a little while annnnnnd we walked out of their house with permission to come to church! wahooo! We haven't gotten permission to be baptised yet but just you wait!

But this weekend was the beeessttt because I got to see Sister Zarbock wahoooo! Oh my goodness it's like seeing my mom. She's so cute because she always talks about how as missionaries we are blessed with this love for people like never before! Which is so so true. I could walk into a first lesson with someone and instantly love them. I think that's a special gift given to missionaries to be able to feel just a little bit of how Heavenly Father feels about His children! Being a missionary is the BEST. 

Sorry this is so short! We just got back from Guam and I'm rushing!! I sure hope you are all doing goooood! And thank you so so much for the support from home! LOVE you all SO so much!

limpppoooak, Sister Russell